Chapter 21 - A Last Goodbye
Ryne let out a deep sigh as he saw Shrine Isle begin to peek through the clouds. He felt Jaycera's presence behind him before he felt her arms wrap around his waist and place her head on his shoulder. He smiled and reached up stroke her smooth, curly hair.
"Are you alright?" She asked him.
Ryne paused for a moment, then sighed and said, "Yeah, I'm alright."
"Do you forgive me yet?"
"Of coarse I do, I could never hold anything against you."
Jaycera took a deep breath before she asked her next question.
"Ry... Do you love me?"
Ryne was silent for a moment. It had taken a week of soul searching away from Jaycera for him to sort through everything that had happened. He had been unsure about exactly how he'd felt about her, but now that everything had settled down he knew without a doubt.
"I love you, Jaycera Delasari." He said, kissing her forehead softly, "You're my rudder and my anchor. Without you I'd be adrift and without direction."
"Thanks, Ry... I needed to hear that."
Ryne smiled softly and continued to hold the woman who would one day be his wife. He still didn't understand exactly how it had happened. And to be completely truthful he didn't care anymore. It was, and that was more than enough for him.
It had been almost a month since they'd arrived back on Arcadia. Jaycera had piloted them right back into the middle of the Valuan launch room that they'd departed from, causing quite a stir as most of the people in the military instillation were half expecting to be facing an invasion.
In the past weeks his father had not been the same man that he'd grown up with. Ryne had been spending most of his time at home with his grandfather Dyne, who Ryne had just missed at Horteka. The fact that Crescent Isle wasn't in shambles was mostly his doing. Vyse, on the other hand, had completely come apart at the seams. For a couple days after they'd returned to the island, he'd spent most of his time standing on top of the small hill just above the pond, leaning against the flagpole as if waiting for someone. Then one day he just left. With no explanation and no crew, Vyse stole off in one of the smaller vessels and hadn't been heard from in weeks.
Ryne wasn't worried though. Arcadia was a big planet, but his father had seen almost every nook and cranny that could be known. He would be alright in time. He was just dealing with his grief in a different way that Ryne himself had.
Ryne had spent the first week and a half being furious with Jaycera under the basis of her knocking him out so that his mother could sacrifice herself. Until one day she threatened to leave. Ryne didn't know what had snapped in him that he begged her to stay. All he knew that a couple of days later he was in a life raft sailing for a small island not far from his home where he'd camped countless times with his mother and father, with enough supplies to barely keep him alive. It was there that he fasted, spending all of his time trying to sort through the events of his life and putting his emotions in their place. He'd come back a put-together man.
"There's another ship docked here." Jay said pointing out the mid-sized, though well equipped ship. There was no name on the back of the ship, but a pair of yellow wings. "I wonder who it belongs to."
"I just hope it's not the Ixa'Takans again," Ryne said, shaking his head, "They've been hounding me to let them consecrate the shine as a temple of worship."
"Well, you can't blame them I guess," Jay said, grinning, "Your mom did save the world twice. I don't think even their Quetya did that."
Ryne chuckled and docked their small ship, The Last Heir, next to the larger vessel. Ryne had named the ship for Jay, as it had been a present for her. His "can you ever forgive me for being so stupid" present. It had a heck of a lot greater effect than the traditional flowers. He'd paid for it with the money that kept pouring in from all over the world by every gracious nation. His family had never had need for anything, and now the amount of gold they'd stockpiled was overwhelming. Ryne, in true blue rouge style, had decided to give half of it away to people who really needed it, and hide the other half for other rouges to have fun with.
As he walked down the boarding ramp he could already see his mother's memorial among the other smaller stones that now littered the island. It wasn't too large, as Ryne had requested, but it was still the largest on the island. Izmael, who was miraculously still alive and more vibrant than ever, had come to him after he'd heard the news and demanded that he let him build it. Ryne had agreed, his only specifications being where it was to be built and the relative size. The rest he left to the builder's imagination... and what an imagination it was.
