LiNGeR

1/20/o7 sat.

Arca inhaled a shaky but slow breath, and it seemed so loud in this infinite silence. He was unsure of how long he had been here. He didn't even know where 'here' was. What he did know, however, was that she was here…

"Phoenix?" he called out to the air before him, and the sound of his voice repeating her name was the only thing that made up this world he was in.

He stood in a blank, empty realm. All that surrounded him was obscenely bright white light. There was no ground. There was no sky. There was no such thing as life where he stood now. In fact, he wasn't even sure he was standing. He knew there was something solid beneath his feet, yet he felt as though he were hovering just scant inches off the ground.

He felt weightless, yet heavy with the terror that consumed him. The terror that whispered like dark secrets against the back of his neck. Terror that told him he would never find her.

But he had to. He would find her.

He would…

The Nymfinity shuddered violently, and then called her name out again as though it were some sort of prayer to use against the darkness that threatened oh-so subtly to take him over. Though he didn't care if the shadows took him. They could gladly take him after he made sure she was safe and okay. But for that dark release, he had to find her.

Swallowing, and finding even that seemed to be amplified in this room, Arca called for her again.

"Phoenix!"

It seemed as though he was here for an eternity, calling her name and wandering this abysmal plain searching for her. He didn't know how long time stretched in this world, but he didn't care. He never slept. He never ate. He never stopped looking for her. He only continued walking, not even knowing if he was actually moving or not. The pristine ivory that made up this universe showed no changes. It was a strong possibility that he hadn't even moved one inch.

Then, suddenly, his head jerked to the left. His eyes widened and the iris' shown a bright shade of violet, rimmed with a searing yellow around the outsides, contrary to the pitch black that he had been looking through.

He could feel her warmth at that particular spot. He could smell her scent, but it never floated over to him. It was as though it was locked in one place, and yet free to tease him. It was as though she wasn't here – as though this was just a passing memory – but he knew she was here. Something deep within him told him his search was over. He had found what he was looking for.

He had found her.

Arca didn't want to move, afraid that once he started heading for her, that this would just be another resemblance of a memory. His mind played tricks on him sometimes – had showed him what once was, and Gods, he had been through enough of his mental, masochistic torture.

He was ready for the real thing, and all too willing for her.

In the midst of the pure ivory that seemed to keep her away from him, a shade of ebony started to fade in and put a blemish on this world. The dark black smear that suddenly appeared to him gained more clarity as he stared, blinking in disbelief as it seemed to take on a dark blue sheen to it. Soon it became clear as to what he was looking at.

He realized that the blue black was actually her hair. Her ponytail, to be exact. She was facing away from him, and hiding behind the length of her ponytail was the slender column of her light toffee colored throat. Her shirt and infamous sash blended in with the surroundings, so she appeared as more of an apparition than anything.

He licked his lips, and balled his hands into fists, just to keep from launching himself at her.

He called her name out again, hoping that this would be that last time he would need to. His voice cracked in the second syllable.

She looked up slightly, as though to determine where the sound had come from, and then slowly looked over her shoulder. As more of her face was revealed, Arca couldn't stop the grin that only grew and grew. When her bright amethyst eyes clashed with his shimmering golden ones, she blinked once, and then smiled brightly.

Turning towards him, her own smile turned into a grin and with a light giggle, she called his name.

"Arca…!"

Her light lavender eyes seemed to glow brightly in this realm, as though they had a light of their own. And he was also sure that his own eyes were illuminated just the same, knowing that they would be a shining a vivid sunshine color.

His insides quivered and he thought for a passing moment that the tears that filled his eyes would spill down his cheeks. The sound of her voice, the way her lips moved as she said his name was enough to make his body sag with relief and just sink to his knees on the floor.

His legs trembled beneath him as though to act out that thought, when she held her arms out to him suddenly.

"Arca-Kun, come 'ere!"

She called to him, and he couldn't deny her.

On shaky legs, he crossed the few feet that separated him from her, and was about to just throw himself at her when she held out a hand to stop him. Confused, his lilac colored eyes met her own, and in response, she smiled up at him. He wanted to tell her how long he had been searching for her, wanted to know where she had been hiding and if she was alright. But he found that his lips wouldn't move on his own accord, and instead a sound much like a whimper escaped him. Patience called to him though, and he figured that if he had waited many lifetimes to touch her, he could wait for a few more scant seconds.

