Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Legaia. End of story.
Vahn stayed in his bedroom and read until it was almost dark. He thought about going to bed, but then he remembered he was supposed to meet Mei on the beach with the drinks. He bolted out of bed, grabbed the drinks, tossed a quick goodbye at his father and little sister who were eating dinner, and ran down towards the beach. Luckily for him, Mei was not there yet so he sat down on the sand and watched the waves.
"Vahn?" Mei came up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. He looked behind him and smiled when he saw it was Mei. He helped her sit down on the sand, and took the basket from her. However, she slapped his hand and took it back.
"Nope, no peeking. You'll just have to be patient." So he sat and softly scowled as she got out the sandwiches. The two then sat there, eating and laughing, enjoying their privacy. However, if either of them had looked towards the cave, they would have seen two figures watching them.
"Daddy, why are we spying on Vahn?" asked Nene. Val swallowed.
"Well, we have to make sure he's okay. We don't want him to be killed by an evil Seru." Nene crossed her arms.
"Please. You can't expect me to fall for that one. The Seru are gone, and don't even try to say that Mei might be a Seru monster in disguise. Any other excuses are welcome at this time, if you're up for another rebuking." Val trembled slightly, causing a smirk to appear on Nene's face. But it was quickly wiped off, and she turned to her father. "Why did you make me come anyway? What use am I to your espionage," she said with a slightly exaggerated tone.
"You're not old enough to stay home by yourself."
"Daddy, I'm 14! I'm plenty old enough to stay home by myself."
"Fine. You are old enough to stay home by yourself, but I don't want you at home by yourself. The last time I left you alone you decided it would be fun to start a cat sitting business. I was cleaning up cat puke for days."
"So the cat-sitting thing wasn't a good idea at the time. I was only 10!"
"It happened 4 months ago." "Oh." Nene quickly dropped the subject, crossing her arms. Val smiled weakly and turned his attention back to Vahn and Mei. They now appeared to be devouring something that looked like cake. However, in a fit of anger, Nene slapped him across the head, sending him backwards into the canoe in the cave.
"What the hell was that for?!?"
"For being a stupid jerk with no sense of reasoning." Val laughed, but quickly quieted when he saw Nene glaring at him again. So he sat in the canoe, talking with Nene, and sneaking quick glances over at Vahn and Mei now and again. But the fun didn't last for long. The canoe platform, which now had too much weight in it, snapped. And Nene, who happened to be sitting halfway under the canoe, screamed as it fell on top of her. Upon hearing several snapping sounds, Val jumped out and called to Nene.
Meanwhile, Vahn heard Nene's scream echo in the cave, and he went to see what it was. Mei followed behind him, and when they reached the cave they found Val standing by the canoe panicking, and asked what happened.
"I don't know, but Nene is under there," Val replied, wringing his hands. Vahn quickly picked up an end of the canoe, and with his father's help he lifted it up and out of the way. Underneath, moving slightly, was Nene.
"Nene! Are you okay?" asked Vahn.
"I don't know. I can't move my body," she replied weakly.
"Just don't move, okay? We'll get you to a doctor." Vahn picked her up and quickly set off for the Village Elder's house, where the doctor resided.
"Slow down Vahn! I can't walk that fast!" yelled Mei as she ran after him. He slowed up enough for her to catch up, then quickly set off at a fast pace again so as to get to the Elder's in time. Mei tried to keep up as best as she could, but fell far behind. But she somehow found the necessary energy to keep going, and kept running.
Meanwhile, Vahn reached the Elder's house and frantically knocked on the door. Upon seeing Vahn, the Elder ushered him in. Vahn set Nene down on one of the beds while the Elder fetched the doctor from the next room. The doctor hurried in, and gave Nene a quick examination. Mei snuck in not long afterward, and watched from the door as the doctor gave Vahn the bad news.
"Her rib cage is pretty much shattered, along with most of the other bones in her body. Her internal organs are pretty much sliced up. I don't know if she'll survive the night."
