What is Love, Anyway?
(Part 6)
By Alria
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the FF 9 characters or settings.
Author's Note: Two reasons I'm churning out the chapters so quick: 1. I want to complete this fic. 2. I left it at an evil spot last time ^.^ There really isn't much to sayThanx to my wonderful, wonderful reviewers, especially the faithful Kawaii Vivi. YOU GO GIRL!!!! Soonto the story!!
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Eiko sighed and stared out of the beautifully crafted window at the hazy mountains in the distance. The first snow of the year had just fallen the day before, blanketing the city of Lindblum in a sheet of white. The great evergreen trees, draped in the milk-white powder, looked like elegant courtiers. As Eiko gazed at the majestic green giants, her eyes fixed on a particularly small one. Her ruby lips curled into a warm grin when she saw the peculiar way the top was tilted, giving it an uncanny resemblance to her dear little black mage.
It had been almost two years since she had last seen his warm amber eyes on that cold night at the windy cliff. The blue, tattered cloak, washed clean of it's crimson blood, was the only earthly reminder of her lost love. The old cloak rested on the tip of her bed. Every night the princess, now almost eighteen, would wrap the precious cloth around her face and fall asleep breathing in the smell of her precious mage. Sometimes, when the hole in her heart hurt too much to bear, Eiko would close her green eyes and sob into it, whispering her pain to her guardian angel. Then she would pull the cloak tighter around her shoulders, and, if she imagined hard enough, it was almost as if he were there, holding her tightly against him.
As Eiko remembered her sweet Vivi, it pained her to think that she was the only living person who knew of his great sacrifice. She hadn't told Zidane and the othersafter all, they had thought he was dead in the first place. She couldn't bear to make them experience his death twice.
All of a sudden, the door to Eiko's bedroom opened with a loud creak. The princess turned her head sharply to see who the intruder was, and she groaned inwardly when she saw who was standing in the doorway. It was Prince Falren, the tall, blond noble who had arrived at the palace a year ago to try and win her hand in marriage. It wasn't that he was a bad guyhe wasn't that bad for a shallow princebut his good looks and impressive swordplay was nothing compared to Vivi's kind heart and vigorous passion. But, no matter how hard she tried to explain to him that she simply didn't love him, he was convinced she was head-over-heels. Eiko sighed. It didn't really matter if she loved him or not; she was a princess, and that meant that she would, someday or another, be married off to a stuck-up prince. It might as well be Falren, at least it could be someone she knew.
Falren walked up to her with a coy smile on his face.
"Hello, Princess. What a lovely after afternoon," he said absentmindedly as he gazed nonchalantly out the window. Eiko rolled her eyes behind his back. A pathetic excuse to make her think he cared at all about nature. He was a houseboy and probably couldn't tell an icicle from a snowflake. But, for the sake of the conversation, Eiko nodded.
"Yes. It is very beautiful," she said quietly. Falren nodded as if to approve of her answer, and then turned away from the window. His blue eyes slowly fell on the old, folded cloak resting at the foot of Eiko's bed, and his perfectly arched nose crinkled in disgust.
"God, Eiko, do you still have that wretched thing? Why don't you throw it out and go buy yourself a decent cloak with no holes in it. That's a good idea, women love shopping, don't they?" he asked, seemingly pleased with his suggestion. Eiko, a slight scowl on her face, grabbed up the blue cloak and held it protectively to her chest. She hated shopping almost as much as she hated Falren's demeaning description of her most valuable item.
"No, Falren. I don't like shopping, and I believe I've told you that on numerous occasions. And I am NOT getting rid of this cloak. It's special to meI don't need a new one," she said firmly. Falren shrugged and leaned against the wall.
"Alright, whatever you say," he muttered. A queer silence ensued, the two royals at a loss for words. Finally, when Eiko felt as if she was about to burst from the suffocating quiet, she spoke.
"So, I'm really tired. I think I'll take a quick nap," she said. Of course, she had no intention of sleeping, but that was the only thing she could think of to get the annoying prince out of her room. Falren looked a but hurt, and shrugged anyway.
"SoI'll see you later. Maybe we can go down to the town or something later. You'd like that, right?" and with that, started walking towards the door. Eiko rolled her eyes. She would rather have her hair painted green then spend the rest of the day with Falren. Still, she smiled prettily and nodded. The cocky prince was almost at the door, when he slowly turned around, his gaze fixed on the small lamp on Eiko's nightstand.
