Disclaimer: I do not own Golden Sun, as evidenced by the fact it took me three tries to spell it correctly.
Felix stumbled down the dim passage, the limp form of Sheba draped across his arms. The winding passageway seemed more interminable with every step, each passing second. He'd been lucky thus far: no enemies had blocked his path. But pretty soon, luck wasn't going to be enough. Sheba had fallen unconscious several minutes ago, and her breathing had become shallow and inconsistent. In the dim light, her face looked as white as a sheet. Felix knew she was fading fast.
And he was powerless to prevent it.
Suddenly, the passage ahead of him seemed to widen into a small cavern. Felix's heart leapt with a spark of hope. He shifted Sheba's position in his arms and started to run forward, careening along the dark tunnel. Soon he could see some flickering light around the corner, and he redoubled his efforts. A set of short, broad steps greeted him, leading onto a small platform. Two flickering torches flanked an exact replica of the miniature Gabomba Statue that he'd seen in the statue proper. Felix stopped just short of the stairs, suddenly wary. The passage dead ended here, winding back into the darkness behind him. If this was a trap, he didn't have much choice. Or time.
He laid Sheba gently at the foot of the platform, then stepped up the short stairway. His breath ghosted in the torchlight, the damp chill of the caves penetrating his armor. His steps echoed as he stopped just in front of the statue, seeing a chest held in its stone cold arms. Felix hesitated, then tilted open the chest. A small, tattered book with a black cover lay nestled in the opening. Felix looked around, then reached a hand in and took the book. A sudden breeze swirled through the cavern, dimming the torches behind him, making the shadows on the walls seem to dance. Felix shot a glance over his shoulder, uneasy.
Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed in front of him.
[I said the first here would receive it, and thus you have.]
Felix looked into the now lit eyes of the Gabomba.
[One thing: Do not tell Akafubu of this. The Kibombo have need of his leadership, and such a setback may destroy his spirit.]
"Please, Great Gabomba," Felix began, "my friend is very sick. I'm afraid she'll… she'll die if she isn't cured soon. Can you help her?"
There was a short silence. [I cannot cure her.]
Felix's fist clenched on the ancient book in his hand, his head dropping.
"There is nothing you can do?" Felix bit out.
Another pause. [This stairwell will lead you back to the statue proper.]
Felix snapped his head back up and saw a stairway to the right of the idol. He could have sworn that wasn't there earlier, but he wasn't going to question. He stuffed the book into his satchel and ran back to Sheba. He stooped to pick her up, then stopped suddenly.
Sheba wasn't breathing.
Felix panicked. Sheba's face looked blue in the flickering light, her chest was still. Felix ripped off his gauntlet and put his hand to Sheba's cheek. The cold in her face seemed to drain into his blood, and Felix unclasped her cape and moved his hand to her neck, feeling desperately for a pulse. He exhaled slowly: it was there, but weak and fluttering.
Wasting no more time, the Venus adept gathered the still form into his arms and sprinted towards the stairwell, hearing one word as he left.
[Hurry.]
* * * * * *
Jenna was worried, and that only served to make her angrier. It had been over three hours since Felix and Sheba had disappeared through that portal thing, and still they had not returned. She, Piers, and Kraden had been unable to find a way to follow them through the portal. Kraden had mumbled something about a "cyclone," but that didn't help them without Sheba's wind powers. Jenna cursed under her breath for the umpteenth time, and resumed her pacing around the cavern.
Piers shifted uneasily in the center of the cave. "Jenna, I know you're worried, but there's really nothing we can do…"
"I'm not worried!" Jenna screamed.
"Of course not," Piers said smoothly. "Felix and Sheba will find their way out on their own, correct?"
"Of course they will," Jenna said quickly. Too quickly.
"And there's nothing else we can do here." Piers stated, rather than questioned.
"Yeah," Jenna trailed off.
"So we should return to the village an-"
"No!" Jenna yelled emphatically. "We have to be here when they get back."
Piers made a nervous gesture with his hand. Jenna knew she was being illogical, but she didn't really care. She'd lost her brother once, three years ago, and she wasn't about to leave him alone in some dank cave.
Jenna resumed her pacing. After several minutes, Piers spoke suddenly.
"Jenna, stop walking."
Jenna glanced over at the Lemurian, deciding to take out some of her frustration by annoying the stoic Mercury adept. "Aw, am I getting on your nerves, Piers?"
