Chapter Fourteen: The Crimson Lady
Sanya rushed forward to embrace her love, but instead stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of another woman, who was way too near to her boyfriend for her tastes. Instead she sauntered up to him casually and gripped his hand firmly in hers, and then shot a look at the red haired woman that said plainly, 'he's mine, don't you DARE touch him!'
The woman laughed harshly and said in a voice dripping and seeping with contempt, "Don't worry, girlie, I'm not here to take you're man."
Sanya narrowed her eyes at the red haired woman and locked both of her arms around Nathan's larger one and set her body into a protective stance. The woman laughed again with one hand up to her lips. Her eyes fell on Sanya, and Sanya made a small sound of fright, and when the woman turned to stare into the eyes of each of us, I saw why. Her eyes were blood red and incredibly frightening. She seemed to revolve around the colors red, yellow, and orange. She wore a shortened, dandelion colored tank top and shorts that looked as if they'd been cut from a pair of jeans. Around her neck was a long, bead necklace with a phoenix charm at the end and around her arms were set golden clasps, each bearing an orange jewel. Her smile was malicious, and as her eyes fell upon me it seemed to grow. I shivered. Her eyes gave you the feeling of foreboding.
Nathan glared at the woman, and she backed down and folded her arms over her chest and leaned against a pile of boxes set up in the deck. "This is Sophia," he announced. "She's a good friend of the family." He then blushed and smiled at Sanya in what he most likely hoped a nonchalant way. "I promised her that I'd show her around Luca."
Sanya's fingernail dug into the skin of his arm. "You promised HER? What about ME?" she hissed at him angrily.
"Don't worry, girlie, you're all invited too. Wouldn't want to keep Nathan away from his girlfriend," Sophia said, smiling sweetly at Sanya. Sanya attempted the smile back, but it looked more like Kimahri bearing his teeth at an enemy than a friendly smile coming from one of the most optimistic people I knew.
"Well, then, let's get going!" Ruka said quickly to ease the tension. She nudged Oryon and whispered through her teeth, "Help me!"
Oryon looked up at Sophia with one of his soul-searching gazes before saying, "I'd rather like it if we went and did something as well."
"Yeah! I haven't seen all that much of Luca either. C'mon!" I piped up. Sophia's flaming gaze fell upon me again and I met it firmly, hoping that my blue eyes could match the ferocity of her crimson ones. She smiled strangely at me and walked past me, keeping herself close to Nathan and infuriating Sanya, who still had her arms firmly around Nathan's.
I tried to read what Sophia's gaze had told me, but it was like deciphering another language. The only thing I could understand was that the strange woman knew something about me but wasn't willing to release it. I sighed. I had the penetrating feeling that she, Oryon, and Ryuu all knew something more about me than I knew myself.
But the question is, what?
~*~*~*~
We walked silently for a while, but Ruka soon started up a lively conversation with her best friend, which erupted into the rest of us chatting amiably, excluding Sophia, who seemed more interested in the sights of Luca or staring at the rest of us with her frightening gaze. She added in a slightly haughty comment every once in awhile, but usually kept to herself. Sanya would often glance furtively over at the red haired woman, but she seemed much more interested in her handsome boyfriend, who now held her around the waist as we stopped to observe the setting Lucan sun. She blushed and giggled stupidly whenever Nathan spoke to her, and Ruka seemed sort of lonely, so she resorted to flirting with Oryon, who took no notice and ignored her little antics. She sighed and leaned over near me. "He's such a loner. I wish he'd pay attention to something other than himself, you know?" she whispered quietly. I giggled.
"But he wouldn't be Oryon if he was talkative, annoying, and arrogant like Ryuu or something like that! Seriously, I'd take Oryon over that guy any day," I whispered back.
Ruka looked at me indignantly. "Ryuu's not talkative, annoying, and arrogant! He's hot, strong, and sexy."
I pretended to wretch and said, "Oh stop, you're going to make me lose my lunch, oy!"
