Disclaimer: If I owned Oban the Crogs would worship pinecones and Toros would be a clothing salesman.
Author's Note: I was originally planning to wait until the series ended to write this. Then I ran into a horde of beautiful fan fiction. Now, I'm sitting here, typing my own ending to Oban, with hope of getting my first chapter done before the new episode. It begins sometime after Episode 17, Optimized like Ondai.
Chapter One: Thinking with Duct Tape
Through the small rectangular opening she gazed. The vertical opening was like her own figure: small, skinny, but with definite strength. Now, her body was curled up, with her stringy arms pulling her bare legs against her chest. The air that rushed into the girl-not-yet-a-woman's window/door whipped through her black hair sending it dancing in a thousand directions. The stars in the heavens above sent blots of light into her crimson eyes. The Earther, known to many as Molly, let out a soft sigh to be grabbed by the passing air. She was overcome with the horrible tingle of selfishness in her gut. While so many wished for peace, what did she want? Her dead mother back so her father would love her again. That was all she really wanted, an apology. She wanted him to realize his wrong doings, and make up for them. What a silly thought. He would never do that for her. She was the one he had chosen to leave behind. Though Eva had given up on self pity long ago, she was once again ambushed with it. Everything always seemed to happen to her! Why was she forced to suffer? How could she carry all the burdens placed upon her? Before Eva could help it, tears had welled up in her eyes. Furious, she quickly blinked the tears away. Shut Up! She told her mind. With her emotions muzzled, she turned back to her wish. Would never seeing Mia again be worth a planet or two?
The morning came, and once again she was Molly. Just a girl living a lie, but no one else knew that.
"Jordan?" Eva bothered the gunner in the Flying Temple's version of a bathroom. Jordan looked at Eva's reflection in the mirror. He was currently in the process of running a plastic comb through his dense hair. ( The hair, not Jordan. ;) ) "What is it Molly?" He asked.
"If you could have one wish, what would it be for?"
Jordan seemed to ponder this for a short while. "Hmm… I don't know, but some of my mom's home cooking sounds good right now."
Irritation jittered through Eva's body. "Thanks a million, Jordan. You've been a big help." The sarcasm dripped from her lips as she turned and left. She should have known better than to ask Jordan. Now, to find someone who had actually given the Ultimate Prize some thought…
"Hey, Molly! Wait up!"
The flying temples rested neatly like eggs in a carton. The new environment was a strange one, and reminded Eva slightly of the illustrations in the Dr.Suess books she had read as a child. The hills were an off green, with too much blue tone to be regular. The trees curled and twisted over the land with brightly colored blooms and falling leaves: the perfect mixture of autumn and spring. Bumpy hills stretched out for what seemed like forever, covered by oddly shaped rocks and tiny flowers.
Eva surveyed the land as she attempted to determine the proper partner for this discussion. Stan and Koji were both great guys, but Eva doubted they would find it easy to relate to her. Don Wei was not to even be considered and option. Rick, the ideal candidate was currently on Earth, and thus, unavailable. The only was left now was the alien Prince Aikka, but Eva was currently not on speaking terms with the proud prince. With a breath of the crisp autumn tasting air in her chest, Eva decided a little time alone might be best.
The grass (or at least Eva thought it was grass) was unusually springy and the aroma produced by the dying flowers rivaled the Flying Temple's own. The trees seemed to have grown with a climber in mind, and Eva swiftly scaled to the highest point in her first tree. From her high position, it was easy to locate the highest near by hill, and a perfect spot for some quiet thought.
The chosen hill was an easy climb with little grade. It provided the Earthen with a view of the surrounding area. A fresh gust of wind swept through her hair and stole leaves away from the trees. Eva sighed with contentment; Oban was enclosed in such beauty. She opened her eyes to further examine the unfamiliar zone. On the hill to Eva's right a lone figure sat in a meditative state. The surprise on Eva's small face quickly turned to a frown. Her anger from his actions in the artic race still held.
He forgave you, didn't he? The sensible part of her brain pointed out. It'd only be fair to do the same. Though Eva resisted, she couldn't come up with a decent counter argument, and proceeded to travel in his direction.
Unfortunately, things didn't go exactly as planned.
