The Cry of the Lost Ones

"You know who Nero is?" Nariko stopped, and turned to face him. She looked at him, wondering if Zaine had known him. She was silent for a few moments, then looked to the ground, unable to look at Ezekiel while she said this.

She drew in a breath, and explained as quickly as she could. "Nero... killed... Zaine Ezvan..." she said softly, trying to stop herself from crying more, but it was no use. She broke out into sobs again, and this time, didn't try to stop them. "He killed my husband..."

When he put her arm around her, Nariko growled softly and quickly pushed herself away from him. "Don't touch me," she said. "Please, just don't touch me..." She frowned, and when asked if she went to the academy, nodded her head. "Yes, I go there. And Nero used a sword to kill him. Is it really necessary to keep asking me how Zaine died?" It was obvious that it pained her. He had been her husband, after all, and things had been so good just before he was murdered... she really shouldn't have expected it to last forever, though.

"You probably dont believe me, but, I've been feeling connected with you this whole time. Normally I'm really shy. Zaine's soul and mine might have become one...."

Nariko's eyes went wide, and she swallowed. She didn't know what to think at all. She looked away and ran a hand through her hair, sighing, her bottom lip quivering. She just didn't know what to do. Ezekiel had just met her, now Zaine's soul might be in him? How did he know all this? How did he know Nero? But, most importantly... how could she even trust him?

"Why do you know all of this? About the scythe's and all... and the souls... and..." She sighed again, rubbing her forehead. "And give me one good reason as to why I should trust you, or why I should believe that Zaine's soul "became one with yours"." She waited, eyes narrowed slightly and tears still falling. She really just didn't know what to do.

"I am...Nero's brother..."

You've gotta be kidding me... Nariko thought to herself, her eyes widening slightly with that statement. Nero's brother? Great. She was supposed to trust someone related to the man that had murdered her husband right in front of her eyes. How was she supposed to do that? Then again, he had gone on to say that he was nothing like Nero. Aeta was Nero's brother and nothing like the man... so maybe she could try to believe him.

".... Because...I just now realized, within the last twenty minutes, this came to be on my finger somehow."

The crying just didn't stop. She looked at the ring on his hand and sniffed, tears still pouring from her eyes. Zaine's body had disappeared, and there was pretty much no way Ezekiel could have stolen the ring from his dead fingers. "I... but... how... that... his..." She stopped and covered her face with her hands, sighing and sobbing slightly. "Apparently I can't even speak a sentence." She shook her head.

"Fine, I suppose I'll trust you... it's not that far fetched, so... yeah..." With all she had been through and known, Zaine's soul merging with Ezekiel's really wasn't too out there.

As he hugged her, Nariko just gave up. She didn't want to be hugged; a hug wouldn't solve her problems. She allowed it, but didn't hug him back, and just kept her arms at her sides. The young woman nodded when he said they would just be friends and try to stop the hurting. "Alright," she said. "I'm fine with that."

Though I highly doubt the hurting will go away... she thought to herself, sighing inwardly. She had just lost the love her life, after all. Of course she was going to think it was the end of the world.

As it got darker, Nariko just looked up at the sky. Everything had been going so well earlier in the evening... and now... and now, everything was just horribly wrong. She shook her head, looking at Ezekiel. The sixteen year old just looked at him, not knowing what she should say. The silence was bothering her, and her thoughts were really getting to her. She opened her mouth slightly to speak, then shut it, biting her lip and sighing very quietly. She didn't know what to say, and she wasn't going to make a fool out of herself by coming up with random topics.

Her ears pressed down against her head and she turned her eyes to the ground, folding her arms over her chest, feeling the tinniest bit awkward. She really didn't care that there was blood all over her clothes... stained clothes were the last of her worries.