A Thought Concerning FFIX - A Visit to Burmecia - As told by Amarant

by Suzumi Johnson

As I entered Burmecia I wondered if she still thought about me. I always think about her even though Lani thinks I should just forget about it. I dunno. There is still hope, right? I mean, after the whole incident in the Fire Temple she has been acting a bit nicer. Steiner always said she was mean to me because she liked me. I know that's why I was rude to her. I miss the days when we were all together on the airship. I approached her house and knocked....slowly. "Amarant Coral, did you think you could hide from me for this long?!" "maybe," I answered. She sighed,grabbed my arm, and pulled me inside. Sir Fratley looked up at me,"Hello, Sir Amarant." "You're all wet! Didn't you bring an umbrella?!" she shouted. "Um...no. I didn't think I'd need one," I replied. "Well that was stupid. We live in Burmecia!! Are you retarded?!" " I just figured that.." I started to speak but she interrupted and yelled," Oh, Is that what you figured?! I can't believe you! You're just as dumb as you used to be! And what has it been, 1 year? 2 years?" "6 months, Lady Freya." Sir Fratley said plainly, " and you needn't yell." "But! But! Fratley! I just---!" she stuttered. "The man's got a point Freya." I said. She had always talked like this around me. She yelled and screamed and insulted me...believe me I could go on and on.... " I guess." Freya answered. She was always nice to everyone else though. I didn't like it. It was like she had some sort of grudge on me but I couldn't figure out what. I never did. I don't understand women. They always fuss about petty things like clothes and makeup. Although, Freya wasn't quite like that... She always worried about fighting and the weather and things like that. She was definitely a strange one. She said it was important to know things like that. I guess so.