It was a statue of Fina, sitting on a pedestal with her legs off to the side, wearing the Silvite dress she'd arrived on the planet in. Her gaze was fixed on the broken silver moon, which still hung adrift in pieces above the lands of mid-ocean. It was Izmael's most stunning piece of work yet, and as the little man had reported it completion Ryne could have almost swore that his eyes were misted over.
As he approached the memorial, hand in hand with Jaycera, he noticed the other visitor kneeling in front of the memorial. Her hair was a stunning orange and pleated into a single thick braid which hung down into the small of her back. She was wearing a red captain's overcoat with only one sleeve and one glove, with a thick leather belt at her midsection. Slowly she stood, untying something from around her neck and placing it at the foot of the pedestal, then turned to leave. A little gasp escaped her as she noticed them, for she thought herself to be alone on the island.
"I thought I told everyone to stay on the ship." She said as she walked over to them, but looked at them with a confused expression as she got closer. "But come to think of it, I don't remember hiring either of you."
"That's because we're not part of your crew," Jay said, a little testily, "You're not the only one allowed on this island."
The red headed woman with stunning amber eyes smiled, an expression that would get even a Nasr merchant to trust a Valuan.
"I like you." She said, extending her right, ungloved hand. "What's your name?"
"Jaycera Delasari." She said, taking the older woman's hand and shaking it.
"So," She said a little suspiciously, "What are you doing here?"
"Same reason as you apparently," Ryne said, giving her an odd look, "To pay respects."
"Ah, well, can't blame you there." The woman said, a sad smile on her face, "She was a good woman... a good friend."
Ryne cocked an eyebrow at her, "Wait a second, do I know you?"
"Y'know, I get the same feeling looking at you..." the red head said, cocking her head, "What's your name, kid?"
"Ryne."
The woman looked at him blankly for a moment, her amber eyes blinking in astonishment.
"You're Vyse's kid?" She said, looking him over.
"I'm not much of a kid anymore, but yeah." Ryne said, still feeling like he should know this person.
"I shoulda known..." She said, a smile crossing her lips, "You look just like him... cept I was under the impression that your hair was white."
Ryne ran his fingers through his newly dyed brown hair instinctively, keeping the move scratching the back of his head.
"Yeah, I dyed it for this trip..." He said, smiling shyly. "Infamy can get a little old sometimes."
"Tell me about it," The woman said, snorting through her nose. "I've been running from infamy for far too long."
Ryne still looked at her with a puzzled expression, "You still haven't told us your name yet."
"Aika, captain of the Wings of Gold," She said smiling and extending her arm to Ryne now, "I'm sure your father told you about me at some point."
Ryne chuckled, finally remembering where he'd seen this woman before, "Yeah, I think you're a part of every childhood memory my father ever told me. You're still a part of the relief on the wall above the pond at Crescent Isle."
Aika laughed warmly, "Yeah, I remember that thing." She sighed and went silent for a moment, then shook her head and smiled at him again, "Listen, I'd like to get to know you sometime but I have an old friend to find."
"I understand." Ryne said, "But I expect you to come to Crescent Isle and catch up sometime. I think my dad would like that a lot."
"Oh, I think I'll see your dad before that," She said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "I know where he's hiding."
"Bring him home then."
Ryne walked past his father's old best friend. He felt a little odd about inviting the woman who'd competed against his mother for the affections of his father. But if there was anyone who knew his father as well as him mother, it would be this woman. Having her around might be the best thing for him.
Ryne walked slowly up the memorial of his mother. Now that he could see it up close, he could truly appreciate how beautiful his mother really was. As he looked at her ever vigilant face, her gaze unmoving from the broken moon above, a small tear made its way down his cheek.
"Do you want me to leave?" Jay asked, looking at him sympathetically. Ryne squeezed her hand
"No, I think I need you here." He answered with a sigh.
For a while he didn't say anything, just stood and gazed at a woman he would never see again in this life. He cried, but they were the tears of a man... for even men cry.
A million things were racing through his head. Things he should say, things that he should do, things that he should have done. But mostly the only things going through his mind were memories.
