A/N: After finishing the game, I was inspired to write this story. The ending was very bittersweet and I felt unsatisfied with how it ended. I decided to add a bit more of my take on it :) I do have an actual ending to this story, however I wanted to see what people thought of this first before I wrote it.
Anyway, this story takes place a year after the grand finale ending. It contains spoilers if you are not done with the game yet (as you can tell by the pairing… oof). If you've played the game, you should know what might be in here so I won't really give warnings lol (Implied stuff but really I am very innocent about it). Also, some minor Fuka/Caesar because why not.
Those piercing eyes.
There it was, staring at her, the strange look that kept whispering to her, "I want you."
Her face flushed a bright red and she looked away, but her curiosity always crept back and she'd return the gaze. Again, the eyes never left her. Even as the person in question would be doing unspeakable things with another, the eyes would eventually fall back onto her. She felt like she was the person underneath him at that moment, the one experiencing the pains and pleasures he was giving to that stranger. She felt her hand instinctively reach to clutch at her chest, and she had to walk away to breathe.
What was he doing? Why was he torturing her like this? He knew she couldn't leave the tower and yet…
He's just being his usual self, she reminded. Ignore the scarecrow. There are others you can be observing. She nodded at her thoughts and after calming down she went back to watching the rest of the town enjoy themselves.
—
He hoped she saw him. No, he knew that she did.
Even though he couldn't see her from the tall tower, he knew that she couldn't resist looking at him. He always made it a point to stare at her as he did his trivial pursuits. He didn't care about who laid underneath him; what kept him going was the pink hair maiden who stayed locked up in her tower, unable to leave. He wanted her to know that he never forgot about her, even when it seems like he finally had happiness. She was his happiness, and he wanted those words to be imprinted in her heart.
You belong with us, Dorothy. You should be here with me.
—
It was the day of the Meteor Garden Shower again and everyone seemed to be busy with the preparations. As the townspeople worked on cleaning the streets and opening their booths for the night, Fuka walked around patrolling the streets with Axel. She saw her reflection in a nearby window shop and smiled faintly.
"Hm, it's been a year…"
"What was that?" The stoic boy next to her replied absentmindedly, seemingly distracted by the abundance of dessert stands opening up.
"A year since everyone came back."
"Oh yeah." He walked a bit slower now.
Fuka stopped in her steps, seeing Axel stare at a gelato stand. She giggled.
"Axel, just go grab some." She gave him a small push, prompting him to almost trip but also end up in line for the gelato stand. He looked back at her with a small blush on his face.
"Well, it's rude to get out of line now.." he mumbled back and he stayed in line while looking at the menu. Fuka's smile grew bigger and she walked over to the shady side to wait for him. As she waited, she suddenly felt a light wind past her, blowing her hair wistfully. She realized that something felt missing, but it was a feeling that always came to her when everything was at peace. That something was the predator in her life, the hero that captured her heart while saving everyone. She looked up at the blue sky and thought to herself,
I wish you could be here too, Caesar.
—-
On the night of the Meteor Garden Shower, the young witch waited in the dark alleyway just like the year before.
She knew she shouldn't be here, but she also knew that she had to grant his wish. I want to see you again. She remembered those words etched in her heart, the butterflies that came to her stomach when she heard his wish. She calmly spoke to him and said she would grant his wish, but her true thoughts was that she wanted to thank him for caring so much about her. Her heart ached for such a caring individual, but her brain screamed that she needed to stay away, she needed to be selfless. If she began to use her magic for such selfish purposes, she would become evil and she did not want to think of what would happen to the people she cherished.
"Dorothy."
She snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of her name. She looked at the source and smiled softly.
"Mr. Scarecrow."
He blinked at hearing the name, but let out a small chuckle.
"I'm different from that time now. Please, call me Kyrie." He took a step closer and held out his hand. She stared at his outstretched hand warily, before timidly reaching out with her own. When their hands touched, she felt the warmth of it immediately despite there being a glove between them. A shock wave of emotions went through her body, but she tried to pretend it didn't affect her by staying absolutely still. He stared into her eyes, his hand grasping around hers.
