.Author's Note. Finally finished! I can't believe I just sat down and wrote the majority of this in one evening. I was determined to finish this today and low and behold I have it! The ultimate conclusion to Whisper! Thanks to everyone who has stuck with this fanfiction and I'm really glad that I decided to expand this from that little teaser it started as into a full-fledged fanfic. And I really hope that everyone has enjoyed this and likes how it all comes together. I'm really pleased with how it all ended and I was literally tearing up as I wrote it because I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M FINISHED! T_T

Well, again thank you to all of my amazing readers and for one last time, I hope you enjoy this final part of Whisper! Thank you, loves~!


It was a few days since the Dragonoid invasion—three if I counted correctly, which I really hoped I could. I remained with the Tai Chi Chasers on an assumedly temporary account, trying to figure out what my next course of action would be. This was a thought that occupied my mind for quite the prolixity, using up a lot of my time, so I constantly found myself—when I wasn't busy getting the Tigeroids angry over my antics—sitting at the nose of the ship.

No, really. The legit nose of the airship's tiger face. The others often wondered how and for what stupid reason I perched out there like a bird, gnawing away at some chocolate. Well, the chocolate part wasn't much of a mystery, but still. It was my place of contemplation and strict meditation. I constantly peered down from there to look at the world below, envisioning all that it withheld from my sight.

Amidst all of my personal ramblings, Sena or any one of the guys—except for Finn, of course. He'd just give me that expressionless look he was so good at and keep walking—would go to the window and open it (and I didn't even know those windows opened till I saw it for myself and heard a voice that almost seemed like it was coming from nowhere) to look down and talk to me. They allowed me to keep Ki with me so that I was free to speak, and we would have brief conversations, usually of little to no importance. I never cared to ask them what I should to do, as I didn't wish to bother them with those trivialities, much less go to Komorka with inquiries in hand, since it was obvious I'd come out with more questions than I began with.

But I had to digress on all of this. What I was doing at the current moment wasn't any of these things prior mentioned, nor even remotely related. No, in the thick of all of my wasted time, I took it upon myself to get something productive done.

Aka, get Rai to teach me whatever this Gangnam Style-thing was.

As surprising as it may have seemed, he wasn't exactly horrible at these weird dance-things. But not so surprising, he wasn't a very good teacher. I didn't care much about this fact, however. I was just glad he didn't take off his shirt again, otherwise I would've found my face a profuse red, been forced to hit him, and ran from the room. And I was certain we would've both been better off if that didn't happen, so in a secret, unspoken agreement sort of way, we both decided to commit; I'd keep the screwing up to a minimum to the best of my ability while he kept the exposed skin to a minimum to the best of his ability.

It was a pretty decent system up until Sena said something about us dancing together that I vowed to never repeat, and from then on my "productive learning experience" was basically ruined. But for the sake of my absolute boredom, I kept on. Plus, I was pretty sure my attempts were overly-amusing to Rai. Every so often, I'd hear him snicker, I'd spin about, unable to keep that stupid blush off my face, glare at him, and he'd shut his trap instantly.

You'd think with all of my training and fluid maneuvers, I'd be able to dance. I was at least a hundred times more graceful than Rai in fighting, yet here I had two left feet and couldn't keep a beat, and in truth (in a truth he'd never hear from me), he had me beat by the longest shot I'd ever seen. Go figure.

So here we were, him repeating the same moves over and over again, and me trying my hardest to mimic them. There was something about this that felt in multiple ways awkward, the movements and swinging of hips feeling foreign and unusual to my combat-trained instincts. The patterns were easy enough to figure out; it was just the moves themselves that left me with a sense that seemed to tell me that this was not what I was supposed to be doing and he was teaching me something entirely wrong.

But apparently according to him, he was practically a master of this art called Gangnam Style and I was just the one with the major problem. After about twenty cases of hearing the line, "Aaay, sexy lady~!" come from that stereo and me doing something other than the correct choreography, he finally came out and said just what was on his mind:

"You dance like a frog in a blender."

It took me less than a second to stop dancing, turn about, give him a look of complete and utter detesting, and with a growl-like war cry, tackle him to the floor. His eyes were huge in his surprise as I realized just how uncomfortable this was and how now that I wasn't an enemy trying to rip him apart, this could be taken in much different connotation. So I readjusted myself, sitting cross-legged midway down his chest and staring down at him with narrowed eyes. "Yeah, well you fight like a frog in a blender." I shifted my eyes away, feeling the thick air beginning to settle like a quilt, and trying to distract myself, I pulled out a chocolate bar and began to indulge. "I think when it comes down to it, you're much worse off than me."

