The kiss

Cold. She was so cold. She scrambled in her mind for the memory before darkness fell.
The last thing she remembered was the dark alley, and her breath going up in small puffs when the temperature dropped fast. A cold touch on her back and darkness. Only her training kept her breathing calm, and her hearth steady. She tried to move, only to discover that both her hands and legs were tied in front of her. She was lying on her side, on something that felt like a block of ice. Her nostrils hurt with a strong winter smell. Wherever she was, it looked like it was far away from home. Although, if the sudden temperature drop before being kidnapped was any indication, she could very well be in the middle of the city.
She forced herself to open her eyes and look around her, to search for something that could help her.
“Oh, good! You are awake.” Her vision was foggy. The man in front of her had an eerie voice. Almost metallic. Like cold wind whispering through cracks in the doors.
“What do you want?” Her voice was low. The cold was sweeping in. It seemed to come from him. She blinked several times and her vision started to clear. She was in a sort of cave. Moonlight shone through the opening and the walls were all covered with ice that reflected the blue light, amplifying it. Large icicles hang from the ceiling, looming dangerously above her.
“You.” He closed the space between them and helped her to a sitting position. She could see his eyes now, while his face approached hers, and his lips covered hers hard.
His kiss was cold and coldness was starting to spread in her body. Icy sweat left burning trails on her back. She felt the end near. So close. She was scared. Who wouldn't be? She could see the heat leaving her body, forming a link between them.
“Finally!” His metallic voice sounded like bells in her ears. “All these years, searching, every plane and dimension I could find.”
“Who are you?” Her voice, just a whisper in the loud wind, cracked. Her body was shaking violently.
“You may not remember me, but I remember you. Don’t worry, I will help you remember. Right after you pass over.”
“No” She fought the sensation, the numbing of her limbs, the cloudiness that threatened her mind. She couldn't just give in. People were counting on her. She was counting on her. She had stuff to do.
“You’re stubborn. You always were.” His hand caressed her cheek and she flinched involuntarily. “I just wish you would just remember already.” He sighed. “You know, I don’t like doing this. I know it’s hurting you.” She shook her head and a strand of her hair fell on her face. He caught it and mindlessly started playing with it.
“Then just stop.” Her voice was more than a whisper. Just a bit more.
“I can’t! I need you to remember who you are!” Exasperation and need filled his voice. A strange combination in the eerie sound. “I need you to remember me!”
“Killing me is not gonna make me who you want me to be.” If she could just stop from shivering, just a bit, a little bit, things might be different.
“Oh, I am not killing you. I am just going to wake up the fire.” A smile spread on his lips, that sent shivers down her spine. It was not a kind smile.
“What fire? I am just a regular human being.” She said, after swallowing a lump in her throat.
“You are anything but a regular human being. You are like me! Just...the opposite.”
The guy looked a little crazy. A little out of place too. His icy blue eyes and his pale, almost white, skin, looked ancient, a strong contrast to the madness he was putting her through. Still, she had to wonder. Who had he lost in the very distant past that he thought she was. She almost wished she was that person. The pain in his eyes was so intense, it pierced right through her.
He started pacing the floor, running his hands through his white hair, impatience shown in every move of his body.
“Who are you?” Her teeth were rattling, making her not as menacing as she wished.
“No! You need to remember!” In two long strides, he reached her. She tested the bindings on her hands but nothing moved. She could barely feel her arms.
“I am too cold.” She had to find a way to reach him, to make him see that he was making a big mistake, to keep herself alive.
“Not cold enough! The fire is still dormant.” His eyes glowed blue. “Stop fighting and let go. It’s going to be a lot easier for both of us.”
His arm circled her waist and burned through her flesh. A cold burn spread from his lips pressing hard against hers. Her eyes closed and darkness swallowed all her senses. She tried to open her eyes but her body did not respond. She vaguely asked herself if she still had a body. A strange calmness surrounded her.
Then a spark flashed. And another one. A small fire lit somewhere in front of her and she could see it growing and growing. All she could do was watch and wonder at the flames, as they licked the darkness away, raced to her, and surrounded her. The warm flames woke something inside her. Life was somehow spreading in her soul, and she felt her body drew breath once more.
Once again she tried opening her eyes, only this time she was successful. Judging by the red tint that covered everything around her, and the steam rising, she knew her eyes were not her own. She smiled, knowing it was a ruthless smile, and felt the bindings on her wrists and ankles turn to ashes.
She was alive.
Again.
Finally!