MANY, many apologies for the late update. I went through a vicious cycle of being bogged down by schoolwork and studying and hitting a writer's block, rinse and repeat about three times. So, now, I finally had enough motivation to write this!

Oscar: Well, enjoy the final chapter! Hopefully it meets up to your expectations!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem.

In Fourteen Days

Day 14

Thursday, October 26

It's a good thing that I'm not left-handed. Not that my handwriting is any neater with my good hand. I could probably pass as ambidextrous. I don't think that writing on Jill's back (she hasn't woken up she's such a deep sleeper) is helping the neatness of my handwriting either. Still, she fell asleep on top of me and I just managed to force my way into a sitting position to write. Well, anyway, the cat's out of the bag now. Jill found out about Shiharam's death. As I thought she would, she confronted me about it as soon as she found out... that I was faking sleeping. However, that confrontation took a turn that I didn't expect. I guess Jill's grown up a bit in the past two weeks. Either way, I don't really know what's going to happen from here on out. I suppose that there will be a lot of legal work to go through, and I suppose that I'm going to have to find a way for Jill to stay with me... All I know for certain is that... well... life's going to be interesting.

—Haar

Fumbling with her keys, Jill unlocked the door and nearly slammed it open before dashing inside. Glancing around the apartment quickly, she found it empty. Feeling her throat constrict uncomfortably, she nearly ran to Haar's room. However, looking inside, she was disconcerted to find it devoid of life as well.

Swallowing a lump in her throat, she turned back into the main room. Dropping her schoolbag in a corner, she idly paced the apartment, brain whirring. Where had Haar gone? Why wasn't he picking up his phone?

Letting out a sigh, she noticed that the apartment was in slight disarray despite their cleaning two days ago. Wanting to occupy her hands, Jill proceeded to cleaning up some of the mess. She straightened up her couch, picked up a strange box she found on the floor near the wall and put away the photo album on the coffee table. As she started to clean up the dishes left over from their breakfast that morning, her gaze landed on an open address book.

Striding over to it, she saw that it was Haar's and that it was opened to an entry titled: 'Work'. Perhaps that was where he was? Maybe he was working late and he was so busy that he couldn't pick up his phone.

After fidgeting nervously for a few seconds, Jill finally picked up the phone and dialled the number in the address book. She didn't really care if she was acting silly; she just had a gnawing feeling in her stomach. If only she could hear his voice, everything would be okay.

BRIIIING. BRIIIING. BRIIIING.

"Lanvega's Automotive Garage, Kris speaking, how may I help you?"

"Uh... Um... Is... Is Haar there?" Jill stuttered nervously. If Haar was there, what exactly would she even say to him?

"Ah... He's not here at the moment. May I ask who's calling?" Kris asked after a pause.

"I'm... a friend of his. He was... supposed to, ah, meet up with me a while ago and well, he's not picking up his cell phone so I was wondering if he was still at work..." she replied, feeling her heartbeat palpitate faster.

"... I'm not sure if I'm supposed to tell you, but... Talrega Hospital called us a few hours ago. Haar was in a car accident. He's apparently okay, but they couldn't find any record of a living family member, and so they phoned us. But we don't have any contact info either. So, if you know any of his family, could you pass this on? ... Miss? Are you still there?"

"Y-Yes... Sorry, I... I just... Thanks for telling me. I'll, uh, try my best to find a number or something..." Jill stammered into the receiver as she snapped out of her stupor.

"All right, then. Good luck and good day."

Hanging up the phone with a shaky hand, Jill stood still for a moment. Then she rifled through her bag for her wallet before dashing out the door.

Jill groaned softly as she woke up. Sitting up straighter in her chair, she winced as she felt pins and needles shoot up her right leg. Trying to massage some feeling back into her stiff neck, the teenager blinked blearily. The lights in the hospital room were off, though the door to the hallway was open and light streamed in from the corridor.

The magenta-haired girl glanced down at her watch and saw that it was nearly 2:30 in the morning. She then stood up and made her way to Haar's bedside. He was still in a deep slumber. She couldn't help but wonder if maybe he'd woken up while she had been asleep. But then again, perhaps he was still under the influence of the anaesthesia he'd been given.

Her eyes moved from watching the rise and fall of his chest to the cast and sling on his left arm. She'd spoken to the doctor yesterday, though most of what he'd said had gone over her head. In the end, she had figured out that his left forearm was fractured and his left shoulder had been dislocated. He had also fractured his left knee cap and received many cuts, bruises and road burns. However, despite these injuries, Haar had apparently come out of the accident relatively lucky. His vertebrae weren't cracked and none of his internal organs had been seriously bruised.

