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He grunted softly as the rift spat him out a fair seven feet off of the ground and disappeared. He choked and whined softly when the cold, wet pavement tore at his skin. For a moment, the scuff of his cheek bled, but was soon healed over. Will took the sleeve of the evergreen trench coat and wiped away the blood. After the pain was gone, he registered the next most obvious thing; it was cold. It was very cold, and very white.

It must be winter here…

He shivered, rubbing his upper arms vigorously with his hands. His golden eyes searched around for any sign of life. He had been dropped on the very recently plowed streets of a seemingly deserted development of sorts. Familiar scents were drifting into his nose, very familiar scents. One, in fact, sent a red flag off in his mind.

Honey and Jasmine…

His eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat. He was home again. After years and years, he was home. And as if the rift that carried him there could read his mind, he was obviously delivered to the exact place that made his dulled spirits rise with hope.

Satzuni.

He couldn’t keep the smile off of his face. Will whirled several different directions, tuning in on the noises around him and actually listening for a particular sound.

Instead of hearing her footsteps or hearing her musical voice sing out his name, he heard something else. He heard the grating sound of someone scraping a plastic shovel over pavement.

Will turned again, focusing on a figure that couldn’t be any more than one hundred feet away.

Black hair; Slender form; black wool coat; beige pants; Satzuni.

Something that was rather odd, and struck the blonde as somewhat worrisome, was that she had no tail and ears. Her once gorgeous tail was no longer waving slowly behind her. The soft, silky ears that she once possessed were not flattened flat to her head. She was human.

Will paid no mind, instead he just shrugged, figuring the obvious and simply pushing the thought to the back of his troubled mind.

Once again, that joyous grin spread across his face. Now, the cold that nipped at his skin just didn’t matter. The freezing temperature that made his cheeks and ears red suddenly disappeared from his world. He leaned forward and bolted through the field of snow in a hurry to get to his destination, leaving a trail of footprints behind, “Satzuni!” He called, raising a hand and waving it in the air.

She looked up from her chore, staring at the racing blonde with perplexed violet eyes, “Me?” She asked softly, her voice musical and sweet, just like a nostalgic lullaby.
Will chuckled softly, unable to wipe the grin clean from his face, “Of course you!”

She blinked, “Um… I have no idea who the hell you are…” She stated as her tone grew soft, but still remained with that curious edge. She gazed directly into his eyes with her own brilliant violet orbs. The girl looked as a carbon copy of Satzuni, and even had her same scent,

“What?” Will’s tone now grew sad. She promised him that she’d never forget him. She swore that she’d always remember his scent. And now he returned… Forgotten? “you don’t remember me? Satzuni, it’s Will!”

The girl’s eyes grew wide and a lump formed in her throat, remaining persistent, “You’re…Real.” Once again, that lump threatened to rise and form into tears. She swallowed it. Don’t cry. What’s passed is past, “Amma always used to tell me stories of you… You and her, that is. I can’t believe… you’re real.”

Will drew back, beginning to follow the trail of bread crumbs that this girl was leaving behind. Her voice was being affected by the lump that was in her throat. Why would there be a stubborn lump if there hadn’t been a tragedy? Why was she speaking in past tense? He blinked wide eyes, feeling his own breath becoming heavy and deep, “Of course I’m real… But…”

She closed her deep lilac eyes and paused, “I’m not Satzuni, Sir will… I’m her niece.” Now was the hard part. Why did she have to break the news to her life-time love? Why not her brother? Or Father?

Will looked down at his feet, causing his tawny bangs to cast a dark shadow over his closed eyes. Biting down on his bottom lip, he sighed.

He knew that pause…

He knew what was next…

But he still dared to ask. He opened his eyes, looking up at her with a solemn expression, “Where’s Satzuni then?”

Lilia paused, taking in a deep shuddering breath, “Amma died about a year ago… Leukemia… I heard Grams had it too…” she couldn’t bear to see his eyes. She couldn’t bear to see that look on his face. She’s learned to get over this hard blow. It had been over a year by now; she knew when it was time to move on. Her time to move on had long passed, but still it haunted her. She saw the face of her aunt. She saw that smile, those crystal pools of liquid sadness and churning joy blazing together like Yin and Yang. Her eyes always told a story, and to this day Lilia still hadn’t read the full book.

Tears brimmed at the corner of Will’s eyes. His head bowed and his throat hitched with sobs, “Well My love… I suppose it really was your time.”

He felt warm arms wrap around him.