Disclaimer: No, I don't. You know what I'm talking about.
(Oh, the joys of suspense! Read, mon ami, read! ^_^) (that's French by the way)
************************
Maybe...
Maybe what I did was right….
Maybe now that they're out of my mind, I can finally…
Stop worrying.
I hate kids. Damn, I hate them.
I always knew, some day.…
A kid would be my death….
All to save them.
All to….keep them alive?
Kids need to grow up.
They need to live on, and become adults some day.
Lucky, damned kids. They know, they have a memory of their past…
They remember their childhood.
Maybe that's why I couldn't let them….get killed.
Because I don't want to see their childhood end…
When I can't even remember mine.
************************
Vivi swore he saw tears brimming inside of Eiko's eyes. He wanted to say he was sorry. He wanted so much to take her away, because he knew….If they found Amarant, he would have…..stopped moving by now. Just the thought, even though it was Amarant they were talking about….It was too much to bear for him, or for Eiko.
Vivi wanted to protest as the six-year-old suddenly left his side and leapt onto the top of a chunk of stone nearby. His mind sort of wavered, leaving him speechless. He sneezed, and dust went flying everywhere. Eiko turned around and wrinkled her nose.
"Gazuteite," she said sadly, and then hopped down from the boulder. At once, an alarm rang inside of the black mage's head, but it was silenced when Eiko's head appeared above the rock. Her face was no longer grinning, which was something very unusual to see.
"Eiko," the black mage began, straightening his hat nervously. "Th-that was close….Y-you really shouldn't stay h-here anymore…W-we should go back…what if it falls again?"
To his surprise, Eiko buried her face in her hands, and turned her back on him, "If you wanna go," she said, in a muffled way. "Then you can go. But I'm staying. Besides," she continued, gesturing at the flattened pile of rubble. "It won't fall again."
Something in her tone told Vivi that she wanted him to leave. And if horrified him to find out that he was actually glad to hear it. Slowly, the black mage faced the rubble pile that blocked the alleyway behind him, and then Eiko again.
"Y-you won't be angry?" he said. Why did he have to feel so afraid?
Eiko turned away again, and shrugged half-heartedly. "You can go if you want," she repeated.
Again, Vivi hesitated. Then he faced the alley again, and began to leave. But he was stopped when Eiko's voice rang out behind him.
"Vivi?"
He turned around, tilting his head to look at her standing on the boulder again.
Eiko seemed to force a smile, "Th-thank you for saving me."
Wordless, Vivi stared up at the girl for a few more seconds. He wanted to reply. He'd never done something like that before – rescue someone. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to say 'your welcome', or just walk away with a hero's glimmer in his eye.
"And Vivi?"
"…..Yes?"
"If you….." Eiko swallowed, and then decided to use different words. "If you, um, see Quina, please tell him/her to help me. I don't think I can lift all the heavy rocks alone."
This alarmed Vivi. "You're going t-to d-dig for him?!" he almost gasped.
Eiko put her hands on her hips and shook her head, violet locks swaying back and forth, almost sadly, "Of course I am. There's nothing wrong with it, is there?"
"Y…." Vivi began, and then stopped himself. "Um, well, what if he's...he's….?"
The six-year-old summoner leapt off of the boulder again, on Vivi's side. "No, he's isn't! But even…even if he was, say, that he actually…well, I'll still be glad to find him!"
Now Vivi was completely speechless. He'd saved her life, but he'd also tried to save Amarant's. He thought that giving up was the right thing to do! But….the feeling of not being able to help someone felt very wrong, and utterly scary. Eiko wasn't giving up, but even though he didn't feel like it, he knew he had to…to walk away.
"W-well…" he stammered, and began to back away. "I-I'll see if I can find Quina, I guess…"
With that, the black mage started for the large pile of derbis that clogged the alleyway. But he went very slowly, as if he couldn't decided anymore.
It was true. His thoughts were dragging him back, but his senses were pulling him forward. He'd saved Eiko's life….that made him a hero, didn't it? Or maybe it made him….human?
Ramuh
Vivi remembered Ramuh's story suddenly. About that girl's father….being a hero, or a human. Of course, the man was a human, but what he did was strictly heroic or human. The black mage tried, but he couldn't remember what Dagger had chosen then. Vivi stopped walking, and hung his head for a second.
