A Second Chance

Chapter II: An Unwelcomed Return

By: Peregrin Took



Marcus woke up and stretched, looking around the clearing to make sure nothing was amiss, but something was wrong, something that he just couldn't put his finger on. He got up and went to wake everyone up, starting with Jowy.

"Hey, everybody wake up, Jowy's gone!"

Nanami was the first one to wake up, she jumped up and ran over to where Marcus was standing and saw that he was about to go into a fit.

"Where the hell is he!? Why would he just get up and leave!? He could have been CAPTURED...or even killed!!!" Marcus then sat there for a moment and started to sob.

Heiro was the next to wake up, he seemed not to be worried as much as Marcus was, "Calm down Marcus, wherever Jowy is he can take care of himself...we don't have the time to worry about him right now...we've got to get to the Crystal Shrine!"

Marcus looked up, madder than ever, and yelled, "You insensitive JERK, Jowy's gones if you hadn't noticed!!"

Marcus jumped up and barreled into Heiro, knocking him to the ground. Marcus started smashing his fists into Heiro's face in a mad rage.....then Gremio jumped up and hurriedly halled Marcus off of Heiro. Marcus was still swinging his fists blindly into the air until Nanami came over and slapped him in the face, "CALM DOWN," Nanami yelled at him, "Jowy is gone right now and there's nothing we can do about it, I'm sure he had a good reason to leave us!"

Heiro got up and rubbed his face, and went over to the nearby stream and splashed his face, then he turned around, walked over to Marcus (who was still being held by Gremio) and said, "Just calm down Marcus, I know you're mad right now but as Nanami said, Jowy must have had a good reason to leave us."

"Ok, I'll calm down as soon as Gremio lets go of me," Gremio slowly let go of Marcus, "thanks Gremio." he said while rubbing his arms, "I'm sorry about that Heiro, I just couldn't control myself. I think I might go back to sleep."

With that Marcus went over and climbed into his sleeping bag and went to sleep. Then after a few second pause Nanami suggested, "He's right, we might as well get some more sleep too, we've got a long walk ahead of us."

I was running as fast as I could back to the south, while I ran I thought to myself, "Since I'm going this way I might as well go see Jillia and Pilika, I wonder what they would say to me. I also wonder if Marcus and the others found me gone yet. I must have caused quite a commotion back there."

I ran (or walked) the whole day, by the time the sun started going down I had come almost to the borders of Harmonia, once I got there I turned back to the west to Jillia's home, which was still a days walk away.

I didn't stop to sleep, I just kept on running and by sunrise I had come to Jillia's home....and collapsed with exaustion.

When I woke up I saw the face of a little girl hovering over me, it was Pilika, and at that moment she cried out, "Aunty, Aunty, It's Uncle Jowy!"

"That's impossible, he left ages ago."

"But it's TRUE Aunty, he lying right here!"

Jillia looked up from her gardening, then with wide-eyed astonishment she rushed over and shook me by the shoulder crying, "JOWY, are you all right? You look so tired! Where are Marcus and Nanami!?"

Jowy looked up and, with great exhaustion, said, "I left them behind...I had to come back and...finish some things."

Jillia looked at me for a moment and then brightened up as if she understood what I meant by "things". She paused for moment and said sadly, "I'm sorry about this Jowy..." She hit me across the head and everything went black...