Disclaimer: Square Enix owns everything.
The Thought That Counts - Chapter 4
Sharak opened his eyes, letting out a small yelp as he quickly sat up before falling backward onto the bed. He didn't know where he was until he heard a familiar voice.
"Master! Please rest, kupo-po," said his moogle, fluttering over toward the bed.
"Ugh... what happened?" he asked, turning to look at the moogle.
"I'm glad you're finally awake, Master! Are you alright?" asked the moogle.
"Where are we? I dunno..." he replied, remembering his failure.
"We're in Upper Jeuno, kupo. Doctor Monberaux had you brought to your Mog House so you could rest," said the moogle before reaching into its bag and pulling out the burnt ring. "I tried using my kupowers, and even requested the aid of the Magian moogles, but we were unable to fix your ring, Master..."
Sharak stared at the ceiling, a look of dismay on his face. "Thanks, I appreciate it. I just don't know if I should even give it to her, now..."
"You should, Master! You put all of your heart into this ring, kupo, and you did it all by yourself. I know she would appreciate that," said the moogle cheerfully.
"Yeah... maybe." With that, Sharak tried once again to sit up, resting his feet on the floor. He tried standing but fell backward onto the bed, still in great pain.
"Ugh..." he stammered as he sat there.
"Don't move so much, Master! You've been greatly injured by the overloading furnace. Monberaux said you'd KOed and had to be hurried to his office, kupo," said the moogle concernedly.
"I see... what time is it?"
"13:04, kupo!" replied his moogle, pointing toward the window to show mid-afternoon sunlight streaming in.
"What? Why didn't you tell me? I need to give Chy her gift!" he bellowed as he took the ring from his moogle and ran to the door. "Thanks for helping me."
Sharak quickly put on his Empyrean armor, a rare and special set of armor that he seldom wore. This was a special occasion and he wanted to look his best for Chymerial. With that, he opened the door and left.
"He never listens, kupo..." said the moogle, with a sigh.
He left to Port Jeuno, crossing the bridge to the street. He pulled the ring from his pocket and placed it into a velvet covered box, wrapping it tightly in a silken bow. He walked down the stairs, adjusting the ribbon when he noticed a group of people near the Guidestone. It was none other than Chymerial and her friends. He noticed she was receiving various gifts inside large, ornate boxes and wrappings. He could feel his heart beating quickly as he held the small velvet box in hand.
"How could my gift compete with those? There's no chance! I can't show her my gift now, it'll just disappoint her..." he thought, so he ducked past them and ran down the stairs toward Qufim Island. There was a large group of people blocking the exit to Jeuno, and he couldn't return to his Mog House, so he cast Teleport-Dem to leave as quickly as he could.
He arrived in Konschtat, dust blowing everywhere. He knew if Chymerial had seen him, she would try to follow so he was glad for the duststorm. He rented a chocobo from Plaiaude and rode north to Valkurm Dunes, the usual place to be for starting adventurers.
Riding through the dunes had never been so difficult. He could feel every bump in the sand in his body, still suffering from great pain. He noticed lots of new adventurers, many of them couples fighting together to survive through the dunes. It brought a smile to his face, but he frowned sadly when he remembered how he felt.
He rode through a long tunnel and crossed the Siren Sands to Selbina, a small fishing village in the middle of Valkurm. He dismounted his chocobo and walked through the gates, seeing many fishermen and people enjoying themselves. It was a warm day with a strong breeze, perfect for a day on the water. He could hear the waves breaking on the shore as he walked through the small village.
"This is where we'd first met," he thought, smiling as he made his way to the pier.
"Thank you for all of the wonderful gifts!" said Chymerial, smiling at her friends as she held a bulk of different packages.
Her friends waved good bye as she made her way to her Mog House, climbing each step carefully.
"I got a lot of wonderful gifts this year, I'm really happy to have such wonderful friends," she thought to herself as she crossed the bridge.
"Hello, kupo! Happy birthday, Master! Did you get any nice presents today?" asked her moogle, taking a few packages and placing them on the table for her.
"Yeah, a lot of them are rare and exclusive, they're really nice..." said Chymerial, placing the rest of her presents on the table before pulling off her cap.
