Chapter Thirteen: "My Name is Kie"
"Nami?" he said weakly.
"Yes. What is your name?"
"But I--"
"Kie," came a voice from behind him. He turned to find Zidane motioning him to come out. Kie didn't want to go, but he couldn't stay. He took one last look at that blank stare in her eyes before turning to close the door again.
"I don't understand," he said finally. "What could have happened?"
"We don't know. All we know is that she doesn't know a thing. She didn't even know her own name until we told her."
"I don't remember what happened," Kie said distractedly. He couldn't bring himself to look at Zidane in the eyes. He felt that he had let him down. It was his fault Nami had gotten away in Cleyra and it was his fault she didn't remember any of them.
Zidane sighed. "Kie, look at me." Kie looked up as Zidane gripped him by the shoulders. "This is no more your fault than mine. No one is to blame. You did your best. Do you understand?" Kie nodded, but Zidane knew he hadn't gotten through at all. "Come on, let's go back to the others."
Back in the counsel room everything was the same as he had left it. Everyone looked worried and saddened, all of them adopting small nervous habits like rubbing their hands or tapping their feet.
Silently Kie took a seat.
"It's as we told you?" Garnet asked. Kie's heart ached at the hint of hope he heard in her voice.
"Yes," he said quietly.
"What are we to do?" Garnet asked almost hysterically as her husband took his place at her side. Zidane took her hand and kissed it lightly as Garnet repressed a sob.
"I have a suggestion," Amarant said before anyone else spoke. "Go to the Forgotten Continent, confront the man."
"I think they mean about Nami for the moment," Freya said sending Amarant a strange look. He shrugged.
"I think someone needs to go in a fill the poor girl in," Fratly said. "About her past, about her present and about what happened. We can't keep her in that room forever, it must be terrible for her."
"I agree. But who should do it?" Garnet said casting Kie a meaningful look.
"You're her parents. I think you should do it," he replied woodenly. The others looked at each other nervously, wondering if they should say anything. He shook his head, as much to himself as to them.
"We'll come to you when we're finished Kie," Garnet said resting a hand on his knee.
Kie retreated to the courtyard, watching the birds lazily fly by as he laid out on a stone bench. If he Name, and he was almost sure he did, he knew that she would be heart broken by the news. She would blame herself for forgetting her partents, her friends, her family. She would rack her mind for memories of everyone surrouding her. She would cry to herself because she wouldn't remember…
Sighing, Kie sat up and punched his knee. Maybe it would be better if she didn't know the whole story…
Kie heard footsteps and looked up. Zidane and Garnet were approaching him, looking frazzled.
"She's tense," Garnet said when Kie asked how Nami was. "We told her everything, mostly. We thought it would be best if you told her about yourself. We thought you had the right."
Kie sat, stunned. "You want me to tell her--"
"About your friendship. We thought it was best if you went to her yourself. She's having a tough time."
Kie nodded and stood, making his way to her room. He knocked three times and opened the door. Nami said on her bed. She looked up at him and he could tell she's been waiting for him.
"Hello," Kie said.
"Hello," she said in return. "They said you would be here to tell me what happened on the Forgotten Continent. My-parents-I mean. You were here earlier weren't you? You came this morning?"
"Yes." Kie took a seat in front of her and looked into her eyes. She looked scared, confused and sad. It broke his heart.
"I guess I'll just begin," he said, and with that he delved into the details about the Empty Dwelling. He told her of Amadeus, he told her of is control over her, and he told her of how she sprouted wings and they disappeared.
"Ah," Nami said with a nod. "And that's what they wanted you to tell me? All of it."
"Yes," Kie said as an invisible fist clenched his stomach.
"And you would do that for me? You followed me into danger and you're my…?" Her voice trailed off and Kie knew she wanted him to finish the sentence.
"Servant," he said almost choking on the word.
"My servant?"
"Yes."
"Well, thank you very much. And what is your name?"
"Kie. My name is Kie."