The Day the Moon Shines
By: deep.Indigo
Chapter 3:
Yasashisa, Toki ni
ha Jama ni Naru Orokasa
(Gentleness, Occasionally a Foolishness that Becomes a Hindrance)
The rest of
the trip was much less stressful for Vyse, and although he didn't tell
the
others what he and Ramirez had discussed, each of them understood what
must
have happened. The rest of the trip was uneventful, and when they
reached
Esperanza, though it was a dreary and hopeless town, Vyse directed his
crew
with his usual vigor and cheer. He and Aika would scout out the town to
search
for clues on how to breach the Dark Rift, and Fina and Ramirez would
stay at
the port with Enrique, who was once again horribly airsick.
"I
just need
to sit down..." Enrique mumbled, dark circles under his eyes. "I'll be
all
right..." He abruptly doubled over, and had Fina not caught him and
helped him
down, the Prince of Valua would surely have collapsed to the ground.
"Ugh..."
Nearby,
Ramirez was leaning against the wall, gazing up at the crimson-tinted
sky away
from his two companions. Although he appeared to be ignoring Fina and
Enrique,
in actuality he was paying close attention to the two.
"There,
there, Enrique, you'll be all right once you get used to it," Fina
assured the
young Prince with a comforting smile.
"I
hope
you're right, Fina..." Enrique sighed. "I really hate this..."
Fina
sighed sympathetically. "I'll tell you what—why don't I give you a back
rub?"
"Why
don't
you sing for him?" The suggestion came so suddenly from Ramirez that at
first
Fina thought he wasn't talking to her.
"What? Oh,
no... I'm no good at singing," she protested, startled by the sudden
proposal.
"That's not
true," he rebutted calmly, still not looking at her. "You're very
good."
"How
would
you know?"
A
low
chuckle. "Back home..." Ramirez began, "you were
always
singing to yourself when you thought no one was listening...Fina."
Fina's face
turned bright red, and she stared down at her lap without reply.
"Please,
Fina," Enrique protested with a weak smile, "if it makes you
uncomfortable, you
don't have to sing for me..."
"Sing for
him, Fina," Ramirez interrupted, still not facing them, with the tone
of an
order. Continuing with a softer voice, he added, "...I'd like to hear
that old
melody again, myself."
Fina
smiled
coquettishly, blushing down at her lap, and murmured, "...All right."
Taking a
deep breath and clearing her voice, the lovely Silvite softly sang,
"Oto no nai
mahiru, kaze ha tada akarui... Sukoshi nemutasou ni hanabira ga
yureta... Nanigenai kono omoi—nee,
hito ha donna kotoba de yonde iru no? Shiroi suna no tsuki, tojikometa
hanashi wo hikari furasu you ni kikasete ne, sotto..."
With
a
slight tremor, Fina's voice faded off, indicating the finish of the
foreign song. She smiled shyly at Enrique, but only
because she was too timid to look over at Ramirez, who still refused to
face
her.
"You
have a
wonderful voice," Enrique smiled back, then winced and covered his
mouth with
one hand. "Ha...I was feeling better for a minute there..."
"Thank you,"
Fina beamed. Casting her jade eyes timidly up at Ramirez, she addressed
him,
"Um...what did you think, Ramirez?"
"Fina." His
voice was strangely terse. "Go fetch Vyse."
"What? Why?"
she asked, astounded by his sudden change of moods.
"Look up at
the sky and you'll understand."
Puzzled,
Fina did so, and to her horror, she saw what she had hoped never to see
again,
and failing that, to not see for a very, very long time:
A
Valuan
flagship. Accompanying it were two battleships, and although they were
not
quite so ominous as the flagship, which Fina knew would belong to one
of the
Admirals of Valua, they were still threatening enough to cause worry.
"That's..."
Enrique muttered, also staring up at the sky, "...that's the
Auriga...Uncle
Gregorio's ship..."
"Oh,
my!!"
Fina gasped, quickly rising to her feet and pressing her hands to her
mouth.
"Oh, my, could they really have found us already?!"
"Regardless
of whether they followed us here or not, once they see the Delphinus,
they'll
know we're here," Ramirez stated curtly. "So go and get Vyse. He's the
one
they'll want to see."
"Yes, you're
right!" Fina swiftly agreed before turning and scurrying off to search
for the
captain of the Delphinus.
Enrique and
Ramirez continued to watch the Auriga and the accompanying battleships
move in
closer to the Esperanza port. When they had almost reached the dock,
the young
Prince quietly said, "I hope I don't have to fight Uncle Gregorio..."
"Sentiments
like that," Ramirez stated sharply, "will get you killed in battle."
Discouraged,
Enrique lowered his eyes. "You're probably right...but..."
"But?"
"...But, I
don't want to have to fight someone I care about. You understand, don't
you?"
Slowly,
Ramirez turned to face the blond Prince, his eyes like shards of frozen
emerald. "No," he stated flatly.
Enrique
regarded him grimly. "There's absolutely no one you care about? No one
you'd
like to avoid fighting at any cost?" he insisted.
Ramirez
snorted derisively. "Are you referring to Lord Galcian?" he queried
coldly.
The
Prince of Valua
didn't answer.
The
Silvite's eyes narrowed slightly. "I don't have to worry about such a
thing.
Because I will always be on his side."
