Desire's Path

A double update, basically. Wah, don't you feel the love? Of course you do! Here is the epilogue. The final chapter of DP. I was thinking about a sequel, but I'm not sure everyone would want to read it. So... nya, I'm undecided on this. Tell me your opinions, 'kay? Do you want a sequel, or it to just end like this? Give me comments! The more comments, the better - right? Enjoy the final of Desire's Path!

Epilogue

The phone call came at five in the morning, and I first thought it would be him. But, no. It was a hospital all the way up in Minnesota. They asked me if I knew a 'Leah'. Which, in turn, I did. Said my brother had been at this hospital for quite some time. I wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but decided to visit lovely Minnesota.

Taking the next bus to Minnesota seemed to drag for an eternity. I made no interaction for once in my life, but I was glad Leah was alright. As the bus came to a hault, I stood - waiting for the doors to open. But they didn't. I turned to the bus driver.

"Can you open the doors?" I asked him.

"Sure, little Miss. Can I ask why you headed all the way upstate, though?" He glanced at me curiously.

"My brother. He's ill."

Yes, Leah was my brother. A brother I failed to see in five years. His twenty-second birthday was approaching steadily, and I had yearned to meet up with him eventually. This phone call wasn't the way I wanted it to happen, though.

I guess that makes me five years older now. I changed my name after leaving my mother. Miera no longer existed. Instead, my ID said Raye. My mother was a cold-hearted bitch. Daddy was right. And when I tried to go back to him, it was too late. Dad had died only months after mother had taken me away. I didn't know though. Leah, well - he was a different story. I had never been in contact with him again. He survived that stupid car accident years ago - but that was basically the last I saw him.

-Oo-

"Room forty-two."

I was in shock. They had said Leah was at a hospital. Not in an insane asylum. Where the walls were padded white and the crazies wore straight-jackets. I blinked back the tears, knowing I needed to be strong in a time like this.

"Room forty-two, miss?" The assistant at the desk repeated.

I nodded, walking in the direction the assistant had pointed for me to go in. My brother wasn't insane. Sure, he had been through a difficult time. But, surely they misunderstood him! He wasn't insane, goddamnit.

The numbers were clear from a few feet away. Fourth-two. My brother was behind that door. I sniffled, not sure if I wanted to even look. I could turn away and never come back. Pretend I didn't have a brother; as I had been doing all these years.

"Miera?"

I didn't respond at first, not having been called that name in so many years. A hand gripped my shoulder tightly, spinning me around - and I was face to face with a complete stranger. No, scrap that. He was recognizable somewhat. My mouth gapped open, not sure exactly who this man was.

"You're Miera? Leah's sister?" He was astonished, eyes gleaming with delight. "God, how long has it been?"

"F-five years?" I guessed. Who was this nut case? He had short black hair and the strangest green eyes I'd ever seen. You could tell that there was an incredible body beneath his suit and tie, though. Why did he look so familiar? I couldn't piece the puzzle together.

"I'm Vincent."

I guess he assumed I didn't recognize him. Which, I didn't. But - no. It was impossible. "Vincent?" I responded weakly. "What happened to my brother?"

Vincent closed his eyes briefly, shaking his head. "Your brother... Couldn't handle it." He bit his bottom lip, and I could tell he was holding back tears. I guess this was a touchy subject. "Come, sit with me. I'll buy you a drink."

-Oo-

"Your father knew of our relationship." Vincent spoke softly, his voice almost a never-ending melody. Now I understood what my brother had seen in him. God, he was dreamy. "We were going to Canada. Except, I have..." He paused, tentatively adding, "had a step-brother. He died in a ocean accident." Vincent sounded almost bitter, but overjoyed because of such a thing. What had his stepbrother done to him? "His name was Luke. Well, Luke had raped Leah."

What? I was oblivious to this entire situation. I thought my brother was pure. So innocent. And, he had been raped? Before I could say anything, though - Vincent continued.

"That was just the beginning. On our way to Canada, Luke cooked up a scheme to separate us. He kidnapped your brother, convincing him I had killed myself." Vincent let out a bitter laugh, a tear slowly sliding down his face. "I knew Leah was mentally unstable. But, I couldn't convince myself to confront this. To get him help. Your brother had these horrible episodes. And he was always screaming in his sleep. But... I couldn't do anything for him." He paused, wiping his eyes before continuing slowly. "In reality, I had been brought to Australia - where Luke lived originally. And having no money or way of transportation, I couldn't come back to the states for years. When I finally returned, Leah had driven himself insane."

"My brother isn't insane!" I exclaimed.

Vincent held up a hand. "Don't deny it, Miera. Your brother has always needed help. We were all too blind to see this, though." He sighed, shaking his head. "I was told he jumped. Tried to commit suicide. Fortunately, they saved him. And... he lost it. Tried to kill the doctor, even. Said he wanted to die. Be with me."

"B-but you're back! Tell Leah you're alright. My brother will return to normal?" It was more of a question directed towards him.

"We tried that. Leah just lost it, tried to kill himself again. Thought the devil was in his room - convincing him I was alive."

I bowed my head, lips quivering as I spoke. "Will Leah ever return home?"

Vincent blinked, a few tears falling. "No. They believe you are his only remaining relative, though."

I nodded, accepting this. My dear beloved brother was gone. All this time; and as Vincent had said, we were too blind to see what has happening right in front of us.

-Oo-

Standing in front of room forty-two, once again - and it was more nerve racking than before. Vincent had gone in ahead of me. I heard the shrill cries of my brother, and then Vincent - hushing the cries into mere whimpers. I could imagine the two, embracing each other as they once had years ago.

"Come in, Miera." It was Vincent.

I stepped forward hesitantly, gulping. Leah moaned softly, mumbling a few words I couldn't understand. I didn't want to remember my brother like this, I convinced myself. So, I turned - and ran.

A.N: The end. Leah was, indeed, crazy from the beginning. Some guessed correct, so g'job on ya'll. The ending was quite sad, knowing Miera couldn't face her brother. And that the beloved couple of Desire's Path has come to this tragic end. I liked how the story turned out, though. It's a reality. Something like this could, indeed, happen. I hope you all enjoyed this story, considering it is my first on FP.
I thank all the reviewers, first off!! You gave me the motivation to write this. I appreciate all your support. Seriously. This story was written for you all.
On a final note, thank you everyone and I look forward to writing more in the near future.

Arafax - I did state it wasn't the end. That a epilogue was to follow, if you had read the A.N. Thanks for the review, nevertheless.

Unknown Sadie - There is a difference between criticism and discouraging someone. Well, you've discouraged me with your last review. I don't think the length of the chapter matters, really. Some of the best pieces of writing are short pieces. And, again - if you read the A.N you would have seen that it wasn't the ending. The final chapter, yes. But not the ending. An epilogue was to follow. It's just discouraging when someone would go as far as to criticize you without reading all the facts. I hope that this epilogue cleared up the confusion, though. Sometimes stories don't always make total sense until the very end. This one was one of them.