This story belongs to me and my creative mind. However, most of the characters, names, and places all belong to their respective companies, so don't yell at me for copyright infringements! Remember, Italics represent a person's thoughts or the telling of past events.

Enjoy...

:Faraway Dreams:

Chapter Fifteen:

The hours passed in silent anticipation of the coming match between the two Burman warriors. Afternoon slid into evening and then night, and the cresting of the sun shown moon brought an uneasy morning for Fedrich and Ruthy. Dreamless sleep left him tired, his mind still unsettled with his inability to comprehend Claire's attitude. Ruthy assurances were of little help to him, although the effort was quietly appreciated. Leena offered her advice and worldly opinions, although the mage couldn't fully take in the pain that Claire caused them. As the clock slowly made its way to the noon hour, Ruthy decided that they should go and eat something, having skipped over dinner for a simple snack.

The Playwright's bar looked the same as it did weeks ago, filled with many patrons and smelling of old smoke and freshly cooked foods. A waitress led them to a table, and Ruthy ordered two minted teas and took the seat closest to the door. Fedrich rested his head on his hands and stared absently at the table, eyes glazed over as his mind ran around in futile worry. Ruthy took a sip of the tea, then folded her hands and looked at the Burman.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

No response.

Ruthy sighed lightly, now knowing that this was affecting him greatly. He wouldn't ignore her conversations under any situation, but trying to deal with Claire's betrayal was draining him. She understood it well enough, the betrayal by someone you could trust, but for whatever reasons Fedrich couldn't get it.

Is it...that he's never experienced this feeling before? Or is there something more...is he really that emotionally invested in this? It is because she's a Burman like him?

"Would you two care to order?" An older woman asked, a worker.

Ruthy snapped out of her thoughts and quickly scanned the menu beneath her hands. "I'll have...the potato salad and a ginger ale."

"And you, sir?"

Fedrich hesitated a moment. "I'll just have the spiced fish filet and a lemonsnap with no ice."

"Good, your meal will be ready in about ten minutes." The waitress bowed lightly, then walked away.

"So you can talk." Ruthy smirked after a moment. "I thought you had gone mute or something."

"Sorry, I'm...just not in the mood." He apologized weakly.

"I understand, you must be confused about all this."

"More than you know."

"No, I think I do." She corrected, taking a breath as she collected stale but pungent memories. "I've been betrayed by people I trusted before, it's nothing new to me. Back when I still worked at Miss Hillis' bakery, there was a boy who always came to visit me. He always talked to me about his dream to be in the army as a great warrior, that he wanted to be the best person he could." Ruthy wrung her hands together under the table, the pain associated with her story resurfacing. "One day he asked me if I wanted to have a late night snack, and I agreed. He was always nice to me, even brought me flowers one time with a poem he wrote. He led me into an alley and he...he pinned me to the wall and tried to force himself on me. I screamed and screamed, and someone came and saved me before he could. The boy never came back...but I was scared to work for weeks. He lied to me, made up stories and played me for a fool. Miss Hillis told me to forget the sorrow, that there's always tomorrow to think of. I was so confused, I couldn't look at someone and not think are they lying to me? Will they try and take advantage of me?"

Ruthy forced a grin to her face, struggling to keep tears from her eyes as she relived the terrible memory. "But I survived it. I got over the betrayal, because not everyone is like that. It was tough to think that there are people who do such horrible things, but I learned to accept it as part of life and of living. I mean, without bad things in life, we wouldn't be able to appreciate the goods things as much, right?"

Fedrich remained silent, but she could tell that he was mulling over her words in his mind.

"What I'm trying to say...is that her betrayal was a terrible thing, it shouldn't have ever happened. But she did, and you've got to take the pain, learn from it, and go on living." Ruthy paused a moment. "I don't want to see you frozen like this, locked in your own pain because you can't accept it. We've got to take the pain in stride, and never let it hold us down."

She finally gave him the silence he wanted, allowing him all the time he wanted to come to his own conclusions, hoping her own experiences would give him the strength to surpass his own. A waiter came by their table and set their meals down, and Ruthy paid for both their lunches as well as a tip. The two ate in silence, looking at one another occasionally and struggling to come to words, but only able to display emotional feelings at the moment. Once done, Fedrich stood up and straightened his mythril vest.

