Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with Final Fantasy
Chapter Thirty-Five: Confessions
"Who's there?!"
Both Neal and Mirabelle jumped up at the sound of another voice nearby. Neal instinctively stands in front of Mirabelle, his hand in the position to draw one of his five swords. There was rustling around the area where the voice came from, and Adela stepped out onto the edge with them.
"Eh? Adela? What are you doing here?" Neal raised an eyebrow. "How did you know we were here?"
"That's not important! What do you think you're doing?!" She exclaimed.
"What do you mean? I'm just showing Mira the view from this cliff…" He said, unsure why she was so outrageous about it.
"Not you, her!" Adela pointed at Mirabelle. Mirabelle started trembling, and stepped back. Neal noticed how frightened she looked and immediately understood what was going on.
"I...uh…-" Mirabelle stammered, but Neal stopped her with his hand.
"Adela. What's your problem?" He said up front, looking at her seriously. "What did Mira do that makes you act like this, huh?"
"Why is she with you like this?!" Adela said.
"Because she can. That's why." He shot back. The way he was saying these things made it seem like they've had this argument before.
"How do you think this makes me feel?" She exclaimed.
"Just get over it, Adela…" He said, then laughed. Both girls now looked confused. Neal turned towards Mirabelle. "She was always overprotective of me when we were younger, not letting a single girl near me. She thought that they would hurt me or something childish like that…" He said, laughing.
Both girls now looked at him with blank expressions, anger building up inside them. They both shut their eyes tightly and screamed, "Neal, you idiot!"
Being as dense as he was, Neal didn't understand why they were mad. "What?"
"That's not what this is about! That was when we were children!" Adela screamed.
"What are you talking about, then?" He asked, scratching his head.
"You don't understand how we both feel about you?" She asked.
"No, I really don't-" Suddenly, he realized it, after picturing Adela seeing him and Mirabelle snuggle together and reacting as so. He blushed. "O-oh…"
"Don't you remember what I told you before you left through that gate four years ago?" Adela asked. "I said that I'd be waiting for you to return, now matter how long it would take… Do you know why I said that I was waiting?" He didn't answer.
Adela blushed, turning away. "It's… because… I love you." She said quietly and shyly.
His eyes widened. "...Well, gosh. You spring this onto me on the first day I come back…? It's a little sudden, you know…" He stammered nervously. Mirabelle was equally shocked that she said that. But he didn't realize that Adela felt that way about him. She must have been waiting to tell him that for a while…
I guess I really can't love two of you at the same time… I really truly loved Neal. Sorry, Sevrin… She thought.
Neal stared at her blankly for a few seconds before turning around and looking at Mirabelle. She was so embarrassed and nervous that she couldn't even look at him. Seeing her look that way made him feel the same. He pictured her cute face all the times that she'd smile at him shyly, finally grasping the fact that she liked him. He never expected it at all, considering how much they disliked each other when they first met. It was his fault though, and he apologized for it. But ever since then, they've only become closer, slightly more than just friends. He found himself in quite the predicament just now.
"D-do you… feel… the same way?" He asked Mirabelle nervously. She was staring at the ground, extremely flustered. She gulped and slowly nodded her head. His heart started racing.
Wh… what do I do now?! What do I say? I've known Adela for a long time, but I've never thought of her in that way… But I share a special bond with Mira… Argh! I don't know what to do…
"Well what do you want me to say?" He asked.
"You now know how we both feel. So choose one… of us." Adela said. His eyes widened again.
Why did she have to say that?! I can't do something like that! So cruel, Adela! He yelled in his head.
"I can't… do something like that…" He told her.
"Well, considering how thick-headed you are, you'd know now that we both have been waiting for a long time… So don't make us wait any more." She said.
Who would I want to be with forever…? I think I'd go insane hearing Adela scream every day… But I don't even know what it would be like with Mira- Wait. Why am I even considering this right now?!
"No. I'm not going to do that." He said, shaking his head. "This is a little one-sided, don't ya think? You don't even consider how I feel about any of this, so…"
Both girls' hearts shattered for a brief moment. Adela didn't even consider if Neal felt the same way, and Mirabelle had been longing for him to feel that way about her, although she feared if she would confess to him, he would turn her down and ruin any chance in the future.
