The Day the Moon Shines
By: deep.Indigo

Chapter 5: Oikaketeta Omoide mo Kimi ni Itsuka Modoru Darou
(The Memories I Was Pursuing Will Also Probably Return to You Someday)






The next morning, once the Delphinus had been fully repaired and its crewmembers had eaten breakfast, Vyse and everyone set sail for the Dark Rift. Although tension was high, so were their spirits, and even Ramirez, with a certain resignation about him, had no protests to make. The ship pulled near to the swirling black clouds that was the rift, and in a heartbeat, crossed the boundary, plunging into the darkness.

The effect was almost instantaneous. Warning signals blazed within the ship as the navigation system went haywire, trying futilely to regain its bearings until Fina shut it and the alarm systems down.

At the back of the control room, Ramirez sighed. It was very likely they would meet an untimely end in the Dark Rift, but Vyse simply continued to pilot the ship, undaunted by the lack of navigation. Ramirez wanted to ask Vyse if he had any idea what he was doing, but he bit his tongue. There was no use asking when the answer was obvious.

He shook his head. /Idiot./ The word had become almost a nickname for Vyse. But in all honesty, there wasn't any word that described him better. Well, Ramirez supposed it was all part of being a captive, being forced to die in such a manner; however, that still didn't make it any less pathetic.

/I had always thought that I would die in battle, not lost in a void that can't be navigated.../ He sighed again, this time due to boredom more than anything. /I'll die of boredom at this rate.../ he mused.

"Ramirez?" Fina called over to him. "Are you all right?"

He raised an eyebrow at the query. "Hmm?" the young silver-haired man said in non-reply.

"You're just standing there by yourself, so I wondered if..." She trailed off, not knowing quite what to say.

Ramirez half shrugged, not making eye contact. "I'm all right," he replied, not wishing to convey any sentiment that would draw unwanted sympathy.

"You bored?" Vyse called over his shoulder. "If you want, I can give you some work!"

Ramirez made a face. "You can't have gotten the bathroom so dirty again already."

Vyse had to laugh at that. "No, no... Would you mind checking to see if the cannons are in working order? I really don't know what kind of things live in here, and it's always best to be prepared."

Ramirez blinked, mildly surprised, and nodded. "All right," he conceded. "I'll be back shortly, provided I don't run into any trouble." With that, he immediately left the control room.

Aika, Fina and Enrique watched him leave, then turned to Vyse.

"Are you sure it's okay to let him go off on his own, Vyse?" Aika queried, one orange eyebrow raised.

Vyse shrugged slightly. He thought briefly of the previous night's events, and smiled. "I think it'll be okay," he reassured her.

"You sound confident," Enrique noted. "What makes you so sure?"

"Call it sailor's intuition," he replied simply.

Fina, Aika and Enrique sweatdropped in unison. "Uh huh..."

Vyse sighed. "Besides, we have all the weapons up here with us," he reminded them.

Enrique nodded thoughtfully. "That is true," he agreed. "Ramirez is still unarmed; he would be hard put to endanger anyone on this ship."

"That doesn't make him any less dangerous—or any less crazy!" Aika disputed hotly.

"Aika!" Fina chided, her own feelings hurt by the (most likely true) accusation made towards her friend.

Vyse shook his head at that, and returned his attention to steering the ship. Getting distracted could prove to be fatal here.


Ramirez walked to the deck without hurrying but without meandering either. Although he had no desire to do any sort of work sloppily, neither did he want Vyse getting the impression that he was becoming part of the crew. He supposed the reason he was even doing this at all was due to boredom. He'd rather do anything but stand there, in the same room as Vyse. The previous night had been unnerving, and he needed time to himself to think about it. Even though, and Ramirez reluctantly admitted this as he resisted the urge to bite his lip, he didn't really want to think about it.

It had been frightening...he had left himself totally vulnerable to the Blue Rogue. If Vyse hadn't been as gentle as he had been, the entire event would have left Ramirez feeling sick and humiliated. As it was, the young Silvite was still quite unsettled. The jade-eyed Admiral leaned against a wall and sighed. He wasn't even sure how he viewed the pirate anymore. It didn't matter how he viewed him, though, Ramirez was quick to remind himself. No matter how his opinion might change, Vyse would always be the enemy.

What he needed, though, was some way to justify to himself his presence on the ship. Why, indeed, didn't he just run away? There were always the most obvious excuses: he had no weapon, and he had no boat of any kind with which to return to Valua, to Lord Galcian. But these reasons were transparent at best; having been delegated to Vyse's quarters, and with Vyse growing more and more complacent around him, Ramirez could easily still his weapons and make off with them. In addition, once he had those weapons, he could, with his power, conceivably take over the Delphinus—or, if he preferred not to get caught up in unnecessary conflict, steal one of the lifeboats and quietly escape before Vyse's quickly cooling body was found. So why hadn't he done that, then? Was he truly developing...no. He cut that thought off, disgusted. That couldn't be the reason. There had to be some advantage to his staying with them.

Realizing suddenly he had stopped walking to ponder his situation, Ramirez began walking again, this time more quickly to make up for lost time.


Soon, he reached the cannon deck, and began his task of checking them. They were in good enough condition; there weren't, at least, any monsters crawling in through the ducts and clogging them up, in any case. He also checked to see if they were loaded, which they were. There were no problems, which was good for him, he supposed. He didn't particularly relish the idea of dying in this place. Although, he mused, regardless of whether they won all the battles they got into, they would probably die here regardless.

