XVIII: On Wings
"Oh my Lord!!"
Amy Mizuno quietly covered her mouth, too stricken with fear to do anything else. Her body immediately failed her, and she sank to the snowy ground in a heap. She wanted to cry, or scream, or even ask why any of this was happening, but the only thing she managed to do was shiver on the ground, and let the snow cover her body up.
That was her lying there. That was Amy Mizuno there before her. There was no doubt about it. The girl on the ground, and…… the girl on the ground… They were both… the same person… And Amy… She… could not believe…
A squeak came from Fujin's mouth, and the pale woman did exactly what her father thought she would. She wept, bitterly, and fell to her knees in dumbstruck confusion and wordless wonder. Tears came freely from Fujin's face as she saw Amy Mizuno, the "real" Amy Mizuno, the one she had known… Tears came to her eyes as she saw the person who had really been her best friend for life, and her mouth yawned open in pain and agony, and she so badly wanted to……
"Amy?" she squealed in her normal voice. Fujin's white hands went for the stiff digits of the real Amy Mizuno, and clasped the cold fingers delicately. Fujin let out a wail, and let her tears turn into snowflakes as she cried bitterly over her closest companion. A sudden cry of unbridled animalistic rage came out of the pit of her mouth as she hugged the frozen body close to her own, and her father allowed her to scream to her heart's content.
"…That's… Amy…" muttered Seifer to himself. He too fell to the white ground, and prostrated himself so much that his face was buried in the snow. He did not want anybody to see him cry, for an old memory of his had been sparked, one of happier and warmer days, when the world was kind and innocent and beautiful, and when a gentle blue-haired girl was able to light up even the darkest of days.
"…I… know that girl," muttered Seifer to himself, squeezing the frozen snow in his fists. "I know her… She's Amy, my best friend… She was like a sister to me, back in those days… I, I met her the very day I met Fujin… Those two…" He smiled despite his grief, and buried his face in the ice below him.
"…Those two were absolutely inseparable," he muttered to himself. "They were closer than sisters… And… I, I fell in love with them from the start--real love…" He chuckled again, and wept openly for his beloved Warrior of Ice. A few seconds later, Fujin finally decided to cease her screaming, and held Amy's icy body to her own instead. She ripped off her eye patch, showing the scar and the festering wound that had been caused by a cancer early in life. Her tears touched the stiff body, but no life came to it.
"Amy…" Her naked face touched the frozen woman's, and tears never stopped coming from Fujin's only functional eye as she rubbed her white nose against her friend's frostbitten one. With a shudder, she ignored the cold of the day and buried her face in the girl's shoulder, and cried on it for one final time.
"Yes," said Smythe, who had observed everything with silence. "She's dead, very much dead. I, too, thought she was missing when she didn't show up after that mission, and though I was bogged down by many other things, I couldn't stand to see my baby Fu-Fu sad like that. I resolved to find Amy no matter what, and…… well, I guess you could say that I was successful. I'm… really sorry, everybody…"
"No…" whimpered Fujin, her voice unnaturally soft. "No… No…"
"I'm sorry, precious…" whispered Smythe. He slowly wrapped his arms around his daughter's body, and let Fujin hold something that wasn't frozen solid for awhile. The pale girl still cried bitterly, and whispered her father's and Amy's names over and over again. The "other" Amy Mizuno, the one who was also Sailor Mercury, slowly crawled forward to examine her other self.
The resemblance really was uncanny. It was like looking into a mirror.
"Now I see…" muttered the young lady to herself. "…So, that's why everybody…"
"Yeah," said Smythe, still cradling his daughter close. "Everyone in Balamb and Trabia thought you were dead and gone, and I guess they were correct. They had every right in the world to freak out when they saw you alive and well. I must admit that I thought I saw a ghost when you came around."
"Daddy…" Smythe sighed, and kissed his daughter's forehead lovingly.
"Oh, sorry, sweetheart," he whispered. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"
"Daddy…" Virgil Smythe and Fujin continued to hold each other in that empty cold field, oblivious to the ice around them, while Seifer paid silent homage to the dead girl. He both wept and prayed, and gave her as good a benediction as he knew how. A little bit of his memory had came back--just a little bit--and thankfully, or perhaps fittingly, only the happy memories with his friend had surfaced.
"The Lord bless thee and keep thee," muttered the one-time rogue. "The Lord protect thee in times of danger… The Lord give unto thee His blessing… And preserve your soul forever, amen."