To this he didn't respond, but I could see that my blow to his fighting ability annoyed him. "You know, if you keep eating as much chocolate as you do, you're gonna get fat."

If I could've made a look that could kill, I would've been sitting on a corpse right then. "Youuu…" I was pretty my trembling I was so irritated with that remark of his. "Fine, take some then!" I stuck my finger in my mouth, covering my finger with a mixture of spit and chocolate that should've been all-too familiar to the redhead, and reached down to wipe it on his face, but he grasped my wrist. We glared at each other as the struggle began, me trying to vandalize his face, him trying to keep me from doing it.

I was about to claim my win at this miniature battle too, but right when my fingertip was about to make contact with his face and deem me victorious, he turned his head and put my chocolate-covered finger in his mouth.

…Yeah, that was far too awkward to be considered a smart move.

"…What are you two doing?"

Now was the instance that made me fully realize the meaning of the phrase "having the deer in the headlights look". My head couldn't have possibly whipped around faster at the sound of Sena's voice, and seeing her standing in the doorway with a rather suspicious look on her face made my face turn about fifty shades of crimson. About a second (or five) passed before I got the bright idea to yank my finger out and get the heck off of him. As I wiped his slobber off my finger, I tried to come up with an excuse, "He was being stupid and tried to eat me!"

As Rai automatically blurted out a, "Hey!" Sena crossed her arms and gave a look that seemed to tell me to try again.

But I really didn't want to try to figure out a different excuse, so before any more could possibly have been said, I had already darted out of the room. I decided to look for the other Chasers, since finding someone to distract me would help keep my mind from going back to what had just gone on in there. Yet there was no stopping the thoughts that had already invaded, like what Rai might say if Sena asked him to fill her in or what Sena had already began to assume.

I found Tori, Donha, and Finn in their small dining hall, distracted with a card game of some sorts. Finn was just off to the side watching with slight interest, but the other two seemed immersed in the game. As I walked in and began to observe, it seemed more like they were looking for something in the deck rather than actually dealing the cards or something of that nature. Wait, is that the deck that I took the card from? Because if it is—

My thought was abruptly interrupted by Tori, who had just gone through the deck again a second time and wore an expression that looked equally vexed as Donha's, as he noted, "Hey, one of the joker cards is missing. It was here the last time we played; I remember because I beat Rai with it! Maybe he took it so it couldn't be used against him a second time!"

A half-smile appeared on my face at his words. Rai totally would do something like that; that kid, I knew full well, hated losing, no matter if it was a close defeat or overkill. However, I knew his distinct ability to be a sore loser wasn't what the root of the problem was here. So crossing my arms and cutting into the conversation, I stated, "Actually, that's not quite what happened. But I really don't think you're getting that joker back, since the Dragonoids…kinda have it now…" I gave an awkward smile as I relished on the memory; instead of the Tai Chi Card that the Dragonoids thought I had put in that chocolate wrapper and handed over, it had actually been the very playing card that the Chasers were now missing.

I figured it was a sacrifice worth making.

But I didn't feel like explaining this to them at current, so I just smirked at their perplexity and changed the subject, "But hey, when you guys are done, I'll play some Bologna with you." With my excessive pride and cockiness in tow, I showed off my tongue tauntingly. Even though I had only just learned that particular card game, I felt my ability to lie and my poker face were no forces to be reckoned with. "Loser gets to kiss my shoes."

They both exchanged looks, probably questioning with each other if that was really a good idea since I had already deprived them of a good majority of their chocolate supply, and then gave me wide-eyed looks while shaking their heads in unison. As I frowned at them in return, not appreciating their unanimous refusal to play a simple card game with me, apparently Tori thought of a "good idea", "Hey, you know maybe if you lightened up a bit, we'd be more eager to play!" I raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. "We've never heard your laugh before! Laugh and we'll play a game."

Yeah…no.

In all honesty, I had basically forgotten what my laugh had sounded like. It had been years since in laughed even remotely; while I took amusement in things, there was a little instinct within me that kept me from showing it in the full extent of laughter. So I remained expressionless, dropping my arms down to my sides and saying, "Yeah, I'm not doing that for your own enjoyment." Which is probably why he suggested it; he knew I wouldn't, so as a result, they wouldn't have to play Bologna with me.

"C'mon, be a sport!" Tori instantly smiled that childish grin of his—while I just thought of reasons why I wasn't going to be a sport—and pulled out his Activator, along with a single Tai Chi Card. "Tai Chi So! Laughing!"

I knew that attack had my name on it, so I did the one thing I could think of: Used Finn as a human shield.

