**Awright! Sorry it took so freakin' long to update. Besides finals, I ended up getting asked to a dance (which was yesterday) for the first time in my life, so that kinda put a kink in the writing works. Gomen!!! But I've got a chapter up for ya now! If ya want more info on the dance thing (well, pre dance thing), I now have a blog at http://aralai.blogspot.com . Whee! So! Enjoy the chapter, and sorry for taking so long! Oh, and finals went okay. A's on everything except for Preclac, on which I got a B (for a final semester grade as well). So! Onward!!!!**
By the time Arashi came out of the Chamber, Yueh and Niet (mainly Niet) had finished all but two loaves of bread and one chunk of cheese in the basket. Arashi gladly took the remaining food and began eating it as she hobbled out of the Cloister of Trials and back into the main temple with Yueh and Niet (who still had her nose in the book).
Jon met them just outside the door, looking rather frantic. Yueh gave a small sigh.
"Please tell me that nothing is attacking the temple or the nearest vicinity?" Yueh asked tiredly, rubbing her forehead.
Jon looked confused. "I--no, no, nothing's attacking--"
"Wonderful."
"I just thought Lady Arashi was not going to go yet tonight, I thought we had planned on her not going--"
"Jon, don't worry, I'm fine." Arashi picked up both pieces of her glasses and showed them to Jon. "However, my glasses did not fare so well. I don't suppose you know anyone who could fix them?"
Jon stuttered. "W-well, I cannot--I can't fix them, but just up the road past the Moonflow, there are plenty of merchants and such that could do so, and even sell new ones...but, my Lady, are you sure you're all right? You should not have gone just yet--"
"She's fine, Jon," Yueh said sharply. He was silent, and Yueh wanted to kick herself for having spoke. So, she continued on, trying to cover her embarrassment with babbling. "So, since she is, I suppose we should be getting going so we can fix Arashi's glasses, right?" She let out a high giggle, and Niet threw her an odd glance. "I mean, she can't fight off fiends if she can't see right, eh?" I sound even worse now...way to go, Yueh...
Jon's face was flushed, but he didn't look as hurt as he had before. "Right. I suppose you should." He coughed, but didn't move.
Niet let out a short laugh. "Uh, Jon, you have to move so we can get through, you know." She gave him a smile.
His face turned a deeper shade of crimson, which was when Yueh noticed he was carrying a small book and a movie sphere. He held them up with both hands in front of Arashi's bewildered face, and kept his face looking down at the floor as he mumbled something.
Arashi took a small step back, pushing the guardians backwards into the door to the Cloister of Trials. "What?"
Jon coughed again. "I...ah...would you...be in a sphere movie with me and sign my book? All of you?" His eyes remained focused on the floor.
Arashi gave a small grin, as did Yueh and Niet. Yueh took the book from his hands and Niet gently removed the sphere. Arashi took her hand pushed Jon's chin up, making him look straight at her.
"Of course we will."
*-*-*-*-*
"Here's your herbal tea mix--"
"Yes, I--"
"And drink it twice a day, remember!"
"Yes, I will, but really--"
"And some extra food stores! Kiara made the bread herself."
Arashi smiled. "Thank you, but we really must be going. We want to make it to the Moonflow before nightfall..."
"We do?" Niet whispered to Yueh from the back of the wagon. Yueh shrugged.
"...and to do so, we must leave promptly." Arashi gave a bow and hoisted herself up on the front of the wagon. "Again, thank you for your kind help and prompt curing of my ailment."
"It was no problem, milady summoner," the priest said, giving her a bow as well. "But you must remember to take that tea, it will keep you from getting the illness once again. Farewell, and may Yevon be with you!"
Yueh thought she saw Arashi twitch for the first time in ages before replying, "And you as well. Farewell." Arashi tapped the reins on the chocobos and headed off towards the Moonflow, or so said Yueh's map.
Niet crawled up into the seat next to Arashi, and Yueh sat directly behind the other two, her map still in hand.
"Why are we trying to get to the Moonflow before nightfall?" Niet asked. Yueh hit her head lightly against the divider in the wagon.
"Because, the pyre flies float up from the water, and it supposedly looks gorgeous." She shook her head. "We're going to have to start assigning chapters out of that book of yours for you to read, Niet, I swear." Niet gave Yueh a look, but both couldn't help but laugh.
"Not a bad idea," Arashi said, her gray eyes still on the road. "We could assign pages, then have a quiz to make sure you're on the right track." Niet blanched.
"No way, you're not serious, are you?" she blurted out. Her hands started flailing wildly as she went on. "But, but, you can't! I mean, we're not even in school right now, we have vacation, and if this a vacation, then, well, I--" Niet pouted as Arashi finally let loose a laugh. "Cut that out, would you?"
"Anyway," Yueh said, trying not to laugh as well, "its supposed to be very beautiful, and on the pilgrimage, they never stopped because Auron was ready to hurry Yuna on her way." She took another peek at the map. "We should be able to get there just as the sun is setting."
