((Author's Note: The song Neirana sings in this part is 'Suteki da ne' translated… so it may not make that much sense… but it's the meaning that counts. :-p ))
Chapter Seven
The moon was high overhead, and the stars gazed down, specks of silver flame in the endless night. The wooden floor gently pitched to and fro, side to side beneath Kecci—they were at sea. The first few days had been rough on the young man, and he had spent more time at the railings along the deck than he had inside. However, Kecci had finally gotten his sea legs, and no longer felt perpetually nauseous.
It was rather late at night, and the young apprentice summoner was lying on his back in the darkness of his cabin, completely exhausted. His bed wasn't very comfortable, but it beat sleeping on the floor. It was a small cabin, about ten by ten feet. There was one window, right above his bed, which looked out onto the deck, and another inlaid in the door. Aside from the bunk, there was nothing else in the cabin except for a small wooden chair and a little table immediately beside the bed.
He was within moments of falling asleep when there was a gentle rapping at his door. Kecci sat up, and rubbed his eyes. "Come in…" he said. Why couldn't Neirana let him sleep? Just because she had more energy than he did didn't mean she could barge in on him late at night… 'Oh well…' the boy thought to himself.
The door creaked open on elderly hinges, and Kecci's visitor wasn't Neirana at all. Instead, it was Captain Brand, the hawkish man who was the skipper of the vessel. Although Kecci had at first distrusted him because of his lean, cunning appearance, Captain Brand had proven to have a generous, if a bit stern, heart. Brand stepped into Kecci's room and closed the door behind him, then sat down on the small chair. "I apologize for the hour of the visit, but seeing as how we reach Kilika tomorrow, I felt I should tell you something."
Kecci once more rubbed the sleep from his eyes, yawned, and then motioned Brand to continue. The Captain hesitated, and then continued in his quiet yet commanding voice. "You are going to Kilika to study the art of summoning, correct?" The younger man nodded an affirmative. Brand exhaled, then continued. "I live on the sea… I've never been married, never had children, my only family is my younger brother. He works for me on this ship; you may have seen him doing whatever task needs to be done." Once more, Kecci nodded, listening to the elder man's story.
Brand's younger brother was physically his opposite: where Brand was scrawny and aquiline, his brother was large, muscular, and bear-like. Kecci and Neirana had seen him using his formidable strength on several occasions on the ship. Yet he had never said a word to them, nor anyone else on the vessel.
The older man sighed again. "Nika—my brother—did not grow up a man of the sea, like myself. Instead, he remained in our hometown, a tiny village on the far side of Kilika Island. He grew up a tradesman, a carpenter. About ten years ago, he married his childhood sweetheart, and they had a child, a beautiful baby girl. They named her Taiya, which means 'Sunshine' in the old dialect of Kilika…" Brand's eyes grew misty, and they focused on a point somewhere in the distant depths of time. "She was beautiful, like her mother… she always laughed, even when she was hurt, she'd laugh to take her mind off the pain. Taiya had a little doll she carried with her everywhere, a little stuffed Chocobo… she couldn't say Chocobo so she just called him Mister Bo. I gave it to her on her second birthday…"
Kecci swallowed, a painful lump beginning to form in his throat. He had a painful idea where this was going. "It was two years ago, wasn't it?" he whispered, his voice hoarse. Even as far away as Luca, they had heard stories.
Focusing back on the present, Brand started at Kecci's voice, then nodded. "Yes, about two years ago. Nika was off in the main town of Kilika doing some carpentry work for a wealthy merchant. He must have told me the story a hundred times by now… my brother left home, kissed his wife and hugged his daughter, and told them he'd be back by sundown, to have dinner ready." The captain looked down at the floor. "When he returned… there was nothing left of our village. It had been smashed by Sin, completely destroyed. All that remained was rubble, a floating graveyard. In the morning there had been a peaceful village, filled with people he knew, people he loved… Sin had come, and the sun set on death. Nika found his daughter's doll in the wreckage."
There was silence in the room for a long moment afterwards. After what seemed like an eternity to Kecci, Brand looked up at the young man. "You're going to be a summoner, boy. You're going to have the power to defeat Sin… I know I'm asking a lot… but I believe you can do it. Please avenge my brother's family. Please destroy Sin… so that we can all wake up from our nightmares for a while." With that, Brand stood up and turned to leave.
"Captain Brand…sir." Kecci said, and the old man stopped and turned around. "I… I want to tell you that I enjoyed the boat trip. Thank you for making sure that my friend and I had separate cabins… it would have been very cramped otherwise." He laughed, to dull the ache in his heart.