*************************************
"Why do I have to learn all this crap?" a ten year old boy with wild white hair sitting cross legged on the ground, asked his emerald eyed mother, who was likewise sitting cross-legged on the ground.
"Because Ryne," His mother explained, "This 'crap' could someday save your life, or the lives of your friends and family."
The little boy screwed up his face, "Well it makes my head hurt."
************************************
"Ryne! Would you get off the flagpole!" The mother yelled, in rare form. The twelve year old gabbed the flag and rode it down, landing in a roll. "What did I tell about climbing the flagpole?"
"Umm... you never said anything about the flagpole."
"Yes I did! I told you not to climb it! It scares me to death!"
"No Mom, you told me not to climb the elevator railings. You never said anything about the flagpole."
"I swear, you've been spending too much time with your father."
*******************************************
"Come here and give me a hug, Ry."
"Mom, I'm only going to Sailor's Isle with Dad." The thirteen year old squirmed, but gave his mother a hug anyway.
"I know, it's just that someday you're not going to want to hug me anymore."
The boy crooked an eyebrow and gave his mother a big squeeze. "That'll never happen."
**********************************
"See that constellation right there? That's the Sailor's Arrow." A father pointed out to his son.
"I don't see it..." The fourteen year old says, just starting his astrology lesson.
"See the three bright ones just above the Star Cup?"
The boy squints for minute, trying to see what his father sees, "Yeah, I think."
"See the triangle?"
"Yep."
"That's a very important constellation." His father explained to him, "Can you tell which sides are longest?"
"Yeah, the ones pointing north."
"Exactly!" His father exclaims, proud of his son, "It never changes, it always points north."
"So, it helps you get your bearings at night, right?"
"Exactly! That's wonderful!"
"Boys, I think it's time for the lesson to end." The mother calls from the tent she just finished pitching all by herself. "We're getting off this rock tomorrow morning, whether you like it or not."
The boy looks over at his father, "Why's mom always so uptight whenever we go camping?"
"I have no clue."
*********************************************
"Why do you always drag me along on your little crusades?" A testy teenager asks his mother, who looks at him endearing and pats his cheek.
"Because... you're such a good boy who always does what his mother asks of him."
He sighs, his annoyance abated by his mother's soft answer, "I still don't see why we do this every year..."
**************************************
Ryne wiped the tears from his eyes. He half expected the statue of his mother to come down off the pedestal and gather him into her arms. But it doesn't happen. And it will never happen again.
"I'm gonna miss you, Mom..." He says softly. "I keep going over things in my head. Things I could have done. Things I should have done. Things I didn't do... But in the end it would have all ended the same. You did what you had to do. If you hadn't we wouldn't be free people right now. Mom, I just wanted to let you know that I love you, and I'll never forget you. Heck, the entire world will never forget you. But I also wanted you to know that I'm happy. And none it could have ever happened without you."
Ryne squeezed Jaycera's hand and looked full into the sapphire eyes of his wife to be, a blue moonstone ring adorning her right hand.
"C'mon..." He said softly, leading her by the hand back to their ship, "Let's go home."
************************************
Vyse watched the setting sun, his knees pulled up to his chest, his chin resting on his knees. Seventeen years ago he'd proposed to his wife from this very spot. Now, he was mourning her death. A lone tear started to crawl down his cheek, getting lost in the short growth of beard that covered his face.
He'd lost track of how long he'd been on Lookout Point. All he knew was that his wife was gone, and he was rapidly running out of food and water... not that he'd had much of an appetite lately. He'd only brought enough for a week, but he knew he'd been out there much longer than that. He couldn't go for supplies, because he'd destroyed his ship upon arriving, not wanting anyone to see it and bother him. He wanted to die in peace.
"I missed this place..."
Vyse would have been startled and snapped his head around to identify the intruder, but he lacked the strength to do so. He turned his head around lazily to see a red haired woman in a long captain's overcoat.
"Go away..." He said, wheezing through his dehydrated throat, "Let me die..."
