A Secret Confession
Sheena walked along the peddle path that lead towards the small pond that Sheena lent her prayers for Corrine before she discovered that her beloved friend had been reborn into the body of Verius, the summon spirit of the heart. Sheena was surprised when the small pond came into view she saw Lloyd standing by the pond, staring into the water, lost in his thoughts and even pensive.
Some would say it was not often that Lloyd had such an expression on his face, and in the beginning Sheena would have agreed. However, Sheena also had the privilege of watching the young man evolve over their journey together and how strong the young man became...strong enough to walk forward with that weight on his shoulders and yet he only grow more determined.
"What are you doing?" Sheena innocently asked, starting the conversation off on a light side as she walked up to him, standing on his right as she looked down into the water. Sheena noticed that he was looking at her through the reflection.
Lloyd eyes were focused on her but in the manner that one does when they are staring through someone while lost in thought...his mind was not comprehending who he was looking at. Sheena noted this as she knelled down and grabbed a small little pebble, tossing the object at his reflection as their image shattered into a storm of colored ripples, leaving only fragments of their reflection.
"Huh...oh...Sheena...hi." Lloyd snapped back to reality as his head turned to meet with the newly appointed successor. "What are you doing here?" Lloyd asked as he gave one of her favorite smiles, the small, careful smile that hid all his duress.
"I think I asked you first." Sheena replied in a soft, almost teasing tone.
"You did? I guess...I was just...sorry." Lloyd responded as he raised a hand to rub the back of his head.
"Plus I am the successor of Mizuho now, why shouldn't I be where ever I am?" Sheena joked to lighten the mood as she placed her hands on her hips, as if playfully scolding Lloyd. It took a moment for Sheena to realize that her statement did not make the most sense...maybe Lloyd would just ignore it.
"Uhh...yeah." Lloyd bashfully stated as he tried to recover from his vocal fumbling.
There was a certain amount of enjoyment that Sheena got from seeing Lloyd fumble around with his words; obviously having nothing to do with malice but more on the level that it was cute.
"We'll be leaving soon, won't we?" Sheena asked, her tone turning a little more grave as she let her hands slide from her hips to hang at her sides, turning her eyes back to the water as she examined every ripple that inched towards the edges of the pond.
"Don't you have to...stay in Mizuho?" Lloyd asked with an obvious hint of hesitation as he glanced to the side, looking at the rippling water as well.
"Eventually I do...but I thought that is how it was always going to be, that eventually after this is all over...I would be coming back to Mizuho." Sheena replied as she tried to smile while looking back to Lloyd.
"After this is all over?" Lloyd wondered as he seemed to perk up a little as he looked back to Sheena. "Soooo...you're not going to be staying?" Lloyd asked.
Sheena only responded with a light nod as she folded her forearms over her torso, turning to the mountain that could be seen beyond the village before turning her brown eyes to the glittering stars above.
"I can't just sit by, knowing everyone is putting their lives on the line...trying to make this world a better place. Mizuho will still be here when we are done...I made a promise to do everything I can and I want to do just that." Sheena stated with a self-determined nod.
"That's great, Sheena!" Lloyd exclaimed with a certain level of relief, finalizing the gesture as he let out a soft exhale before relaxing for a moment. "Shall we be leaving in the morning then?" Lloyd asked with a casual tone.
"Uh...yeah...I was hoping to do something else first...actually, I think it is something that we all could do." Sheena timidly responded.
"What did you want to do?" Lloyd blinked as he turned to face Sheena completely.
"Well...tomorrow is one of the most scared times of the year for Mizuho, it is a very scared and meaningful ceremony." Sheena explained in a soft tone as she kept her eyes towards the stars.
"Oh...what is it?" Lloyd asked in genuine curiosity. Sheena lowered her head for a moment in a contemplative way before looking back towards Lloyd, her lips parting for a moment before closing again as she gave him a tender smile.
"Or...is that also a Mizuho secret?" Lloyd added while clearing his throat, causing Sheena to tilt her head in a curious fashion.
One thing that Sheena enjoyed was how such a simple gesture allowed her ask him the silent question. It took him awhile to hear the unspoken question and even a few "Whats?" from Lloyd. Now he finally caught on to the unsaid words behind Sheena's expressions and never needed to ask her again.
"Like your fighting secrets," Lloyd explained, remembering back to their conversation the first time they approached Mizuho.
