A Promise Renewed
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Wazzah!!! I'm finally back!!!!
Yah see, I was on vacation for like five weeks in France visiting my brother.
Soooooo..........................
It didn't take as long as she thought when
Selphie dropped her a few miles away from Timber. Phoenix waved goodbyes, Selphie
wished her luck, and the Ragnarok flew away.
The ride wasn't as quiet as she thought,
too. Selphie was a chatterbox at heart, and it was impossible to avoid her questions.
Phoenix let Selphie do most of the talking and only answered when asked. It was
easier for her that way. Unlike her twin, Phoenix was more introverted. Oh, she
loved to have conversations and talk and do so many other things, but after being
an assassin for so long, it became...instinct to be quiet.
Most of the monsters, as few as they were,
stayed away from Phoenix's path. It was probably because of the first time they
witnessed one of their kind so easily beaten. Or maybe it was because of the icy
look that Phoenix gave to those that came close to attacking her. She reached
Timber in no time. Chaos had indeed erupted in the small city, although it was
chaotic before already.
The Galbadian soldiers were too busy trying
to put down rebellions to even notice Phoenix stroll into the city. She paused
for a moment to open up a map of the city on her watch. Since the Time Compression
began, all of the cities were a bit screwed up in location. So, Atamos had informed
all of the members active in the Organization to adjust their com-maps to the
sequence of the Time Compression.
Her mysterious partner sent her a message
to meet him in Timber at the Kroft Cavern. Well, at least Phoenix assumed that
her partner was male. She remembered Atamos refer her partner as a "he".
Well, she really didn't care. As long as the mission was completed, Phoenix would've
cared less of what gender her partner was. The thing that spooked her, though,
was that her boss said that the man knew her. Knew her for a long time.
The only two men that she could think of
who actually had been with her for a long time were Gene and the one who had promised
her that he'd protect her with his life. But she hadn't seen her Knight in a long
time, and her partner wasn't Gene because he was with the others.
Lost in her thoughts, Phoenix sauntered
through the darkened and thrashed streets of Timber, a city newly independent
yet still fighting for its freedom.
A young man sat alone in a secluded booth
of a wild and very hectic restaurant. He wanted to remain as hidden as possible,
flipping thought a newspaper while eavesdropping on conversations at the same
time. Most of them he just ignored because the topics discussed were trivial to
his interest. Just a bunch of idiots looking for a way to get out of their
hell and they find alcohol to be the solution. Hyne, why the hell did I choose
this place out of all places to meet Phoenix?
But he knew the reason why. It was because
Kroft Cavern was a place where all those of the Organization met in Timber. Members
of the Organization after the Sorceress Wars needed to keep as low as a profile
as possible in order to avoid detection from those who survived them. The man
known as the Lone Wolf was one of them.
"WHAT?!? YOU MEAN YOU'RE IN BALAMB?!?!?!?"
Lily shouted a tthe computer screen so loud that all other noise ceased to be
heard.
The projection of Luna that the screen
emitted laughed nervously.
"Oh, c'mon, Lily. Alex's hurt real
bad and we had nowhere else to go for help. Garden's the only place with a doctor
and luckily they parked at the island," Luna tried to explain.
"But, dammit, why the hell didn't
you tell us that you left?!?" Lily shouted again, but this time a bit more
controlled. "Hell's been breaking loose in the household wondering where
you guys left!"
A big sweatdrop appeared on Luna's head.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry...at least you gotta thank me for telling you where
we're at so you can fly over here."
"Yeah, but a LITTLE bit too late!"
She began to start again, pounding her fists on the table.
Seifer, watching Megan diagram out a map
on the computer, turned his head at the noise.
"Who the hell is she talking to?"
Seifer muttered.
"Um...Luna, I think..." Megan
answered very cautiously.
