The Perfect Gift
Apparently, the Christmas spirit got me too! Christmas ficcy! And it's windshipping! (to Lighthouseshippers, soz, but I don't like Felix in ANY romance, so… yeah.)
Note: Don't ask me why, but somehow I think the name Windsong fits Sheba. If there's an official name, tell me about it, okay?
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It was Christmas time in Vale. And Christmas in Vale meant a few things. First, a blanket of snow covered the entire town. Second, it meant that Mia, and Jenna would collaborate to create a sumptuous Christmas dinner that as they had for three years running. Third, it meant that Garet would accidentally set fire to the decorations, and end up having to pay for the replacements with his own money yet again (Last count, three years running ever since they returned to Vale). Last, it meant that everyone was tasked with buying a present for his or her friends.
This particular fact was rather vexing for everyone's favorite male 18-year old Jupiter adept. Mainly because he had no idea what to get his beloved (i.e. Sheba) for Christmas. And it was three days away! He kicked a clump of snow by the roadside halfheartedly. What to get her? Jewelry? That was usually a sure thing, but Ivan was just about broke after emptying out his wallet to grab a pair of boots for Garet. Flowers? No thanks. One time, back when they were journeying the world of Weyard, he had picked a beautiful rose on a whim to give to her. After she had sneezed loudly enough to wake up Garet from his nap (no small feat), she had explained to a sheepish Ivan that she was allergic to flowers. Something to do with the whole flowers = plant = Venus =/= Jupiter thing. Chocolates? Even worse. Ivan knew from personal experience that a Jupiter adept on a sugar rush was a big no-no. He wasn't exactly too sure what had happened, but when the rush had worn off, Isaac and Garet had avoided him for two weeks.
Ivan's reverie was broken by the sound of someone shouting out his name. Turning, he saw Sheba running up the path to meet him. Even after all these years together, the sight of her took his breath away. Hair the colour of pure gold, framing a delicate and beautiful face that seemed to glow with the radiance of Sol himself, and twin emerald eyes, sparkling with light, laughter, and joy. Yes, Sheba Windsong was beautiful, and at times Ivan swore he didn't deserve to have her. Smiling, he stopped and waiting until Sheba had caught up with him. Kissing him on the cheek, she stood, and looked at Ivan with a bemused expression. "Alright, Ivan, spill. What's troubling you?"
Ivan sighed. Hiding something from Sheba was next to impossible. Especially when you happened to spend most of your waking moments in close proximity to her like he did. At least he was safe in the knowledge that telling her what was troubling him wouldn't result in him getting injured, like the time Isaac had to tell Mia that he'd forgotten her birthday present. Or the time Jenna had discovered Garet had forgotten to turn up for one of their dates because he was practicing psynergy. Ivan had visited them in the sanctum multiple times before they're wounds were finally healed completely.
No, at least Sheba wouldn't fatally injure him. But she was a master of the "Big, Sad, Watery Eyes"™ that made Ivan want to kill himself for hurting her. Ivan shrugged mentally. What the heck. "If you MUST know, I was currently engaged in the process of trying to decide on a suitable present for you."
Sheba smiled at that, and wrapped her arms around him, which he eagerly returned. "Ivan… you don't need to get anything for me. Having you with me is good enough."
Ivan laughed. "You don't fool me Sheba. If I don't get you a great present, you'll just give me that big sad expression that'll torture me in my sleep."
"You mean like this?" Sheba asked innocently. Ivan didn't bother to look, and had already covered his eyes. "I'm not looking!" He replied in a sing-song voice.
"Yes you are! You're peeking!"
"No I'm not!" Ivan laughed. Grabbing a snowball, he chucked it in her general direction. Sheba retaliated readily, and the two of them were soon engaged in the snowball fight of the year, all worries leaving their mind, however temporarily.
After the snowball fight, Ivan invited Sheba back to his home to dry off, and it wasn't too surprising when she ended up spending the night at his place. (Wipe those sick thoughts from your mind, perverts.) The next morning, Ivan was watching the sunrise, as it's rays bathed the sleepy village in golden hues, when Sheba walked up to stand beside him.