The woman stared at him hard, her amber eyes boring into his, "Sounds like the Vyse I knew already did."
Vyse furled his brow, "Who are you?"
"Oh c'mon Vyse, has it really been that long?" She said, grabbing two handfuls of red hair and pulling them straight out. "Scarecrow head, remember?"
Vyse chuckled weakly, "Hey there Aika."
Aika smiled, glad that she had gotten at least a little laugh out of him. It passed however, and her look became stony once more.
"Vyse, what are you doing here?" She asked sternly. Vyse looked at her with hollow eyes.
"I came here to think..."
"Looks to me like you came up her to fade away and die." Aika scoffed, noting his lack of supplies, "What happened to you Vyse? What happed to the guy who never gave up?"
"Like you said, he already died."
"Died, or just lost in all your grief?" Aika asked, her voice harsh and berating, "Look, I know how much you loved Fina, believe me, I know. But you just can't run away from everything because you feel sorry for yourself. I did that and I ended up loosing the thing that was most important to me... yours and Fina's friendship. Now I'll never be able to reconcile with Fina, and I've been kicking myself for almost a month."
Aika sat down beside Vyse, whose gaze had turned back to the sliver of light on the horizon. Aika watched it as well for a while, no words being exchanged between the two for what seemed to be an eternity. Finally Vyse broke the silence.
"Remember when we were twelve and we were sitting up here watching the sun set, then you leaned over and kissed me while I was watching."
"Yeah," Aika said, smiling, "I think it was the first time I ever saw you scared. You practically slid a hundred feet down the ladder."
"I'm sorry."
"Oh, you know I could never hold that against you." She said, bumping his shoulder slightly.
They watched in silence as the sky turned black, watching the heavens appear star by star under the dim light of the broken moon above. Finally, Aika stood up and held her hand out to Vyse, who looked at it, leery.
"C'mon," Aika said, "Let's get out of here and find that old Vyse."
Vyse put his hand into hers, an old light returning in his eyes, weak, but there.
"He'll live on as long as the people he loves remember him."
Ryne let out a deep sigh as he saw Shrine Isle begin to peek through the clouds. He felt Jaycera's presence behind him before he felt her arms wrap around his waist and place her head on his shoulder. He smiled and reached up stroke her smooth, curly hair.
"Are you alright?" She asked him.
Ryne paused for a moment, then sighed and said, "Yeah, I'm alright."
"Do you forgive me yet?"
"Of coarse I do, I could never hold anything against you."
Jaycera took a deep breath before she asked her next question.
"Ry... Do you love me?"
Ryne was silent for a moment. It had taken a week of soul searching away from Jaycera for him to sort through everything that had happened. He had been unsure about exactly how he'd felt about her, but now that everything had settled down he knew without a doubt.
"I love you, Jaycera Delasari." He said, kissing her forehead softly, "You're my rudder and my anchor. Without you I'd be adrift and without direction."
"Thanks, Ry... I needed to hear that."
Ryne smiled softly and continued to hold the woman who would one day be his wife. He still didn't understand exactly how it had happened. And to be completely truthful he didn't care anymore. It was, and that was more than enough for him.
It had been almost a month since they'd arrived back on Arcadia. Jaycera had piloted them right back into the middle of the Valuan launch room that they'd departed from, causing quite a stir as most of the people in the military instillation were half expecting to be facing an invasion.
In the past weeks his father had not been the same man that he'd grown up with. Ryne had been spending most of his time at home with his grandfather Dyne, who Ryne had just missed at Horteka. The fact that Crescent Isle wasn't in shambles was mostly his doing. Vyse, on the other hand, had completely come apart at the seams. For a couple days after they'd returned to the island, he'd spent most of his time standing on top of the small hill just above the pond, leaning against the flagpole as if waiting for someone. Then one day he just left. With no explanation and no crew, Vyse stole off in one of the smaller vessels and hadn't been heard from in weeks.
Ryne wasn't worried though. Arcadia was a big planet, but his father had seen almost every nook and cranny that could be known. He would be alright in time. He was just dealing with his grief in a different way that Ryne himself had.