"…Amen," chimed Smythe and Amy. Fujin shuddered, and finally ran out of tears to shed. Surprisingly, as she drew away from her father, she smiled sweetly, and silently thanked him. Amy, the one who was Sailor Mercury, slowly crawled forth to embrace her new best friend, and Fujin gladly accepted all acts of kindness.
"…I'm so sorry, Fu…"
"I love her," shivered Fujin in her gentlest voice. Amy smiled as she noted that Fujin did not use past tense. "She was… my ray of hope in this world. When I was very little, I was shunned because of the way I looked… like I said. Raijin tried sticking up for me, but… it still wasn't any good. My childhood was… absolutely horrible, and when my mother died…" She squealed out in grief, and held Amy all the closer. The blue-haired friend of many gave as much love and support as she knew how.
"…I… even thought of killing myself," whimpered Fujin, her quivering voice the epitome of despondency. "…I was only six at the time. Only six!"
"Fujin…!"
"It's true," sighed Smythe. "And I darn near did the same." Amy's chin dropped, and she stared in horror at the father-daughter duo. What kind of a horrible life could they have led, to drive them into self-murder at such a young age?!
"…But," continued Fujin, "when I thought all was lost, I… more or less found you." Her pale face brightened, and a smile finally came to her lips. "…Or should I say, her? Anyway, I found Amy one day, all alone and crying, and since I was sad too, I decided to join her. We bonded almost instantly, and were best friends before the week was over. Amy, you--I mean, she… She saved my life… Amy Mizuno saved my life…
"She was there for me every time I was insulted, or sad, or lonely… She stuck up for me when only Raijin and daddy were there… She held my hand, and gave me a smile, and said nice things, and laughed with me… and…" Now the tears returned to Fujin's face, and if it were possible, her bad eye would have gushed as well. Even Seifer had been moved by Fujin's passionate speech, and soon joined his two closest female friends in a warm embrace.
"…She broke me out of my shell," continued Fujin, her voice anything but calm. "Amy helped me so much… she was the light in times of darkness so many times… and there's nothing I can do to repay that. That's why I shielded you in the snow, Amy--because it was but a small token of my love, and just one more way to pay you back. I… love you, and I love her, and… without you, any of you, I……" Fujin finally broke down, and let her tears fall on Seifer's and Amy's shoulders.
A nasty person would have grinned at Fujin's declaration of love for Amy, but this was something beyond mere emotion. The bond and dedication these two girls had, and still had, was baffling. It went beyond definition, and since "love" was the most powerful way to describe such devotion, it was this word that Fujin used.
"…Amy… You're a wonderful woman…" whispered Seifer. He smiled happily, the first time he had done so in ages, and personally hugged her. Amy Mizuno, Sailor Mercury, had long ago lost the battle to her own tears, and to her speech, and took everything with wet eyes and a mute mouth.
Knock-knock-knock!
Rinoa Heartilly-Leonhart, no more clothed than a mouse on the day of its birth, grumbled and rolled over in bed slightly.
"Ughn… you get it…"
A snoring sound was her only reply. She sighed and clicked her tongue, and poked and prodded poor Squall until his eyes finally opened. He grumbled, not because of his wife's persistence, but because of the hour of the day, and wondered what could have possessed her to wake him like that.
But, as usual, "What?" was the only thing he said. Rinoa made a cute frowning face and tilted her head.
"The door, Squall," she pointed, and another trio of knocks came. Squall let out a groan, and made only the slightest effort to make himself presentable. Thankfully, he remembered just how cold it was out there, so after throwing on a terry cloth robe, he yanked the door open and greeted the visitor with a grumble.
"What?"
"SQAULL!!!!!" Poor Squall was instantly tackled by Zell, and landed on the floor with a gigantic THUD! He growled out in fury, and had to rip out several strands of blonde hair before the overly-enthusiastic young man let go.
"What is wrong with you?!?!" barked Squall, finally standing so he could dust himself off. Zell sighed, and sat down on the floor with a sigh. He shrugged, and gave his "friend" a grin.
"Ho, man… sorry about that, but I haven't seen you in ages, man! How have you been?! How's Rinoa?! I heard you were gonna be a dad, too!! What's up with that?!" Squall grumbled out an expletive, and held his temples in irritation. His irritated attitude died instantly, and was quickly replaced with a firm military salute as Brutus Rightfield and Morpheus of the Savage Six entered his house.
"Mr. Dincht, try and control yourself," advised the humanoid Morpheus. Zell grinned and gave the man a thumbs-up; Squall kept his stiff salute. Morpheus sighed with exasperation as he saw it, and told the young man to be at ease.