Her smile faded a little, and for some reason, his mind told him that she knew of his journey. She knew what he had been through, just for her.

Awed, thoroughly confused and probably a little insane, he watched as she reached up with that same hand and tugged on one end of her sash. The long piece of cloth unraveled and set her two-toned hair loose, allowing it to pool around her shoulders. A few stray wisps curled around her slightly reddened cheeks, and he instinctively reached out to push them back, when instead she closed the distance between them and tied her sash around his eyes, blinding him.

Confused even more so by the sudden move, he let his hand linger in the air as she tied her ivory sash around his head. He could feel her warmth up against him, even though she wasn't touching him. Her hair, however, brushed against the very tip of his nose, and he lost all restraint when her scent reminded him vividly of just how long he had been without her. Just as she was pulling her hands away, he wrapped his arms around her torso and pulled her close, sighing heavily at the feel of something solid in his hold.

Phoenix hesitated for just a second, before draping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. She settled her cheek against the curve of his neck, her chin resting on his shoulder as her hands ran lightly down the nape of his neck and in through his hair. She smiled softly to herself as he trembled against her, murmuring her name and nuzzling his nose into her hair and across her skin.

"Did you miss me?" she asked softly, though she was simply teasing.

"Yes. Yes I did," he answered though, as his hands – on their own accord – ran down her back to the sides of her hips, inching down her thighs until he brought them back up to smooth over her back and the span of her shoulders. He then felt them travel over her upper arms, then back down to glide over her sides. She sighed pleasantly in his arms, and he pulled her tightly against him to further enjoy the sensation it brought him.

"Arca..." she sighed, brushing her lips against the sensitive skin of his throat as she pulled back from him. He leaned forward to kiss her, but she only pulled away further. Slightly hurt, the thousand year old nymf male wanted to tear off the sash to actually see what was going on.

"Arca," she called again, but her voice had lost the tone of happiness that it had only a moment ago. "I can't stay."

Fear struck him sharply, and he tightened his arms around her. "No..." he whispered, refusing to believe that this was all the time he could spend with her. "No," he said more strongly, shaking his head slowly. She wouldn't leave him just yet. She wasn't allowed to go. Not ever.

"Arca..." Phoenix said in a low tone. He felt her hands in his hair again, running through it slowly and petting down the wavy, ebony locks. "I can't stay..."

"No, no, no..." He buried his face into her shoulder, shaking slightly against her as sobs threatened to wrack his body.

He felt her chest rise beneath him, and then she sighed against his ear. "Koishii, I can't stay here...and neither can you."

He stood silent, clinging to her as though she would simply slip through his fingers if he relented even the slightest bit. She repeated herself.

"I can't stay here, and neither can you. Come on – it's time to go."

"Go?" he breathed, tilting his head up towards her.

"Yes. It's time to go." The fingers that were tangled in his hair now drifted down to the back of his head, where her sash was tied in a knot. Her touch soon began to undo the knot, and he felt the fabric loosen against his face. "Time to wake up."

Before he could even question her last sentence, she said it again.

"Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up."

"...Wake up?"

"Wake up."

The sash was released, and fell off his face. He opened his eyes to see her face close to his, her hair spilling down and creating a dark curtain around them. He realized she was above him, but soon forgot that fact when she smiled at him, giggling as he blinked his wide, deep violet eyes.

"Arca-Koishii, it's time to get up. Mia's gonna be sooo pissed – it's already eleven in the morning! Come on!"

She threw off the sheet that she had covered them both with and stepped out of bed, naked.

It took a full minute for him to move, unsure if he even should. His hand patted down the soft mattress beneath him, and he looked off to his side to find the bedroom window spilling in morning light. He looked down to his body to find that he wasn't in his grey shirt and black pants, but instead his torso was naked. He lifted the sheets to check his lower half, and found himself staring at the draw string on his light grey sweats. He then glanced over to his left, watching as Phoenix pushed back a chunk of hair and hooked it behind her ear as she bent over inside the closet to find some clothing.