I wasn't not certain what I was expecting to happen to that dark-haired, ice-eyed boy as a result of the attack, but to say the Tai Chi Card was useless on him was an overstatement. If the ability of that Card was to induce laughter, it clearly had no effect on Finn. All he did was stand there with narrowed eyes, clearly annoyed that I had made him as my shield. A part of me had been curious as to what his laughter would've even sounded like, but apparently this guy had no ability to laugh whatsoever.

He turned and merely stared at me with that icy look which intimidated me enough to back off slowly, an awkward, cheesy grin on my face, and sputter, "Yeah, uh…bye." And was out of there.

I found myself eventually on the top deck, looking about at the world spread out under the airship. The warm summer air carried through the wind flowed about my figure, stroking my hair with soft delicacy. I could feel the peacefulness of Earth by the feel of nature, a peace that resembled nothing in Suhn, a world of war and rebellion. There was no comparison I could make between the two sides the coin; two words that were close in distance, yet so far away in likeness. It had been so long since Suhn had known the effects of unity, and since then the Tigeroids and Dragonoids had split too far apart to go back to that place and expect safety.

Resting my arms against the rail, my eyes drifted outward, my mind drifting even farther. Pressing my chin into an upward-turned palm, I thought about home and just how far away it truly was. Close enough to almost touch, yet too far for my mind to reach out to.

"You're thinking about Suhn, aren't you?"

My eyes shot over just as Sena approached and she joined me at my side. The smile that touched her lips was innocent and sincere as she noted, looking out into the distance as I had been, "You don't have to say anything for me to know it's true. I think about home all the time. I wonder how all of my friends there are doing and what my life would be like if I'd never left." But then she turned to me, her brown eyes shining. "But I've never regretted any of this."

I was pretty sure that my mouth fell slightly agape at how well she read me. Trying to hide the fact that she had basically interpreted everything I had been pondering in secrecy, I averted my eyes away. "I had always chased the idea of having no regrets; I always over-analyzed, maybe waited too long to make a choice. I never wanted the burden of regret, so I passed whatever sort of it I could onto others…" My teeth pressed into my bottom lip, trying to figure out why I was telling her all of this. "…It's why I made the Tigeroids my enemies and denied my own blood." I stared down at my own hands, knowing where I had come from and the clan that I was bound to by Fate. "I couldn't face the idea that this maybe was all supposed to happen…"

My attention was caught at the sound of her giggling, and I returned my gaze back up to her face, slightly perplexed. "You sound just like how I was when I first left home. I've learned that everything happens for a reason, and you just have faith it'll all work out for the very best. Sometimes you take the path less traveled, but you get there. And when it comes down to it—" Her smile grew into a full grin. "—your friends will have your back. That's why you can keep on going with no regrets."

A smile formed on my face at her kindhearted words and I concluded then that I may have misjudged her. She may have had a complex about doing things correctly, but there still existed a sweet girl that knew what she was talking about. I then realized maybe she'd make a pretty good friend. My first friend. "Yeah."

But then she turned and leaned against the rail, giving me a knowing smirk. She placed her hands on her hips and a little slyness appeared in her irises. "Your friends can also give you boy advice too."

Heat overtook my entire face in a matter of a few moments. Is it really that freaking obvious?! I narrowed my eyes at my own personal weakness and crossed my arms, almost about to pout when I managed to stop myself from doing so. "If you're selling, I'm not buying," I muttered, finding no real good way to word a proper response.

"Then I'll give you a free tip." Before I knew what she was doing, she began to futz with my hair, causing me to stiffen up entirely. But she had only been messing with it only for a few moments when she then said, "There. You look cute."

I blinked a few times. "What did you—?" I instantly reached up and felt my hair in a high ponytail, tied neatly with a…ribbon? I immediately groaned, not even remotely amused. "…Why?"


I couldn't explain it—this feeling, this pull I felt. I knew it was it as soon as I saw it. I had been looking down at the world below when I saw it and got a lurch in my chest. Instantly I had departed from my perch that was the Tigeroid airship's nose and ran to the control room, telling the Chasers to stop, to land. Unsure but trusting, they complied with my demand only after Komorka—looking as though she was reading my mind—had insisted upon it.

This was it—this was my choice.

What I had spotted was a little town, almost like a village, settled in a clearing surrounded in an immense, emerald green forest. A crystalline river emptied out into a large sea farther off, but where it came from ran past the town into the forest, rushing down a cool, misty waterfall. The entire area had a slow peacefulness emanating from it, untainted by the effects of war. It was simply beautiful how it seemed to be encapsulated by nature, yet the touch of man made it feel like home. That was why it called out to me.