I didn't notice until she brought it up. It's not like I'm stupid like she says. It's kind of annoying the way she picks on me. I dunno why she does it. Sometimes it's kind of amusing though. She hasn't changed one bit. Well, neither have I but... She always had said she was more mature than me so I thought maybe she had. "Amarant!" she yelled. "what?" I answered. "Let's take a walk!! Come on!" she insisted. She handed me an umbrella, yellow. The same color as that cute little ribbon on her tail. "What's this for?" I asked. "I said we're taking a walk! You don't want to get all wet do you?" she answered. " Uh. Thanks I guess." I said. She opened her umbrella. It was red. Like my hair. She liked to make fun of my hair. And my goatee....well I guess that's okay. My goatee is kind of stupid looking. As we walked I realized how beautiful she looked in the rain. Her hair looked a lot prettier and soft than I remembered. It seemed so silky. "Look Amarant. The moon is full. Pretty huh?" she said. "Y-yeah. It is pretty I guess. um. did I ever tell you how nice your hair looked?" Freya's face turned cherry red and she quickly answered," Why would you say a stupid thing like that?" "Sorry. I didn't mean to offend you I just thought it looked nice today." I said. "Oh...um thanks Amarant. Well....You don't look too bad today either...I guess." she mumbled. "Thanks." I replied. For Freya, this was a complement. The rest of the walk was uneventful until we got to the border of Burmecia and Cleyra...."Um...what now?" I questioned. "Do you want to keep going?" she asked me. "Sure...what the heck."I said. "Alright...to Cleyra then...but don't get sick from staying out here!!" Freya yelled. "I don't get sick..." I answered. "Let's go." she mumbled. We walked into Cleyra and a few people stared at me. I knew it was kind of weird for a human to be here. I was surprised that she let me come. "Hey Amarant! Look!" she said happily. There were lights and balloons and fireworks. Was there a party going on? "I guess it's a party or something..." I said. "No stupid! It's a festival! Today is the first day of Winter! Burmecians love the winter because the rain creates big ice skating rinks all over the town!" she said. "Oh. I didn't know that. It looks fun. Do you want to do something?" I asked. "Um....okay! Let's go ice-skating!!" she said. "Ice skating? without skates?" I questioned. "Well come on! Look at our feet! Do you think we need ice skates?" yelled Freya. "I guess but what about---" I started to say. Freya grabbed my arm and pulled me onto the ice. "Augh!" I yelled. Freya giggled and twirled around happily. "Isn't this fun Amarant?" she said. "Whoah! I- uh yeah! Real fun!" I said as I slipped and fell. "Ha ha ha! You're such an idiot!" Freya said. She helped me up. After a while I just couldn't take anymore. We decided to go get something to drink. "Aah....what a great festival huh Amarant?" she said. "Yep. We had a lot of fun." I answered. "There are nights like this that you never want to end, you know?" she said. "I know exactly what you mean...Freya....?" I asked. "hmm.." she said. She was asleep. I decided we had to go back to her house so I picked her up and opened the umbrella. I walked back to Burmecia holding Freya in one arm holding the umbrella in the other. I opened the door and Sir Fratley said,"Oh dear! Is Lady Freya alright?" I said,"yeah. She just fell asleep." Fratley laughs a bit,"Ha ha...You and Lady Freya make such a cute couple." "Wh-what? No way! Freya and I are--just friends!!" I exclaimed. I thought about it though... Maybe it wouldn't be so bad... "Anyways, I- achoo!," I started to say. "Oh my, Sir Amarant are sick?" Fratley asked me. "No. I'm fine...I think." I said. "Heh heh...Then why don't you go tuck Freya in while I make some tea." Fratley answered. "Sure..." I replied. I was in Freya's house carrying her to her bed. Wow...This isn't a dream. I walked into her room. Her room. It was a lot cuter and girlier than I expected from Freya. There were stuffed animals sitting on a pink bed....I set her down on the bed and pulled the covers over her. I slowly took of her hat and set it on the end of the bed. Her ears were actually pretty cute. When I saw her like this she actually looked kind of helpless. I didn't know Freya could be cute. I leaned down over her and kissed her lightly on the cheek. I just k-kissed Freya!! What the heck am I doing in here?! I quickly blew out the candle and left. "There you