Mermaid's Twilight
A figure, standing lonely in the rain. The drops pattered steadily down,
the windless day making the gentle downpour all the more gloomy. Head
bowed, silent tears streaked down the face of the green-haired woman,
joining the rain in moistening her gentle cheeks. Such sadness... if
she'd known it would come to her like this, she might never have wished to
be taken from the reactor.
She was the last now... the last remaining from their wonderful group of
heroes. One by one she'd seen them go, knowing her own life was going to
far exceed theirs from the start. But it didn't make it any easier to bear
when the appointed hours rolled forth and passed, taking her dear friends
with them into eternity and memory. It was such a sick joke... live, fight,
struggle and save the world for everyone.. and your just rewards were no
better then the ones who cowered on the sidelines.
*Stop it.* she thought to herself, willing such thinking to leave her. Elly
would've gently chided her for it. She smiled inwardly. Citan would've given
her a morality lecture and philosophical beliefs. Kim...
She sighed, the tears still flowing steadily. She couldn't bring herself to
think of him as Fei, even now. It was so hard..so unfair. She'd been the
only one to be there with him, at the end. He should've gone in honor,
not in a tiny house in the wilderness. But he'd wanted it this way..
"Emeralda..." The woman sat quietly at the side of the bed, as the old man
who lay within it croaked her name. She gently took his hand. Elly's
unexpectedly early death had not been good for him.
"I'm here...I'm here, Kim..."
The aged Fei smiled.. even after the fighting ended, a true smile was such
a rare thing for him to give. She couldn't help but smile back at him,
though inside things were so choked. She knew this was the last for him.
"I'm glad...you came. That..I could...see you...one last time. You
haven't...haven't changed..."
Emeralda lowered her head, nodding gently in response. She never dressed
herself like this anymore. She'd worn the clothes she'd used back in those
days, so he'd be sure to know her. Poor Sigurd had had trouble recognizing
her the last time she'd seen him.
Fei's hand gently squeezed.. "Ramsus...do you know...what happened..to him?"
Ramsus... "He passed away last year, Kim...after Dominia died..." Inside,
part of her winced in grief. This was truly it...he should have remembered
that...
Fei seemed to consider that... leaving Emeralda in an uncomfortable period
of silence, before he finally spoke again.
"I guess..this means we'll never...settle things. I'm a..little too tired
now to fight.." A rasping chuckle, followed by hoarse coughing, Emeralda's
eyes widening in sudden recognition of the moment, sitting up slightly.
"Em..make sure...I'm with Elly..." Seeing her firm, affirmative nod, he
smiled again.
"I was..proud..to have you as my daughter..."
Peacefully, in contrast to his life, Fei died.
It was like the earth itself was mourning him..the sky crying in shared
grief with her. She slowly lifted her head, brushing back her dampened
hair, and looking at the little gravesite she'd finished filling in.
So unglamorous. Just paltry stone crosses with his and Elly's names
engraved to mark them. It was the best she was able to do for them.
*The sands of time, flowing through the hourglasses of our lives*
Who had said that to her? She thought it might've been old Maison, in
one of the times she'd sat with him for tea and talked about things that
were on her mind or bothering her. He had had a long, full life, and saw
all of his desires fulfilled. Cultivated so much plain, simple wisdom.
She'd learned a lot from him before he passed on from the world he loved
so much.
Sliding the ring she always wore off her finger, she hesitated for a moment,
looking at it. Then stepped forwards and placed it under a rock atop Fei's
grave. It'd been with her for so long now, gained from the Mermaid's Tear
that Fei had brought out of Lahan with him. Now it would rest with Kim
forever, returning to the earth of the place he called home.
A day later, she paused outside a small house in Nisan, gazing up at it
and thinking. She had said her final goodbyes to Kim...to all of them.
The last ties to the past had been severed for her. It was time..finally
time, to devote her whole being to the future. Elly would've been proud.
She opened the door and stepped inside, giving a brilliant, happy smile to
the two green-haired children who ran forth to greet her, stooping to hug
them both, as the gentle man behind them watched, smiling a shared smile
at his wife's return.