"Sir! I, ah, didn't expect to see you here!" managed Squall. Apparently, even he held a high respect for the Savage Six. Morpheus gave off a lack-jawed smile and crossed his arms, leaving his companion Rightfield to explain.
"We figured that we should all pay a visit to the son of the man who ended the Sorceress War!" he exclaimed. Brutus stuck his hand out, and took Squall's in a firm grip. "It's a pleasure, sir!! Tell your father we hold him in our highest esteem!!"
"…………uh…………"
"Poor boy's probably puzzled to death," grumbled Vera Grate as she ducked inside the door. Squall snapped her a salute as well, but Vera only rolled her eyes. "At ease, son. We're here on holiday just like you. Oh, by the way, you might wanna get dressed before we do anything else. I don't mind, but we've got some younger ladies coming in, and… well…"
"Younger ladies?" parroted Squall. "What do you mean? What's all this about?"
"That's what I'd like to know!" came a younger female voice from further inside the house. The door opened, and Rinoa Heartilly-Leonhart--thankfully with a robe on--emerged to see what the trouble was. Squall rolled his eyes, sighed, and decided to sit down before things went into overload. People started talking all at once, and the small house quickly became overcrowded as more and more visitors came in.
"People…"
"Rinoa!! Hey, future-mama, you're lookin' good!"
"Zell! How are you?! Where's your girlfriend?"
"Well, she…"
"People…"
"Oh, Miss Heartilly!"
"Hi, Nida! Oh, uh…… umm, Fujin…"
"GREETINGS."
"So Rinoa, when's the baby due?"
"Yeah, I wanna know, too!"
"Seven months, I think…"
"Wow, cool!"
"People…"
"SETTLE DOWN!!!!" Fujin growled lightly as the assembly of people suddenly silenced, and with a single nod she smiled at Squall. "BETTER?"
"Thank you…" Poor Squall sighed, and stood once again to address everyone in the room. "Now… can anybody tell me what's going on? I wasn't told that I'd get visitors. Is this another one of Zell's stupid ideas?"
"Hey man, that hurts!!" shouted Zell. Squall let out a groan of frustration… then suddenly, a sharp gasp pierced the air. Squall snarled and reflexively reached for his gunblade, but it was off in another room. His growl remained, though, and a path cleared as Squall and Seifer met for the first time in over a year.
"Oh… Seifer…" The clueless Mr. Almasy shrugged and scratched his head in confusion.
"Something tells me that I should know you from somewhere…" he mused. "But where, I don't know. …The lady, too. You both seem familiar."
"INSULTING," muttered Fujin. "REMEMBER THEM, NOT US?"
"Hey, so sue me for not being perfect!" snapped Seifer. "I'm just saying that these two look familiar."
"Huh? Seifer, what are you talking about?" asked Rinoa, and the dam broke once again. Everybody began talking at once, and neither Fujin nor Squall, nor any of the Savage Six, could have silenced them.
But…
"EVERYBODY BE QUIET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
In an instant, the room was dead silent, and all eyes were wide open, staring at the one who had shouted. Amy Mizuno took a deep breath, and darted her vision from person to person, daring them to open their mouths. Zell, whose smile was mostly out of amazement, did not expect such an outburst; not even Fujin saw it coming, and she knew Amy better than anyone.
"Mr. And Mrs. Leonhart," she began, "I'm willing to tell you two what the situation is, and why we're all here, but everybody has to agree to keep quiet. Understand?" A pause.
"Yeah," came several replies. Amy closed her eyes and smiled.
"All right, good. Now… since this visit mostly involves me, I guess I should be the one who does the talking……"
"……and that's the whole story." Amy paused just long enough to catch her breath and allow everyone else to absorb what she had said. It had only been two months ago when she was embarrassed about letting others know of her secret, but because of the support given to her by true friends, she was no longer ashamed to admit who she was and where she came from. Vera, Zell, Nida, Fujin, and Seifer had already heard her tale (Zell had heard it twice before), but it was news to everyone else.
Even so, they took it pretty well.
"…Wow…" whispered Rinoa, a cup of hot chocolate slowly cooling in her hand. "…Amy, if I didn't trust Zell so much, I'd say you have an incredible imagination. Then again, I guess it really isn't much to think about when you consider things like Sorceresses and Time Compression and Guardian Forces."
"…I guess all that would explain everything," mused Virgil Smythe. "It's altogether possible that there are other worlds out there, and it's very plausible that somebody bearing an exact resemblance to our Amy Mizuno should exist. It really is wonderful how similar the two of you are, or were……"
"So, you believe me?" asked the blue-haired young girl hopefully. Most everybody nodded their heads.
