I don't own Skies of Arcadia
=Flashback=
A few days after Aika and Vyse went to battle the entire Valua fleet, they stayed for a week at Crescent Isle. On one of those nights, Aika went for a late night snack. She left her room feeling energetic and wanting to do something out of the ordinary.
After grabbing some food from the cafeteria, she raced into the caverns of Crescent Isle, looking for something to do. Maybe she could climb into the Delphinus and sit on the deck while daydreaming. That sounded like the perfect plan.
She was nearing the Delphinus when she saw someone already sitting on the deck. Aika slowed her steps and peered over at the person. Who…?
She quieted her steps and slowly made her way to the Delphinus. Whoever the person was, she was going to scare the crap out of them for fun. She really hoped it was Lawrence. She'd bet Vyse that she would be the first one to make him crack.
She pushed open the door that led to the deck and peered through the crack. Aika nearly screamed when she saw who it was and that she was lying on the ground, unconscious, a dagger by her hand. Blood flowed freely down her wrist and pooled by her head.
"Moegi!" Aika breathed and ran onto the deck. She threw her food over her shoulder and ran to the elder woman's side.
Moegi was deathly pale and her body was shaking uncontrollably. Aika past her hands over the woman and whispered, "Moons, give me strength."
The power of the green moon laced throughout her entire body and poured out her hands. Like rain drops, they fell from her fingers and splashed along Moegi's body.
Moegi blinked then pushed herself up.
"What are you doing?!" Aika scolded, ready to talk until her face turned red.
Moegi frowned. "You weren't supposed to see this."
"By the moons, what are you talking about, Looper fodder?" Aika still felt shaken at what she'd just witnessed. The fact that the color was returning to Moegi's face didn't make Aika feel any better.
"I--it's nothing."
"Moegi, now's not the time for lying."
Moegi shook her head. "I feel bad for this." Instead of talking, Aika merely stared at Moegi and waited. Like she'd planned, Moegi was so nervous about the silence, that she kept talking. "As a child, I was never healthy. My parents thought that I was born during the time of a bad moon.
"They sent for healers to check on me, but nothing that they did would help me. Finally, my parents gave up thinking that nothing would ever make me feel completely healthy. My brother even sailed in search of something but could not help.
"Then, a man came in. He made me this dagger using black moon stones. I have to cut open my wrist, not too deeply, and press the black moon stone into the blood -- I might have cut too deeply this time. This dagger didn't cure me. He told me that there was one way, however, and it involved someone who carried the red, blue, green, yellow, and purple moons in their blood. They can call the Black Moon which would have enough power to fully restore me."
"H--How can you find someone who has all the moons. It sounds impossible! You have to do all these background checks and make absolutely certain…"
Moegi looked away and shrugged. Aika suddenly felt a sense of foreboding. "Moegi," Aika asked. "What is it? You know something."
"I--"
"Moegi, if I could help you, I promise you I'll do everything in my power to help you. I swear it."
"Please, don't. You might not like the outcome."
"Moegi," Aika said with a half smile. She found Moegi's hand and held onto it. "You're my friend. If you're in trouble, I'll be here for you. So, please, tell me."
Moegi looked up at Aika, almost regretfully. "I think you might be the one that can help me."
=End Flashback=
Aika sat outside while Marco flew the Delphinus with Nara, Lilly, and Belle. She didn't really feel like going into the bridge and preferred to sit outside and have the wind blow through her long red hair.
She watched lazily as the clouds flew past her, enjoying the sense of peace that flying always gave her.
Going back to Pirate Isle would be tough for her. There was a chance that Vyse might be there and he would see her. She didn't quite know where he was, but he did tend to visit his parents whenever he could. She didn't want to deal with that if she could avoid it. Vyse, she knew, was the only person that could make her not keep her promise to Moegi. That was why she didn't want to see him before she left.
Well, if she were really lucky, Vyse wouldn't be there and would be off on some useless errand. Aika crossed her fingers in hope that this indeed occurred.
As they sailed through the clear blue skies of Arcadia, Aika's own thoughts wandered.
As soon as possible, the ceremony would start. From the old writings that Moegi showed her, she was supposed to perform it in the Dark Rift where the black moon stones were located. Aika shivered, not looking forward to that experience.
She remembered the Dark Rift. Never had a place been so void of happiness. Sure, it brought wonder to the traveler, but it was cold, and dark. Aika could feel the darkness surround, searching for a way to slip inside of her the last time she entered that place.
Vyse had seen her shiver the second they entered the Dark Rift.
"What's wrong?" he asked, leaving the flying to Lawrence.
Aika peered as best as she could outside. "Do you feel it, Vyse? Like there's something calling to you?"
Vyse grinned. "I think you might be going insane." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Maybe you need to rest?"
Aika felt her face go red, feeling Vyse's arm around her. "Uh," she began. For some reason she wanted to pull away, but at the same time, wrap her own arm around him. She hated when he did this to her. She had a feeling that he knew the turmoil he caused in her in these simple gestures. "Maybe you're right. I'll go to bed, then."