are Sir Amarant. I have tea ready." Fratley said. "Thanks..." I answered. Fratley and I sat there kind of quietly for a few minutes drinking tea. At the same time we both said," How do you feel about Freya?" "Er..." I mumbled. "Sir Amarant do you have feelings for Lady Freya?" He asked me. "Um...I guess so." I said. "Ha ha ha....Are you blushing Sir Amarant? Your face is as red as your hair! Ha ha ha!" He laughed. "Very funny." I said. We spent the rest of the time quietly drinking tea...but I couldn't stop blushing and Fratley couldn't stop laughing at me for it. I ended up sleeping on the couch downstairs that night. It wasn't very comfortable but I'd seen worse. The next morning I awoke to see Freya standing over me with a thermometer. "Dang it Amarant! Open your mouth!" she yelled. I was in her pink bed...why had I been moved? I looked at her for a second as to question why and then opened my mouth. She shoved the thermometer into my mouth and said,"Put it under your tongue!" I made a face. Like I didn't know that. She took it out and looked at it. "What does it say?" I asked. "My gosh Amarant! I told you that you needed an umbrella!" she yelled. "What's it say?" I asked again in frustration. "101. You're sick." Freya said. "What? I'm not sick! I feel fine! I--achoo!" I said. Freya started laughing. That whole day Freya took care of me. Ah, It wasn't so bad. Later she came in again to check on me. She was carrying a vase filled with really colorful flowers. "Hey Amarant! Guess what? These flowers are called Amarante's!" she said. "Heh heh heh...I didn't know there were flowers like that." I said. "Sure. Did you know that Amarant means colorful plant in Burmecian?" She asked. "No. That's kinda cool. What does Freya mean?" I answered. "White dragon..." she answered. "That's kinda spiffy huh?" I said. "Spiffy? That's kind of weird. Who taught you that?" Freya asked. "Um...I heard Steiner say it a few times. I guess I caught on." I said. " That's really cute." Freya said. "Really? You- cough cough - think?" I asked. "Yeah, definitely!" she said. I blushed and smiled. She pushed my hair away from my face. "When I can see your pretty eyes you're actually kind of cute." she said. "Ah...Freya...that's not true." I answered. "Yes it is!" Freya exclaimed. "...thanks I guess." I said. "tee-hee. You're welcome! By the way Amarant...I noticed while you were sleeping...Was your hair originally red? I saw a white streak in your hair...or are you older than I thought? ha ha ha!" Freya said. "Huh? Well my hair is dyed red...It was originally white. I guess whoever dyed my hair didn't do a perfect job huh?" I answered. "Why did you dye it? and did it always look like red yarn? tee hee hee..." Freya laughed. "Very funny. Why does it matter anyways? Why do you want to know about my past?" I asked. "..." she said. "I mean - it's not your business!" I shouted. "Yes it is Amarant! because....because..." Freya said as she got closer to me. Her face got closer to mine....and her hair brushed against my face. "Ah...Freya...." I said. Freya gave me a look when she got close enough to my face. "Did you think I'd actually kiss YOU?!" she shouted in my face. I didn't bother to say anything. I grabbed her and pulled her close. My lips touched hers. I released my grip and she fell back onto the bed astounded. She touched her lips with her hand. "Amarant..." she said, blushing. All of the sudden I realized what I'd just done. I kissed Freya.......on the lips. "Oh my....Freya I..." I stammered. She smiled a bit and mumbled something under her breath. "Um...I didn't quite catch that....say again?" I said. ".....Amarant....maybe I love you...." she said. SHE WHAT!? My face turned bright red. "Freya...I..." I said. I smiled a big grin. "Heh. Maybe I love you too." I said. I pulled a pair of clunky green glasses out of my pocket. "Leave it to Tiron!" I said happily. "H-Huh? Who is...Tiron?" Freya asked, still blushing. "ummm...Me." I said without enthusiasm. "Uh....then who- who is Amarant?" Freya asked. "Me." I said. "???" Freya said. "Heh heh heh, Amarant is a nickname I made up when I became a bounty hunter." I explained. "Oh...So your real name is Tiron??? That's much cuter than Amarant." Freya said. "I...thanks - achoo!!" I began. "Oh Amarant, lay back down."she replied. "but Freya --- " I started again. "shhh...get some rest." she interrupted. I layed down and slowly closed my eyes, the last thing I saw were her beautiful green eyes.