It looked just like my little hometown at Suhn before it had fallen into chaos.

And I would make certain such a fate wouldn't befall this little town. I knew this for a fact, and the Tai Chi Chasers accepted my reasoning for it when I voiced all of it. I could read the expressions on their faces; they knew exactly how I felt. And they had no objections; in fact, as soon as I had spoken my piece, they had gone and provided me with a pack full of things I would need, including all of the chocolate bars that I hadn't previously eaten from their supply.

So here we were, landed in a clearing near the town, standing on the verdant grass to say final goodbyes. A weird ache consumed my chest, and I couldn't place just what it was; it conflicted with the part of me that told me leaving was what I had to do.

"…and if you need anything, make sure to let us know," Donha had been saying when I pulled out of reverie. I felt bad for not catching all that he had said, but my head was in a whirl. All of this was just a little over my head; only mere hours before I had been contemplating what I was even going to do, but now I was at the brink of my departure. Every bit of it had felt so brief, so temporary, and it took all I had to just keep the reality of it in check.

"Or if you just wanna hang out," Tori added cheerfully. He smiled at me, which I returned lightly, trying to keep my mind on the words.

And to make him content, I let out a small laugh. The sound of it was foreign, but rather refreshing, like the greeting of a long-lost friend, and the small, blond-haired boy seemed to take pleasure out of it. "I'll be sure to let you know," I replied with a slightly upbeat tone, feeling slight pink dust my cheeks. "It means a lot to me, guys. Thanks for everything. You're true friends, and I can't explain what it means for me to be able to say you're friends of mine." I grinned. "Even you, Finn. But you could do without all the gloom and doom."

At this he flashed his bright eyes toward me and I saw the hint of a smile on his face.

And before I could brace myself, I found myself captured in a hug by none other than Sena. I melted into it as soon as I got over the awkwardness, and she said smugly as we pulled apart, "I'm gonna just look past the fact you ate all my chocolate and say it was a pleasure to meet you." In a single instant, her tone changed and her eyes seemed to glow. "And if you ever find yourself wanting to hunt the Tai Chi Characters with us, I think you'd make a perfect addition to the team. After all—" The marks of the Tigeroid flashed slightly on her skin for a split-second. "—you're one of us."

"Yeah, and it's by no mistake," I agreed with a smile that matched hers, thinking of the ribbon my hair was bound within. But then as I realized I had exchanged sentiment with all but one of the Chasers, I felt something inside me stir and my insides twist. Apparently whatever it was that stirred decided to totally change the mood with a rather accusing voice, "As for you!"

Rai pretty much jumped when I addressed him so informally, and he looked as confused as heck as to what I was up to. Yeah that makes two of us. But the confusion didn't interrupt my mouth, "If I hear you screwed the entire world over by doing something incredibly stupid—!" I stopped mid-threat as I morphed my agitated tone to agree with a sudden smile that decided to appear on my face. "Then just remember I've got your back."

But then, I received an impulse. I wasn't sure exactly where the heck it came from, but as soon as it came, I acted upon it and gave the unsuspecting boy a peck on the cheek.

Instantly his entire face ignited in a full-fledged blush and just the fact that he was embarrassed made me just as embarrassed, so to try to cover it all up, I bopped him on the head and stated curtly, "Now don't start making this all awkward by blushing. Idiot."

But despite my defensiveness, my beaming broke through and I pulled out my Ki Tai Chi Card. My emotions were all over the place, and I tried for all I was worth to stay composed. "You know, I don't think I'll need this anymore. Here, add it to your collection. Something to remember me by." I handed it over, but still felt the warmth of its ability flowing in my being. My lips pursed, but knew they would open once again when they needed to. So with that, I turned and gave a final half-wave before beginning to walk away.

From behind me, I heard Rai call to me, having finally collected his bearings enough after I had shown him such affection, "C'mon, stop being so confusing!"

Momentarily pausing, I turned slightly, and instead of replying, I merely smirked and stuck my tongue out at him tauntingly. I'll stop being confusing as soon as you stop being a loser… I turned back and continued to depart, this time with no protest. …But I do like an underdog. That's why I picked you as my rival… I bit my lip and wiped my eyes. There'd be no crying, I reasoned, but knew better as to make that sort of assumption. After all, I could already feel the cool tears against the warm blush on my cheeks.

The gentle breeze brushed past me as I walked, caressing me in its embrace as it flowed back to the Chasers. Can you send a message for me? I asked it, After all, you are going that direction anyway… The wind whistled lightly in my ear, a compliance that made me smile in my gratitude. …All right…then the message is… "…I'll miss you…"


Fin.