Of course, any characters and places you recognize are not
mine. They were conceived by the brilliant Gene Roddenberry, and copyright by Paramount.
Here we go again! This is the second story in a series. You don't have to read the first story, but it sure helps! Believe me! There are spoilers for the first story in here, BTW, so be forewarned. Well, enjoy the story. Oh, and if you have any comments, critiques, flames, etc., you can mail them to me when I finally get an address. :) Have fun!!!
Dedication: This story is dedicated to Kira, without whom the Eysu Moraht would never have existed, not to mention to my prereaders, without whom this story would not have existed. Thanks for the death threats on the previous one. You've given me a goal to reach.
Also, this story is written in loving memory of Eloise and Jimmy Hill, and of Anne King.
The Things Which I Have Seen
by Yuuki Miyaka
Epilogue
Arys approached the table, smiling sadly. Jake was as handsome here as he had been in her dreams, but her life was different here, as was his. And it occurred to her that she was part of a lie right now.
She didn't love this Jake, and she would wager latinum that he was in love with the dream Arys, not her. And so they had to end this charade. She didn't think Jake would do it, though.
They had tried for two months, thinking perhaps they just needed some time to work things out. But it was fairly obvious that this was not the case. Thanks to a quirk of fate, they were different people, with different wants, needs and temperments. And continuing this relationship would ultimately make them hate each other, who had the possibility of being the closest of friends. So she would end it.
Jake stood as she reached the table, and she took her own place at it. Etiquette satisfied, they both sat.
"Jake, we need to talk," Arys said, then regretted her wording. Jake flinched, and Arys knew that he had considered the same things.
"Yes, we do. I have a feeling that we are both thinking the same thing." Arys glanced away, brooding. That was assent enough for Jake, who sighed.
He continued sadly. "We can't continue on like this, Arys. We aren't compatible romatically. We aren't in love." Jake paused, noting the profound effect this was having on Arys.
She had withdrawn, shivering slightly. But she did not refute his statement. She agreed with him, and that was what was so painful to her. "You're right, of course. What am I supposed to say here, Jake? That I want us to remain friends? I do. You know that."
He nodded, holding a hand out to her, and she took it without hesitation. They remained silent for a long time, looking at each other, then their waiter came. They spoke their orders quietly, and looked around the room, trying to get a handle on the intensity of their emotions.
As Arys scanned the room, a figure stood up, turning to her for a moment before moving toward the door. She couldn't let that happen, so she sprang up.
"Ari!"
***
"Ari!"
As the Cardassian turned, he saw a small figure hurtling towards him. And then she was in his arms, and he looked behind her to see the one person he would not have expected to see. Which could make the girl one of only two people. He shivered at the thought that she could be either of those, but looked down, not knowing whether to expect the slight but muscular Arys or the more sensual Katassa to be in his arms. And then he saw his dream sister, and his grin widened to the point of splitting his face.
"Jake," he said quietly, nodding to his friend. And Jake grinned, knowing how difficult it would be for Ari to accept the fact that they were here.
"Arys, I can't breathe." Ari looked down at her face, and caught his breath. For she wasn't the Arys he remembered. She was softer, and her eyes were gentler. He planted a quick kiss on her forehead, and then looked back to Jake.
"What are the two of you doing here?"
Jake grinned. "Well, we came here to work a few things out, didn't we, Arys? As it turns out, we got really lucky." Ari looked confused for a moment and Jake clarified. "You were here. But you were leaving?"
Ari sighed slightly, glancing around the room again before muttering something to himself. "Actually, I had a date. But I was stood up." He shrugged slightly, and the two knew that it wasn't the first time something like that had happened. "I was just leaving because I didn't see the point in waiting any longer. And you?"
Arys finally spoke up, her voice softer and much more lilting than Ari remembered. "Well, we hadn't even ordered yet. Why don't you come over and join us? I think we'd already said everything there is to say about what we needed to discuss. Anything else we can talk about much later."
Ari nodded slightly, knowing Arys' moods as he did. He smiled at Jake, then turned a surprised look down to Arys when she took his arm instead of Jake's.
"C'mon, Ari. We've got a lot to discuss.
End The Things Which I Have Seen Author's Notes: (Part 2)
Surprisingly enough, I was able to finish this story, *and* get done what I set out to do, which was to make Odo and Kira finally fall in love. I've been away from the series itself for some time, since cable costs so much. I might not have remained true to the series, but at the same time, please remember when this takes place.
Anyway, I must say that I'm very happy with the outcome. I very much enjoyed writing this story, and I look forward to starting on the third in the series, The Visionary Gleam, sometime soon. I'll have to plot it out, though.
As I said in The Faith That Looks Through Death, if you enjoy anime and enjoyed this premise, you really should check out a fansubbed/dubbed (though the fansubbed is better) called Please Save My Earth. It's really, really interesting.
Well, I'm sure I'll see you soon!!!