"Enjoying the sun?"
"You already know the answer." Ivan replied with a smile. "I think you should be heading home now. I still need to figure out your present, after all. And there's no way I'm letting YOU see it beforehand."
"Don't worry." Sheba leaned over to plant a quick kiss on his lips. "I'm sure that whatever you decide will be wonderful."
Sheba was almost out the door when she smacked her forehead. "Shoot! Ivan, I forgot! I came to tell you yesterday that the annual Christmas ball would start later than expected. It'll begin at seven instead of five, okay?"
Ivan nodded. "I'll remember. You need me to pick you up?"
Sheba placed her hands on her hips. "Ivan, I'm not a child! I'll just meet you there at five. Don't forget!"
Ivan grinned. "There's no way I'd forget anything involving you."
Sheba merely rolled her eyes before leaving.
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Ivan glanced throughout the shop windows again. The same old story. Everything was either too expensive, or sucked. What was he going to do? He was seriously running low on time and ideas. Asking Isaac had resulted in Isaac offering a pair of free tickets to a concert. Mia had overheard their conversation, and had explained to Ivan that this was a particular concert that Isaac had wanted to avoid on account of having a sparring match with Felix scheduled. Of course, she had explained this to him after beating the tar out of Isaac.
Garet hadn't been much better. He had advised him to get Sheba anything but kitchenware, on account of the fact that they could be used as weapons. A second later, he got beaned on the head by an extremely irate Jenna wielding a frying pan. Garet had managed to groan out "See what I mean?" before collapsing on the floor.
Now, he was currently on his way to Picard's residence. The Lemurian far more long-lived than Ivan, and thus wiser, and (Ivan hoped) more proficient in the gift giving area.
As he neared the house, he mentally reviewed the best the Valean shops had to offer. Currently, the best offer by their mark was a scarf. Only this scarf was zig-zaggy, and had enough bright colours on it to give a blind hobo a seizure. Ivan shuddered. One shopkeeper's offer for a six-pack of, uh, protection devices hadn't really been an option. Looking up, he realized that he was already at the door of Picard's house, and had stopped one step short of banging his head on the frame.
Knocking on the door, he considered the set of spoons that had been on sale near the armor stall. Sadly, he didn't think Sheba would have much use for spoons. Especially since he'd managed to wheedle it out of Mia that she was getting Sheba the exact same present. Oh well.
What on Weyard was taking Picard so long? Annoyed, he rapped the door harder. Still no response. After deciding to try the door himself, he was slightly surprised to find that it was not locked.
"Picard?" He called out cautiously as he stepped further into the house. Suddenly, from upstairs, a series of muffled groans resounded. Ivan blinked. Was Picard in danger? Perfect time for him not to have brought his staff too. Well, at least he still had psynergy. Charging up the steps, he noticed one particular door that was shut. All the others were opened. And it was from the shut door that the suspicious noises were emanating. Sidling up to the door, he raised his hands, feeling his powers of Jupiter surging through his veins. Kicking the door open, he leapt through the archway to confront…… Picard and his sister, Hama, um… boinking. Yeah, boinking. You don't know what that means? Well, look it up.
There was complete silence for a few seconds. Alas, that silence could not last. It never does.
"AAAHHHH!!"
"Ivan?! What are you doing here?!?"
"AIIEEEE!!!"
Figure out who said what yourself.
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Ivan sat opposite Picard on his couch, doing his level best to drive out the bad images from his head. With absolutely no success whatsoever. Glancing up at the silent Lemurian in front of him, he ventured "Y'know, next time, you might want to lock the door when you do that sort of thing."
Picard turned a slightly deeper shade of red then before. "Could you not bring that up here?"
"Well, sorry." Ivan shot back. "But there's something about seeing your older sister getting it on with one of your closest friends that's seriously detrimental to your mental health, you understand."
Picard's eyelid twitched involuntarily. "Is there any particular reason you came to my house unannounced? Because if so, I'd like to hear it."