"Ruthy." He started slowly. "I'm sorry I've been so rude."

"It's okay!" She stood as well. "You've got a lot on your mind, it's fine."

"Still, I shouldn't have ignored you, especially when you told me something so private as that." He looked at her eyes with a genuine expression of sadness. "I wish that no one would ever betray one another, everyone would be so much happier. But you are right, it's all part of what makes us who we are, accepting the good and bad things. I think...that I can move on, and now all that's left is to make sure that she can never betray anyone again."

Moving away from the table and back to the streets, Fedrich looked at his pocketwatch and nodded to himself. Ruthy came to his side as he looked around the area, people starting to crowd the paths as the afternoon rush began.

"Is it time?" The redhead asked meekly.

"Yes." He glanced back at her. "It's time to bring this to a close."

"I'll go with you, too."

He shook his head. "She said it was for me alone, I don't want you to be in any danger if she goes berserk."

"Still...!"

Putting a finger to her lips, he silenced her arguments and instead caught her eyes in his own. "I know you want to help me, but this is something I need to get through on my own. I can't let people hold me by the hand forever, I've got to face my troubles head on." He stepped back, donning his trademark grin. "Besides, dangerous work is what I'm looking for."

He used his powerful legs to leap into the sky, sailing across the wind to a rooftop. Ruthy gasped in surprise as he leapt from home to home, making his way towards the amphitheater with incredible speed.

"Ruthy?" A voice asked.

"Huh?" She looked back, seeing a familiar figure in red robes. "Leena?"

"You go to the Playwright as well?" The mage asked, walking from a sidestreet to the redhead's side. "It's a popular place for scholars and fans of the arts, I wasn't aware you were a fan also."

"No, yes, I mean...ach!" Her tongue tripped over itself. "Fedrich just ran off to fight Claire on his own, and I've got to go and make sure he doesn't lose to her!"

"Did something happen?"

"Yesterday we found her, and she challenged him to a fight to the death this afternoon! Fedrich can't win on his own, she's like a monster when she fights, every part of her focused solely on killing!"

Leena arched an eyebrow. "Sounds like a tough wench."

"Could you go with me, please? I wouldn't have asked, but if she doesn't hold back, I'll need all the help I can find!"

Leena nodded. "I owe you both, so count my skills in. Lead on!"

The bench seating was empty, and Fedrich felt strange walking so freely in a space that he only knew as crowded and filled with the applause of noblemen and fans of plays. He was able to take in the immense size of the Grand Maria without obstruction, and it looked awe inspiring in design alone. Its spacious room was surely the reason Claire chose it for their duel. Despite his cautious patrol of the outside seating, he couldn't see any sign of her presence in the semi-lit stage. Growling, he skipped down to the stage proper and looked around.

"Claire!" He shouted loudly. "Where are you!? Show yourself!"

A cruel laugh came from the top most part of the stage overhang. Fedrich looked up to a spot lit by a bright beam of artificial light, seeing Claire present with a new lance in hand, a gust of wind adding to the drama of her appearance. He noted that her lance was edged on both ends, one with a crescent blade and another with a dangerous spike.

"It's about time you came, Fedrich!" She sneered. "I got bored waiting for 'ya!"

The Regulator drew his sword free and readied his body. "Let's go, then, and get this over with!"

"Oh? You look serious this time."

"I've gotten over your betrayal, Claire, I came to grips with it after so much thought." He raised his sword up. "Now I'm here to claim your lance and send you into prison for killing a helpless man!"

The female Burman laughed again, pride and arrogance laced within her voice. She shoved a few strands of hair aside from her face, then spun her lance around and pointed it at Fedrich.

"Fedrich, out of anyone who has fought me, you have been the most fanatical about capturing me. Not that you'd care, but you've proven to be a worthy opponent, and you have my respect as a fellow warrior." Crouching lightly, she held her lance back and grinned. "I'm sorry to have to end your life this day!"