Jill let out a sigh and tore her gaze away from Haar. Looking at his wounds made her nervous. However, deciding that she didn't want to sit down quite yet, she decided to take a walk.

"I'll be right back," she said softly, though she knew that he couldn't hear her. If only he were just pretending to ignore her...

Shuffling slowly down the corridor, Jill began to make her way to the coffee shop on the main floor. Stepping into the elevator, she leaned against one of its walls and yawned. However, as she stepped out of the elevator and approached the coffee shop, the smell of coffee and stale doughnuts woke her up... slightly.

"How may I help you?" the cashier asked wearily. He looked nearly as tired as she did.

"Could I get a hot chocolate, please?" she replied. Then, after a second, she added, "and a coffee, too, please."

"Anything in?"

"No, thank you."

After a minute of silence and pouring liquid, Jill took the two cups and slowly made her way to the elevator once more. She wasn't sure why she'd bought a coffee for. She didn't drink coffee. Maybe it was because her father and Haar always did. The smell was comforting, somehow.

The elevator door opened and Jill stepped inside. Stifling another yawn, Jill pressed a button with her elbow before leaning back against the side of the elevator once more. As the door closed, she heard three beeps from the overhead speakers, followed by a: 'Code Yellow'.

The girl frowned, wondering what that signified. She knew that 'Code Red' meant that there was a fire, but yellow?

A few moments later, the elevator door opened and Jill stepped out. However, it wasn't until she'd walked a couple of steps that she realized that she'd gotten off on the wrong floor. Turning around, she caught sight of the elevator door closing.

She was about to try and make a dash to the lift, without somehow spilling her hot drinks, when something flickered at the corner of her vision. Turning around, she saw a woman hobbling towards her. Jill couldn't place how old the woman was, perhaps in her early thirties, but she looked rather haggard and was shifty-looking. Judging by the robe she was wearing, the woman was a hospital patient.

"Um... ma'am?" Jill ventured cautiously. The woman had stopped several feet away from her and was staring at her. It was making her slightly uncomfortable.

The woman stared back at her for a moment before taking a few more unsteady steps closer to Jill. The girl involuntarily took a step backwards before realizing that that was rude. Steeling herself, she forced herself to stand her ground and soon the woman was less than two feet away from her.

"C-Can I help you, ma'am?" Jill asked instead, averting her eyes from the woman's eerie gaze.

The woman then leaned in towards Jill.

"Do you know where my box is?" the woman whispered hoarsely.

"Er... no, I'm afraid I don't..." the teenager replied, her brows drawing down in puzzlement.

"Are you sure?" the woman insisted, leaning in so close that Jill couldn't help but stumble back. "Because I can't find it. I think they took it from me! But I don't know where it is!"

"I-I'm sorry to hear that," Jill stammered. The woman's voice had become progressively louder and quicker as she spoke.

"You have to help me find it! I don't know where it is! I don't know where it is! Please—what did you say your name was?"

"I-I didn't say my name... But, um, it's Jill," she answered, not entirely sure if she should have.

"Jill... Jill... Like in 'Jack and Jill'," remarked the woman, having apparently forgotten about her box.

"Sorry?" Jill asked, even more confused than before.

"Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown, and Jill came tumbling after," the woman sang before bursting into a fit of giggles.

A shiver ran down Jill's spine at the strange woman's song. The latter was nearly on the floor laughing now and Jill decided that it was time to sneak away when she heard footsteps come from around the corner.

"Ah! Dalia, there you are!" a nurse exclaimed, a security guard on her heels. "We've been looking all over for you!"

"Are you okay, Miss?" the security guard asked Jill, noticing her for the first time as the nurse took Dalia's arm. The patient was still giggling, but let the nurse lead her away.

"Um... Yes, I'm fine," Jill answered, though she still felt uneasy at her encounter with Dalia.

"Well, take care then. Sorry about all of that, I hope that she didn't bother you," the security guard replied with a nod before following the nurse down the hallway.

Pressing the elevator button, Jill then made her way back to Haar's room as fast as possible. As soon as she sat down next to Haar, she felt much better. She supposed that hospitals just made her jumpy. Even as a child, she never particularly cared for them. When Shiharam had taken her for her annual check-ups, she used to cry because she didn't want to go to the hospital. Then, when it was over, she would dash out so fast that Shiharam had to race after her.

