Disclaimer: I don't own Skies of Arcadia. Also, for the previous chapter, when Marco said, "It's the only thing that keeps my face from freezing," it's actually a morphed line from the movie While You Were Sleeping and therefore didn't belong to me either.
Vyse watched her from his bed. He wanted to surprise her like the way they had surprised each other when they were younger. He used to try and sneak up on her when she was by the well at their village then jump out of the bushes and scream as he danced. He had always enjoyed watching her initial face of horror followed closely by her annoyed and angry face. He would then take pleasure in a good run as Aika chased after him threatening death or something akin to it. It had been a game between two good friends who were constantly walking the line of boredom. He thought of doing that now…
But, as he stared at her in the dimly lit room, he found that he couldn't turn his eyes away. It felt like an eternity since he last laid eyes on her. He wanted to be near her, to hold her, not to continue watching like some sort of pervert.
He slid out of his bed and walked up to her. She didn't notice him coming closer because she was so busy looking for something. Most likely the blade, Vyse thought to himself, but quickly threw that thought aside as he drew nearer.
He was a few centimeters away from her when he decided to break his silence. "Welcome back, Aika."
Her heart froze.
She stood, dumbfounded, with her hands splayed across the top of the cold wooden desk in front of her. All she could see were her hands, trying desperately to cling to something, to ground herself as she tried her best to compose what little calm she had left. It was a tough challenge and she didn't think that she could do it with barely any time to contemplate this new turn of events, but she was strong and hid her feelings well behind a mask.
She could feel the battle within herself start to rage and overthrow her entire body. She couldn't see him, but she could feel him, staring at her and waiting for her to make a move. Any move would have sufficed at this moment, but it was as if her brain went numb and couldn't tell her appendages what to do. She couldn't turn around and look into the warm depths of his eyes that had the power to make her waiver from her path. She couldn't deal with seeing him, seeing the unfaithfulness that she feared was on his face, nor did she want to set her eyes upon the one thing that she wanted. To her, he was nothing but forbidden fruit. Another part of her, a small part, screamed for her to turn around and see him once more, at least - if luck wasn't on her side - for one last time. She wanted to fall into his arms, hold him, and never leave him.
No!
She couldn't be disloyal to her friend. She couldn't leave Moegi by herself. She couldn't break her promise…
…Like her parents had broken there's…
Aika's fingers curled over the edge of the table then held on tight while she bit her lip. No. She couldn't see Vyse again. It would be her undoing.
She felt him behind her. He felt like electricity. He was moving swiftly and as silently as he could. It was the rustle of his clothes that betrayed his movements. They got slightly louder as if he were coming closer. His hands slid onto the table and his chest pressed against her back. She could feel the warmth of him permeating into her. He rested his chin against her shoulder, his lashes skating along her cheek in a feathery light kiss. He felt so good, so safe. She wanted to lean against him, to let all her worries melt away from her and be held by the one that she loved the most.
Aika shut her eyes. Her mind, the logical part of her that was still functioning in this intense situation, was telling her that it wouldn't be a good idea to turn toward him and slip her own arms around his body, even though that was the only thing that she wanted to do. She knew that if it came to pass, if she let her guard down for that brief moment, she would falter from helping Moegi and that was one thing that she couldn't do.
Remember Moegi who suffers daily… Remember Fina who still loves Vyse…
She fought her need to look at him, to surrender herself to him. She trembled slightly, hoping that he would leave her be if she didn't talk.
Vyse held her against him.
He missed her.
She felt so tender, so real, so comforting against him. He had no idea why he hadn't done this before. He made a mental note to do this more often.
She smelled good. She smelled like the winds of Arcadia with the slight scent of something sweet. What it was, he couldn't tell. He buried his nose against her neck and took in a deep breath, still trying to figure out that fragrance that eluded him so. It was one of many puzzles of Aika that he had yet to figure out.
As his nose touched her bare skin, she reacted slightly: her head tilted toward him and he could of sworn he heard a slight intake of breath.
His hands slithered off the table's edge and slowly wrapped around Aika's waist. She felt so thin, so fragile in his arms. What had happened since she left? Why did she feel this way? Questions, however, didn't seem to want to slip out of Vyse's mouth. Right now, it just seemed as if words would ruin the moment. Now, he knew, was a time for action and not poorly phrased sentences.