"You don't know? What do you mean you don't know?" Vahn shouted out suddenly. "You're a doctor! You're supposed to be able to fix this." He sat down on the floor, crying. "She's my sister, I can't lose her." Mei slowly came over to kneel beside him, holding his head against her shoulder. The Elder looked at them, then back to Nene. The doctor shrugged his shoulders.
"I'll try, but I don't know if anything will work." Vahn quickly thanked him. Then the Elder came over to where Vahn and Mei were sitting, and sat down in front of them.
"Maybe you should go home now, Vahn. You've done all you can do, and you need your rest. You can come back in the morning." Vahn nodded, and with Mei's help he got up and headed for the door. She walked him home, and opened the door for him.
"Remember Vahn, if you need me I'll always be here for you."
"Thanks Mei. Sorry about our picnic, though. I didn't expect this to happen."
"Nobody ever does, Vahn. It's ok though, we can finish our picnic another time." She planted a kiss on his forehead. "Good night Vahn." She watched him disappear into his house and then walked off. Vahn slowly walked to his room, passing the closed door of his father's room. He lay down on his bed, and pulled the covers up to his chin. That night he cried himself to sleep.
In the morning, both Vahn and Val got dressed and headed over to the Elder's house to check on Nene. But the sight that greeted them only added to their sorrow. Nene was alive, as the Elder told them, but she was fading fast. It was a miracle, the doctor said, that she had even made it through the night. Her injuries were too great, and there was nothing he could do. The two of them quickly went to Nene's bedside. Val stood by the end of the bed, while Vahn moved closer and held Nene's hand. She opened her eyes, and in a feeble voice spoke to Vahn.
"Vahn?"
"Yes Nene, I'm here."
"Am I going to be okay?" Vahn tearfully looked away, unable to find the courage to tell her the truth. Val came over and put his hand on Vahn's shoulder, and Vahn put his hand over it.
"No," was the answer that eventually came. Nene cried a little, but kept talking anyway.
"Vahn, I'm really scared. I don't want to die, I don't want to leave you and papa." Vahn squeezed her hand.
"You won't leave is. You'll always be here, with us, and everyone else," said Vahn, choking back tears. Nene looked to Val, who nodded his head. Nene then looked back at Vahn.
"Really? Are you sure?"
"I'm sure, Nene. And dad is sure too." Nene smiled, then squeezed Vahn's hand. Val watched in silence, the tears flowing down his cheeks. Nene beckoned him to come closer, and took his hand. She squeezed it gently, knowing that her time had come.
"I love you both, and I'll always be there for you when you need me."
"Yes Nene," said Vahn, wiping away his tears. Nene smiled one last time before closing her eyes forever. Vahn could no longer hold back any more tears. They came flooding down his cheeks as he looked at his sister. As for Val, he just stood there, caressing her hand, not ready to believe that she was dead. And it was then that the tears he had held back broke through. Val let go of her hand and went to help Vahn get up, tears staining his cheeks. He helped Vahn to the door.
"I know how you feel, son. I'm going to miss her too. Why don't you go over to Mei's house for a while? I'm going to stay here and get Nene's funeral in order." Vahn nodded silently, and headed towards Mei's house. When he arrived, he lightly knocked on the door. Upon seeing his condition Mei hurried him inside.
"Vahn, what's wrong?"
"Nene died." Vahn said between sobs. Mei put her arm around his shoulders, helping him to the table. The two of them sat down, and from that point Mei just listened as Vahn told her about Nene, and all of his memories of her. Vahn told her about the first time he had seen Nene, just after she was born and how even though he acted like he hated her, he didn't. Many a time did Vahn have to stop during this time because he was crying too hard to continue. But Mei was patient and handed him tissues.
After a while, Vahn stopped telling Mei about Nene, as he could not say anymore, so he just sat and sobbed with his head on the table, asking himself why Nene had to die. Eventually, Vahn lifted his head up. His face was red from all his crying and his eyes looked bloodshot. He got up, saying he had to leave, and Mei showed him to the door. He thanked her for everything, then headed home. When he got home, he found his father at the kitchen table crying. The two of them sat together sobbing, then both went to bed.
