Chapter 2: Forgotten Piece of the Biggest Puzzle
~**Jade's POV**~
I stood on my tiptoes to look out at all the people in the crowd. There were so many nobles, commoners, and people from other cities! Sure I'd seen that many people before, I did every year, but somehow this year was different. More excitement was in the air, and the people seemed to increase in number. It seemed as if something different was planned this year; it was more like something special.
I placed my elbows on the windowsill and continued to look at all the people. My tail kept bumping into the chair behind me, so I eventually wrapped it neatly around my waist. My mother hated that, but I only did this when she wasn't around. I started to sing to myself my mother's song that came from… Madi Sari? Aunt Eiko told me all about her hometown that was on the lost continent, and about where my mother really came from. It was sort of a shock to me at first, but I liked the idea afterward. I had to because who couldn't love the horn on my head?
I was now gazing up at the sky that shined a light blue. My father might be looking at the same sky, or he might be looking down at me from it. Either way, I still was angry with him. I wanted answers. I wanted to know where he's been all my life, and most of all I wanted to know how he felt when my mother cried for him. Did he have the same emotions that we all did? He had to if he loved my mother. What would he think of me, his only child? And what would he think of my mother's suitors? Too many questions and only one answer; if he loves my mother as much as he said, he would return to her.
A light breeze washed over my face before I turned away from the window. My tail uncoiled from my waist as soon as I heard the door open. I smoothed out my dress and smiled as soon as I saw Eiko and my mother walk through the door. I quickly ran and gave Eiko a giant hug in which she returned. I was so happy to see her because she was the one that I always turned to for advice. I wanted to talk to her today about some stuff to get off my chest, but that would have to wait until the play was over.
"Ah, how have you been, Jade?" Aunt Eiko asked. She looked older every time I saw her. She was now thirteen years old and had the same short purple hair that was a little bit below her chin. She wore a solid purple dress that was a little bit lighter than her hair color. Her ankle boots were the same color as her eyes, sky blue. Overall, she was a very mature looking lady for her age, and everyone in Lindblum through Alexandria loved her. She would often talk to my mother about any new discoveries with the "summons"; I forget what they're called.
"I've been fine. How are things in Lindblum with Uncle Cid?" I asked eagerly. Cid was a great father to Eiko and an excellent regent of Lindblum. He was close friends with my grandfather so our families always keep I touch.
"Things have been really good lately and everyone is really excited for this year's play. I heard that they have a new member of Tantlantus playing this year. He'll be playing Marcus, so everyone is really excited to see how well he can act. Aren't you the least bit happy? "
"Oh I am, I'm just thinking about… something right now… I'll tell you about it later."
"I see. Well I'm going to go talk to Beatrix and Steiner, so I'll see you later, ok?" Eiko gave me a big hug and then walked toward the door. Before she left, she gave a reassuring smile to my mother and then disappeared into the depths of the hallways.
"I remember when I used to wear that dress to occasions like these," my mother calmly stated as she smoothed out my light blue dress. She smoothed out my hair and smiled half heartedly to herself, as she looked me over. I smiled back at her after smoothing out my dress on my own. She got up and walked to her dresser. Then she looked for something inside one of the drawers. It was a small, shiny object, from what I could see, and he held it delicately as she walked back over to me. A small frown lay upon her face as she gently put it atop my head.
"Your grandmother gave this to me when I attended my first play when I was your age. I guess now would be the right time to give it to you," she whispered to me as she finally adjusted the crown properly to fit my head. I fingered the sparkling object when I approached a mirror. It looked exactly like my mothers, except it was a bight gold, like my hair, instead of my mother's sparkling white crown. It was beautiful in every way, and I was surprised that my mother was giving it to me now.
She approached me slowly, and then sat on the floor. Her eyes showed a sign of distance, and I could tell her mind was wandering elsewhere. I turned around to look at her, just as she covered her face with her hand. Tears slid through her fingers, and a sob escaped her lips. I rushed to her side and hugged her tightly, pleading with her to tell me what was wrong. She got like this so often that it began to frighten me.
"Mommy, please tell me what's wrong!" I cried as tears of my own came from my eyes as I slowly rocked her back and forth. She held onto my hand and wept on my shoulder. If anything hurt me up to this point in my life, this would be it. I had my mother breakdown in my arms, and I not only didn't know what was wrong, I also didn't know how to stop it.