He had a list, a mile long, full of questions and had been ready to grill Aika the second that she entered his room. He wanted to surprise her first then tease her, and finally bombard her with several queries until he was satisfied. However, that plan backfired on him. He couldn't quite stop himself from teasing her, or holding her. He felt that if he let her go, she would spring away from him and hide, never to be found again.
He wouldn't let her go. He couldn't lose her again, not after finding her.
Before he knew what he was doing, he lifted his head slightly and pressed his lips against her temple. At the same time his arms had tightened about her waist and pulled her closer toward him.
She was real.
She was in his room.
His lips skimmed down her cheek as his other hand slowly drifted to her head. Without any effort at all, his hands splayed across her face and nudged it so that he could look at her, look into her eyes and see the Aika that he had missed for what felt like an eternity.
Aika didn't know what was happening. For how long they had remained silent in that dark and cozy room, she did not know, nor did she care. She was just enjoying the feel of him against her, supporting her like he used to do…
Like he always did.
She could feel herself, her will, teetering over the precipice. It was ready to break and she knew that if she didn't stop this, didn't stop her emotions from reacting soon, then her promise to Moegi would be void.
His lips, so gentle on her temple, were blazing a trail of fire over her forehead.
His hands…so warm, so callused…slid up to her cheek and gently urged her to face him. She wavered slightly and slowly started turning toward him.
Had he suffered as much as she? Had he missed her as much as she missed him?
She lifted her head toward him.
"Aika, look at me."
She hadn't realized her eyes were still shut until he spoke those words. She was too focused on the sensations that he was awakening in her.
With his words, however, it broke the spell that he had over her. She pushed away from his grasp and walked to the other side of the room, hugging herself while she shook her head. She opened her eyes, looking anywhere except at Vyse and tried to keep herself from crying. This was just too much. She hadn't wanted to see him, not yet. Not while she still had to walk this path.
"Aika?" He took a step forward, but she took a step back.
"No, Vyse. You shouldn't be here."
He stared at her, astonished. "And why not? Because you didn't want to be caught? Because you wanted to run away from me?"
Aika took a deep breath and pushed her emotions down inside herself. She stretched her lips into a forced smile and rocked on the balls of her feet. She looked like her normal self but she didn't feel that way. She had to pretend to be alright, at least for now, to throw Vyse off her trail.
"I was just tired," she lied. It took so much effort to say these things, but she knew they needed to be said. Although with every word, it felt like she was ripping her heart into shreds. "I was tired of being on your ship with you and Fina. I felt like I was merely…the third wheel."
If Vyse hadn't known her, he might have believed the façade. But, they had been lifelong friends and he could tell when she was acting. He could hear the pauses in her speech as she tried to think up an excuse, and he noticed that her voice didn't hold any emotion. On the other hand, when she spoke the last sentence, he could sense truth and that scared him. Why would she feel like the third wheel?
"So you left," he stated, standing alone in front of her. She didn't flinch to his rather accusatory tone of voice. Instead, she seemed to withdraw further into herself. This wasn't what Vyse wanted. No. He wanted her to open up to him, to tell him what was wrong. He had to think of another course in his action. "Then why are you looking for this?"
Vyse pulled out the blade and laid it in his hands. He could see Aika grow rigid and her eyes dart toward the item.
Now that he had her attention, Vyse continued in his speech. "You could never lie to me, Aika. Tell me the truth. What were you doing?"
"I told you…"
"You told me something…there was some truth in it, I can hear it in the inflection of your voice, but it wasn't the complete truth." Vyse re-sheathed the dagger in his boot and gave her what he hoped was an encouraging grin. "Aika, I've known you for so long and you haven't kept any secrets from me. Why are you doing so now?"