Seeing as neither of them had anything to say, he sighed. "I don't understand any of you at all sometimes… Let's deal with this some other time. It's late…"
When she got back to their room at the Inn, Mirabelle quietly slipped back into her bed. Everyone was still calmly asleep, but she noticed Neal slipped away and didn't enter the room where the boys were sleeping. She didn't blame him, as it must be extremely awkward sleeping right next door. Everything blew into massive proportions in her head. She couldn't believe what had happened tonight. She was so angry that Adela interrupted the moment she was having with Neal. She didn't expect Adela to go so far as to eavesdrop on their conversation from earlier and actually follow them to the spot they went to when it was past midnight… She didn't even want to see Neal the next day, as it would be extremely tough to face him after how embarrassing their little fiasco was.
However, the morning soon came. The girls exited their room and found the boys waiting in the hallway. However, Neal wasn't with them. Mirabelle sighed.
Why did it have to end up like this… She thought reluctantly.
"Where's Neal? Still not ready?" Yuki asked.
"He disappeared or something… He was here last night." Midahn shrugged, yawning.
So he did avoid me… Mirabelle thought.
Neal turned the corner and saw everyone in the hallway. "Oh, hey…" He grumbled. He had bags under his eyes and his hair looked messy.
"Woah…" Lily giggled. "You didn't get any sleep, did you?"
"I couldn't… fall asleep I guess." He shrugged. He and Mirabelle met eyes for a brief moment before they both quickly looked away.
"So… What's the plan?" Sevrin asked.
"Eh. Let's leave. Alryne's alright, but I'm not really feeling it anymore." He said. He sounded like he really didn't want to stay any longer than they needed.
"Hmm… True. Honestly, there are more unpleasant than pleasant memories here." Sevrin agreed.
"I feel kind of… closed in and cramped here… The trees are so thick and completely surround the place…" Midahn said. Everyone mumbled in agreement.
"Let me wash my face before we go, and uh… Fix my hair, eh heh…" Neal said. He turned away and started walking. Everyone else went back into the rooms and started dressing and organizing their gear. Mirabelle hurried over towards Neal.
"Um… Wait, Neal." She caught up to him and said. He turned.
"...Yeah?" He asked.
"Are you… going to talk to Adela before we go…?" She asked. He shrugged. "I think you should… You can't just ignore her, you know…"
"Hm. You're right. Okay, I'll do that." He said, and continued on.
The question that's been bugging both Mirabelle and Adela ever since Neal said that they didn't consider how he felt was if he felt the same way for one of them. And he said that they'd continue this talk later, so Mirabelle hopes that Neal will put Adela's mind at ease when he talks to her. She doesn't want to be around when he does that, though.
Neal left the Inn after cleaning himself up and took a walk through Alryne. Along the way, a few people who he knew approached him and chatted with him for a while. He wasn't entirely close with many of his peers from back when he lived in the village, but the day when Ingad revealed he and Sevrin's golden auras to the entire village was a very memorable day to them. Before that, they only knew him as an orphan and a troublemaker. He was nice to them, though, and talked for a few minutes, but didn't tell them much about his journey outside of the village, as they probably wouldn't believe him. He was really looking for Adela. Neal really was tempted to just up and leave that very morning, but Mira told him to talk to at least talk to her, as she'd been waiting for him for a long time. It was the right thing to do.
Finally, he found her across the street he was walking down. It looked like she just left her house.
"Neal!" She called out to him, waving. She ran across the street and joined him.
"Hi." He said, not sounding too enthusiastic. "How are you?"
"Great!" She replied happily. "Are you out by yourself right now?"
"Yeah." He replied. She noticed how he was reacting, and frowned.
"What's the matter?" She asked, sounding oblivious. He rolled his eyes.
"So… Have you made a decision?" She asked, her face lighting up.
"I did." He said. Her eyes widened, and she stopped. She was waiting for his answer. He turned back and looked at her. "I'm leaving."
Slowly, her expression changed from uplifting to disappointed. "Oh, I see…" A few moments of silence passed. "So you chose her then."
"That's not it…" He sighed. "You just said all of that yesterday just to cause problems, didn't you?"
She looked down, closed her eyes, and smirked. "How did you know?" He smiled softly.
"'Cuz I know you…" He said. "You love creating drama and chaos in people's lives."
"What can I say?" She shrugged. "I'm just being me."
"Just being you, huh… I'm thinking what you did was your way of saying 'this is what you get for making new friends who've replaced me.' That hit the nail on the head?" He raised an eyebrow at her.
"You can perceive it however you want." She said mysteriously.
"Hah… You always did this kind of stuff to me. Why never to Sev, huh?" He smirked.
