Synchronicity

Chapter 10

Len heard his foot steps and saw nothing but white. The world had died around him, leaving him in a bright nothingness. He felt a frown tug at his lips as he looked around. He was all alone. Len cursed to himself as he reached desperately for the pendant. His fingers grasped the metal willing it to give him any warmth but it was only like ice now.

"Dammit," he hissed before falling back against an invisible wall. "Dammit!" He shouted, listening as it echoed and bounced off the invisible world around him. He said nothing more as he let one hand dangle to his side while the other covered his face.

He felt weak.

Tears were burning in his eyes and he wouldn't let them fall. This was the end, wasn't it? Was he dead? He had to be… There was no other way to explain where he was or what he was doing. For what felt like forever, the boy stood there trying to suck the tears back.

'Sing…'

Len lifted his hand over his eyes, letting it rest on his forehead as he looked out. There was a voice. It was quiet and it was unfamiliar but it was there.

'Please sing…'

It beckoned in the brightness like a siren. It called for him and he wanted to call back but the strength had left his body. He gasped and let the air leave him as he looked up at no one. Nothing. It was just him and the invisible wall.

'Please sing…!'

The voice demanded. It begged. Len was tired and wanted to just sleep where he stood. He closed his eyes and opened his mouth as a song began. "I pray to protect. For the bright world…" a hushed voice sang. Len opened his eyes again. He knew who it was… "The bright world, where everyone can smile," it sang.

Len said nothing at first then smiled. It was that song. The one he didn't know and yet, "I fight to put an end. I saw you crying alone," he called to the brightness, standing firm and letting his voice carry. It was his song. It was their song.

"A song of hope of light to tomorrow," she sang sweetly.

"A song of despair, of shadow, to bury the past," he sang in reply, letting his fingers wrap around the ones that were there. The warmth overwhelmed him at first as he listened to her sing again.

"Giving my life to it, I sing vigorously," the girl sang, shifting enough so that Len could feel her against him. It wasn't an invisible wall at all.

Len smirked, "Your existence stolen from me, your voice ceases," he sang louder. He felt her tense. He wanted to turn around, to embrace her but he stopped himself. He opened his mouth and sang louder, their voices melted into one.

"Let my voice float with wind till I die…!" She shouted.

"A sink for the never-ending rain till I die…!" He called before turning over his shoulder. The girl that stood there didn't look back at first. She felt as scared as he was. "Rin," he gapped finding it hard to breath.

The girl jumped then slowly turned back towards him, "L…Len?" She asked softly. The two just stared at one another for a long time. The same yellow hair, the same sapphire eyes, the same complexion. They were mirror images of one another. "Len!" Rin smiled brightly, spinning fully around and reaching out for him.

Len opened his arms to catch her but when the impact should have come, it didn't. The girl vanished right through him and then was gone. The boy froze, staring at the empty world again. Had he imagined it?

No.

No, he couldn't have. She was there! He'd seen her! They sang their song! She wasn't a figment of his imagination. She had been there. Where did she go. "Where is she?" Len called spinning in tight circles looking for any sign of another presence. There was nothing there. "Where is my sister!" He screamed and heard his voice shout right back.

He screamed again and fell to his knees punching the ground below him. He was tired and frustrated and was sick of games. The impossible path he'd chosen was finally wearing him down. He was exhausted and couldn't stop the tears now. They fell freely from his eyes, streamed down his cheeks and puddled on the floor.

"Why don't you sleep little warrior?" The voice mocked him. The boy recognized it now as the Pythoness. "You've already lost. Give up. Sleep. Your sister is not far behind." She laughed, "history repeats itself."

Len's eyes snapped open.

The world was brought back to life in a flash of blue light and Len was laying there in the midst of it all. The Pythoness had her back turned to him as she made her way up the platform steps. He didn't hear his comrades and the painful thought of their demise crossed his mind. He grunted and forced himself to sit up but he was sore everywhere and his head was throbbing.

What had Gakupo said about defeating the Pythoness? Kaito said only magic would effect her but there had to be something else. Then Len remembered the fight he had against the girl, the way he'd looked into her eyes.

"The mask," Len whispered to himself as he looked around for his sword. It was laying a couple feet away from him and seemed to be in better condition than he was. He hoped the girl wouldn't hear him as he stumbled to his feet. Out of the corner of his eye he could their bodies and none of them moved.

The girl hadn't heard him yet but Len would have to be swift on his feet. As he wobbled and tried to stay balanced he couldn't help but notice the soft humming coming from the blue haired girl. He was confused a second but couldn't waste time.

"Little warrior has fallen," she sang to no one but the voice was broken and a bit distorted. "My, my, the diva will be next."

"Think again," Len coughed without meaning to. The girl gasped and whipped her head around. Len knew he looked pathetic standing there, blood dripped down his forehead and down his arm. He wondered how long he had to live.