Luna laughed nervously again at the image
of an angered Lily Almasy. Some students in the Library began to stare since Lily's
outburst. It was hard enought trying to face Shiguyou, but it was even harder
trying to calm her best friend down. She leaned a little bit closer at the screen,
putting a hand on the side of her mouth so that the curious Cadets wouldn't know
what she was saying.
"Calm down, will you? The kids here
are a really curious group, and if you yell anymore, you're going to attract more
attention that I need."
Lily slowly sat back in her chair and frowned.
"How is he, anyway?"
Luna glanced at some of the cadets by her,
and they turned away.
"I'm not really sure, actually,"
she answered. "He's been unconscious for quite some time, and Doctor Kadowaki
says that he's lost a lot of blood. Not only that, but she also says that he has
a really bad cut over his left eye and it's going to leave a scar. Even an elixer
can't heal it."
All of the anger that erupted before dispersed
as Lily heard her best friend's little brother's injuries. "That bad, huh?
Any idea what happened to him?"
"Squall guesses he's been tortured.
Whipped by a Save the Queen, nonetheless. There's some marks of Malboro tentacles
on his body. Doctor Kadowaki says that it's a miracle that Alex is even alive
after days of nothing to eat, dehydration, and infection in his wounds at his
age."
"And what about that guy you like?
Your Knight, right?" Lily asked.
Luna paused and looked away from the screen
for a moment, blinking away the tears that sprung in her eyes. Lily cocked her
head questionably, wondering if she asked a bad question.
"...Luna?"
"He's..." Luna hesitated to answer,
"he's dead. Shiguyou died just before the explosion."
"Oh...I'm sorry if I asked---"
"No, it's alright. He wouldn't like
seeing me like this," Luna cut her off, smiling sadly." It hurts...but...I
know he did what he wanted to do."
"Luna..." Lily began.
"I told you I'm fine. Besides, we've
got a mission to accomplish," she changed the subject. "Once Alex recovers,
we're outta here." She frowned. "No...wait. Once Alex is back into shape
again, we're outta here."
Lily arched an eyebrow. "What do you
mean?"
"There's a training center here that
can help people build their levels. Since Alex isn't used to fighting monsters
that often, I'm gonna train him a bit so he's stronger than before. Did you find
a way to penetrate through the Crystalline's dungeon?"
"Yeah, Megan found out. Hyne, I dunno
how she does it."
Luna smiled a bit more cheerfully. "That's
good. Any news from Atamos?"
"No, not as of yet. Not even Phoenix,
either," Lily answered disappointingly. "I was wondering if you talked
to her recently."
"...No, she hasn't replied. Her thoughts
were too distracted."
Lily snapped her fingers. "Damn. I'm
startin' to wonder who the hell is the guy that requested specifically her to
go with him."
"I got no clue, either, Lily. Anyway,
I'll meet you soon after Alex is ready."
"No, I'll meet YOU and knock some
sense into all four of ya when we're done destroying Crystalline Mansion,"
Lily countered. "Over and out."
The screen blanked out and Luna turned
it off. She sat back in her chair and sighed. This was going to be one long mission...
His ears pricked around as noises of bottles
being put away came to his senses. Then his nose picked up the sweet scent of
flowers. His body twitched. Finally, Alex slowly opened his eye only to be blinded
and instinctively covered it with the back of his right arm. How come I can
only open one eye? What's wrong with my left one? He felt the twinges of something
stuck in his arm like...like a needle.
"Agh..." Alex murmured. Damn,
it's bright.
Rinoa snapped out of her sleep and got
out of her chair, leaning on the side of the bed. A mass of black slid over her
shoulders as she did so.
"Alex?" she whispered softly.
"Hunh?" Alex replied, trying
to figure out who was talking to him in the darkness. It sounded familiar...
"Alex? Do you know who this is?"
Rinoa asked.
He thought for a moment, searching through
his memory bank for that voice. "...R-Rinoa?"
