DISCLAIMER: I do not own Star Ocean: The Last Hope or any of its characters.
"Okay, everyone have you finished your drawings?"
Lemurisian boys and girls intently drawing scribbles on the ground were focused on the task, while Lymle, their symbology teacher was watching over them with mindful yet peaceful eyes.
"I'm done!" exclaimed by one of the students.
"Come on Lym, hurry hurry!" said by another who eventually nagged her to start her symbology.
Lymle was amazed on the utmost passion and energy that her students seemed to radiate. She had never expected people would enjoy her work as a symbologist, something that not everyone in her village understood completely.
"Now, now, don't rush me kay?" Lymle cleared her throat, as she carefully prepared to cast her symbology on the symbols that the children had drawn on the field.
With the children intently watching and with a simple gesture of waving her wand, she channeled energy unto the symbols, causing a sudden burst of light in the immediate area. Flowers of different kinds bloomed filling the earth with their sweet scent and vibrant color.
"Lym, that's so cool! The flowers are beautiful!" said her students, looking amazed at the incredible symbology at work.
Her students laughed and played around the field full with smiles and giggles in their faces. Lymle noticed one particular species of daisy, the one that his grandfather used to love. Picking one of these daisies up, she gently inhaled its fragrance, remembering wonderful memories of his grandpa.
"Don't forget to bring your parents some of the flowers, kay? They might like them."
"Sure Lym, let's do this again tomorrow, shall we?" the children replied.
"Same time, everyone. Bring as many of your friends if you like, kay?" Lymle beamed back at them, as she left them to play and tend to themselves.
Lymle was left alone, yet again.
.
.
Ever since her adventures with Edge and the crew of Calnus had ended, Lymle Lemuri Phi was finally growing into a young woman, worthy of finally being called a master symbologist. No longer clinging to her 6 year old emotionless state, she had finally began to come into terms of her own emotions, being able to once again truly open herself up to the world.
She occasionally still missed her friends dearly, especially Edge and Reimi. But there was also Meracle and Serah of Roak. Bacchus and Myuria of EN II, and Arumat of Eldar whom she had so much great experiences with.
Yet how could she truly forget that other Eldarian whom she hated so much?
"Faize..." she sighed deeply to herself as she thought of him again.
It was during these times that she felt like visiting her grandfather again, hoping that it would eventually make her feel better. It wasn't always that she had the time for herself, as her symbology was often needed back in the village. Whenever she had enough time, she occasionally visits her grandfather's grave, telling him of how things were going in the village, and how people no longer treat her as a mere prodigy, now looking up to her as a leader and inspiration to them.
It wasn't like being depressed was going to change anything. Lutea was still there to mentor her, the people most especially the children give her that motivation to carry on and strive harder to make life in Lemuris better for everyone.
The Van Elm Region was the vast area which separated the Woodley and Triom area. Back in the days of the Cardianon invasion, monsters were more rampant and more aggressive because of the hostility that the reptilians brought with them. Nowadays, travels were much safer and despite the occasional attacks from monsters, Lymle was simply not worried at all.
After a couple of hours, Lymle was finally able to reach her destination: Triom. The village was still left untouched after the mass exodus of the people migrating to Woodley. Scattered across the village were stone mounds of various shapes and sizes, serving as a reminder of the epidemic of the bacculus and the tragic fate that has befallen much of Lemuris. The houses that once housed the people she grew up with were all but remnants of the harsh painful memories as the endless drifting silence reminded her of all the lives that were taken.
One particular stone mound stood out at the center, and it was her grandfather Ghimdo's marker.
"Grandpa, I'm sorry I haven't been able to come very often, 'kay? I'm doing good, don't worry. Lutie is teaching me a lot, and I have a lot of students myself."
"So... so I'm not really lonely at all, kay?" She sobbed as she could not hold back her tears no longer. She wept as much as she could, as no one would be there to hear her.
Some footsteps in a distance were coming from behind her. Slowly, the figure or whoever it was, was headed towards her.
"Who... who's there?" Lymle said, still sobbing.
The figure was hooded, yet the shape was awfully familiar. Approaching Lym, the figure held out a daisy in its hand and placed it behind Lymle's hair.
As she turned to face the figure, she was completely frozen at was she saw.
"You... you... you're supposed to be dead 'kay?" Lymle gasped.
It was Faize Sheifa Beleth, the Eldarian that she hated so much.
"Do I look dead to you Lymle? the Eldarian still spoke in that gentle tone that she had sorely missed.
Faize put his hood down and carefully brushed Lymle's tears away from her eyes.
"But Edgie told me you didn't make it. You couldn't have... you just couldn't have..." Lymle sobbed as she started pounding her fists unto Faize's chest.
Faize couldn't help but smile on how childish Lymle was after all this time. 2 years had indeed passed, but it was still that charm that Lymle brought with her that still impressed him.
"I know. He saved my life, yet I told him not to tell anyone." the Eldarian began.
Lymle's eyes widened in shock.
"I've been totally watching you with the children a while ago Lymle. You may have grown, but you're still the same childish person, I've met years ago." Faize remarked. "But I do owe you an explanation, I suppose."
He had indeed followed her, hoping that at long last he'd be able to reveal himself to him.