"This is what happens," he murmured aloud, "when the captain is an idealistic fool..."

Yes, Vyse was a complete fool, trying to make his way through the Dark Rift. Ramirez sighed and rolled his eyes towards the ceiling; that sort of fallacy seemed common among humans.

Ramirez shook those thoughts aside, for now, and made his way back to the control room. Just before he arrived, though, he hesitated. It sounded as if Fina and the other girl were having an argument...an argument about him. He lingered, behind the door, wondering if he should just walk in, or stay and listen for a moment first. He decided to wait a moment and listen to the exchange between the two girls, momentarily interested in what the current view was of him.

"...not so bad, I know he seems abrasive at first, but he and I have been together for all our lives, so, please, Aika, I'm sure he'll eventually calm down and—"

"Fina, are you just clueless about him? I don't mean to insult you, but this whole childhood friend thing you have with him is totally blinding you! I don't know what kind of person Ramirez used to be, but he's completely hostile and he's already said he's going to kill Vyse! How can you tell us to give a person who wants us dead a chance?!"

Ramirez shrugged at this description of himself. The redhead certainly had a good head on her shoulders...

/If they are so insistent on trusting me,/ he slowly smirked as a plan began to form in his mind, /then I have no choice but to use that trust against them./

"Jeez, just calm down, Aika. There's no point in spending our time wondering if Ramirez is gonna betray us. If he does, we'll just deal with that when the time comes. If not, well...that's one less thing we'll have to worry about," Vyse's voice cut in to the argument.

Ramirez leaned against the door and shook his head, still smirking. /Idiot./

"I agree," Enrique spoke up. "Although it's probably unwise to completely trust Ramirez, he has no weapons and no means of returning to Valua, so at least for the moment, I think we don't have to worry about him too much."

"Am I the only one who sees Ramirez for what he really is?!" Aika snapped, on the verge of throwing a fit. "A depraved, heartless, murderous PSYCHOPATH?!!?"

Ramirez blinked, surprised at her vehemence. /...The redhead could be trouble unless I do something,/ he mused, and then abruptly opened the door to the control room.

"Now that's just being cruel," he said to the stunned party members.

Aika's face abruptly went crimson. "...how long have you been there?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"Not too long. I was just about to come in when I heard you yelling about me," the young Admiral replied calmly.

Aika made a face and said hotly, "Vyse and Fina and Enrique might think you're harmless, but I know different! I'm gonna be watching you, Ramirez, and if you try anything funny, I'm gonna kick your butt clear over the Moons!!"

Ramirez regarded her with a coolly raised eyebrow. "Are you aware that you talk too much?" he queried dryly.

Aika twitched, and in exasperation turned her attention away from him, as if monitoring the fuel had become the most interesting thing in the world all of a sudden.

Vyse grinned at the banter between the two, but his mirth didn't last long, because for the moment that he'd taken his attention away from navigating through the treacherous Dark Rift, the ship had gone slightly off course.

With a wrenching shock, the side of the Delphinus hit something with such force that it threw everyone to the floor.

Vyse pulled himself up from the floor, calling to Fina who was doing likewise. "Fina, status report!"

"It seems..." she started, "that the ship sideswiped something out there. There's no critical damage, and the Delphinus is still intact but..." Fina looked up. "Should we check out what we hit?"

"Sure..." Vyse replied, relieved that there was no major damage to the ship. "I wonder what we could have hit in here, anyway?"

"There are a lot of ships wrecked in here," Enrique pointed out. "It's possible what we hit was one of them..."

"It doesn't look like that!" Aika said, peering into the darkness through the windows. "It looks more like we hit some kind of floating black rock."

Vyse blinked, confused. "...I wonder what..." he trailed off. "I'm gonna go take a closer look," he said without finishing his previous thought, and headed towards the exit.

With a sigh, Ramirez got up to follow him.

"Woah, where are you going?" Aika demanded, eyeing him suspiciously.

The silver-haired young man glared at her. "Making sure he doesn't get himself killed," he snapped with only the barest hint of sarcasm.

"Or you'll kill him..." Aika muttered to herself as the two young men left, heading up to the deck.



"Wow," Vyse muttered, staring at the giant black boulder that was only a few feet away from the railing of the Delphinus. He turned to the green-eyed man, asking, "Hey, Ramirez, do you know what this thing is?"

Frowning, the young Admiral shook his head. "It seems somewhat familiar, though..." he replied as he reached out his left hand to touch it.

As his fingers grazed the surface, though, a sudden explosion of silvery light erupted beneath his hand, and for a second he could have sworn he felt a heartbeat emanate from the rock. Such thoughts didn't last, though, as Ramirez was blasted back from the force of the reaction and almost collided against the Delphinus.

"What the hell?!" Vyse rushed over to the verdure-eyed Silvite's side. "You okay, Ramirez?"

Brushing off the Air Pirate's concern, he stood and regarded the black stone, which was now glowing slightly but still eerily.

Vyse stared at Ramirez, then the mysterious boulder, then back at Ramirez. "What happened?" he finally asked.

"....I don't know," the Silvite replied simply, sweat beading on his forehead.

"Is your hand okay?" the Blue Rogue queried, reaching for Ramirez's left hand as he spoke.

The proud Admiral snatched his hand away before Vyse could hold it. "I'm fine. It's fine," he stated coldly, glaring at the other man.

