Deepest Desire [NaLu AU]

Chapter XIX

My thoughtless haze disappeared suddenly. A dark scene unfolded before me, cold wind biting me on its way by, choppy waters spraying me with salty mist.

I looked down. I was floating high in the air, but I didn't feel the comforting free feeling of the wings on my back. A deserted ocean was below me, surging and swelling with the windy, unrelenting storm.

I gazed around, scouring the sea for anything that wasn't the dangerous waters. I was alone. I had always hated the feeling of being alone. I tried to walk, but it was like the winds swirling around me kept me in place, refusing to let me take even a single step.

I sat down in the middle of the air, bending my knees and hugging them close to my chest while I buried my head between my knees. I wasn't sure why, but I had a bad feeling, and terror had settled itself deep in my gut.

I stared down at the ocean below me through my knees, trying to use the appearance of the sea to calm my irrational thoughts. It worked to an extent, but the waters were violent and powerful, and they reminded me too much of myself.

It seemed like hours before I saw a speck of something foreign surrounded by the blue waters. As soon as I saw it, I bolted down to it, the winds releasing their grasp on me. The golden color disappeared, starting its descent deep into the endless bottoms of the ocean.

I sped up, refusing to let go of what I'd just seen. When I stood on the water, I hesitated for a split second before stepping off the currents of air that had kept me afloat. I plunged into the icy waters, gasping at the freezing temperatures. I was surprised to feel water enter my lungs, but I wasn't bothered. It didn't burn; if anything, it only heightened my determination to find what I'd seen.

I opened my eyes, preparing for the burning sensation of salt filling them, but there was no pain or discomfort. It was a strange feeling to be in the ocean without those telling sensations that were so unique to being in the ocean. The feeling could almost be passed off as comforting. It felt like I was surrounded by a cold, heavy blanket that protected me from the rest of the world.

My eyes pierced through the darkness that should be impossible to see through under normal circumstances. They picked out a golden shimmer deep down. I pushed myself deeper. As I got deeper, the pulling and dragging of the ocean near the surface quieted. It was silent down here, and the only things in the ocean were me and the golden shine I was so desperate to reach.

The closer I got, the more I could see of it. Soon, I could see it was a person, and even sooner after that I realized who it was.

Lucy.

Her eyes were open, staring at nothing. I saw bubbles float out of her mouth, and she looked to be in pain, even though the look on her face said otherwise. The look on her face screamed resignation and sadness. It hurt me to see.

She looked so small. I felt just as small. How could I not when I was surrounded by something as vast and powerful as the ocean?

I pushed harder, determined to reach her and protect her forever. Her eyes closed, and I sped up, but so did she. She kept sinking deep into the unknown. The once light blue surrounding me had darkened to a deep navy that was almost impenetrable.

I saw one last bubble float up in the silence before she went limp. I reached my hand out and screamed her name, but the waters turned black, enveloping the golden haired girl.

I followed. And the waters enveloped me with her in a blanket that could never be lifted.

~xXx~

I bolted up, immediately feeling claws dig into my chest as Happy scuttled off of me.

I clutched my chest, breathing heavily. I yanked my shirt over my head, trying to use it to wipe away the cold sweat covering me. I stared at the wall in a daze before irrational sadness flooded me.