AN: I feel like I should make some kind of little speech about finally finishing this story, but I'm tired and it's almost midnight here. But 11 years to this day, I started out on this journey with no idea it would take this long, haha. But to everyone who read and commented over the years I wanted to say thank you. I wouldn't have been able to finish without your encouragement. So here at last, comes the end of our tale (with a seperate epilogue) I plan on doing a major over hall to the story, especially the earlier chapters, but for now this is the final chapter of Ice and Snow. Enjoy~
24. Borrowed Time
Time is something you can't borrow
So love like there's no tomorrow
Like bluebonnets in the spring
We're only here for a little while.
~Arron. Watson
It was very early morning when, with mildly still damp clothes, Yukko bid them all farewell from her front door.
"But...how will we get back to Cephiro?" Umi protested as the two assistants showed them to the gate. She didn't like this witch one bit, making all these demands of payment and then almost gleefully shooing them out the door. They all really needed some rest, with Eagle barely keeping to his feet, she was half convinced he was sleep walking. "We don't even know where here is, do we?" she looked to Fuu for confirmation.
"Well we're not certain but we think we may actually be in Tokyo."
"What? Really?!" Umi stopped so suddenly Hikaru nearly walked into her from behind.
"Well the buildings do look rather familiar" Hikaru shrugged.
"Okay, so let's say this is Tokyo. That means we'll still have to walk all the way to Tokyo Tower, if we can even get in this time of night."
They all exited the witch's front gate, Camry being the last to leave the yard. Eagle sneezed and stumbled a bit on the way out.
"And great, Eagle will catch a cold at this rate. I can't believe that woman wouldn't let us stay a little longer. I swear if I ever see her again I'll…" At this Umi turned back to look at the house, only to see a vacant lot in the middle of mostly urban sprawl of what was indeed Tokyo.
"Oh my…" Fuu joined Umi in openly gaping, "That is...rather impressive magic…"
"Now is not the time to be impressed Fuu!"
"Come on Umi…" Hikaru did her best to calm her fellow knight.
After forty-five minutes of debate, a rather long walk and one bus ride with plenty of raised eyebrows at the five of them, (a good thing Fuu had her bus pass) they were finally outside Tokyo Tower. Thankfully there hadn't been too many people out on the street just yet. Well, people who cared to take notice of them anyways.
The one downside, the Tower was still closed to visitors.
"So what now?" Umi huffed, hands on her hips.
Eagle gave a deep yawn, he would have been fascinated by the world around him if he hadn't been so exhausted. He stared blearily at the high tower in front of them, vaguely recalling it from the battle he and Hikaru had for the role of Pillar. It was rather striking, looming up into the predawn darkness, lights twinkling in the dull sky.
"There must be somewhere we can go until the Tower opens…" Hikaru looked around at the shops and stores in the area.
"I wish I hadn't left my phone back in Cephiro…" Fuu frowned, trying to recall the shops she'd been to in the area.
"Ah! I know a place!" Hikaru said, smacking her fist into the palm of her hand.
A few minutes later found all of them settling down in a small cafe, taking a dark corner full of low chairs and a sofa. The person behind the counter didn't even raise an eyebrow at them and continued with their work. There wasn't another soul in sight.
Eagle yawned and flopped down onto the sofa. Umi smiled gently at him, he was pretty much asleep before his head fell back against the cushions, she sat beside him. Hikaru curled up into a chair and pillowed her head on the armrest while Fuu sat in the adjacent chair and picked up a magazine off the small table.
Camry did not sit, but stood by the window staring out into the early morning Tokyo gloom.
Umi watched him carefully, she couldn't see his face very well, but there was something in his posture that struck her, though she couldn't put a finger on it. He looked so tired...worn thin. Like a person with nothing left to give. He had told them before that he didn't need to sleep, but did he still get tired? She hoped he was alright, but before she could ask him her gaze was brought back to Eagle when he shifted next to her. A frown creased his forehead and he murmured in his sleep.
She really hoped he wasn't having anymore dreams about the future.
She'd honestly had enough of that to last two life times.