Ruka pursed her lips and folded her arms. "You're just like Oryon, tasteless and oblivious to flirting. Ryuu's infatuated with you, and all you do is make fun of him! I'd die to have him love me!"
"You'd probably have to die just to get him to look at you," Oryon said before letting out a hoarse laugh. "He's a narcissist. The only things he notices are girls worthy of approaching him and his own girly reflection in the mirror."
Ruka looked hurt. "So. Ryuu's girly, and I'm not even worthy of approaching him, huh?" she asked, her lip quavering. She turned away. "You're just jealous that you could never accomplish half of what he has!"
Oryon looked at her with his eyes narrowed. "Think what you want, but he'd not a bit as great as he makes himself to be. You can love him and adore him all you want, but remember what I've said today when he turns his back on you!"
Ruka kept her back to him and I could see tears silently streaking down her face. Oryon's harsh words had hurt her.
I frowned at the man and pulled him roughly off to the side. "What was that about? That was a little cruel if you ask me," I rebuked him.
He shrugged. "The truth hurts."
"You're very difficult to get through to at times, you know that?" I said, looking into his russet eyes with determination. "You should try to have a bit more tact!"
He looked into my eyes, and then placed his hands on my shoulder and pushed me slightly away to where he could see me completely, then he laughed. "You remind me of something, no, someone, that I might have once known. I think there's a little more to you than you see at first glance, Destiny!" His laugh continued, and I pulled myself gently away.
"Who do I remind you of?" I asked, confused.
He smiled. "Someone I knew a long time ago. It's been so long that their name eludes me, but you're definitely like him. Definitely." He looked into the pinkish sky. "Ah, the chain of life, connected not by links but by people. When one person departs from the link and leaves behind something that has yet to be accomplished, another comes in and takes their place, almost as if the person had just left for a while and then had returned, changed. So is the cycle of Spira!"
And Oryon left the group for a while. One part of my mind urged me to follow him and question him further, but the other part was wary and now contemplated on what he'd just told me.
One person leaves and another takes their place, the death and life of new beings occurs every day.
Whose chain had I taken? Whose burdens did I bear?
Who am I?
Sanya rushed forward to embrace her love, but instead stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of another woman, who was way too near to her boyfriend for her tastes. Instead she sauntered up to him casually and gripped his hand firmly in hers, and then shot a look at the red haired woman that said plainly, 'he's mine, don't you DARE touch him!'
The woman laughed harshly and said in a voice dripping and seeping with contempt, "Don't worry, girlie, I'm not here to take you're man."
Sanya narrowed her eyes at the red haired woman and locked both of her arms around Nathan's larger one and set her body into a protective stance. The woman laughed again with one hand up to her lips. Her eyes fell on Sanya, and Sanya made a small sound of fright, and when the woman turned to stare into the eyes of each of us, I saw why. Her eyes were blood red and incredibly frightening. She seemed to revolve around the colors red, yellow, and orange. She wore a shortened, dandelion colored tank top and shorts that looked as if they'd been cut from a pair of jeans. Around her neck was a long, bead necklace with a phoenix charm at the end and around her arms were set golden clasps, each bearing an orange jewel. Her smile was malicious, and as her eyes fell upon me it seemed to grow. I shivered. Her eyes gave you the feeling of foreboding.
Nathan glared at the woman, and she backed down and folded her arms over her chest and leaned against a pile of boxes set up in the deck. "This is Sophia," he announced. "She's a good friend of the family." He then blushed and smiled at Sanya in what he most likely hoped a nonchalant way. "I promised her that I'd show her around Luca."
Sanya's fingernail dug into the skin of his arm. "You promised HER? What about ME?" she hissed at him angrily.
"Don't worry, girlie, you're all invited too. Wouldn't want to keep Nathan away from his girlfriend," Sophia said, smiling sweetly at Sanya. Sanya attempted the smile back, but it looked more like Kimahri bearing his teeth at an enemy than a friendly smile coming from one of the most optimistic people I knew.
"Well, then, let's get going!" Ruka said quickly to ease the tension. She nudged Oryon and whispered through her teeth, "Help me!"
