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 feelingplease, 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))