"Right." Ivan sighed. "Look, Christmas is coming. In fact, it's right around the corner. And I, uh, well, I don't know what to get Sheba for a present."
"Annddd…… you came to ask me for advice."
Ivan shrugged. "Basically, yes."
Picard stood and began pacing the room. "Have you tried the shops?"
Ivan rolled his eyes. "No, I've spent the past two weeks stuck in a sensory deprivation chamber so I can achieve a state of true harmony with the universe. Of course I've tried the shops. Their merchandise either sucks or would require all the gems in the mines of Altin to pay for."
Picard bit his lower lip thoughtfully. "Well, they say that homemade gifts are the most thoughtful. Why don't you make something for her?"
"Make her something?" Ivan murmured. He'd never considered it. But maybe that idea had it's merits…
"Of course. I guarantee she'll appreciate it!" Picard replied. " It's decided! You'll make a gift for Sheba! Now go on! Get started!" Hurriedly he began shoving Ivan out of his front door.
"Huh? Picard, wait! What kind of gift should I ma-" Ivan's voice was abruptly cut off as he was unceremoniously dumped onto the snow outside Picard's house. A second later, the door slammed shut. Ivan sighed and began to dust himself off. So, what should he make for Sheba? He pondered over this matter as he made his way back to his house. And promptly smacked into a conveniently placed tree.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Well, what do you think?" Ivan asked doubtfully as he held up a handkerchief. Although the term "handkerchief" was questionable at best. It looked vaguely like something Mia's pet mauler (don't ask) had spat up. And those were the good parts.
Gust looked at his creation with a trained eye, which had seen the world since the sealing of Alchemy, that had traveled the world and seen sights beyond that which any mortal could comprehend, and he uttered a single phrase.
"Um… what… is it?"
Ivan blinked. That wasn't the reaction he had been expecting. "You've never seen a handkerchief before?"
"Well, not one that's gray in color and shaped like a hot-water bottle…"
Ivan dropped the limp rag onto the table and put his head into his hands. "That's it. I'm officially dead. There's no way I'm going to get a half decent gift before Christmas." He could already feel the look that Sheba would give him, excitement fading away into disappointment. And then her eyes would begin to water and Ivan would feel that familiar urge to throw himself off the peak of Mt. Aleph. He shuddered. Not so much that he would reveal to his friends what a lousy person at choosing presents he was, but he just hated, hated, hated making Sheba feel bad.
"Don't worry, master. I'm sure you'll think of something! After all, you've still got one and a half days left!"
"Um… thanks, but that's not exactly the most comforting news in the world, Gust.'
He jumped at the sudden sound of knocking. Hurrying over to the door, he opened it, only to face…
"Sheba? What are you doing here?"
Sheba merely smiled and handed Ivan a gift-wrapped package. "Here. I made this for you."
Ivan stared down at the package. He could smell the scent of cookies rising from them. Great. More gift-giving guilt the day after tomorrow. Sighing, he managed to smile. "Thanks, Sheba."
Sheba frowned slightly. "Are you alright, Ivan? You seem a little preoccupied."
Ivan gulped audibly. "Um… no. I'm just tired, that's all. Tired, yeah."
That didn't fool Sheba for a second. She just fixed him with a penetrating gaze that made Ivan start sweating involuntarily. "OhlookatthetimeIgottagobye!" Thus saying, he shut the door as quickly as he could in Sheba's puzzled face. Sighing to himself, he turned and began wondering if Hari-Kari was really as bad as it looked. Then he decided it was.
And he was still stuck with zilch in the gift giving area.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sheba slowly walked home, puzzled. What had Ivan been doing?
"Don't tell me he still hasn't figured out my present." She murmured good-naturedly. Sheba had always found it amusing why Ivan always went to such great lengths to get her beautiful and exquisite presents, be it for her birthday, or Christmas, or Valentine's Day. As it was, it was perfectly fine with Sheba that Ivan's gifts need not be spectacular or wonderful. She still enjoyed teasing him with her sad expression, however.