"Say, Eiko. What's that on you nightstand?" he asked slyly, and then walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Curious, Eiko glanced over at the small lamp, and to her surprise a small white envelope rested there. Laid gently across the paper was a single red rose. Eiko sighed. It was probably from Falren, and love notes from him were hardly what she needed. Still, it was flattering, and Eiko gently picked up the envelope and carefully tore it open. Inside was a small folded piece of paper, and she eagerly pulled it out. She quickly unfolded it, and began to read:
My Dearest Eiko,
I've lost count of how many times the silver moon has fallen beneath the Western skies since last we met. How many times has the sea rolled silently across the golden beach? How many times has the wind whispered your name in my wandering ear? My soul has been stolen from me, and locked away in your heart. My love, my angel, it has been so long, but my heart still beats for your smile alone. If you have not forgotten me, please meet me at the dock when the golden sun paints the Western skies crimson.
Your Guardian Angel
Eiko stared at the letter with wide eyes, stunned. This was unlike anything Falren had ever written before. The words seemed to flow like a gentle river across the folded paper. Whoever had written this letter, she highly doubted it was the incompetent prince. Butif it wasn't himwho could have possibly written it? Eiko lifted her hand and gently picked up the red rose. As she twiddled it in her hand, her mind raced with possibilities. As she thought of noble after noble, one name kept popping up in her mind, like a plank of wood tossed among the waves. But that was ridiculousthere was no way he could have written the letter. Eiko sighed. Falren had probably hired a poet to compose it for her. Well, she should probably gohe would be so disappointed if she didn't show up
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The night air was cold as Eiko approached the old dock, the brilliant sun having just set over the horizon. The chilling snow crunched under her feet like dead leaves. A particularly nasty gust of wind caused Eiko to squeeze her eyes shut as she wrapped Vivi's old cloak tighter around her shoulders. It was freezing out here! Should she really have even bothered to come?
As she squinted against the wind, her eyes suddenly caught hold of a hood figure sitting at the end of the dock. He was wringing his hands nervously in a rather familiar way. Who wrung their hands like that? Eiko shook her head. It didn't matter. She had pretty much convinced herself that Falren had sent her the beautiful letter. It wasn't usually his style to have her meet him somewhere romanticbut who knew? People changed.
Eiko glanced up at the night sky. Dark, looming clouds covered the twinkling stars. A small smile curled on Eiko's lips. It looked like snow. She wasn't exactly sure what it was about snowbut she absolutely loved it. The whole world covered by a blanket of whitetiny ice crystals falling like fairies all around you. Eiko sighed. She hoped it would snow
Eiko's gaze returned to the hunched over figure on the dock. No matter how much she wanted to pretend the annoying prince wasn't there, she had to go over and talk to him. Wellmaybe she wouldn't have to stay longEiko groaned softly and walked down the dock. The old wood creaked under her weight, and as she approached the figure's head jerked up. She still couldn't see his face, though, and Eiko kept walking until she was right behind him. Eiko smiled meekly, and gently tapped him on the shoulder.
"Hello. Umnice night, isn't it?" she said drolly.
All at once, the figure reached up and gently clutched Eiko's small hand. Her eyes widened in surprise. This wasn't Falren. As she stood there, somewhat stunned, she could feel the man's hand shaking against hers. Who was this cloaked man?
"AreAre you alright? You're shakingare youcold?" she asked, concerned. The man, still clutching her hand, shook his head. And then, for the first time, he spoke.
"II'm not cold. Now that you're here, I don't think I'll ever be cold again," he said softly.
Eiko let out a quick gasp as her emerald eyes widened. Her whole body began to tremble with shock. She knew that voice all to well. Slowly, she knelt down in the snow beside the pale man, a glistening tear rolling silently down the side of her face. Then, ever so carefully, Eiko lifter her free hand and slowly turned the young man's face towards her. And there, smiling back at her with a teary-eyed grin, was Vivi.
Eiko gasped, her body shaking uncontrollably.
"ItIt's really you!" she choked through her tears. Vivi nodded, tears running down his face as well.
"Yes, it's me," he said softly. Eiko let out a quick sob and threw herself into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. As her tears drenched his cloak, she remembered how she had thirsted to hold him like this. On this dark, cold nightshow she had yearned to be cradled in his strong arms. Was this all just a dream? How was it possible to be holding her precious Vivi once again? She had seen him fall off that rocky cliffthere was no wayand yet, in his warm embrace, there was nothing to say that he wasn't real. Every detail she remembered was intact, every hair, every feature. Even the golden sparkle in his eyes was just the right shade.