"And I have a movie sphere to record it," Arashi said. She steered the chocobos a slight bit closer to the edge of the trail.
"Really? You're kidding!" Arashi shook her head, and Yueh began to stutter. "B-but, those things--they're like, really, really expensive!" Suddenly, Yueh looked confused. "And where did you put it?"
Arashi simply laughed again. She seemed to be in a good mood, even more so than normal. "No, I didn't buy it. Jon was kind enough to give us a movie sphere in return for the signatures and my glasses that we gave him."
"Oh, well that's--wait, you gave him your glasses?" Niet asked, her eyes widening.
Arashi giggled. "Yeah...it turns out he has the same prescription as me, but he couldn't afford to get new ones as of late, so..." She put one hand behind her head, blushing. "I gave him mine! He taped them up and put them on just before we left. They looked kind of silly, but he seemed rather happy with it."
Yueh shook her head as she put away the map. "Arashi..."
"ARASHI!"
Yueh jumped. Niet had shouted incredibly loud and wrenched the reins from Arashi's loose grip. The wagon jumped up and down, creaking loudly like a wailing cat before Niet steered the wagon back onto the beaten pathway. Both guardians let out a loud sigh as Arashi blinked calmly. Niet settled herself to drive the wagon, and Arashi continued to stare straight ahead.
"I'll drive for a while, Arashi," Niet said, casting a wary glance at her summoner. "I think you can't see squat without your glasses."
Arashi began to stutter. "But—but, I can see fine without my glasses, my prescription isn't even that heavy." She suddenly went back to her normal, smiling, giggling self, a hand behind her head. "I guess I wasn't paying enough attention, huh?"
"Maybe you should sit back here, Arashi," Yueh suggested, patting a spot beside her. Arashi shuffled into the wagon and settled down next to her, hanging her head just outside of the wagon to look outside. Arashi's stare looked blank to Yueh. She patted her friend on the shoulder. "Are you okay, Arashi?"
She simply smiled, and turned around to grab the crocheted blanket once more. Piling it around her head, she leaned into the upper right corner of the wagon and closed her eyes.
"I'm fine. Just waiting..." Both Yueh and Niet took an odd glance at her, but she didn't see. "Just waiting...wake me when we're there."
In seconds, Arashi was snoring softly as the chocobo-pulled wagon made its way quickly down the dirt track. Niet trained her eyes back on the road and Yueh shook her head.
Arashi, you're getting stranger and more mysterious everyday... Yueh sighed and stared out at the passing scenery, bumping along at a decent pace. I hope you know something that I don't, something that's going to help us...
Arashi smiled in her sleep.
*-*-*-*-*
Night was falling, and the setting sun cast a warm orange glow on the city of Bevelle. Mariana was in a long, green silk robe, standing on a marble balcony that overlooked most of the city. She leaned against the ornate railing and let out a small sigh.
The sky was the same color as that day, when her whole view of life had changed. Not only her view, but her life as well.
As he had walked away, that hideous blue haired boy, had walked away chuckling, she had been left by herself on the bloodied sands of the beach next to her parent's corpses to cry. But something caught her eye as he walked away, something he had dropped.
She scrambled across the damp sand and dug through the mud where the boy had stepped on the shiny something. Slowly, carefully, she picked up a palm sized, greenish-blue stone, and rubbed off the blood and dirt that had been scratched into it. She had gotten most of it off, and she held up the beautiful jewel to the orange sunlight.
The light barely made it through the glass-like stone, but Mariana could still see her parents through it. She clutched the precious gem to her chest and scuttled back over to her dead mother and father, and she laid her head against her father's back, hoping, wishing she could hear the beating of his heart again. Instead, she heard the gross laughter of the boy again. Lifting up her head, tears streaming down her cheeks, she screamed out, "Leave me alone! Go away!"
She didn't see the boy again, but instead saw Sin, roaring once again on the shoreline. She stood slowly, the wind rising with every passing second.
She was alone on the beach, and as she stood there, she shouted out, "Take me! I don't care! Mama and Daddy are gone now! You took them! You…you…" She stone in her hand started to warm, and began to glow in a pulsating pattern. "TAKE ME!"
The light engulfed her, and when she awoke…
I was here... Tears fell from Mariana's eyes as she let out another sigh. Quiet footsteps approached her from behind, and a soft, warm hand came upon her shoulder. She didn't turn around, but she knew it was Genki.
"Milady..."
She finally turned around and embraced a surprised Genki, crying into his shoulder. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around her, and rubbed her lightly on the back.
"What...what..."
Mariana leaned backwards to look in Genki's brown eyes.
"It doesn't matter, Genki..." She kissed him lightly on the lips before going back to simply holding him once more.
Genki blinked. She had...she had just...
He held her tighter. She had just changed.
And maybe, maybe...so had he.