Deep inside, she knew that she didn't really deserve someone like Ivan. He would do anything for her. And that had been proven the time he had chased a vermin that had stolen her hairbrush all the way to Osenia. He loved her dearly, and she knew it. But his independent nature, and his need to prove himself to her frustrated Sheba sometimes. Why couldn't he just be himself? She sighed softly.
Ivan…
At this moment, however, the Jupiter adept in question was currently piecing together several ice-cream sticks in an attempt to recreate a scale model of the Jupiter Lighthouse. Something that was proving to be rather difficult, if not impossible. His fingers weren't exactly nimble, and Gust hopping around on his head being "helpful" he could do without.
"I think you should move it a bit to the right." Gust suggested. "No, too much. Left a bit. Down. Higher. Down a bit. To the left. Maybe-"
"Will you just SHUT UP?!" Ivan exploded. "I can do this on my own!"
Gust sighed and hopped down onto the table beside Ivan. "Fine. I'll just leave you to it, then." Turning, he began to hop away.
Unfortunately for Ivan, Gust had underestimated the length of his head crest, the tip of which brushed against the rather unstable Lighthouse model. Slowly, ever so slowly, it began to tip, until it fell off the edge of Ivan's table altogether.
Time seemed to slow down as Gust and Ivan stared at the ice-cream stick model as it hurtled to the floor. With a resounding crash, it broke into a hundred pieces.
Ivan lifted his head to stare at Gust. The work had taken him a long time, and it had gotten him sticky and tired, two things the Jupiter adept hated with a passion. Glue was in his hair, grime was smeared in his hands, fatigue was in his arms, and murder was in his eyes.
Gust slowly backed away, doing his best impression of an innocent little baby. It worked about as well as trying to put out a fire by using oil.
"Er… I didn't mean it?" He said in a last ditch attempt to wiggle out of it.
Sheba frowned. What had been that sound? Something that sounded like a thunderbolt? Glancing up at the sky, she noted the absence of thunderclouds in the general vicinity. At least she didn't have to worry about rain.
On closer inspection, she observed a tiny speck in the sky, flying in an arcing trajectory for Mt. Aleph. A strange wailing sound seemed to emanate from it, and finally, it collided with a dull "thud". Shrugging it off, she continued home.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Midnight already. Ivan sighed. Tomorrow would be Christmas eve, and the date of the Annual Christmas ball. Ivan wondered why the ball started on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas. Maybe it had to make way for the annual Christmas feast of Christmas day itself. Or maybe- ARGGHHH!!! What the heck was he doing thinking these things when he still needed to find Sheba a present?!
He was so tired. He needed to sleep. Yes, sleep… but he couldn't. His current worries were far too large on his mind. Not to mention that Squall had accidentally overturned a tub of nacho cheese dip on his bed and it now smelled like something had crawled under there and died.
Slumped on his chair, Ivan was seriously ticked off. Not to mention worried. And scared. And depressed. What to get her… what to get her…
Then suddenly, in a flash of inspiration, he knew. He knew what to get Sheba for Christmas! Of course, there was the time factor. He'd have to spend all of tomorrow getting her present, and more than likely he'd (gulp!) miss the ball.
But his mind was made up. Throwing on his cloak, he grabbed a few items necessary for his journey and headed out the door.
And tripped over a very tired and bedraggled Gust that had just managed to crawl back from getting blasted to Mt. Aleph. Climbing back to his feet, he shot Gust a look before heading down the hill, into the night air.
He paused at the gates of Vale, taking one last look at the sleeping town. "Zephyr." He whispered. "I'm counting on you."
The djinni nodded and flew off into the darkness of the night.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Christmas eve. Sheba slowly got out of bed, rubbing her blurry eyes. Beside her, Breath yawned as well.
"G'morning, mistress." She said sleepily. "Are you excited about today?"
Sheba smiled. "I'm more excited about tomorrow, Breath. I always like Christmas best out of all the celebrations for some reason."
Breath chuckled. "No, I was talking about the dance tonight in the Town Hall. Aren't you excited about dancing with Ivan?"