Human? Hero? Did it matter? He wasn't even….human, he supposed. But what he did was human and heroic both. Did that make him something more? Or did it just mean that….that he…..
He'd never done something so brave before. It made him feel better. Sure, once or twice, he'd given another party member a potion, or a soft in battle. He'd restored them from KO, and healed them again. But that was what you were supposed to do in battles….look out for one another
Besides, giving someone a soft when they turned into stone was something you had to do, right? No one wants to be a statue forever. Unless someone carried the person for the rest of the-
Vivi froze.
A soft?
************************
I think I hear voices….
But that couldn't be.
Before they find me…
I'll be gone.
I know I'll look something worse than death itself.
They don't want to see that.
I'm….
I can't see anymore….
They should just leave.
I'm dying….
Aren't I.
************************
A soft!
Softs…..softs eliminated stone, didn't they? Vivi racked his brain, trying to remember what his Grandpa Quale had taught him. When the stone was a petrified being…they….they turned normal when a soft was applied. But if you applied one to a stone….an original stone, it made it dissolve!
Vivi, in his excitement, spun around and began to choke on his words. Finally, he managed to call, "E-Eiko!"
The six-year-old lifted her head above the boulder again, a sad frown crossing her face, "I…I thought you'd left already."
"A soft!" the black mage cried, running towards the violet-haired girl. "Eiko, use a soft!"
Eiko blinked, and dropped the rock she was holding, "…..Er?"
Vivi stopped running, and pulled himself up on the boulder she was standing behind. Carefully, he slid himself over the top of the rock, and landed softly beside her. There, he stopped to catch his breath. But he managed to breath, "Use…a soft…on the…rocks…."
Eiko's eyes suddenly lit up, "Oh YEAHHH!" she cried, and took a leap back. "If I use a soft, then…..!!!"
Vivi watched with hopeful eyes as the six-year-old took a small bottle from her pocket. The liquid inside was glowing a dark green, and then a lighter blue. Its constantly changing colors definitely made it a very unique matter. It was a soft.
The violet-haired summoner hastily scrambled onto a rock in front of her, and began to climb the flattened pile of rubble. Vivi, first straightening his hat in anxiety, followed her, being careful as he scaled the slightly sloping mounds of cobblestone. He stopped where Eiko stopped. She was holding the bottle in front of her as if it were made of pure gold.
************************
Why?
I can hear both of them….
They're above me.
It's….too late.
I'm already starting to feel cold.
Maybe it's because I'm dying….
Because I have wooden splinter driving through my back.
I know that it's….pierced my lungs.
I can hardly…breath.
See? My….my thoughts are even beginning to fail.
I…I expected this.
Sorry, you two…
Vivi, you shouldn't have to see someone else die.
Eiko, you….you little brat.
Leave.
Go….
I'm….
************************
"This is where…..he was before the pile caved in."
Vivi watched with amazement as Eiko slowly poured the bottle's contents on the rocks below her. Suddenly, they both had to leap back as the solid stone they had been standing on began to crack and break away. Boulders, great chunks of walls and streets began to dissolve, being eaten away by the hungry power of the green-blue liquid.
The soft didn't stop there. The layers of rock and gravel beneath the top were all vanishing, too. Slowly, ever so slowly, every single pebble and stone chip had disappeared, completely evaporated into the air, leaving a gaping hole in the middle of the pile.
Both children waited for the dust to clear itself. They both peered down into the pieces of splayed wood and iron.
Both of their jaws fell open.
His red-haired head was resting against the actual bottom of the street, but his back was against the wooden frame of a former door. All it was now, was a heap of splinters. Amarant's clothes were stained with blood, and they could both see why. One of the door's splinters had penetrated his back.
Vivi tried to catch Eiko as she fell to her knees. But he could feel the tears in his eyes, too. He let them run freely, because he knew that it would make things a little better, just to let it go….
He tried not to look back at the still form.
Amarant was not breathing any longer.
************************
(Wait! Don't start crying, please! This is beginning chapter, but it is definitely not the end! I'm not saying that he's alive, but I'm not saying that he's dead, either. All I'm saying is that ANYTHING could happen, regardless to what happened in the game. You'll find out when I'm finished! LOL. Until next time…..(Which will be very soon, don't worry.)
