They had quickly sailed back to Crescent Isle, full speed. They desperately needed to figure out a way to get to Galcian. They figured that he would go and try to "ask" the other continents to side with him, so as soon as he left Soltis, they were going to attack his ship. But they had to look at reality; they couldn't do it with just The Delfinus and The Claudia (Glider's ship). They needed more firepower if they expected to take on Galcian and his fleet.
"You're right. Damn there's nothing we can do!" Vyse said, slamming his fist against the table in the meeting room.
"I leave you alone for a few days and you're already giving up?"
Everyone looked over and saw, Enrique!
"Enrique!" Everyone said at once.
"Galcian used The Rains Of Destruction on Vulua." Enrique said as Moegi ran into his arms. "Belleza saved my life."
They all looked over at Belleza, a woman who was an Admiral of the Armada fleet.
"I did what I had to for my prince." She said. "And I disagree with all of that unnecessary bloodshed that Galcian caused."
"He killed thousands." Enrique chimed in.
"Hmm, even with Enrique, there's still not a lot we can do." Vyse said, thinking.
"'There's never a time to give up.' Or at least that's what you told me. Have you gone back on your word boy?"
"That voice." Vyse said, looking up. "Drachma!"
Scott looked to see the old man with the bionic arm. He was no longer scared of him now, but still had some great respect for him. Up until now, he didn't even know Drachma's name.
"I'm here to do my part." Drachma said. "I can't just let you handle this all by yourself. And neither could a lot of other people."
Drachma stood at the door, signaling for Vyse to go out and take a look for himself. Vyse got up and walked out the meeting room door. Aika, Fina, Glider, Scott and Drachma followed him. He was amazed to see a variety of airships, One belonging to Gordo, another belonging to Centime, another belonging to Clara, another belonging to Domgio, quite a few Yafutomian ships, another belonging to Dyne, Vyse's father, and lastly, one belonging to Baltor, Vyse's enemy.
"We're here to help. This is our world too!" Centime said.
"They've driven away all my customers!" Gordo said. "I have a personal bone to pick with them."
"It'll be fun!" Clara said.
"I'm out to save the world too." Baltor said. "But don't get the wrong idea! After this I'll come after you again Vyse!"
"This is great!" Vyse said.
"We're awaiting your orders Capitan." Dyne said.
"We can't let Galcian get away with this!" Vyse proclaimed. "He isn't going to take over the world without a fight! Tomorrow we'll start attacking him!"
Everyone responded with a loud "AYE AYE!" and cheered. It was a real moral booster for everyone. It was agreed that the next day, they would take out Galcian at all costs. The whole day was spent preparing, Scott helped Belle with the cannon balls, which eventually became great stacks on every ship. Everyone else prepared previsions and such so the battle wouldn't end early in an upset.
But when night fell, it was the most difficult time for everyone. It was tough for anyone to catch even a wink of sleep they were too excited. But some people were actually scared; scared they wouldn't come back from the fight. That was the case with Aika, Fina and Scott. They were all outside, each in different places. Fina was by the flagpole, Scott was sitting on the edge of the fountain, and Aika was up in front of the meeting room. Vyse couldn't sleep either, and was about to go and think somewhere too, but Belleza stopped him and suggested he talked to Fina and Aika.
So he went to do that. First he went to find Fina, which didn't take long. She was looking out at the sky, most likely thinking to herself.
"Hey." Vyse said, getting her attention.
"Oh, hello Vyse." She replied, looking at him for a bit. "Couldn't sleep either?"
"No, I'm too excited about tomorrow." Vyse said, smiling.
Fina sighed and turned, looking back out into the sky. Something was obviously troubling her. She was scared, Vyse figured. Even he was a little scared, he had made all these new friends, made a lot of discoveries, and even became the Capitan of his own ship. And if the battle didn't go so smoothly tomorrow, it could all be gone.
"Vyse, Ramirez was my friend. He treated me like his sister, and now one of us is going to die tomorrow." Fina said quietly, but loud enough so he could hear. "I would usually believe that I am not strong enough to fight my own friend. But traveling with you has made me much stronger than I was when I first came here. All the sailing with you has made me much braver too, and now I get excited about exploring places. Even the places with monsters."
Vyse just listened; he didn't exactly know what to say at that moment.
"But." Fina said, looking up at the higher sky. "I know that I'll be able to beat him if you're there with me Vyse. When I'm fighting along side you, I feel stronger than I ever was. Vyse, you being there tomorrow will mean a lot to me."
Vyse said nothing, he just smiled, moving closer to her and putting his arm around her. She rested her head against his shoulder, looking rather shy. But she still had a small smile on her face. Vyse was smiling too, knowing he must have done the right thing.
"Vyse." Fina said quietly. "I, kind of like this. Can we stay like this for a little longer?"
They remained like that for another few minutes, and then Fina went back to her room. Vyse then looked around for Aika, but she wasn't anywhere to be seen on ground level. She wasn't in the hanger either, that didn't seem like her. Vyse looked everywhere, and eventually found her out on the ledge by the meeting room. The last place he looked.