Oryon looked up at Sophia with one of his soul-searching gazes before saying, "I'd rather like it if we went and did something as well."
"Yeah! I haven't seen all that much of Luca either. C'mon!" I piped up. Sophia's flaming gaze fell upon me again and I met it firmly, hoping that my blue eyes could match the ferocity of her crimson ones. She smiled strangely at me and walked past me, keeping herself close to Nathan and infuriating Sanya, who still had her arms firmly around Nathan's.
I tried to read what Sophia's gaze had told me, but it was like deciphering another language. The only thing I could understand was that the strange woman knew something about me but wasn't willing to release it. I sighed. I had the penetrating feeling that she, Oryon, and Ryuu all knew something more about me than I knew myself.
But the question is, what?
~*~*~*~
We walked silently for a while, but Ruka soon started up a lively conversation with her best friend, which erupted into the rest of us chatting amiably, excluding Sophia, who seemed more interested in the sights of Luca or staring at the rest of us with her frightening gaze. She added in a slightly haughty comment every once in awhile, but usually kept to herself. Sanya would often glance furtively over at the red haired woman, but she seemed much more interested in her handsome boyfriend, who now held her around the waist as we stopped to observe the setting Lucan sun. She blushed and giggled stupidly whenever Nathan spoke to her, and Ruka seemed sort of lonely, so she resorted to flirting with Oryon, who took no notice and ignored her little antics. She sighed and leaned over near me. "He's such a loner. I wish he'd pay attention to something other than himself, you know?" she whispered quietly. I giggled.
"But he wouldn't be Oryon if he was talkative, annoying, and arrogant like Ryuu or something like that! Seriously, I'd take Oryon over that guy any day," I whispered back.
Ruka looked at me indignantly. "Ryuu's not talkative, annoying, and arrogant! He's hot, strong, and sexy."
I pretended to wretch and said, "Oh stop, you're going to make me lose my lunch, oy!"
Ruka pursed her lips and folded her arms. "You're just like Oryon, tasteless and oblivious to flirting. Ryuu's infatuated with you, and all you do is make fun of him! I'd die to have him love me!"
"You'd probably have to die just to get him to look at you," Oryon said before letting out a hoarse laugh. "He's a narcissist. The only things he notices are girls worthy of approaching him and his own girly reflection in the mirror."
Ruka looked hurt. "So. Ryuu's girly, and I'm not even worthy of approaching him, huh?" she asked, her lip quavering. She turned away. "You're just jealous that you could never accomplish half of what he has!"
Oryon looked at her with his eyes narrowed. "Think what you want, but he'd not a bit as great as he makes himself to be. You can love him and adore him all you want, but remember what I've said today when he turns his back on you!"
Ruka kept her back to him and I could see tears silently streaking down her face. Oryon's harsh words had hurt her.
I frowned at the man and pulled him roughly off to the side. "What was that about? That was a little cruel if you ask me," I rebuked him.
He shrugged. "The truth hurts."
"You're very difficult to get through to at times, you know that?" I said, looking into his russet eyes with determination. "You should try to have a bit more tact!"
He looked into my eyes, and then placed his hands on my shoulder and pushed me slightly away to where he could see me completely, then he laughed. "You remind me of something, no, someone, that I might have once known. I think there's a little more to you than you see at first glance, Destiny!" His laugh continued, and I pulled myself gently away.
"Who do I remind you of?" I asked, confused.
He smiled. "Someone I knew a long time ago. It's been so long that their name eludes me, but you're definitely like him. Definitely." He looked into the pinkish sky. "Ah, the chain of life, connected not by links but by people. When one person departs from the link and leaves behind something that has yet to be accomplished, another comes in and takes their place, almost as if the person had just left for a while and then had returned, changed. So is the cycle of Spira!"
And Oryon left the group for a while. One part of my mind urged me to follow him and question him further, but the other part was wary and now contemplated on what he'd just told me.
One person leaves and another takes their place, the death and life of new beings occurs every day.
Whose chain had I taken? Whose burdens did I bear?
Who am I?