Enrique
shook his head. However, before he could respond, a conveyor boat from
the Auriga arrived at the docks, and a messenger stepped out. Ramirez,
not caring to be discovered just yet, slipped into the shadows of the
overhanging cliffs, watching silently as the helmeted soldier walked
purposefully toward the young Prince, bearing an ornate scroll, likely
a message from the Ironwall Admiral.
"Prince
Enrique," the messenger declared, taking no notice of Ramirez thanks to
the limited vision his helmet afforded him. "Thank Heavens
you're all right. I had thought to simply relay these demands to the
Air Pirates who had kidnapped you, but if you are alone, that makes
things much simpler. Please, quickly come with me, so that we may
return to the Auriga."
"What?"
Enrique asked, stunned by the sudden declaration. Wincing as he
straightened, forcing himself to swallow his airsickness, he shook his
head and said, "I am afraid I cannot do that. I will, however, accept
your message."
The
messenger obediently handed him the scroll, but even as Enrique
unrolled it, both he and Ramirez were given the impression that the
Valuan soldier was staring in surprise at the Prince of Valua.
"But...you've been kidnapped," he reminded the blond young man before
he began to read. "Don't you wish to be rescued?"
Enrique
smiled pensively and almost apologetically at the soldier, but at that
moment, Vyse
and the others came
running up, saving him from any difficult explanations.
"Damn! Valua
really is here!" the young captain swore, glaring at the docking ship.
"Vyse," the Prince stated, relieved by the arrival of support. "This
soldier has relayed a message from the Auriga."
"What? Oh,"
Vyse said, turning his eyes to the Valuan messenger, who stiffened upon
being noticed. "Well, what's the message say?"
The
blond young man didn't reply at first, speedily perusing the message in
his hands, and after a moment, he smile again, this time wistfully.
With a small laugh, he said, "It seems Uncle Gregorio wishes for me to
give myself up."
"'Uncle'?" Aika repeated curiously.
"Ah,
Gregorio has had a large hand in my upbringing ever since my father
passed away," Enrique explained. "Although he is not really my uncle,
I've come to refer to him as my uncle." Returning to the letter, he
stated, "His demands are that I am to be returned and you are to give
yourselves up by tomorrow morning, or he will regrettably open fire
onto the city." With an equally regretful sigh, the blue-eyed Prince
rolled up the letter again and turned to the messenger. "Thank you," he
said politely. "You've done well. However, I am not returning to
Valua. I was not kidnapped; I joined Vyse of my own free will. You may
return to the Auriga and tell Uncle Gregorio that."
The
still confused soldier saluted, not knowing what else to do, and turned
about face and returned to his small conveyer boat.
"You
sure
gave him a lot to report, Enrique," Aika commented. "What if this
Gregorio guy
attacks because we refused to surrender?"
The
young
prince shook his head. "Uncle Gregorio would not do that," he stated
firmly. "He said he would not attack
until tomorrow morning, so he will not attack until tomorrow morning.
Gregorio
is the most honorable man I have ever known; we can trust his word."
"Regardless
of whether Gregorio's word can be trusted or not," Ramirez spoke dryly
as he
stepped out from the shadows, causing all the others to jump in
surprise, "you
all have many preparations to make."
"Where were
you before now?!" Aika demanded.
The
silver-haired Admiral shrugged and indicated the shadowy corner in
which he'd
been skulking. "Over there. Didn't you notice me?"
"Whatever,"
the redheaded rogue exclaimed, exasperated. "I bet you're happy,
anyway. If we
lose, then you're home-free, aren't you?"
Ramirez's
eyes narrowed. "I won't bother explaining myself to you," he stated
icily.
"Ramirez...?" Fina queried, taking a step forward.
"After all, I
suppose
the thing known as 'honor' doesn't exist in a pirate's vocabulary," he
continued, ignoring her.
Aika
scowled
and placed her hands on her hips. "Well, what would you know
about
honor? You betrayed your own people, and joined with the Valuans!"
Ramirez's
handsome features darkened like the vast rift howling through the sky,
and
instinctively, he twitched his hand as if to draw his sword. His
expression changed when he remembered that his sword was still
somewhere in the Grand Fortress, and he turned away. "You
don't know anything."
"Then
enlighten us," Vyse challenged him, crossing his arms.
Ramirez
glared at the young pirate, his eyes ice. The two stared each other
down for a
long moment before the silver-haired Admiral finally said, "You
wouldn't
understand even if I told you."
"How
do you
know that? Try us!" Vyse snapped, not breaking the gaze.
"People are
all stupid that way," Ramirez stated, turning away. "Except, of course,
for one
man."
Rolling his brown eyes, the blue-clad rogue asked, "Are you
ever going to get over your Galcian obsession?"
Ramirez ground his teeth together, his
hand twitching again. "As I said
before..." the wrathful Silvite stated quietly. He turned and glared
again at
Vyse with the intensity of a towering conflagration. "I'll kill you."
"Yeah,
whatever, like I haven't heard that before," Vyse scoffed, though the
others
looked seriously put off. "How are you gonna kill me without a weapon?"
Ramirez
stared at him with a disguised expression, then slowly and deliberately
walked
up to Vyse. Aika, Fina, Enrique and Vyse all watched him curiously, not
understanding what he had in mind. Ramirez stopped about half a foot in
front
of Vyse, and the two regarded each other for a split second before
Ramirez
connected his fist to Vyse's jaw with a vicious punch.