Vyse made a face at the green-eyed young man. "Let me see," he insisted. "You're just the type of person to say it's all right when it's really not."

Ramirez sighed and reluctantly let the Blue Rogue see his hand.

Vyse smiled at him and took Ramirez's gloved hand into his own. There didn't seem to be any burns or anything, at least not on the glove, but... "It looks fine, but if something weird shows up later, be sure to let me know, okay?"

The Silvite Admiral removed his hand from Vyse's and did not reply.

The captain of the Delphinus looked down at Ramirez for a moment before finally asking, "You aren't going to tell me anything, are you?"

Ramirez turned away from Vyse, and began to head back to the interior of the ship.

"Hey!" the young rogue protested, walking after him. "You could at least say something!"

Still ignoring him, Ramirez opened the door, and entered the ship.

Irritated, Vyse started to follow, but something made him pause. He glanced behind him at the massive black rock; was it his imagination, or had he seen it...pulse? He peered at it through the misty light of the Dark Rift, but it didn't seem to do anything else, so the young pirate shrugged it off as a trick of the strange light and ran inside to catch up with Ramirez.

Vyse caught up with Ramirez in the hallway, placing a hand on one shoulder to stop him. "What's going on?" he asked the suddenly taciturn Silvite.

The young Admiral glanced back at him, frowning. "What do you mean?" he finally deigned to mutter.

"You've been ignoring me. Are you sure you're okay?" Vyse replied.

Ramirez rubbed his left hand a bit. "I'm fine," he stated flatly.

Noticing that last action, Vyse commented, "That hand hurts, doesn't it? I knew you had to have hurt it."

Ramirez scowled. "I said I'm fine!"

The brunet rogue sighed. "Just calm down, okay?"

The silver-haired man turned his head away. He certainly wasn't going to admit it, but after touching the black rock, he had become woozy; it took all of his concentration and discipline not to give it away.

Vyse walked past him, opening the door to the control room. Before he entered the room, though, he turn and said to Ramirez, "If you just want to be left alone, tell me. Don't give me the silent treatment."

The pale swordsman blinked and looked up at him, studying the brunet pirate but saying nothing. He recalled at that moment how Vyse had said last night that he wanted to be his friend...that had been the first time in his life that anyone had ever said such a thing to him, particularly a human. Finally, he muttered, "You'd just stick your nose in my business, anyway."

The brown-eyed youth didn't seem to hear his reply, though, as he had already entered the room. With a resigned sigh, Ramirez followed him in.

Enrique and the girls looked up upon their entrance. "What did you find out?" the flaxen-haired Prince of Valua queried.

Vyse opened his mouth to answer, but before he could say anything, Ramirez cut in, "Nothing to find out. It's just a boulder."

The young captain of the Delphinus stared at his companion for a moment. Even if it seemed that way, considering what just happened to him, that thing couldn't be considered just a boulder! Still, what just happened couldn't be explained, and nothing wrong seemed to have happened, so there wasn't much point in arguing about it in front of everyone else.

"That true, Vyse?" Aika asked suspiciously, her eyes on her childhood friend.

"Uh, yeah," he replied, looking over at her. "Doesn't seem to be anything special. It's just floating there, like everything else in this weird place. We should still avoid it, though." Moving back to his station in front of the wheel, Vyse began to call out orders to the others, and as they began to ease away and go into motion again, the incident was mostly forgotten.

Still, though Vyse was much more careful after that, they had no idea where they were going or how to get out. So, they continued to wander through the engulfing darkness that was the Dark Rift. After several hours of roaming the inky blackness, Vyse decided to call it a day. His growing frustration at being so lost was bound impact his ability to pilot the ship, and he wanted to avoid any further mistakes. The next one could be fatal...

"All right, everybody!" Vyse called to his teammates, bringing the Delphinus to a halt. "It's getting late, and there doesn't seem to be any end to this maze, so let's call it quits for today, get some sleep, and try again tomorrow."

/Provided we don't die first,/ Ramirez thought darkly, but he was prudent enough not to voice this.

"Let's just drop anchor first, to keep from drifting," the brunet captain added. "That way we'll know where we are when we wake up."

"Um..." Fina began. "Which way should I drop the anchor?"

Vyse blinked and stared. "What?"

"Well...there's ground above us and below us...and the islands around us seem to be upside-down... It's a little confusing..."

"Er..." Vyse shrugged. "Drop to the ground below."

"Why is there ground in here, anyway?" Aika cut in. "I thought this planet was mostly air!"

Vyse shrugged helplessly. "Damned if I know."

"I remember hearing a myth that the Dark Rift was the product of the destruction of a legendary seventh moon," Enrique added thoughtfully. "Supposedly that moon was black. But thousands of years ago, it was destroyed—the myth didn't state how, or why—and its fragments dropped to the earth and created the floating continents. The magic left behind in its wake created the Dark Rift, which separated the western world from the eastern world." He shrugged. "Well, it's just a myth, after all. It might be entirely made-up."

"Still, it's pretty interesting," Vyse commented, frowning thoughtfully. "You know anything about it, Ramirez? Fina?"

"No," the silver-haired Admiral stated flatly, and did not clarify.

Fina just shrugged demurely, shaking her head.

"Ahh, it doesn't matter," Aika said impatiently, waving a hand. "It's just a myth, and there's no way we could ever know for real. Let's just concentrate on getting through and out of here."

"Yeah, point," Vyse agreed. "I just don't want a repeat of that accident earlier. Let's get this ship anchored and settle down for the, er, night."