Sheba shoved Breath aside. "Keep out of my love life, okay?" She laughed. Standing up, she headed for the bathroom. It would be a long time before the party started, but she wanted to look her best.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Zephyr watched from outside the window. Good, Sheba was up. Bracing himself, he was about to hop in through the window when-
WHAM!
A rock, expertly thrown, smacked Zephyr upside the head, knocking him off the branch he was on and onto the ground. As he lay on the floor dazed, he heard a voice.
He had heard the voice of Dullahan, greatest of the dark warriors. He had heard the horrible, rending cries of the Doom Dragon. He had heard the serpentine hiss of Mernadi, laced with venom. And the terror that filled him at this new voice outmatched the fear from the other voices combined.
"Oh, cool!" Aaron exclaimed. "A djinni! I caught one too! I can catch djinni like my big brother!"
Zephyr moaned. Once a djinni bound himself or herself to a master, he or she could not fight unless the master gave the command. As such, he could only try to struggle to his feet and hop away. Aaron wasn't about to let him escape, however. With a short dash, he had snagged on the Zephyr's head crest before the hand-sized creature could recover fully, and had scooped the djinni into a bag. Ignoring the incensed squeals coming from the pack, Aaron started off for home.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sheba slowly hummed a tune to herself as she prepared breakfast. Behind her, she could hear the djinni arguing with vague, indistinct voices. Something about whether or not pancakes tasted better with butter or syrup.
Startled by a sudden knocking on the door, she indicated for her djinn to look after the food, and headed for the front corridor.
Opening the door, she was greeted by the smiling face of Mia. "May I come in?"
"Sure." Sheba replied. "What are you here for?"
Mia shrugged. "Oh, you know. Men. It feels good to get away from them sometimes. They always argue with you, and stuff."
"And you expect me to know anything about that?" Sheba asked. "Ivan treats me like pure gold. He practically wouldn't blink if I didn't want him to!"
Mia arched an eyebrow. "And I hope you're not taking advantage of that?"
Sheba flushed deep red. "Of course not! I love him, Mia, and I'd never do anything to harm him. Unlike some others I could mention."
It was Mia's turn to go red. "Okay, so I occasionally beat up Isaac-"
"You call twice a day occasionally?"
"Oh, shut up." Mia muttered.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Zephyr wiggled in the bag that Aaron had stuffed him in. He had to go tell Sheba that Ivan wouldn't make it for the ball! Not to mention that it stank in here. What did Aaron usually put in this bag anyway? On second thought, he decided he really didn't want to know.
Well, as long as he was stuck here, he might as well think about how much life sucked. No, bad idea. What about how old his %$#& captive was? Yeah, that sounded good. Lessee… he estimated eight. Maybe nine, or ten at best. Zephyr sighed.
Suddenly, the swinging halted, and Zephyr was unceremoniously dumped onto a table, in full view of Aaron and Garet. Glancing around warily, he was about to speak when Aaron glomped him, effectively cutting off his air supply.
"Look, Garet! Isn't it cute? I found it outside Sheba's house! I'll keep it forever!"
Garet sighed. "Aaron, first, I think you've got to much to do around the house to worry about housework. Second, I don't think you'll take good care of the djinni, whether as a pet or not. Third, if you found it outside Sheba's house, more than likely it belongs to her, and we should take it back."
Zephyr managed to wiggle out of Aaron's tight grasp, and jump onto the table. "Actually," He began. "I belong to Ivan, and I would like to be off, if you don't mind."
Thus saying, he floated into the air, and flew out the front door, to free-
FWHUMPH!
An avalanche of snow fell off the roof, effectively burying him under a ton of snow, and trapping him as effectively as a steel cage would. Muttering several unrepeatables, he began tunneling upwards through the snow.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Do you think I should wear the blue one or the purple one?" Sheba asked. Mia had agreed to help Sheba select a dress, and they were currently in the bedroom, trying on any costume they could find.
"I'd say the purple one." Mia advised. "It complements your figure well."
Sheba bit her lip, thinking. "I wonder what Ivan will say when he sees this."