Though she still didn't think that she liked hospitals, Jill didn't have the temptation to run out today. Not if Haar was still there, unconscious.

Pulling her chair closer to his bedside, Jill examined his face, looking for a sign that he would wake up. His mouth didn't even twitch. However, she noticed that there was a fine scar that ran down the right side of his face, from the temple, curving near his eye and down to his cheekbone. She'd never really noticed it before, but she supposed that it was from the injury that had left him half blind all of those years ago. Back when he'd been in the army.

Jill felt tears prick at her eyes. The army... Her father... She still hadn't heard anything about him. But she had been able to put on a brave face for the past few days, praying for the best. However, she knew that she wouldn't have been able to without Haar being... there.

"Please, wake up soon..."

When Jill woke up this time, the sun was streaming through the window and she was not leaning back in her chair. Her head was resting on one of her arms on the edge of Haar's bed and her other hand clutched Haar's.

With a start, she bolted straight up and she let go of Haar's hand as if it were on fire. The girl felt the heat rise to her face. She had never held his hand before. Swallowing nervously, she looked around the room, hoping that no one had seen that. However, as she glanced at her watch and saw that it was nearly 10:00 AM, she realized that a nurse or doctor must've come in at least once or twice.

Pushing her chair back from the bed, she reached for her cup of hot—or, rather, cold—chocolate instead, realizing that she hadn't drunk any of it. Had she really fallen asleep again? When had she grabbed his hand anyway?

Putting down her cup, she shook her head and stood up with the intention of going to the bathroom. Maybe if she splashed some water on her face, it wouldn't feel so hot.

However, as she started down the hallway, she saw a familiar figure coming slowly towards her, pushing a cart laden with books, magazines and newspapers. Jill had to blink several times before her brain was willing to accept that standing before her, and also staring back just as surprised, was Ilyana.

"Jill? What are you doing here?" the soft-spoken girl asked, pushing her cart closer so that she was standing in front of Jill.

"I was just going to ask you the same thing!" replied Jill.

"Well, I'm volunteering right now..."

"Really? I never pegged you as a candy striper," Jill remarked before she could stop herself.

"Zihark suggested that I should get involved in the community more... or something. And if I work for more than three hours every shift, I get a free meal voucher... The restaurant here is really good, you know?" Ilyana answered with a blissful smile. "But it's only got a ten gold limit..."

"Oh... I see..." Jill replied, surprised yet not. "But, um, isn't there school today?"

"It's a day off, remember?" replied Ilyana with a smile. "Anyway, what are you doing here? You're not volunteering, too, are you? You don't have a uniform on, so..."

"I'm here, uh, visiting a friend. He was in an accident recently, so I came by to see if he was okay," Jill answered, her eyes flickering to Haar's nearby room.

"That's unfortunate... I hope he gets better soon," the other girl replied. "Do you want something to read to pass the time, if you're staying?"

"Oh, sure, I guess..."

"Do you want a magazine, or...?"

Jill's eyes fell on the stack of newspaper.

"You want a newspaper?" Ilyana remarked, catching her gaze. "Here, take one. I've got plenty."

"Th-Thanks," Jill replied, taking the proffered newspaper.

"I've got to get going and finish my rounds, though. I'll see you at school tomorrow, Jill," answered Ilyana before she waved and pushed her cart down the hallway once more.

After staring at Ilyana's retreating figure for a moment, Jill turned her gaze to the newspaper in her hand. Taking a deep breath, she unfolded the paper and scanned the front page and her heart nearly stopped.

'MISSING FIGHTER PILOTS FOUND; DAEIN MOURNS LOST WYVERN UNITS'.

For the second time in two days, Jill found herself fumbling for her keys as she stood in front of Haar's apartment. However, this time, she was having much more trouble. The tears that she had to constantly wipe away were blurring her vision and her hands shook. She wasn't even sure how she had made it there from the hospital.

Finally the lock turned and she stumbled into the apartment. She couldn't believe how stupid she was. That box she had seen yesterday. She had seen them before, her father had shown them to her when she was younger. How could she not have recognized it when she had picked it up?

Rushing over to the coffee table, where she had previously placed the box, she stared at it. Taking a shaky breath, Jill reached out and opened the clasps before lifting the lid. Inside it sat a decorated uniform atop the Daein flag. Medals and stripes adorned the uniform and nestled among it all were a set of dog tags that read: 'Shiharam Fizzart'.