There was no way to tell the difference between night and day in the Dark Rift.



Once all preparations had been completed, Vyse, Aika, Fina, Enrique, Ramirez and the other crew members of the Delphinus retired to their respective quarters. Ramirez had been ominously quiet ever since his monosyllabic contribution to the black moon myth conversation, and Vyse had a sinking feeling he knew why. The two reached Vyse's room in silence and prepared for bed in silence, until Vyse couldn't stand it anymore.

"Ramirez, what's eating you?"

The Silvite blinked and stared at the Blue Rogue, his internal monologue interrupted. "Excuse me?"

Vyse stared at him levelly, crossing his arms. "What's wrong? You've been quiet this entire trip."

Ramirez shut his eyes, the only sign of his annoyance a slight twitch of the eyebrow, and shrugged. "Nothing."

"Bull," he countered. "Between what happened with your hand and the fact that you always have a complaint about how I do things, there must be something bothering you."

The silver-haired Silvite chuckled dryly, opening his eyes again. "Are you giving me leave to complain freely, 'Captain'?" he inquired with a faint but distinct undertone of sarcasm.

Vyse sighed, rolling his eyes as he removed his glass eye patch. "Whatever makes you happy."

Ramirez narrowed his eyes. "You're grossly incompetent," he stated, not bothering to soften his words or tone. "It's all well and good for you to satisfy your own wanderlust, but to endanger the lives of your so-called friends as well? And you're trying to convince me that you're different from other self-serving humans? You're nothing but a hypocrite."

Vyse flinched, then shrugged it off. "Everyone on this ship knew the risks," he replied. "They came along willingly."

"I didn't come along willingly."

"You had your chance to run off and rejoin 'Lord' Galcian when Gregorio showed up," Vyse said, getting irritated. "I never said you couldn't leave."

"And I was supposed to assume this how?" Ramirez demanded, emerald eyes flashing. "You never said I couldn't leave, but you also never said I could leave!"

"And how would I have stopped you if you'd really wanted to leave, if you're as strong as you'd like everyone to believe?"

Ramirez was silent.

Inside, Vyse cheered. /Awesome! I win another argument!!/ However, he diplomatically realized that if he wanted to befriend Ramirez, he shouldn't be a jerk, so he gently said, "The truth is that you wanted to come, isn't it?"

"Don't assume my reasons," Ramirez snapped, eyes flashing dangerously.

"Then what are your reasons?"

"They're none of your business."

Vyse made a face and took a step forward towards him, causing Ramirez to instinctively take a step back.

"How's your hand?" Vyse queried, reaching for it. Ramirez, however, pulled it out of reach. "Is it better?"

"It's fine, and I wish you wouldn't ask such things," Ramirez growled, glaring at the Air Pirate.

"Oh, stop being an ass," Vyse snapped before shooting out and snatching Ramirez's left hand into his own and pulling it close for inspection.

"What in the Moons do you think you're doing?!" Ramirez demanded, blushing, but beyond that doing nothing as Vyse peeled off his glove.

"Quit whining, you're a man. Does this hurt?" the brunet inquired as he pressed his thumb to Ramirez's palm.

"...No," the Silvite muttered sullenly.

"How about this?" Vyse asked again, changing the place of applied pressure.

"No."

"Here?"

"No! Will you stop it?" Ramirez snapped, finally pulling his hand away and retreating several steps, glaring at the Blue Rogue.

"Well, excuse me for caring about your well-being!" Vyse said, glaring back. "Well, forget it. If you're so adamant about being fine, then I'll just believe you. Good night!" And with that, he turned his back to the Valuan Admiral, got into his bed and pulled the sheets and blanket over his body, grumbling to himself.

Ramirez regarded him, sullen, and holding his left hand to his chest, he laid down on his bedding and drew the blankets over his thin body. He nervously fingered his shirt; for reasons he didn't care to explore, much less admit, the entire episode had left him slightly unnerved.

"...Vyse?"

Vyse turned over, slightly surprised that Ramirez was addressing him after their disagreement. "What?"

"Why do you care? Don't you think it's strange?" the young Silvite inquired softly.

Vyse frowned, looking down at him. "What's strange?"

"Being so concerned about an enemy," Ramirez replied, his eyes fixed on the ceiling through the darkness. "Why do you care if an enemy gets hurt?"

The Blue Rogue stared, honestly surprised. "Why shouldn't I care?"

"Your kindness may be your undoing one day. People will take advantage of it," he said quietly.

Vyse shrugged. "I guess there are some low-lifes who'd do that," he conceded. "But there are a lot of people who deserve kindness. If you act bitter and reject everybody just because of a small handful of jerks, then you really miss out on what all the decent people have to offer."

Ramirez turned his gaze to the Blue Rogue. "Offer?"

"Things like friendship. Trust. Loyalty. Love," Vyse listed with the hope that his companion intended to listen, sitting up.

The young Silvite redirected his verdure gaze back into the darkness, feeling his cheeks burn. "Is that so..."

"Yeah! I mean," Vyse continued, "whatever your reasons for it, you trust Galcian, right? So you know that there's at least one decent person in this world, right?"

"There's only one decent person in this world," Ramirez stated flatly, again donning his usual mask.

"No, now you're being illogical," Vyse argued. "There's a lot of people in the world. I don't know what happened to you when you first came down to this world, but you can't shut off your heart just because of a few initial bad experiences. That's not fair to everyone who wants to be your friend."