She saw something in the look he gave her that made her want to stay. She had no idea what it was and was about to say something when one of their crew came by and reported on seeing lights in a fallen ship.
"Aika?"
Aika nearly jumped. She turned around swiftly and saw Lilly standing next to her. She looked a little shy and embarrassed for having bothered Aika. "Moegi sent me to fetch you. She said we're nearing Pirate Isle right now."
Aika smiled at the little girl and ruffled her hair. "Thanks, kiddo. Tell her I'll be right there, okay?"
Lilly nodded and skipped away.
Aika felt a sense of dread at the pit of her stomach. She hoped that coming back to Pirate Isle wouldn't be a huge mistake.
===
Vyse was almost at Valua. He was so close to it, he could taste it.
Today, he let Jimmy, who looked very anxious and ready to argue till his face turned blue, fly the ship just so he could avoid the quarrel. He watched the boy fly for a few minutes and saw how much the ship responded to Jimmy's every whim. The boy will make a great pirate soon.
Trusting fully in Jimmy's capabilities, Vyse left the bridge and went on deck. On the other side of the ship, he could see a frowning Alan scrubbing the deck with a mop. Vyse was once reminded of Aika doing that same task on Captain Drachma's ship.
That was so long ago.
Things seemed simpler then.
"Vyse?"
Vyse looked over his shoulder and saw Fina sitting on the rail. In her hand, she had a small object -- a dagger -- and was staring at it intently.
"Yeah?"
She looked up at him with her calm eyes and smiled softly. "Why is it that you want to find Aika so bad?"
"Because," Vyse began. He searched through all those reasons he had before and found them all to be rather stupid. "I don't want to. I need to."
Fina's lips stretched into an even bigger smile. "I'm sorry. Why do you need to find her?"
Vyse was unsure how to proceed in this conversation. He wasn't blind. He knew that Fina had a little crush on him -- he wasn't trying to sound conceded. He just knew that it was true. Oftentimes, he would catch her looking at him for no reason or find his picture laying on her table.
He coughed, clearly not feeling comfortable with this turn of events.
"Uh, she's my friend."
Fina nodded. "She's my friend, also."
Vyse felt as if he found a loophole. "And I want to know why she left. Don't you?"
Fina nodded. "I do."
"So, that's why I need to find her. Aika made a promise to me, long ago, that she would never leave my side. Suddenly, she breaks that vow and doesn't tell me why? This isn't like her at all and I need to know why, from her lips." Even in his ears, this lie sounded hollow. Why couldn't he just admit it? Why couldn't he just say that he -- Vyse sighed. He couldn't even think it.
Fina slipped off of the rail and handed the knife to Vyse. He took it in his hands and looked at it, too. It was beautiful with one black jewel surrounded by five small cavities that looked as if something belonged in there.
"I found that in Aika's room. It might mean something very important. I think we should let Enrique take a look."
All of Vyse's attention was now on the dagger. He was studying it very intently when the sound of Lindsi's voice rang clear across the deck. "Land ho!"
Vyse raced toward the bridge with the dagger tucked firmly in a hidden compartment in his left boot. He was going to see if Jimmy needed any help piloting.
As Fina stood back, watching Vyse's retreat, she whispered softly, "You love Aika very much, don't you, Vyse?"
Silently, Fina turned on her heel and headed to her room.
She couldn't believe she had almost tossed that knife over the ships edge to be lost among the clouds. And for what? A bit of jealousy?
Fina felt disgusted with herself for even having considered doing it.
She loved Aika dearly. Aika had helped her so much in the past and had taught her how to fight better than before. Aika listened quietly to Fina's problems, even held her whenever Fina had nightmares over what occurred when they had to kill Ramirez, her childhood friend.
Fina knew she should feel happy for Aika. To have Vyse's love was such a great gift.
However, Fina wasn't happy at all. In fact, she felt depressed.
She just didn't know why.
===
They touched down on Pirate Isle when it was near dusk. Aika was the first to get off of the ship and as soon as her feet touched land, memories surged through her.
She could see herself running around in the center of the island with Vyse chasing after her. They were both laughing heartily until Aika accidentally fell into the well.
There was another image. She was trying to fight with him, learning how to use her boomerang while he was doing his best to fight with his swords. She messed up slightly and ended up banging him in the head. He fell on the ground unconscious and she thought she'd killed him. When she told Vyse's mother, all she did was laugh.
On another part of the island, she could see herself waiting right outside Vyse's window as he got ready. Soon, he was out the door, Fina following him closely. They were heading to Shrine Island that day.
These images clouded Aika's vision and she felt herself slowly back up until her foot hit the side of the ship.
"You okay?"
Aika shook herself out of her thoughts and smiled brightly at Moegi. "Just haven't seen the place in a while. It looks the same."
Moegi watched Aika carefully but Aika merely grinned and ran down the wooden bridges screaming out, "HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!"