"Hey Aika." Vyse said, getting her attention.
Aika looked at him and smiled a bit, "Oh hey Vyse."
"What's the matter? Couldn't sleep?" Vyse asked.
"Nope." Aika replied. "I'm too excited about tomorrow. Well, actually, I'm scared. Heh doesn't seem like me does it?"
"Hey, I'm scared too." Vyse said, turning around and leaning against the rail, looking at her.
"Really? I thought you weren't afraid of anything." She said, still looking out at the red moon.
"Sure I am. I've always been afraid every time we went somewhere, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to finish the adventure or that I'd lose my friends. I mean, we're going to be making history tomorrow, and that doesn't happen all the time."
"You've sailed around the world, gone beyond the sunset and defeated five out of six Gigas. You've already made history."
"Yeah, but the fate of the world is at stake tomorrow. I would wonder what would happen if we lost the battle, but I know we're not going to."
"Hey Vyse, look down there." Aika said with sort of a smirk and pointed down at Scott.
Vyse turned around and leaned against the rail again, looking down at where she was pointing. He saw Scott sitting on the edge of the fountain. He noticed him before, but he didn't want to talk, so Vyse never talked to him. But he blinked as he noticed Belle walking towards Scott. She sat down beside him and looked at him.
"What's the matter?" Belle asked, tilting her head.
Scott was staring at the ground blankly, deep in thought. He only responded with "Couldn't sleep."
"Me neither." She said, looking at the ground too. "I'm just… Scared."
"I'm just worried." Scott said.
"About what?"
"About what would happen tomorrow. If something goes wrong, I could lose everything that I've found recently. I really want to make history, so I can make my family proud."
"I bet they're proud of you already. You just have to go tell them everything you've done."
"That's not easy."
"Why not?"
Scott looked up, leaning back so he could see the red moon. It was the first time he didn't stare at Belle when she was around. A silent tear ran down his cheek.
"They're dead." He said quietly.
"Oh Scott, I'm so sorry." She said, looking sorry for him.
"You don't have to be sorry Belle. It wasn't your fault." He replied.
"What happened then… if it's any of my business?"
"Well…"
Flashback
"That's okay son, you'll get it next time." Scott's dad, Jeff, said. "I know you can."
Scott smiled up at his father. The nine-year-old boy had just competed in his first tournament. It was with swords, which he liked very much. He really liked them because his father had one; it was a sturdy katana, made with Moonstone. Scott hoped that one-day, he could wield a sword just like his, maybe even that very same one. But he was still very far away from that it seemed. All he had was a dull training sword to make due with.
They had gotten home that evening, when the sun was just setting. Scott's Mom, Kathy, was starting dinner. Scott sat on his bed, looking at the ceiling, reflecting on his mistakes that resulted in him losing the competition. He looked out the window down at his little brother. He smiled a bit to himself, watching his older brother, James, watch Jason made him feel a little happier then he was before.
He got up and walked to his window, jumping out of it and landing on his feet outside of the house. He looked around the small village and smiled. It was a small village on a small island, somewhere near the South Ocean. But he blinked as he heard a familiar voice.
"Hey Scott!" A little girl called out and ran toward him, diving at him and knocking him over.
"Whoa Belle! You knocked me over!" Scott said as he squirmed under the smaller girl. "Get off me!"
"Oops, sorry." Belle said as she stood up and tried to help Scott up.
Scott just got up by himself, brushing himself off. He laughed a bit and smiled at Belle, and she smiled back.
"So did you win Scott? Did you kick some butt or what?" She said, bobbing up and down with excitement.
"No, actually, I lost my second fight." He said, sounding a little depressed.
Belle stopped bobbing and looked at him, giving him a friendly hug. "That's alright, you'll do it next year!"
Scott smiled a bit, returning the hug, but then he heard his mom call him for dinner. He said goodbye to Belle and ran back to his house. He ate his dinner quickly, fighting worked up an appetite, not to mention trying to keep Belle settled down. But it was also tiring, only two hours after he had eaten, he went off to bed.
At about mid-night, he was awoken by a rumbling noise. At first, he thought it was his stomach, but it got louder and louder in the next few minutes to come. He hid under his covers and waited for it to go away. He figured it was just another storm or gust of wind that came from South Ocean. But when he heard some of the village people yelling and screaming, he immediately shot up and hurried downstairs. He lost his footing at the bottom step and tripped, falling to the floor.
"Scott!" He heard Belle cry, then he felt like he was being shook.
"What is it?" Scott grumbled, looking up at Belle. He blinked; she looked very worried about something.
"Monsters Scott! Monsters are attacking the village!" She cried.
Scott jumped up to his feet and took Belle's hand, hurrying to the cellar with her. They went through the big wooden doors leading to the cellar and hid there. It was only a few minutes before the screams died down to absolute quiet. But they smelled smoke, as if something was burning. They curiously got up and opened up the cellar doors. They were shocked to see that Scott's house was on fire, along with the rest of the village. Scott knew they needed to be fast, so he turned around and picked Belle up and ran out of the house with her, heading as far away from the village as possible. For the rest of the night, they cried as some rain started.