Ramirez snorted. "Do you realize how insipid you sound?"

"Yeah, well...being corny doesn't make it less true."

There were a few long moments of silence before Vyes cleared his throat. "Uh...if you don't mind my asking..." he began hesitantly, "...what did happen to you when you came down here?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Ramirez stated in a guarded tone.

"That bad, huh?" The traces of sympathy in Vyse's voice were unmistakable, and Ramirez clenched his teeth in anger.

"And I don't want your pity."

Vyse sighed and turned his back to the Admiral once again. "Yeah, I know. And you don't want to talk about it. Sorry I ever asked. G'night."

"...Good night," Ramirez murmured, greeting the rogue's back with his own.

The two didn't speak to each other again that night. Vyse quickly fell asleep, his breathing reflecting his change in brain waves, but Ramirez, who never slept well, remained awake.

/I am in complete control of my emotions... So why did my pulse quicken when he touched me like that?/ he brooded. /There was nothing to it. He was just foolishly trying to see if I was injured./ His left hand fisted around his blanket. The wooziness from earlier had worn off, and he felt physically fine, though somewhat unsettled. /But...but... No, I can't think that. It's wrong and appalling, and a sin. I am in complete control of my emotions; I can stop these feelings anytime I please./

Ramirez sat up and glared over at the slumbering Air Pirate who had engendered these unwelcome emotions. "It's all your fault," he muttered darkly as he made his way over to the bed, glowering down at Vyse's somnolent form. "You're doing this to me..."

Vyse shifted in his sleep, and his bangs fell into his peacefully shut eyes. Ramirez, out of reaction, raised a hand, then hesitated, and reached slowly to his face.

/If he wakes up now, I'll be mortified.../ he thought as he stroked the rogue's face, brushing the strands of hair away. Vyse remained asleep, though, and Ramirez, feeling embarrassed by the slight touch, drew away and retreated to his bedding again.

/...Why did I do that...?/

He pondered the question several hours into the night, but received no answer.



The next morning, Aika and Fina awoke earlier than usual, and going down to the kitchen together to help themselves to breakfast, their conversation turned once again to the heated subject of yesterday.

"I just don't understand him," Aika grumbled, simultaneously frying scrambled eggs and sausage links. "He was kind of spacey all yesterday, after he walked in on our last argument. It doesn't seem in his character."

"He's more sensitive than you might think," Fina replied quietly as she set the table. There was no need to ask of whom Aika was speaking; the young Silvite lady already knew. "He must have been through some terrible ordeals while here in Arcadia. It's so awful... For a long time, it was his dream to come down here... I'm almost certain his cold mien is his way of protecting himself from being hurt further."

"Hmm..." Aika considered that for a moment. "It makes sense, I guess. You know I'm not going to understand fully until I know what he used to be like, though."

Fina had to smile; that was as close to subtle as the brash redheaded rogue ever came. "I don't know that I should speak of him..." she said, though. "He did ask me not to talk about him."

Aika snorted as she lifted the waffle iron and pulled out the freshly made waffles onto a large plate. "He doesn't have any right to talk to you like that!" she argued, adding the scrambled eggs and sausage to the plate and carrying it over to the table. "If he wants you to respect his wishes, then he should respect your wishes! I hate men who think they can get away with pulling that kind of crap just because they're men, or just because they're dealing with a woman!"

"No, Ramirez isn't like that," Fina protested quickly as Aika served her. "He's always been very kind to me, very gentle..."

"Well, he isn't now."

The platinum blonde-haired young woman flinched. "He's..." she murmured, gazing sadly down at the food on her plate. "He's in a disadvantageous situation. That's one thing about him that hasn't changed; he always acted hostile when he was on the defensive."

"What about him did change?" Aika queried after her first bite of waffles, watching her extraterrestrial friend.

Fina sighed and decided to give in to her friend's inquiries. "A lot," she confessed. "He seems to have lost his spirit, his passion for exploring... He used to have a collection of maps, and he built miniatures of ships, and was always looking down at the blue skies of Arcadia. He was always fascinated with how much more...alive it seemed than...than the place where we lived."

"Where did you live?" the female Air Pirate queried, cutting up her sausages and munching on them thoughtfully.

Fina shook her head, beginning to eat her own food. "It's a bit complicated," she explained. "Let's just say that it's...a long distance away, and very high up...so much so that it was...practically not on this planet."

Chewing on a mouthful of sausage, Aika nodded her acceptance of this, not aware of how truthful Fina was being.

"So as I was saying, Ramirez had changed from how everything was here where non-Silvites live," the pale-blonde Silvite continued. "Let's see... Ramirez was enthralled by how diverse the life is on Arcadia; there aren't many living things where we live...along with geography and cartography, biology was one of his favorite subjects. And, although he was naturally talented at it, and did have some interest in it, swordsmanship didn't captivate him as much as these things. But now..."

"But now, it looks like that's all he's doing with himself?" Aika suggested when her friend fell silent.

Fina nodded. "That's how it seems," she murmured despondently. "I wish I knew what happened to him. He used to believe in the inherent goodness of humanity."

Aika spat out her scrambled eggs. "Sorry, sorry," she said, blushing, when Fina stared. "But that really surprised me. Ramirez? Believe in the goodness of humanity??"