Doors flew open as Aika flew down the planks and coincidentally running away from her problems. She stopped in front of a particular house and threw her arms around the inhabitant as they walked out of their door to see what the commotion was.
"Aika!" the surprised voice said.
"Cap'n Dyne! It's wonderful seeing you again! Where's the lady of the house?"
As soon as Aika saw Vyse's mother, she wrapped her in a long hug that spoke of sadness, happiness, and regret. Vyse's mother felt each of these things and knew Aika needed to talk to someone as soon as possible. Vyse's mother felt a pang of sorrow as these feelings diffused into her body. She knew this was a job for a mother, but Aika's mother was…gone. Vyse's mother just felt happy that Aika trusted her this much to tell her these secrets and hold and talk to her as if she were Aika's own mother.
"And who do we have here? The lovely Queen Moegi, I presume," Dyne said behind Aika and Vyse's mother. "It's a pleasure to see such a lovely young lady once again." Dyne bent over and kissed Moegi's hand.
Vyse's mother elbowed Dyne roughly in the ribs. "Don't start that again, Grandpa."
"Start again?" Aika asked casually.
"Oh," Dyne smiled brightly. "I did that exact same thing to Fina when she and Vyse were here."
Aika froze, a small action that would have gone unnoticed if Vyse's mother wasn't still holding onto Aika's hand. She looked at the younger woman for a good three seconds before Aika asked, "They aren't still here, are they?"
Dyne shook his head. "No, no. They left a few days ago. Heading somewhere else."
Aika didn't know whether to be relieved or not. On the one hand, Vyse and Fina weren't there. On the other, Vyse and Fina were no longer there. She missed them. She wanted to see them.
She wanted to be with them.
Aika shook her head. "Well, I'm in the mood for some home cooking."
"Of course, of course." Vyse's mother said as she ushered Moegi, Aika, Belle, Marco, Lilly, and Nara into the house. "I almost forgot my manners. Let's get something to eat."
===
Enrique was pleasantly surprised to see Vyse, Fina, Jimmy, Lindsi, and Alan in the library of his castle. He was watching them with welcoming eyes and gesturing to his friends to hurry forth. "Please get these fine people something to eat," he said to his butler. The butler nodded gravely and left the library in search of the cooks.
Vyse watched the old man leave before he turned to Jimmy, Lindsi, and Alan, and said, "Go find some information around Valua. See if they know anything about Aika."
"Aye, aye, captain," the three cried out and left.
Vyse walked up to Enrique and gave him a one handed hug. "It's been a long time, my friend."
"I see you're still sailing. I hear you're still making legends out there."
Vyse nearly laughed. "Quit making me blush, Enrique, before I start tittering like a little school girl."
"Something I'd like to see," Enrique jested. "Now, my guests, sit. Sit. What have you been up to?" He looked between Vyse and Fina and frowned. "Where's Aika?"
===
Aika had time to break away from dinner to sneak over to her house. Luckily, Marco and Belle got in another bet and he was supposed to spit his food from his seat and into someone's shirt. Marco, the unlucky idiot, picked Dyne out of all the other people and spit a lump of food clear across the table and missed.
Dyne was shocked.
Vyse's mother was confused.
Moegi was mortified.
And poor Nara had to spend the rest of the night combing food from her hair with Lilly's help.
While the commotion was going on, Aika slipped out of the warm and happy home and into her own, cold and empty one. She opened the door and flipped on the light switch. She looked around, seeing the open cupboards and the overturned chairs. It looked like someone had gone through her home.
"They were looking for information about you."
Aika didn't have to look around. She felt Vyse's mother's comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Why didn't you tell them you were leaving?"
Aika sighed. She walked further into her house and turned over a chair for Vyse's mother. She then turned over one for herself and sat down. "I never planned on telling them why I was leaving."
"Why, Aika, you've always told Vyse everything. Why are you keeping this a secret?" Vyse's mother sat down in her own chair and watched Aika thoughtfully. She could see the turmoil in the younger girl's eyes. "Please, tell me."
And before Aika could stop herself, she told Vyse's mother everything. She talked about seeing Moegi collapsed in the middle of her room and about the promise that they'd made. She talked about the books that they'd read and the planned that the both of them created. She talked about leaving Fina and Vyse and how that was the hardest thing she'd ever had to do.
"I couldn't let them know. It was hard, leaving them." Aika stared at her hands. "If I saw Vyse one last time, or Fina, I'd crack. I wouldn't be able to help Moegi--"
"But Aika," Vyse's mother interrupted, "you could die."
Aika nodded, still not looking up at Vyse's mother. "I know. But, there's also a chance I won't. Anyway, if it's for my friends…"
Vyse's mother wrapped Aika in a warm and tight hug. "You're such a brave girl, you know that? You're also a massive idiot."
Aika felt her lips stretch into a grin. "I know."
===
A/N: Once again, thanks for all the reviews that I'm getting. They really mean a lot to me!