End Of Flashback
"After that," Scott said, "I found my father's dead body. His sword wasn't too far away from it, so I took it for myself. At first, I wanted revenge; I wanted all the monsters in the world to pay. But after a while, I just wanted to seem worthy to hold my father's sword. The little girl and I had been taken onto a ship, but I didn't like the ship, so I left to be on my own. I don't remember why I didn't like the ship, but that's how it happened."
After that, they sat in a few moments silence. Time seemed to have stood still for them both as they just stared at the ground in deep thought. Aika and Vyse were watching, wishing they knew what Scott had said.
"Because it was too feminine." Belle said after a few more minutes.
"What?" Scott said, looking at her.
"You didn't like the ship because it was too girly." Belle replied.
"That's right, I remember now!" Scott said, smiling a bit. "It had pink and hearts all over the place. But how did you know?"
Belle turned and looked into his eyes. At that moment, she had remembered everything that happened to her home that long time ago. He still had the same look in his eyes, a bit of happiness, no matter what he was feeling. But she struggled to see it, it was covered you could say. Covered by a barrier, rejecting everyone from seeing it.
Scott blinked, trying to figure out how she could have known about the ship. At that moment, he felt like he had seen her before. He remembered that the little girl's name was Belle, and so was hers. But it had to be a coincidence; it couldn't have been the same little girl.
"You've gotten a lot stronger and braver since then Scott." Belle said. "You're a lot better at handling your father's katana too. I bet you could win that tournament easy, if it were still around."
"No way!" Scott thought. "It isn't, it can't!"
"I was only about seven or eight back then. We were such good friends; I'm amazed I forgot you. You were like a brother to me." Belle said, smiling a bit.
"And you've grown quite a bit too." Scott said. "You've developed into a fine young lady. But you're still a little hyper."
They both laughed a bit and quickly hugged each other in what was supposed to be a friendly hug. But the seconds turned to minutes as they held each other longer and longer. Vyse and Aika smiled. Aika personally knew that something was going on with those two.
"You know," Scott said, stopping the hug for a minute. "Tonight should be one of those nights when you do things you've always wanted to do, just in case you never come back."
"You have something in mind then?" Belle asked, blinking a bit.
"Two things." Scott said. He smiled and looked into her big golden-brown eyes again. Then he took off his glove, and slowly and gently ran his fingers through her hair. "I have something to say, and something to do."
"And, what's that?" Belle asked shyly, blushing lightly, but she made no attempt to look away.
"The past few weeks have been pretty weird." Scott said. "Going around with Vyse, helping Izmael build things, battling monsters. It has all been a very new experience for me. But the one thing I cherish the most is when I woke up on Clara's ship, and saw you."
Belle's cheeks flushed a deeper pink. "Scott..."
"And all that time after that, I was always thinking about you." Scott said as he ran his fingers through her hair again. "And even when you were hired as a gunner, I still thought about you, all the time. And even when I was working, I couldn't take my eyes off you."
He paused for a moment, blushing a bit himself. "I guess what I'm getting at is, well, that I love you."
Then Scott leaned in and kissed her in a warm, romantic embrace. Belle's face was beat red, she felt helpless. Scott moved his hand from her hair, and brought it to rest gently on her cheek. It felt very warm in his hand, due to her blushing.
Vyse and Aika just watched, their mouths hanging open. They didn't really expect that, in fact, it had caught them completely off guard. They looked at each other, and then back at Scott and Belle, who had finally broken their kiss.
"Scott I…" Belle tried to muster up some words, but she was speechless. So she just wrapped her arms around his stomach and rested her head on his shoulder. "I love you too."
Scott smiled and wrapped his arms around her as well, holding her close to him. They sat like that for a few more minutes before they finally decided to head off to bed. They kissed each other goodnight, and went off to their beds.
"Well that was interesting." Vyse said, still looking down at where they were.
Aika smiled sheepishly and took a few steps back. Then she leaned in and kissed Vyse on the cheek. Vyse blinked, caught off guard yet again.
"Well, thanks for your company Vyse." She said, stepping back again. "I should be able to get some sleep now."
Vyse didn't even move, he barely even reached up and rubbed his cheek after Aika had left. He was a bit confused, but decided to go back to his bed as well.
The next morning, everyone woke up bright and early, they were too excited to get the right amount of sleep, and so they were kind of tired. But that wasn't about to stop them; they were in their ships and in the air in no time flat. Scott and Belle had held each other's hand from the time they met in the morning, to the time they were on The Delfinus. And even when Vyse began heading toward Galcian and his fleet, they didn't stop.
"Come on everyone!" Vyse said on the speakers so the rest of the ship could hear. "Let's go make history!"
Everyone replied with a loud, moral boosting "AYE AYE!" And sailed forth by Vyse's lead.
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Even though I should feel like a pervert for writing all that kissing stuff, I don't o_o it's late at night, well actually it's almost 10:30, but I'm tired. I guess I write better mushy stuff when I'm tired. Oh well, I was having fun! ^_^
Got any questions or comments? E-mail me at Luigi_640@hotmail.com
