Young Love - Chapter 14
#14 of Young Love
Young Love
Chapter 14: Back in the White Void
By: Mirron Tenshi
The white lion breathed rapidly as he lay there on the floor. He did it. He has finally rid the world of his old ally. And now Gary is safe. Platinum doesn't care that he was paralyzed from his many wounds - they'll all heal - the important thing is that Gary is-
"Oh my god . . . Platinum . . . Hold on." His eyes opened to see the younger feline digging into his medical pack. He was saf-
What?
A wave of horror swept over Platinum. That malevolence . . . How can he . . . "No . . ."
"Platinum, what do you mean? I have to tend to this-" However, Gary soon realized what the white feline meant. He saw the leopard get up and try to fend off the mindless killer.
"Ga-ary . . . No . . ." Platinum said in a low, hoarse voice. His paw and arm strained as he struggled to move, but to little avail.
"Stop! Leave us alone!!"
The lion grunted in his throat as his paw shakily reached for the black handle of a katana. His fingers did all they could to wrap around the handle when he saw the leopard pressed into a corner.
He tried with all his might, until finally, he focused the pain out of his body, seized his weapon and leaped forth just as Necro had cornered Gary. In quick lunge, he heard the snow leopard scream just as the katana blade stabbed right into the hyena's heart. After a moment, he twisted the sword, ensuring the fatality. His enemy quivered as he was unable to breath his last, his legs giving out and the animal collapsing.
As Necro fell, Platinum pulled his blood soaked blade out. He looked at the young feline, his only bond he ever knew and had. "Gar . . . ry . . ."
Ba-Thump
"Enngh!" The lion grunted as it all returned. The pain . . . It's too much, and it was been prolonged longer than it should be.
The katana handle slipped from his paw, the weapon clanging onto the floor. The lion had then succumbed to the physical agony and he toppled backward. As he fell in the air, his eyes closed, looking to what he thinks might be the last of his one and only bond.
"Platinum!!!" Is the last thing he hears, "Platinum! Plat-um! Nooo . . . Don't . . . die . . . . . . ." The words took their time reaching him, as he was slipping away.
???
Pure whiteness.
A recognizable figure was floating horizontally in the endless white. A lion with pure, white fur. He wore no clothes, and his body is unscathed. His mane flowed in a steady rhythm of no noise - still. It was not tied in a rounded pony tail like usual.
. . . I'm . . . Fading . . . Into . . . Nothingness . . . Afterlife . . . ?
For what seemed like eternity, he pondered what was happening to him and all around him.
. . . Oh wait . . . I've already been here before . . . So what is it this time . . . Am I to have yet another revelation . . . Frankly, I have no idea what there is left to know . . .
He then felt himself lean forward, and his form had then touched where there is supposed to be a floor.
. . . Good grief . . . Do I have to look at my life again . . . Looking if over vividly once is boring enough . . . My way back . . . ?
His eyes began to open.
. . . Fine . . . It's not like anything shocking will arise . . . Just make it quick, I hate it when it drags on . . .
His eyes opened and he saw a fireman holding a white kitten.
. . . The time when I lost everything to the flame . . . Aren't infants supposed to have little to no memory record in their minds? . . . Then how . . . Or should I say why do I remember every single detail of when the incident started . . . Receptive memory, huh? . . .
The image blurred and the kitten grew into a 6 year old cub. His ears were lowered as the young lion wore a sad expression.
. . . Of course, I was put into foster care . . . They all thought I would be happier, seeing as I was a loner in the orphanage . . . However, they were wrong . . .
The lion cub was just standing, his eyes closed as tears streamed his face.
. . . They didn't care . . . They didn't care about my feelings, my hurt, who I was, who I could be . . . They just kept me around for the child benefits . . .
An unseen force, forcing him to the ground, pushed the cub down. Then, a few small, brightly colored-wrapped objects littered around him, some hitting the upset white cub in the face.
. . . And they did everything they knew to shut me up . . . yelling, candy, locking me up . . . They knew nothing what I really wanted . . . Nor did they want to bother to want to know . . .
The young feline got up, and then sprinted in semi-slow motion, tears flying from his eyes.
