Love's Blossom

Jet sat down in the middle of the blackness, hoping to sort out what was going on inside of his head. For some reason, after she saved him, Virginia hadn't begun to disapprove of him for running off. Nor did she yell or mention the words "I told you so". She simply told him that she couldn't live with herself if something had happened to him. But why should he matter to her? After all, he was only a machine, right?

'She makes me feel, just too weird,' he told himself, 'When I'm with her, I feel this calming feeling; as if I am floating on air. I wonder, could it be the Teardrop is what is connecting us? But I've felt like this long before the Teardrop was even known to us. The Dist Dims then? No, I don't think it's that. There's just something else that makes me want to be close to her. Now what is it that they call that emotion?'

He began thinking back to a time, years ago, when he was still traveling with Werner. The man was looking at a picture of a lovely woman with long blond hair and vibrant green eyes. She smiled, almost as if the world itself had stopped its turning in order to make her happy. But as the man looked, he shed a tear.

"Hey, Mister. Who's the lady in the picture? Why do you cry when you look at her?" he inquired of his teacher. This was a time when Jet was still innocent; his memory only went back about a week or so. Not enough time had passed to harden him to the realities and sorrows found in the wretched Wastelands.

Werner informed him, "This woman is my wife, Ekatrina. I cry because I miss her. She left this world almost five years ago. Not a night goes by that I don't think about what might have been had she lived through her sickness. Ekatrina was my life, the only light I could see in the ever widening tunnel of despair. You're lucky Jet; lucky you can't remember who you are. That means you don't have to think about the tragedies of your past. Since your mind is not tied to the past, you would do best to leave it be."

Jet was shocked; he still wanted to know who he really was at this point. "But Mister, I need to find my home, my family. When you found me out in the Wastelands by myself, you saved my life. However, I know my real family is searching for me. There were no other bodies there; I was probably just a foolish kid who ran away from home to become a Drifter. I'm not going to rest until I can return to where I belong. At least I should let them know that I'm alive and well. They're all probably so worried about me, they'll cry."

"Jet my boy," Werner continued, "You do not know how charmed you really are. It isn't bad to have no memories. That means there are no sorrows to behold. Come, I will teach you all about survival in the Wastelands. You're as better as you're going to get from your illness, now let's go out there and help you make a name for yourself. You can become a great treasure hunter. Here, take this." He picked up a small package wrapped with a paper bag. Unwrapping it, the man revealed the ARM Airget-lamh B/V2.

'His life, and the only light in a tunnel of despair. That's what my old man called his lost love. Is Ginny my life? She certainly is the only light I can see out there. No matter what happens to us on our journey, she's there to cheer us up. A light that shines through the darkness. I don't know, but it seems like something I could consider. But how, how can a machine like me fall in love with a girl?' he mused.

At that moment, he felt Virginia's hair brush against his cheek again. The young girl was sitting down next to him. Jet could feel his face getting hot. She suddenly said, "Jet, we need to work together to get out of here. I have no idea where in the world we are, or what is beyond this darkness. So, are we going to go together?" Virginia then began to give Jet the puppy dog eyes. It worked for her every time.

He stared at her pathetic looking face. Certainly, Virginia looked like a lunatic at this point. It never occurred to him, the day Werner let him off on his own, that anyone would look at him like that. Every one he'd ever met would tremble in fear, backing off because the boy looked like a killer. Well, he had some of the best marksmanship of any non-sniper, and could kill if another person got in his way. However, Jet did not kill for sport. He never even tried his hand at an assassination or manhunt; preferring to stick to simple treasure hunting. Something was phenomenally different about this young girl; and Jet thought he knew what it was. It was her own Shamanic creed, one that spoke of doing the Guardian's work, that drove her.

He knew he had to give her an answer; else she'd just bug him endlessly. "You stick to some really hard to follow ideals, you know. I didn't think that strength could be anything but what a person is physically able to do. But you've shown me differently. You have a strong heart. Darn it, now I sound like a total softy. Virginia, I'll go with you on one condition. Forget all of that wishy washy stuff I just said. If you ever utter a single syllable of this conversation to anyone else…I won't hesitate to shoot you dead. Got it?"

"I understand," Virginia answered, "Wasn't planning on it. You are my friend, and I understand that you are a little afraid of your image being ruined. So, as a friend, this conversation will be our little secret."

They began to walk together. Suddenly, Jet felt something strange come over him. It was a feeling that he'd never felt before. At that moment, the boy reached out his right hand, and grabbed Virginia's left one. He squeezed it tightly as if he was keeping her from wandering off. Both Drifters turned beet red.

"Jet. Thank you. I know that opening up is hard, but I will not laugh at you for doing so. You came to me for help, not ridicule. When we get back to Filgaia, I'm going to find a place where we can call home. Somewhere where I can protect you from those who would do you harm because of your origins," she said.

This made Jet blush. He felt that feeling beginning to grow exponentially. Then, the boy did the last thing he'd ever expect himself to do. Reaching his other hand over to grab hers, he pulled Virginia close to his body. Then, Jet's eyes met hers. Both Drifters felt their heads moving as if on auto-pilot. Their lips were coming closer and closer together. At last, they touched. Then, the two shared a passionate kiss.

Of course, they were only at it for a minute before being interrupted. Suddenly, a large lion with black fur and a coal colored mane appeared before them. Its eyes were red, and the claws appeared to be silver. As the monster eyed the two friends--or more than friends now--it began to salivate. It was hungry.

The beast pounced and knocked Virginia to the floor. She struggled to try and get free, but its weight was too much. Then, the girl tried to cast her Saint spell. However, not only was the pain she felt interfering with her concentration, but the monster was too stubborn to budge. Virginia didn't give up, she continued struggling. For the second she let go of her fighting was the second she signed her life away.

A wicked voice in her mind told her, -Do not be afraid. I only want to make you a part of me. When I consume your body, your flesh will become mine. Your soul will become mine. You will be reborn as me, and become an all powerful being. Don't you want to have power my dear? Come, join with me as one.-

Virginia fired off another Saint. "Like hell! I'm not going to let myself become your snack. We of the Shaman Tribe fight until the very end. Our lives mean more to us to simply throw them away like that."

Suddenly, the creature roared in pain. At first, Virginia thought her magic had finally hit home. But as she looked closer, she could see Jet had grabbed a hold of the scruff of its neck. The fire had begun to rise in his eyes again, and he was angry. Soon, the flames of his powers began to consume the monster.

Jet picked Virginia up off the ground. She found herself feeling much better when she saw him. However, she was still wounded. So the young woman cast her Hi-Heal spell, and the scratches vanished. But she didn't let go of Jet, and he didn't let go of her. The boy simply smiled as he held the beautiful young woman in his arms; and she knew she'd broken through to him at long last.

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Teefa's Last Words…

Sorry this is so late. First, I was bored cuz I didn't get any Reviews. Second, was down for me last night. Third, I'll just blame Croix of La Pucelle Tactics; newest obsession. I've been more worried about completing the game and (spoiler omitted) than fanfics as of late.

Anyways, back to important stuff. More sap. I thought getting into Jet's mind would be fun. Cuz it's always interesting to see how he ticks…