"Where are you going?" Penelo asked, coming onto the balcony again. She placed the drinks she had gotten on a chair and folded her arms.
Vaan was helping Llyud out of his painful shirt. "I just want to be alone for a while," explained Llyud. Once out of his shirt-shaped prison, the aegyl stretched out his wings and let the wind play at the maroon feathers.
"Are you sure?" Penelo looked doubtful. "Maybe Vaan can go with you."
"Me?" asked Vaan, throwing his shirt across the railing. Penelo glared at him. "Oh, right," the sky pirate laughed nervously. "I can take one of Filo's - "
Llyud interrupted, "No." He shook his head.
"Well," supposed Penelo, "When will you be back? What if you get lost?"
"I don't get lost in the sky," Llyud laughed.
The white mage chewed her lip, thinking. "When you reach Bhujerba, you've gone too far."
"Bhujerba?" asked Llyud, confused. He cocked an eyebrow.
"Big floating city," explained Vaan, patting Llyud's shoulder.
Llyud nodded and lifted himself off the porch. He pumped his wings, feeling the muscles in his back move fluidly. "Be careful!" Penelo cried out from below him, but the aegyl was already rising above the city.
He headed south. It seemed like a reasonable direction, seeing that both to the east and west was all desert. On and on he flew, letting the wind guide him. Here, he found, the winds were unusually strong.
After a few minutes fighting against the current, Llyud saw there was a storm up ahead. Stretching out his wings, he tried to rise above it. He wanted to soar back to Lemurés, to open his arms wide to the auracite, to fall before Eternity's March and pray fervently as the religious maniacs did. Surely they found some comfort acting like so?
But he remembered his oaths and position as Timeless Watch's chief.
A sigh escaped his lips, and he pushed harder with his wings. The storm system he was trying to ride above was much larger than he thought. He wanted to return to his clan and feel his emotions slip away. But…she was like his anima, and the aegyl hated being without his soul.
Or soulmate, perhaps.
Destiny, he thought desperately, maybe destiny has said I do not belong to her!
But it felt so right, just to hold her close, feel her heart beat, know that – at one point – she loved him unconditionally.
His heart seemed to burst against his chest, throbbing painfully. Llyud felt torn, and as he struggled to remain aloft, his whole body ached. The winds ripped at his wings, pushed him around forcefully, and stung his eyes. The life sapped out of him, Llyud fell.
Clouds shot past him, rain kissing his skin with moisture.
Lemurés, he thought longingly, Filo.
And lost consciousness.
He awoke on wet sand, very much exhausted. Someone was nudging him, muttering under their breath.
"Llyud…Llyud…where's Penelo when you need her? Llyud?"
Llyud opened his eyes and nearly died at the sight.
There she stood, clothed in her Rabanastre attire. The ribbon he had given her still hung in her soft hair.
The aegyl wanted to cry, to roll over and hope she left. Still, she kept nudging him. "Hey, are you alright?"
He noticed they were both soaked, and light drops of rain were falling on them. He shivered, remembering he was shirtless. "Where am I?" he asked reluctantly. She might as well know he was alive.
Filo stood, planting her hands on her hips. "You're in Giza. Why did you fly out this way?"
Llyud looked around from his position on the ground. Her sky bandit sat not too far from him. Giza, he thought. It sounded familiar. "That storm…"
"The Rains."
Llyud rolled onto his stomach and up-righted himself. He couldn't remember how far he fell.
"You're lucky you survived that fall – or that I was close enough to see you," continued the young sky pirate. She sounded impatient. "Listen, I need to get this stones back to Rabanstre. They're extremely late. You coming?"
Nodding, the aegyl stood on his numb legs and followed her. His wings ached, and he wanted to speak to her. His jaw wouldn't even open, and he breathed heavily through his nose.
Llyud cringed as he walked. Wings too tired, he was forced to place his feet through large puddles and clumps of mud. Filo seemed comfortable walking through the moss and mud as rain fell on them He wondered why she was even there, or why she wasn't using her sky bandit.
He caught her glancing at him through the corners of her eyes. Staring at his feet, Llyud walked on silently.
The awkward silence continued until they reached Rabanstre. Almost immediately, Filo raced off to the North section. Llyud stood there stupidly, staring around. He still hadn't figured his way around the city. Dripping mud and rain, the aegyl wandered to the west he thought the Aerodome would be.
What seemed like hours later, Llyud finally found the large Airship station. He plopped down on the steps and looked up at the buildings that might be Vaan's home. He was downcast and weary, and had lost count of how many people stopped and stared as he wandered helplessly around the city's bazaar. With drooping eyelids, Llyud scanned the balconies above for some sort of familiarity.
Then he spotted it. That ugly brown shirt Vaan had rested against the railing was still there. Sighing, Llyud lifted himself up and drowsily flew up to the porch. Once his feet touched to balcony, he slumped down against the railing and was asleep.
Short chapter, I know, but I promise the next one will be better. Review, review, review, please!