. . . I ran . . . There was not much I could do . . . Trying to communicate to others about my emotional needs seemed like a good idea . . . I wanted out of my foster parents' life . . . I hated it there, and I tried to tell the upper authorities . . .
The cub stopped running. He then looked up, his mouth and arms moving, as if to explain something. After a while, he stopped, and looked down, saddened.
. . . But who, in their right mind, would take the word of a child seriously? . . . At least that's how it was where I came from . . . 'Children don't know what they want', and God forbid anyone were to ask for and then understand a young one's opinion, thinking that a child's voice may have something valid and of truth . . .
The snowy lion then grew older. A katana appeared in his right paw. The lion jerked back, the blade held in a block-pose, as a flying kunai clanged onto it, falling to the ground. Four shuriken then slipped in between his fingers. He bounded backward and the shuriken shot forward as he leapt into the air.
. . . When I was old enough, I ran away for good, never turning back . . . I was accepted into a dojo of which those of us with are emotionally distant come to train . . . I was of the Tenshi Lotus, blossoming with justice and focus, and defense for those who needed me . . . Rebirth of my sad past that I wanted to leave behind . . .
The lion then grew a couple of years older. He was now in a fire man uniform. He wondered vigorously with an urgent feel about him, as if quickly exploring a burning house.
. . . I became a fire fighter to help if not prevent the flame from taking from those who are innocent . . . I wanted to help those who feel they had no one and nothing left . . . However . . .
The white lion leaped from a height, landing in a smoothed squat, holding a bundle. Unwrapping the bundle, he revealed a snow leopard kitten in his arms. In a few seconds, the lion's facial expression melted as tears flowed from his eyes. He broke down as the kitten was then guided away from him.
. . . I thought I was finally rid of my strangely vivid tragic memory, but it seemed that every family I saved was unscathed . . . Gary, as it were, was the first one of which I was involved to have lost everyone to the flame - everyone else I saved was intact - and that is what triggered the resurfacing of the worst day of my life . . . I had failed in my own personal goal in heart . . .
A co-worker fireman was carrying the silver and spotted kitten to the founder of an orphanage, the white lion standing with his head lowered, not wanting to look into the kitten again. When the fireman returned, the lion took his yellow helmet, and gave it to him, and walked away.
. . . I wanted to make sure he wasn't given the same risk as I, so I made sure he was put into a caring orphanage . . . Soon after, I quit the fire department and left . . .
The lion was now sitting on his legs, his paws on his knees, his head bowed in front of a white crane with pink design around the eyes and pink feathers among the white, the bird also wearing a white master's robe with white and gold lacings.
. . . I returned to the Tenshi Lotus . . . I reported to them what had happened . . . I requested that I train under them more . . . But to no avail . . . They told me I had nothing more to learn . . . That even the High Grand Tenshi was liable to lapse within their hearts . . .
The crane faded away, and the lion went away. As he walked, he was then in his usual white cargo clothing, as he is now. As he went, a jackal with guns built into his arms and a few markings around his body appeared; a cyborg raccoon with two, green, orb-scopes for eyes, mechanical arms, legs, metal points on each of his teeth, and a once fluffy tail now synthetic bush of needles; a bat with milky white eyes, black clothes that were the same style as Platinum's, each finger of his paws were equipped with razor sharp metal claws attached to his paw like gloves, and his wings were artificial - made of a synthetic leather. Along with a few others, walked with him.
. . . As I searched for a specific purpose . . . I met many others, asking for help from them, as I have willingly helped them . . . I guess one can say that I made some friends long the way . . .
. . . I've seen all of this before . . . From last time, I needed to learn something relevant for me to earn my right to live again . . . So what is the point to- huh? . . .
Everything swept away. Now, two figures, a tall on and a shorter one, were in few.
. . . What . . . ? This is new . . . What . . . Is this . . . ?
The image became clearer. Before long, it was revealed what it was: Platinum was eating a blue popsicle with one paw, and with the other, holding a smaller, silver and spotted paw. The paw belonged to a young snow leopard cub, which was also licking a blue popsicle.
. . . *Chuckle* How generous of you . . . So this is what I need to know . . . ?
The cub stopped, the lion stopping to. The cub pointed at something, giving Platinum a hopeful look. The lion looked, but shook his head, and the two felines continued, the younger one looking saddened. A quick look told me what Gary had wanted: a tri-pod camera with a picture frame at the bottom, with a price tag.
