~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Lost and Found
By: rainjewel
A/N: Okay,
this next chapter is rather boring, but very important. This
story is coming to an end soon, in perhaps 3 more chapters!
Please R&R!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Hitomi
Ryan's laughter rings
through the early morning air. It's a beautiful sound.
We're sitting in a
small public park in Freid. The greenery of the place contrasts
sharply with Freid's otherwise dusty appearance. Ryan's
leaning against a tree, and I'm wading in a small pond
beside him. The water's clear and icy as a winter day.
It's wonderful.
"I can't believe
you did that!" Ryan chuckles, his entire frame shaking with
his laughter.
"Well, I was curious.
Hey, I didn't know!" I retort back quickly, kicking
some water in his direction. He dodges the glittering spray with
ease.
"Curiousity killed the
cator in your case, your dad's car!" Ryan says,
then erupts into more giggles.
"I didn't know how
to drive! Jeez, forget I ever told you!" I reply, laughing
along with him.
Ryan slowly rises to his
feet and pads over to where I stand. Suddenly he swipes at the
water like a cat. The impact of his hand against the water sends
a small spray against my calves.
"Hey! Watch what
you're doing!" I yell playfully at him. Ryan holds a
finger up to his lips. He motions for me to come closer.
"Look at this," he
whispers. He brings his hand up from the water, something clasped
firmly in his fingers.
"Why are we
whispering?" I whisper to him, bringing my head closer to
his hand.
"You might scare the
little chap," He replies in a whisper. Little chap?
"Huh?"
Suddenly his hand springs
open and a small, green frog jumps from his hand and onto my
head. I recoil instinctively, then shriek and claw at the
creature in my hair. Its little slimy toes are digging into my
scalp, searching for a hold.
"Ryan! Get if
off!" I scream at him. Ryan folds his arms across his chest
and looks at me with a very smug look.
"It's only a
frog," he says simply.
"A slimy little frog!
Get it off!" I scream back at him.
I shake my head hard, trying
to shake the animal loose. I feel the weight leave my head and I
stop my shaking. The world spins a little from my jarring, but at
least the frog's gone. I take a few steps towards Ryan, my
intent inimical, but I trip over my own two feet and take an
unexpected sideways dive into the pond.
Luckily I'm caught a
few centimeters above the glassy surface. It seems that Ryan has
finally chosen to intervene in this wonderous little drama
he's created.
"Careful little
bird," he says under his breath, almost so that I can't
hear it, "you are not a fish."
"I'm not a fish,
nor am I a bird. Now let me up!" I reply snappishly. His
eyes widen at my sentence, as if I've said something
astonishing. What's his problem? I didn't say
anything shocking, did I?
"How did you know what
I said?" Ryan asks. He doesn't move. I risk a little
sideglance. I'm still a hair's width from the water.
"You said it out loud,
and I heard it. That's pretty normal," I say.
"I said it in
English," Ryan says incredulously. Slowly he returns to a
standing position, taking me with him. Thank God.
"You said it English?
How can that be? It was in perfect Japanese," I ask. Now
I'm confused.
"I don't know. I
know I said it in English," Ryan says. He scratches his head
a little, his signature sign of confusion.
"Well, I understand the
language here on Gaea, and when Van came to Earth he understood
Japanese," I say, trying to solve the puzzle.
"Do you understand what
I'm saying now?" Ryan asks.
"Of course," I
reply.
"I just said that in
English," Ryan says. Slowly he wades out from the pond,
pondering this new development.
"Ryan, when you sang a
little while ago, was that in English?" I ask. He turns
around.
"Yes."
"I understood every
single word," I reply.
Ryan's eyes widen
slightly at my comment, but he makes no reply. Slowly I wade out
of the water and sit beside Ryan, who has taken his previous
place against a tree.
"I guess Gaea is some
sort of universal translator," Ryan says tiredly as I plop
down beside him. I nod in agreement, slipping into a more serious
mood. It seems that our fun mood has been spoiled. We sit in
silence for awhile, staring at the stars. Earth is incredibly
bequtiful in the night sky.
"Ryan, how did you get
here?" I ask softly.
Ryan's gray eyes snap
to my face, and I see pain in them. It glitters through his
irises like an anguished ray of sun.
"I don't want to
talk about it," he says quietly, not looking away from my
face. I can tell he's talking in English. His accent had
faded on Gaea, but now that he is speaking his native tongue,
it's returned. His voice is rich and full.
