Disclaimer: ToV does not belong to me.
Okay... I guess I write for Tales of Vesperia as well, now. But come on, it's an awesome game! If you have a PS3 or a Xbox360... I have neither. Boohoo.
The sun might not have risen yet, but Danghrest was already awake and buzzing with people doing their part as members of a guild. To a normal onlooker, the place was productive and alive. Any resident, though, would know things had been far behind since the passing of the Don. Yet the people, living off the hope given to them by the rebirth of their world, carried on with their lives. Some would even say the city lived on in his memory.
To one particular guild and their friends, though, it was a special day. It was the seventh day of the month, and they were going to come together for it like they have every month for the past year.
Yuri stood, arms crossed and eyes closed, outside the inn as he waited for the rest of Brave Vesperia to come out. The door opened, and he turned his head, opening his eyes to see Judith and Raven walk out, each with a surprisingly grim look on their faces.
"Ready to go?" He asked. Next to him, Repede stood up, knowing they were leaving soon. Not that he minded. Living with Yuri Lowell, you got used to early mornings. And this was an especially important day, too.
Judith and Raven nodded solemnly. The four walked away from the inn, when Raven interjected, "Wait, what about-?"
"He'll meet us there this time," Yuri answered, already knowing the question. They continued to walk together in a comfortable silence.
At the bridge leaving Danghrest, a young girl waited patiently. Short brown hair had been pinned to the left side of her head, blowing in the gentle dawn winds. She turned her head at the sound of footsteps, seeing none other than her own guild's rivals, Brave Vesperia.
Yuri stared straight at her. Normally, they didn't associate with the Hunting Blades beyond a few fights now and then. But this was the seventh day. This was special, "Ready?" He asked, as if he needed to. She turned from her position looking over the water below the bridge, nodding at the young swordsman.
"I've been ready," Nan responded. The four -now five- quickly crossed the bridge into the field outside of the city. Ba'ul was waiting for them. He had a reason to. They did this every month. Of course he would know that they would do this today. The five climbed aboard the ship without a sound, gathering for the journey to Zaphias.
The capital city had not changed much since the loss of the blastia. Emperor Ioder watched over the people, going about their daily lives. Beside him was the commandant of the knights, Flynn Scifo. They stood in silence, as they often in did, watching over the lives of the people they were entrusted with protecting.
A glance to the side from Ioder revealed Lady Estellise, vice-empress. Her normal, elegant gowns were replaced by a flowery white dress with pink and gold designs. Seeing as she hadn't worn this outfit since the rebirth of Terca Lumireis, Ioder called to her.
"Lady Estellise, are you going somewhere?" The eighteen year old lady stopped, turning to look at the young emperor and the commandant. She smiled that same kind smile she gave everyone, but today it was different. There was something almost sad about it.
"Yes, if you don't mind," She walked down the stairwell, turning to her friends. "Today is... special. I'm going somewhere with Brave Vesperia. I'll be back tomorrow."
Ioder nodded, "Take care, Estelle." The pink-haired girl walked off, exiting the palace through the front doorway. Ioder and Flynn watched from the balcony as she made her way to the Lower Quarter. "Commandant, do you have any idea what's going on today?"
Flynn sighed, "It is... not a happy day for Brave Vesperia. Or Lady Estellise." He turned to face the young emperor. "It would be best if you do not bother them for the day."
He understood that there was no way he could understand, even if he did know. And from the way Flynn talked, it seemed as if he knew, but didn't understand either. Ioder walked back into the palace. It wasn't his place to bother Lady Estellise. Besides, he had to get to a meeting with the counsel about lowering the taxes on common citizens.
The Lower Quarter is not what it appears to be. On the outside, it's a ragged slum that only the poorest of people are forced to live in, and even then it's ruff. People assume, because of this, they are bitter, and only want what others have. They are thieves, the people decide, because they are not as high up as us. For that reason, it is rare for someone with the rank of nobility to even think about setting foot in the Lower Quarter, let alone actually be there.
Yet Lady Estellise walked through it like it was nothing. That was because she knew the truth. Being poor hadn't made them bitter; it's made them humble and kind. They aren't thieves; they are friendly people who mattered as much as any noblemen. They looked out for each other, and their friends. If not for their hospitality, her and Yuri's adventure could have started off much worse.