A week later, everyone had gathered on the beach to pay their last respects to Nene. Vahn watched from the back as the Village Elder delivered a eulogy.
"She was always cheerful and kind to everyone here. When you met her, she seemed to always have a smile on her face. But now, as we send her to the Valley of Noaru, her smile will only shine for those in the valley. So Feruti, god of the seas, please take good care of our little Nene. Guide her to the valley and help her find eternal happiness." Two soldiers then came up and pushed her coffin into the tide. Vahn could only sob as he watched his only sister being carried beyond the rising sun. Mei rested his head on her shoulder and left it there, letting him cry. For he had once comforted her when she had lost someone close to her. After a while, he stopped crying, but his eyes were puffy. He started to walk away from the beach, and Mei went with him, putting her arm around him. Meanwhile, Val stood on the beach for another moment, thinking about all the times he had enjoyed with Nene. He remembered how he had comforted her when her mother had died, and how beautiful she had looked when she had been born. He had been looking forward to someday walking her down the aisle, but now all of his hopes and dreams for her floated away with her coffin. So he just stood there, watching her coffin bob in the waves, never really wanting to leave.
Meanwhile, Vahn and Mei went to Mei's house, and sat down on the couch to rest for a while. Remembering they had never finished the picnic, Vahn suggested that they go to the beach that night to finish it. Mei agreed, and Vahn put his arm around her. The two of them watched the sunset from her window as they got the picnic stuff ready.
At last, Val went back to his house, but his face was dark red. He made a cup of coffee (he wasn't all that fond of tea) and sat down at the table. Memories of Nene flooded his head, and his tears made ripples in the coffee. He finally gave up and went to bed, leaving the cup of coffee sitting on the table, full.
After a while, Vahn and Mei finally went down to the beach. The two of them sat on the sand and opened the picnic basket, spreading the food out on the blanket.
"These sandwiches are delicious, Mei! I can't believe how good these are!" said Vahn, munching on a sandwich.
"Thank you Vahn," she replied, blushing. Vahn laid down his sandwich, suddenly remembering the main reason he had asked Mei on a picnic in the first place.
"Mei?" Vahn said, causing her to turn her head.
"Yes, Vahn?" Vahn took her hands in his.
"Mei, you know I love you more than anything. The entire time I've known you; you have done nothing but brighten up my life. I can't live my life without you anymore." He paused, taking a slow, deep breath to calm the butterflies that fluttered in his stomach. He was overcome with emotion and wanted to tell her more than anything. The hard part was getting the words out. He looked into her eyes and put his hand in his pocket.
"Mei.please.be my wife?" He pulled out the small black box he had kept hidden and opened it, revealing a golden ring.
"What? Vahn, what do you mean? Why are you doing this?" Mei asked, trying to fight back the tears of happiness that flooded her eyes.
"I love you Mei, like I said. I want to be with you forever." Mei looked at the ring again, the slowly nodded, unable to say anything. She no longer could hold back the tears and she smiled happily as he put the ring on her hand, and then gently kissed her. They pulled away, and he wiped the tears off her face.
"You know I love you Mei."
"And I love you too, Vahn." They held each other, watching the moon, but Vahn remembered his father, and said he had to leave. Mei offered him a place at her house to stay, so he wouldn't have to go home, but he politely refused. He started to walk home, both happy about his future life with Mei and sad about Nene's death. But he managed to whistle a happy tune as he walked.
When he finally got to his house, he opened the door quietly, figuring that his father was asleep, trying to cheer himself up over Nene's death. But the sight that greeted him said otherwise. He found the house a mess, fragments of wood and metal spread everywhere. And blood covered everything. It was like someone had painted blood all over the walls. Vahn went into the next room and let out a gasp. He fainted and his body fell to the floor, right next to the mangled and bloody body already there.
Yet another cliffhanger.ha ha. I just love cliffhangers, don't you? However I already know what happens next.and you have to wait for the next chapter!!!! A side note, all of the chapters after this are kind of short. Ran out of ideas. Stay tuned!