"Don't,"
Ramirez stated frigidly as he cracked his knuckles, "underestimate me."
Vyse
cursed
loudly as he was knocked backward from the force, landing in Fina's
arms.
"Dammit,
Ramirez, are you trying to pick a fight?!" Aika shouted, moving into a
fighting
position.
"It's as I
said," he replied, still glaring down at Vyse. "Don't
underestimate me."
"Let
it go,
Aika," Vyse said with a wave of his hand, wiping at his mouth with the
other
hand. Smiling grimly, he got to his feet and faced Ramirez. Staring
each other
down, Vyse continued, "First rule of thumb, Ramirez: crew members
shouldn't hit
their captains."
"You
tell
him, Vyse!" Aika cheered, though Fina and Enrique were looking
"And
the
implied 'or else' is?" Ramirez queried, ignoring her.
Vyse
smirked, his expression growing darker. "Or else...they're made to
clean out
the bathrooms."
Everyone
tripped, twitching.
"Yes, I
think that's an appropriate punishment!" the captain of the Delphinus
continued cheerfully.
"Hmm, let's
see...first of course are the toilets. They've gotten kinda dirty, so
you'd
better scrub 'em until they shine! Then there's the sinks; I wanna see
my
reflection in those suckers! Speaking of reflections, don't forget the
mirrors—oh, and the urinals, too!!"
Ramirez
stared, rendered speechless.
"Well? What
are you waiting for?" Vyse grinned mischievously. "You hit your
captain, so
that's your punishment! Get a move on and start working!"
The
silver-haired Admiral cast him a glare of utter loathing before
stalking away
to the Delphinus, his entire being radiating hatred.
Aika
turned
to Vyse. "Vyse, that was...really friggin' cool!!"
Vyse
laughed
maniacally. "You know it!!"
As
the two
lorded their wit, Fina glanced after Ramirez, worried. It seemed as if
there
was a little progress coming along; was it all coming undone? Or, she
thought
as she averted her mint-green eyes, had there never been any progress
to begin
with...?
"You
look
worried, Fina," Enrique said in a low tone. Fina looked up, surprised,
to see
him standing next to her, looking concerned. "To tell you the truth, I
am too.
About Uncle Gregorio, and about Ramirez as well..."
"Mm..." Fina
regarded the ground sadly. In the background, Aika and Vyse were
settling down
and beginning to listen. "I wish...I wish he wouldn't be so hostile,"
she
whispered, tears forming. "If...if only he were the same person I used
to
know... I'd give anything, anything at all, to have my old friend
back..."
Aika
and
Vyse shared a concerned glance, and the latter walked up to the softly
weeping
young woman. "Hey...Fina..." he said gently, placing a hand on her
shoulder. "I
guess I got a little carried away there. If you want, I'll go apologize
to
him..."
Fina
shook
her head. "No...Ramirez did strike you, so it's only
fitting...but...I
just wonder what happened to him...and what I can do to help..."
Vyse
smiled
gently. "Fina, you're a good person, aren't you?"
Fina
blushed
at the compliment. "Thank you..." she murmured softly, a little cheered
by his
support, but still concerned. "I wonder if there's anything I can do
for
him..."
"Bah, he's a
lost cause," Aika scoffed, but Vyse looked thoughtful.
"Anyone
would get mad after that," he stated. "Besides, he and I already agreed
that if
I can prove to him I'm different from everyone else he's met, he won't
kill
me."
Aika
arched
an orange eyebrow. "And you believed him?"
Vyse
stared
over at her. "Why not?"
Aika
opened
her mouth to reply when he quickly added, "No ranting about how Ramirez
is a
psycho! We've all already heard that one!"
She
shook
her head. "If you die, it's your own damn fault, but if I die too, I'm
haunting
you forever!"
Vyse
had to
laugh at that. "If I'm dead, how can you haunt me?"
"I'll haunt
your ghost!" she snapped.
Even
Fina
and Enrique, and then Aika, laughed at the absurdity of her statement.
"So
what
will you do, Vyse?" Enrique queried after they had calmed down.
The brunet youth
considered the question, then nodded. "I'll let him stew for a while,
since he does
have a lesson to learn," he said. "Then I'll go help him clean the
bathroom and
talk to him."
"What if he
won't talk to you?" Fina queried.
Vyse
laughed
nervously. "I'll...deal with that if it happens."
Almost an
hour later, Ramirez was sullenly nearing completion of his task. Why
did he
have to do as Vyse said? Even if he was outnumbered and unarmed, he
could
easily take all of the fools, even if the miscellaneous crewmembers
Vyse had
recruited and positioned around the Delphinus came to help. Yet here he
was,
scrubbing the walls of a shower stall.
"May
you
never know how I've fallen, Lord Galcian," the young swordsman muttered
to
himself, wiping suds off his brow. /But this humiliation now will
make my
revenge later all the sweeter,/ he added mentally, smiling grimly.
Yes,
Vyse would pay for his crimes—insulting Lord Galcian, insulting him,
treating
him as a subordinate, manipulating his feelings...