"I- I just wish… You could have met her… before… b-before she passed away," my mother sobbed. She was talking about my grandmother. "She would have been… so proud of you… and maybe… she would've been p-proud of… me as well." I hugged her tighter as she continued to talk about her mother, the late queen. I never did get to know her, but I did hear all the stories before and after she met Kuja. I didn't know how I felt about her, but I loved her for the soul sake that she was my grandmother. But then… why didn't I love my father?
For the first time I reflected upon my own thoughts about my father. 'No…' I said to myself. 'He left us… I'll never forgive him for that, and I won't forgive him for the pain he put Mommy through.'
"It's all right, Mommy. She loves you, and I know she's proud of you. Don't doubt her or her faith in you…" She held onto me tightly as the tears in her eyes were slowly starting to dry.
She looked up at me and brushed the hair out of my face with her hand and smiled. "You say you hate him," she began, "but you have no idea how much you act like him, and you act more like him every waking day…" I looked away but continued to hug her.
I refused to be part of something that I've never known...
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~**Beatrix's POV**~
I clutched the handle of my trusty Save the Queen as I looked upon the late Queen's grave. Everyday, for the past seven years new flowers have been placed by the gravestone, and everyday Garnet, Steiner, and I paid our respects. Lately, the castle has busy with activity fir the upcoming play, so I missed a few days of visiting her Majesty's grave. Silence was all around me, as I stood alone in one of the many castle gardens.
As I was about to leave, I heard footsteps coming in my general direction. I was about to unsheathe Save the Queen, but then I saw who my visitor was. Lady Eiko, as she was called now, ran toward me with a bright smile on her face and one arm waving.
"Hey Beatrix!" she yelled happily as she ran a bit faster. A smile graced my face as I let my hand drop to my side. Her presence always brought happiness to the whole castle since she was so light hearted. When she finally reached me, she was panting slightly, and she brushed away a lock of hair that fell in front of her eyes.
"My, you look older every year," I stated while smiling, and it was true. The horn on her head had grown and so did she. She looked like she was going on seventeen even though she had just become a teenager.
"Heh, thank you. Well you look… the same!" she laughed. "So how have you and Rusty been over the past year? Either one of you thinking about marriage?" This question brought a bright red color to my cheeks as I stared at the young summoner.
"Actually, marriage has never come up in a long while. You know that Steiner and I are too busy protecting the kingdom to get married. I'm too busy trying to get Garnet to marry! How can I worry about myself right now?" I was hoping that excuse would make Eiko stop asking question, but I should have known better. She can see through people like a normal person can see through a window.
"Now you're just making excuses up, but be glad that they can been seen as excuses in a certain light. I'll give you and Steiner more time, heh. So how is the kingdom running? I've wanted to know from someone else's point of view besides Jade's. She seems to be so wrapped up in her hatred for Zidane that she rarely smiles anymore. Even when she does smile, I can see how it's fake. Why does she do this?"
"No one really knows. She's been angry with him for as long as I can remember. I'm not even sure if she'll every get over it at one point in her life." I looked down at the ground worried because that's what I truly was. Jade was the perfect example of being a direct spawn of Zidane, but how can the spawn of something hate its creator so much when she's exactly like it?
"Hopefully after today, she'll be able to forgive and Dagger will be able to smile like she used to," whispered Eiko. She stared off at the sky when she spoke, and I began to look at her puzzled. Why did she know about something that no one else had heard about? I approached her and held her arm. I needed to know what she was talking about. Certainly, no one but herself and Regent Cid must know if she's keeping it as secret as it is.
"What do you mean by that? Is there something that you know that I don't?" I asked sharply. Eiko looked up at me and simply smiled as she eased her arm out of my grasp.
"Beatrix, I am going to tell you something very important, but in order to have it's full effect, you need not to speak about it to neither Dagger nor Jade, ok?" I gave a slight nod and looked at her carefully. With eager ears, I listened to her tale…
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~**Eiko's POV About a Year Earlier**~
I dashed through the castle as I tried to find my father as quickly as possible. Many people were still in the castle even though the play has been over for about a day. I ran around everyone, making sure that I didn't knock over anyone in the process. So many nobles were still here and I wished that they would all disappear! The news I had to tell father was too important to be slowed down but a crowd of rich people.