Vahn stayed in his bedroom and read until it was almost dark. He thought about going to bed, but then he remembered he was supposed to meet Mei on the beach with the drinks. He bolted out of bed, grabbed the drinks, tossed a quick goodbye at his father and little sister who were eating dinner, and ran down towards the beach. Luckily for him, Mei was not there yet so he sat down on the sand and watched the waves.
"Vahn?" Mei came up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. He looked behind him and smiled when he saw it was Mei. He helped her sit down on the sand, and took the basket from her. However, she slapped his hand and took it back.
"Nope, no peeking. You'll just have to be patient." So he sat and softly scowled as she got out the sandwiches. The two then sat there, eating and laughing, enjoying their privacy. However, if either of them had looked towards the cave, they would have seen two figures watching them.
"Daddy, why are we spying on Vahn?" asked Nene. Val swallowed.
"Well, we have to make sure he's okay. We don't want him to be killed by an evil Seru." Nene crossed her arms.
"Please. You can't expect me to fall for that one. The Seru are gone, and don't even try to say that Mei might be a Seru monster in disguise. Any other excuses are welcome at this time, if you're up for another rebuking." Val trembled slightly, causing a smirk to appear on Nene's face. But it was quickly wiped off, and she turned to her father. "Why did you make me come anyway? What use am I to your espionage," she said with a slightly exaggerated tone.
"You're not old enough to stay home by yourself."
"Daddy, I'm 14! I'm plenty old enough to stay home by myself."
"Fine. You are old enough to stay home by yourself, but I don't want you at home by yourself. The last time I left you alone you decided it would be fun to start a cat sitting business. I was cleaning up cat puke for days."
"So the cat-sitting thing wasn't a good idea at the time. I was only 10!"
"It happened 4 months ago." "Oh." Nene quickly dropped the subject, crossing her arms. Val smiled weakly and turned his attention back to Vahn and Mei. They now appeared to be devouring something that looked like cake. However, in a fit of anger, Nene slapped him across the head, sending him backwards into the canoe in the cave.
"What the hell was that for?!?"
"For being a stupid jerk with no sense of reasoning." Val laughed, but quickly quieted when he saw Nene glaring at him again. So he sat in the canoe, talking with Nene, and sneaking quick glances over at Vahn and Mei now and again. But the fun didn't last for long. The canoe platform, which now had too much weight in it, snapped. And Nene, who happened to be sitting halfway under the canoe, screamed as it fell on top of her. Upon hearing several snapping sounds, Val jumped out and called to Nene.
Meanwhile, Vahn heard Nene's scream echo in the cave, and he went to see what it was. Mei followed behind him, and when they reached the cave they found Val standing by the canoe panicking, and asked what happened.
"I don't know, but Nene is under there," Val replied, wringing his hands. Vahn quickly picked up an end of the canoe, and with his father's help he lifted it up and out of the way. Underneath, moving slightly, was Nene.
"Nene! Are you okay?" asked Vahn.
"I don't know. I can't move my body," she replied weakly.
"Just don't move, okay? We'll get you to a doctor." Vahn picked her up and quickly set off for the Village Elder's house, where the doctor resided.
"Slow down Vahn! I can't walk that fast!" yelled Mei as she ran after him. He slowed up enough for her to catch up, then quickly set off at a fast pace again so as to get to the Elder's in time. Mei tried to keep up as best as she could, but fell far behind. But she somehow found the necessary energy to keep going, and kept running.
Meanwhile, Vahn reached the Elder's house and frantically knocked on the door. Upon seeing Vahn, the Elder ushered him in. Vahn set Nene down on one of the beds while the Elder fetched the doctor from the next room. The doctor hurried in, and gave Nene a quick examination. Mei snuck in not long afterward, and watched from the door as the doctor gave Vahn the bad news.
"Her rib cage is pretty much shattered, along with most of the other bones in her body. Her internal organs are pretty much sliced up. I don't know if she'll survive the night."