"Isn't it obvious? Sevrin is a lot tougher than you. And smarter. He's not so gullible and dense like you, Neal." She giggled.
"Heh. I guess you're right…" Neal said. Another few moments of silence passed.
"Say, Neal." Adela said. "Are you ever going to come back again?"
"I don't think so." He said.
"So this is goodbye, huh…" She said.
"Don't say it in such a cliché way." He told her.
"Riiiight. You always told me that. Then what's not a cliché way, then?" She asked, crossing her arms.
"Hmm… How about, 'farewell,' or 'so long.'" He said.
"Those are still common, idiot." She said. "Well, if you ever decide to come back… Then I'll be waiting."
He was already walking away. He raised his right hand and waved to her, although not turning back and doing so.
Jeez… So cold… She thought. I actually did love you, you know…
Neal met up with the others at the gate and departed Alryne. During the rest of the day, Neal and Mirabelle avoided each other like a plague. Soon enough, the band of warriors exited the Alrynite forest, tracing back their footsteps.
"Where exactly are we going next? You seem to make these decisions, Neal." Midahn said, raising an eyebrow at him. "Did your Visionary tell us where we need to go?"
"He doesn't know Samael's whereabouts either, and can't determine it for us, but he told us what to look for!" Neal said with a determined look.
"And… What do we need to look for?" Everyone asked, as that's the only thing he said.
"He told me… to look for a place where three waterfalls meet. A test is waiting for us there. If we pass, we are rewarded with a special power." Neal told them.
Everyone looked at each other and shrugged. "That doesn't tell us where, exactly…" Sevrin said.
"Yeah… A place where three waterfalls meet? That could be anywhere…" Yuki said.
"True. That's why I thought of a brilliant idea." Neal said, pointing his index finger up. "We should all…" He turned back toward them with a serious expression. "...Split up and search for it. The first to find it wins and will get the power for themself."
Everyone was silent. Neal tried to hold his expression but burst into laughter a few seconds later. "Ahahah! I'm just kiddin'! That's the dumbest idea ever, am I right? Look what splitting up did for us last time! Ahahaha!"
Mirabelle breathed a sigh of relief. She thought he was being totally serious. "Wow… You sure fooled us, Neal…" Midahn wiped his forehead.
"Don't play around like that, Neal!" Lily hit him on the arm lightly. "I know I wasn't with you yet when you did that, but you told me what happened and that's not funny! Mirabelle was really traumatized over that, you know… You just about gave her a heart attack just now."
Everyone's eyes beamed onto Mirabelle. She instantly blushed bright red, becoming wide-eyed. Neal even looked her way and blushed. "I...I'm fine, really… It was just a joke… eh heh…"
"I'm…. uh, sorry." He said shyly, looking away. Everyone also took notice to how awkward they've been acting towards each other.
"Eh? What's with you two? You've been averting each other for a whole week…" Lily asked. They both jumped when she said that.
"W-what do you mean?!" Neal asked loudly, not sounding suspicious at all.
"It's not like that!" Mirabelle said just as quickly.
"Ooookay~!" Lily smiled, turning away and skipping off.
"Tch… That little…" Neal gritted his teeth. Yuki looked back and forth between him and Mirabelle, and her eyes lit up.
Ohhh! I see now! She realized. Neal… and Mirabelle? Hmm… They do look really cute together. Yeah, I can totally see it!
"She's gonna end up getting lost again, like usual… Hey Yuki, let's go get her…" Sevrin said, beckoning her to come with him. Nobody saw it under his mask, but he was smiling.
"O...oh. Okay." Yuki said, beginning to blush. They started walking ahead. Neal and Mirabelle both realized what was going on.
Midahn… If you come up with some bull shit excuse to 'go on ahead of us', I'm going to pound you… Neal thought, balling his fists.
Mirabelle's eyes were shut tightly. She was thinking the same thing. Please… don't...Please… don't...Please… don't...Please… don't...Pleasedontpleasedontdpleasedont-
Midahn yawned loudly, stretching his arms. "Ah maaannnn… I'm still a little tired! I should really pick up the pace and get the blood flowing! …or something?"
"Did you just… question yourself?" Neal asked angrily, giving him a death glare. Midahn shrugged, stuck his tongue out at the both of them, and dashed off ahead to join the others.
THAT BASTARD! Neal shook his fist at him internally, fuming with anger. Mirabelle glanced over at him and saw his reaction.