Aika swallowed deeply, averting her gaze so that she looked squarely at the ground. She seemed to be tired, to be scared and Vyse wanted to do nothing but wrap her in his arms and offer her what little comfort he could possibly give. "Because, Vyse, I'm scared. I'm afraid that I'll--" Her voice hitched and she turned away, quickly dropping the façade as if it never existed. "Trouble, Vyse, constantly follows me now. I want to…"
Before she could finish her broken sentences, they both heard a loud cry from outside. It was enough to stop them from talking and have the awkwardness completely burn away from between them. Their old personalities, the adventurous and the heroism came rushing back to the both of them. They stared at one another for half a second before Aika and Vyse raced out of the room and headed down to where the noise originated.
They ran together as if their little hitch had never existed.
"Where-?" Aika asked, unused to the maze like corridors of the palace.
Vyse grabbed her hand and pulled her down one direction. "I think it was down here."
They ran, hand in hand, until they came upon a vast doorway, finely crafted with cedar wood. Within the panels were intricately designed pictures of vines and leaves running along the borders of the door.
"Who's door is this?" Aika asked, all ineptness gone from her voice and stance even though they still held hands.
"Enrique's," answered Vyse with a slightly worried expression. He pushed against the door but ended up banging his forehead against it. He cursed slightly then tried the doorknob, but it was locked. "Damn it."
Aika rolled her eyes. "I swear, Vyse. If I weren't by your side you'd always be in trouble."
Before either of them could dwell upon that sentence, Aika bent down, and pulling a long wire from her gloves, she set herself to work picking the lock. Vyse glanced at her, a light smile on his face as he watched her work. It was like old times, when he ran into trouble, she would take over and vice versa. As she worked, he felt the need to hold her again, but restrained himself. He got the feeling that if he hugged her this time, he would end up three feet deep in one of the walls.
Suddenly, they both heard a click and Aika pushed the door open, a content grin lighting her face and she turned the doorknob. "Ha, I'd like to see you do that."
"If you'd teach me, then maybe I could."
Aika just stuck her tongue out at him and walked into the room, stopping short at the sight that befell her eyes. Behind her, Vyse entered and shut the door carefully. When he turned around, he almost gasped.
Within the chambers, Moegi lay unconscious, Enrique bending over her still form and trying to shake the life back into her. Tears were running down his face as he cried, "Moegi, Moegi, wake up!"
She did not stir from her slumber.
"Enrique," Vyse breathed as he walked passed Aika. He reached the side of the bed and stared into Moegi's cold, pale face. She looked like death had wrapped it's binding arm around her.
Vyse touched her forehead and quickly reeled his hand back. "She's like ice," he whispered. He bent his head toward her face and listened. "She's not breathing either."
Behind them, they hadn't noticed Aika's reaction to the circumstances. The red head found herself leaning against the door, trying her best to breathe. She grabbed at her stomach, feeling sharp pains within and knew, faintly, that this is what Moegi was feeling, only ten times worse.
Pushing herself up, she staggered toward the bed and sat beside Moegi. Already, the transfer was taking place and neither of the girls had known until now. Softly, Aika sang to Moegi a song of rising in the tongue of Yufatoman. Neither Vyse nor Enrique knew what she was saying, but heard the soft, sad tune and were moved by it.
Gently, Aika placed her hands over Moegi's temples and continued singing. They watched in amazement as Moegi stirred ever so slightly. Briefly, Aika glanced at Vyse and Enrique then said, "Give me the blade."
Vyse nodded and un-sheathed it. Carefully, he handed it to Aika and watched as she took it in one hand and made a slow incision into Moegi's wrist. Enrique drew back, ready to yell at Aika, but Vyse held him back. He felt the work of magic shrouding the entire room and knew Aika was working. He pulled Enrique back and they both got off of the bed.
"She's trying to heal her," Vyse whispered to Enrique.
Enrique couldn't say anything. He was too busy watching the blood drip slowly out of Moegi's wrist. He wanted to run to her and save her. He felt so helpless because he could do nothing. What was the power of a king when he couldn't even help his own wife?
Aika was oblivious to the two men. She was focusing all her energy on Moegi. As she worked, she hummed a bit of healing. "Moons, give me strength."
And with those simple words, she felt not only the green moon stirring within her veins but also the purple, the blue, the red, and the yellow were at work, offering their power. All of it seeped into the blade that she held.