"What's wrong, kupo? You seem sad! Today's not the kind of day for that, kupo-po," said her moogle, circling around Chymerial.
"Well, it's just... I haven't spoken to Sharak in so long. I saw him last night, and I thought he'd want to spend time with me for my birthday, but... he didn't seem to care. He's usually the first person to tell me to have a 'Happy Birthday', but not this year," she said, frowning as she played with with the wrapping of the Anhur Robe she'd received from Kedamonah.
"I'm sorry to hear that, Master, but I'm sure he'll do something special for your birthday, kupo! The day is not over yet!" said her moogle, spinning happily.
"I hope you're right... Maybe I should try to find him and talk to him," she said, putting her cap back on. "There's a few places he could be, I'm sure I can find him in time."
"Be careful, it is your birthday after all, kupo!"
She exited out to Port Jeuno and teleported herself, sure to find him.
Sharak was sitting on the edge of the pier. No ferries were scheduled for the day so he was alone in a usually crowded spot. He could see the ocean for malms, the waves crashing onto the rocks beside him.
"I'm such a fool, thinking I could really do this for her..." he said to himself, looking down at the small velvet box in hand. "I can't believe I really thought I could make this."
He sat there with welling tears in his eyes, a single tear falling onto the velvet box. He reached out to the water and was ready to drop it when he heard a familiar voice.
"Sharak? Is that you?" called the voice.
He pulled his hand back, turning to see who was there. It was none other than Chymerial, walking down the steps toward him.
"Sharak, what's going on? You've been acting so strangely, and you didn't even see me for my birthday," she said, crossing the pier to him.
"I... um... well... you see..." he stammered before letting out a long sigh. "I wanted to get you the perfect present for your birthday. I wasn't trying to avoid you or anything, I just wanted to have something really special before I saw you again," he said, wiping the tears from his face before she could see.
"Sharak... you didn't have to get me anything. You've helped me to become a better adventurer, and that's probably the best gift I've ever received, so... I wasn't expecting you to get me anything," she said, sitting beside him.
They sat there silently for a moment, the sun setting on the distant horizon, faint glimmers of stars in the sky.
"When I first met you, Chy... I was scared and heartbroken. I didn't know what I was getting myself into. But then something happened... I felt happiness. I felt a rush of excitement everytime we spent time together, it was like being reborn. Along the way, something inside me was blossoming, like a flower, and it's been in full bloom for a while now. Everything about you just makes me happy. You're funny, and honest, and the cutest thing about you is when you laugh. We could be in a sticky situation, in danger, but we always manage to escape because you're there."
He lowered his head, gazing at the water beneath them, now reflecting the light of the many stars above. He closed his eyes for a moment, just savoring the moment with her.
"What I'm trying to say is... even though it may have been wrong... I fell in lo-" he began, but his sentence was cut short. He felt Chymerial's arms reaching around him as she hugged him tightly.
"Thank you... for everything, Sharak," she said as she rested her head on his shoulder.
He was shocked at first, but then felt great relief. He placed an arm on her shoulder and they sat there for a while, just watching the last bit of the sun recede beyond the horizon. After a few minutes, they slowly broke apart and sat there. He pulled the velvet box from his pocket and handed it to her.
"Here, I tried to make you something special, for your birthday. I want you to have it," he said.
"Tried? What do you mean?" she asked as she slowly removed the ribbon.
"I just hope you'll still like it, open it," he said, looking down at the water once again.
She opened the box and saw the charred ring, the gem glittering faintly beneath the moonlight.
"What is this, Sharak...?" she asked, removing it from the box.
"Well... I wanted to find a present as beautiful as you, and the Dawnsoul Ring sounded like a good fit," he replied.
She smiled for a moment, then smacked the back of his head while letting out a small giggle.
"Hey! What was that for?" he asked, nearly falling from the edge of the pier.
"You're such a dork, Sharak. Don't you know that Dawnsoul Ring is for Charisma, not Mind?" she said as she continued to giggle.
He froze there in place, a wave of panic washing over him. He'd completely forgotten that the statistics for the ring were light-based and thus granted Charisma. How could he forget that water was Mind based?