"You aren't insane," pointed Morpheus. "And it's perfectly obvious that you're not making this up, either. Everything is in great detail. A madman would not be so thorough with their stories, and a liar would leave loopholes in their story. No, your tale is quite believable, but I must admit that it is a strange one."
"Don't worry," assured Amy with a bright smile. "Sometimes I don't believe it either, and I live there!!" This drew a few chuckles out, most noticeably from Rinoa. The one-time common girl paused to finish off her drink, then raised her hand in question.
"…So you're trying to get back to your own dimension, and you think my sorceress powers might be able to help?"
"Yes, that's correct," said Amy. "Can you do it?" Rinoa shrugged, and let Nida carry her dishes to the kitchen for her. He returned just in time to hear her response.
"I'm sure I could. I've had my powers for some time now, so I've had plenty of time to master them. I'm sure I could open a nexus to your dimension, but I won't guarantee its ease."
"I'd never think of asking you to do anything harmful…"
"No, it's okay," argued Rinoa. "It's just that… I've never actually done something like this before, and I've never heard of it being done either. I'm fairly confident of myself, but all the same, I'd like for everybody to lend me their support." All heads nodded in agreement, and Amy kindly thanked Rinoa for her assistance.
"So, when do you feel up to doing this?" she asked. "I don't think a few more days spent here will affect anything in the long run, but if it's all the same, I would like to return home as soon as I can."
"I understand," said Rinoa with a smile. "I'd like to get rested up before I try this, and it's pretty late already--at least in Trabia. We can try tomorrow morning if you want."
"Perfect! Oh, but…… can I make another request?"
"Certainly."
"…Before we do anything else…" said Amy softly, "there's something I'd like to take care of."
"Like what?" A pause.
"I… have to say good-bye," whispered the blue-haired woman. "…To somebody I knew very, very well……"
Standing high on the cliff were an assortment of people, and a shell of a woman long since passed. The Savage Six, all of them, stood side by side, every one of them giving their finest salute. Fujin, Amy, Nida, Zell, and Seifer were all holding onto one loved one or another; Amy held Zell tightly and tried to remain calm, Nida hugged Fujin from behind and kissed her neck, and Seifer knelt down on the ground, his own fingers entwined with the dead girls'. Amidst the crowd stood Squall and Rinoa, both their hands locked together, both silent and solemn. Turn, the leader of the Savage Six, gave the eulogy.
"…We are gathered here to pay final respects to Amy Mizuno, the Ice Warrior, candidate for SeeD," he began. "…Amy Mizuno was born in Dollet to Li and Anita Mizuno, and was orphaned due to the Sorceress War. She was later adopted by General Virgil Homer Smythe of Windhill. She enrolled in Balamb Garden at age eleven, but unfortunately never officially became a SeeD, though she was worthy of the title. She died while on a mission in Trabia plains, but cause of death still remains unknown. She is not survived by any biological family members, but is instead survived by her adopted father, her adopted brother Raijin Smythe, her adopted sister Fujin Smythe, her friend Seifer Almasy, and countless others.
"…There is much I can say about Miss Mizuno's life… But, if I knew her at all, then I know that she'd want me to sum everything up in just one sentence. …She was a good soldier, and a great warrior, but in matters of friendship, she was the best. I shall miss her deeply." Turn cleared his throat, and covered his heart with his hand. All the other Savage Six covered their hearts as well, except for Smythe, who had knelt down to give Amy a final farewell.
One by one, everybody shuffled past the frozen woman, each paying respects in their own way. Nida and Zell, who had not known her, merely covered their hearts as well in the most honorable salute, as did Squall and Rinoa. Smythe let out a gust of air, and bent down to kiss the girl's frozen cheeks. His fingers touched her icy hair one last time, and he stepped aside to let Amy's closest friends pay respects.
Amy herself bent over the frozen girl, and whispered something that not even Fujin could hear. She smiled, clasped her counterpart's hand, and kissed the girl's forehead. Seifer gently held the woman's face to his own, and placed a dutiful kiss on her cold lips. His tears left slight impressions on her bluish face.
Fujin, to everyone's surprise, smiled as she gave her closest friend one final embrace. With her pinwheel, she slit her finger open a little, and wrote something on Amy's forehead with her own blood. Fujin dutifully kissed the frozen girl's lips as a sister should, smiled one last time, and let the girl go free.
With that, the Six pallbearers gently placed Amy's frozen body into the sea, and allowed the girl to rest for eternity. The word that Fujin had written on Amy's forehead was PHOENIX.