Rinoa nodded even though she knew he couldn't
see her. "Uh-huh. Are you okay?" She gently removed his arm away from
his face so that the IV tube was flowing through normally again. As soon as she
set it back on his side, Alex squinted his eye.
"It's...bright," he murmured
again.
"It is, huh?" Rinoa left his
side for a second to flip the lights off as sunlight peeked through closed curtains.
There was something in Rinoa that made her feel like her maternal instinct kicked
in. "Is that better?"
Alex slowly opened his eye again, only
this time he didn't cover them. Semi-darkness was more to his eyesight's liking
for now. Even though the bright sun peered underneath the curtains above him,
it didn't seem to bother his eyesight. "Uh-huh."
Rinoa sighed in relief as she sat back
down in her chair, pulling it closer to the bed. "You know, you've been asleep
for quite some time."
He turned his head slightly to face Rinoa's
smiling face. His entire body ached, and he looked dead tired in her eyes even
though he was only twelve.
"How are you feeling?" she asked
him, brushin a stray strand of hair away from his face.
"How come I can't open my left eye?"
Alex asked back. Whatever he did, his left eye wouldn't cooperate with his mind.
"Doctor Kadowaki says that your left
eye was damaged really badly," she explained. "And you're going to have
one really wicked scar once that bandage is taken off. Not only that, I'm glad
you're okay."
"So, you mean, I can't ever open my
left eye again?" Alex pointed out.
Smart kid...Rinoa
thought. Phoenix and Luna taught him well.
"Uh-huh. At least not for a while,
hopefully."
"...Where are we?"
"Balamb Garden. You were hurt so bad
that this was the closest place where we could stop and rest."
"...that bad huh?" Alex muttered.
"Sorry for being so much trouble."
"Don't be sorry," Rinoa reassured.
"Besides, we couldn't leave you behind. You're one tough kid, you know that?"
She smiled and brushed her index finger lightly on his bandaged forehead. "Worried
us all sick."
Alex smiled faintly, closing his eyes.
"Hah, you sound like a mother."
"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not,"
she answered enigmatically, chuckling lightly to herself. "Is it okay if
I ask you some questions, Alex?"
"Huh?" He opened his eye again
to look at her. "Oh, uh, sure."
Kroft Cavern wasn't that hard to find.
Even with the com-map that Phoenix had, it was easy to tell where the bar was.
It looked like a dump, badly in need for repair, and paint chipped off the walls.
As Phoenix entered, the men couldn't help but stare at her beauty. Usually she
wouldn't mind, but the majority here were drunk as hell so it made Phoenix a bit
nervous. But she ignored them and continued walking, her dark strands of hair
able to cover her sapphire eyes. With her eyes, she looked around. He said
to meet here in the last booth...
She paused in midstep at the young man
sittling alone in the last booth reading a newspaper. No doubt about it, she knew
this man. He wore the usual attire of the organization: all black, but there was
a sheathed sword on his side. Even in nearly eighty degree weather outside, members
of the organization were to accustom themselves in different environments of their
traditional uniforms. Black was the color of the Organization and nothing else.
Lily was an exception because she never liked following under someone's orders.
Midnight thick strands of hair covered
his eyes as he read, but Phoenix already took a glimpse of them. Emerald green.
Those eyes, she would never forget those eyes. The eyes that had promised her
long ago that he'd protect her with all his might. The eyes that said goodbye
to her so many years ago now returned to her.
Stepping a bit closer, water began to fill
her sapphire eyes as Phoenix smiled softly at the man and slid into the booth.
"Kenji?"
Hearing his name, Kenji looked up from
the paper to meet Phoenix's eyes. He smiled back, setting the paper down and wrapping
his cutoff gloved hands around hers.
"Hey there, Kajimi (AN: It means fire...something...I
THINK ^_^)," he said softly. "Long time no see."
A nick name that she rearely ever heard
anymore, Phoenix smiled even more. "But how? I-I thought..."