"I... uh... didn't know that! Heh heh..." he stammered, feeling his face grow hot as it reddened.
"This is an Aquasoul Ring, which grants a Mind boost," she said, flashing the ring on her finger. It gave off a beautiful blue glow underneath the moonlight. "I can't believe you tried to make me a Dawnsoul Ring, these things are really expensive. How much did you pay for this?"
"Um... I'm not really sure, I can't remember," he replied, not sure whether to tell her or not.
With that, she smacked him on the back of the head once more, nearly causing him to fall into the water below.
"These go for nearly 1,000,000 gil! I can't believe you would spend so much money on me, you know I didn't want you to do that," she said with a pout.
"And you know me... I never listen! Heh..." he said, flashing a cheesy grin.
Sharak explained the events of the previous day to her, causing a variety of emotions to well up inside her, and a few smacks here and there for him, too.
"So, you tried to craft something for me even though it seemed impossible? I knew you were crazy, but not this much!" she said, chuckling beside him.
"I know, huh?" he replied with a laugh, but stopped quickly, still in a bit of pain. "Look, I know we kind of went our separate ways these past few months, but... I'm always here for you. That's never going to change. You have a special place in my heart, Chy."
"Thank you, Sharak," she said, smiling.
"Oh, I forgot! Happy Birthday, Chy!" he said, smiling back.
"Thank you."
They turned to face the water, the moonlight illuminating the sea. The twinkling stars overhead shined brightly as they sat there silently. They smiled at eachother, and with a few giggles, it seemed like a perfect night until a linkpearl went off inside Chymerial's pocket. She pulled it out and placed it to her ear.
"Hey Chyme, we're going to Abyssea. Do you want to come with us?" asked Kedamonah's familiar voice.
She moved the pearl to her mouth and said, "Sure! I'll be there soon, don't start without me!"
They sat there quietly for a few moments, an awkward pause now changing the air of their conversation.
"So... you don't hate the gift?" asked Sharak, trying to lighten the mood.
"I don't hate it, you dork, I love it," she replied.
"I was afraid you wouldn't like it, so that's why I didn't want to show you. I saw all the other gifts you got and it doesn't even compare," he said.
With that, Chymerial let out a small sigh. "It's never about the gift, it's the thought that counts, you know? I will always appreciate all of the trouble you went through for me, because that's most important."
That seemed to lift the weight of the world off his shoulders, and he felt better.
"But... I've got to go. Thank you so much for the gift, Sharak. I really appreciate all of the effort you put into it," she said as she stood up.
He stood up and they hugged eachother, saying their good byes as she walked off. He stood at the pier, watching her climb the steps toward the Nomad Moogles.
"You're always seeking the next step in your adventure, and you've surpassed me in many ways. I'm glad," he said, turning to face the moonlit sea once again.
Chymerial walked into her Mog House, her moogle greeting her.
"Welcome back, kupo! Did you find him?" the moogle asked.
"Yeah... he was in Selbina. That's where we first met," she replied quietly. She reached into her pocket and placed Sharak's gift onto the table, the ribbon slightly crumpled.
"Is that the gift Sharak gave you, kupo?" asked the moogle.
"Yeah, it is," she replied, opening the box.
"Oh my, kupo-po! It's burnt and unusable! You won't be able to wear that, I'm afraid," said the moogle. sadly.
"I know, but he did everything he could to make this for me. A gift can't get anymore perfect that that," she said, closing the box.
"That's good, kupo!" said the moogle.
They nodded in agreement for a moment before she said, "I have to go meet up with my linkshell, please take care of the gift."
"I certainly will, kupo!" said the moogle.
Sharak was still in Selbina, his "mission" was complete. Even though all of his hard work didn't quite pay off, he was okay with it, because Chymerial was too. In the end, that's all that mattered to him, and that's all he ever wanted. He sat there quietly, relaxing after days of hard work. He stood up to head home when a thought struck him. "Damn... what am I gonna do next year?" he asked himself, sighing.
The End
Happy Birthday Chymerial!
This fanfic is for you, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!