I passed a group of guards and came to the elevator that led upstairs. Before I could rush in it to go up, I crashed into a tall being and landed hard on the floor. God, that felt like running into a wall! My butt started to ache as I slowly got up and looked at the person I bumped into.
"Father!" I cried out as I jumped up and floated in the air on my larger wings. "I heard something coming from the Iifa tree and I want to go see what it is! Can I go? Please, please, please, please, please, pleaseee!" I begged as I hugged his neck tightly. My mother was standing next to him looking at me in confusion. I tried my best to keep my innocent little girl smile on my face for a long time. Luckily for me, my face didn't freeze into that position before he said yes.
"All right, all right! But first I want to know what you heard and why you want to go there so badly," he asked as he detached me from his neck and gently placing me on the ground. I was twelve years old, and I knew I was getting to big to do that.
"While I was sleeping, I had this strange dream about this lone figure standing at the Iifa tree, and he was singing the song of Madi Sari! This seemed strange at first because as I started to float toward the figure in my dream the music only got louder, but I wasn't getting anywhere. When he finally began to turn around to look at me, the whole scene disappeared, and I woke up. But the strange thing is I always hear the song still in my ears when I wake up. And always right before the song ends, the voice always says, 'dagger.' I just want to go there to check out what my dream means!"
The look on my father's face showed deep thought, as if he was trying to decode what my dream really meant. "Well," he began, "this seems like something too big for you to handle by yourself, so I'm going to send Tantlantus with you. What ever you find there, I'm sure they'll be able to take care of and carry back."
"Please Eiko, just head home as soon as possible, ok?" pleaded Hilda, my mother. I nodded and quickly ran off to my room.
It wasn't long before Tantlantus was aware of what was going on, and I was more than happy to see Rudy again. Over the years, she had become one of my favorite people of the group of thieves. I rushed onto the huge airship and gave her a tight hug. She returned the hug and lifted me slightly off the ground.
"How are ya, hun?" she asked with a broad smile on her face. My wings gave a slight flutter as I was placed on the ground so I could answer her question.
"Well, nothing much besides the dream, of course. Anything new with you?"
"Not really. We all sorta settle down after the play. Ya know that, but once we all heard of ya dream, I got this strange feelin' from it. It's been six years though, so I'm not so sure." She looked over her shoulder at Blank, who was talking to my father. They all had slightly tarnished spirits over the years since Zidane disappeared. Blank and Ruby were the ones who were the most affected by it.
"You're talking about Zidane, aren't you?" I asked with a slight hint of suspicion in my voice. I knew what they all were hoping because that's what I was hoping as well.
"Of course I am, hun. Ya know we've all been missin' him so much. He was sorta like our backbone. We really didn't know what to do without him. Blank, more than anyone else has been hoping that the figure in ya dream was Zidane. They were like brothers, ya know?" I nodded and turned my attention toward Blank. He had already stopped the discussion with my father, but his head hung and a slight aura of depression was all around him.
"Well," I started, "I'm going to see how Baku is doing and maybe I can convince him to let me stand out near the front of the ship when we get close to the Iifa tree. I'll talk to you later, ok?" Ruby smiled warmly at me as I gave her a quick, tight hug. Soon after I ran through the halls of the ship to locate Baku.
When I made my first sharp turn, I crashed into something that was standing in the doorway. I landed hard on my butt and my elbows. My head was spinning and I had to hold it with one hand before I started to feel better again. Slowly looking up with blurry vision, I saw a tall, round figure that had his hand extended. He let out a loud laugh and gently lifted me to my feet.
"Bwahahaha! You ok there, Lady Eiko?" Baku asked as I slowly dusted myself off. I waved my hand at him slightly, signaling that I was all right. "What was the reason for you rushing in the halls like that?"
"Well I was off to find you, but I don't have to anymore, ne?" I replied with a small smile on my face.
"What did you want to see me for?"
"I wanted to know if I could stand near the front of the ship when we get close to our destination, but only if it's ok with you, of course." He thought about it for a while before he gave em a small pat on the head with a smile.
