Falling Further Faster, for 30_kisses

[quiet_curiosity]

Title: Falling Further Faster
Fandom: Eureka seveN (Spoilers EP 13)
Characters: Dominic/Anemone
Words: 828
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Eureka seveN was created by Studio BONES and is distributed by Bandai. I receive no monetary benefit from this work.
Summary: The dream can shed light on reality

For 30_kisses. prompt #6 - The Space Between Dream and Reality

* * *

The world dropped dead.

It was all quite sudden. At one moment, she was still securely latched into theEND at the end of a difficult battle. She twisted and curled to try and pry herself out. The pain clawed at the back of her neck and tickled every nerve in her head. It taunted her, and all Anemone could think was If only I can get out…if I get out, I’ll be free of it all. And then there was Dominic—poor, naïve Dominic—trying to do whatever he could to ease the pain. But as he talked, she could feel the pain rise inside, and, at the moment, she wanted to snap at him. Then, her vision shifted to black.

Anemone opened her eyes and realized she had been moved. No more theEND. No more Dominic. No more Nirvash and its crew. Instead, she sat in the white sand, unsure and alone. Carefully, she stood up on wobbling legs and began to walk around. There was nothing but dunes for as far as the eye could see. The sky above her shined a pale, creamy pink. She couldn’t help but notice that there was no Sun or clouds in that sky. The air around her was neither cool nor hot. It was, at best, a neutral world.

“Dominic?” she asked, soft and unsure. Nothing replied, not even her echo. “Dominic?” she asked again, louder. Again, no one answered. “Dominic!” she screamed. “Dominic, where are you? I want to go back to the ship! This is over; it’s done, and I can’t stay here anymore! I can’t be alone like this!”

Still, there was no reply.

“I…I can’t do this.” She started to walk forward. The sand gave way with every step, sending her slipping and sliding through the terrain. But she kept moving toward the hill in the distance. “I know I’ve been bad,” she said, “and maybe I can help that, or maybe I can’t. But I know that you’ve always been there for me. Please! Dominic, please. I’m so sorry, but please come back.”

Anemone wasn’t surprised when no one replied. She couldn’t worry about that now. She continued her trek as she mumbled frantic apologies to the air. She barely noticed that the wind had begun to pick up. Sand grains flew past her and smacked against her body. Her slick flight suit kept it from having any sort of impact on her. So even when it began to burn eyes, she could pretend it was just a minor draft that would pass through.

By the time she reached the hill, the wind had become unbearable. Hunched toward the ground, Anemone trudged up until she felt the sand completely give beneath her. She fell forward and, braced only on her hands, looked over the tip of the hill. Her mouth dropped open as, in the distance, she watched the wave of sand rush up and toward her. Her mind raced, and before she ducked her head for cover, she only thought to scream one thing: “Dominic!”

She heard the sand crash but never felt the ground shake. And suddenly, she felt as if she were being held. She didn’t dare look to see what it was, but, for the moment, she decided to have faith in the force above her. As if it knew that she had doubts, she could hear a soft, distinctive murmur resonating above her. And, oddly, she felt a strange, soft pressure quickly press against the back of her head. Had she not known better, she would have sworn that it felt like a kiss.

Before she knew it, the sandstorm had ended. She felt the force release her. But when she turned over and looked up, she realized nothing was there. “Who are you…and where are you?” she asked. But she couldn’t wait around for an answer. As soon as she asked, she felt the pain surge back through her, and, as before, the world dropped dead.

When she came through, Anemone knew she was far from where she had been left. The cold, sterile white walls reminded her of the sick bay on the ship. And, as if something was reading her mind, one of the doctors strolled into her room. “Ah,” he said casually, “I see you’re finally awake.”

“How long have I been out?” she asked.

“Just over two days. You’re lucky to be alive,” he said. “The Coralian really did a number on you and the impact from the later skirmish would have finished you off. You’re lucky that Lieutenant Sorel was with you. Dewey sure picked the right one to be your keeper.”

“Oh,” she said softly. “Well, I suppose you’re right.”

Anemone played nice while the doctor went about his business. But the moment he left, she turned around and buried her face into the pillow. “If I’m so lucky,” she whispered, “then why am I always so alone?”