The aque blastia, which was now inactive, still stood in the center of the Lower Quarter. Estelle smiled and waved at people she knew as she made her way. Hank noticed her almost immediately, and made his way to the princess.
"Well, it seems the seventh has come up again, hasn't it?" He asked. Estelle looked down, nodding, "Yuri and his friends should be here soon. You're early today."
"I just wanted to say hello to you all before we got heading," Estelle replied kindly, "Hard to believe it's already been a year, huh?"
"Yup," Hank responded. They fell into a comfortable silence until a shadow overtook the city. A large whale like creature hovered just on the outskirts. But no one panicked. At this point, everybody knew who Ba'ul was, and how Brave Vesperia came here every month. They'd stopped panicking and ogling over him some time ago.
Estelle walked towards the exit of the city, just as Yuri entered. They smiled at each other, before the smile on Yuri's face faded, and he turned around. Estelle sighed.
"Yuri..."
"C'mon," He called to her, "We've still gotta pick up Rita." Estelle nodded, running after him as she always had. This was hard on all of them, she knew. But it was twice as hard on Yuri.
Aspio. The city of scholars, hidden away in a cave not far from Halure. Looking at it now, some people would find it hard to believe that, not so long ago, this was a research outpost for a giant blastia. Time past and it grew and grew until it became what it is now; a city of learning, and not just about blastia. In fact, since the blastia were given up, the main researchers have begun to focus on spirit magic. But seeing as that isn't relevant, let us bring our attention to a person standing aside the path to a small shack to the side of the city.
Everyone in Aspio knew Rita Mordio, the famed -or rather, infamous- blastia researcher whom had assisted with the conversion of blastia cores to spirits. The best of the mages, and the strongest of magic-users. Her knowledge of blastia and aer are what may have saved the planet, and she's not modest. She knows this. And she just wishes people would leave her to her research.
Except for the seventh, of course. It was when all of them got together.
She waited in the central plaza for either Yuri or Estelle to come get her. Judith never leaves Ba'ul's side when they use him to get places, and they'd already made the mistake of sending Raven in. That hadn't ended well. They never sent Nan.
She watched Yuri walk up the path, "You're early today," She noted.
Yuri nodded, "Ready to go?" He asked, as if he needed to. Rita looked to the side, not meeting Yuri's eyes. Her eyes glazed over with unsheathed tears. She didn't want to do this. None of them did. But after all he'd been through... it was only right.
They walked in silence. As they exited the city, Rita turned to the guards, "Tell them I'll be back by tomorrow. If they don't like it, tough," And with that, she followed Yuri out of the cavern. The guards looked at each other. Even if they weren't used to this, they wouldn't have dared to try to stop her. She was too powerful and too scary to try.
Outside, Rita and Yuri boarded the familiar ship. Rita took her usual place next to Estelle near the side of the ship. Raven was sitting next to the entrance to below the ship's deck. Judith stood at the bow of the ship, ready to telepathically communicate with Ba'ul if she needed to. Nan sat near the side of the ship; not quite used to flying, but wanting to stay as well.
Yuri stood near the stern, looking out over the land they passed. Halure's tree was something he saw every time they did this. On occasion, Estelle or Judith would come back to talk to him, but they had long ago given up any hope of reaching him on this particular day. He was lost in his own little world, and blocked himself out completely from the outside. Those who didn't know him personally would not be able to notice the difference, seeing as he's always cold to others. Only Brave Vesperia (and Flynn) could tell the difference between regular Yuri and depressed Yuri.
Though some people talked, nobody came back for Yuri today. He needed the time to himself.
Most people assumed the Blade Drifts of Zopheir got their name from the piercing ice cold winds. Though that was partially true, it is not the real reason for their name. The Blade Drifts got their name from the numerous swords sticking out of the ground, giving the already barren place a spooky, haunted feeling. As Yuri had once described it, "Man, this is really some place. Sort of a cross between mysterious, and just plain creepy."
None of them liked coming here, each for their own different reasons. Raven hated the cold, end of discussion. Judith found the area an eerie reminder of the Great War. Nan detested the monsters that seemed to congregate on the Ice. Rita didn't like how the stronger flow of mana here changed her magic. Estelle was constantly being reminded that she hadn't been there to help. Yuri couldn't fight the memories that surfaced when he was here, not all of them bad, but definitely not all good.