"Jenna, just stop. Now."
Jenna halted in place, more out of surprise than anything else. The quiet Lemurian was rarely this pushy. But as Jenna stopped, her footsteps continued. Jenna leapt in excitement, realizing someone else was near.
"Felix? Felix, are you there?"
"Jenna?" came a dim reply.
The footsteps quickened and seemed to draw closer. Jenna ran over to one of the ledges on the cave walls just as Felix emerged from a hidden stairwell. Jenna's face fell when she saw what he carried.
Sheba's motionless body lay in his arms.
"Oh, my god," she whispered.
"What happened?" Piers called, running over with Kraden.
Felix scrambled over to the edge, kneeling just before the six-foot drop. "I think she's poisoned! She was coughing and throwing up, and now she's not-" Felix's voice broke. Jenna's heart fell as she listened to him. Sheba was… dead?
Piers reached up and took the limp body. "Does she have a pulse?"
Felix leapt down, landing heavily next to his sister. "Yes, but it's weak and fluttering."
Piers found a dry patch of ground and laid Sheba down, comfortably. "Then there's still a chance. Felix, try to get her breathing again while I get some herbs ready."
Jenna backed out of the way as a bustle of activity started. Piers ran for Jenna's bag and the herbs. Not wanting to be totally useless, Jenna asked, "What can I do?"
Piers glanced up at her before continuing to rifle through the backpack. "Run into the village and get us some rooms at the inn. I'm not going to be able to heal her entirely here, and she'll need the rest tonight."
Jenna nodded. She went to leave and nearly ran into Felix. The haunted look in his eyes froze her in place.
"Felix, are you alright?"
Her brother moved to Sheba's side. "Only if she is," he muttered.
* * * * * *
Push.
Push.
Push.
Breathe.
Felix's desperation was growing. He'd gotten little response out of the still Jupiter adept. He'd removed her battle robe to get down to her tunic and started pounding on her chest, hoping to force her lungs to start pumping again.
Nothing was working.
At a loss, Felix repeated his routine, pushing rhythmically against Sheba's chest. As he fitted his mouth over her cold lips, he tried not to think about what would happen if she was…
No, he refused to think that. As he exhaled into her mouth, he willed his life to transfer into her. He pounded twice more on her chest and stopped when he felt movement beneath him. Hardly daring to hope, Felix looked at Sheba's face. He held his hand just above her mouth, then sagged in relief.
Air.
"Piers! She's breathing!" Felix called.
The Lemurian walked over. "Well done, Felix. Let me give her a potion." He knelt over Sheba's form and poured a small amount of liquid into Sheba's open mouth, then held it closed with his hand. The wind adept coughed violently, and Piers let go of her mouth. Sheba's breathing seemed to have stabilized; it was shallow, but consistent.
"That should keep her breathing until we get to the inn. There I can work on purging her completely."
Felix picked up the Jupiter adept as Piers gathered her armor and Jenna's satchel.
"Let's go," Piers said.
They reached the inn and found Jenna waiting for them in the lobby.
"Is she OK?" she asked worriedly.
"She's breathing, but she's still unconscious. Where are the rooms?" Piers asked.
"We've got the only two rooms they have. Sheba can have the one with the bed," Jenna replied, making a face.
"Which one is it?" Felix asked as he strode towards the stairs.
"The one on the left. Kraden's already in the one on the right."
"Thanks," Felix called over his shoulder as he mounted the stairs, Piers close behind. Felix pushed upon the door to the room and entered.
"Hang on a second, Felix," Piers called behind him. The Mercury adept pulled the covers on the bed down to the foot and motioned silently. Felix laid Sheba on the bed and backed away. Piers removed his gauntlets and his sword, handing them to Felix, who placed them on the table. When he turned back, Piers had already begun to heal Sheba's emaciated body. A pale blue glow enveloped the two adepts and the bed, and Felix was left with nothing to do but wait.
Felix slowly began to remove his own armor, peeling off his gauntlets and tossing them in the corner. This wasn't supposed to happen, he thought. When he'd conspired with Saturos and Menardi to steal the Elemental Stars, he was supposed to be the bad guy. The responsibility was to be his alone. Jenna had been dragged along, and he'd done his best to protect her, both from Saturos and from himself. Felix sighed as he unclasped his sword, leaning it against the wall in the corner of the room. Now he'd dragged Sheba into it, as well.