Ryne had spent the first week and a half being furious with Jaycera under the basis of her knocking him out so that his mother could sacrifice herself. Until one day she threatened to leave. Ryne didn't know what had snapped in him that he begged her to stay. All he knew that a couple of days later he was in a life raft sailing for a small island not far from his home where he'd camped countless times with his mother and father, with enough supplies to barely keep him alive. It was there that he fasted, spending all of his time trying to sort through the events of his life and putting his emotions in their place. He'd come back a put-together man.
"There's another ship docked here." Jay said pointing out the mid-sized, though well equipped ship. There was no name on the back of the ship, but a pair of yellow wings. "I wonder who it belongs to."
"I just hope it's not the Ixa'Takans again," Ryne said, shaking his head, "They've been hounding me to let them consecrate the shine as a temple of worship."
"Well, you can't blame them I guess," Jay said, grinning, "Your mom did save the world twice. I don't think even their Quetya did that."
Ryne chuckled and docked their small ship, The Last Heir, next to the larger vessel. Ryne had named the ship for Jay, as it had been a present for her. His "can you ever forgive me for being so stupid" present. It had a heck of a lot greater effect than the traditional flowers. He'd paid for it with the money that kept pouring in from all over the world by every gracious nation. His family had never had need for anything, and now the amount of gold they'd stockpiled was overwhelming. Ryne, in true blue rouge style, had decided to give half of it away to people who really needed it, and hide the other half for other rouges to have fun with.
As he walked down the boarding ramp he could already see his mother's memorial among the other smaller stones that now littered the island. It wasn't too large, as Ryne had requested, but it was still the largest on the island. Izmael, who was miraculously still alive and more vibrant than ever, had come to him after he'd heard the news and demanded that he let him build it. Ryne had agreed, his only specifications being where it was to be built and the relative size. The rest he left to the builder's imagination... and what an imagination it was.
It was a statue of Fina, sitting on a pedestal with her legs off to the side, wearing the Silvite dress she'd arrived on the planet in. Her gaze was fixed on the broken silver moon, which still hung adrift in pieces above the lands of mid-ocean. It was Izmael's most stunning piece of work yet, and as the little man had reported it completion Ryne could have almost swore that his eyes were misted over.
As he approached the memorial, hand in hand with Jaycera, he noticed the other visitor kneeling in front of the memorial. Her hair was a stunning orange and pleated into a single thick braid which hung down into the small of her back. She was wearing a red captain's overcoat with only one sleeve and one glove, with a thick leather belt at her midsection. Slowly she stood, untying something from around her neck and placing it at the foot of the pedestal, then turned to leave. A little gasp escaped her as she noticed them, for she thought herself to be alone on the island.
"I thought I told everyone to stay on the ship." She said as she walked over to them, but looked at them with a confused expression as she got closer. "But come to think of it, I don't remember hiring either of you."
"That's because we're not part of your crew," Jay said, a little testily, "You're not the only one allowed on this island."
The red headed woman with stunning amber eyes smiled, an expression that would get even a Nasr merchant to trust a Valuan.
"I like you." She said, extending her right, ungloved hand. "What's your name?"
"Jaycera Delasari." She said, taking the older woman's hand and shaking it.
"So," She said a little suspiciously, "What are you doing here?"
"Same reason as you apparently," Ryne said, giving her an odd look, "To pay respects."
"Ah, well, can't blame you there." The woman said, a sad smile on her face, "She was a good woman... a good friend."
Ryne cocked an eyebrow at her, "Wait a second, do I know you?"
"Y'know, I get the same feeling looking at you..." the red head said, cocking her head, "What's your name, kid?"
"Ryne."
The woman looked at him blankly for a moment, her amber eyes blinking in astonishment.
"You're Vyse's kid?" She said, looking him over.
"I'm not much of a kid anymore, but yeah." Ryne said, still feeling like he should know this person.
"I shoulda known..." She said, a smile crossing her lips, "You look just like him... cept I was under the impression that your hair was white."
