Takes place after The Forbidden City... so if you didn't see it, some things might not make sense.
Futures are changeable things
The purple glow the Oracle crystal gave was faint; it didn't help Piper get to sleep. Even if the crystal was now useless, she still tinkered with it occasionally, constantly wondering something that was driving her crazy.
"What was the oracle like? What did you see?" Piper glanced to him.
"I saw the future, but it's not really the future anymore." Aerrow replied.
Piper turned away to the sunset, and could feel his green eyes on her face.
Aerrow had been in her life since the teen could remember. Almost every memory she could dig out always had leaf green eyes on the side. He gave her that carefree rush that flew, no, exploded in her veins whenever he took her into another adventure. He was forever in her past... but what about the future?
This question was on her mind most of the time.
The night chill was blocked by her window, and she turned from the crystal to look out, the stars twinkling silent messages to one another. Piper frowned, recalling all the bad dreams that had been plaguing her lately. Most were of losing the ones closest to her, due to the war. She could see her nightmare now:
"AERROW!" She screamed, missing his hand as he fell down, down, down, and disappearing into the depths of the ravine. She laid on the edge of the cliff, his screaming face plastered into her mind. The blood from the cut on her cheek was dripping off her chin with her tears.
"Look who's next." The Dark Ace hissed, kicking her over the edge. She closed her eyes, accepting her fate with a heavy heart.
"Hey."
Piper jumped in her seat, nightmare wiped from her mind, and looked back to her door which was open. Aerrow was slightly leaning on the doorway, looking a bit tired as she did.
Piper only smiled and motioned for him to come in. He sat in the stool next to her.
"Is everything okay? You've been awfully quiet lately. Ever since I gave you the Oracle crystal... Did you see something bad!?" His voice was racing like his mind, trying to read her.
"No, Aerrow...I just have lots on my mind. The future,"
"Isn't going to be bad. I fixed it." Aerrow smiled a bit, trying to ease her. She sighed. He just didn't get it.
"What did you see?" She asked again, but he was stubborn.
"I told you. It's not the future anymore." he said softly.
"I know what you said!" Piper's head whipped around to his. He sat straight in surprise. "I'm so sorry, Aerrow. So many things are coming...I mean, Finn, Junko, Stork, Radarr...You. You've all been in my past and given me so much. But, are you in my future?"
Aerrow's face softened at her conclusion. "Of course I'll be." He tried to sound as positive as he could, but he couldn't deny her this information any longer.
"I just really... really want to know what you saw." Piper couldn't look at him, so many things were uncertain to her.
Aerrow put his hand on her shoulder. Her orange eyes locked on his, and the Sky knight's heart suddenly beat fast as if he had been running.
"Piper, I was able to repair it, but... the future was terrible. We lost."
Piper's gasp rang like a blade through cloth. She stood up.
"Aerrow... oh no." She knew if they lost, his life would be lost too. Aerrow's eyes saw her skin go pale, and her eyes lose so much shine. He cupped her face in his hands and didn't shift them away when her tears rolled onto his lighter hands.
"Don't cry, please Piper. That was the future. I changed it. I changed it!" He repeated himself but she couldn't cease her crying.
The one darn thing she had feared the very most...
"I lost you." She choked out, more tears streaming down her face as a sudden flash of his screaming face entered her mind.
"No...No. No." Aerrow reassured her, getting off the stool to hug her close. She cried silently, each gasping breath ripping deeper into his heart. Piper's arms were between them, and held close to her collar. Her fingers suddenly shifted back and forth, tickling his neck. They worked their way around the diamond necklace that was the most precious thing she ever owned. It was so precious because Aerrow had given it to her. He pulled away a bit, looked at her necklace as she settled in his arms.
Piper's slender fingers were laying on the diamond pendent. Aerrow rested one of his hands around the necklace and her hand. His rough fingers were cold, and made her shiver. His other arm wrapped tighter around her waist to keep her with him.
"I'm sor-sorry." Piper stumbled with her words, trying to get them out as she started to calm down.
"Don't be. If I lost you..." Aerrow closed his eyes and tilted his head down to hers.
"You didn't. And you never will." Piper needed to assure him now, and was more than willing to do so. "And I won't lose you."
He opened his eyes again, the leaf green color filling her vision. His red hair began to run into her own dark black/blue locks. She brushed her tears away, eyes suddenly tired.
Aerrow's forehead rested on hers as his hand went from her neck to the desk, picking up a purple crystal. He held the Oracle crystal between their faces. The purple glow seemed to have grown stronger. He spoke.
"Futures are changeable things, if you have someone that makes you want to fix it." Aerrow and Piper looked at one another, Piper was speechless. He wanted to change the future. For Atmos. For the Storm Hawks. For her. She put her hand on the top of the crystal, his hand on the bottom.
The Oracle crystal began to get warm, and burst with light as a vision flew out of the crystal in a purple haze.
A little girl, her green eyes shining, brushed her short dark black/blue hair out of her eyes as a thing that looked like Radarr settled on her shoulders. Another apparition flashed in the light. Two boys were on sky boards, one with red hair and orange eyes, the other older one with dark hair tipped with red and green eyes. They laughed whole heartedly and zoomed out of the purple light's view. The children were in one more quick vision, then the purple light shrunk back into the crystal, and it cracked with a loud POP!
Piper dropped the crystal, Aerrow pulling away a bit to practically throw it onto the desk.
"What was that?!" She cried, grasping his hand. He shook his head, totally dumbfounded.
"I don't know. Who were those people?" He replied.
"I'd say they were you're kids." Finn's smug voice broke into the room, and the two turned to the door, lightly blushing.
"WHAT?!" They said at once. Then Piper fiddled with her necklace again.
"Finn, how long have you been there?" She asked with her orange eyes wide.
"Since Aerrow pulled that crystal in front of your face." shrugged the blonde, and Aerrow glanced to Piper. She looked back, and they flushed pink.
"How do you know? They could have been our ancestors." the Sky Knight suggested.
"Then why is it called the oracle crystal? It only sees the future, remember?" Finn caught both of them. "And please, they looked like you guys so much it wasn't even funny. That boy with the red and black hair! Christ! You guys are in so much denial." He chuckled and started to leave. "I'm gonna get lots of mileage out of this." Finn left, still laughing to himself.
"Well, uh..." Piper tried to say something.
"Yeah..." The teen stumbled over words, just staring at her.
Piper sighed, her shoulders sagged. "I don't know what to say."
"Then don't" He said, and kissed her on the cheek. She was frozen, her mouth open in shock. Then her orange eyes danced again as they had before all the worrying about the future, all the nightmares, all the questions. Aerrow smiled, his heart seemed to grow. Piper's blush still remained, and she turned to her bed.
"I'm going to sleep. I think I'll be able to get some tonight." The crystal specialist slipped under her covers and curled into a ball, conserving her warmth. She heard footsteps clanging against the metal. Aerrow placed a hand on her shoulder and kissed her forehead, his lips lightly brushing her skin.
"Sweet dreams, Piper." And then she heard him no more.
Piper was still marveling how gentle he was to her when she fell asleep, his blessing of sweet dreams lasting for the rest of the night.