The green-eyed young lady nodded. "The Elders taught us," she said dejectedly, "that the humans of Arcadia were petty and thoughtless, and it was their own greed and selfishness that caused them to hate each other and kill each other and lay waste to the earth. But Ramirez always rejected these ideas, saying that people who live on such a beautiful planet can't be all bad, and reasoning that it had been a thousand years since the Silvites had last contacted the humans, so any records of those humans could be inaccurate now. I was always impressed by how he stood up for his own beliefs, even though he knew he would get punished...I wouldn't have ever dared to defy the Elders, despite that I secretly agreed with him."

Aika thoughtfully took all this in, finishing the end of her meal. "That's...just amazing," she commented. "Really amazing. You were saying he was always headstrong and getting punished?"

"Yes," Fina nodded, "though it was only until..." She hesitated, a shadow of sorrow crossing her lovely face. "Something happened when he was twelve, and after that, he became much more demure."

"Hmmm..." the redhead murmured.

The Silvite girl shook her head and continued, "But before then, Ramirez would, for example, deliberately get into long, drawn-out arguments with Elder Prime. I'm not sure Elder Prime entirely disapproved of this; debates served to sharpen the intellect, I recall him once saying. But it was disrespect nonetheless, and win or lose, Ramirez would end up getting punished. Usually he was made to stay in his room."

"That's kind of a lame punishment."

"...For twenty-four hours, without any contact with anyone."

Aika dropped her fork and her jaw. "Twenty-four—a whole frickin' day?!" she gasped, horrified. "He was just a kid!! How can anybody lock up a kid for a whole day?! Without seeing or hearing anyone else?! And just for having a mind of his own, too!!"

Fina shrugged her tattooed shoulders sadly. "Ramirez was always so stubborn," she murmured. "He would never apologize. And the Elders were extremely strict; they never let him out before the twenty-four hours were over. He was given food and drink, of course, and he was allowed a chamber pot; he just wasn't allowed to see or speak to anyone. I always felt so sorry for him, but there wasn't anything I could do to help..." She sighed unhappily. "I wonder if he ever blames me for not being stronger..."

"He'd better not! It's not your fault his life was awful!" the enflamed redhead growled.

The blonde-haired young woman shook her head emphatically. "His life wasn't awful," she protested. "And neither was mine. It was just...lonely sometimes. He...he never knew his parents, you know...but that was all right. I still had my mother, and we would play with her sometimes. My mother was sickly ever since giving birth to me, though, and couldn't do much...but she was still kind and gentle, regardless, and we all loved each other dearly. I think perhaps that Ramirez, whose own mother died at his birth, may have loved her more than I did... He took her...death...much more harshly than I did, in any case. That's the thing that happened when he was twelve to cause his introversion."

Aika gazed at Fina compassionately. "Your mom's dead? I'm really sorry..." she said. "I can sympathize, though. I never really knew my parents either... They both died when I was a little kid. I heard it was because of a boating accident, but nobody ever told me the details. I guess I don't really want to know, either. I was more or less raised by Vyse's parents...I still lived at my parents' house, but they were the ones that made sure I was fed and clothed and clean and stuff. And Vyse has been my best friend since forever...I owe them a lot, really. I guess," she added suddenly, eyes wide with revelation, "you and I had a pretty similar childhood, Fina. Except maybe I'm a little more well-adjusted."

Fina stared, and Aika grinned back mischievously. Finally, the young Silvite lady smiled as well and laughed.

"If only we could say that about our respective 'big brothers'," she added.

"Oh yeah. Vyse would be so totally lost without me," Aika smirked, crossing her arms. "He likes to pretend he's a big boy, but he's really just a hopeless case."

"Who's a hopeless case?" a voice called down to them. The girls looked up and saw Enrique, yawning into one hand and walking down the stairs. "And I hope you made enough breakfast for me."

"Sorry, Enrique," Aika grinned sheepishly. "If you want, I'll make you some."

"That's all right," he smiled. "I can do it myself."

"You sure? Do you know how to cook?"

"...Er, no. Not really," the young Prince confessed as he reached the bottom of the staircase. "But it can't be that difficult, right?"

Fina and Aika exchanged a glance, and the latter got to her feet. "Let me cook for you. Besides, you might be feeling all right now, but later the ship's gonna be moving again, and you're going to need something easy on your stomach."

Enrique made a face. "Yes, you are right..." he conceded. "I'm sorry to trouble you, Aika."

The carrot-haired Blue Rogue waved a hand impatiently. "People help each other," she dismissed it. "That's life."

Fina smiled up at her friend. "Aika, you like helping others, don't you?"

She shrugged, smiling. "It's my way of showing the world I care."

The flaxen-haired Prince sat next to Fina as Aika started up the kitchen again. "So, what were you two talking about, if I may ask?" he queried, loudly enough to carry to them both.

"Ohohohoho...this and that," Aika called back, grinning. "Don't worry, we weren't bad-mouthing you."

Enrique smiled nervously. "Ah...right."

Fina giggled into her hand. "We were talking about Vyse, actually," she told him. "And...Ramirez."

The Prince of Valua nodded somberly, recognizing the sensitivity of that subject. "Should I inquire after the details, or leave it be?"

"Well...I suppose, if you don't tell Ramirez what I told you, it would be all right," Fina decided, and she relayed to Enrique what she had conveyed to Aika.

"…I see…" he said, after she had finished. After a moment of thought, he asked, "Pardon me, for I realize this to be a very sensitive subject, but...and please, if you don't want to answer, please don't feel compelled to...but…how did you three feel about each other? Also, what happened to your father, or Ramirez's parents?"