Is he… nervous about being alone with me? Oh… I'm the one who's really nervous! I should have just made some quick excuse and ran off when they did… What was I thinking? She thought. Mirabelle you stupid idiot!
Neal let out a long sigh. "That little red-haired son of a-" He began to say.
"Neal!" She exclaimed, eyes widening. He laughed.
"I'm just kiddin', Mira!" He said. "I love the little bastard to death." It seemed like they went back to normal just then. But thinking about how it just seemed like they were speaking like normal reminded them of what happened earlier and made them blush and look away again.
Damn it… I can't get this out of my mind! He thought. Screw it, I should just ask her about it. No point in being a little wimp about it.
"Hey, Mira-"
"Um... Neal-"
Their eyes widened. "Oh, go ahead!" Neal said. "No, you said something first. Go ahead." She replied quickly. "No no, uh.. Ladies first!" Neal said, waving his hands back and forth. "I-I insist!" Mirabelle shot back. "I really insist!" He said quickly and nervously. Their faces were both deep shades of pink.
They both sighed. "Look, we should really just figure this out, so we don't have act like this to each other…"
"I agree…" She replied.
"S-so… When you… nodded, was that t-true?" He stammered. He couldn't help but start to tremor a little.
I'm about to confess to him again?! Why am I even more nervous this time!? We both already know… Thoughts exploded in her mind. "Um… y-yes." Her heart felt like jumping out, but she couldn't stand it any longer.
"Oh… I see…" He said, looking away. He gulped anxiously.
"I really like you… Neal." She said with her eyes closed.
Ahh! She said it! But why am I getting so damn nervous over this?! It's just Mira… It's… just… Mira. He looked at her shy and nervous face. This is the first time he really looked at her like that, and noticed how beautiful she was. He always knew that she was pretty, but never thought of her in that way. Then he thought of all the moments he's had with her, and how close they've become. He enjoyed being with her, had fun with her, and how he adores her personality. He realized that he's never gaven it much thought.
"Hey, Mira. Why do you like me?" He asked. She opened her eyes and looked at him in surprise.
"Um… Ever since that day, when we were in that cave going after Samael who'd stolen the Wind Crystal. He used his earthquake spell, causing the cave to start collapsing. I was feeling down at the time, and asked you to escape the cave without me, leaving me behind. That was when… you got really angry with me." She almost choked up at this point, and tears started to form in her eyes. "A-and you told me how mad you were that I thought of myself in that way, and you gave me supporting words, telling me that I'm the opposite of useless. And then you saved my life from being crushed by boulders." She looked up at him, and smiled softly. "I think… that time… was when I fell for you."
Gah! So damn cute! His heart exploded when she said that. "Ah, I… see. Heh… All I remember thinking during that time was about how cool I sounded when saying that… Such an idiot, huh?" He said, scratching his head, with an apologetic grin.
"N-no! Don't blame yourself for anything!" She said, waving her hands. "I just… never told you how I felt since then…"
Well shit… What do I say to her? Do I like her? Yeah, I like her a lot… But do I love her? Do I really deserve a girl like her? What other girl is in my life right now? None. Definitely not that bitch Adela, that's for sure! I don't think I'd find someone out of the blue later on in life or something… Argh, it's not about just finding someone. Do I like Mira or not. The feeling has to be mutual for it to be real. The whole time he was racking his brain with these thoughts, the two of them were completely silent. They were just walking along the path in the grassy plains.
"This must be sudden… So I think the best thing to do is to give you some time to think about it. Is… that okay?" She asked with the most innocent face.
Guh! I might just nosebleed at this rate! He thought. His heart was racing. "O-okay. That makes sense." They walked on in silence, side by side. After about ten seconds passed, Neal couldn't take it anymore, and immediately embraced her tightly. Her eyes widened, and her face heated up faster than his sudden reaction.
"Okay, I've thought long enough! I like you too, Mira!" He shouted, burying his head into her shoulder. Her heart skipped a beat.
"Eh… T-that was… fast!" She exclaimed nervously. He's actually said it… to me! Is this a dream?!
Is this a dream?! I've actually found a girl that can put up with me?! Well, I don't know that for sure, but Mira's put up with me for years now, and she actually likes me. I think I've been blessed by the gods to get this girl... She's way outta my league, honestly… Ah! don't think that way, idiot! Thoughts raced through his head. He was having doubts about himself at first, but knew that's not how he should think of himself.