"Probably something about how beautiful you look." Mia grinned. "He's an honest person."
"Right." Sheba muttered.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ivan slowly pried his prize out from the alcove. Good. Part one was a success. Now, all he had to do was get to Yallam, and his gift would be complete.
Stepping out into the daylight, he set off again.
Leaving the readers wondering exactly why the author put this pointless scene in.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Zephyr broke free from the snow pile. "Dang, that was exhausting." He muttered. Hopping onto the ground, he prepared to set off again. Judging by the position of the sun, it would be seven soon, and Sheba would have set off for the ball. He cursed softly and started floating into the air. If he flew as fast as possible, he'd make it in time…
A snowball smashed into him, knocking back into a roof. Shaking his head, he peered up to observe a bunch of kids having a snowball fight, much like Ivan had yesterday. This time, however, their aim was considerably worse.
Zephyr shook himself off, and was about to fly off to Sheba's when a rumbling sound caught his attention. Looking up, he was just in time to see a second, far larger pile off snow fall off a ledge straight on him.
"F-"
With that, the author cut away so as not to break the censorship barrier.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"You look beautiful." Mia complimented Sheba.
Sheba smiled. "Thanks, but I'll wait until I see Ivan at the ball to tell me that."
"At the ball?" Mia questioned. "He's not picking you up?"
"No, I told him not to. I'll be perfectly fine meeting him down there."
"Have it your own way." Mia shook her head. "You're a lot different than most of the women in Vale."
"I consider that my personal badge of honor." Sheba grinned. "Come on. The ball will be starting soon. Aren't you picking up Isaac?"
Mia rolled her eyes. "I'll meet him at home. See you there, Sheba!"
"See you." Sheba replied, and she started on the path to the square. She could see the lights from this distance, and could hear the music the band was playing.
The night seemed magical somehow. She could feel it. Step by step, she made her way to the plaza.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"I dunno." Sunshine said. "I'm not used to working for free…"
"But I'm broke!" Ivan exclaimed. "I can't afford to pay. Please? Just this once?"
Sunshine shook his head. "Kid, I'm not a charity. I don't forge stuff for free. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have my own Christmas to attend to." With that, the door slammed shut.
Ivan stood there for a minute, not wanting to accept the inevitable. Slowly, then faster and faster, the tears fell down his cheeks. Tears of anger, of frustration. Dammit, all he wanted to do was get Sheba's present, and now… all his hopes, his dreams… crumbling into ash.
Turning to leave, he stumbled and fell into a snow bank. Struggling to stand up, he slipped and fell again. He was so tired… going an entire day without rest or food was beginning to tell on him. Making a last effort, he managed to climb to his feet. But walking was just about impossible. Stumbling, tottering, he finally collapsed yet again.
And lapsed into unconsciousness.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sheba looked around worriedly. Most of the people were already there, and had begun dancing. The banqueting area was loaded with sumptuous food, no small amount of which was Mia's and Jenna's cooking. The band was playing any number of Christmas songs, many of which Sheba loved.
But where was Ivan? Sheba looked around once more. She couldn't find him, and she hadn't seen him at the entrance at all. With a frown, she headed to the tables, were Garet was currently teaching Aaron how to swallow a banana whole.
"Garet-"
"Now right now, Sheba. Wait a sec- no, no. You have suppress the gag reflex or it'll never work. Try not to choke now."
"Garet, please-"
"Aaron, the other end. It'll go down better that way."
Garet!" Sheba practically yelled. "Have you seen Ivan?"
Garet paused. "Actually, come to think of it, no, I haven't. Wonder where he is."
Sheba groaned in frustration. Where was he? Turning, she headed back to the dancing area. Maybe he had arrived when she wasn't looking.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Zephyr was struggling to reach free air again. Just a few more inches… there! Bursting out of the snow pile, he took the deepest breath he ever had in his life. Man… being trapped in snow for the batter part of an afternoon was NOT his idea of a good time.
