The Fire Didn't Stop Her

Restless In The Palace

She found herself, once again, in front of a large crowd. But she was on a balcony, in a white dress. A wedding dress. Selene was facing the people of New Beijing, and they were screaming at her. Tossing random objects at her, and the figure at her side. No. Kai. He had dark rings surrounding his eyes, and his shoulders were hunched. He was a broken man. A miserable, hopeless, depressed, broken man.

Selene ran into the room behind her. Shielding her face from the jeering crowd with her gloved hands. She never wanted this. To marry Kai and become empress. She never wanted to doom Kai to a life of constant misery. What had gone wrong?

Levana burst through the doors. Her veil out of her distorted face and hands dancing in the air. "Oh you did it! I can't believe you actually managed to do it!" She ripped Selene's hands from her head. "I knew I would rub off on you some how. Now all you have to do, is provide a heir to the throne."

"WHAT?!" No, Selene! It's just a nightmare! Wake up!

"Well it doesn't have to be Kaito's child. But that is preferred. Still, it doesn't matter now. Also, you got him to marry you. So how hard could it be to do this?"

Selene turned to see Kai. He was staring at her with those shadowed eyes. He looked to the railing on the balcony. Without a moment passing, he climbed onto the rail and stood to face the world. Before she could react, he fell forward. "NO!" She sprinted to the rail to try and catch him, but she was too late. He was free falling. He only stopped to collide with the ground.

Kai was dead. He committed suicide to leave her. To be free from her aunt's control. This was her fault. She hadn't tried hard enough to save them, any of them. Luna, the E.C, Kai ... "Well I guess you don't have to have a child with Kaito now," Levana giggled. She actually giggled at the fact Kai was dead.

Selene fell to the floor. Making herself as compact as possible, she tried to weep into her wretched dress. She was now cursed to live this life. A life of pain, regret, while knowing she was completely unloved.

..................

She was being shaken vigorously by someone. Thank the stars a kind soul was forcing her out of that terrible night terror. "Cinder!" Her eyes fluttered open to see her savior. Kai. "Cinder, are you okay?!"

She shifted out of his reach, to the back of her bed and as far from him as possible. Selene was breathing in sharply with hard puffs, aching in her chest. Warnings were flaring up in her vision by the second. "Cinder, it's okay. You were having a nightmare and screaming in your sleep." No kidding! "It's alright. None of that was real. None of that is going to be real." Cinder wasn't so sure. If, in the end, he was obligated to marry her, would he kill himself to get out of it?

Kai reached out to her, but she bent away as he neared. Once he finally caught hold of her arm, he pulled her into a warm embrace. "No, Kai. Please. I'm fine."

"That's a lie. You're shivering and confused."

"I don't want a hug."

"Well, you need one." Cinder dared to turn her gaze to Kai's face. He stored down at her, with the same eyes that smiled at her when she was found at Adri's booth. They gleamed with a light more vibrant than the sun. More precious than any gem.

Kai scooted onto her bed. He sat up against the head board and brought Cinder with him. Selene resisted, but wasn't much of a match for Kai's strength without using her cybernetic capabilities. And she had no intention of making the situation worse.

He rested his head on her shoulder. Nestling his face in her neck and sending warmth to her cold body. Cinder began to relax her tensed muscles and fell into him. Her mind was foggy from the illusions. She didn't remember what her plan to save the world was until Iko's voice replayed in her head. 'I'm almost ninety-five percent sure that he loves you,'. If he did love her, then she was being lead into a trap. One that could cost her everything she cared about.