With a gentle hand she reached out and smoothed his hair back. The soothing gesture smoothed the frown lines from his face and he settled back into sleep again. She watched him doze a long while, her mind a whir of thoughts, replaying and going over everything that had occured. The more she thought about it the more her head hurt, a frown growing more and more prevalent. Why had he given that witch so much?
"Does it bother you?"
She startled at the sound of Camry's voice, double taking, "What?"
"Does it bother you, that he paid the price that he did?"
Umi took a deep breath, watching Eagle as he took soft even breaths in his sleep, she studied the curve of his nose and the slant of his eyes, the color of his eyelashes, the smooth column of his throat. Her fingers unconsciously gripped the fabric on the arm of her chair, "I wanted to be angry with him, when he told me." She forced her grip to relax, "I guess I am a little still, but how could I be? When I put so much on him? Hoping he'd be able to find a way out of the future he saw…I just didn't understand that he might have to give up so much…too much."
"I bet if you asked him he would say it was worth it."
"That isn't the point…"
"Isn't it?"
"So how do you think Eagle felt? When you had me give him your time? Don't you think he'd also say that it was too much?"
"..."
Camry gave her a sad little smile, "Do not regret his choice anymore than you do your own." He took a step towards her and placed a hand on her arm, "You are all young still, with so much to see and to do. The days will come slow, but the years will be fast, don't give too much of it to regret." He nodded gently and looked up, "Ah, the sun is about to rise."
Umi slowly stood, joining him at the window, "We should get going then."
o o o
They made it into Tokyo Tower without too much fuss, before any real crowd could start. Umi, Fuu and Hikaru stood in a semi circle, looking a little nervously at Eagle and Camry and ignoring the occasional odd stare from passersby.
"We've never tried to pull anyone though with us in either direction before so…" Umi bit her lip.
"We can do it Umi, we were able to take you and Eagle here before with help from Camry. I'm sure going through the door here won't be as difficult."
"She makes it sound so easy…" Umi gave an exaggerated sigh.
Fuu smiled tilting her head to the side a bit, "Don't worry Umi, I'm sure we'll be fine."
"Oh I'm brimming with overwhelming confidence now." Umi rolled her eyes.
"Umi…" Eagle cracked a bit of smile, chastising her gently.
"Come on, I'm tired it's been a long night, day, whatever, lets go. I want to sleep for week after this."
The three girls joined hands, closed their eyes and opened the gate, picturing the throne room as they always did.
They opened their eyes...
And landed in a giant pile of snow, the palace nowhere to be scene.
"You have got to be kidding me!" Umi shook the snow from her hair.
Hikaru sat up sputtering, "Wha…?"
"It seems we've missed our usual landing spot."
"Oh really, what made you think that Fuu!"
"Well, I suppose the cold is at least a little refreshing?"
"Not you too Eagle!" Umi groaned and picked herself up.
"Hey, where's Camry?" Hikaru brushed the slushy snow off her knees and turned, looking for him.
"I apologize, the landing was my doing." Camry said a little ways away from them, his smile was apologetic but also a little sad. "We are in a space between worlds, but it's very close to Cephiro."
"Why did you bring us here?" Fuu asked.
"Because this is where we say goodbye I'm afraid."
"What?" Hikaru took a step forward, "You're not coming back with us?"
Camry shook his head and turned slightly, "I can go no further."
"But why? Where are you going to go?" Umi demanded.
Eagle had been silent during this whole exchange but suddenly had a terrible sinking feeling he knew exactly why. "Because that was the price you paid…?"
"The witch? What did you give her?" Umi whirled to face Camry, eyes narrowed, Hikaru looked on the verge of tears already.
"Camry." Eagle's voice was far calmer than Umi's but no less demanding.
Camry sighed, "I had her restart my time. I had been on other side for so long my time had been frozen in place, she merely let it start moving forward again. But my time had run out a long time ago. Time is the one thing you can not make more of."
"The other half of Eagle's payment?" Fuu asked quietly.
Camry nodded.
"After everything Camry, why would you pay such a price?" Eagle frowned, "How is that any different than Umi or I giving up our own time for each other?"
"It isn't and that's why I am sorry, but you can exchange time, not create more of it. I know of no other way. Sometimes to save something, something else must be lost, you can not always win without losing something. You can not always move forward without regret. I agreed to give Yukko this price right after Solara died."