. . . A photo of us . . . Was that what he wanted . . . Of course . . . But I hate cameras; I can't stand the shutter flash, it freaks me out . . . Would I be that selfish . . .
The two walked on.
. . . This was nice, but this isn't the reality that is . . . Affection is something I know I can never give to fulfill that need for a child . . . Yes, I have wondered what it would've been if I had adopted him, but I didn't . . . He may look well enough, but I'm not the kid-loving type . . . Gary and I may be the same, but I wouldn't wish my life on him . . . Now show me the truth . . . Show me that he is happy the way he is today . . .
The image blurred again. Little by little, the image soon shown the same snow leopard, but both his paws were held up, playfully stepping up, skipping and being lifted, with a sandy-yellow lion with a tan-brown mane on the right, and an orange and black-striped tiger on the left.
. . . Yeah . . . That's better . . . He may not be my adopted son, but at least he has two loving parents who can and will give him all that I can't, or won't, more like . . . This is the way it's supposed to be . . . This is how I want it to be . . .
As if they heard me, the trio stopped and looked back. The lion and tiger gave me stern and annoyed looks, stepping to guard the cub.
. . . Heheheh, I know, I know . . . It's not like I loved the plan . . . You're not the only concerned for his life . . .
The looks on the two males softened. I nodded.
. . . So I'm more rational than most. . . I know the bait scenario is not exactly ideal, but I was fearful for him as well . . . Necro his not one to give up, it was the only way to end it quickly . . . I'm sorry if I offended your boundaries, but I prefer the threat to be eradicated as soon as possible . . . I stand by my actions - it was the only way . . .
Allen and Max sighed, no sound being heard, as this is my mind, after all. They then looked at me, as if to say, 'Alright, we forgive you'.
Then, the snow leopard cub then came up to me. He then reached up with both of his arms, his paws open and him on his tippy toes. I just smile and patted his head.
. . . You're ok, kid . . .
Just as I took a step forward, I saw both adults with their arms crossed, giving me a look, as if to say, 'Come on now.' I sighed and looked back up.
. . . Do I have to . . . ?
The tiger shook his head as he smirked musingly while the lion looked like he chuckled and nodded.
. . . Alright . . . You got me . . .
I then bend low, and picked up the cub, him then climbing up and then settling onto my shoulders. I smile as I then walk forward, his fathers walking beside me.
. . . I don't want to be apart of anyone's family . . . But I now know that I want to be apart of Gary, just as he probably knows in his heart that he wants to be apart me . . . I can't be a close friend, but I can at least be there to protect him . . . I'm no godfather, but I'll make a fair guard . . .
A bright light shines in front of me, just like before.
???
"Hgghhnnn . . ." The white lion stirred as he woke up. His paled eyes flickered open. In a minute he then got up, realizing that he is in a hospital bed, wearing an oxygen mask over his muzzle. Just he was taking off the oxy mask, he then realized that others were there with him.
"Hey, he's awake!"
"Hey, Platinum, nice of you to join us."
"You ok, Plat? You were freakin butchered when the ambulance came."
He looked around. Mark and Jason were in the same room, with Mark's arm bandaged as well as Jason's leg. Bill, Allen, Max, and Scott too. If Max had not explained to Allen what Gary was to Platinum, that lion would be giving him a piece of his mind to the white lion, but now, he had forgiven the lion for using the kids as bait, now knowing that Platinum had it under control the whole time.
Nonetheless, Platinum looked up. For the first time in so many years, tears were barely framing under his eyes.
"Bill . . . Scott . . . Allen . . . Max . . ." He lowered his head in shame, ". . . Forgive me . . ." The four adults had already done so a while ago. Gary then came up to Platinum. He glanced up at the leopard; regardless of having heard why he had gone through what he did, he still holds nothing against the feline.
"Hey . . . I don't know why but . . . I'm glad you're ok, Platinum . . ." The white lion closed his eyes, a tear streaming down his face as he padded Gary's shoulder. The snow leopard then went in and hugged Platinum, the lion (somewhat reluctantly) hugged back.
'. . . I'm still here, Gary . . . That's . . . This is what I have always needed from you . . . And from me . . .'
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