Claire leapt into the sky and spun her lance to attack, and Fedrich readied his defense. Lance met sword, and the two battled for supremacy before jumping away from one another. Fedrich charged in a rage, striking out at Claire with repeated swings of his short blade. The blonde Burman deflected each strike with ease, then spun her lance about to throw Fedrich off balance. She thrusted her weapon out quickly, but Fedrich managed to dodge fast enough to only suffer a light laceration against his muzzle. They leapt back again, coiled like serpents.

"You've still got spunk, kid, better than before!" Claire commended.

"Damn, I won't lose this time!"

Charging at one another, Claire's lance shot out and collided with Fedrich's short sword, metal ringing out. In her trademark fury, she lashed out repeatedly with her weapon, forcing her opponent back. A quick thrust cut his shoulder, a gasp of pain following the spill of blood. Pushed on by the sight of his life's essence, she took to her toes and danced, lance spinning around her body with beautiful and deadly motions. Fedrich was all but forced to retreat and keep his sword up, parrying her strikes with weak attempts to get a word in. Blood flew as she nicked his ear, sliced at an arm, nearly lopped off his own tail.

"Come on, you can do better!" She demanded. "Show me, show me your anger! Your rage! Give it to me!"

She used her lance accurately to fling Fedrich's arms up, and she lashed into his side with the curved blade. Surprising her, the cloth of his vest held and stopped the weapon from piercing his torso. Using her moment of vulnerability, he brought his sword down and tried to take her shoulder, but the mythril armor on her shoulder guard absorbed the stock with ease. At a stalemate, Claire jumped back and looked over her shoulder, grinning to see the armor still held.

"I take it back, you still have a lot 'ta learn before you ever come close to matching me!" Claire ran forward and brought her lance down at an angle.

Fedrich growled and dived into her attack. His sword snaked into her defenses and blocked the swing at the top of her grip, and with a mighty cry, he tore the lance from her hand and sent it spinning into the air. Thrusting the blade out with no avail, he watched as she jumped into the sky and expertly caught her rouge weapon, landing on the overhang of the stage. Jumping up higher with her lance spinning, she readied to throw it against her adversary. With a powerful motion, the lance sailed through the air and cut through Fedrich's left shoulder, a guttural cry of pain bursting from his mouth as he fell. Claire landed and bounced over to his side, the Regulator curled on the ground and holding his wound.

"Crap, you're tougher than I thought." She swore, leaning over and pulling the lance free of the wooden floor. "But not tough enough to beat me, of course."

"Just...answer me this, Claire...why do you do it?" He gasped. "Why do you toy with people this way?"

She barked a laugh. "It's all just a part of the game! I used you to help with the mission, as I do with anyone who can make it easier for me. I didn't have anything against you personally, but that can't be helped if you make yourself a threat."

"But-"

"Shut up!" She ordered, feral anger flashing through her eyes. "I'm through playing games with you! Be a good boy and die!"

She took the lance, reversed it to the spike, and drove it down to kill him with one blow. Instinct and training, however, allowed Fedrich to roll to his side and avoid the lethal attack. Countering, he got to his feet and swung his sword out wide, catching Claire's hip in a painful strike that cut shallow flesh. Despite his wounds, he jumped into the air and arched backwards, performing a perfect flip and landing with his defense up. Claire charged for Fedrich, and the two locked weapons with stronger fury. The Regulator leapt above Claire's lance and lashed out with his feet, clawed toes raking across her face, leaving bloody scratches behind. Skipping back, she slapped away Fedrich's weak follow up and gave herself some room from his sword.

"I don't understand you!" Fedrich stated angrily, forcing his pain down. "Why do you deceive so many innocents?"

"You never understood me in the first place!" She yelled, again attacking.

Fedrich blocked the strike and made his own offenses. "I don't believe you! You acted boastful around us, but you were happy to fight alongside everyone and to share in the camaraderie! There's no way you could have faked it all, no deception can be that real!"

Claire hesitated a moment and defended against the sword, letting her anger slip. "Maybe...just maybe it was fun to relax and not be under so much stress...but I had a job to do, and Claire the Demon Lance doesn't stop until victory or death!!"

