Chapter 12

The Storm

"I almost didn't recognize you…" Valentine said coolly, her voice low and dangerous. Griffin swallowed with difficulty. This couldn't be happening. It had to be some sort of nightmare. He could only glower down on their touching hands, frozen with fright and sadness. She looked over at him, trying to catch his eye.

"What… you have nothing to say to me…?" Her voice was a little more harsh. Griffin forced himself to breathe properly and after a few moments regained the ability to speak.

"…Why are you here…?" His voice was notably more harsh. After the initial shock, he began to feel very angry. Valentine pouted at him and removed her hand from his. She was glamorously dressed, as usual.

"You underestimate my fame, Griffin… and that's no way to greet an old friend, is it?" She spoke low, her bell like voice only audible to Griffin. He finally screwed up his courage and managed to look her in the eye. It was a mistake… they pierced him and drained him of his energy as they had down so deftly all those years before.

"It's been thirteen years!" Her voice grew stronger and a little more harried.

"Let's make it thirteen more, then. We can go for a record." Griffin turned away from her and tried to walk away. She caught his wrist and squeezed it painfully, whipping him back around. He was sure they were going to attract attention and tried his best not to look at the people around them.

"Hey! Don't you even want to talk to me!?" Valentine's voice was severe and unladylike now, but still soft enough not to be overheard. Griffin guessed she also wanted to keep this private.

"Not particularly, no… and hey, shouldn't you be a little more surprised that…hmm.. Let me think… I'm not as dead as you may have thought?"

Lightening seemed to passed over Valentine's eyes and for a brief moment a very ugly and frightened looked overcame her face, but she quickly recovered and regained her prim composure.

"I have to admit I am quite surprised. But I'm happy… I mean… how could someone survive…" She stopped of short, looking a bit uneasy. She cleared her throat a bit, her sleek black hair falling around her shoulders. Griffin looked pure daggers in her direction.

"So now what, you just crash people's weddings in your free time…?" Griffin spat at her. "Or you just felt like coming back to see if you could mess up my life a little bit more for the hell of it…?"

Valentine shook her head soberly.

"I was invited to this party." She told him haughtily. Her face had become pinched and gained a slightly malicious look over the long years. Her eyes had also endowed a considerable amount of sadness. "You forget, I am a famous singer… I mean, you did meet me before all that, but you of all peole should know…"

Griffin felt his rage boil over and consume him. He gave her a spiteful laugh.

"You're just as vain as ever, Valentine. Though you look old on the outside, you're even more childish than the last time we met."

Her green eyes blazed full of fire.

"Listen, you! I am-" Valentine stopped, her eyes glowing with venom and looked to the area behind Griffin. "Can I help you?" She said as if she were talking to a small insect. Griffin turned, and felt his heart become soaked in ice water. Haru was standing behind him, watching the scene with a concerned and hurt face. Her hair was down and hung in deep auburn waves above her shoulders. She wore a petite but modest dress and a small green necklace. Her eyes moved from Griffin to Valentine, trying to understand what was happening.

"Griffin…?" She braved in a small voice, looking small and vulnerable, "Are you okay…?" Griffin stepped closer to Haru. He felt the overwhelming her to pull her close and tell her it was all fine and she had nothing to worry over, but he just stood fast and sighed. He managed a smile for her and restrainedly put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm fine…" He spoke to her gently, but she still shot a worried glance over at Valentine who was watching them with frantic interest. A malicious smile broke out on Valentine's lips as she watched them both.

"I best be going now…" She stepped seductively over towards Griffin and rudely pushed Haru out of the way. She stroked the side of Griffin's face gently and batted her eyelashes at him, "I can see I'm not welcome here… but I'll come by for a visit soon, m'kay?" She walked out of the door, swinging her hips as she went. Griffin was so mad he couldn't see straight.

"Wasn't that… that singer from that band that was really popular old band… Marine Jazz or something?" Haru asked slowly. The voice she spoke with was enough to make any man's heart melt with sorrow. She looked thoroughly crestfallen and stared out with unseeing eyes at the crowd. Griffin nodded morosely.

"Yes, it was." His voice was stony. He felt as if he'd just taken a bullet in his heart. The combination of seeing Valentine again and watching Haru in her state was too much. Haru looked over at him.

"You know her…?" She continued on. Griffin sighed again.

"I knew her many years ago… When I was much younger." He told her. And much more stupid.