The right side of the hill was far steeper than the back, and years of rainfall had caused the soil to become loose. Needless to say, one step and Eva was sent skidding down the hill. Eva grabbed at the small flowers along the hillside, but they all came up by the roots. She hoped the rocks would slow her down, but they only succeeded in tripping her. The words that followed would have surprised Rick, and put Don Wei in shock. But Eva had right reason for these curses, as she was sent flying face forward.
At first the Nourasian Prince ignored the noise interrupting his meditation. Deep Breaths, He repeated to himself for the umpteenth time. Aikka jumped a few inches off the ground as the noise skyrocketed. He could wake his dead grandfathers from the gave with this kind of noise. (No offense Great-Grandfathers, Aikka quickly apologized in case his thoughts could be heard.) The Prince turned to inform whoever was making such a ruckus that they were terribly rude. It was then that he discovered the one in question to be a particular earth girl in deep trouble. Aikka acted as any friend would, take all means to save the person he held dear.
He raced forward as Eva's shoe caught on the stone and she tumbled forward. He put on a final burst of speed, and with grace only achievable by those of Nourasian blood, caught Eva in his strong arms. Aikka had not expected her to be accelerating so quickly, or the added factor of unstable footing. He fell backwards on his behind and skidded to her bottom of the hill. With his Knight-in-Shining-Armor moment destroyed, Aikka stared at Earth's Racer, who was currently on top of him. This moment too, was ripped to shreds as Eva burst out into a fit of coughing caused by the dust in the air. The Prince quickly helped her to her feet.
"Did you sustain any injuries?" There was worry etched into his blue eyes. As Eva cleared the remaining dust from her lungs, she looked up at the Prince with confusion.
"Why did you help me?" Aikka opened his mouth to speak, but before a syllable could be formed, she was talking again. "If you still want to be friends, then why did you attack me during the race?!" Eva was angry again. Aikka was acting just like her father. He said he loved her, betrayed her, and now wanted her back.
"It is… I was…" Aikka started lamely.
"Forget it." Eva turned and left. She didn't care what Aikka was going to wish for. She didn't care if he had forgiven her when she messed up. She was seething, and that was all that mattered now.
"Molly, Wait!" Aikka followed her. She turned to spit an insult when his words stopped her. His head was hung, and he looked regretful. "I am sorry."
Eva froze. The whole world was still for her. Here was Aikka, giving her all she had wanted from her father. He realized her feelings. He understood Eva better than her own father. Funny, how the world works.
Eva collapsed in Aikka's arms, tears rushing down her face. She told him everything. After all, she owed the dumbfounded prince for staining his clothing with her tears.
A calmness settled over two as they both bathed in their own thoughts.
Though slightly troubled that he had been lied to this entire time, Aikka understood the feelings behind Molly-No, Eva's actions. He himself sometimes wished to hide under the cloak of a fake identity and escape from his duties.
Eva's thoughts once again rested on the Ultimate Prize. "I wish for eternal peace. That will end the bloodshed," Aikka had told her. His words seemed to finalize her decision. Even if she never saw her mother again, and thus never made amends with her father, she would wish for the betterment of everyone.
As if it had been politely waiting for Eva to finish her thought, the curled symbol of the Avatar suddenly let out a burst of light. Both racers looked at each other. Could they get back to the flying temples in time? Aikka helped Eva to her feet with a quick jerk. (though she did not need any help) With his hand still tightly gripping hers, he sprinted to the cluster of flying temples. The speed of the Nourasian was hard to match, and Eva was simply dragged along most of the way. As they neared the temples he let go of her hand and raced towards his own temple. The momentum Eva had gathered sent her hurtling into the temple door. She heard Aikka shout something just before the temples lifted.
"Good Luck, Eva, Princess of Earth!" Eva smiled. It sounded nice to hear her real name from the Prince's lips.
Don Wei hadn't quite been the same since he had confronted Eva. His voice seemed softer, gentler. It was as if he realized he had committed some unforgivable act, and its pain drained away his confidence and authority. Even now as he proceeded to scold her, Don Wei lacked vigor.
"You should know better than wandering too far from the temple by now, young lady," He told her sternly. Eva dismissed his comment with a roll of her eyes, and climbed into the cockpit of the Arrow III. Jordan, already in the turret, popped up on the screen.
"Where were you, Molly? We couldn't find you anywhere." Eva let out a groan.
"I already got a lecture for Don Wei, I don't need you too." Jordan was still concerned.