(Oh, the joys of suspense! Read, mon ami, read! ^_^) (that's French by the way)
************************
Maybe...
Maybe what I did was right….
Maybe now that they're out of my mind, I can finally…
Stop worrying.
I hate kids. Damn, I hate them.
I always knew, some day.…
A kid would be my death….
All to save them.
All to….keep them alive?
Kids need to grow up.
They need to live on, and become adults some day.
Lucky, damned kids. They know, they have a memory of their past…
They remember their childhood.
Maybe that's why I couldn't let them….get killed.
Because I don't want to see their childhood end…
When I can't even remember mine.
************************
Vivi swore he saw tears brimming inside of Eiko's eyes. He wanted to say he was sorry. He wanted so much to take her away, because he knew….If they found Amarant, he would have…..stopped moving by now. Just the thought, even though it was Amarant they were talking about….It was too much to bear for him, or for Eiko.
Vivi wanted to protest as the six-year-old suddenly left his side and leapt onto the top of a chunk of stone nearby. His mind sort of wavered, leaving him speechless. He sneezed, and dust went flying everywhere. Eiko turned around and wrinkled her nose.
"Gazuteite," she said sadly, and then hopped down from the boulder. At once, an alarm rang inside of the black mage's head, but it was silenced when Eiko's head appeared above the rock. Her face was no longer grinning, which was something very unusual to see.
"Eiko," the black mage began, straightening his hat nervously. "Th-that was close….Y-you really shouldn't stay h-here anymore…W-we should go back…what if it falls again?"
To his surprise, Eiko buried her face in her hands, and turned her back on him, "If you wanna go," she said, in a muffled way. "Then you can go. But I'm staying. Besides," she continued, gesturing at the flattened pile of rubble. "It won't fall again."
Something in her tone told Vivi that she wanted him to leave. And if horrified him to find out that he was actually glad to hear it. Slowly, the black mage faced the rubble pile that blocked the alleyway behind him, and then Eiko again.
"Y-you won't be angry?" he said. Why did he have to feel so afraid?
Eiko turned away again, and shrugged half-heartedly. "You can go if you want," she repeated.
Again, Vivi hesitated. Then he faced the alley again, and began to leave. But he was stopped when Eiko's voice rang out behind him.
"Vivi?"
He turned around, tilting his head to look at her standing on the boulder again.
Eiko seemed to force a smile, "Th-thank you for saving me."
Wordless, Vivi stared up at the girl for a few more seconds. He wanted to reply. He'd never done something like that before – rescue someone. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to say 'your welcome', or just walk away with a hero's glimmer in his eye.
"And Vivi?"
"…..Yes?"
"If you….." Eiko swallowed, and then decided to use different words. "If you, um, see Quina, please tell him/her to help me. I don't think I can lift all the heavy rocks alone."
This alarmed Vivi. "You're going t-to d-dig for him?!" he almost gasped.
Eiko put her hands on her hips and shook her head, violet locks swaying back and forth, almost sadly, "Of course I am. There's nothing wrong with it, is there?"
"Y…." Vivi began, and then stopped himself. "Um, well, what if he's...he's….?"
The six-year-old summoner leapt off of the boulder again, on Vivi's side. "No, he's isn't! But even…even if he was, say, that he actually…well, I'll still be glad to find him!"
Now Vivi was completely speechless. He'd saved her life, but he'd also tried to save Amarant's. He thought that giving up was the right thing to do! But….the feeling of not being able to help someone felt very wrong, and utterly scary. Eiko wasn't giving up, but even though he didn't feel like it, he knew he had to…to walk away.
"W-well…" he stammered, and began to back away. "I-I'll see if I can find Quina, I guess…"
With that, the black mage started for the large pile of derbis that clogged the alleyway. But he went very slowly, as if he couldn't decided anymore.
It was true. His thoughts were dragging him back, but his senses were pulling him forward. He'd saved Eiko's life….that made him a hero, didn't it? Or maybe it made him….human?
Ramuh
Vivi remembered Ramuh's story suddenly. About that girl's father….being a hero, or a human. Of course, the man was a human, but what he did was strictly heroic or human. The black mage tried, but he couldn't remember what Dagger had chosen then. Vivi stopped walking, and hung his head for a second.