"Well, then, who do you think told
Atamos to take you guys off of the assassin's list and live in Esthar?" Kenji
answered in a question, his smile getting even wider.
Phoenix's eyes widened. "You mean,
YOU..."
"Took your guys' place?" he answered
for her. "Yeah, after I was done here in Timber, I decided to take your jobs
as well."
Flashback...uh...yeah...
"What? What do you mean that we're
taken off of Deling City and the outskirts?" a younger Luna shouted.
Atamost looked out the window, ignoring
the younger girl's outburst.
"One of our members finished his duty
in Timber earlier than we had expected. Hearing of your troubles, he volunteered
himself to take the remaining areas on his own," he answered calmly and turned
back to face the Leonhart twins. "That's why I'm meeting you here personally.
He'll only take it if your willing to give him consent."
"It's because of the mess-up in Deling
City and our sister's death, isn't it?" a younger Phoenix simply pointed
out. She stood alone in a corner; darkness was her ally. Unlike the current Phoenix,
the past Phoenix held a mysterious and cold appearance. She had her hair up in
a high ponytail, the crimson streaks seemingly glowling brightly in the darkened
room. Locks of red and black covvered her icy eyes that betrayed no emotion.
Luna turned around to her sister. "Phoe..."
"I want you two to help Lily in Esthar,"
Atamos answered. "She's been having some trouble maintaining the army. You
two are our best skilled and can help train more. Besides, I don't think you want
Alex in any more trouble than what he's bargained for."
Luna's dark violet streaks constrasted
her sister's as she blew some strands away from her face. "So, you're not
going to get him involved?"
"You've been training the boy, haven't
you?" Atamos countered. "I've noticed the past few times I met him.
He's been getting faster and more skilled with the Gunblade. Just like his father."
"...." The twins glanced at one
another. Phoenix closed her eyes as if nodding in agreement.
"Alright, we agree. Tell whoever that
guy is that it's okay," Luna replied to Atamos.
end of Flashback
"Five years, huh?" Kenji murmured.
"That's how long Sakura's been gone?"
Phoenix looked down at her hands. "Yeah,
but...I'm not sure if she's REALLY dead. Luna's the same. We both feel...as if
she's still alive. Her aura's still around, just very faint."
A few moments of silence lingered. Then
Kenji smiled for reassurance. "Well, it's possible. Wherever she is..."
Phoenix smiled sadly. "I missed you."
"Hey, c'mon, I don't want any tearful
reunions now," Kenji teased, his smile breaking into an all out grin.
She frowned, letting go of one hand to
lightly smack his. "You..."
He chuckled lightly. "Still haven't
changed."
"The same goes for yourself."
"So, how is everybody?"
"They're fine...at least I think so.
The last thing I heard from any of them was from Luna. She just got Alex back
and is in Balamb Garden now."
Kenji arched an eyebrow. "What happened?"
"I'm assuming you know about our mission
right?"
"Destroy all of Ultimecia's ten castles
to reveal the one floating somewhere in the sky. Yeah, I was filled in."
"Well, trying to destroy the first
one, we got discovered somehow. Princeton Delin's men were after us and tried
to take Sakura and Alex. Sakura escaped, but Alex got captured. He was taken over
to the Silkeh Mountains in Balamb Island. Apparently, from what Luna told me,
Alex was heavily injured when they came to his rescue."
"So that's why he's at Balamb Garden
because it's one of the few places with a qualified doctor," Kenji finished
for her. "How bad was he hurt?"
"Pretty bad. I don't really know the
details, so I'm not sure what his injuries are. All that Luna told me was the
he'll have a permenant scar over his left eye and it'll never open again."
Kenji let that sink into his head for a
bit. He hadn't seen Alex for a while, but he knew about scars that would never
heal. And having an eyesight injury was going to make Alex practice even harder.
The kid's gotta be one helluva Gunblade
wielder, Kenji thought.
"Kenji?"
He snapped back into reality. "Huh?
