The Story of Us
By xCoriLynnx
Author's Note-Finally published! To tell you the truth, this story has been bouncing around my mind for quite some time now; I just could not find a way to seamlessly transition my thoughts to paper. Anyway, I am very excited to get this story out there, and I hope you all are just as excited to read it!
Chapter 1
Long Time, No See
The Blue Bar was closed today for a special occasion. A special, long overdue occasion in Rock's opinion, though he wished it was taking place under different circumstances. Quite frankly, the man had an inkling that the closed pub would either go unnoticed by the rest of the residents or, even more pitiable, be the biggest news to hit the town in months. Ah, well. That was life in the Forget-Me-Not Valley nowadays, wasn't it, and why should he be surprised in the slightest?
Rock was a man well into his forties with a spirit that perpetually emulated that of teenager with blond hair (that seemed more and more artificially colored as the years went on) and dancing brown eyes. Though he was regarded by others (okay, maybe the title was self-inducted) as the life of the party in the Valley, lately, his mood reflected that of the old turtle that used to peek his head out of the swamp on the south side of town.
You see, Rock had received a letter a couple of days ago in a thick, cream colored envelope. It was just as unexpected as it was unwelcome, and to be completely honest, he would have much preferred to have never heard from Nami again than to have been forced to read the contents of that letter.
"Hey, Rock," it began, "long time no see—"
The understatement of the century.
What kind of greeting was that, especially in this kind of situation? For a quick catch up note, it might be appropriate, or maybe a card for the New Year's festival, but for this? If this was Nami's way of lightening the mood, she has a God awful sense of humor.
Despite having read the letter over for the umpteenth time (he could now recite it from memory) it did not seem real to him, nor was he willing to accept it anytime soon. How could anyone fathom a letter from a best friend who you haven't seen in nearly twenty years that essentially read, "Hey, bad news, I'm dying…probably already gone by the time you read this."
Okay, it was not that blunt, but it might as well have been because after Rock had read those words, he was pretty sure he lost the capability of breathing.
He could barely get through the letter in one sitting. Nami. Illness. Dying. The words were jumbled oddly in his head, but he refused to accept that they had anything to do with one another. A world without a certain cynical red head frightened him. The fact that she could use her last ounces of strength to pen him a letter postmortem explaining the details so casually infuriated him.
Eventually, though, he was able to pull it together to reach the end of the letter—Nami's last words for him:
"I'm sending Marissa Forget-Me-Not Valley to see you. So for the love of Goddess, Rock, whatever melodramatic reaction you're having to this situation, please put a cap on it for my daughter's sake. You're all she has left now, and she needs you. I know you're going to take care of her the way you've taken care of me. Thanks. Nami."
And that was it.
Rock never had the opportunity to meet Marissa. Nami had not known she was pregnant when she left the valley, and her only correspondence with him after leaving was to send him the sonogram. If he recalled correctly, that letter was worded with that familiar caustic bite as well, and at the time, Rock could not imagine anything worse than a pregnant, grieving Nami alone at the doctor's office listening to her baby's heartbeat.
Of course, now he could imagine much worse scenarios. Rock fought constantly to keep the images of a frail, bedridden Nami out of his head.
So now, Rock was sitting at the vacated bar waiting to depart for Mineral Town, where Marissa would be arriving by ferry. He spent the time thinking of what he would say to the girl upon her arrival, but several long hours later, he still did not have a suitable idea.
He would find the words. He had to. Nami clearly thought this all through when she sent her daughter en route to Forget-Me-Not Valley in the first place.
Either that or she was desperate. Very, very desperate. Most likely the latter.
"I know you're going to take care of her the way you've taken care of me."
The words from the letter echoed oddly in his head, as if he could hear Nami saying them himself. Rock wondered how long it would take before he would forget the sound of her voice completely.
Ding. Ding.
Fortunately for him, that was a thought that he would have to ponder at some other time, as the clock just alerted him that it was one o'clock. Time to make the trip for Mineral Town.
Rock left the Blue Bar with these two thoughts: he hoped that he would find the right words to say to Marissa; and he prayed to Goddess that Nami was not putting too much trust in him.
Author's Note-I was not originally intending for this chapter to be all exposition, but I figured that it was important to get some groundwork in there before I completely launched into the rest of the plot. A lot more will be revealed in Chapter 2, so stay tuned, and please tell me what you think!