ME: Yes, it's me, Dragon Empress! (Waves.) I have returned, are you glad?

CHIBI JENNA: No, they've all gotten tired of waiting and gone away.

ME: Awww…

CHIBI JENNA: Oh, stop whining. You're here for a reason, aren't you?

ME: Indeed I am! For I have finally returned to FF.net (*Under much peer-pressure from some others, may I add. You all know who you are.*) with a story! And it's a marvellously sad story at that! Heh heh heh, first though, disclaimer time!

NO, DE DOESN'T OWN GOLDEN SUN. SHE DOES OWN A PENCIL WITH THE TEN TIMES TABLE ON IT THOUGH! OH, THE JOY OF BEING A POOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENT…

ME: Oh, well. Anyway, on with the ficcy!

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Their hearts aren't quite broken yet, she thinks.

But still, they're far from alright. Because he's lost and jaded now, with cynical touches here and there. And she knows she's exactly the same. They've gotten old before their time, and watched dreams of everything crumbling into dust.

They're nothing but exploited heroes now, and he hates it so. He's been lied to you see, about his past, about his present. And now nobody cares. It's over.

Their lives are over already, but she can't see it. He tells her that she's naïve, but she just smiles sadly and replies every time:

"Maybe so. But I'm still not broken."

Yet. But give it time, and she will be, because they all are inside really. Life has made them grow up, grow old, and now there's nothing left for them to do.

Who needs a hero now? She does. But he just needs a life. And he'll try and keep her out of it, as long as he can keep himself out of her warm embrace and peppermint kisses.

He wonders why she always tastes like peppermint.

But then, he's always wondering. About her, about how it could have been, maybe, if they had never been dragged into this whole mess, any of them. He just wants to be happy, he just wants to be normal now.

Because some nights, all the horrific things he's seen replay over and over until they become blurs behind his eyelids and he just doesn't want to think about it anymore.

And she cries for him, sometimes, and for his nightmares. She's a sensitive soul after all, and all those monsters and horrors still burn in her memory too.

Sometimes he forgets he wasn't the only one, she thinks. And tells him so.

Then, "I'm not selfish." He always replies.

And he's not. He's not. Just jaded, and fed up with being a hero.

Because after all, the only thing people love more than a hero is seeing them fall.

But she doesn't want him to fall. It's unbearable, loving the hero, and loving a fallen hero would be even harder. She doesn't think she can cope.

So now she's just in and out of love. Sometimes wishing desperately to love somebody else, and sometimes never wishing to love anybody ever again.

They have their good days after all. It doesn't matter that they don't really work, it's good, most of the time.

It's good, she reminds herself. They're good, they're alright.

And she's a terrible liar, but somehow manages to convince him every time. Because he still wants to believe her so much, and because he's not quite broken yet.

Yet. She holds onto that word, hoping that yet can last an eternity.

It might. It could. It won't.

So she's leaving now. Because now somehow yet simply isn't enough.

Silent and empty, he waits for her at the door. "Don't leave. You'll just end up coming back again." He's not sad.

But she shakes her head. "Not this time." If only she meant it.

So then he reaches out and takes her left hand, the one without the bag, and holds it tight. "Don't leave." And he's still not sad.

But she is. The bag falls to the ground, and she, she falls like a forsaken angel into his arms, crying again. And he wraps those arms around her like he always does, and puts his face to hers, wondering if she'll still let him lose himself in her warm embrace and peppermint kisses.

And then she'll bury her face in his shoulder, waiting for him to say the same thing he always does:

"So, are you broken yet?" And he's not unkind, or cold in his question. Just jaded, and fed up with being a hero.

Yet she still shakes her head. Because even though they're still far from alright, her heart isn't quite broken yet. And neither is she.

Yet. But give it time, and she will be.

They all are inside.

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ME: Uhh, yeah. Heh, a bit weird, isn't it. Oh, well…review anyway, please!