Oh, sorry...um, did you wanna ask about anything?"
Phoenix looked at him strangely, but tossed
the thought aside. "When do we leave for Obel Lake?"
He smiled wickedly at her, leaning in closer.
"Tomorrow morning. Or afternoon depending on what time we wake up."
Lily paced around the home like a dog lost
in a big city. The two sisters were gone and now she was in charge of deploying
out the destruction of one of Ultimecia's freaky castles. Hyne, that was no problem
with her, but since when was the last time she was in charge of a group? Five
years? Or was it six? Well, whatever the number was, it was a really, REALLY long
time ago. To her anyway. She was never good at taking charge much. Dammit,
they leave for one thing or another and now I'm stuck with these guys! Lily
brooded. Hyne, they're all going to drive me crazy if we don't get the mansion
soon and go to Balamb. Wait a minute... she paused in midstep. HE'S going
to be here, isn't he?!? After punching a wall to ease her frustrations, she
continued pacing. That's just great. I leave the orphanage just to get away
from the old man and now I'm stuck back with him! Not only that, he's even more
of a jackass than before!
"Why do these things always have to
happen to me?!?"
She continued to brood, punching through
walls and so forth before setting out the plan to destroy Crystalline Mansion
while her comrades nervously watched on.
Zell was so happy to be back that the first
thing that he did was go straight to the cafeteria to munch down on a bunch of
hotdogs. Sakura and K-chan watched him in awe. Squall went around in his usual
brooding self. Once in a while he'd check on Alex to see what his condition was,
but that was mainly it. Luna cooped herself up in the Library, so fascinated with
the books inside and sending messages to Lily back in Esthar periodically. Rinoa,
well, Rinoa watched over Alex like a hawk. She stayed in the Infirmirary for so
long that Squall had to coax her to eat. He couldn't understand why, but he too
felt a feeling of protectiveness over all three Leonharts. It was strange. He
felt as if he knew them from somewhere...but just couldn't place it. They had
the same last name as he, DNA similar to both him and Rinoa, the twins looking
exactly like Rinoa with a few exceptions and Alex looking exactly like him with
few exceptions as well. Hyne, even the Twins adopted to having highlights in their
hair like Rinoa's.
But what about the third sister? The one
who had supposedly died five years ago? What did she look like? Why was she dead?
When Squall asked, Luna didn't want to explain. Even Phoenix wouldn't tell why
their sister was dead. So, he went to do some researching.
Squall flipped a couple of
keys on the keyboard before entering in the Online network. After that, things
were pretty basic from there:
ID: IceLion
Password: Griever
Welcome to Balamb Online!
Please select a Destination:
Journal
Balamb Garden Festival
Committee
About Balamb Garden
Selphie's Diary
Other [click]
Please type in keyword:
Esthar
ESTHAR! The city where
technology grows! What would you like to do today?
Shop
Estharian Online
Guide
Government
Database [click]
Why would they put the
government database out there in the blue? Squall
thought as he looked through under the name "Leonhart" , but shrugged.
Whatever...
He began to read out loud
because the silence in the office was starting to kill him:
Name: Luna
Leonhart
Age: 19
Height: 168cm
Blood Type: AB
DOB: Unknown,
possibly between April 1 to May 3
Well, those seem about
right...except for the date of birth part, Squall
thought. "Parents unknown...why is that?"
He brushed the fact aside
and continued to read, "Entered into Angel's Orphanage at the age of seven
and left at the age of fourteen when the Third Sorceress War erupted. Involved
as an assassin under the name Red Blade over the outskirts of Dollet Kingdom during
the Chaotic Wars that happened around the same time as the Sorceress War. Both
wars combined together was called the Global War." Hmm...Red Blade? I
remember Deling using that name. So that's why.... "A member of the Hawk's
Eye under the command of Shiguyou Tojo and of the Organization in Esthar."
So, that's where Shiguyou comes in, I guess...."Organization"? What's
that? I'll find that out later....