"I'm home."
by Rika
http://tnt.dynodns.net/~rika (you can get my email address there)
This story is *not* to be posted on rpgamer.com
A figure, standing lonely in the rain. The drops pattered steadily down,
the windless day making the gentle downpour all the more gloomy. Head
bowed, silent tears streaked down the face of the green-haired woman,
joining the rain in moistening her gentle cheeks. Such sadness... if
she'd known it would come to her like this, she might never have wished to
be taken from the reactor.
She was the last now... the last remaining from their wonderful group of
heroes. One by one she'd seen them go, knowing her own life was going to
far exceed theirs from the start. But it didn't make it any easier to bear
when the appointed hours rolled forth and passed, taking her dear friends
with them into eternity and memory. It was such a sick joke... live, fight,
struggle and save the world for everyone.. and your just rewards were no
better then the ones who cowered on the sidelines.
*Stop it.* she thought to herself, willing such thinking to leave her. Elly
would've gently chided her for it. She smiled inwardly. Citan would've given
her a morality lecture and philosophical beliefs. Kim...
She sighed, the tears still flowing steadily. She couldn't bring herself to
think of him as Fei, even now. It was so hard..so unfair. She'd been the
only one to be there with him, at the end. He should've gone in honor,
not in a tiny house in the wilderness. But he'd wanted it this way..
"Emeralda..." The woman sat quietly at the side of the bed, as the old man
who lay within it croaked her name. She gently took his hand. Elly's
unexpectedly early death had not been good for him.
"I'm here...I'm here, Kim..."
The aged Fei smiled.. even after the fighting ended, a true smile was such
a rare thing for him to give. She couldn't help but smile back at him,
though inside things were so choked. She knew this was the last for him.
"I'm glad...you came. That..I could...see you...one last time. You
haven't...haven't changed..."
Emeralda lowered her head, nodding gently in response. She never dressed
herself like this anymore. She'd worn the clothes she'd used back in those
days, so he'd be sure to know her. Poor Sigurd had had trouble recognizing
her the last time she'd seen him.
Fei's hand gently squeezed.. "Ramsus...do you know...what happened..to him?"
Ramsus... "He passed away last year, Kim...after Dominia died..." Inside,
part of her winced in grief. This was truly it...he should have remembered
that...
Fei seemed to consider that... leaving Emeralda in an uncomfortable period
of silence, before he finally spoke again.
"I guess..this means we'll never...settle things. I'm a..little too tired
now to fight.." A rasping chuckle, followed by hoarse coughing, Emeralda's
eyes widening in sudden recognition of the moment, sitting up slightly.
"Em..make sure...I'm with Elly..." Seeing her firm, affirmative nod, he
smiled again.
"I was..proud..to have you as my daughter..."
Peacefully, in contrast to his life, Fei died.
It was like the earth itself was mourning him..the sky crying in shared
grief with her. She slowly lifted her head, brushing back her dampened
hair, and looking at the little gravesite she'd finished filling in.
So unglamorous. Just paltry stone crosses with his and Elly's names
engraved to mark them. It was the best she was able to do for them.
*The sands of time, flowing through the hourglasses of our lives*
Who had said that to her? She thought it might've been old Maison, in
one of the times she'd sat with him for tea and talked about things that
were on her mind or bothering her. He had had a long, full life, and saw
all of his desires fulfilled. Cultivated so much plain, simple wisdom.
She'd learned a lot from him before he passed on from the world he loved
so much.
Sliding the ring she always wore off her finger, she hesitated for a moment,
looking at it. Then stepped forwards and placed it under a rock atop Fei's
grave. It'd been with her for so long now, gained from the Mermaid's Tear
that Fei had brought out of Lahan with him. Now it would rest with Kim
forever, returning to the earth of the place he called home.
A day later, she paused outside a small house in Nisan, gazing up at it
and thinking. She had said her final goodbyes to Kim...to all of them.
The last ties to the past had been severed for her. It was time..finally
time, to devote her whole being to the future. Elly would've been proud.
She opened the door and stepped inside, giving a brilliant, happy smile to
the two green-haired children who ran forth to greet her, stooping to hug
them both, as the gentle man behind them watched, smiling a shared smile
at his wife's return.
"I'm home."
by Rika
http://tnt.dynodns.net/~rika (you can get my email address there)
This story is *not* to be posted on rpgamer.com