"Sure you can, Eiko. Just don't fall off, bwahahaha!" I smiled again and then ran off to my room. I needed rest before we left for our destination. I knew that whatever we were going to find, it was going to make a difference. Maybe not to most people, but to those select few, it would fill their hearts with joy…
~**Jade's POV**~
I stood on my tiptoes to look out at all the people in the crowd. There were so many nobles, commoners, and people from other cities! Sure I'd seen that many people before, I did every year, but somehow this year was different. More excitement was in the air, and the people seemed to increase in number. It seemed as if something different was planned this year; it was more like something special.
I placed my elbows on the windowsill and continued to look at all the people. My tail kept bumping into the chair behind me, so I eventually wrapped it neatly around my waist. My mother hated that, but I only did this when she wasn't around. I started to sing to myself my mother's song that came from… Madi Sari? Aunt Eiko told me all about her hometown that was on the lost continent, and about where my mother really came from. It was sort of a shock to me at first, but I liked the idea afterward. I had to because who couldn't love the horn on my head?
I was now gazing up at the sky that shined a light blue. My father might be looking at the same sky, or he might be looking down at me from it. Either way, I still was angry with him. I wanted answers. I wanted to know where he's been all my life, and most of all I wanted to know how he felt when my mother cried for him. Did he have the same emotions that we all did? He had to if he loved my mother. What would he think of me, his only child? And what would he think of my mother's suitors? Too many questions and only one answer; if he loves my mother as much as he said, he would return to her.
A light breeze washed over my face before I turned away from the window. My tail uncoiled from my waist as soon as I heard the door open. I smoothed out my dress and smiled as soon as I saw Eiko and my mother walk through the door. I quickly ran and gave Eiko a giant hug in which she returned. I was so happy to see her because she was the one that I always turned to for advice. I wanted to talk to her today about some stuff to get off my chest, but that would have to wait until the play was over.
"Ah, how have you been, Jade?" Aunt Eiko asked. She looked older every time I saw her. She was now thirteen years old and had the same short purple hair that was a little bit below her chin. She wore a solid purple dress that was a little bit lighter than her hair color. Her ankle boots were the same color as her eyes, sky blue. Overall, she was a very mature looking lady for her age, and everyone in Lindblum through Alexandria loved her. She would often talk to my mother about any new discoveries with the "summons"; I forget what they're called.
"I've been fine. How are things in Lindblum with Uncle Cid?" I asked eagerly. Cid was a great father to Eiko and an excellent regent of Lindblum. He was close friends with my grandfather so our families always keep I touch.
"Things have been really good lately and everyone is really excited for this year's play. I heard that they have a new member of Tantlantus playing this year. He'll be playing Marcus, so everyone is really excited to see how well he can act. Aren't you the least bit happy? "
"Oh I am, I'm just thinking about… something right now… I'll tell you about it later."
"I see. Well I'm going to go talk to Beatrix and Steiner, so I'll see you later, ok?" Eiko gave me a big hug and then walked toward the door. Before she left, she gave a reassuring smile to my mother and then disappeared into the depths of the hallways.
"I remember when I used to wear that dress to occasions like these," my mother calmly stated as she smoothed out my light blue dress. She smoothed out my hair and smiled half heartedly to herself, as she looked me over. I smiled back at her after smoothing out my dress on my own. She got up and walked to her dresser. Then she looked for something inside one of the drawers. It was a small, shiny object, from what I could see, and he held it delicately as she walked back over to me. A small frown lay upon her face as she gently put it atop my head.
"Your grandmother gave this to me when I attended my first play when I was your age. I guess now would be the right time to give it to you," she whispered to me as she finally adjusted the crown properly to fit my head. I fingered the sparkling object when I approached a mirror. It looked exactly like my mothers, except it was a bight gold, like my hair, instead of my mother's sparkling white crown. It was beautiful in every way, and I was surprised that my mother was giving it to me now.
She approached me slowly, and then sat on the floor. Her eyes showed a sign of distance, and I could tell her mind was wandering elsewhere. I turned around to look at her, just as she covered her face with her hand. Tears slid through her fingers, and a sob escaped her lips. I rushed to her side and hugged her tightly, pleading with her to tell me what was wrong. She got like this so often that it began to frighten me.
"Mommy, please tell me what's wrong!" I cried as tears of my own came from my eyes as I slowly rocked her back and forth. She held onto my hand and wept on my shoulder. If anything hurt me up to this point in my life, this would be it. I had my mother breakdown in my arms, and I not only didn't know what was wrong, I also didn't know how to stop it.