"What happened between you two?" Haru had obviously plucked up a lot of courage to ask the question. Griffin felt his heart experience another wave of pain. I promised myself I wouldn't think about it…

"I don't really want to talk about it…" He told Haru looking over at the crowd. They seemed to be taking their seats for the ceremony. Griffin and Haru walked side by side in awkward silence until Haru spoke up again.

"… Is it like a secret…?" Her voice was still small, but a little more light hearted. Griffin laughed, feeling a bit more at ease.

"I guess so…" He shrugged and sat down beside Haru. Ahead of them they saw Muffy sitting between Celia and Flora. She immediately turned back when she caught sight of Griffin sitting with Haru and raised her eyebrows at them, obviously trying to catch their attention. She nodded suggestively at Griffin, who subtly drew his finger across his throat to let her know what he felt about that. She gave him a triumphant sort of look, then turned around immersing herself in frantic conversation with Celia.

"I have a secret, too." Haru whispered to Griffin, who looked back down at her a bit confused.

"What sort of secret?" He asked softly. People were beginning to quiet down. Haru looked at Griffin with seriousness.

"One of the utmost importance. I'll tell you my secret if you tell me yours." She offered a hand to him, but he was hesitant to shake it.

"I don't tell my secrets, though." He told her, half joking and half serious. Haru gave him a dire look.

"This is a really good secret though, you're not even going to believe it! You'd be crazy to turn it down." Haru informed him with a quiet whisper.

"What, are you Phantom Skye's secret lover or something?" Griffin guessed, feeling a little fearful of the answer. Haru grimaced and her face became pink.

"No! And no guessing, you can only offer a trade! Last chance!" Griffin couldn't deny that he was very curious. He thought it over for a moment. She had already met Valentine and knew who she was… Near the flowered arch, Rock came out of the mansion and took his place. All the people in the audience clapped as Rock beamed out at them.

"Ok, fine. But I won't tell you here… and don't rush me about it, I'll let you know if good time, okay?" Griffin bargained with her. Haru looked as if she was weighing the options. She finally shrugged and offered up her hand. Griffin shook it, feeling like he'd never truly be able to tell anyone, even though he'd agreed.

"Ok, your secret better be really good…" Griffin said to her gruffly. There was another round of booming applause as Lumina appeared at the end of the aisle. Her dress was magnificent. The sheer material was lined with pure white fur and bright yellow flowers adorned Lumina's honey colored hair. She was shining with delight as Sebastian walked her proudly down the aisle. She stepped up to Rock and Mayor Thomas began reading the wedding vows out for everyone to hear.

"Do you Rock… swear to love Lumina forever… in sickness and in health…"

"It is really good. But you can't tell anyone, agreed?" Haru whispered while Thomas droned on slowly. Rock and Lumina couldn't take their eyes off one another.

"Agreed."

Griffin felt Haru's tiny pinky finger hook around his own and give a small shake.

"All right, you promised…" She took a small breath, but paused to watch Rock say his 'I do.' While holding Lumina's pale, soft hands in his own. A cheer streamed through the audience. Ruby was sobbing loudly with Romana, each of them grasping one another while watching the ceremony.

"Ok… You may not believe it… but the Harvest Goddess herself has been turned to stone and all of the Harvest Spites banished to another world. They have appointed me the task of single-handedly rescuing each and everyone of them." Haru voice was extremely serious. Griffin stared at her incredulously, a limp smile on his face. She raised her eyebrows for effect after she finished. Griffin shook his head, his ponytail moving from side to side.

"You can't possibly expect me to believe that?" His voice was full of humor.

"It's true! I swear it's all true!" Haru protested, looking indignant. Griffin wondered if there might be something wrong with Haru's head.

"I do!" Lumina cried out joyously across the courtyard. Everyone cheered out joyously as Rock swept Lumina down and kissed her with passion in front of all the people.

"Rock, be respectful!" Ruby's voice shrieked out. When the two of them broke apart, Lumina was alight with happiness. Rock pulled her off her feet lightly and carried her into the mansion, a train of people following behind slowly, all alive with conversation.

"You honestly want to believe that not only is the Harvest Goddess real, but you are going to rescue her…?"

Haru nodded at Griffin, a smile playing on her lips.

"You! You can't expect me to hold up that bargain after you tell me something weird like that!" Griffin stood up along with everyone else, taunting Haru.

"What!? Don't try to slither out, you promised me!" Haru whined beside him as they left.

"No way!"

"Heeyyy! Griffin, no fair!"