Now narrated by Freya

I sat down on the edge of his bed. I smoothed his hair down and gently took his glasses off of his face and set them on the counter. He smiled in his sleep. "Fre--ya...." I was startled until I realized he was still asleep. "Oh...He's dreaming about me...right?" I said to myself.

Now narrated by Amarant

I woke up the next morning feeling worse...Freya insisted that I stay and let her take care of me. I eventually gave up and was back on her pink bed. It was strange to wake up to Freya. It was like we were a married couple or something. I didn't want to think about it. I'd probably go off into some fantasy. I thought about Freya so much it annoyed me. It's weird...when you like a person so much you just can't stop thinking about them. All these strange thoughts are very random...but I don't have much to think about when I lie here staring at the ceiling. It reminds me of a time back on home turf. Zidane wanted to have a sleepover party with me, Steiner, and Vivi. He talked all night until he finally got us to join him. Zidane was like, "Do you know what's fun guys?" "What's fun Zidane?" I would answer. "When you take the letters in someone's name and try to find words with them. Here's an example: Zidane Tribal. Well....There's obviously tribe...and..." It went on and on. Until we decided to join him...It was the most pathetic thing I had ever done in my entire life.....but I had fun. I really did like those guys...even Zidane. They all were all the only friends I'd had since...I was Tiron...Should I tell Freya about Tiron? I don't know...I'm not sure she'd understand. I became a bounty hunter a while after being Tiron...I guess I changed my name to Amarant because I thought Tiron seemed wimpy. It didn't matter, I thought to myself. I was Amarant Coral now. Yes, and that's who I would be. Freya came into the room. "Hi Amarant! Are you feeling any better?" she asked. "A little bit..." I answered. "Ah...well then Amarant...I'm gonna go okay?" Freya said. "Oh...okay..." I replied. "Are you dissapointed? Did you want me to stay?" she asked me. "Oh..well I'm just kind of bored...do you want to hang out?" I said. "Um...okay..." she said. "Great! What should we do first?" I said, exitiltly. Freya smiled, "Um...we could go somewhere if you're well enough...we could see our friends and---" Freya started. "Great idea! We can see all of the old group!" I shouted. "Sure. Why not?" Freya said. I quickly jumped up from my bed and threw my shirt on. "Let's go now!!" I said. Freya stood up and took my hand. Ah, I'm holding hands with her.... We walked to Lindblum (where we picked up Eiko) through the Dragon Cave and took an airship to Alexandria. There it was. The Alexandria castle. "Let's go inside and see his majesty!" Freya said exitrily. "Huh? Who's that?" I asked. "Zidane! Didn't you know? He and Garnet are married! I was just having some fun." Freya explained. Eiko looked at me funny and said, "Duh! You and Miss Lani were at the play weren't ya?" I nodded and turned. "Mr. Amarant! Talk to me!" Eiko shouted as she tugged on my arm. I looked at her, picked her up, and gave her to Freya. "Go away." I said. "Amarant!" Freya yelled. We all walked into the castle and up to the King and Queen's chambers. "Hey! Zidane! Look! It's Miss Freya, Mr. Amarant, and Eiko-chan!" Dagger said, sweetly. "Garnet!" Freya exclaimed, dropping Eiko and running over to hug Dagger. "Miss Freya! You've come to visit!" Dagger said. She hugged Freya back and they both started to talk. I stood watching for a second and then just flopped down onto the ground. I closed my eyes. Then, someone kicked me from behind, "Hey Amarant! You awake?" said, an abnoxious voice. I looked up to see a small, blonde haired, blue-eyed boy with a monkey tail looking over me. "Hi Zidane." I said. Zidane immediatly jumped on top of me and started hugging me. "Get off....now." I said. "Awww! C'mon Amarant! Let's talk!" Zidane said. "Um...whatever, sure, just get off." I said. Zidane's tail lifted him in the air and he pulled himself up onto some railing above. "Heheheheh.." he laughed. He grinned at me and then jumped back behind me. "So...do you remember that time you stupidly betrayed us cause every Final Fantasy game somebody does???" Zidane said. He continued to talk even though he was not getting an answer. Eventually I got up and walked over to Dagger and Freya who were having some tea. I don't think Zidane even noticed I was gone. I was offered some tea but I declined and headed back into the guestroom. I laid down on the bed. I counted the beds. One, two...that was it two. That means that since three of us were visiting, someone would have to share a bed. Heh heh heh...I'd get to share a bed with Freya...I'd make sure of it. That night Freya appeared in the doorway with Eiko sleeping in her arms. Freya sat down on the other bed and put Eiko to bed. She glanced at me. "Um...Amarant...Could you look away? I have to change into my nightgown..." Freya said, quietly, her face turned a bit pink. "Ah...sure." I said blushing. I turned around and silently snuck a small peek just for fun.... I decided. When Freya finished changing she gave me the o.k. to turn around. I looked at her. She was wearing a long, silky, purple nightgown with frilly lace and bows. She looked pretty. Eiko yawned and mumbled something in her sleep, "Mog......." She was sort of cute. When she was asleep! Her eyes popped open and she said, "what the heck?" Like I said, she was cute when she was asleep. I looked at Freya. "Um...What's going on you guys?" Eiko asked. "Well...where do you girls want to sleep?" I asked. "NOT with Eiko!" Freya and I both said. Eiko said, "Hey!! That's not nice! I wanna sleep with both of you!!" "Well pick. There's two of us." We ended up fighting over who slept with Freya actually...Although...neither of us got what we wanted in the end... Freya suggested we all sleep together in one bed and of course I couldn't refuse....So we all ended up sleeping in one bed...It was completely smushed and neither me or Freya slept all night...but, all the same...I was glad I visited Burmecia.

- oWaRi -