"Well...it is a sacred time for Mizuho." Sheena started off with a small smile. "But everyone has been invited and accepted by Mizuho and...I believe that the right to guide the troubled spirits of your ancestors should not be restricted by where you come from...but by your willingness to do it."
"Guide troubled spirits?" Lloyd blinked once.
"The ceremony is the night of Kioku, it is where we construct special offerings to the spirit world...a lantern vessel to float the open waters, lite only by a candle. The spirits use these offerings and the lights as a guide to bring them to the world beyond the living. A world where they can finally be at peace." Sheena's tone was lowering to a gentle whisper unintentionally as she spoke of meaning behind her peoples scared days of devotion. "Lloyd...we all understand that there are many spirits that stay behind...their reasons are always their own. Maybe they cannot find peace, maybe they cling to something in life or perhaps their end was so tragic that not only were they robbed in life...but denied their right to peace in the after." Sheena muttered as she closed her eyes, once more turning her head back towards the skies. "Perhaps those spirits are ones we love...family, friends...even if I do not know the spirit that is trapped here...I cannot let them wander the world without knowing what peace is...it is because of that, I cherish and honour the Kioku Ceremony." Sheena explained, before she could speak about the festival that followed after the ceremony, Lloyd spoke up.
"I want to take part in the ceremony." Lloyd boldly stated.
One of the many admirable things that Sheena liked about Lloyd; he always stated his mind without hesitation and so it was a good thing that Lloyd had a noble heart and idealist mind frame that made his out-spoken statements a true statement from his heart...never full of empty words.
"Y-you do?" Sheena instantly turned her gaze from the skies back to the young man before. "I mean...you are welcome to...of course." Sheena quickly added in so her surprise would not be mistaken for anything negative.
"I think it would put a lot of my mind to ease." Lloyd confessed, his tone taking on an unease of his own as he closed his eyes for a moment before giving a confirming nod.
"What do you mean?" Sheena found herself asking.
"My mother..." Lloyd answered back as he turned towards the waters, resting his hands lightly on the hilts of his swords while looking down at the water. Sheena held her breath for a moment when he mentioned his mother, she knew that it was a very sensitive topic for the young man. His mother is the one of the few things that could break Lloyd down emotionally. "It bothers me that I never knew my mother...I have no memories to call my own when it comes to her and to know she sacrificed herself so I could live...her life was destroyed by the Desians." Sheena noticed that his fingers slide around the hilts of his swords and tensed for a moment. "I know she is watching over me...protects me in some way...I just want to let her know I can do the same." Lloyd confessed as he closed his eyes, the three seconds that passed tormented Sheena on whether she should say something or not. "And...if there is even the smallest chance that the way she was taken from those that she loved troubled her in any way...I would do anything to ease that and bring her to peace."
"Lloyd..." Sheena whispered, tears were actually lining her eyes as she listened to the man pour his heart out to her and never had she heard of a more pure intention than his confession. It was cases like his for which the Kioku Ceremony was created.
Sheena could feel the strings of her heart being pulled as she watched Lloyd become twisted in his own emotional fight. One she had seen him battle since the very beginning, the moment they met and she brought him to the Human Ranch, exposed the truth of his mother...has been an uphill fight for Lloyd, one he was good at covering up to be strong for everyone else; at least strong until something dared to pull at the strings of those emotional wounds.
"She at least deserves that." Lloyd muttered softly.
Sheena raised a hand as she placed it over her heart for a moment, the tone of his voice tore her heart apart as she gave a nod to herself and closed the distance that they had, reaching out for him. When her hand hovered close to Lloyd she pulled back as her timid nature kicked in, her need to keep herself from being exposed. Sheena let out a deep breath and with that she felt her body ease just enough so that her need to be there for Lloyd managed to overcome her fear as she gently touched the back of Lloyd's hand, squeezing it very lightly in comfort.
"Then let's go, Lloyd...let's put your troubled thoughts to peace." Sheena whispered softly.
It was inspiring to Sheena, how willing Lloyd was to not only accept the customs of her people, but also how meaningful it sounded to him. It is one thing to accept something that is different then a persons own upbringings, but it speaks volumes, at least in Sheena's mind, to welcome the meaning into your heart.
For that alone, Sheena would make sure she did everything she could to bring Anna to a state of peace; ultimately, bringing Lloyd to peace in the process.