His
mirthless smile melted away, and Ramirez brooded on how that bath with
Vyse had
somehow temporarily skewed his perceptions. In his confusion, he had
actually
agreed to join the group! Granted, he had had his reasons, his
disclaimers, but it didn't change the fact that it had happened. The
white-haired swordsman didn't know what his mentor would say if he knew
about this, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know. There surely must
have been other, better solutions, that some practically applied
thought could have revealed... He only hoped that, now that he had
trapped himself into his current situation, he could find a way to
manipulate it for the good of his lord. It was by Lord Galcian's side
alone that he belonged; there was no other place in the world where he
had any place. All others were selfish, self-centered, greedy,
thoughtless... Even if they didn't show it at first, in the end it was
always like that...no matter how many times he had let down his guard,
to try to risk trusting others in the hope that the first time he had
been betrayed had been a mere fluke, he had been severely disappointed.
Galcian was the only one who had never done so, in all of the seven
years since they had first met... Still, all his dedicated service
couldn't erase those memories of those who had used him, laughing the
entire time, and as he was once again disgraced by this punishment, his
past indignities once again rose to conscious thought. Bitterly,
Ramirez
scrubbed the tiles harder, as if scouring the porcelain would somehow
scour his
painful memories as well.
/No one who has crossed me has ever
gone
unpunished,/ he thought dourly. /I will not allow Vyse to be the first./
Tightening his hand into a
fist, he pounded against the wall and snarled, "I will not!!"
"You
won't what?"
Ramirez
glanced over his shoulder quickly at Vyse, who had entered unnoticed.
He raised
an eyebrow at the sight of him—Vyse was wearing plastic gloves and an
apron,
and he was carrying rags, scouring pads and a bucket of soapy water.
"What in
the Moons are you..." Ramirez trailed off.
Vyse
grinned. "Came to help you out," he chirped. "Not complaining, are
you?"
With
a
slight scowl, Ramirez shook his head. "Are you making fun of me?" he
queried
guardedly.
The
handsome rogue shook
his head. "Of course not." He paused for a moment, and then changed the
subject. "What were you yelling about, anyway?"
Without
stopping to think of what to say, Ramirez muttered, "None of your
business."
Vyse
shrugged. "All right, then…" He kneeled down, and started getting to
work on a neighboring stall.
Though he
was no longer in sight, Ramirez could still hear Vyse, and he raised
his voice
slightly to ask, "Why are you helping me, anyway?"
"Because I'm
a nice guy."
"No,
really."
"What, you
don't believe me?" Vyse laughed a little, then said, "Regardless of
their
position, people on a ship help each other."
The
Silvite swordsman
didn't know what to say, so he decided to say nothing.
Vyse
chuckled a bit and commented, "Doing this brings back memories..."
Without
waiting for Ramirez to show interest or disinterest, he continued,
"Whenever I
got caught, my dad would make me clean out the bathroom. It was almost
always
messy, so it wasn't a pleasant job. It usually inspired me not to get
caught
the next time around."
Ramirez
smiled a bit at that in spite of himself. "That sounds like you—working
harder to not get caught, I
mean."
"And
what do
you mean by that?" Vyse asked jovially.
"It
sounds
just like you to get into trouble."
The
Blue
Rogue laughed at that. "Hey, what about you? Don't tell me you never
did
anything bad as a kid!"
There was a
long moment of silence, until Vyse leaned over and peeked into the
shower
stall next to his, puzzled. Ramirez was still working, but he was
scowling at the
tiles.
"Ramirez?"
"What?" His
tone was morose.
The Air Pirate
blinked, growing concerned. "Something wrong? Did I say something
weird?"
With
a sigh, the silver-haired swordman shook his head. "It's nothing."
"Hey, you
gotta be kidding me!" Vyse protested, frowning. "You went from zero to
depressed in .2 seconds! It's not healthy to keep your feelings to
yourself. If
you want to talk to me about anything, I swear by everyone and
everything I
hold dear I'll never tell anyone else."
"Hmph."
Despite his standoffish expression, Ramirez felt a bit better upon
hearing
that, though he couldn't understand why; hadn't he just been brooding
over how he would not accept this humiliation from the Blue Rogue? But
his bitter memories never failed to depress him, and that loosened his
tongue just a bit. "It's just that...I don't really have a lot of happy
memories from my
childhood."
"I'm
listening."
The
Admiral
paused, unsure of how to voice himself, and whether he should even say
anything
to the man he had sworn to kill. "I..." he faltered. "No...you wouldn't
understand."
Vyse
rolled
his eyes. "Gee, where have I heard that before? C'mon, I'm not gonna
laugh or
anything. And I probably understand a lot better than you think I do."
The white-haired Silvite paused for a moment, then shrugged a bit,
reasoning that the Air Pirate wouldn't be alive long enough to spread
around anything he told him. True, he had a lunar cycle, but that was merely
borrowed time, and Ramirez doubted he would be convinced of anything by
the time it was over. It went against his better judgment, but his
melancholy got the better of him, and he chose to speak at least
semi-freely. "It's
just...difficult to discuss." He paused for a moment, then continued,
"Ah...I
suppose you should understand that Silvites are not a...copious
race.
Fina and I are the only ones of our age in all the Great Silver Shrine,
and we
are the youngest there..."
"Must have
been lonely," Vyse sympathized.
Ramirez
shook his head, encouraged for the first time in years to speak his
mind on his original home. "You have no idea. Each Silvite has his or
her own personal
room, and while I suppose this is good for privacy, it effectively
isolates us
from each other. Although, the Great Silver Shrine really is nothing
but a
collection of rooms; there are no places to socialize or congregate."