"Now, I can go tell She-" Suddenly, he noted the bright twinkling lights coming from the plaza. Not to mention the noted lack of people in all other parts of the town.
"Oh. No." He muttered.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sheba sighed as sat down on one of the chairs disparately. Ivan hadn't shown up. It was now almost an hour into the party, and the sun was beginning to set. And Ivan had seemingly vanished from Vale altogether.
"Don't worry." Breath tried to comfort her. "I'm sure he'll be here soon."
Sheba's frown only deepened. "I wonder where he could be. He's not in his house. I checked. And none of the villagers have seen him since this morning…"
Breath shook her head. "Mistress, if Ivan wasn't coming, I'm sure he would have told you. Come on; just try to liven up a bit, alright? I guarantee he'll come before the night is over."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Zephyr paced uncertainly around the rooftops of one of the houses. What to do, what to do… On one hand, he wanted to tell Sheba about this and give her peace of mind, but on the other, she didn't want her to go ballistic. She was pushing the limits as it was.
He sighed. Nothing for it, then. Just wait until Ivan came back, then explain the whole situation to him, and hope he didn't go postal.
Zephyr shuddered as he remembered Gust's scream when Ivan blasted him into Mt. Aleph. That had been terrifying. He sincerely hoped he wouldn't suffer the same fate.
One hour later…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sheba scrubbed furiously at her eyes, by now red with tears. She was sick with fear and worry. Her friends had helped her search the village, and they had found no trace of him.
"Sheba." She looked up, startled at the sound of Mia's voice. "C'mon. Staying here's of no good to you. Let's bring you back home." Thus saying, she dragged Sheba to her feet, and Sheba allowed herself to be led back to her house.
"Ivan…" She whispered. "Please be safe."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ivan opened his eyes. Where-? He was inside a house, wrapped in a warm blanket and near a cheery fire, which provided a pleasant heat. Twisting his head, he noticed a pair of legs right in front of him.
"Took you long enough to wake up." Sunshine snorted.
"I-I'm sorry." Ivan whispered, and bowed. "I'll leave now."
"Wait a second." Turning to grab something off the table, Sunshine turned and tossed a shiny implement through the air, straight into Ivan's palm.
Ivan stared at the object in front of him, hardly daring to hope. Joy rose in his heart. "Thank you." He whispered.
Sunshine grinned slightly. "Consider yourself lucky it's Christmas. Now clear off, if you're well awake! I've got my family to think to."
Ivan smiled, and stumbled out of the house. Opening his hand, he stared at the object that had taken him a day of teleporting around the globe, first to Altin, then to Loho, and then to Yallam to get the materials forged.
Raising the Teleport Lapis over his head, he murmured a few choice words and the world exploded in a wave of rainbow colors, coalescing into the familiar sight of Vale.
Almost as soon as Ivan stepped through the gates, he could see people getting ready to see Christmas. Before he could observe any of that more fully, however, he was tackled by a flying purple blur.
"Ivan!" Zephyr cried. "Sheba's been looking all over for you!"
Ivan rubbed his forehead. "If I recall, you were supposed to tell her I might not make it for the dance, am I correct?"
"Well, yes." Zephyr replied nervously. "Except that some kids buried me under a pile of snow and by the time I got out I didn't want to risk Sheba's wrath by telling her where you went."
Ivan growled. "If I had the time, I'd…" However, Sheba came first. "Where's Sheba? Tell me now."
"At her home." Zephyr muttered. "The rest of her friends went there to comfort her as well. She's worried sick about you."
Ivan didn't bother to reply before running off.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sheba sat silently, brooding. She still had no idea where Ivan was. Garet had left to go check the village one more time. Most of the Valeans still remained oblivious, and were now preparing the countdown to Christmas.
She felt the tears flowing freely from her face, ands she didn't care.
Ivan… she didn't know if she was going to kill him or hug him when he returned.
"If he returns." A tiny voice whispered inside her head.
Just then, the door opened, and a very disheveled Ivan stepped in.
"Drat" The voice said, and disappeared.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
All heads turned to meet him as he entered the house. Ivan cursed silently. He had expected this, but to actually have to face up to it was not his idea of a good time.