Finally, Aika pressed the black moonstone against the cut on Moegi's wrist. It was like a jolt as all the energy that Aika held transferred from the blade and into Moegi.
Moegi began to stir and slowly, she began to breathe once more.
Enrique jumped to her side and grabbed her hand. He dropped his forehead onto the back of her hand and let out more tears. After a few moments, he looked up into Aika's weary face and said, "But she's not waking up. What's wrong with her?"
Aika, about to speak, stood up then felt a wave of dizziness over power her. She tried to fight it, but lost and found herself drowning into a sea of darkness.
She had no idea what day it was when she awoke. All that she knew was that it was light outside and the birds were singing. Loudly.
She fumed angrily at those who wished to wake her from her slumber. She wished that she had her boomerang so she could cut the heads off of those annoying little birds. It was only a moment later that she realized it wasn't birds but gears that made that loud racket.
Gears? Where was she?
There was a knock at the door and Aika looked toward it, fear over taking her. The events of before had slowly rekindled in her mind and she dreaded the confrontation between her and Vyse.
The door opened and to Aika's surprise, it was Fina. Fina who looked even more beautiful than the last time Aika had laid eyes on her. Aika grinned and Fina smiled back. "Hey," Aika said jovially. The fact that it wasn't Vyse made her smile even wider.
Fina laughed while she sat at the edge of Aika's bed. "How're you doing?"
Aika shrugged her shoulders and looked about the room. It was small and clean and very simple. It only had a bed, a chair, and a desk in it. This didn't look anything like the palace and Aika guessed that she wasn't there any longer. In fact, it looked as if she were on a ship.
"I feel hungry. Got any food?"
Fina nodded. "I knew you'd say that." Fina whistled and three girls, two balancing trays on their hands and one opening a door, entered. Aika laughed when she saw Belle, Lilly, and Nara all with huge grins on their faces.
When the food was set before her, Aika didn't look up once until her task of eating was complete. Finally, when she had her fill, she sat back in her bed and asked, "What's going on? What happened?"
Fina looked away a little bit, looking a tad bit nervous. Aika didn't like that look. It didn't fit with Fina. "Well, after you fainted--"
"I didn't faint," Aika interrupted. "I fell asleep."
Fina rolled her eyes and Aika could see some of the nervousness leave the fair haired woman. "After you 'fell asleep'," Fina said, "Vyse carried you to one of the rooms."
Aika, although she didn't seem it, was a very shrewd watcher which made her a good judge of character. She was paying close attention to Fina as she talked and unlike other times whenever Fina talked about Vyse and any other woman (including Aika, herself), there wasn't a flicker in her eye that spoke of jealousy or sorrow. In fact, it seemed as if something had changed within Fina that Aika couldn't quite decipher. Aika looked upon Fina kindly and bit her lip lest she grill Fina on what had occurred while she was gone.
Maybe Vyse had admitted to Fina that he loved her and Fina completely felt secure about her position with Vyse?
That thought popped out of nowhere and suddenly Aika felt an extreme pain at the pit of stomach that she had no connection with anything what happened between herself and Moegi.
Fina grabbed Aika's hand suddenly and asked, "Are you alright? I thought three or four hours of sleep wasn't enough. I should have left you alone."
Aika shook her head and relaxed her features. Apparently she hadn't kept the pain of her thoughts from her mind and Fina had picked up quickly on them. Aika resolved not to let such a folly occur once more and pretended all was well. "I'm fine. Just a bit of gas, you know? So what happened after I fainted?"
"Fell asleep, you mean?" Fina asked as she arched an eyebrow. "Well, Vyse carried you to one of the rooms and he and I sat by you for awhile. I tried to heal you, but it felt as if something was blocking me. Would you happen to know why?"
Aika shrugged, playing dumb for now. The less that they knew was probably better.
"While we waited beside you, Moegi began to stir and woke up. She and Enrique had a long conversation in their room and when it was over, Enrique looked less terrified and more thoughtful. He came to see you next and touched your brow. He whispered something then stood up and told Vyse to come with him.
"While they were gone, you began to mutter things in your sleep. Many incoherent things like something about a promise and something about Vyse and me."