Brand shook his head from side to side, a dry chuckle escaping his lips. "You don't have to lie to me, you know."
Taken aback, Kecci coughed. "What… what do you mean, 'lie to you'?"
In the silver glow of the moonlight, Brand could be seen smiling softly. As he opened the door and stepped out onto the deck, he turned to the apprentice summoner. "I've seen how you look at her. You love her."
"I… she… well…" Kecci stammered, glad it was dark so Brand couldn't see the blush on his dark face. "She's… my best friend, of course I love her. Neirana means the world to me, but she's nothing more than a friend."
The door started to swing shut on its old hinges. "That's what I told myself, too, when I was your age." Captain Brand shook his head once more. "Our time in Spira is finite. The question is, what will you do with your time? Don't leave this world thinking 'if only I had done…' or 'if only I had said…'. Make the most of your time here." Before the door could close fully, Brand stopped it with his foot. "She's out on the deck." Then, he removed his foot, and the door shut behind him, leaving Kecci alone in the dark with his thoughts.
The next moment, he made up his mind, and stepped out onto the deck.
It was a perfectly clear night, and millions upon millions of stars shone their light down on the ocean and the boat. Kecci looked down towards the bow, then back at the stern, wondering where he should go, when he stopped and listened.
There was someone, a girl, singing softly. Kecci couldn't hear the lyrics, but recognized the voice and the tune, and then followed the sound to the bow of the boat.
Neirana was standing on the slightly raised portion out on the bow, the sea breeze blowing her hair back, the moon and stars washing their silver glow over her. The starlight cleansed her, washing her imperfections away. They lifted her up and made her one of them—beautiful and perfect.
Her song wafted through the air like a pleasant smell, clear and pure. Neirana almost never sang, but when she did it was beautiful. She would never have a powerful singing voice, never be able to belt out ballads filled with passion and sorrow… her voice was soft, high, and clear, like wind chimes.
"The wind brought your words to me, my heart was moved. The clouds brought tomorrow to me, my voice was cheered. As my mirror reflected the swaying moon, my heart shivered. The stars called to me, with their soft tears." Kecci knew the song well… Neirana's parents had sung it to her when she was a little girl, as they rocked her to sleep. The song had stayed with her, and she would sometimes sing it when she felt lonely, or when she felt sad.
Neirana kept on singing, and didn't hear Kecci's footsteps coming up behind her. "Isn't it wonderful? We could walk holding hands together. I would go where you go, in your arms. I leaned my body against your chest. I used the night to hide my dreams." She was looking up at the stars, at the moon, singing her song to no one, hoping they would hear her. "The wind stopped, and your words were kind. The clouds wept, and tomorrow was a distant voice. My mirror was cloudy, I could not see the moon. The stars swayed and dropped, like the tears I could not hide."
Her voice broke, and Kecci caught a glimpse of her face in the moonlight. She was crying. "Isn't it wonderful? We could walk holding hands together… I would go where you go, in your arms…" her voice trailed off, and she bowed her head, leaning on the bow railing, holding herself up by sheer will alone.
Kecci stepped forward, and at the sound of his footsteps, Neirana turned around, startled. When she saw who it was, she flushed a deep scarlet and hurriedly tried to wipe the tears from her eyes. However, her best friend held his hand up, motioning for her to stop. "You don't have to be embarrassed, 'Rana…" he said, smiling at her softly. "Everyone cries."
She shook her head. "I shouldn't. I need to be strong… we have to do this for Spira, remember? It won't bring the people much hope if they see someone who is supposed to save them breaking down, will it?" she sniffed.
"No, it won't. But you don't have to carry your load alone…" Kecci walked over to the railing, and leaned on it, the breeze blowing past his face. "I'll always be there to help you. We'll carry it together."
His best friend leaned on the rail beside him, and even though she was still crying, Neirana laughed in spite of herself. "Listen to you! If anything, you have an even bigger burden than I do…" She sniffled again, and wiped the tears from her face. Then, she moved next to Kecci and rested against him, despite her still having the advantage of height.
Kecci put his arm around her, and she willingly pressed against him for comfort. "No, I don't." he said at long last. "Because I've got you here with me." Neirana turned to face him, a bit surprised by his comment, and he brushed the few remaining tears from her face. "Whatever happens, we'll get through just fine… because we'll be facing it together."
The two of them stayed like that, close, holding each other, until late in the night.
