Days continued to pass and Abby could feel the tense air floating around. She was sure
everyone had noticed her youth coming back. Now she figured she was in her late twenties.
She swept the thoughts from her mind and focused on the task at hand: teaching young Eveon
Kasaguri to cook everything recipe Abby knew of.
At least they had a huge group of people to feed, with their two watch teams stopping
by for breaks every once in a while. There'd been no sign of Eska yet... Abby wasn't sure if
that was a good or bad thing. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the Living Inferno
watching them. "Alright, Eveon... just put the noodles in, but don't let them boil too
long." Her daughter nodded, concentrating with all her might.
All of them had been successful at not bringing up Abby's approaching demise. It had
been a week and a half. The young mother was sure it wouldn't be long before Eveon broke
down again... there was so much to do! Abby watched as her daughter completed the dish.
"Good job, Eveon. At least I know you won't ever starve." Eveon gave her a sad smile before
hugging her.
"Thank you Mommy..." The Living Inferno watched this scene, his red eyes reflecting
the regret he felt in his heart.
*****
"How much time do you think I have?" The Living Inferno looked at her solemnly.
"Perhaps another week and a half... two weeks if you're lucky." She just nodded as though he
was telling the scores of a match, not the amount of time until her soul was gone. "Alright
then... I'm sure I can get everything done in that time... unless I keep getting younger,"
Abby said, laughing.
"I'm... so sorry..." The Living Inferno choked out, "I said that I would never tear
you and Eveon apart, but I... I shouldn't have let you give your life for my daughter... I
was selfish... I shouldn't have...!" Abby shook her head and took one of his hands,
carefully running her hands over the metal exterior. "No... this is all the fault of that
demon, Eska or whatever his name is. I... probably would have offered the same choice to you
if our roles were reversed."
He didn't look calmed at all. "...you still have your emotions, don't you? You just
backed them into a corner because you're afraid of being hurt," Abby murmured, looking right
at him. The Living Inferno diverted his attention to his hand, still being caressed by her
own. "It... never would have worked... even if... even if circumstances allowed you to live,
you would have died and I would have lived on. It's... hopeless..." He murmured and when he
looked up, Abby was rolling her eyes.
"Right. This coming from the man who told me not to give up. When you lose the things
you love, it hurts... but not having them at all is worse. A week and a half?" She gently
cupped an armor concealed cheek. "We can make it work." Abby pulled him towards her bed and
he allowed himself to kneel on it.
"Can you... hold me tonight? I try to make everything so carefree, but it's still
scary... to know I'm being eaten from the inside, even if Tycara doesn't mean to." She
pulled him so he now lied down next to her, the mattress sinking due to his weight.
"...Abby..." He murmured as she snuggled up against him as much she could. The black cloak
was surprisingly soft and she set her cheek against the cool metal of his shoulder plate.
They said nothing for a few minutes until Abby felt the metal beneath begin to heat up.
"Can you feel me? My warmth?" she asked, hugging him closer. "...no..." he said, his
raspy voice small and depressed. Abby looked up at him. Every part of the Living Inferno's
body was covered... "Close your eyes," she whispered. His eyes betrayed confusion, but he
shut them anyways. Abby grabbed his head delicately and raised herself up to his level.
Slowly, she planted a soft, sensual kiss on one eyelid. His breath hitched as her lips
brushed against his delicate skin and lingered. Taking her time, she did the same to his
other eyelid.
She pulled back until they were both eye level and whispered, "Can you feel me now?"
When he opened his eyes, she saw a mixture of love and torment. "...yes," he said in a
hoarse whisper, his voice sounding like the grinding of rocks, "...why must you torture me
so? I... don't want this to hurt more when you're gone..."
Abby grasped one of his hands. "I don't want you to regret anything... or regret not
doing something when you had the chance. Can't you tell how I feel about you?" She squeezed
his hand. "You can take off this suit and feel me however much you want... when you want..."
He shook his head, trying to fight off the temptation.
"Even if you took off this one glove..." Abby said, delicately kissing the tip of his
index finger, "you could feel me." He was breathing heavily and Abby wondered if his heart
was wrenching in his chest, just like her own. She could see obvious despair in his eyes so
she just rested her cheek against his shoulder. "Don't worry; don't rush on your decision.
We have time... It's only a little bit, but we still have it."
*****
Abby awoke the next morning, alone. She sighed and let one hand run over the place
where the Living Inferno had been lying. Maybe she was being a bit pushy, but... she loved
him, somehow, someway, she just loved him. Talk about beauty and the beast. That brought a
laugh to her lips and Abby soon got dressed before heading downstairs. Eveon had left for
school, but...
She didn't see the Living Inferno anywhere. Was he hiding? He wouldn't have left her
defenseless in the house, but did he feel horrible about last night? Before she could think
anymore on it, the telephone rang. She picked it up, "Hello?"
"Abby! We have a huge problem - where's the Living Inferno?" came Seth's frantic
voice. "I'm not sure where he is... what's going on?" The young man on the phone just said,
"We spotted Eska so Krystal and Isaka went after him. He's a fast one and heading your way.
We're all coming, but we might not make it in time-" Abby cut him off. "Alright, I'll go
find the Living Inferno. Don't worry Seth; we'll be fine."
Without hearing his reply, she hung up. Abby put on her shoes as fast as she could,
trying to think where the Living Inferno could be... somehow, she had a feeling that he'd
already met up with Eska. The young mother ran out to the backyard and dash jumped the fence
that divided the yard from the forest area. Chances would be that they were fighting in a
clearing or a field somewhere nearby. She froze at the spot.
What was she thinking? She couldn't recklessly charge out there, only to be another
liability. Abby closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "C'mon Tycara... your choice."
Something inside of her said to go. Without a second to think, Abby started running again.
If the Living Inferno got mad at her for coming, she'd just blame it on Tycara.
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