Jumping back to the edge of the stage, the blonde Burman charged forward with a battle cry, lance up and ready. Fedrich jumped forward with his sword in hand, but his clawed feet slipped on something on the wood and he fell forward with a start. Time paused as Fedrich watched in horror as the mistaken fall sent his sword plunging deep into Claire's torso as she neared him. Her expression widened as she felt the steel pierce her, warm blood staining her fur as it seeped from the wound. She stumbled forward on uneven feet, dropping her lance absently in the shock.

"Oh no..." Fedrich gasped, recovering to stare at the wound.

Claire met Fedrich's shocked gaze, her eyes wide in disbelief. Her hand grabbed the blade and pulled it free, crying out in pain, her voice weak and filled with none of the venom from before. The Regulator ran forward and caught her before she collapsed, staring at the wound with a stunned expression and numb mind.

"Claire?..." He muttered. "Goddess, Claire, I didn't-"

"Shut up." She ordered, voice weak but forceful. "I would've...done the same to you."

"No, I never meant to do this. You aren't going to die." He wavered visibly.

"What are you saying? I'm your enemy..."

"I don't want you to die like this, everyone deserves a chance to make up their errors, even you..."

"What a naive child..." She laughed, coughing up blood. "You're too soft..."

Fedrich remained silent, so Claire reached up and put a hand on his uninjured shoulder, pulling herself to his side in a last effort to speak. "But, if things were...different, maybe...maybe we would have been true comrades...Fedrich..."

With those last words, her grip on his shoulder failed, and her body fell completely into his hands, her life extinguished. He stared at her, unable to tear his eyes away from the content smile that graced her lips, light green eyes staring into the sky. He set her gently onto the floor, closing her eyes as he felt angry tears slide into his fur.

"I'm sorry..." He spoke quietly, kneeling next to her fallen body. "May the Goddess Rei take mercy on your soul and allow you to repay your deeds."

After offering his short prayer, Fedrich struggled to his feet, the throbbing pain in his shoulder becoming more noticeable as adrenaline faded from his veins. He slowly walked over to his sword, wiped it crudely on his pants, then sheathed it. He gripped his shoulder with his free hand, hoping to stem the loss of blood. Shuddering, he grew aware that a half dozen other cuts were freely bleeding all over his body. The stage was still completely empty, his thoughts wandering back to the play he saw not but weeks earlier. Would the crowds be cheering still if they were here?

"Fedrich!!" A scream cut through the air.

The Burman looked up, his vision hazy and his balance fading away. He saw a redheaded form rushing down the steps just before his vision blacked out entirely, consciousness slipping into blissful darkness.

"Fedrich!!" Ruthy screamed in horror, seeing blood on the stage and on Fedrich's fur and clothing. Her feet automatically ran for him, boots pounding on the stone as she leapt down the steps to the center of the playhouse. Her friend went slack and fell to the ground, and she nearly fell onto his body in her rush to get to his side. She quickly grabbed his arms and pulled him onto his back. "Fedrich, wake up!" She cried out, patting his muzzle to rouse him. "Come on, get up!"

She looked him over quickly, fear coiling in her gut as she saw several deep cuts on his arms and legs, his shoulder mangled from a terrible wound. Fingers quickly dived into her pockets, pulling out rolls of bandages and cloths. With calculating moves that her instinct controlled, she wiped away the blood and covered each cut with thick cloth, binding it tightly with bandages to secure them in place. Potions were uncorked and gently poured over the wounds to speed the healing, knowing that he wasn't in any condition to drink them. Tears spilled from her eyes as she worked, her mind shocked into silence.

"Serpent's wrath, what happened?" A voice demanded.

Ruthy looked back, seeing Leena nearly stumble down the steps and land at her side, gasping for air. The mage rested a moment, then paled as she beheld the aftermath of the duel.

"Fedrich, he's-" Ruthy started.

"Hurt, yes, stand aside." She ordered.

"But he needs help!" The redhead argued.

"I'm a mage, if you recall, I can try a curative spell." Leena reminded, pulling the Regulator away. She closed her eyes and focused on her spiritual mantras, calling on her sacred arts of casting. Hypnotic sparks of lights circled around her body, then rested on her fingers. Placing them near Fedrich's body, she forced open the barrier between her own life's power and reshaped it into a spell.

"Cure!" She commanded, sealing the spell off and ordering its action.