Name: Phoenix
Leonhart
Age: 19
Height: 168cm
Blood Type: AB
DOB: Unknown,
possibly around April 1 to May 3
Okay, so that's nothing
new... He continued on. "Entered
in Angel's Orphanage at the age of seven and left at the age of fourteen when
the Third Sorceress War erupted. Involved in the Global War as an assassin under
the name Kajimi Kodai. Hired as a mercenary in Deling City by the National Democratic
Party for Independence (NDPI), but also working for the Organization of Esthar."
There goes that Organization
again....Squall thought. "Disappeared
two weeks before the end of the Global War under unknown circumstances....that's
odd."
He continued to the next person:
Name: Alexander
Leonhart
Age: 12
Height: 165cm
Blood Type: AB
DOB: September
2
Why is there a date of
birth for Alex, but not for the twins? Squall
asked himself. "Entered into Angel Orphanage at four months and later accompanied
Luna and Phoenix Leonhart in Deling City during the Global Wars. Graduated Sakeiah
Academy in Esthar at the age of eight, the youngest to graduate." So,
he has no need for education use. "Parents: Deceased."
There was nothing new to him.
So, Squall scrolled down further until he found the Leonhart that the twins refused
to talk about. His eyes narrowed at the name: Sakura.
"You mean you have another
sister?" Rinoa asked incredulously.
Alex looked at Rinoa with
one curious eye. "...Yeah. She's only a few years older than me, but she
died five years ago."
"...How?"
"I'm not really sure.
All I remember was that one day she's here and the next day she wasn't."
"Oh..."
"I think I got some of
my abilities from her," Alex replied after a moment's silence. "I mean,
my only natural ability as a part of a sorceress's blood is speed. But now I can
sense things 'n' stuff like that."
"You're sisters are different
from you..."
"Yeah. Since they were
first born, most of Mom's powers transferred to them. They're not really half
sorceresses. More likely almost sorceresses. If one of them died, then the other
would become a sorceress."
"Do you remember your
parents?"
"No." That was all
he replied and then, "They died a couple of months after I was born. I don't
even remember what they looked like. Only from pictures."
Rinoa remembered that last
picture in the photo album. "...."
"Hello!" Luna's
head popped in. She was smiling happily, much like her old self. "I see you're
awake now, Mr. Troublesome."
"Yeah, whatever,"
Alex mumbled.
Rinoa past Luna as if looking
for someone. "Hey, where's Sakura and K-chan?"
"She and K-chan are walking
around with Zell," Luna answered, shaking her head. "That girl's gotten
attached to him already."
"Well, I don't blame
her," Rinoa answered, smiling. "Zell's a very likeable person."
Luna took up a chair and slid
it across the room, sitting on the opposite side of Rinoa.
"Hey, kiddo, how's it
going?" she asked.
"I'm fine if you don't
include all the masses of bruises, cuts, and tears on me," Alex replied sarcastically.
"Hmm...once you're better,
we're gonna start training."
"Huh? Training for what,
Luna?" Rinoa asked.
"No, don't tell me..."
Alex said.
"The thing about Alex's
body is that it can't heal quickly," Luna began to explain. "I'm the
same, but after two days, my wounds heal while Phoenix can heal in just mere seconds.
And also, him being cooped up so long in bed isn't that great on his body. That's
why we had to teach him the basics of martial arts."
"Whaddya mean the basics?!?
Fifty-two stances for the Basic Technique, three weeks to be able to master it,
seventy-three stances for the Advanced Technique, and an entire two months to
master that. That's the basics of martial arts?!?" Alex exclaimed.
"Wow..." Rinoa murmured
in awe.
"I'm surprised you remember
the number of stances," Luna complimented, a teasing glint in her eyes.
"How COULD I forget when
you two practically killed me while training me?" he muttered.
"That's training."
"Whatever..."