"Why do you get up?" She asked him nervously, the tears dried on her face. "You are foolish to try," she said letting her smile slowly return. Len said nothing now, he turned and bolted for his sword as she lifted her hand and let the shadows wrap around. The shadows begun appeared again on the ground but Len dodged them with ease. He dipped down and scooped the sword up with his bad arm, wincing as he did.

The shadows screamed at him and tried to get to him but he continued to move around and be missed. He gripped the sword tighter as he ran for the Pythoness, target in sight. She made the shadows move faster but Len still was untouchable. "No!" The girl screamed taking a few steps back, willing her shadows to save her. "You cannot do this! It's impossible!"

There was a loud clash of sword against metal and the shadows immediately fell back into the ground. Len panted hard as he stood along the girl, his sword now back down by his side.

The girl hiccupped and tried to suppress her sobs but found it difficult to even try. She raised her head and, for the first time, saw the blue light clearly. "How…?" She whispered in astonishment.

"I'm going to finish this," Len hissed under his breath at her before making his way towards the platform. He was dizzy again but he had a feeling he knew where his sister was. "Rin," he coughed, grabbing the pendant that dangled from his neck. "I'm coming."

The blue haired girl said nothing at first then turned around, "she's waiting for you!" She cried at him. She had to say something now after all the hell she'd caused. "I believe in you young warrior!"

Len ran at full speed now, ignoring his pain as he tried to find a way. The platform… He remembered Rin talking about the cave. The cave was down below, it had to be!

"Len," he heard his sisters voice coming from the unknown. He looked up and saw the shape he'd seen in his dreams. The girl with golden hair and sky blue eyes. The boy reached out for her ignoring the blood that stained his fingertips.

"I'm coming Rin," he said with a faint smile, tears reappeared in his own eyes. "I'm coming!"

Kaito coughed before gasping for air. He winced and held his stomach looking around. Where was he? Did he die? He remembered feeling pain and then being stabbed and then nothing. He recognized the inside of the cave they'd gone into and he noticed the same blue glow to. "I'm alive?" He asked scanning the room, deeply confused. "How?" He asked to no one.

Then Gakupo came into view, checking over his wounds. "Magic," the man said simply. He himself looked beat up and past him Kaito could see Meiko.

"Magic?" Kaito asked noticing Gakupo had little scratches here and there but nothing looked too drastic. "What happened? I thought I'd died."

"It seems we all thought the same," Gakupo said with a weak smile. "A fine illusion if I do say so myself." He looked back and moved enough out of the way for Kaito to see the frail Pythoness. She was kneeling down somewhere near Meiko, burying her face in her palms and he assumed she was crying.

"Illusion?" Kaito asked with a frown.

"Yes," Gakupo said rubbing his head a bit. "It would appear the Pythoness has played a trick on our minds. She created those creatures and wounded us greatly but… It seems when the boy broke her mask, we were revived. I'm not too sure myself."

Kaito said nothing for a while then looked over at the girl, "Len broke the mask?"

"Yes," Gakupo nodded with a long sigh, "it would appear so."

Kaito wasn't sure what to say about that at first, then looked over towards the girl, "how is she? How is Miku?" Gakupo gave a questioning look which made Kaito laugh weakly, "ah. I guess I have some explaining to do."

"Yes, you do."

There was a dripping sound from above and a harsh breathing somewhere off to the side. Len regretted jumping right away. He shivered as he started gaining feeling back in his body. He was numb all over, arm aching worse now than before. He was laying in some kind of cool water only a few centimeters deep and he doubted that's what saved his fall. The boy lay there a moment trying to bring himself back to life before her swallowed some of the water. He choked and jerked up awake spitting out the mixture of blood and water.

Blood. Len looked down at the shallow pool he was soaked in. It was red alright but the consistency was too thin for it to be just blood. He first thought it was all from his arm, that he'd been knocked unconscious and bleed everywhere. Then a jab of realization hit him and he searched the room.

Where was Rin?

The Pythoness said she was waiting for him but where? He assumed she'd meant down here but there was no sign of the girl. There was no sign of anything for that matter. He took in all the sights of the cave. How vast it was and how dark it was. Where was the sky? Was the blue light above the end of it? He smell was awful too; rot and must and mold and blood. The scent of blood was strong but that could be because it was on his face.

He limped to his feet, stumbling a little and looked around. It was huge and empty but there was no sign of the girl. "Rin?" He called weakly, his voice was too hoarse to rise above a whisper. He coughed again and held his side then looked for his sword. It'd fallen some what farther away. He glared at it and slowly went over, kneeling and scooping it up. It was almost as beaten up as he was.

Then Len noticed the small metal object beside where the sword had been laying. He frowned confused then tipped his head to the side as he knelt down and picked it up. The boy felt his heart skip a beat as he looked at the shape of a music note. It matched his pendant even though the shape was different. "Rin?" He asked it noticing how icy it felt, then "Rin!" He shouted despite his throat aching.

His voice echoed through the cave but he got no answer in reply.