"You don't know? What do you mean you don't know?" Vahn shouted out suddenly. "You're a doctor! You're supposed to be able to fix this." He sat down on the floor, crying. "She's my sister, I can't lose her." Mei slowly came over to kneel beside him, holding his head against her shoulder. The Elder looked at them, then back to Nene. The doctor shrugged his shoulders.
"I'll try, but I don't know if anything will work." Vahn quickly thanked him. Then the Elder came over to where Vahn and Mei were sitting, and sat down in front of them.
"Maybe you should go home now, Vahn. You've done all you can do, and you need your rest. You can come back in the morning." Vahn nodded, and with Mei's help he got up and headed for the door. She walked him home, and opened the door for him.
"Remember Vahn, if you need me I'll always be here for you."
"Thanks Mei. Sorry about our picnic, though. I didn't expect this to happen."
"Nobody ever does, Vahn. It's ok though, we can finish our picnic another time." She planted a kiss on his forehead. "Good night Vahn." She watched him disappear into his house and then walked off. Vahn slowly walked to his room, passing the closed door of his father's room. He lay down on his bed, and pulled the covers up to his chin. That night he cried himself to sleep.
In the morning, both Vahn and Val got dressed and headed over to the Elder's house to check on Nene. But the sight that greeted them only added to their sorrow. Nene was alive, as the Elder told them, but she was fading fast. It was a miracle, the doctor said, that she had even made it through the night. Her injuries were too great, and there was nothing he could do. The two of them quickly went to Nene's bedside. Val stood by the end of the bed, while Vahn moved closer and held Nene's hand. She opened her eyes, and in a feeble voice spoke to Vahn.
"Vahn?"
"Yes Nene, I'm here."
"Am I going to be okay?" Vahn tearfully looked away, unable to find the courage to tell her the truth. Val came over and put his hand on Vahn's shoulder, and Vahn put his hand over it.
"No," was the answer that eventually came. Nene cried a little, but kept talking anyway.
"Vahn, I'm really scared. I don't want to die, I don't want to leave you and papa." Vahn squeezed her hand.
"You won't leave is. You'll always be here, with us, and everyone else," said Vahn, choking back tears. Nene looked to Val, who nodded his head. Nene then looked back at Vahn.
"Really? Are you sure?"
"I'm sure, Nene. And dad is sure too." Nene smiled, then squeezed Vahn's hand. Val watched in silence, the tears flowing down his cheeks. Nene beckoned him to come closer, and took his hand. She squeezed it gently, knowing that her time had come.
"I love you both, and I'll always be there for you when you need me."
"Yes Nene," said Vahn, wiping away his tears. Nene smiled one last time before closing her eyes forever. Vahn could no longer hold back any more tears. They came flooding down his cheeks as he looked at his sister. As for Val, he just stood there, caressing her hand, not ready to believe that she was dead. And it was then that the tears he had held back broke through. Val let go of her hand and went to help Vahn get up, tears staining his cheeks. He helped Vahn to the door.
"I know how you feel, son. I'm going to miss her too. Why don't you go over to Mei's house for a while? I'm going to stay here and get Nene's funeral in order." Vahn nodded silently, and headed towards Mei's house. When he arrived, he lightly knocked on the door. Upon seeing his condition Mei hurried him inside.
"Vahn, what's wrong?"
"Nene died." Vahn said between sobs. Mei put her arm around his shoulders, helping him to the table. The two of them sat down, and from that point Mei just listened as Vahn told her about Nene, and all of his memories of her. Vahn told her about the first time he had seen Nene, just after she was born and how even though he acted like he hated her, he didn't. Many a time did Vahn have to stop during this time because he was crying too hard to continue. But Mei was patient and handed him tissues.
After a while, Vahn stopped telling Mei about Nene, as he could not say anymore, so he just sat and sobbed with his head on the table, asking himself why Nene had to die. Eventually, Vahn lifted his head up. His face was red from all his crying and his eyes looked bloodshot. He got up, saying he had to leave, and Mei showed him to the door. He thanked her for everything, then headed home. When he got home, he found his father at the kitchen table crying. The two of them sat together sobbing, then both went to bed.
