Chapter 9

He was walking and he didn't know where he was headed. His hands were in his pockets and his head was down, and he let his feet take him wherever they pleased. He didn't know how long he had been at this either. His thoughts were mad, almost feverish, and he could swear he was hallucinating. Somewhere on the path before, he had seen this little girl in a blue dress walking up ahead of him. When he had approached her, she had vanished. She had been solid, present, no hint of an illusion, and it hurt his brain when he tried to contemplate it. He assumed it was the after-effects of the unconscious state he had been in for quite some time. But, he had continued to catch glances and snippets of her moving ahead of him, her orange eyes full of tears and her cheeks flaming red and her stride quick and determined, as if she could make it through the mountains unscathed. Once or twice, he had debated on running after her, but he had the feeling that wouldn't matter—he would never catch up; she was meant to be ahead of him.

It was at the bridge that things got complicated. Instead of the little girl in the blue dress, he began to see a teenage girl—not much younger than him—in a brown hat and matching skirt and boots, and a white shirt. She strode confidently, much like the little girl in blue had, only, it was as if she knew where she was headed as opposed to wandering aimlessly, as the other apparition had seemed to do. Perhaps… it was the same girl? Only older now. Yes, that seemed to make sense: they had the same long, luxurious brown hair and the same expressive amber eyes. He briefly raised a hand to brush the bangs from his own unusually-colored orbs; he was the only person he knew of practically anywhere that had this strange eye color.

The young woman stopped on the bridge and turned back as if to check on him… no, someone following her. He couldn't see that person, however. She nodded her head—perhaps in approval of the invisible party's progress—and turned back to ascend the bridge. He was on it as well, standing just behind her, just within arm's reach. Impulsively, he reached out to touch her arm. The weathered ropes of the bridge snapped with his weight. Caleb's stomach lurched, and he felt himself falling. His eyes resisted the urge to look down and measure the drop below; they scanned the air around him for any sign that the girl had fallen with him. He was alone.

As he tumbled down the ravine, he had a sudden sensation of weightlessness. Caleb felt himself coming out of the plunge and simply start to drift, as if he had suddenly sprouted wings. He looked over his shoulder to check. A woman stared back down at him, her face radiant, her eyes sparkling, her mouth closed in a soft smile. He stared—she was absolutely beautiful. She was clothed in a simple white top, brown suspenders, and black skirt. Her hair was long, almost to her knees, and it flowed like a shimmering curtain of water. Her eyes were amber. Just like his. And she was holding onto him tightly, protectively, and he felt warm and safe in her arms. They landed on a slight overhang protruding from the mountain's face. He turned to her fully and opened his mouth to speak. She smiled again and disappeared.

Caleb straightened, his eyes scanning the area around him. He was somewhere he'd never been before. In fact, he was fairly certain that his guardians avoided this place like the plague. Taking a few steps forward, he saw the hidden entrance of a cave tucked away behind a bend in the pass and slightly above his current level. Bouncing up and down a few times to stretch his limbs, Caleb jumped up, his hands catching the side of the overhang and he flipped onto the upper ledge effortlessly. Keeping one hand to the rock wall, he made his way to the unknown cave and ducked into the cool, dark opening.

Passing through was like walking into another world: he was nearly knocked flat by the brilliant, pulsing glow of the mako-saturated walls. The greenish-purple tinge was almost as deafening as it was blinding—the cave positively hummed with life energy and the croons of the planet's song, its pulse. Trying not to be overcome by the unrestrained power, Caleb focused his senses: where was it all coming from? His eyes came to rest on a negative point in the flow of energy. A dark spill on the floor and partially on the wall, no bigger than the dimensions of a human. It gave him a chill, and looking at it made him feel small and helpless. He quickly tore his eyes away, not understanding the emotions ripping through him, and his gaze landed on the power spot.

It was a sword. A broadsword, stuck deep in the rock floor. The inner blade had eight slots and a shining orb sat within each, pulsating with their own individual rhythms. Half of them were deep, crystal green. The other four were each a different color: red, like a blazing fire; blue, resembling the deep evening sky; yellow, the color of the summer sun; white, as fresh as new-fallen snow. He couldn't tell from his current viewpoint, but it looked like the sword had a second blade made out of crystal. It had somehow merged (or maybe it morphed itself) into the rock and created a solid, translucent wall. The area behind the sword was fuzzy beyond the massive chunk of crystal, but he could almost swear there was a secondary chamber behind it. Had the sword been put there to seal the entrance? What was so important that it had to be protected by an extravagant blade, eight materias, and hidden deep within the mountain? He placed one foot forward, wanting to approach the weapon and not wanting to die a horribly painful death.

"Two years, and you can't come to say hello?"

Caleb spun around.

"Angel…" he whispered.

The woman—yes, now she was a woman—stood back a ways, her head tilted slightly to one side and her flowing brown locks, longer than he remembered, spilling over one shoulder. Her extraordinary blue eyes scanned his profile, and Caleb couldn't help but blush under the intensity of her gaze. Their stares finally met.

"Welcome back," she said.

"I'm sorry," he replied.

"I know."

"Why are you here?"

"I followed you. You're not very observant."

"I was preoccupied. How did you get down here?"

"I jumped."

"You jumped," he repeated.

She nodded: "I jumped."

"You're insane."

"I missed you too."

She was standing beside him now. Automatically, both their gazes moved to the hilt of the broadsword stuck in the rock and crystal.

"Do you know what's here?" he asked her.

"I was going to ask you that question," the corner of her mouth turned up in a slight smile. He felt his heart race, just as it did every time she smiled, all those years in the past.

"I've never been here before," he told her, his eyes roving along the features of her face, not caring that she noticed.

"Neither have I; I'm surprised you found it," she studied the sword again. "Are you going to try to pull it out?"

"That's not exactly going to be the easiest thing in the world," he stated the obvious.

"I bet you could do it," she said.

"Maybe it wasn't meant to be touched."

"Maybe it's waiting to be taken by the right person."

They glanced at one another.

"I don't know what's going to happen."

"Neither do I."

"Whatever does happen, will you come with me?"

"Leave Nibelheim?"

"You said you wanted a grand adventure before you settled down."

"Do you see me settling down anytime soon?"

"Marry me."

"Why?"

"Why do two people usually get married?"

"Benefits," she grinned. He nudged her, but grinned back.

"So, how about it?" he lifted an eyebrow.

"I don't know. I've already got my sights set on this one guy…" she replied innocently.

"Is he worth it?"

"More than anything."

"Saying you love me would be more direct."

"Who wants to be direct? I love to keep you guessing—that's what I love."

He kissed her. She moaned softly and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. At the same time, he embraced her and pulled her body tight against his, running a hand through her soft brown hair.

She placed a hand on either side of his face and pulled away slowly, looking up into his eyes: "Saying you love me would have been easier."

"Who wants anything to be easy? I love harassing you—that's what I love."

"Touché."

"So, are you going to marry me?" he asked again.

"I'll think about it," she smiled.

They turned back to the sword.

"I'll try," he said.

She took his hand: "You can do it, Cale."

He wrapped his hand around the long handle and pulled. The Ultima Weapon slid out of its place effortlessly. The cave's glow abruptly faded. They looked at each other.

"Let's go, Angel," he led her into the smaller cave.