The party wore on long into the night. Over the course of the evening, Valentine's sudden appearance had drifted from Griffin's mind, but made a painful return in the night. Though he felt exhausted from all the day's happenings, he found it very difficult to sleep that night. He couldn't stop images from his past from flooding over his eyes as he tried to sleep.

"Why can't you just stay gone…" Griffin spoke aloud to no one. The night was dark and dismal. A quick flash of light lit up Griffin's empty gray room, followed by the rumble of distant thunder.

Why was she so calm about seeing me… That doesn't make any sense… Griffin ran it over in his mind again. Knowing the kind of person Valentine was, he somehow felt that this was more than a coincidence and that something distant and dangerous had yet to rear it's ugly head.

What are you planning, Valentine…?

--

The day after the wedding was cloudy and gray. Lightening could be seen dancing amongst the thick cloud layer like almighty fires from heaven and frequent booms of thunder rang out across the valley. The wind kicked up to a vicious speed and ripped the cheerfully colored leaves from the trees. That Wednesday, Muffy sat disappointedly at the window side all day long and into the night, reading a book. She only got up to take a long bath in the evening.

"It looks like there's gonna be a bad storm…" She told Griffin woefully as she came out of the bathroom, a plume of steam following behind her. "It's too bad we couldn't make it to Mineral town today…" Griffin nodded his head at her, reclining in the chair while trying to figure the balance of their expenses in his head. He had been scribbling notes over a scrap of paper all day trying to sort everything out.

"Too bad… we needed to restock…" He told Muffy who was preoccupied with watching the dark, cloudy sky.

"I didn't even get to visit the inn today…" She spoke to herself, "I'll bet Ruby is lonely ever since her son moved out."

"Yeah..." Griffin said absentmindedly tried to concentrate on his numbers.

"I'm bored when the weather is bad…I wish Haru was here to chat with…" Muffy said, dreamily as a violent gust of window swept across the valley, rattling the window panes. "You'd like that, huh?" Muffy added slyly. Griffin put his pencil down on the table.

"Muffy… I thought you said you were gonna keep quiet about that." He said exasperatedly. "I'm really serious, I don't want anyone to know. I didn't even want you to know!" Muffy turned back towards him.

"I don't see what the big deal is." She crossed her arms in front of her chest, "Why don't you just go for it?" Griffin looked out at her with a defenses sort of light in his eyes. She just doesn't understand...

"Look, I'm not the kind of guy that can just 'go for it'… I've already accepted the fact I'm going to be alone for the rest of my life… so it's fine." Griffin tried to explain to her. Muffy wouldn't take that for an answer.

"Don't be silly! You're always discrediting yourself for no good reason! So what, you're a bit older than her… does that really matter?" She came and sat beside him.

"Yes! It really does! I'm just a washed up bartender with no future… I could never be good enough for her, okay? Just let me alone and let it die away with time." He sounded pathetically miserable. Muffy sighed and shook her head.

"There's no reasoning with you… Well, I'll keep quiet if you want… but trust me, girls like Haru don't just show up everyday."

He was well aware of this fact. Outside there came an enormous crash of thunder coupled with a white blinking that was nearby lightening. The sound of heavy rain began to beat down hard on the room of the bar. Muffy strolled around the room for a few minutes. She twanged the strings on Griffin's guitar and tried to play a song with it to no avail. After a while she got up and moved over to Griffin's bedside table where his photos stood. She looked at them for a long while, studying them all. She picked up a few frames and brought it over to where Griffin was finishing calculating the finances.

"Is this you?" She put a framed photograph on top of Griffin's scribbles. Sure enough, Griffin saw his own face, years younger, smiling back up at him jauntily. His hair had hung around his chin in a wispy mess back then and his mustache hadn't even fulled out yet. He was holding his white guitar in his lap and sitting on a city bench. Beside him in the picture was a man with heavy brows and dark hair giving the camera a wild look. Standing behind him in the photograph was a shorter man with copious amounts of black and bleached hair wearing dark sunglasses. He was throwing the camera a peace sign and he had a pair of drumsticks in his hand. Beside the man with the drumsticks was Valentine herself, posing glamorously, her hair much shorter and youthful looking. Muffy pointed to the men in the photo.

"I feel like I've met these two before somewhere... at some party or something…" Muffy tapped the glass.

"Joseph and Lewis?" Griffin looked down at their faces. "Nah, I haven't seen those guys in years."

"Who are they anyway?" Muffy walked behind Griffin and looked down at the photo.

"Those guys? They are my old band mates. Joe was the bassist and Lewis was the drummer." He pointed to the heavy-browed man first, then the man with the drumsticks.