And yet, they gathered here every seventh, despite their mutual hatred of this place. Why? They all knew, it was for his sake.
Near the aer krene, a man with long, white hair and long red robes watched the icy waters below in silence. From the angle he was at, the party couldn't see his face, but they knew perfectly well who the strange swordsman was.
"Duke..." Yuri approached, speaking for the first time since they left Aspio. Duke turned, but did not meet anyone eye to eye. This was a trait they had come to expect from him. Despite what today was, he didn't try to break that habit. He turned back to the edge, but instead of watching the waters, the area straight across from where he stood seemed to interest him.
"So you've come..." He stated, though it seemed more like he was talking to himself, "I knew you would."
"I wouldn't miss this for the world," Yuri didn't even hesitate. It was true. He wouldn't miss this for anything, even the world itself.
Duke nodded, strolling towards the familiar sight, "Then I suggest we start now," The silver haired man made his way past the krene, to a man-made structure nearby. Following behind were the others, who all gathered around the structure as they had multiple times before.
A sword rested in the ice. But unlike the others, there was a small stone slab beneath it, written carefully in Krityian. Though only Judith could truly read it, all of them knew by heart what it said: "Here lies Karol Capel; Age twelve; a courageous soul who gave everything for his friends," Also carved into the slab was a picture of a star; Brave Vesperia's symbol; something Karol came up with himself.
The eight of them circled around, in that same fashion they had become familiar with. Duke on the far left, next to Nan, who stood next to Estelle. Rita was to the right of Estelle to comfort the older girl if she started crying. Raven stood next to her in the line-up, then Judith, and then Yuri. Repede sat next to Yuri, staring worriedly at his companions.
Estelle bravely walked forward first, not making a sound, and leaving a single white hyacinth before the sight of the grave. Then Rita followed suit, stepping forward and placing a daffodil on top of the hyacinth. Duke, with seemingly no emotion, gently placed atop the two flowers a white poppy. Judith stepped forward next, placing an amaryllis, then stepping backwards. Raven sighed, kissing his juniper before placing it atop the pile.
Nan sniffled, placing a gardenia on the pile. She stood slowly, whispering to the winds, "You're so stupid..." She then sped back to her spot, trying not to appear ready to burst into tears at any given moment. Anyone could tell she wasn't doing a good job.
Everyone watched as Yuri slowly made his way to the familiar spot. Unlike the others, just placing his flower and walking back, he kneeled next to the headstone. It wasn't like him; he usually showed no emotion. Yet his eyes betrayed his grief. He smiled sadly at the stone.
While placing his flower, a yellow zinnia, he spoke directly to Karol, not taking notice of the others watching behind him, "Hey, Captain. Long time, no see, huh?" He smiled casually, as though he was actually talking to someone, "Just thought I'd let ya know, things are going great with Brave Vesperia. We've been getting more business and more popular each day. We've even started adding new members.
"And we haven't forgotten about you, captain. In fact, as corny as it sounds, I can't seem to go a day without thinking about you. In proving yourself and saving all of us... you lost your life," The others couldn't see his face, but that didn't matter. They knew without looking that his cheeks were coated with fresh tears, "I know, if you were here, you'd tell me to stop being such a sappy idiot. Heh, that's actually something I might have told you."
He stood, looking downward at his feet, "But I can't be strong all the time. You know that. They know that, too," He bobbed his head back, referring to the people standing behind him, "I didn't realize how big an impact you had on my life until you weren't there anymore. So thank you, for everything," Yuri backed away from the headstone and sunk into the small crowd. Judith sympathetically rubbed his back.
"Do we have everything we need to spend the night?" She asked. Rita nodded, holding up a bag with the proper camping supplies to stay on the ice. They split up to do their usual things for setting the camp up. Well, all except Yuri. He just stood there, staring sadly at the grave. Estelle walked up to him and put her hand on his shoulder.
He shook it off, telling her, "I'm fine," and left to do his own share of the chores. Estelle sighed. Even before this, Yuri had been reserved. Very few could get through to him, one of them being the same Karol Capel they were mourning today. And after Karol... died, he had closed himself off even more.
"Estelle! C'mon, I need your help!" Casting one last forlorn glance at Yuri, she rushed over to the tents, where Rita was setting up a spirit magic shield.