"Please tell me,"
I say pleadingly. Ryan sighs a little and then looks down to his
hands, which are folded in his lap.
"It's not very
clear. I remember walking home with you after we'd ran. I
was walking back towards the subway, then I remember seeing a
white flash of light and then everything went black. The next
thing I remember was laying in the street with some old lady
leaning over me. She must of seen me arrive," says Ryan
simply. He flashes me a handsome smile to try and punctuate the
end of his tale, and perhaps lighten the mood.
"What happened after
that?" I ask softly, prodding him in his tale. I want to
find out who exactly Ryan has turned out to be.
Ryan rubs his face with his
hands, mumbles something indiscernible (knowing him, probably
swear words or some Beatles' quote) and then continues on.
"I think I ran from the
old woman. As I said, I really don't know how everything
went. It was raining and I was cold and frightened. I
couldn't figure out where I was, but I knew I wasn't on
Earth any longer. Hence, I wasn't seeing or hearing anything
very clearly. Anyway, I was attacked by a small band of thieves.
They probably thought I was some rich foreigner due to my strange
clothing. I probably would have died, but a young man happened by
and attacked the thieves, killing every single one—"
"Dilandau," I
whisper, interrupting Ryan's monologue. Only Dilandau would
be able to attack a band of grown men and triumph. Ryan nods.
"Yes, it was.
Afterwards I blacked out, but he took me to the Vione and
there I received medical care. Eventually I returned to health
and was drafted into the Dragon Slayers at Dilandau's
request. Thus I becam Migel Labariel of Zaibach," Ryan
states with a final air. It's very obvious he does not
want to talk about his past.
"So that's why you
love so much," I say more to myself then to Ryan. Now the
loyalty of the Dragon Slayers is becoming clear. It shocks me
that Ryan stayed—stays—with Dilandau because he
actually cares about him, not because Dilandau is the most
terrifying individual in the universe.
And all this time I
thought Dilandau had him by the balls. This revelation annoys
me incredibly.
"He saved my life. He
is one of the most important people in my life, and the most
loved," Ryan says, his look one of sincerity.
"Even more then your
parents?" I ask. Ryan looks at me with pain in his eyes. I'm
sorry Ryan, but this needs to be addressed. Forgive me.
"Hitomi, I have a new
life on Gaea. My parents are on another planet. I'll never
stop loving my parents. But Dilandau is here, Dilandau is
my life. My life as Migel," Ryan replies. His words are
short, blunt, and cryptic, yet at the same time full of emotion.
"You should go back to
Earth," I say softly.
"That's
impossible. Even if I could return I have ties here and nothing
on the Myst—Earth," Ryan replies. I feel anger flush to
my cheeks. His words sting, though they're said in a neutral
tone.
"I see. So Yukari, your
parents, and I mean nothing?" I retort. Ryan looks at
me with sorrow painted on his features. I want to reach out and
snatch the words from the air. That was a harsh, not to
mention unfair thing to say.
"II think you
should go back to the palace before your missed," Ryan says
sadly, "There you can answer your own questions." Ryan
stands up. A hurt, painful anger radiates from his body.
"And what are you going
to do?" I ask, standing up as well. He walks to the pond,
staring at the reflecting waters. His eyes are alight with the
reflections of the stars. I hang back, wary from the previous
frog episode.
"Go back to Dilandau,
finish this bloody war," Ryan says.
"Kill more innocent
people?" I ask. Ryan turns, sending me a dark, wearied look.
"No! Hitomi, why
can't you understand? I don't want this war.
When it's over I'm going to make a life here,"
Ryan replies with the subtle, condescendending patience of a
parent.
"Hmmmake a new
life? With who? Your precious, psychotic Dilandau, perhaps?"
I reply with biting sarcasm, "What will you do for fun? Burn
entire countries to the ground?"
My words drip with acid. Why
Ryan can't understand his horrifice lifestyle is beyond me.
He's finally escaped his loathed role as a killer, yet he
yearns to return to it.
"Stop it. I can't
abandon Dilandau and Zaibach. I owe them my life," Ryan
replies harshly. His simple words are strangely
sincere—brutally honest and believable. For a second
I'm struck dumb, staring at his pained face against the
moonlit waters. Finally, words come to me.
"I never knew you to be
a killer, Ryan," I say softly, finding my voice, "I
guess Gaea not only changes languages, it changes souls."
Ryan's eyes shimmer for
a second in the starlight. It physically hurts me to look at him.
Abruptly I turn on my heel and begin walking towards the heart of
Freid.
