Our Last Chance
Final in Lost Love/Innocence of Heart Trilogy


Chapter One
Awakening

Evan had run out of the room, leaving Piper in silence for a few moments. She nearly gagged on the taste in her mouth. A thick coat of slime covered the inside, causing her nose to scrunch. She figured she had been asleep for a long time, but the infinite darkness had worn her sense of time. All her wounds from the ritual were wrapped neatly and almost fully healed. She began to take in her surroundings, slowly. The room was painted a soft shade of green, decorated with random posters, from cute baby chocobos to the hottest bands from Junon... Junon... "I'm home..." she said quietly, not wanting to disturb the silence. She was in her own bed, in her own room.

"Piper!" what seemed like hundreds of voices cried happily.

"Oh God, Piper," Aeris nearly jumped on her, wrapping her arms around her neck, squeezing her daughter tightly.

Raising taut arms, Piper embraced her mother back, crying softly. "Mom... I was so scared..." she whispered.

"It's okay! You're here now!" Aeris brushed Piper's hair back, her emerald eyes holding back tears of rapture.

After Aeris finally let go, Piper's father gave her a swift hug. Cloud had never been great at expressing emotions but... "We really missed you kiddo...."

"I missed you too Daddy..." she smiled softly.

"I didn't miss you," a sore voice intruded.

"Ty!" Piper laughed.

Zalèa stood behind him, shaking his shoulders, "Don't be silly Ty! You missed her too!"

The blonde haired boy stuck out his tongue at his older sister and her friend. "No I didn't!" he crossed his arms.

"Well, I missed you," Piper said, shrugging.

"You missed this kid?" Nari snorted. "If he wasn't your brother he'd be in shreds by now!"

Piper grinned, ecstatic to be home. "You'd miss anyone in the place I was in..."

"Where were you, Piper?" Yuna asked.

The brunette was amazed at how many people had fit into her room. But the thought of that cold... dark... place... "I-I don't really... want to talk about it..."

"That's okay," Rikku said quickly, dismissing the thought. "We just want to know how you feel now."

"I feel... tired. It's weird. I want to fall back asleep but I'm wide awake..." Piper looked at the teary eyed people around her. They really seemed happy to see her awake.

Aeris patted her daughter's hand, "We're going to go get some food for you. You need to do some catching up, I'm sure," the former flower girl spoke, gently shooing everyone out of the room except for the trio of Piper's close friends.

Piper nodded, "So Zalèa, when are we leaving?" she said, thinking of what her friend had told her in her unconsciousness.

"Leaving where?" Zalèa cocked her head to one side. Her blonde hair was loose, falling in her eyes, giving her a soft innocent look compared to her normal Al Bhed butt kicker style.

"To the Moonflow. You promised me you'd take me there as soon as I woke up," Piper laughed.

Zalèa chuckled quietly. "Yeah I did say that... but how did you know?"

Piper shrugged, pulling her brown hair back. "I guess I wasn't totally unconscious... I heard a lot of things you guys told me. I talked back to you too, but until Evan was talking to me earlier, nothing came out of my mouth."

"Well..." Zalèa looked around the room, "We can go tonight I suppose. Can you stand?"

Piper tossed the blankets off her legs, noticing she was dressed in her yellow and blue chocobo pajamas. She closed her eyes, hoping her blush was invisible on her face. "I think so," she said, climbing out of her bed. She held onto the head board for support, smiling at her friends. "Just a little unbalanced..." She looked to Evan, who seemed a bit troubled. Yes, Evan. I heard what you said... but you never finished... You'll have to let me know sometime.

"Well, I guess we should let you get changed and showered. Two months of laying in a bed made you smell," Nari joked.

"Two months?!" Piper exclaimed. I was out that long?!

Nari nodded, "Yeah. We'll tell you more later, okay?"

Sighing, Piper limped toward her dresser as the three exited her room. Two months. That's insane! Grabbing a pink strapless top and a pair of denim pants, she wandered out of her room, glancing at every aspect of her home.

"Oh Piper! You're up!" Tidus waved to her, smiling his goofy, but friendly, smile.

"Yeah. I'm gonna take a shower, okay?" she waved back, moving from the kitchen to the next hall where the bathroom was. Piper closed, and locked, the door behind her, hanging her clothes on a rack on the door. The familiar scent of her mother's lavender soap reached her nose as she stripped down, turning on the hot water of the shower. Listening to the quiet pitter-patter of the water hitting the floor of the shower, she removed the bandages from her arms and legs, inspecting her wounds. They were nearly healed, only soft pink skin that was slowly working on replacing her missing flesh. Stepping into the steamy water, she closed her eyes, letting it wash over her. The feeling of the warm water sent chills down her spine, a great contrast to the vast void she had spent two months in.

"Come on! Please Mom!!" Piper pouted. She, Nari, Zalèa, and Evan were in the process of persuading their parent's to allow them to return to Spira.

"We have to go!" Zalèa said.

"It's just the Moonflow!" Evan pleaded.

"We'll be fine!" Nari assured.

Aeris rubbed her temples, silencing the quartet. "Why do you want to go to the Moonflow so bad? Just head to Junon and look at the water there."

"Because the Moonflow is the most wonderful experience ever!" Nari dramatized, flinging out her arms.

"It is pretty amazing," Tidus put it. Yuna punched his shoulder. "What? It's the truth!"

"The problem is, we don't want you traveling five thousand years in the future!" Yuna stated.

"How is it a problem?" Nari asked.

"It just is, okay?" Rikku sighed.

Gippal shrugged, "They're responsible. They can take care of themselves."

"Exactly!" the quartet of friends shouted simultaneously.

"Gippal!" Rikku trilled.

"Think about it: what were you doing when you were sixteen and seventeen?" Gippal asked rhetorically. "Exactly," he said after a pensive silence.

Zalèa jumped up, "So can we go?"

"Be back tomorrow," Aeris and Yuna sighed.

A/N: This was supposed to be up sooner but I didn't have a chance. Major writers block and school blues. Hehe. Well Piper's awake and the next chapter will be much fluffiness. This story will (hopefully) add in all those other unused characters, especial Briar since Neal, rather Hojo, was his dad. So keep reviewing my... three... reviewers. Thanks!
-Teh Ishie-
Letselina