The darkness seemed to come too fast. Before everyone knew it, the light had vanished, and they could not see much in front of their own faces. The day had been spent sharing stories and jokes about the deceased member of the party. What disturbed the others was that Yuri would, once in a while, seem like he was actually talking to Karol.
Slowly, bright violet eyes fluttered open. Yuri sat up, propped on his elbows, making sure his teammates (and Nan and Duke) were asleep. He stepped out into the cold, looking up at the sky for a moment. A small smile graced his blue lips.
"You know, you shouldn't be out in the cold all alone," A familiar voice chimed in behind him.
Yuri turned around, seeing the pale form not for the first time. His smile grew larger, if only slightly, "Hey, Karol."
The boy walked over to Yuri, smiling sadly at the older boy, "You shouldn't be out here," He reprimanded softly, "You'll get sick."
"Do I look like I care? Besides, night is the only time I can talk to you," Yuri crossed his arms, looking out over the ocean. Unlike the day, where the light was hidden by the constant snowstorm, at night it let up, allowing one a clear view of the ocean horizon. Moonlight danced across the water, causing the waves to shine, and giving the ocean the appearance of sparkling.
Karol walked so he was standing next to Yuri, shaking his head, "Yuri, you can't keep doing this."
"Doing what?"
"You know what I mean." The youth didn't bother hiding the tears glistening in his eyes, "Hanging on to me. You've gotta let this one go. You've gotta let ME go."
Yuri turned abruptly to Karol, his eyes widening slightly. As he didn't say anything, Karol continued, "It's a little flattering, ya know? To have someone go insane over you. But I can't let that happen to you... not to you, Yuri. You have to face facts: I'm gone, and I'm not gonna come back. I'm... not real."
"Don't say things like that!" Yuri shut his eyes tight, shaking his head. It was always the same thing.
"I care about you. That's why I say these things, no matter how awful they sound," Karol closed his eyes, looking away, "I'm proud of you... of everything you've done for Estelle, for Terca Lumireis, and for Brave Vesperia. You don't need me. Not anymore," He opened his eyes, letting a few stray tears fall down his face.
Yuri reached over, trying to touch Karol's face. The hand passed through his head, causing Yuri to pull it back almost immediately. He didn't feel anything except the bitter coldness of the ice drifts. Though it had taken a year, Karol's words were finally beginning to sink into Yuri's head, "You... couldn't feel that, could you?"
Karol shook his head.
Yuri bit his lip, trying to find the words. When they came to him, the cold, harsh truth poured from his mouth, "But... I'm afraid. Afraid that if I let you go now... I'll forget. Forget everything you've done... forget you," He turned to the younger male sitting next to him, "I don't want that."
"I have faith in you," Karol responded, "You can recover without forgetting me. I remember how important I was to you when I was alive. How important I still am to you. I know that you won't just let yourself forget me."
"..." There was a moment where Yuri didn't speak. He closed his eyes, as he always did when thinking. When he finally opened them, he proclaimed, "Alright. I'll do it for you, Karol. I'll move on, but I'll never forget you. As long as I'm alive, you'll always be remembered."
There was no response.
"Karol?"
He turned to look at the boy, only to find himself alone once again. Karol had vanished along with the night winds. Yuri would never see the boy again in this lifetime. He closed his eyes. This time he didn't feel sad. He felt... hollow. And yet, a small smile plastered itself on Yuri's face. Wherever Karol was at the moment, he was smiling at Yuri, too. Of this, the man was sure of.
"Yuri? What are you doing out here?" The small voice carried over the ice. Yuri turned to find Estelle staring at him with a soft, worried gaze. He directed his smile to her.
"I'm alright. Just heading back in," He walked over, embraced Estelle for a few seconds, then returned to the boy's tent. Estelle smiled softly. Yuri -the Yuri she had known- was back. And this time, she was sure it was for good. He was finally moving on.
Inside the tent, Yuri laid on the cot. Within his head, the promise he'd made Karol played over and over again, like a record on an infinite loop.
I'll move on, but I'll never forget you.
With a soft smile, Yuri turned over in his bed, and slept without dreams for the first time in a long while. Deep into his sleep, he didn't notice the presence of a small gloved hand soothingly caressing his face, nor the caramel brown eyes gently watching over him.
And it's done. Possibly the longest one-shot I've ever written.
Was Karol a figment of Yuri's imagination? Or a ghost? You decide.