Vyse
watched Ramirez speak without interrupting. When he stopped speaking,
the brown-haired pirate
prompted, "What about your parents? Didn't they spend time with you?"
"My
parents..." Ramirez's expression clouded with the pain of the
unearthing of long-buried memories. "I don't even know who they
are..."
"...I'm
sorry." The Blue Rogue was stunned; how could he not know his own
parents?
"What...happened to them?"
Ramirez stepped back and leaned against the opposite wall, staring up
at the
ceiling. "I've never known my father...he could be any of the Elders, I
suppose, or none of them. No one has ever told me...and my mother..."
He looked
away, clenching a fist; he would stop here, but Vyse's arrogant
challenge and his own pride and pain prompted him to speak on. "My biological
mother... She died shortly before
I was born—I was brought into existence from her dead body... And so,
I've
never known her, either..."
"Geez..."
Vyse, not knowing what else to do or say, stepped into the stall with
Ramirez
and placed an arm over his shoulders. The Silvite shrugged off his arm
with a sharp glare, but that didn't dissuade the Blue Rogue from
sincerely continuing, "I'm so sorry... What about Fina? You
grew up with her—you must have good memories with her, right? She has
lots of
good memories of you, according to her."
"...Let's
talk about something else."
Vyse
nodded.
"I understand how you must feel."
Ramirez instantly scowled, baring his teeth in an infuriated grimace.
"You couldn't possibly understand how I
feel!" he snarled, glaring. "When I first came to
this world, because of my naïveté, everyone I met used me
without a second
thought—except for Lord Galcian. He took me in and taught me the truth
of this
world, and how to become stronger. He is the father I've never known.
So don't
give me your pity. I'd rather die!!"
Vyse
backed
away out of the stall, surprised by his sudden passion, and then
regarded him
with new understanding. "Okay," he said softly. "But I want you to know
that
you're not alone. We're here, for whenever you want to meet us."
With
a
disgusted noise, Ramirez glowered at his feet and walked out of the
stall. "I'm
not a child—you needn't patronize me. I know I'm an unwelcome presence."
"If
you were
unwelcome, would you be a part of the crew?" Vyse questioned.
Ramirez
growled and changed the subject. "You'll be fighting Gregorio tomorrow."
"Yeah.
Wouldn't you be glad if he beat us?" Vyse joked. "You could go back to
Galcian,
then."
"Not
really," Ramirez muttered darkly. "If you lost and were recaptured, you
would
certainly be submitted to a formal execution, and I would be deprived
of the
pleasure of killing you myself."
Vyse
sweatdropped, not having expected him to say that but feeling as if he
should
have. "Gee, I feel so reassured."
"No
one has
the right to your life but me."
The
young
rogue raised an eyebrow. "Getting possessive, aren't you?" he commented.
In a
beat, Ramirez changed the subject again. "Aren't you nervous?"
"About
what?" the brunet uttered, distracted by the sudden new question.
"The
battle
tomorrow. Gregorio is the second Admiral of the Valuan Armada. His
nickname is
the Ironwall Admiral, and as the name implies, his defense is virtually
impregnable. There's a good chance you'll lose. Aren't you nervous?"
"Well, now
that you mention it..." Vyse laughed nervously, but he shook his head
with a
confident smile. "But no, not really. I mean, what's the point? If you
get
worried and start obsessing over things like that, then you'll end up
making the things you're worried about real. So I don't worry."
Ramirez
frowned. "You're an idiot."
"Do
you get
off on calling me that? You've said it so much..."
"Only
because it seems you need constant reminder of the fact."
"Weren't you
the one who wanted to kill me so badly?" Vyse queried, getting a little
exasperated. They had been getting along so well before Ramirez
overreacted,
too... "You yourself said if I lost, you'd lose your chance to kill me
yourself. So why aren't you rooting for me?"
"If
you
can't beat Gregorio, you'll never be able to defeat me. Don't
disappoint me,
Vyse. It would be unsatisfying to kill you so easily..." Ramirez turned
his
back to his rival and walked away calmly.
/...Creepy,/
Vyse thought as he watched him leave. It was only until Ramirez was
gone that
Vyse realized he'd been left to finish cleaning the bathroom.
Ramirez made
his way back to the quarters that he and Vyse shared. Once there, he
stripped
off his gloves, military jacket and boots, leaving on his undershirt
and pants,
and laid down on the bedding that was still there from the night
before. He
felt tired and somewhat depressed. Thinking of his childhood always
brought him
nothing but pain, but this time Ramirez knew it was because he felt
strangely
guilty about speaking to Vyse that way. It seemed as if Vyse really had
cared
what he had to say. Ramirez shook his head and sat up. He knew should
dismiss
it as a ploy to gain his trust and muddle his thoughts, but, still...
Standing up
and walking over to the window, Ramirez sang softly to himself, "Itsuka
shiru
toki ga kuru no? Mune no itami wo... Soshite ima yori yasashiku naru no
ne... Atatakai
kono omoi—nee,
hito ha donna namae de yonde iru no? Shiroi suna
no tsuki, mabushikute mienai tooi mirai no koto kikasete ne, sotto..."
Despondently, he watched the clouds move swiftly by in the twilight
sky. That
song brought back so many memories, some good and some bad, but all now
so painful...