"You seem awfully calm for someone who hasn't had human contact in a year." His hand gripped on her tighter, as if he feared she would pull away and disappear at any second. She gave a small laugh.
"I should say the same. You seem calm for someone who hasn't seen me in a long time." She quickly realized her mistake when she spoke. He closed the gap between them, pulling her towards him while taking another step closer. This time their bodies were only inches from each other. She gasped.
"I'm not. If you've been watching me all this time, you should know that I'm shaking at the thought of being this close to you. I never thought I would ever get this chance again." This time his eyes felt like daggers in her soul. She remembered this look. The piercing gaze whenever he was with his lover. Her face immediately flushed a deep red and she looked down.
"How could I know? I've been busy watching other people too. You're not special." At these words, he let her go and stepped back. She suddenly felt the cold air between them, and her eyes went back to look at his. Instead of the anger she was expecting at her words, she saw a smirk on his face instead.
"I'm not special? Are you telling me that the only man who remembers who you are isn't special to you?" This time her eyes went wide, and she felt like he was making the world crash around her, even though everything around them was perfectly calm.
"I… There's still Soh…" she answered quietly. He gave a short laugh.
"Sorry, I should be clearer. A man who wishes to be with you from his own desires." As he said this, he closed the gap between them again, causing her to slowly retreat backwards. She realized as her back touched the dark wall behind her that he had pinned her.
"Then the times you were staring at me…" she whispered nervously. He grinned.
"So you did notice." His face moved closer towards her, and she shrunk to get away, feeling her legs tremble as she made herself smaller as smaller. However, before letting her fall, he gripped her arm to keep her still.
"Dorothy," he breathed, "you might be small, but you're not naive. You've lived just as long as I have. You know what I want. So…" The green-haired figure lifted her chin towards him, his piercing eyes staring into hers. "Tell me what you desire."
"What I desire…?" Of course she knew what she desired. She knew it in the depths of her heart, in the dark corners of her mind. At the bottom of her stomach, the butterflies that wanted to fly out to freedom. However, she remembered the tower that she was locked in, the faces of the people she loved, and the beautiful world that surrounded them as the night glistened with the shooting stars.
Her eyes began to fill with tears and she put on a brave smile as her hands reached towards his face. She touched his cheeks gently, feeling his warmth tingle at her fingertips.
"I want you to be happy Kyrie. I want everyone to live happily." As she said this, her body began glowing a bright white, and in an instant she disappeared, orbs of light taking her place. Kyrie's eyes widened at seeing the figure gone, and his hands reached towards the light. As it slowly faded away, his hands clenched into fists, and he slammed them against the wall.
"Don't you get it? I can't be happy without you here…!" He felt his heart torn again into a million pieces, and he bitterly wished again that he didn't have this brain that could remember the kind girl that went on this journey with him. The journey that had no ending. As long as she remained in the tower forgotten, he could never be satisfied.
—-
By accident, Fuka witnessed the events in the dark alleyway. She tried to find Caramia so that she could end her patrol duties, however she ended up getting lost in the midst of the crowds. Trying to find a quiet area to re-evaluate her surroundings, she ended up in the same place she always gone to when she got lost. The beginning of her life when she was chased by Caesar. She shook her head at the thought of the wolf needling his way into her mind again, but noticed that there were two figures in the alleyway. She immediately hid and watched behind someone's home as the conversation took place. As her eyes made out the figures in the dark, she realized it was Kyrie and… she almost gasped. It was the witch that brought her to life.
What are they doing…? She thought to herself. She tried to hear what they were saying but she wasn't close enough to eavesdrop. However, she was able to see what was happening, and immediately recognized the strange relationship the two had as Kyrie pinned Dorothy to the wall. At first she thought maybe it was Kyrie being his usual creepy self, however at seeing Dorothy reach out to him and then fading away, and Kyrie hitting his fists against the wall, she realized the truth. She suddenly felt sorry for the two, and her hands clenched at her chest.
"Mr. Kyrie… Dorothy…"
Fuka looked up at the night sky, and saw that there were still shooting stars. She closed her eyes and her hands clasped together tightly.
"I change my wish. I wish…"
—