The dancing lights on her hands spun away, reforming into green bands of magic that circled and wove themselves around Fedrich's body. Immediately his wounds began to close, flesh knitting itself back and blood sinking into the skin. A few seconds later the spell ended, nearly healing over the minor wounds but doing little to help his shoulder.

"Hells, this figures." She swore, repeating her previous actions and readying a second healing spell directly over his serious injury. "...Cure!"

Fedrich's body glowed with the effort of Leena's spell, and his minor cuts completely scabbed up and were safe. His shoulder, however, refused to do more than slightly decrease in its severity. Leena wiped her brow from the exertion, standing.

"Damn, damn! It's too serious for me to heal, we need to get a doctor to him, quickly!"

Ruthy ran forward and took her remaining bandages, circling them around his shoulder to try and cover it properly. Leena knelt down and grabbed his good shoulder, hefting him upright. The redhead moved to support his other side, but the sight of the gruesome wound made her hesitate.

"Can't be helped, just do it!" The mage ordered.

Ruthy grimaced, then put her arm underneath the Burman's own and helped pick his body up. The two began a careful walk back up the stairs of the amphitheater, Leena muttering curses while Ruthy could do little else but keep moving. The redhead looked to Fedrich's face and choked back her tears, knowing that if she succumbed to them now, she wouldn't be able to help save him.

The first thing that Fedrich knew was a dull pain in his left shoulder, a throbbing that made his whole arm stiff and numb. Slowly he could feel the residual pain of other wounds on his body, and eventually his whole form was apparent to him. His first measured breath smelled of medical herbs and flowers, cold air around his face. He put all his effort into opening his eyes, vision dizzy before focusing on the bright shine of an artificial lamp. He looked around slowly, white plaster walls consisting of his room and bare amounts of furnishing. His lips were dry, mouth seemingly filled with sand that made him incredibly thirsty.

His last sense, the one he prided most, came around a few seconds later. While no one was in the room, he could easily hear someone sobbing outside, the dull patterns of footfalls, and muted voices that sounded vaguely familiar. Fedrich summoned his strength and sat up, thick covers sliding to his waist and his good arm supporting his weak body. A look at his shoulder revealed that it was tightly bandaged, explaining its stiffness. Slowly taking in the content of the room, he was certain that it wasn't familiar to him at all. He searched his memory, fuzzy from sleep and weariness.

That's right, I was fighting Claire on the stage...she got my shoulder, and...

Fedrich clenched his fist, unable to remember exactly how he ended up where he was. His ears perked up as more voices appeared outside his room, and he suspected that someone took him to a medical hall to treat his injuries.

"Hello?" He called out.

The voices quieted down, and barely a second later the door in the far corner of the room flew open with a crash. The figure didn't even allow Fedrich's eyes adjust to the brighter light in the hallway before it ran into the room and threw it's arms around him in a desperate embrace.

"Oh thank God!" A familiar voice wept.

"Ruthy?"

"We thought you'd never wake up." She choked between sobs. "You were hurt so badly..."

"How long...have I been here?"

"Two days, and you never moved at all. The doctors tried everything, and you didn't change."

Fedrich didn't speak as she cried, bringing his arms around her to support her despite his sore shoulder. She gripped him tighter as she let her tears fall without shame, her sobs quaking her small frame with each breath. The Burman looked to the door and saw Leena and two men in white garments maintaining a respectful distance from the door, allowing them some privacy as they talked. He closed his eyes and rested his head against her hair, willing to let her work out her tears.

Minutes later, her cries lessened until she grew quiet. Fedrich withdrew from her to look at her face, slick and puffy with tears. The few times he had seen her cry wasn't comparable to this, it looked as if her whole world had fallen apart. The sight of such sadness made his heart heavy with feelings he didn't have an explanation for.

"You okay?" He asked quietly.

She nodded weakly, then pulled him close again and rested her head in the nook of his shoulder. "I'm okay."

"...That's good." He replied a moment later. He shifted around in the bed, trying to make himself comfortable, but Ruthy's hold tightened slightly.

"Stay." She asked, voice muffled by his fur. "Let me stay here..."

He arched an eyebrow to her request, but he wasn't going to deny it. "Sure."