Ryne ran his fingers through his newly dyed brown hair instinctively, keeping the move scratching the back of his head.
"Yeah, I dyed it for this trip..." He said, smiling shyly. "Infamy can get a little old sometimes."
"Tell me about it," The woman said, snorting through her nose. "I've been running from infamy for far too long."
Ryne still looked at her with a puzzled expression, "You still haven't told us your name yet."
"Aika, captain of the Wings of Gold," She said smiling and extending her arm to Ryne now, "I'm sure your father told you about me at some point."
Ryne chuckled, finally remembering where he'd seen this woman before, "Yeah, I think you're a part of every childhood memory my father ever told me. You're still a part of the relief on the wall above the pond at Crescent Isle."
Aika laughed warmly, "Yeah, I remember that thing." She sighed and went silent for a moment, then shook her head and smiled at him again, "Listen, I'd like to get to know you sometime but I have an old friend to find."
"I understand." Ryne said, "But I expect you to come to Crescent Isle and catch up sometime. I think my dad would like that a lot."
"Oh, I think I'll see your dad before that," She said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "I know where he's hiding."
"Bring him home then."
Ryne walked past his father's old best friend. He felt a little odd about inviting the woman who'd competed against his mother for the affections of his father. But if there was anyone who knew his father as well as him mother, it would be this woman. Having her around might be the best thing for him.
Ryne walked slowly up the memorial of his mother. Now that he could see it up close, he could truly appreciate how beautiful his mother really was. As he looked at her ever vigilant face, her gaze unmoving from the broken moon above, a small tear made its way down his cheek.
"Do you want me to leave?" Jay asked, looking at him sympathetically. Ryne squeezed her hand
"No, I think I need you here." He answered with a sigh.
For a while he didn't say anything, just stood and gazed at a woman he would never see again in this life. He cried, but they were the tears of a man... for even men cry.
A million things were racing through his head. Things he should say, things that he should do, things that he should have done. But mostly the only things going through his mind were memories.
*************************************
"Why do I have to learn all this crap?" a ten year old boy with wild white hair sitting cross legged on the ground, asked his emerald eyed mother, who was likewise sitting cross-legged on the ground.
"Because Ryne," His mother explained, "This 'crap' could someday save your life, or the lives of your friends and family."
The little boy screwed up his face, "Well it makes my head hurt."
************************************
"Ryne! Would you get off the flagpole!" The mother yelled, in rare form. The twelve year old gabbed the flag and rode it down, landing in a roll. "What did I tell about climbing the flagpole?"
"Umm... you never said anything about the flagpole."
"Yes I did! I told you not to climb it! It scares me to death!"
"No Mom, you told me not to climb the elevator railings. You never said anything about the flagpole."
"I swear, you've been spending too much time with your father."
*******************************************
"Come here and give me a hug, Ry."
"Mom, I'm only going to Sailor's Isle with Dad." The thirteen year old squirmed, but gave his mother a hug anyway.
"I know, it's just that someday you're not going to want to hug me anymore."
The boy crooked an eyebrow and gave his mother a big squeeze. "That'll never happen."
**********************************
"See that constellation right there? That's the Sailor's Arrow." A father pointed out to his son.
"I don't see it..." The fourteen year old says, just starting his astrology lesson.
"See the three bright ones just above the Star Cup?"
The boy squints for minute, trying to see what his father sees, "Yeah, I think."
"See the triangle?"
"Yep."
"That's a very important constellation." His father explained to him, "Can you tell which sides are longest?"
"Yeah, the ones pointing north."
"Exactly!" His father exclaims, proud of his son, "It never changes, it always points north."
"So, it helps you get your bearings at night, right?"
"Exactly! That's wonderful!"
"Boys, I think it's time for the lesson to end." The mother calls from the tent she just finished pitching all by herself. "We're getting off this rock tomorrow morning, whether you like it or not."
The boy looks over at his father, "Why's mom always so uptight whenever we go camping?"
"I have no clue."