"Hahaue,
won't you sing that song for me again? Please?"
She
had
smiled down at him with that beautiful smile of hers, always so kind,
always so
sad. "Itsuka shiru toki ga kuru no? Mune no itami wo... Soshite ima
yori yasashiku
naru no ne..." she sang softly, the beginning of the second half of
that song
she always sang to him and Fina. However, there she stopped and gazed
up at the
planet Arcadia, around which the Silver Moon revolved, and in turn over
which
their home, the Great Silver Shrine, hung. "I wonder how the people of
that
world see us, Ramirez? Do they remember that we are here? Do they
remember this
song?" Stroking his hair gently, the way she always used to, she
continued,
"One day, before I die, I would like to visit that world, even for only
a
day..."
"Hahaue!"
he'd said in his childish innocence. "I'll take you there someday!"
She
had
laughed, not unkindly. It was only many years later that he realized
that
saying that must have made her so sad... "I would like that, Ramirez.
It would
be so wonderful—you and I and Fina could all go there and see with our
own eyes
the humans of Arcadia... The humans that the rest of our kind so
detest..."
Hearing
her talk like that always made him sad, and if he were sad, she would
become
sad. So, instead, young Ramirez smiled up at her and rested his head on
her
lap, an ancient Silvian sign of trust and love. "Hahaue, sing for me?"
he
requested.
She
smiled down at him and stroked his hair, a symbol of the return of that
trust
and love. "The same song as always?"
"Yes,
sing 'Hiru no Tsuki' for me," he'd replied, closing his eyes
drowsily.
"Atatakai
kono omoi... Nee, hito ha donna namae de yonde iru no?" Her voice was
so
beautiful, and hearing that lovely song again had lulled him to sleep—a
comforting sleep that he never knew by himself in his cold, empty
room...
Ramirez
snapped out of his reverie violently as he heard someone enter the
room. "Who's
there?!" he demanded, instinctively reaching for his sword, though he
knew it
was not with him.
"It's just
me, Ramirez," Vyse replied, shutting the door behind him as he walked
in. "You
left me to finish the bathroom."
In
spite of
himself, the Silvite let the corners of his mouth quirk upwards. "Is
that all you're complaining about?"
he
questioned, amused.
Vyse
stared
and smiled back. "It's rare to see you smile like that," he commented.
"You
should do it more often."
Immediately
Ramirez turned away, forcing off the mirth.
"Hey,
don't be like that," Vyse protested, walking over to him. "I wasn't
making fun
of you or anything."
"What should
I do for the battle tomorrow morning?" Ramirez queried without emotion,
completely ignoring Vyse's statement.
The
handsome
young brunet regarded Ramirez for a moment before shaking his head and
sighing.
"Is war the only thing you think about?" he questioned him.
"No,"
Ramirez muttered. He didn't elaborate.
Vyse
smiled resignedly as he placed his fists on his hips. "Anyway, don't
worry about tomorrow," he said with a wink. "That's
our turn to show you our power!"
"Hehh..."
Ramirez smiled ironically and looked away. "I'll look forward to it."
"Great!"
Vyse grinned. "The only thing to make this occasion complete
is...FOOD!"
"What?" the
green-eyed swordsman uttered, turning around in surprise just before
Vyse
grabbed his shoulder and pulled him towards the door.
"C'mon, you
haven't had anything but tea all day! You must be starving! I know I
am!" Vyse
cheered. Ramirez, admitting to himself that he was somewhat hungry,
broke away
briefly to pull on his cast-away clothing, and then allowed himself to
be led
away.
Although he
hadn't engaged in any conversation, and although there was a serious
battle to
be fought the next day, dinner was boisterous and cheerful. Vyse, Aika,
Fina
and Enrique discussed what should be done and how not to worry about it
until
it came, and all the while, Ramirez quietly watched, amazed at how
nonchalant
they were about it. It was as Vyse had said—what would come would come,
so for
the moment, they wouldn't worry about it. It was also probably to help
cheer up
Enrique, who, Ramirez noted, was considerably stressed over fighting
Gregorio.
Returning to
the quarters again after dinner, Ramirez stripped down to his pants and
undershirt again and resumed gazing out the window. Night had fallen
quickly,
and the stars were visible in the parts of the sky not obscured by the
dark
rift.
/Stars...
That's all that my sky was, back then.../ he mused, trying to pick
out some
of the constellations. /That is, when I wasn't looking down at
Arcadia./
He sighed. /It's funny. I wanted so badly to see this world.../ he reflected. /But, now that I'm
here... I feel as out of place as always. Perhaps there is no place for
me, in
heaven or earth..../
Before
Ramirez could sink into depression, Vyse called to him from behind.
"Hey,
whatcha doin'?" he queried as he walked up next to the emerald-eyed
Silvite and
turned his gaze up at the night sky. "Stargazing?"
Ramirez
merely nodded in assent, not diverting his gaze from the night sky.
"Say, how
did the stars look from where you lived?" Vyse asked, turning to face
him. "Where exactly are you and Fina from, anyway? I mean, I know
you're Silvites, but where in the world do you live?"
Ramirez gave him a curious look, then said, "Someplace high up. As
such, they were
brighter," the silver-haired man stated, purposefully vague. "But..."
"But?" Vyse
urged a bit.