"I don't want to hear it 'kay? Go away, liar." she said with a scowl as she turned her back away from the Eldarian.
Faize sighed.
"Lym." Faize called out to her. "I'm sorry for not telling you. Its just that after all the things I've done, it would've been very difficult for me," he paused. "to begin a new life with all the remaining Eldarians.."
Lymle still refused to listen to him. Yet deep within, she knew that she had always had longed to see and be with Faize all this time.
"I was offered a new life... a new beginning... a new opportunity to correct all these decisions I've done. Yet I just didn't deserve any of this... I just didn't... I would've been better off dead."
Lymle turned around surprised at what Faize said.
"Yet Edge said something to me when I was about to make up my mind to never coming back. He said to me, "Lymle's going to miss you a lot.", I sure don't hell think that she's going to be coping with your loss after she'd lost her grandfather. Don't make that same mistake again."
Faize was unable to look at her directly as he had said this but he eventually mustered all the courage he had to continue on.
"Some of the Eldarians wanted to stay and live here in Lemuria with complete obscurity far from any technology, hoping to just be able to live their lives in peace. I was just recently one of those who decided to go here. It took a long time for me to decide... but I think, I... just made the right choice."
The look on Faize's expression told it all. It was almost like he regretted even not telling her or leaving her at all. Yet it was those eyes, that reflected his desire to be with Lymle again.
"It was a difficult choice for me. Yet some of the Eldarians did encourage me to do the right thing. Lemuris was a planet that we would've come to eventually, and I never expected it to be this hard. I'm so sorry, Lymle. But I am here now." Faize carefully emphasizing that last phrase with much conviction.
The minutes passed as Faize and Lymle was still staring at each other intently, and as if time had finally frozen over, Lymle rushed towards him. She finally hugged him tightly as she had abandoned all the inhibitions she'd been trying to contain. Faize gently brushed his lips towards hers, and the two finally kissed, this time for real.
"Lymle... you really don't hate me at all do you?" Faize jested.
"You dummy, Faize." Lymle blushed. "You're such a big dummy! I hate you 'kay?"
"Haha. Lymle. I suppose that's a nice way of putting it." Faize was mocking her but still continued to hold Lymle tightly as ever.
Deep within Lymle's once-frozen heart, was a powerful desire dying to tell him how she really felt as the two continued to stare at each other intently.
"Just don't leave me, Faize, 'kay? I want to be with you. I want you to just stay... so please..."
Lymle felt complete happiness knowing that Faize was here again. It wasn't like before, where she had to worry about him not knowing or even trying to pretend that she had to hate him. He was here with him now, and that was the only thing that mattered to her.
Lymle nearly jumped.
"Ah... sorry to bother you two. But aren't you two supposed to get back soon? There are things I'd like to discuss." said a young woman's voice.
Lymle was totally flushed and quickly moved away from Faize, embarassed at herself.
"Lutie! You didn't see anything 'kay? I was just..." Lymle quickly explained. But Lutea's grin already told her that she had known for quite a while.
"YOU KNEW? Why didn't you tell me, Lutie?" she blurted out.
Faize chuckled for a bit. But he and Lutea nodded at each other briefly before explaining further.
"I'm sorry for not telling you. But honestly, the Eldarians were not even expecting him to come, Lym. Though they hesitated to contact any of us Lemurisians at first, they eventually decided to speak me with utmost secrecy. And it was only a couple of days ago, that I found out Faize was looking for you." Lutea said. "By the looks of it, he really did make the right choice. I've never seen you this happy before."
Faize smiling back at Lutea, then continued "We've been hiding in the southern continent, where we've decided to settle. It's been rather difficult for us adjusting. But we've been doing nicely. All thanks to the help of Lutea here.
Lymle, still in complete shock over the mess of things. Decided to remain silent this time.
"Lym, what's gotten into you?" Lutea asked Lymle, who still was pondering deeply to herself.
"Nothing 'kay? I'm just worried about Faize' kay?"
"Don't worry Lymle. I'll be staying with you as long as you want me too. I've decided I'd like to become a symbology teacher myself actually." Faize declared.
Lymle looked at him, then frowned.
"You're a pathetic symbology teacher 'kay? Let me handle this on my own. The children are better of with me." Lymle interjected back at him.
"What am I going to ever do with you, Lymle. Stubborn as ever." Faize sighed.
"You two can quarrel later, but we better get going, its getting dark soon." Lutea commented to the couple.
"Let me say something to grandpa before we leave 'kay?"
Lymle walked back to her grandfather's stone mound, and waving her wand, summoned Cerberus, her pet and beloved guardian from the other realm. She patted Cerberus briefly before saying something once more to her grandfather.
"Grandpa... I see it now. Thank you for continually watching me and reminding me that I am not really alone after all, 'kay? Though I'm worried about Faize. I know that he and I would be facing these challenges together. And Lutie's here as well to help us. Cerberus will always be watching over us too. I really really won't be alone anymore."
As Lymle turned around, Faize was waiting at her with a gentle smile of his own, and without any hesitation whatsoever she warmly smiled back at him.
Taking her hand, he reassured her "Yes, Lym. Not anymore."
.
Author's Notes:
This is my first fanfic here! Yey! I could write a continuation of this. But we'll see. Anyways thanks for reading! Reviews, comments and suggestions are appreciated :)