The Last Descendant

9. If Only

(Picture Of Catalina)

Third

Kaien Cross sighed in exhaustion, took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes tiredly. He was sitting behind his desk with his fingers interlocking each other, with his chin on top."Kat, what exactly are you planning?" It was no surprise that Katrina Tepes was an important person to Kaien, so important that he would choose her over anyone, even his beloved daughter Yuki. The two have a lot of history together, most of it was good, but they did fight occasionally, especially when Katrina mourned the death of her family.

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Flashback

A woman with beautiful long curly hair was dressed in a beautiful black lace dress that showed her creamy white shoulders, her slim neck, and the swell of her breasts. The dress had a corset which  elegantly fit her curves. The strings of the corset, were red ribbons that made her naturally red crimson lips pop. She was draped gracefully on top of a satin couch, with one of her hands under chin, and a small frown on her lips."Kaien I wish to have your opinion on a rather significant subject. " The woman spoke Kaien's name out with such care, with so much warmth, that one would think they were lovers and not friends.

A young man smiled at the woman. He had blonde dead straight hair and golden eyes that sparkled at the sight of the young woman in front of him, clearly screaming he was infatuated with her."Yes Catalina?" The woman - Catalina looked at Kaien, and her gaze steadily held his. She mindlessly stroked her family seal on her neck, which was dangling from a black velvet choker she was wearing.

"As you know, I am the last of my family line." Catalina started sadly, which caused Kaien to crinkle his brows in confusion.

"What about your so-" A vase shattered in to little pieces of broken china and Kaien stopped speaking, with a blush present on his face."Right. I forgot. "

Catalina's lips pursued into a slight frown." I wish to enter an eternal slumber, and I want you to be the one to awaken me."

Kaien's lips pursued into a thin line, as he glared at Catalina in anger."What!? Catalina do you have any idea what you are asking of me!"

Catalina looked furious, and she acidly replied," So She can ask you for favors, while I simply can't ask for you to awaken me!?" The windows began cracking as Catalina clenched her family seal. Her eyes turned a violent golden color,"She can dump the responsibility of raising her children on you and you accept without hesitation! " Her eyes saddened and she slightly looked down, as tears began building up in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall." Have you already broken your promise to me Kaien? Do you love her more than you do me? Even if she chose her brother over you?"

Kaien's eyes widened, but he didn't speak a word, neither denying , nor accepting the accusations. Catalina intook a sharp breath of air, accepting his silence as a yes, she gracefully stood up and began to walk away from Kaien.

"Goodbye Mr. Cross." She said without turning around, never looking back at her dear hunter.

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Kaien Cross rarely cried, but now as memories began evading his mind, other discursive thoughts of the past kept popping into his mind, he couldn't help the few tears that fell away.

Her scent.

Her sweet smile.

The way she woud tease him with a quick peck to the lips, knowing he wanted more.

Or the way that she always seemed to know what he was thinking of , and the way she seemed to predict his next moves.

She always knew him better than sometimes even he knew himself.

He regretted choosing Juri over Catalina, not only because Juri was already taken to Haruka, but because Catalina distanced herself from him, even to this day, Kat has been a little withdrawn when it came to him.

It was his fault though. He didn't talk to her or reach out for her before she left his life. He wasn't even the one to awaken her because he was stuck with Juri, Kat had to forcefully awaken herself.

He choose Juri, even after she rejected him, after she married her brother Haruka and had his two children. He was a fool, while Juri was plaguing his mind, Kat was patiently waiting for him, even if she was hurt along the way. In a way, Kaien used her to replace Juri, even after Kat had put all her trust in him.

Kaien gloomily opened one of his drawers and pulled out a miniature painting of Catalina."I truly am stupid." He whispered as he lovingly stroked Catalina's face on the painting.

Kaien saw it. The looks Zero and Kaname gave Kat. The same looks he used to give her, the same look they gave her. Kaien lost. To his own adoptive son and his first love's son no less. If he had stopped her, proved her wrong, then maybe none of this would be happening. Juri and Haruka would still be alive, happily married, popping out more children. Zero would still have his family and not slowly falling to Level E. Yuki and Kaname.......would probably stay the same, and Kaien would be married to Kat, possibly even already with children. All the possibilities crammed in to his head. If only he had stopped her. Everyone wouldn't have had to suffer.

But he never  made an effort to stop her.