Eiko squeezed Vivi close to her, trying to convince herself he was really sitting before her.
"II never thoughtI'd see you again. Oh, Vivi, I missed you so much! Buthow did you," Eiko's tears choked her off as she buried her head in his firm chest. Vivi smiled warmly and stroked her soft hair.
"How did I survive? It's a long story," he said. Eiko smiled up at him.
"And it's a long night," she said. Vivi's smile widened, and he took a deep breath in preparation for his story.
"WellI don't really remember much before Jeffery. He was an old fisherman, and I woke up in his house one day, much to my surprise. I had no idea where I wasor even who I was, for that matter. Anyway, he told me that he had been fishing in the small lake outside his house when Ravendor and I had fallen out of the sky. He dragged us both out of the waterbut Ravendor was already gone, having crushed his head on a hard stone. I had received a nasty blow to the head as well, and couldn't remember a thing. Jeffery told me I was lucky to be alive, for I supposedly had a lot of internal injuriesbroken ribs and such. Anyway, he nursed me back to healthwhich took a considerable amount of time. After I was healed, I stayed with the old man and helped him fish, not knowing where else to go. I stayed there up until about a week ago when I ran into this stuck-up blond princeI think his name started with an Fanyway, he started telling me all about you. As I listened, I began to remember you, me, and basically everything else. By the end of the conversation, I was completely back to normal. EikoI'm so sorry to make you worry. Can you ever forgive me?" he asked. Eiko grinned and hugged him tighter.
"Forgive you? You're alive! That's the only thing that matters. That you're aliveand we're together," she said happily.
Vivi smiled and gently kissed her on the forhead. Eiko sighed at the touch of his soft lips. It was even better then she had dreamed aboutbeing in his arms again. The two lovers embraced for a few more moments, and then slowly parted. There was an odd silence as the two searched for the right words to say. What could you say to someone you had dreamed about for so long?
Suddenly, Vivi reached slowly into the pocket of his cloak and fumbled around for something. Eiko looked at him quizzically.
"Vivi?" she said. Vivi smiled, his face painted with a splash of red as he pulled a small box out from his pocket.
"Ibought you something, before I came," he said quietly. Eiko's eyes widened. It couldn't becould it? But sure enough, Vivi, a wide grin on his face, slowly kneeled down in the soft snow and opened the box towards herrevealing a beautiful diamond ring. Eiko gasped.
"Eiko Carolwould yoube my wife?" he asked. Eiko looked first at the ring, and then at Vivi. This was all so sudden! She hadn't seen him in nearly two yearsand he was proposing marriage? Only minutes ago she had thought he was dead! This was ridiculous!
And yetas she stared into his shining amber eyes, a smile warmed her face. Hadn't she dreamt of this for the past two years? Hadn't she rolled the name 'Eiko Orunita' off her tongue, savoring the sound? Even though the two had been separated in body, their souls were still linked, even after so long. They hadn't partedand it was as if they had been together for the long years. And so, tears of joy welling in her eyes. Eiko nodded.
"I would be honored," she said quietly. Vivi sighed with relief, and gently took her hand in his. He slowly placed the diamond ring on her finger, and then gently brushed a strand of purple hair out of her face.
"You don't know how happy you've made me," he said softly. Eiko grinned.
"I have a pretty good idea," she giggled. With that, Eiko sighed and leaned back against Vivi's chest, her head just below his. He gently rested his arms against her stomach, and the two both looked up at the sky.
Suddenly, a tiny white speck drifted slowly down from the clouds. It swayed and twisted it the wind and finally decided to land on the back of Vivi's hand. The speck was cold, but it soon disappeared against the warmth of his body. Vivi smiled. Snow. It was actually snowing. To the young mage, snow was magicaland romantic.
Soon, the flakes began to fall more frequently, until after a few minutes the two lovers were completely covered in the white powder. Eiko grinned and looked up at Vivi. She gingerly placed a loving kiss on his cheek and hugged him tight as the tiny crystals enveloped them in a sea of white.
"Vivi, I love you," she cooed.
"And I, you." And finally, covered by the blustery snow, the two lovers' lips met in a warm, passionate kiss. It was the kiss of true lovethe kiss of a guardian angel.
The End
What did you think? Good, bad? I didn't think this story was too badat least for my first Viko fic. Please review and tell me what you think. Thank you for reading my story, and I hope you enjoyed it. Good-bye! Ta-ta!