"I- I just wish… You could have met her… before… b-before she passed away," my mother sobbed. She was talking about my grandmother. "She would have been… so proud of you… and maybe… she would've been p-proud of… me as well." I hugged her tighter as she continued to talk about her mother, the late queen. I never did get to know her, but I did hear all the stories before and after she met Kuja. I didn't know how I felt about her, but I loved her for the soul sake that she was my grandmother. But then… why didn't I love my father?
For the first time I reflected upon my own thoughts about my father. 'No…' I said to myself. 'He left us… I'll never forgive him for that, and I won't forgive him for the pain he put Mommy through.'
"It's all right, Mommy. She loves you, and I know she's proud of you. Don't doubt her or her faith in you…" She held onto me tightly as the tears in her eyes were slowly starting to dry.
She looked up at me and brushed the hair out of my face with her hand and smiled. "You say you hate him," she began, "but you have no idea how much you act like him, and you act more like him every waking day…" I looked away but continued to hug her.
I refused to be part of something that I've never known...
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~**Beatrix's POV**~
I clutched the handle of my trusty Save the Queen as I looked upon the late Queen's grave. Everyday, for the past seven years new flowers have been placed by the gravestone, and everyday Garnet, Steiner, and I paid our respects. Lately, the castle has busy with activity fir the upcoming play, so I missed a few days of visiting her Majesty's grave. Silence was all around me, as I stood alone in one of the many castle gardens.
As I was about to leave, I heard footsteps coming in my general direction. I was about to unsheathe Save the Queen, but then I saw who my visitor was. Lady Eiko, as she was called now, ran toward me with a bright smile on her face and one arm waving.
"Hey Beatrix!" she yelled happily as she ran a bit faster. A smile graced my face as I let my hand drop to my side. Her presence always brought happiness to the whole castle since she was so light hearted. When she finally reached me, she was panting slightly, and she brushed away a lock of hair that fell in front of her eyes.
"My, you look older every year," I stated while smiling, and it was true. The horn on her head had grown and so did she. She looked like she was going on seventeen even though she had just become a teenager.
"Heh, thank you. Well you look… the same!" she laughed. "So how have you and Rusty been over the past year? Either one of you thinking about marriage?" This question brought a bright red color to my cheeks as I stared at the young summoner.
"Actually, marriage has never come up in a long while. You know that Steiner and I are too busy protecting the kingdom to get married. I'm too busy trying to get Garnet to marry! How can I worry about myself right now?" I was hoping that excuse would make Eiko stop asking question, but I should have known better. She can see through people like a normal person can see through a window.
"Now you're just making excuses up, but be glad that they can been seen as excuses in a certain light. I'll give you and Steiner more time, heh. So how is the kingdom running? I've wanted to know from someone else's point of view besides Jade's. She seems to be so wrapped up in her hatred for Zidane that she rarely smiles anymore. Even when she does smile, I can see how it's fake. Why does she do this?"
"No one really knows. She's been angry with him for as long as I can remember. I'm not even sure if she'll every get over it at one point in her life." I looked down at the ground worried because that's what I truly was. Jade was the perfect example of being a direct spawn of Zidane, but how can the spawn of something hate its creator so much when she's exactly like it?
"Hopefully after today, she'll be able to forgive and Dagger will be able to smile like she used to," whispered Eiko. She stared off at the sky when she spoke, and I began to look at her puzzled. Why did she know about something that no one else had heard about? I approached her and held her arm. I needed to know what she was talking about. Certainly, no one but herself and Regent Cid must know if she's keeping it as secret as it is.
"What do you mean by that? Is there something that you know that I don't?" I asked sharply. Eiko looked up at me and simply smiled as she eased her arm out of my grasp.
"Beatrix, I am going to tell you something very important, but in order to have it's full effect, you need not to speak about it to neither Dagger nor Jade, ok?" I gave a slight nod and looked at her carefully. With eager ears, I listened to her tale…
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~**Eiko's POV About a Year Earlier**~
I dashed through the castle as I tried to find my father as quickly as possible. Many people were still in the castle even though the play has been over for about a day. I ran around everyone, making sure that I didn't knock over anyone in the process. So many nobles were still here and I wished that they would all disappear! The news I had to tell father was too important to be slowed down but a crowd of rich people.