He let go of her and bowed down in front of her, facing his head to the ground. "I promise that I will do my best to take care of you! I will protect you with my life!" He shouted. She covered her mouth with her hand.
He said he'll do his best… to take care of me… So he really does feel the same way! She started breathing in and out rapidly, barely able to contain her excitement and happiness. What he said just now tightened their bond, bringing their relationship to a completely different level.
He looked up at her. "So… does that mean you're my… girlfriend now?" He asked, scratching his head. She giggled.
"Yes, it does…" She said, finding his naive question funny. But that made her suddenly think that he possibly did what he just did just to have the status of having a girlfriend. She immediately disregarded that uneasy thought, as she could tell how he was genuinely feeling just by the intense atmosphere they were giving each other. Not only that, but she could hear his heart beating from down there. The met eyes, and he gave her his big grin.
Oh man… Mira's my… girl. No, she deserves more respect than that! She's my… lady. Ew, that makes her sound old! Damn, my heart's pumping blood like crazy… I hope she can't hear it. He thought. He stood up, and nervously offered her his hand. "Shall we…?"
She smiled and took his hand. Wow… her hand is so soft and warm. I better not be sweating! I'm feeling pretty damn nervous right now… I can't even tell since her hand is so warm.
They walked for the first few minutes in silence, looking straight ahead as they walked. They would both occasionally and slyly glance at each other. They both noticed each other smiling happily. Then they glanced at the exact same time, and quickly looked away, blushing.
"Yes! Operation was a success!" Lily whispered to Midahn. They were hiding behind a bush up ahead. They looked closely and noticed the two holding hands. Lily perked her head up above the bush, quickly, giving Yuki and Sevrin a thumbs up sign. They were standing behind a tree on the other side of the path. When Yuki saw her sign, she clasped her hands together and jumped up and down excitedly.
"Ugh… This is ridiculous…" Sevrin sighed. He was dragged into the plan by Yuki and Lily.
"Oh, don't ruin the moment!" Yuki pouted. "Aren't you glad your best friend finally found a girlfriend?"
"Pfft… He needed our help to do so… What a loser." He stuck his hands in his pockets.
"Well he is pretty dense, ehehehe!" Yuki giggled. He shrugged and looked away.
"Are you jealous that he found one before you, Sevrin? Is that it?" Yuki asked.
"Wha…?! No way! I totally found you first-" He replied quickly, but stopped short, his eyes widening. Yuki blushed, and covered her mouth.
"S-Sevrin…" She said nervously.
"Woah… Now them too?!" Lily shrieked. She was eyeing Yuki and Sevrin now, completely forgetting about Neal and Mirabelle. Midahn perked up when she said that.
"Eh? What's going on with Sev and Yuki?!" He became curious. He noticed them both blushing and looking surprised. "Damn… What's with this all of a sudden? Suddenly, everyone's like falling in love right now…"
Lily turned toward him, a smile appearing on her face. "And now it's our turn~!" She said, before promptly kissing him on the lips behind the bush. His eyes opened wider than ever before, and his face became as red as his hair.
Author's Note: Thanks for reading! The Warrior's brief stay in Alryne ended in mixed emotions: love, embarrassment, bitterness, regret; all the fun stuff. Neal and Adela had a complex relationship. I didn't really explain this in the chapter. Back in the prologue, she was the one who bullied him since he was so small, until he met Sevrin and they grew up stronger. Of course, they all three became friends eventually. Despite this, Adela always teased and picked on Neal during their friendship, but not in the matter like she used to, but more in a joking way. Neal figured she caused the scene with Mira on purpose just to mess with him. But, it wasn't entirely like that. When she saw him for the first time in years, she noticed all of his new friends and how close they were to each other, so she figured that Neal and Sevrin had replaced her with their new friends. She was a very jealous type. I tried to convey that she knows inside that he never really forgave her from all the teasing and bullying, and that she wouldn't have much of a chance at all with him, especially since he left for so long and they drifted apart. She just wanted to mess up his life one more time. It's one of those love-hate kind of relationships. I didn't want to explain this at first, since I wanted to give it mysterious feel, leaving unanswered questions. But then I realized that I can't do that, since I think I didn't do a good job leaving any subtle hints. Regardless, Neal decided that he's not gonna put up with any more of that, and leaves her! One thing leads to another after that, and suddenly he and Mira are dating! Finally! Mira's prayers have been answered! The atmosphere those two were giving off must have affected everyone else, because there was love in the air today! Will everything go this smoothly from here on out?!