*********************************************
"Why do you always drag me along on your little crusades?" A testy teenager asks his mother, who looks at him endearing and pats his cheek.
"Because... you're such a good boy who always does what his mother asks of him."
He sighs, his annoyance abated by his mother's soft answer, "I still don't see why we do this every year..."
**************************************
Ryne wiped the tears from his eyes. He half expected the statue of his mother to come down off the pedestal and gather him into her arms. But it doesn't happen. And it will never happen again.
"I'm gonna miss you, Mom..." He says softly. "I keep going over things in my head. Things I could have done. Things I should have done. Things I didn't do... But in the end it would have all ended the same. You did what you had to do. If you hadn't we wouldn't be free people right now. Mom, I just wanted to let you know that I love you, and I'll never forget you. Heck, the entire world will never forget you. But I also wanted you to know that I'm happy. And none it could have ever happened without you."
Ryne squeezed Jaycera's hand and looked full into the sapphire eyes of his wife to be, a blue moonstone ring adorning her right hand.
"C'mon..." He said softly, leading her by the hand back to their ship, "Let's go home."
************************************
Vyse watched the setting sun, his knees pulled up to his chest, his chin resting on his knees. Seventeen years ago he'd proposed to his wife from this very spot. Now, he was mourning her death. A lone tear started to crawl down his cheek, getting lost in the short growth of beard that covered his face.
He'd lost track of how long he'd been on Lookout Point. All he knew was that his wife was gone, and he was rapidly running out of food and water... not that he'd had much of an appetite lately. He'd only brought enough for a week, but he knew he'd been out there much longer than that. He couldn't go for supplies, because he'd destroyed his ship upon arriving, not wanting anyone to see it and bother him. He wanted to die in peace.
"I missed this place..."
Vyse would have been startled and snapped his head around to identify the intruder, but he lacked the strength to do so. He turned his head around lazily to see a red haired woman in a long captain's overcoat.
"Go away..." He said, wheezing through his dehydrated throat, "Let me die..."
The woman stared at him hard, her amber eyes boring into his, "Sounds like the Vyse I knew already did."
Vyse furled his brow, "Who are you?"
"Oh c'mon Vyse, has it really been that long?" She said, grabbing two handfuls of red hair and pulling them straight out. "Scarecrow head, remember?"
Vyse chuckled weakly, "Hey there Aika."
Aika smiled, glad that she had gotten at least a little laugh out of him. It passed however, and her look became stony once more.
"Vyse, what are you doing here?" She asked sternly. Vyse looked at her with hollow eyes.
"I came here to think..."
"Looks to me like you came up her to fade away and die." Aika scoffed, noting his lack of supplies, "What happened to you Vyse? What happed to the guy who never gave up?"
"Like you said, he already died."
"Died, or just lost in all your grief?" Aika asked, her voice harsh and berating, "Look, I know how much you loved Fina, believe me, I know. But you just can't run away from everything because you feel sorry for yourself. I did that and I ended up loosing the thing that was most important to me... yours and Fina's friendship. Now I'll never be able to reconcile with Fina, and I've been kicking myself for almost a month."
Aika sat down beside Vyse, whose gaze had turned back to the sliver of light on the horizon. Aika watched it as well for a while, no words being exchanged between the two for what seemed to be an eternity. Finally Vyse broke the silence.
"Remember when we were twelve and we were sitting up here watching the sun set, then you leaned over and kissed me while I was watching."
"Yeah," Aika said, smiling, "I think it was the first time I ever saw you scared. You practically slid a hundred feet down the ladder."
"I'm sorry."
"Oh, you know I could never hold that against you." She said, bumping his shoulder slightly.
They watched in silence as the sky turned black, watching the heavens appear star by star under the dim light of the broken moon above. Finally, Aika stood up and held her hand out to Vyse, who looked at it, leery.
"C'mon," Aika said, "Let's get out of here and find that old Vyse."
Vyse put his hand into hers, an old light returning in his eyes, weak, but there.
"He'll live on as long as the people he loves remember him."