Three days later, Cid wasn't feeling so sure anymore.
"Dammit Shera, isn't there ANYONE who would bother coming down to check
when they see a GOD DAMNED FOREST FIRE???" He threw himself down on a log,
and downed some of the tea Shera had managed to make from leaves she'd found on
the island. Shera, quite wisely, said nothing, and sipped her own tea, watching
the flames of the fire before them. Cid sighed. "'M sorry. Not your fault.
Shouldn't be givin' you all this crap about it."
Shera shook her head, and smiled
slightly to herself. "That's alright. It's partly my-!" "NO IT'S
NOT!" Cid lunged to his feet, and paced back and forth in front of
her. "It's MY fault. I got you
into this, I crashed the ship, and I got us in this situation. NOW DRINK YOUR
GODDAMN TEA!" He sat down again and glared resolutely at the fire. Shera
watched him for a while longer, then gazed back into the fire, apparently
unperturbed. "Dunno how you do that," Cid muttered. "Do
what?" Shera asked.
Cid looked back at her. "Listen
to me yellin' and rantin' at you, and then just sit there and drink your tea
like it don't matter. Shouldn't be takin' all this from me. Should at least be
sayin' something. Dunno how you live with me. Wouldn't live with myself if I
had the choice." It's getting to him, thought Shera. He's never doubted
himself before. Cid continued. "If I were you, I'd just up and
leave." Shera looked amused. "Nowhere to go, Captain." He sighed
again. "Yeah, that's true."
"But still," he went on,
"When we get out of this, you should get away from me. I'm nothin' but
trouble. I always get you into problems like this, riskin' your life for no
good reason. You should just leave. That is...if we ever get out of this. Which
it doesn't look like we will, does it?" He hung his head. "Dammit,
Shera, I'm just a no good-!" "Stop it!" Shera rose from her
seat.
"Stop putting yourself down,
and insulting yourself! Just stop it! Do you know why I'm here? Am I here
because I think you're a no good worthless failure, like you keep calling
yourself??" Cid looked dumbfounded. "Shera?" "Yes, I am
angry. And yes, I am tired," she said. "I'm angry at those people for
telling you that you ruined their dreams. For telling you that you're a worthless
nothing. And, yes, Captain, I'm angry at you for believing them. Captain, you
could do anything, anything if you really wanted to. And those idiots just
can't appreciate you, can't see in you what I do. But don't you DARE believe
them for a moment. Because you're..." she trailed off, and sat down,
staring at the ground, "wonderful."
Cid stared at her for a long time,
then hazarded to say, "Shera?" She shook her head. "You've
always been wonderful. You've always been my hero, going off to help save the
planet...trying so hard to be the first man in outer space. And you will be,
too. You will be." Her voice got much softer. "And I wish..."
she didn't say anything. Cid leaned closer, but didn't say anything. "I
wish...I could be there with you...just to be with you, for as long as I can."
No one said anything for a few
moments, and Shera just stared at the ground, eyes closed. Cid stared at Shera,
a million different thoughts running through his head, none of which he found
himself able to vocalize. "Shera," he said for the third time,
"I..." he stood up, and walked over to sit beside her. "Lemme
tell you a story." He sat up straight, and stretched. "When I was off
helping to 'save the world,' I kept thinking about something I'd done a while
ago. When I'd had that chance to go and be the first man in outer space, I
wasn't thinking of anything else. I was a selfish idiot." "You were
never-!" "Lemme finish." He put a finger to her lips. "Then
you came along and got everyone in that mess." He said it kindly, without
any disgust or malice. "I think, Shera, that that was possibly the best
thing you ever did for me." She looked up at him. "You opened my eyes
to the real important things in life."
"Shera, as long as you believe
in me, as long as you think the things that you just said, yer right, I'll
always be able to do anything I want. Because you think I can. Because you
believe in me. And that's all that matters." Slowly, he took Shera in his
arms, and she rested her head against his shoulder, her eyes closed. Then, he
kissed her, warmly and passionately, for a long time.
"I love you Shera. I always
have. We'll get out of this together. Don't worry. We'll get out of this
together." Shera smiled up at him. "I know, because...I believe in
you."
(Will they
get out of it together? Make sure to check for the next installment tomorrow!!
Please review!)