No matter how hard he seemed to try, he managed to put others at risk. Thus far, he'd been lucky, and no one had been seriously hurt. But today, Sheba had almost died. And it had been his fault. Felix unclasped his armor and placed it next to his sword, then sat at the table and began to work on his boots. If anyone had to be hurt, Felix would rather it be him. He'd started this mess, and he'd be the one to either see it through or fail. He tossed his boots into the corner, then slumped backwards in his chair.
If anyone ever got hurt, he'd never manage to forgive himself.
* * * * * *
A couple hours later, Felix was awakened by a tap on his shoulder. He started, not realizing he'd been asleep, then relaxed when he saw Piers's face.
"I thought you'd be interested to know that Sheba's going to make it," Piers said.
Felix let out a relieved sigh. "Thanks a lot, Piers." He paused when he saw the exhaustion in the Lemurian's face. "How are you?"
"I'm quite drained, actually. The poison was quite bad, and it took nearly all of my Psynergy to purge it from her." The Lemurian ran a tired hand through his blue hair. "She's still asleep, and probably will be for a while, but someone should watch over her in case she does wake up."
Felix stood up. "I'll keep an eye on her. You look like you need some rest."
"Thanks, Felix," Piers said, grabbing his sword and gauntlets from the table. He and the Venus adept clasped arms.
"No, thank you, Piers."
"Goodnight," the Lemurian said as he left.
Felix walked over to the bed and looked at Sheba. The color had returned to her face, and her breathing was even and normal. Felix brought the covers up and tucked them around the sleeping girl, then moved his hand to her forehead. Her skin felt smooth and cool beneath his rough, calloused palms. For the first time in several hours, she looked peaceful, and Felix finally allowed himself to relax. Pulling up a chair, he sat next to the wind adept, preparing for his night's vigil.
His mind wandered ahead, planning out their next moves. Once Sheba was fully recovered, they could set out across the center of Gondowan. They'd probably have to camp just before the mountains on the first night, but hopefully they'd reach Naribwe on the second night. Then they could make it through to Osenia and be on with their trip.
With the near future somewhat planned out, Felix drifted to the events of the day. All their pains to sneak into the statue had gone for naught, since they'd ended up staying at the inn anyway. Hopefully, the fiery witch doctor, Akafubu, wouldn't realize they had been here until they were long gone.
Speaking of Akafubu, Felix suddenly recalled the words of the Gabomba. "Do not tell Akafubu of this." Felix had forgotten the tattered black book he'd found in the cave. He glanced at Sheba's sleeping form, then stood and walked over to his satchel, gently removing the ancient tome.
The leathery black cover was surprisingly warm to the touch. Felix turned the book over in his hands. Strange red glyphs were imprinted into the cover, in a language Felix didn't recognize. A piece of the cover was dislodged from Felix's touch and landed on the floor. It almost seemed like the book was rotting in his hands. Intrigued, Felix gingerly lifted the cover.
Suddenly, a cool breeze blew through the open window, flipping through the pages in the tome. Whisperings sounded in the room around Felix, who shivered, glancing over at the flying curtains. Placing the leathery book on his chair, Felix walked over and shut the window, shaking his head. It must really have been a long day, if he was hearing voices in an otherwise empty room. Felix crossed the room and checked on Sheba, who was still asleep. Felix picked up the black book, again surprised by how warm it felt. Glancing around the empty room one last time, the Venus adept sat, opened the book, and began to read the scrawled handwriting contained within the tattered pages.
Beside him, Sheba shifted uncomfortably in her sleep.
Author's Note: I didn't kill Sheba off, so don't attack me! Review responses:
Smurf Cat: I'm glad you're enjoying this! I'm enjoying writing the Felix/Sheba interaction here. They're an interesting couple. Thanks for the review!
Empress Dotdotdot: Here's some more! And it's even soon! I've never quite seen as much possibility in Windshipping than in Felix/Sheba, so I prefer them as well. This is gonna be at most another four chapters, but if I ever reach a novelization of TLA, it will be Felix/Sheba as well. Thanks for the encouragement!
Hedwig: Here's your update! Thanks!
ChibiD: I'm not yet sure if I'm going to raise the rating. I may need to, in order to achieve the proper effects later on. I also haven't decided if this is going to have a happy ending or not. I can see both happening.
And I made Sheba better! Thanks for your review, and here's the update!
That's all for now. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and for those who haven't, the button's in the corner! Thanks!
-AE