Rinoa laughed. Hyne, not
only does he look like Squall, he acts like him, too! The thought of an injured
Squall lying in bed and her and Ellone fussing over him without him caring made
her laugh even harder. The laughter was so contagious that it caught onto Luna
while Alex just sighed. I'll never understand women, I swear...
A woman in a sleek red outfit
sat on her throne, dousing herself in pre-victory. Her black wings flapped in
the darkness as mist surrounded her palace. It was exactly the way she wanted.
"Allundia."
In a mast of violet smoke,
a woman appeared before the one on the throne, kneeling on one knee. This woman
had flaming red hair and smoky, pupiless eyes. She wore an outfit that was even
more revealing than the woman on the throne.
"Yes, Mistress Ultimecia?"
the woman asked politely.
Ultimecia's cold green eyes
glanced away from her glass of wine. "What has happened to Deling, Allundia?"
"Mistress, Deling has
failed," Allundia replied. "He underestimated that half sorceress's
powers. Also, he was never able to capture the ones who had destroyed your previous
self. Princeton Deling is dead, Mistress."
"That pathetic fool kouldn't
do anything useful," Ultimecia sneered. "He boasted too much about power.
Useless."
Allundia smirked. "What
would you like to do, Mistress?"
"Take kare of those pathetic
SeeDs," Ultimecia answered. "I don't kare how you do it, just get rid
of them. And make sure that the children of Griever are dead before they realize
their true abilities. Bring Kaen with you."
Allundia smiled evilly, her
pupiless eyes showing nothing but pure delight. She bowed her head respectively.
"Of course, Mistress. Leave everything to me."
With that, she disappeared
in a violet smoke. Ultimecia continued on staring at her glass, eyes concentrating
so hard that it was beginning to crack. Those children...I must krush them...
The glass broke into pieces,
the wine spilling over her slim fingers as she crushed the remaining broken pieces
of glass.
Phoenix looked out of the
window, staring into the night sky. Although two different bodies, their minds
were one. She could never hide anything from him. Nothing.
~~
"So that's what happened,
huh?" Kenji asked. "Why do you blame yourself?"
"Because I couldn't
do anything about it. I wish I was as strong as I am now so I would've gotten
out of those restraints," Phoenix answered.
"Even so, it couldn't
be helped, Kajimi," Kenji explained. "I don't think she would blame
you, so don't be thinking about it that much."
"But you don't know
how it feels to see your own sister die right before your eyes!" Phoenix
pointed out, her voice close to cracking.
"You're right. I don't
know," Kenji agreed. "But...but at least you HAVE a family. Even if
one dies, the others grow closer. It's like how the leaves fall during autumn.
One by one, everything falls down, but in the spring, they all come back together.
I don't think Sakura blames you, Kajimi. It's because I think she knows that she'll
see you and the others again, no matter how long it takes."
Phoenix stopped, too shocked
to say anything else. He was right. Sakura had saved her back then. She looked
down at the ground. "I-I..."
Kenji wrapped his arms
around her for comfort. "Sshh, it's okay. You've been through a lot and I
wasn't there to be with you." He smiled. "I guess I broke our promise,
huh? Well, since we're together now, I'll fufill that promise. I'll protect you...and
never leave you again."
"Kenji..."
~~
It was true. What he was saying
to her that night was true. She missed her Knight so much, and now he was back
again.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Okay, boring chapter, no?
Even I was falling asleep! I'm just kinda building up the mood to the next
couple of chapters, so don't worry! Some action coming in the next chapter! R&R!!
WHAT'S TO COME
Allundia opened her eyes as
the sound of a Torama's howling disrupted her small nap. She flipped her hair
back and stood, smiling evilly. In front of her was a small house made of stone.
Vines entangled the walls, as if trying to hide the home from view. Mountains
dusted with snow surrounded the area as protection. Children's laughter and a
woman's voice were heard inside. A wooden sign hung in front of a tree reading:
Angel's Orphanage.