Searching the room, his eyes quickly lit upon Sheba. Hurrying over to her, he knelt down in front of her, trying to look as pathetic as he currently felt.
"I'm sorry." He whispered. "I never meant to make you worry." In the distance, he could hear the Valeans counting down until it was Christmas.
Sheba turned her eyes, brimming with tears, to Ivan. "Ivan… where did you go?"
Ivan hung his head. "I… I went to get you your present, Sheba. I didn't think it'd take so long."
Sheba bit her lip, and Ivan could feel that she was trying to hold back her tears. "Ivan…" She said in an agonized voice.
"I…" He began. "I know I've been stupid. This past few days… I've been so caught up with trying to decide what to get for a present, that I forgot about… about you. About the person who would receive the present in the first place. I'm sorry, Sheba."
The room was completely silent.
Ivan took a deep breath. "Sheba, if you can forgive me… for being so shallow and foolish, I promise never to compromise you again. I'll never make you feel unhappy, and I promise to protect you forever. If you can forgive me…" He screwed his eyes shut, feeling hot tears.
A second later, he heard Sheba's voice, filled with anger. "You still don't get it, do you, Ivan? It's because of your need to prove yourself to me, and to ensure that I get the best of everything, that led you on this wild goose chase!" She paused to collect herself, and then went on. "Ivan, I know you go to great lengths to provide me with everything, but I don't need that. I don't need fancy presents, or you to risk yourself for me, or large promises, or anything like that!" Her voice shook slightly, and she bent continued, in a much softer and tender tone. "All I want is you, Ivan. I just want you with me. Nothing else."
Ivan drew in a deep breath and looked up into her emerald eyes. "I'll stay with you, Sheba. Forever. I promise"
Sheba held his gaze, and for the first time, he caught the slightest hint of a smile on her face. Just then, Garet, who had been peering out the window, said. "In case anybody wants to know, it's officially Christmas."
Ivan slowly stood, and offered a hand to Sheba, who graciously took it. Once the two lovers were on their feet, they shared a quick embrace.
Breaking it, Ivan stepped back. "Sheba, I… we've had a relationship for nearly three years now, and when I was thinking about what to get you… I… I thought about it for a long time. In the end, I decided that… well; the only thing I could offer to you was… myself. Forever." Drawing a tiny velvet box from his tunic pocket, he opened it to the stunned gasps of Mia and Jenna. "Sheba of Lalivero, will you marry me?"
Sheba merely stared at the ring for a few seconds. Finally snapped out of her reverie by the sound of the Valeans cheering outside, she stared into Ivan's violet eyes, and felt her own begin to water up again. Only this time they were tears of joy.
"Yes." She whispered. "Yes, I'll marry you."
Ivan smiled, the first real smile of pure joy since the whole fiasco begin. Leaning forward, he kissed her on the lips, an action she readily returned, wrapping her arms around him.
Garet took a tiny break from the clapping, to lean closer to Isaac. "Do you think he has any idea what he's setting himself in for?"
Isaac hit Garet on the head.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ivan and Sheba lay together under the trees, watching the stars and silently enjoying each other's company. Sheba eyed the silver ring, gleaming in the clear moonlight.
"You like it, right?" Ivan asked, breaking the silence.
Sheba sighed. "Ivan, of course I do! You need to ask?"
Slowly taking her hand, Ivan glanced into her eyes. "Actually, I think I don't. You've taught me that much."
"Good." She chuckled. "Wouldn't want to change that."
Ivan sighed. "My quest for this ring led me to so many things, all of them good. Me realizing just how much I love you, you agreeing to marry me…"
"You really expected me to say no?" Sheba questioned.
"No, but you never know." Ivan grinned. "I'd say I made a good choice for my Christmas present."
"Oh, indeed you did." Sheba whispered as she snuggled up closer to him. "I'd say it was the perfect gift."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
So…… like it? Hate it? I had lot's of fun writing this story either way. So… please review and tell me what you think about it! Thanks very much, guys!