"There's
something...different here. Perhaps it's because you have to make an
extra
effort to make out the constellations..." the Admiral said softly.
Vyse
grinned
a bit. "Oh, really? I bet stargazing would be really easy for me at
your hometown, then. I've been doing it since I was a kid, and I know a
lot
about the
stars and constellations."
"Hn..."
Ramirez glanced at Vyse, then returned to stargazing once more.
"Do
you have
a favorite constellation?" the Air Pirate questioned after a few
seconds of
silence—it
was becoming obvious that he was searching for a topic of conversation.
"I
think...." The Silvite closed his eyes, trying to decide. At length he
replied, "I
think I like Wilwarin, the Butterfly, best... I once read that you can
always see
it, even on Arcadia. It never sets, but wanders the sky forever..."
"Really?"
Vyse queried, surprised. "I'm kinda shocked that a guy like you would
be that
romantic."
Ramirez's
face flushed slightly. "I..." he started, but then stopped, clearly
embarrassed.
The
ship captain,
realizing he'd made his companion uncomfortable, quickly added, "It's
not like
that's a bad thing or anything. It's just...I didn't expect it."
Attempting
to take the focus off of himself, the Admiral asked Vyse, "How about
yourself? What
is your favorite?"
"Umm..." The
young pirate glanced up at the sky as if to confirm it. "I'd have to
say...probably...yeah, definitely Michaol."
"Michaol?"
Ramirez repeated, startled into staring over at Vyse. "The Fallen
Angel? Why?"
The
Blue
Rogue shrugged, grinning a bit sheepishly. "You remember the story
behind that
constellation, right? Michaol didn't really do anything wrong, did he?
At
least, I don't think he did. Just because Michaol refused to do the
bidding of
God that one time, he got kicked out of Heaven...I always thought he
got a raw
deal. All kids have to find their own path; why shouldn't it be the
same for
angels?" As an afterthought, he added, "Besides, I always thought he
was cool."
Ramirez took
this in thoughtfully. "'Angels who have fallen from the heavens have no
choice
but to become demons...'" he murmured to himself.
"Eh?" Vyse
looked at Ramirez quizzically. "Did you say something?"
"Just an old idiom," he muttered, staring back up at the crescent moon.
He
deliberated for a
few seconds, then sighed and added, "...Vyse? I...about earlier...when
we were
talking about our respective childhoods...I...was less than polite.
It's a touchy subject for me. Just don't bring it up again."
"I
guess
your childhood wasn't very happy..." Vyse murmured, more to himself
than to the
other man. He looked over at Ramirez and smiled. "All right. I won't
bring it
up, if it upsets you."
"It's
just...I really...don't have a lot of good memories," Ramirez continued
in a
strained voice, gazing away, his forced apology making him talk more
than he had intended. "When...when I got punished as a child, I...I was
locked in my room...without any contact with anyone...for twenty-four
hours.
I...was given food and such, but always impartially—I never saw or
heard anyone
else during those times...and..." He broke off immediately, overcome by
a
maelstrom of emotions.
Vyse
stared
at him in shock. "They locked you up? Just left you alone for a whole
day?"
he cried, incredulous.
Ramirez's
left hand twitched, his right hand's grasp on the windowsill
tightening. "I
don't...know why I bothered to tell you something like that," he
muttered in a
low voice. "When it has nothing to do with anything...and when you
couldn't
possibly understand..."
Vyse
took a
step backward, but did not retreat farther than that. "You're always
saying
that.... 'You can't understand', 'You can never understand'. I might
not know
the extremes of your experience, but I can understand it!" he said,
unusually
serious. "Because I am a compassionate person. I don't think there's a
kind-hearted person in the world who wouldn't understand, even just a
little."
Ramirez didn't reply at first; he didn't know what to say.
/He
looks
so sad, standing there.../ the brunet youth thought, gazing at the
other man. /When
I was upset as a kid, Mom would always give me a hug.../
Although
every rational nerve in his body told him it was a bad idea, he moved
closer to
Ramirez and hugged him. Before the other man could protest, he
withdrew from
the embrace. "I thought you needed a hug," he said, feeling rather
foolish.
"But, please, remember, that you're not alone—and you've never been
alone. You
had Fina when you were a kid, and you have the rest of the world now.
There'll
always be someone who's willing to listen to you and try to understand,
if you
only give them a chance..."
Ramirez
wouldn't look at him—he was just staring at his feet. But Vyse could
still see
his face was crimson. He had half-expected the Silvite to hit him
again. But
Ramirez just...stood there. Vyse wondered if he had made a huge faux
pas.
"...What did
you do a thing like that for?" the Silvite Admiral finally queried
dully, his snowy bangs
hiding his face.
"Because you
needed a hug. I just said so," Vyse said, relieved that he hadn't
broken
Ramirez's brain.
Ramirez
turned away, wrapping his arms around himself. For some reason, his
chest felt
constricted and he was beginning to have trouble breathing... "Don't do
it
again," he choked out. "I don't like being touched."
Vyse
stared
at the silver-haired man. "All right. I'm sorry, then," he apologized.
Inwardly,
though, Ramirez's behavior troubled him. /He really has a lot of
issues...but I'm not gonna bring that up now,/ he mused.
Ramirez kept
his eyes, half-lidded, on the floor. All he could think of were those
two
lines: "This warm feeling—please,
what names do people call it?"
