Reflections in the water
Rune spent the good remainder of the next two weeks in the hospital in Guldove. Leena stayed with him, and Serge, Harle, and Norris went to get the final Dragon Gem. Leena sat next to Rune the entire time, talking with him. But Rune barely spoke. Most of the time, he contemplated the dream, wondering why he had suddenly be overcome with drowsiness on that boat, and why he had dreamed such terrible things. He knew enough to treat the dream as a premonition, but it upset him terribly to think that in the near future, he became a monster like Lynx… He didn't know what Lavos was in entirety either, for all he knew of the monster was that the King and Queen of Guardia, along with the scientist Lucca, and several others had defeated it, saving the future. Other than that…
Leena kept telling Rune how lucky he was to be alive. She told him that he'd been underwater for nearly five minutes, and that it took them an additional five minutes to get him to breathe again. Even the doctor was stumped as to why Rune was still alive. Every thirty minutes or so, the doctor came to check on Rune, as if he believed the boy would drop dead at any time. Rune couldn't walk, but he certainly wasn't at death's door. The doctor and his nurses also tried to get Rune to remove the bracer he wore on his right arm from time to time, but Rune refused to take it off. He assured them that it could only be removed by imputing a passcode on the keypad in the center of the bracer, and that only he knew it. Even Leena tried to get him to take it off.
"You shouldn't wear that all the time." She said softly. Rune shrugged.
"It's a memento. I never take it off."
And that's how the two weeks passed. Eventually, Rune gained the strength back in his legs, and he was able to walk about again. When the others returned from the Sky Dragon Island, they proudly showed off the gem they'd been given as proof of the Sky Dragon's defeat. They were doubly pleased to see that Rune was up and about again, but were reluctant to take him back out on the boat. Rune promised that the fainting was a one time deal, and reminded them that it was a short ride from Guldove to Termina, where they could easily walk to Opassa Beach. While Lynx went to get the Dragon Tear from the Priestess, Rune was given several vitamins by the doctor, who had accounted the fainting spell to anemia.
"I've heard this type of thing is common on the mainland." The doctor explained. "Anemia strikes youngsters who don't eat properly in the winter, and they end up sick in the spring. You need to get plenty of rest and make sure you eat more protein." Rune sighed.
"Whatever, Doc…" He said softly. "Have you ever been to North Porre…? It's the famine that makes us weak. There isn't enough food anymore…" He looked down. He'd seen too many children die from starvation in what used to be the town of Truce. He shook the memory away, taking the vitamins from the doctor. "Okay… I'll take them." He said finally. Leena smiled at him.
"I'll make sure you have one after every meal." She said happily. "Or I'll hit you over the head with my pan!" Rune sighed.
"Aw man…" He moaned. Doc laughed.
"Not used to women, huh man?" Rune groaned again. He and Leena then bid the doctor goodbye, stepping outside into the glorious sunshine. Rune sighed, happy to feel the warm sunlight on his face.
"Ahhh…" He breathed in deeply, smiling. "This feels so good…" Leena laughed.
"You mainlanders have it really bad up there." She said. "Long winters, WAY hot summers… I like it here in El Nido!"
Rune smirked at her.
"Yeah, but we don't get Typhoons."
"So?!" The two were about to pick at each other more, but they both spotted Lynx heading towards them. He grinned at them, holding out a huge blue gem. Leena laughed.
"You got it!" She exclaimed happily. Lynx nodded.
"Yeah. Now I can FINALLY get back to normal…" He sighed in relief, then he winked at Rune and Leena. "I'm sick of fleas."
Rune placed his hands on his hips.
"Is that a complaint I hear?" Lynx shook his head.
"At least I didn't nearly drown." He retorted. Rune sighed.
"Hey. It's not my fault that I'm anemic."
"How do you expect to defeat Lynx…" Lynx started. "If you're anemic? And look at you—you're scrawny! You've got no muscles at all! It's a wonder how you use that sword!" Rune shrugged.
"Your guess is as good as mine." He smiled a bit. "Maybe I'm just special."
Lynx laughed, then shook his head.
"Let's get going already!" He exclaimed. "I want my body back!"
The group boarded the boat, and pushed out into the clear sea. Rune stared down through the glassy surface, peering into the undersea life in the reef under Guldove. He was happily distracted for once, and he spent most of their journey contentedly poking his finger into the water and watching the small bait fish nibble at it. Leena watched him intently, her green eyes happy. Rune's inner child seemed to be surfacing for just a moment. He smiled at the fish as a small child would, then he turned his attention to his own reflection. He blinked at it startled. He saw not himself, but his father in those waves. His father grinned back up at him from the water, and the two stared at each other, father and son, blue eyes locked, looking as identical as twins. Leena leaned over towards Rune to see what he was finding so interesting in the water, then she looked at his reflection. Her eyes widened in shock. In the waves it was not Rune's reflection she saw, but the reflection of another… A strong looking young man, with even bluer eyes, a tanned face… Rune realized that she was peeping , and he started, hopping back in the boat a bit. He grinned at her a bit, a bead of sweat appearing on his brow. He gestured towards the water.
"Wow. The illusions this water makes." He said, his eyes fixed on her. "It makes me look kinda cute, eh?" He grinned, but he knew that he wasn't fooling Leena. She didn't say anything, but he knew that she was now asking herself questions about what she had seen. He knew it was stupid of him to make friends… There were so many mirrors in the world, and it would only take a second for one of his friends to spy the reflection… He shook his head, moving to the center of the raft, where he was the least likely to cast a reflection in that crystalline water. He spent the rest of the trip like that, watching Leena constantly, waiting for the realization what she had seen to cross her face.
It never did.