Fina was quiet for a moment, then responded, "No... It's all right. I don't mind talking about it.

"I do not know who my father was, or who Ramirez's parents were... Ramirez is older than myself, so I'm unaware of many of the details. But Ramirez and I were the only children born, as our respective mothers were the two remaining female Silvites...he and I are our entire generation. My mother, though, raised us two as if we were both her children, even though my birth left her bedridden. She would sing to us, and tell us stories...she also loved Arcadia, possibly even more than Ramirez did. She yearned to go there someday, to see what the people there were like. I suppose perhaps it's because of that that my mother and Ramirez had the special bond that they did. Do you remember that song I sang for you a few days ago, Enrique?"

He nodded. "It was very beautiful. Thank you for singing it for me."

Fina blushed and nodded, smiling, and continued, "Well, that song, 'The Midday Moon', is an ancient Silvite folksong. It even goes back a thousand years, from the past Rains of Destruction. I remember, once, Ramirez and my mother had a discussion on the possibility that the song had originated in Arcadia... But in any case, that was one of several songs that Hahaue sang to us. She even wrote and composed many of her own songs...she did so love music. She once told me that...let me think... 'Song is a way to convey the feelings that you cannot speak.'"

Enrique smiled. "That philosophy sort of reminds me of a Valuan songstress I've heard," he commented. "If I ever get the chance, I'll have to let you hear some of her music...but please go on."

"Yes..." Fina sighed. "In any case, Hahaue raised Ramirez and me, and after he was punished, Hahaue would always comfort him... I think perhaps not having his own biological mother made him value Hahaue even more. And so...when she died..." She cast her eyes downward. "It wasn't a big shock," she murmured. "Except perhaps to us, her 'children'. She had been in poor health for years, and the Elders were astonished that she had managed to live up until my thirteenth year, but... Death took her in the end. And although I wept bitterly, it was for my own sake; my mother, having been crippled and most likely in pain for thirteen years, must have felt immense relief when the Grim Reaper set her spirit free.

"Ramirez, however...Ramirez...was quiet. He was never quiet as a child, you see...always asking questions, getting into things, learning something new, getting into trouble. But when Hahaue died...he was quiet. He didn't say anything for days; he didn't cause any trouble at all... It was like, when she died, part of him had died as well. After I came to terms with and accepted Hahaue's death, I began to seriously worry for Ramirez...it wasn't like him to let his spirits be dampened. But when I tried to talk to him, he would just act stoic and pretend like nothing was wrong... He's become a quiet person ever since then, actually. Quiet and reserved...and always hiding his true feelings..."

Fina wiped a hand across her eyes then, and Enrique and Aika, who had finished cooking Enrique's breakfast and brought it over by then, prudently did not comment on how that hand came away wet.



Many hours passed as the crew of the Delphinus attempted to make their way out of the Dark Rift once again. Enrique, whose stomach wasn't bothering him as much that day, couldn't help but get bored; the monsters from yesterday seemed nonexistent today. He wasn't sure if that was a good sign or a bad sign, but it did give him plenty of time to muse over what Fina had told him. Careful to be discreet, Enrique watched Ramirez and Vyse out of the corner of his eye. He hadn't been present when it had been decided that Ramirez would share Vyse's room (a fact which still made him slightly guilty; he would have been happy to share, especially since he and Ramirez bore no animosity towards each other), so he only knew of the details indirectly. However, from what he'd been told, neither party had been overly thrilled with the decision. In addition, Ramirez had openly threatened to kill Vyse; Enrique couldn't understand how Vyse managed to sleep at night, knowing that possible death was resting a few feet away. The tension fluctuated constantly between the two; sometimes it was as if Vyse were completely at ease with the Silvite Admiral, and at other times, it seemed as if he couldn't get far enough away. Ramirez, on the other hand, was sometimes as easy to read as an illuminated sign; but other times, such as now, his emotions and expressions were impenetrable.

Enrique frowned slightly as he glanced back at the male Silvite. His expression was neutral—blank and unfocused, as if he were staring at something that was not there. The young Prince had to wonder if he was paying attention at all, or if he were daydreaming.

Enrique smiled to himself. The thought of Ramirez daydreaming was, despite the situation, unmistakably amusing.

He redirected his gaze to Vyse and the girls. The captain of the Delphinus was quietly steering the ship, eyes bright as he scanned the scene. Fina and Aika, however, having little to do since most of the controls were malfunctioning, looked just as bored as he felt. Hoping that Vyse, who was technically doing all the work, wouldn't mind, Enrique crossed the room and joined the two.

"How are you doing?" he queried.

"Not so hot. There's not much to do except watch the compass go haywire," Aika replied with a slight shrug. "Poor Vyse. He's still busy, busy, busy."

"Actually, he looks kind of happy to me..." Fina commented, her eyes on the young Blue Rogue.

Vyse did indeed look in high spirits, his brown eyes shining as they searched the darkness. It was a distinct upturn from yesterday, when he had been becoming disgruntled from the fruitlessness of the search.

"That's Vyse for you," Aika laughed. "He's best off when in the thick of things. He's kind of ignoring us, though..."

Enrique grinned and lowered his voice, saying, "At least this way he won't crash into anything."

Aika laughed and said, "That reminds me, how's your stomach?"

The young Prince grimaced; the sailing had been smooth so far, and not thinking about his airsickness had been keeping it at a level he could tolerate. But now that it had been brought up again... "It was all right until you mentioned it," he murmured, leaning against the control panel. "Ugh..."