"Well," Vyse
spoke suddenly, breaking the silence, "I'm gonna go to bed. I don't
want to be
caught dead tomorrow..."
"Right," the
silver-haired Admiral muttered, shutting his eyes. "I'll do the same,
then..."
Vyse
merely
shrugged, moving over to his bed to change his clothes.
Ramirez
started to feel a bit faint as the sound of the Blue Rogue stripping,
so he
quickly sat down on his bedding. He had no bed clothing, so Ramirez
figured
what he was wearing now was good enough. Lying his head down on the
pillow,
Ramirez felt the heat in his face and could not understand it for the
life of
him. He'd never felt this way before, and he had no idea why he was
beginning
to now.
Having
finished changing, Vyse put out the light in the room and climbed into
bed.
Before succumbing to sleep, he called out to his 'roommate', "Good
night,
Ramirez."
Ramirez
mumbled something in reply, but he wasn't sure what.
Although the
gentle and almost unnoticeable rocking of the ship in the air currents
was
quite somnolent, setting Vyse adrift the waves of sleep almost
immediately,
Ramirez could not sleep. All he could do was obsess.
/What
is
he doing to me...? He doesn't even seem to do it on purpose...is he
even aware
of these sentiments? An idiot like him can't be so cunning as to feign
innocence so well... But neither can he be doing this without any
ulterior
motive. It's just impossible... Regardless, he's doing something to me,
and
it's clouding my thoughts, blurring my objective. I have to...I must
kill him!/
After
waiting several long moments to make sure Vyse was asleep, Ramirez
silently
rose from his bedding and make his way to the rogue's bedside. Gazing
down at
him, the muted moonlight illuminating his features, Ramirez's chest
once again
tightened. Clutching at the fabric of his shirt, the silver-haired
Admiral
glared down at Vyse, who made him feel this strange way, however
unwillingly.
"You're...handsome," he whispered, staring at Vyse through slitted
eyes.
Ramirez lifted his free hand to stroke the pirate's cheek, pushing
strands of
hair off of the scar on his left cheek, just below his eye.
"Beautiful...but...even so...." he continued, softly, "I won't let that
distract
me. I will not let your 'compassion' sway me from my purpose...."
Tracing the
rogue's scar with his thumb, Ramirez vowed, "Without fail, Vyse...you
will die
by my hand..."
And
even
though he was swearing anew to kill the young rogue, Vyse continued to
smile
peacefully in his sleep.
Shaking his
head, Ramirez whispered, "You really are a fool... I wonder if you will
go on
smiling like that even when you are dead? Will you look this peaceful
in death,
too?"
And
Vyse rolled
over and went SNOOOOOORE.
Ramirez gave
the young pirate a disgusted look, and stalked over to his bedding.
"Idiot...hopeless, endless idiot..."
Aforementioned idiot, for
his part, rolled over again in his bed, murmured something, then
continued to
snore.
NOTES: We own nothing except our ideas. Don't take our ideas. All properties of Skies of Arcadia/Eternal Arcadia [Legends] belong to everyone it is to whom they belong.
Ianthe: Yeah, you all probably noticed
we left his sword behind. We think he just summons the thing from....
wherever.... but if it isn't put back, he couldn't summon it, right?
Anyway, we
had to leave it behind, or he'd kill people. ^^;
Wilwarin the Butterfly was Ianthe's
idea; it's taken from Tolkien. However, Michaol the Fallen Angel is
Ayu's idea.
It's a play on the Archangel Michael and Nagisa Kaworu, from Shin Seiki Evangelion. When written in
kana, Michael is written Mikaeru. Take off the "mi" and change the "e"
with
"wo", and you get Kaworu. So, to create the Fallen Angel's name, Ayu
left in
the "mi" and switched the "e" with "wo", creating Mikaworu. This
becomes, in
English, Michaol. And now you know!
Ramirez: "'Angels who have fallen
from the heavens have no choice but to become demons...'"
Ayu: This quote is taken from the fifth episode of Cowboy
Bebop, "The Ballad of the Fallen Angels". The one who said
it was Vicious, who incidentally also has silver hair and wields a
sword.
Ayu: Hahaue is Japanese for Mother.
It's a respectful way of
referring to one's mother. I thought it flowed better than Ramirez
actually
saying "Mother" (although that may be
because I can speak the language). For reference, Van Fanel from Tenkuu no Escaflowne, who is voiced by
the same person who did Vyse in Eternal
Arcadia (Seki Tomokazu), refers to his mother as 'hahaue'.
Ayu: The title of this chapter is a line from the Slayers
RETURN ending theme, MIDNIGHT
BLUE. The song Fina and Ramirez sing is called Hiru no
Tsuki (Midday Moon),
and is the first ending theme to Seihou
Bukyou Outlaw Star. Full lyrics to both can be found at my lyrics
site, Campus Lyrics!, the link to which you
can find below.
Contact deep.Indigo: deep.Indigo@negativenergy.zzn.com
Contact Ianthe of d.I: ianthefira@rangersgrove.zzn.com
(URL: Ranger's Grove (rangersgrove.tripod.com))
Contact Ayu of d.I: ensoph@goddess.zzn.com (URL:
~ T H E :
E T E R N A L : M I N D ~ (theeternalmind.sterlingsylver.net))