"Don't walk
away!" Ryan's voice rings out from behind me. It sounds
choked, like he's holding back tears, but I know Ryan would
never cry. I realize how deeply I've hurt him, yet I
continue to walk away from him.
"You can't run
away from me, Hitomi. I'll catch you. You know I can,"
Ryan calls out. Ever-so-slightly, I quicken my pace. Eventually I
hear his rapid footsteps behind mine. Instinctively I break into
a run.
"I win
again!"
"You are
such a braggart!"
"Aw, is
wittle Hitomi jeawous?"
I hear Ryan closing in on me
quickly. He's faster then I ever remembered, probably due to
all of his soldier's training.
Well, you have to be
quick to run away from heavily armed enemy guymelefs who want to
reduce you to a pile of smoking bits.
Before I've even gone
100 meters I feel Ryan's arms encircle my waist. He turns me
around in his embrace and hugs me to his chest. Immediately I hug
him back. I didn't really want to hurt him.
"This is so hard,"
I whisper into Ryan's chest. "You've changed so
much, but I still love you, despite the fact that I can't
understand whatever illogical reasoning is going on your tiny
skull!" I feel Ryan tremble as he laughs slightly at my
annoyance. I squeeze him extra hard and he stops his ghost
giggles.
"I'm sorry Hitomi.
I suppose being worst enemies in a war that decides the fate of
this planet can put a strain on anybody's friendship,"
Ryan says, covering his feelings with humour. "I personnally
think we've done pretty good. I haven't killed you yet,
and you've only slapped me once. How's that?"
I nod in response. I'm
too choked up to say anything. His familiar joking manner reminds
me briefly of Earth, sending a wave of homesickness over my body.
I want everything to go back to the way it was 2 years ago.
I feel Ryan's demeanor
change as he catches my sadness. He gently kisses the top of my
head then rests his chin in my hair. Whoa. He's never
kissed me before. Hugs: yes, kisses: no. Internally I
shake my head. Everyone's emotions are running high.
It's probably nothing, completely innocent. Ryan would
neverwould he?
"I have to go,"
Ryan whispers into my hair, "The Dragon Slayers have
probably sent out a rescue mission or Dilandau's on his
merry way. I need to leave before anyone gets here. This would be
a little hard to explain, since I am supposed to kill you."
"Dilandau would fry me
before you could say anything anyway," I reply, reaching
deep down inside myself to lighten the moment. Ryan laughs
slightly at my remark.
God, I don't want to
let him go. I just got him back.
He has to go.
I sigh and pull back from
the embrace.
"You should go.
I'll find my way back to the palace," I say. Ryan looks
at me sadly, like a puppy being scolded, but nods.
"Are you sure?" He
asks, releasing me from his arms.
No. I couldn't find
the palace even if it my life depended on it.
"Of course," I
reply instead. I see that he's blushing slightly. He
probably realized how intimate we just looked. Oh well.
"Be careful, there are
dangerous men about," Ryan says in his joking manner, though
I sense a trace of seriousness in his words. I grin reassuringly
at him.
"I think I handled you
pretty well. Anyway, I can outrun them if I have to, which I
won't. Now go!" I reply to him. Ryan smiles at
me.
"I'm sorry it has
to be this way," he says. With that, Ryan leans in and
kisses me on the cheek, but I move suprisedly before his lips
reach my face and he ends up kissing the corner of my mouth. Ryan
pulls back quickly and flashes me an embarrassed grin, blushing a
little. He then turns and melts into the background.
Damn. He's too good
at that.
Hesitantly I put a hand to
the spot where he kissed me. It's slightly damp from his
saliva. That should gross me out, but it doesn't. After all,
we shared sports drinks for years.
Why did he kiss me?
Twice? Is it possible that Ryan could have a crush on me?
Now that's one of
stupidest thoughts I've ever had. We're good friends,
like sister and brother even, but not lovers
Okay, new topic.
There's a few faint
rays of morning light in the sky. Dawn is fast approaching. A
hand of panic grips my heart and squeezes it hard. I only have
precious few hours before I'm missed. And that's if
I'm lucky.
I haven't been lucky in
a long time.
Quickly I point my feet in
what I think is the direction of the palace and begin walking, my
mind spinning around a certain gray-eyed boy. After a couple of
city blocks I stop and realize how painfully lost I am. I begin
to nervously toy with my pendant, wondering where—
My pendant. Jeez, I can be
really stupid sometimes.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*