Aika grinned nervously, patting his back. "Heh heh...sorry about that, Enrique..."

Fina smiled and rubbed Enrique's back. "There, there," she consoled him, "you'll get used to it eventually..."

"I hope so..." Enrique groaned. "I really hate this..."

The young Silvite lady abruptly glanced over at Ramirez, who was still paying none of them any heed. /He's gotten so good at making himself indecipherable,/ she thought. /I wonder if he's not paying attention or just pretending./ Both thoughts were equally unsettling. If he were indeed paying attention, then he was probably listening in on their conversation. And if someone were to slip about what they had spoken of that morning, then he would certainly be very angry with her. But if he wasn't paying attention…then something had to be deeply troubling him. As a soldier, being caught off-guard could mean death; even Fina understood that.

Enrique, troubled though he was by his sickness, noticed her sudden silence, as well as the direction of her gaze, and came to some quick conclusions. In a low voiced, he addressed her, "You're worried about him?"

Fina shifted her gaze to the floor and didn't answer. She didn't have to. Enrique glanced over at Aika, and shared a nod before the Prince of Valua got to his feet, and walked over to the silver-haired man.

"Ramirez?"

"Yes?"

Enrique blinked, somewhat stunned. He hadn't expected such a prompt reply. From his expression, though, Ramirez seemed as if he hadn't heard anything at all; nothing about it had changed.

"...Are you feeling all right?" the young Prince inquired hesitantly.

Ramirez was silent for a moment. Finally, he replied in a neutral tone, "There is no reason for you to worry about me."

Enrique looked over his shoulder at the girls, who both shrugged helplessly, and turned back. Choosing his words carefully, the Prince of Valua spoke, "Ramirez, I understand that you...have led a difficult life. Perhaps you have grown used to...looking out for yourself, since no one else would. However, that is not necessary on this ship. We bear you no ill will, truly; you needn't maintain your personal shields against us."

"If those are words of friendship, you're speaking them quite formally," Ramirez noted.

The young Prince acknowledged that this was true with some chagrin. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I was trying to be polite, and I suppose I overdid it."

Ramirez's jade-green eyes shifted over to Enrique, the first alteration in his expression for hours. "Prince Enrique, you don't have to feel as if you need to be friendly with me," he said in a cool tone. "No matter what anyone has said about me."

Enrique, Aika and Fina simultaneously blushed.

Ramirez narrowed his eyes slightly. So his guess had been correct, after all... "Fina," he called over to his childhood friend, his voice considerably colder, "what did you say about me, and how much?"

Fina's blush deepened, and she began to reply when Aika cut in, "It's none of your business!"

Ramirez's expression darkened, and he turned towards the redheaded rogue. "It is entirely my business," he said, his tone glacial, "for she was speaking of me without my knowledge after I expressly told her not to."

"Whine, whine, whine!" Aika snapped, her arms akimbo. "You want respect, you have to give it, you great big jerk!!"

Any forthcoming argument was cut off by a whoop of joy from Vyse. The crew members, surprised, turned to him, and he grinned back at them, pointing at a spot of light surrounded by a somewhat brighter patch of darkness amidst the gloom.

"Check it out, guys! It's the exit!" he cheered.

More staring.

"How can you be sure it's the exit?" Ramirez questioned skeptically.

"'Cause it's brighter! That means we're almost out into the sunlight!" was Vyse's impeccable logic. Turning back to it, he added, "...And there's a giant monster coming out of it! What else would it be there for, if not to guard the exit?!"

The others now stared at each other, bewildered.

"Hey! What are you just looking at each other for?!" Vyse demanded. "Battle stations, NOW!"

Aika, Fina and Enrique quickly manned their respective stations and began preparations for battle as the Delphinus engaged the serpentine monster emerging from the light patch of darkness. Ramirez regarded them all, hanging back; he supposed he would act as spectator to another of Vyse's battles. Although it ill-suited him, perhaps it was for the best; after all, it wouldn't do to act as if he were part of the crew.

"Hey! Ramirez!"

The malachite green-eyed Admiral blinked and looked over at Vyse, who was grinning at him over his shoulder. "What?"

"Don't just stand there! Come here and help!"

Ramirez blinked again. "What?"

Vyse's grin widened. "You're fighting too this time!"

The young Silvite blinked a third time, then shrugged and swiftly joined Enrique on the left side of the control room. As he began his own preparations, Ramirez glanced furtively back at Vyse, who looked beside himself with delight.

"This is it, everyone!" he cried, pointing at the giant eel. "We just need to beat this thing and then we're home free!!"

Ramirez had no idea where the Air Pirate's insane optimism came from, but for once, he hoped he was right.




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.


Aika:
"I'm gonna be watching you, Ramirez, and if you try anything funny, I'm gonna kick your butt clear over the Moons!!"
Ianthe:
Yay for Chrono Cross references.

Ayu:
Yeah, in this chapter, we decided to focus a little more on the characters who are quickly becoming minor key, because there's only so much you can do with Ramirez angsting and Vyse not getting it before it all gets old. And, since we did that, there wasn't much in the way of plot advancement or action...but at least we now have a clearer picture of Ramirez and Fina's lives on the Great Silver Shrine. Or you do, rather. We made it up, so of course we already know.

Ayu:
The title of this chapter is a line from an image duet from the CD drama Chrono Crusade, Castle In The Air. Full lyrics 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))