"Just be careful. You never know where that traitorous Prince could be hiding." Jordan's eyes darted about suspiciously, as if the Prince was hiding in his very turret. Eva snorted in a combination of amusement and agreement. Aikka did seem to show up in some pretty weird places.
As the flying temples opened, nine different racers dropped from the sky. Eva felt all anxiety wash away. This is what she was born to do, and not even her dysfunctional father could change that.
As the booster drives kicked in, the Arrow III flew forward, eventually settling a few meters from the ground.
"You're in fifth place, Molly." Koji informed her. "Pass these two and we can earn ourselves some points."
"On it!" Eva replied, increasing the speed. The track was a tiny twisting tunnel through a mass of curving roots, and large rocks. As the track deepened into the earth light slowly disappeared. Soon, the only light was coming from the racers themselves. Quick blasts illuminated from Jordan's guns, striking the engines on Lord Furter's ship. They flared brightly and Further's vessel sputtered before falling to the bottom of the tunnel. Eva quickly steered the Arrow out of the way, and into fourth place. As she zoomed into the darkness, she suddenly found herself dodging the mines that Muir had left for her. The first one stuck the Earth ship's left side, sending it hurtling to the right. Eva gripped tightly on her handle bars, bracing herself for impact. Impact, however, has different plans. The Arrow spun through a small gap in the massive roots, and down a different tunnel.
"Molly, turn back!" Don Wei shouted through his head piece. Eva glanced curiously at the tunnel in front of her. The Arrow's headlights only pierced five or so meters into the darkness. There was no way of knowing whether this path was a dead end or not. She glanced at her useful little gate indicator. It pointed forward and slightly left.
"I'm taking it," Eva told her father. Don Wei's shouts were drowned out as she Arrow accelerated forward. The new path was twisted and overgrown with roots. Only Eva's excellent piloting skills kept them from crashing into sharp rocks that would appear out of nowhere.
"Molly, Watch it!" If Molly who had cared to look at Jordan's face, she would have noted it was tinged with green. It must have been all the quick turns and rolls.
There! Up ahead! The path seemed to end at a cobweb of roots. But, like any good pilot, Eva saw more than that.
Don Wei inwardly groaned. He had known this was going to happen. This race was forfeit; the Earth Team would never catch up with the main group now.
"Head back, Molly. There's nothing we can do." Don spoke calmly into his headset.
Eva wasn't listening. She was focused, either she made this or the Arrow III was scrap like the last two. She was planning on the first.
"Molly! What are you doing? Turn the Arrow around immediately!" He raised his voice to a shout. Was she crazy? At this rate she's crash…
"Slow Down, Molly!" Stan joined in Don Wei's shout. The Arrow III was meters from the blockage now. Closer, closer. Jordan held up his arms to shield his face.
"Molly – y!" He shouted in terror as she rocks rushed up to meet them. "Wait until you see the whites of their eyes!" A famous commander had once said. If the rocks had eyes, Jordan reasoned. Then he was close enough to study them.
Eva swerved. The Arrow III shot cleanly through a gap in the roots that everyone else had failed to notice. The racer flew into the main tunnel, and cut off the head racer, Kross. Eva put on some speed to distance herself from the dangerous ship. Kross did obviously not fancy second place, and with a growl, sent laser blasts at the Earthens with deadly accuracy. Eva managed to dodge the first few, but the constant blasts threw her off, and Kross landed a shot directly in the left engine. Eva struggled to control the craft.
"Wake up, Jordan! I need some cover!" Jordan, who had not yet overcome the shock of still being of this world, struggled.
"Err… On it, Molly!" Moments later, the familiar turret popped from the Arrow's side. Jordan fired in succession, forcing the crog to focus on evasion.
"Look! The gate!" It was just in her reach now. Eva knew even with the Arrow damaged she could still make it. As she slid through the gat in first place, a sense of triumph soothed her. It was good to be back in the game.
She turned to watch Kross fly through the gate second, and Muir after him. Just before G'dar, Prince Aikka's flying beetle, could reach the gate, it exploded. It was hard to tell from the distance, but Eva was sure the Prince was shocked.
"Didn't think we'd cut ahead of ahead, did you Princey Boy?" Jordan taunted the Nourasian, who, obviously, heard none of Jordan's words. Eva shook her head before returning to the approaching temples. Boys.