Aika looked at her hands that were clasped so tightly in her lap that her knuckles had begun to turn a whitish color. "Did I say anything else?"
Fina shook her head. "No. Most of it was mere babble and then you fell into a peaceful slumber.
"While you slept, Vyse returned with Enrique and they told me what they had been discussing. It appears that Moegi had a lot of plans with you about raising the Black Moon and the dagger would be used for the ceremony.
"Needless to say, Vyse was angry and was against the ceremony. He said if something like that miniature healing did this to you, then what would a full healing do to you. Enrique understood and said, 'If the roles were reversed, I'd be angry too. But, Moegi said that you and she had made a binding promise'. Vyse, after hearing that, just went and sat by your side and stared at you for a good half an hour or so before he got up and left.
"Enrique was silent for the time until the door opened and Moegi entered. She sat at the side of your bed and pushed back your bangs. She whispered, 'It's begun, hasn't it, Aika? The transfer is coming and we haven't even finished yet'. Then she and Enrique left.
"Vyse came back after a bit and told me that he had gotten the Delphinus ready and was going to move you there. So, here we are, some hours after you 'fell asleep' and we're heading to the Dark Rift."
Aika sat up in her bed and glanced out the window. Sure enough, she could see a sea of clouds running past her. Off in the distance, she noticed something dark, blurring the beautiful skies with it's foul smoke that stretched over the land. It was still about an hours worth of travel away, but Aika could feel something gold slither up her spine.
She felt her heart in her throat. It was coming sooner than she expected, the transfer of energy. She threw her blankets to the side and got up. Swaying on her feet for a bit, she fought back the nausea. If she knew Vyse, he'd be coming after her. On the Delphinus, it would be hard to avoid him wherever she went. He knew this ship like the back of his hand and would therefore know every nook and cranny in which Aika could hide. She felt Fina's hands on her shoulder, steadying her and also pushing her back to the bed.
"You okay, Aika?"
"I just need to --" Get away? Was that the answer? She'd been trying to do that the entire time and look where it had gotten her. What was with her? Usually she was a fighter and dared almost anything. She could handle the Armada, she could handle beasts, but when it came to her heart, Aika knew that she was a coward.
"Before you go, Aika," Fina whispered and Aika felt the sadness more than saw it.
Aika stopped struggling against Fina and stared at the blonde woman. "What is it?" Aika asked, feeling a sense of dread and sorrowfulness coming from Fina. There was something wrong and Aika, even at the risk of Vyse bursting into the room, couldn't abandon Fina right now.
When Fina looked up, there were tears in her eyes. "Fina?" Aika asked and held her arms open, engulfing Fina in a warm embrace. "What is it? You could tell me?"
Fina hiccoughed and then blurted out her sorrow. Everything that happened, the jealousy, the anger, the sabotage that Fina would have done came out in a huge torrent of words. Aika sat, patting Fina on the back. "It's not that bad, Fina. You didn't cast away the dagger and you did your best to help find me. You did what you could despite what you felt. You handled your heart well, Fina, taming it so you could help them even though it made you feel bad. I only wish that I had the courage that you do."
"But you do," Fina said, sitting up and wiping her eyes against the back of her arm. "You're going to raise the Black Moon. Aika…that takes--"
Before Fina could finish, the door to her room opened and Vyse swept in, his eyes hard on Aika. He looked angry and determined as he captured her eyes with his. "Fina, could I be alone with Aika for a moment?"
Fina nodded and stood up. She gave Aika a comforting smile, touched Vyse briefly on the shoulder and drawing his attention (Aika turned away not wanting to witness that moment) before she turned and left Aika to her fate.
Aika sat back in her bed. There was no point in running away any longer. She knew that this day would come and she would just have to deal with it like she dealt with everything else. She just didn't feel ready for it. Her body felt like lead and was weighing her down. The energy that she had before was almost gone. The pains in her stomach were now shooting up and down her legs and arms.
She felt like crap.
Vyse, in the meantime, was pacing in front of her trying to find the right words to start their talk. He had waited what felt like along time just to ask her a simple question but found that he couldn't voice it properly. Finally, he turned to her and said, "Why?"