Human? Hero? Did it matter? He wasn't even….human, he supposed. But what he did was human and heroic both. Did that make him something more? Or did it just mean that….that he…..
He'd never done something so brave before. It made him feel better. Sure, once or twice, he'd given another party member a potion, or a soft in battle. He'd restored them from KO, and healed them again. But that was what you were supposed to do in battles….look out for one another
Besides, giving someone a soft when they turned into stone was something you had to do, right? No one wants to be a statue forever. Unless someone carried the person for the rest of the-
Vivi froze.
A soft?
************************
I think I hear voices….
But that couldn't be.
Before they find me…
I'll be gone.
I know I'll look something worse than death itself.
They don't want to see that.
I'm….
I can't see anymore….
They should just leave.
I'm dying….
Aren't I.
************************
A soft!
Softs…..softs eliminated stone, didn't they? Vivi racked his brain, trying to remember what his Grandpa Quale had taught him. When the stone was a petrified being…they….they turned normal when a soft was applied. But if you applied one to a stone….an original stone, it made it dissolve!
Vivi, in his excitement, spun around and began to choke on his words. Finally, he managed to call, "E-Eiko!"
The six-year-old lifted her head above the boulder again, a sad frown crossing her face, "I…I thought you'd left already."
"A soft!" the black mage cried, running towards the violet-haired girl. "Eiko, use a soft!"
Eiko blinked, and dropped the rock she was holding, "…..Er?"
Vivi stopped running, and pulled himself up on the boulder she was standing behind. Carefully, he slid himself over the top of the rock, and landed softly beside her. There, he stopped to catch his breath. But he managed to breath, "Use…a soft…on the…rocks…."
Eiko's eyes suddenly lit up, "Oh YEAHHH!" she cried, and took a leap back. "If I use a soft, then…..!!!"
Vivi watched with hopeful eyes as the six-year-old took a small bottle from her pocket. The liquid inside was glowing a dark green, and then a lighter blue. Its constantly changing colors definitely made it a very unique matter. It was a soft.
The violet-haired summoner hastily scrambled onto a rock in front of her, and began to climb the flattened pile of rubble. Vivi, first straightening his hat in anxiety, followed her, being careful as he scaled the slightly sloping mounds of cobblestone. He stopped where Eiko stopped. She was holding the bottle in front of her as if it were made of pure gold.
************************
Why?
I can hear both of them….
They're above me.
It's….too late.
I'm already starting to feel cold.
Maybe it's because I'm dying….
Because I have wooden splinter driving through my back.
I know that it's….pierced my lungs.
I can hardly…breath.
See? My….my thoughts are even beginning to fail.
I…I expected this.
Sorry, you two…
Vivi, you shouldn't have to see someone else die.
Eiko, you….you little brat.
Leave.
Go….
I'm….
************************
"This is where…..he was before the pile caved in."
Vivi watched with amazement as Eiko slowly poured the bottle's contents on the rocks below her. Suddenly, they both had to leap back as the solid stone they had been standing on began to crack and break away. Boulders, great chunks of walls and streets began to dissolve, being eaten away by the hungry power of the green-blue liquid.
The soft didn't stop there. The layers of rock and gravel beneath the top were all vanishing, too. Slowly, ever so slowly, every single pebble and stone chip had disappeared, completely evaporated into the air, leaving a gaping hole in the middle of the pile.
Both children waited for the dust to clear itself. They both peered down into the pieces of splayed wood and iron.
Both of their jaws fell open.
His red-haired head was resting against the actual bottom of the street, but his back was against the wooden frame of a former door. All it was now, was a heap of splinters. Amarant's clothes were stained with blood, and they could both see why. One of the door's splinters had penetrated his back.
Vivi tried to catch Eiko as she fell to her knees. But he could feel the tears in his eyes, too. He let them run freely, because he knew that it would make things a little better, just to let it go….
He tried not to look back at the still form.
Amarant was not breathing any longer.
************************
(Wait! Don't start crying, please! This is beginning chapter, but it is definitely not the end! I'm not saying that he's alive, but I'm not saying that he's dead, either. All I'm saying is that ANYTHING could happen, regardless to what happened in the game. You'll find out when I'm finished! LOL. Until next time…..(Which will be very soon, don't worry.)