I passed a group of guards and came to the elevator that led upstairs. Before I could rush in it to go up, I crashed into a tall being and landed hard on the floor. God, that felt like running into a wall! My butt started to ache as I slowly got up and looked at the person I bumped into.
"Father!" I cried out as I jumped up and floated in the air on my larger wings. "I heard something coming from the Iifa tree and I want to go see what it is! Can I go? Please, please, please, please, please, pleaseee!" I begged as I hugged his neck tightly. My mother was standing next to him looking at me in confusion. I tried my best to keep my innocent little girl smile on my face for a long time. Luckily for me, my face didn't freeze into that position before he said yes.
"All right, all right! But first I want to know what you heard and why you want to go there so badly," he asked as he detached me from his neck and gently placing me on the ground. I was twelve years old, and I knew I was getting to big to do that.
"While I was sleeping, I had this strange dream about this lone figure standing at the Iifa tree, and he was singing the song of Madi Sari! This seemed strange at first because as I started to float toward the figure in my dream the music only got louder, but I wasn't getting anywhere. When he finally began to turn around to look at me, the whole scene disappeared, and I woke up. But the strange thing is I always hear the song still in my ears when I wake up. And always right before the song ends, the voice always says, 'dagger.' I just want to go there to check out what my dream means!"
The look on my father's face showed deep thought, as if he was trying to decode what my dream really meant. "Well," he began, "this seems like something too big for you to handle by yourself, so I'm going to send Tantlantus with you. What ever you find there, I'm sure they'll be able to take care of and carry back."
"Please Eiko, just head home as soon as possible, ok?" pleaded Hilda, my mother. I nodded and quickly ran off to my room.
It wasn't long before Tantlantus was aware of what was going on, and I was more than happy to see Rudy again. Over the years, she had become one of my favorite people of the group of thieves. I rushed onto the huge airship and gave her a tight hug. She returned the hug and lifted me slightly off the ground.
"How are ya, hun?" she asked with a broad smile on her face. My wings gave a slight flutter as I was placed on the ground so I could answer her question.
"Well, nothing much besides the dream, of course. Anything new with you?"
"Not really. We all sorta settle down after the play. Ya know that, but once we all heard of ya dream, I got this strange feelin' from it. It's been six years though, so I'm not so sure." She looked over her shoulder at Blank, who was talking to my father. They all had slightly tarnished spirits over the years since Zidane disappeared. Blank and Ruby were the ones who were the most affected by it.
"You're talking about Zidane, aren't you?" I asked with a slight hint of suspicion in my voice. I knew what they all were hoping because that's what I was hoping as well.
"Of course I am, hun. Ya know we've all been missin' him so much. He was sorta like our backbone. We really didn't know what to do without him. Blank, more than anyone else has been hoping that the figure in ya dream was Zidane. They were like brothers, ya know?" I nodded and turned my attention toward Blank. He had already stopped the discussion with my father, but his head hung and a slight aura of depression was all around him.
"Well," I started, "I'm going to see how Baku is doing and maybe I can convince him to let me stand out near the front of the ship when we get close to the Iifa tree. I'll talk to you later, ok?" Ruby smiled warmly at me as I gave her a quick, tight hug. Soon after I ran through the halls of the ship to locate Baku.
When I made my first sharp turn, I crashed into something that was standing in the doorway. I landed hard on my butt and my elbows. My head was spinning and I had to hold it with one hand before I started to feel better again. Slowly looking up with blurry vision, I saw a tall, round figure that had his hand extended. He let out a loud laugh and gently lifted me to my feet.
"Bwahahaha! You ok there, Lady Eiko?" Baku asked as I slowly dusted myself off. I waved my hand at him slightly, signaling that I was all right. "What was the reason for you rushing in the halls like that?"
"Well I was off to find you, but I don't have to anymore, ne?" I replied with a small smile on my face.
"What did you want to see me for?"
"I wanted to know if I could stand near the front of the ship when we get close to our destination, but only if it's ok with you, of course." He thought about it for a while before he gave em a small pat on the head with a smile.
"Sure you can, Eiko. Just don't fall off, bwahahaha!" I smiled again and then ran off to my room. I needed rest before we left for our destination. I knew that whatever we were going to find, it was going to make a difference. Maybe not to most people, but to those select few, it would fill their hearts with joy…