Aika drew her knees up and leaned her chin down on them. She thought that question over and over in her head. Finally, she spoke. "I promised Moegi, Vyse. That's all there is to it."
"Then why didn't you tell me you were leaving?"
"It didn't matter--"
"Of course it does," Vyse interrupted.
"Well, I mean, you would have stopped me and kept me from keeping my promise to Moegi."
"How would I stop you?"
Aika had no answer to this. She couldn't admit that a mere look from him, a soft request from him would have stopped her. She couldn't admit that he was her weakness.
"You know I would have supported you throughout this whole endeavor, don't you?" Vyse continued when Aika didn't speak.
"I..."
"Then why didn't you tell me."
"Vyse, it's more complicated than it looks. There were doubts that…" Aika paused and shook her head. "It's more dangerous than you possibly know. When I first took on this task, it was pretty simple, but lately--Lately, I've been feeling Moegi's pain almost daily. I think--I think that there's a reaction going on that neither of us had thought of. There's a possibility that I'm not going to live through this. Not since yesterday."
Vyse paused, taking in her information. He hadn't expected that and now he admitted it to himself that if he knew that there was a chance that she wouldn't live, he would have done everything in his power to make her break that promise and he knew that if Aika ever did break a promise, it would weigh heavy on her heart for all eternity.
"I didn't want to hurt you," Aika whispered. "I never wanted to hurt you. I thought that if I slipped away, quietly, that you would feel bad for a little bit then you would eventually move on. If I lived, I'd come back. If I died…"
"But what about our promise?" Vyse whispered.
Aika looked up then. She had no idea what to say to that, but it had long been on her mind. She always told herself that she would come back fine and dandy, but since she had worked that little magic on Moegi a few hours ago, she began to doubt herself. She told Vyse her thoughts and he listened quietly.
"It hurts me more than you know that I'm breaking our promise. But," Aika said as she looked away, "you'll have Fina so it won't be so bad." Aika smiled brilliantly, the best act of her life. "You two will be happy together and forget about silly old me."
Vyse crossed the room in two strides and was immediately at her side. He bent over her, his arm at the side of her hip and his face was about two centimeters away from her own. "Is that what you think? You think that if you die then I wouldn't care? I wouldn't feel? That I would forget about you, the one that I love above all things?!" Vyse's voice had gone gradually louder until he was almost yelling the last five words to her.
There was a pause between the both of them. Vyse's cheeks got extremely red after realizing what he had just admitted to. So did Aika's.
Aika blushed. "You shouldn't have said that."
It was too late to take back the words that he knew were true. He had waited too long to say them and Aika had thought…she had thought that he and Fina out of all people? No. He had to set her mind straight. "Why not? It's true."
"Things like that make me waiver from my path, Vyse. I want to help Moegi. You know as well as I do that Valua needs her as does her people and Enrique."
"Well I need you."
"Vyse…"
"Aika, I need you. I want you to know that. I love you and I need you." He lifted his hand from the bed and threaded it through her red hair. "Always and forever."
It was Aika who made the first move. She wrapped her hands around Vyse's cheeks and kissed him, softly and passionately.
Breaking away, Aika whispered, "I love you, too, but--" Before Aika could continue to speak Vyse trapped her lips with his.
He knew that Aika had to keep going down this path, but for right now…Right now, he didn't want to think about it. He just wanted to live in the moment and be with her. Right now she was all that mattered to him.
There was a knock at the door and Marco popped his head inside. After a disgusted, "UGH!" he said, "We're almost there. Moegi wants to see Aika at the helm in a few minutes." He then left them to themselves.
After a few moments Aika broke the kiss and smiled a real smile at Vyse. "You have no idea how long I've waited to hear you say that, Vyse." She rested her head against his and shut her eyes. "But, I still have to finish my part for Moegi."
A small part of him, a selfish part of him, wanted to keep her from walking out that door. His grip had tightened for a fraction of a second but he forced himself to relax and back away. "I understand," he said.
Aika slipped out of bed and hugged Vyse. She wanted to desperately return to him as soon as she possibly could. She wondered if she didn't, what would happen to him?
No.
No, she should think positively. She gave him a huge smile and said, "I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise."
A/N: Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing.