Though the girl knew that her father was dead ever since she had read the article at the hospital, deep down inside she had hoped that it was a mistake. Now, however, she knew that this wish was in vain. He was really gone. Forever.

Letting a sob escape her throat, Jill buried her face in her hands. It was all too much to handle at once; the strain of worry over the past few days, Haar hospitalized and her father dead. Right at that moment, she realized, with a shock, exactly how alone she was. And how much this fact scared her.

Jill stared intently at Haar's almost still form. She had somehow made her way back to the hospital and had been waiting for approximately five minutes for Haar to wake up. However, he continued to doze.

But Jill wasn't fooled.

"Haar, wake up. I know you're awake," she said quietly but fiercely. For the moment, she had shoved aside her loss. Right now, she wanted answers to her questions. Such as why he hadn't told her about Shiharam's death right when he'd found out himself.

The rise and fall of Haar's chest stopped for a moment and then resumed, however he had opened his eyes this time. His clear blue-grey eyes stared at the ceiling before he glanced at her from the corner of his left eye.

"You caught me," he stated hoarsely, coughing as his throat readjusted to being used once more.

"... Why didn't you tell me? How long have you known?" she asked instead, cutting to the chase.

"I... seem to be having... déjà vu..." Haar remarked, his eyes returning to contemplating the ceiling.

"I found... it... at your apartment. You... You must've known before your accident," Jill accused, feeling tears prick at the back of her eyes again. She felt an all too familiar lump build up in her throat and she took a deep breath to calm herself. "Why... Why didn't you call me?"

It was too late now, the unwanted tears spilled forth and she turned away, furiously wiping them away with the sleeve of her shirt.

"Huh... I guess... I was still in denial, maybe. Or maybe I was too scared to tell you," Haar answered after a moment of thought.

Jill looked back at Haar, unsure how to respond, but let out a small gasp instead. His eyes were closed now, and his breathing was unchanged, but tear-tracks were visible on his cheeks. The girl covered her mouth with her hand, trying to stifle another sob as a horrid realization dawned upon her.

How could she have been so selfish? This entire two weeks, she had been only thinking of herself. She had been so angry at Haar when she thought that he was hiding the truth from her. Just now, she had accused him of not telling her about her father's death.

She was so stupid. How could she not have realized that Haar felt the exact same way? After all, Shiharam had been like a father to him, as well.

"I'm... I'm... sorry, Haar. I'm so... so sorry," she choked out.

"What are you apologizing for?" he demanded, not unkindly.

"For... For being so... stupid and... selfish and... and..."

Jill let out a squeak as Haar's right hand reached up and clasped her arm before yanking her down into an awkward one-armed hug. Her face was pressed against his chest, her cheek rubbing against the coarse hospital gown, and she could feel his breath tickling the top of her head.

"You don't have to apologize. I haven't been much better. I've been just as selfish and ignorant as you have. I guess we're both pretty big idiots without Shiharam around..."

The magenta-haired girl felt Haar's arm tighten around her.

"... A lot has happened these past two weeks... In fourteen days, my entire life has spun upside down," he continued thoughtfully.

Wriggling her head and upper body a bit, Jill finally managed to look at Haar. As her eyes met his, he smiled. Despite the situation, Jill couldn't help a blush rising to her cheeks. She had never seen such a smile on his face. The teenager couldn't exactly discern what his smile was conveying. It was both sad, happy... and hopeful at the same time.

However, there was one thing that she knew for certain. Her father may have left them, but he had made sure that he hadn't left them alone.

Now, you're all probably wondering: 'What the hell was that?' And my answer to that question is: 'I have no idea'. See, when I started writing, I THOUGHT I had inspiration, but as I continued writing, I began to doubt myself and kept thinking that everything I was writing seemed too fake and didn't make sense (which is probably true). Then I took a break and started to read some other fanfics to get back into the Fire Emblem writing mood and it worked. Which is why the ending is noticeably different from the beginning and middle (or at least it is to me). But then I didn't know how to fix it, so I just tried to blend it in and this is how it ended up.

Oscar: It is also noticeably sappier.

FireEdge: Yeah. I figured that since Haar got hit by a truck last chapter, I should make it up with a flufftastic ending. To all of you gagging at said fluff: Sorry, it had to be done. Anyway, I don't know what you all thought of this chapter, but despite the bumpy road I took to write it, this is essentially what I planned for it to end up like. Sorry it wasn't as epic as it should've been.

Oscar: Well, there's still the epilogue, so you'll see one more (short) chapter before being put out of your misery. Stay tuned...

-FireEdge-