Chapter Seven:
Kie stood rooted to the spot? What should he do? Who should he go to? Nami was gone; he had lost her. She had been perfectly safe one moment and the next he had let her slip through his fingers. It was entirely his fault. What would Zidane say, what would Garnet say. Would he ever be able to look himself in the mirror again, knowing that he had lost her?
The answer to that was no. And the answer to all his other problems was obvious. Go after her. His head said no but his heart said it's what he had to do. He didn't know if he could live without Nami, and that fact that she was in trouble didn't make the prospect easier to handle.
"Let me out," he said forcefully.
"What?" Daga asked, shocked.
"Let me out, I have to go after her," he said with clenched fists.
"Kie wait." Fratley had arrived. He was carrying something and he had a serious expression on his face.
"She left Fratley. I have to go after her," Kie said.
"I know. I just wanted to bring you something," he said holding out whatever he had been carrying. It was a pack.
"You're not going to try to stop me?" Kie questioned hesitantly.
"No. I understand what you are feeling," he said putting it in Kie's hands. Kie didn't quite understand what he meant, but it didn't matter.
"So how do I get out of here?" he asked resolutely. Daga nodded at the sentry, who pulled a flute from his pocket and blew a small note. Higher up on the tree, Kie heard the same note repeat several times before the dust cloud finally settled. Before he lost his courage, Kie ran through the barrier that separated him from Nami. From behind him, he heard a lower note sound from the sentry's small flute and echo up the trunk.
Looking behind him, Kie saw Fratley with his arms folded across his chest, Daga looking worried, the sentries watching him curiously, and Freya. She was running as fast a she could to where he stood, looking resolute on stopping him. Before she could however the twister started up again and Kie had to jump back to avoid being caught in it.
So that's it, Kie thought to himself. There's no going back now. With a sigh he turned around to view his surroundings. Where did she go? Which way? Of that he was almost sure; west. The only question was how far west? Had she gone slightly north or south as well? He had no way to be sure. Something inside him, however, told him where to go. It was like an instinct. Almost directly west, but slightly north. Kie could feel Nami's wake spreading out before him and he knew, it would guide him to her.
With a determined nod Kie set out at a run. Maybe he could still catch her before-he didn't exactly know. Would who ever wanted her meet her at the coast? I guess I'll find out when I get there, he thought.
He hoped that Fratley had been able to calm Freya down. By the expression she had worn when she saw him leaving he could tell she would be in one of her moods. Once she was angry she could be a little hard to handle. Fratley had been the only one ever able to put her in a better mood. They had something special. And apparently Fratley though Nami and Kie did too. Well that wasn't true. They were just very close, that's all.
"I'll find you Nami," he said to himself. "I'm coming for you."
Far away in the middle of the ocean a girl stood, suspended over the water. She had been walking until now.
"That voice," she said turning her head back to land. "Someone is calling me."
Come to me Nami, I will take care of you. With one last look the girl turned back to the west and continued walking.
Kie ran for what seemed like forever. Day slowly passed to night as he reached the shore with no trace of Nami. The sky was dotted with forming stars and the horizon was slightly pink with the sunset, but Nami could not be found. Kie fell to his knees, breathing heavily. What now? He had run for the whole after noon and for what? There was nothing here.
In frustration Kie punched the wet sand beneath his knees. His fist sand into the moist grain and when he raised it, he saw an imprint. His knuckles, his bunched up fingers, all molded into the sand. But then he saw something strange. Those were not the only imprints on the shore. About ten feet to the right he saw more little marks upon the otherwise smooth surface. He got up and ran toward them expectantly and was shocked at what he found.
Foot prints! And not only that, they lead out to the ocean. He followed them down the bank until he reached the water where they stopped. There was no sign of a boat or any other kind of floating device. In fact there was no sign of anything at all. Then the strangest thought he'd ever had struck him.
Had Nami walked across the ocean to reach the Forgotten Continent? He shook his head. It wasn't possible…was it? She had some kind of magic, he knew, but would she be able to defy natural laws? It was a possibility. He had no idea what kind of power she had, since he has only learned about it that very day. So he knew nothing of what she was capable of. Or was this new ability possibly the work of the one who wanted her? What kind of power did they have, to call her away from everything she knew?
"I have to follow her," he said out loud. But how, he thought.
"Are you looking for someone?" came a small voice to Kie's left. He turned quickly to see a little girl dipping her fingers into the seawater, not too far away. How had he missed her?
"Yes I am," he said.
The girl smiled. "I saw someone come here earlier today. It was the strangest thing; she walked over the water. You're looking for her aren't you?"
"Yes I am," Kie replied, sure she meant Nami. "Do you know how I can follow her?"
The girl stood and looked at him strangely, like she knew something she wasn't saying. "There's more to this situation than you know Kie, keep that in mind."
"What?" Kie asked taken aback.
"There," she said returning to her usual girlish smile. "Take that boat."
Kie turned and sure enough, there sat a small, one-person boat, waiting to be pushed out to sea. It hadn't been there before.
"But-" Kie began but when he turned around the little girl was gone, leaving the boat. More to this situation than he knew? What did that mean? And where had she come from, where had she gone? Kie shrugged his shoulders. This wasn't the time to worry about it.
He turned his attention back to the task at hand. He wondered if he should take the boat out tonight or if he should wait till morning. He had never really used a boat before, let alone by himself and at sea. He would have a better chance of catching Nami if he left tonight, but it might be more dangerous. Finally he was no use to her dead, so he would set up camp on the beach.
He made sure the boat wasn't going anywhere before walking back to the grass lands, which sat a few feet away from the shore, and took a seat. For the first time since he left Cleyra he opened the pack Fratley had given to him. Until now he had carried it on his back, without giving it a second thought. He now saw that it carried food to last him a few days, a water skin (which he immediately took a large swig of), and a small cloak.
He spread the cloak over him and put the back under his head for a pillow after a small bite to eat. Within minutes he was asleep.
Sorry that took so long. If you're reading my fic PLEASE REVIEW! I'm desperate. And remember, be HONEST. If you see any faults, please tell me. With that note, I hope you've been enjoying it!