"And she's the singer?" Muffy put her finger above Valentine. Griffin nodded. "Wait... I know her face…" Muffy squinted for a minute and Griffin knew what was coming.

"Ahh! That's the lady who's in Marine Jazz! Griffin, you knew her!?" She shouted, looking at him with a new respect. Griffin looked at her with a humble smile.

"Muffy… I was their guitarist."

"NO WAY!" Muffy's mouth hung open, she laughed in disbelief. Griffin turned away with humility, but was smiling. "You've got to be kidding me! You were in Marine Jazz? Why in the heck did you leave, you could've been famous!"

"Remember how Griffin doesn't like to talk about his past?" He reminded her casually, not wanting to get into it. He still couldn't believe that he'd promised Haru that he'd tell her his 'secret'. He had begun to hope powerfully that she'd either forget or admit she made up that story so she could get the truth out of him.

"Oh… come on!" Griffin almost enjoyed watching her squirm about begging him to tell her. "You can't just drop that bomb on me and expect me not to want more! Please Griffin!"

"Muffy, I really don't want to talk about it." He told her, hoping she would understand and let it go.

"Jeez, what was so bad anyway!?"

Griffin pushed memories away as the rain beat down hard on the bar. He looked up at Muffy, who deflated when she saw his look. His eyes were full of pain.

"…Sorry…" She apologized and sat back down quietly. She was silent for a moment while Griffin peered at his younger self. Muffy looked very downtrodden. Griffin sighed at her face.

"Muffy, it's not that I don't trust you or anything…" He started to say. The deep amber lamplight illuminated the room with misty sepia as he thought of how to explain it. However, before he could start a great pounding came from the front door. Muffy and Griffin sat very still, looking at one another. The pounding resonated again, mixing ominously with the sound of the pouring rain.

"Who could be around at this time of night…?" Muffy spoke slowly, looking more than a little scared. Griffin stood up with authority.
"You stay here. It could… It could be that guy…" He didn't want to scare her, but he needed to make sure she stayed put. The distant sound of frantic pounded came again. Muffy's face turned white and she stared up at Griffin with wide eyes.

"Be careful!" Her voice was shrill. Griffin went into the dark bar slowly and cautiously, shutting the door behind him. The silhouettes of heavy rain against the windows shone in dark pale reflections across the floor. Griffin jumped a little as the door shook as the person behind it pounded some more. He undid the latch slowly and cracked open the door. A small figure stood dripping wet and shrouded in shadow.

"Griffin…?" A small and terrified voice came out of the darkness. Griffin swung the door open wider, heart beating frantically. In the misty wet light stood a shivering and pale looking Haru.

"Haru! Jeez, what happened to you?" Griffin exclaimed, cursing himself for not coming sooner. Haru stood outside, letting the rain beat down on her. Her lip quivered as she stared at him, seemingly rooted to the spot. After a few moments, Haru's face screwed up and she launched forward at Griffin, burying her face in his chest. Griffin stumbled, completely taken aback.

"Haru, what's wrong?" He asked her with urgency, keeping his arms shyly away from her body. She was soaked through so bad, Griffin was starting to get damp from her holding onto him. She started crying softly as he shut the door and locked it.

"Come on, Haru. Come in here." He put an arm around her gently and led her into the back room. She was shaking violently and choking back tears. As they went in, Muffy stood up with shock.

"Haru, oh my gosh! Sweetie, what's wrong?" Her voice was extremely worried. She pulled Haru from under Griffin's arm and held her momentarily, sitting her down in the chair. She stroked Haru's arm as Haru took deep breaths and began to calm down some.

"What happened?" Griffin was trying to keep calm.

"Haru! You're bleeding!" Muffy shrieked. There was blood all over Muffy hand. Griffin saw now that blood was flowing down Haru's arm, mixing with the rain water. Her shirt had a rip in and a small gash was visible on further inspection.

"Who did this!?" Griffin demanded angrily, feeling as if the life was draining out of him as he saw her bleeding there. Haru was trying to speak, but it seemed no words would come out.

Muffy scurried into the bathroom to get a towel. She ran back and put it over Haru's cut. Haru took a sharp breath and looked up at Griffin, her hair dripping water all of the table and floor.

"…I-I couldn't see his face…" Haru choked out finally, shaking madly. Muffy stopped and stood up, her face stony. "He w-wore some weird cl-cloak…"

Griffin looked over at Muffy. They both shared looks of deep, all-encompassing horror.

"Haru... tell us what happened..."