"You knew!?" Umi felt light headed, "Even then you knew?"
"I knew it was a possibility, yes. I saw other outcomes, other futures in other dreams, but I did not want your struggles to result in you being seperated from one another. There were other futures I saw, far darker than that. I did what I could to help you change that path"
"But Camry…" Hikaru pleaded with him, "It's not fair for you to give that up for any of us! It shouldn't end this way."
Camry kneeled down in front of her, "No, it's not fair, but sometimes there isn't a perfect happy ending to every story. I'm sorry I've made you sad. I would like all of you to be as happy as possible, but my time was bound to run out once the other side collapsed." He wiped her tears away, "And there are many dear loved ones who wait for me and they have been waiting a long, long time. I would like to see them all again. My time in this story is drawing to and end, but you all have just begun to tell your part. The story doesn't end here."
Hikaru nodded and sniffled but went forward and hugged him tightly. He returned the gesture, embrashing her tightly. "Thank you Hikaru."
Umi refused to look at him, still positively fuming. Camry gave her a melancholic smile as he turned to Fuu.
"This just doesn't feel right, is there really no other way?" Fuu questioned, her voice steady, despite herself. "You really can't come back?" Every logical part of Fuu's brain was screaming at her there had to be, but was still coming up with no answer.
Camry shook his head. "You'll be a fine Queen someday."
Fuu tried to smile but couldn't quite manage it.
He turned to Umi, who was very busy looking at her boots and trying not to cry.
"Umi."
"I hate this you know. All this talk of giving too much, this is too much!" She crossed her arms over her chest, still glaring at the snow below her feet. "I could skew you right now if I had my sword!"
Camry chuckled a little, "I probably deserve it. So I'll only ask that you forgive me eventually, and be happy, and do keep Eagle out of trouble. He seems prone to it."
That was too much for her, something between a laugh and a sob bubbled up and she went forward and hugged him. "I'm still angry at you no matter what."
Finally at last Camry turned to Eagle, he held out his hand. Eagle hesitated at first but then sighed and shook his head,"There's no helping it, is there?"
"I'm afraid not." For a moment Camry's eyes glazed over and seemed to focus on something far away, like he did before when seeing the future.
Camry was silent just long enough for Eagle to start to worry but then his eyes cleared and he smiled. "I think the future looks bright ahead for you all." He then leaned forward and said something to Eagle the others could not hear. He pulled away laughing at Eagle's expression and patted his shoulder.
Umi eyed Eagle, curious as to why he now suddenly looked like a deer caught in headlights and wouldn't look her in the eye. She turned from him as she saw Camry move on the edge of her sight.
"I've been waiting on this for a long, long time."
Now, in this world between worlds, they all squinted as a sun began to rise upon the horizon, turning Camry to a silhouette backed by it's light.
Eagle shaded his eyes but could barely make out Camry against the light as he headed up the snowy hill in front of them. Just as he was about to crest the hill another silhouette appeared, small and willowy, with long hair that fluttered on the wind. Camry reached down and pulled up the girl into his arms, embracing her tightly.
On the wind, laughter reached them.
"Papa, what took you so long?
"Well, you know, I ended up having to wait a very long time, for some rather amusing children to save Cephiro and then to fall in love."
More laugher, "Princess Emeraude told me about them. It's a perfecting ending right papa?"
Fuu gasped and Hikaru leaned on Umi, already in tears, Umi squinted hard into the light trying to see, wanting to catch a glimpse. She could just make out Camry looking back towards them one last time.
"No," he said "I think it's a perfect beginning."
The sun crested and into its brightness the two silhouettes disappeared.
When they could see again, they were outside the palace grounds, not far from the gate. Green grass poked up from beneath the melting snow and the trees were blooming again.
Clef must have told the others they had returned, she could already see one of Ascot's friends heading their way.
Eagle sighed, still weary, but feeling as if a great weight had finally been lifted from the air around him.
Ascot landed next to them and Lantis wasn't too far behind on his horse. There was the bustle of people going too and fro all around them.
Yet there was a collective feeling of relief that was near palatable in the air.
Cephiro was safe once more.
Umi looked up above her, watching the small white petals on the trees flutter in the wind, falling slowing to the ground.
They reminded her of snow.