"Arca, do you know where you threw my panties last night?"

"..."

"Oh! Never mind! I found them."

As she was stepping into her black pair of underwear, Arca came to the conclusion that he had just had another nightmare. He had been dreaming, and that was all. Phoenix was here, she would always be, and he had nothing to fear. Even though he knew all this, it still didn't stop the odd feeling that crawled down his spine like the legs of a spider walking across his back.

Phoenix stood in between the bed and the dresser, scanning the room for what he guessed to be the whereabouts of her bra, standing in only a pair of panties as her hair flowed down her back freely. His subconscious told him that in the heat of passion last night, he had ripped her bra to shreds. She must have remembered too, or had simply just given up, because she walked over to the night stand next to the bed to get her white sash. As she was leaning over to get it, she looked down at him and offered a small smile.

"Come on," she said softly. "We'll be late."

She grabbed her sash and was heading toward the mirror to go fix her hair, when he sat up and in a panicked voice, called for her.

"Don't leave."

Her steps slowed, until she stopped and turned slightly to regard him. He was sitting up, leaning towards her and he held a look of anxiety on his features. She instantly knew in that moment that he had had another nightmare.

"Koishii... We have to go to work... My sister needs our help. Besides, I'm never gonna leave you – you know that."

Arca opened his mouth to argue, but no sound came out.

Phoenix's eyes softened, and she smiled warmly at him. "It's okay if you don't feel like coming. I'll just go by myself – you can rest up here if you want. I'll take care of everything, so don't worry about it."

She turned again and dropped her sash off at the vanity, before heading towards the closet again. Arca threw off the sheets, standing up out of bed and devoured the distance between them. Before she even reached the closet, she found herself in his arms, pressed up against the bedroom door.

Phoenix gasped and arched her back, trying in vain to get away from the cold surface that assaulted her bare skin.

"Arca!" she cried, pushing lightly at his shoulders. He buried his face in her neck though, and kept her pressed against the old wooden door.

"Don't leave me..." he mumbled heatedly against her skin, and she stopped her attempts to get away. "Don't leave me..." he repeated, and his voice was so sad that instead, she clung to him.

"Arca-Koishii..." she murmured, trying to pull back enough to see his face. "What's wrong? Tell me what happened... Please...?"

He remained as he was – pressed up against her and keeping his face hidden from view – until he eventually pulled back enough to meet her concerned eyes, peeling her off the door as he moved. His own were a fascinating red violet, mixed with obvious depression and dark passion. His facial features were contorted with anguish, and she was struck dumb by the pain she saw there.

"Arca–" but his name died on her lips when his mouth came crashing down on hers, working perfectly over hers and coaxing a reaction.

Phoenix let her amethyst eyes flutter shut as she gave in to pleasure. His lips were soft but demanding against her own, and his kisses were almost hurried but still had that feeling as though he was savoring each and every one. His tongue licked and his teeth nibbled as his hands came up to frame her face. She moaned softly against his hungry mouth, her hands gliding along the width of his broad shoulders as she allowed her nails to rake softly against his skin.

He growled onto her lips, pushing her back up against the door. She gasped lightly as the goosebumps and the cold returned. He pulled back from her mouth, both of them panting slightly before he spoke to her.

"Tell me you'll stay. Tell me you'll stay."

"I'll stay..."

"Forever?"

"Mhmm..."

"Say it."

"Forever. I'll stay forever..."

His hands came around from where they were on her hips, and slid up to cup her breasts. She gasped again, and looked down to watch his thumbs flick over the already hardened nipples. A pleasurable sigh escaped her before he dipped his head down and began to eat at her neck. Her head was pushed to the side to make it easier for him to kiss and lick at her skin, and Phoenix simply allowed Arca to do whatever he wanted with her. Partly because of the raging lust he could so easily invoke in her, and partly because she knew he needed the reassurance that everything was all right.

A.N.: this was heavily inspired by The Fountain, and the Cranberries song, Linger. this is actually unfinished, because i was interrupted while trying to the write this in one go. i just never came back to it. though when i look at it now, i like this ending, mostly because i wouldn't know what to write next...