Fedrich's eyes caught Leena peering into the room for a moment. Upon seeing the two, a curious grin expressed itself on her lips, and she leaned in only so far as to close the door quietly. He chuckled inwardly, then looked down at the redhead in his arms.

"Ruthy?" He asked.

She didn't respond, his ears telling that her breathing was even and controlled. Looking down at her, he saw her eyes were closed and her grip wasn't as strong as before, asleep. A smile tugged at his lips, and he slid back into the pillows of his bed with Ruthy's thin body resting against his own. He sighed contently, closing his eyes so that sleep could bring him into gentle rest.

Darkness fell across the streets and buildings, the moon shielded by thick clouds and a pitiful speckling of rainfall dampening the ground. Fedrich looked around in curiosity, recognizing the rounded and delicate details of Burmecia's oldest neighborhoods. None of his fellow people were present in the streets, windows unlit with candles and the only sound present to his powerful hearing being the dull patter of falling raindrops.

Quiet, isn't it?

Fedrich looked behind him, and he saw a figure leaning against an intersection fountain, rolling a small red gem in thin fingers. He peered into the cloak to see the person, but the shadows hid its face, and the voice sounded neutral enough to be either a man or a woman. The figure stood up, then tossed the gem into the fountain. The water quickly changed to a red color, thick like blood, making Fedrich shiver in fear.

Even to your Burman ears, it's quiet, like death.

"Who are you?"

No one important. I figure myself a historian if you must know.

Fedrich arched an eyebrow. "You...are you the same phantom who came to me in those visions before?"

The figure chuckled. Ah, so the anchor still remembers it's previous chain. He was unsuited for this task, so they assigned me to be more candid with you on the matter.

"What matter?"

You recall the messages that the previous voice, your so-called "phantom speaker", told you of?

"Yeah, I think." Fedrich rubbed his head absently. "He said...something about me being able to change the future, that I could help stop a war from destroying the world..."

Recall, too, that he tried to give you information about being connected closely to a certain thing that was a factor in the war. We weren't ready to allow him to divulge that kind of knowledge, but after close examination of potential phenomena in constructed tests, we came to a different solution.

"Is this related to my dream before? Were you the one who showed me Burmecia in ruins!?"

The hesitation in the figure's voice lasted a moment. Yes, it was an accurate recreation of the timeline without any intervention. A slaughter that left only a meager few hundred of your kind left in the world.

"Tell me! If I can do something, if you can tell me how to stop that from happening, then tell me what to do!"

The figure snorted in humor. I see his frustrations, you are a strange person to deal with.

"Don't dance around it, can that nightmare be changed?"

Don't be hasty, friend, if everything goes according to our projected ends, then you will be able to help them.

"Tell me what to do!" Fedrich begged, stepping towards the figure. The cloaked person, however, jumped onto the fountain and lifted an arm to forestall any other words. Its fingers again held the same strange gem as before, the red sheen a beautiful but foreboding sight. The fountain was no longer red with blood.

This is a special gem that has been handed down through Burmecian royal lineage for several centuries, rumored to contain a powerful magic. The aggressors who will attack Burmecia are after this gem. To hide it within the cities of Burman-kind would bring their destruction, but to give it to them to prevent it would be as disastrous. The cloak fell back to cover the figure's hand. Burmecia will fall either way. Its strength has grown, and with it comes irrational fears of it. For now, be vigilant in your guard of innocent life, and train yourself well to ensure no one will overcome you.

"What else is there to do? Who is attacking Burmecia, can't I try and stop them before they strike!?"

Be patient, for now this is all you need to concern yourself with.

The figure began to float in the air, it's body shimmering and fading into the blackness of the sky.

"Wait! Don't go yet!" Fedrich pleaded.

I'll return and further explain when it is necessary. Be vigilant until then, Fedrich...

"Wait, please!" He continued.

Wake up, Fedrich...wake up...

"Fedrich?" A quiet voice repeated.

He opened his eyes slightly, focusing on a smiling face and red locks of hair. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled and opened them wide to see that it was Ruthy, the redhead lying next to him on the bed in the medical hall.

"G'morning." He gurgled.

"You feeling any better?" She asked.

His expression fell slightly, the dream lingering on his mind. "...For now I am."