A week later, everyone had gathered on the beach to pay their last respects to Nene. Vahn watched from the back as the Village Elder delivered a eulogy.
"She was always cheerful and kind to everyone here. When you met her, she seemed to always have a smile on her face. But now, as we send her to the Valley of Noaru, her smile will only shine for those in the valley. So Feruti, god of the seas, please take good care of our little Nene. Guide her to the valley and help her find eternal happiness." Two soldiers then came up and pushed her coffin into the tide. Vahn could only sob as he watched his only sister being carried beyond the rising sun. Mei rested his head on her shoulder and left it there, letting him cry. For he had once comforted her when she had lost someone close to her. After a while, he stopped crying, but his eyes were puffy. He started to walk away from the beach, and Mei went with him, putting her arm around him. Meanwhile, Val stood on the beach for another moment, thinking about all the times he had enjoyed with Nene. He remembered how he had comforted her when her mother had died, and how beautiful she had looked when she had been born. He had been looking forward to someday walking her down the aisle, but now all of his hopes and dreams for her floated away with her coffin. So he just stood there, watching her coffin bob in the waves, never really wanting to leave.
Meanwhile, Vahn and Mei went to Mei's house, and sat down on the couch to rest for a while. Remembering they had never finished the picnic, Vahn suggested that they go to the beach that night to finish it. Mei agreed, and Vahn put his arm around her. The two of them watched the sunset from her window as they got the picnic stuff ready.
At last, Val went back to his house, but his face was dark red. He made a cup of coffee (he wasn't all that fond of tea) and sat down at the table. Memories of Nene flooded his head, and his tears made ripples in the coffee. He finally gave up and went to bed, leaving the cup of coffee sitting on the table, full.
After a while, Vahn and Mei finally went down to the beach. The two of them sat on the sand and opened the picnic basket, spreading the food out on the blanket.
"These sandwiches are delicious, Mei! I can't believe how good these are!" said Vahn, munching on a sandwich.
"Thank you Vahn," she replied, blushing. Vahn laid down his sandwich, suddenly remembering the main reason he had asked Mei on a picnic in the first place.
"Mei?" Vahn said, causing her to turn her head.
"Yes, Vahn?" Vahn took her hands in his.
"Mei, you know I love you more than anything. The entire time I've known you; you have done nothing but brighten up my life. I can't live my life without you anymore." He paused, taking a slow, deep breath to calm the butterflies that fluttered in his stomach. He was overcome with emotion and wanted to tell her more than anything. The hard part was getting the words out. He looked into her eyes and put his hand in his pocket.
"Mei.please.be my wife?" He pulled out the small black box he had kept hidden and opened it, revealing a golden ring.
"What? Vahn, what do you mean? Why are you doing this?" Mei asked, trying to fight back the tears of happiness that flooded her eyes.
"I love you Mei, like I said. I want to be with you forever." Mei looked at the ring again, the slowly nodded, unable to say anything. She no longer could hold back the tears and she smiled happily as he put the ring on her hand, and then gently kissed her. They pulled away, and he wiped the tears off her face.
"You know I love you Mei."
"And I love you too, Vahn." They held each other, watching the moon, but Vahn remembered his father, and said he had to leave. Mei offered him a place at her house to stay, so he wouldn't have to go home, but he politely refused. He started to walk home, both happy about his future life with Mei and sad about Nene's death. But he managed to whistle a happy tune as he walked.
When he finally got to his house, he opened the door quietly, figuring that his father was asleep, trying to cheer himself up over Nene's death. But the sight that greeted him said otherwise. He found the house a mess, fragments of wood and metal spread everywhere. And blood covered everything. It was like someone had painted blood all over the walls. Vahn went into the next room and let out a gasp. He fainted and his body fell to the floor, right next to the mangled and bloody body already there.
Yet another cliffhanger.ha ha. I just love cliffhangers, don't you? However I already know what happens next.and you have to wait for the next chapter!!!! A side note, all of the chapters after this are kind of short. Ran out of ideas. Stay tuned!