A/N: Took me foorreevveerrr to finish writing this. Stupid writer's block! (whacks brain) Ah well. This chapter's… like… all over the place. Quite literally, too. But, I find this chapter to be really cute. x3 I think I like this the most. Hehehe, you'll know why later. It's coming to its conclusion really soon. Aww… so… it might not make it to the double digits chapter. (sob)

Thankies for reviewing!
Thanks for pointing that out, Tiramisu. That kind of wording confuzzles me… deeply.
Ah! Riii-kun! You review so fast. (falls over) Wark wark! Or Kwee… whatever. Muaha!

Disclaimer: NO! NOTHING! NO!… except fooor… Damian. (smile)

My Little Star
Chapter Seven

Come Back Home (Part 2)

"U-Uncle Vincent?" I pulled my knees up to my chest and frowned. No matter how many times I tried, he just wouldn't look at me (or talk to me either…). Was he that angry at me for what happened before? I didn't know it was going to happen! The stinky Chocobo got all crazy and scared the jibbies out of me! Well, I guess Uncle Vincent had the right to be angry. Afterall, I did put both of us in danger, let alone ride a wild animal outside of Kalm.

Geezabel nuzzled her beak against my cheek. I smiled and patted her beak. It seemed like she understood that it was just an accident. She was practically the only one who had been cheering me up. I sighed and stared at Uncle Vincent's back. He said that it was far too dangerous to travel back at night, so we found a cave nearby to rest in until morning. It had been hours, and I've never seen him move from his look-out position. He was still as a statue. I wouldn't dare bother him. He seemed quite disturbed. I patted Geezabel's soft feathers as she 'Kweed' in response.

"Geezabel," I whispered very softly. "I think Uncle Vincent is angry at me. But, I didn't do anything wrong. It was your brother's fault!"

The black Chocobo rested her head on the ground, 'kweeing' sadly.

"…and… it was mine. I should have known… your owner did say he was still a little shaky," I groaned. "What should I do?"

Geezabel lifted her head and gently pushed me towards Uncle Vincent. She 'kweed' and nodded her head. I couldn't help but smile.

"You're right. I should talk to him…" with that, I stood up and marched up to him. I still wasn't sure what to say, but I had to do something. If I didn't, he could just… not talk to me forever even! I felt a little spoiled back then. I stopped behind him and cleared my throat loudly. He didn't respond. I cocked my head side to side and repeated my action. I saw his head twitch ever so slightly.

"U-Uhm!"

"What are you doing up so late, Marlene?"

I stepped back at that. His voice sounded… really low and scary. Almost like… it wasn't human. I clenched my fists and stood my ground. "I-I just want to… talk about before."

"…go back to sleep."

"No! I wanna talk! I know that you're really angry about what happened. And I know you have the right to be. But, I-I didn't know that was going to happen!" I frowned and sat behind Uncle Vincent, back-to-back. "I'm sorry. Once Papa comes back, you can tell him what happened. When I ran away from you, how I was a spoiled child, and-"

"Stop it, Marlene." My lower lip shivered at that. His voice was still the same. He turned around and pulled me up to his warm chest. "You're right, I have every right to be angry at you. But, I wasn't."

"Y-You're not?"

"No, I'm angry at myself."

I pulled away from him and turned. "W-Why? You didn't do anything!"

"I should have seen it coming. But, I couldn't sense anything after that moment. And, I apologize for letting you see such a horrible scene before."

I stared at the ground. I think he was talking about that huge snake. That was actually the first time I've seen something die before my eyes. I perked my eyes up and stared at Uncle Vincent. His red eyes completely matched the snakes'.

"It's not your fault. Things like that happen. We learn from our mistakes."

"…I just wanted to make sure you were alright. Like I said before, I'm not used to being around children."

I smiled and tugged his red clothes. "Well, you sure are a good person. I could tell the minute you came inside my house."

He bowed his head, hiding half of his face behind his cape. "…thank you."

The next day, we immediately set off to Kalm. I was surprised the ride was longer than I thought. Last night, it felt like only seconds after we left Kalm. I think Raizon was a real sprinter! Once we arrived back to Kalm, the man from yesterday was near the entrance.

"I am terribly sorry about what happened. I would have gone out, but I had no other Chocobo to take me!"

"No need for apologizes," Uncle Vincent responded. "However, we lost Raizon."

I frowned. "I'm very sorry."

The man smiled and patted my head. "Aw, there's no need. Besides, the first things I taught him was finding his way back home. Once I return to my farm, he'll be there waitin'."

I smiled. "I really hope so."

"Well then," the man climbed onto Geezabel's back and faced the exit. "Thank you for taking care of Geezabel. Please visit my farm anytime!" he snapped the reins and was off.

As soon as he left, we headed straight for my house. I was starving like crazy! As soon as I ran into the kitchen, Uncle Vincent followed me with his cellphone. I guess someone left a message or something, because I could hear a voice on the other end. As soon as it ended, he sat down at the table and muttered something to himself. I pulled out a carton of milk from the fridge and grabbed my cereal from the counter and sat across from Uncle Vincent.

"Who was that?"

"That was Tifa. She said she would return in a few hours."

I tilted my head. "What is she doing?"

"I'm not really sure."

"…okay…" I was starting to get worried. Back then, Tifa would always finish things in a blink of an eye. I wondered what was taking her so long? I really hoped she was going to come back soon… I didn't want her to be like my Papa. I moaned at the thought and shook my cereal around.

"Why are they taking sooooo long to come hooommee…?"

Uncle Vincent rested his chin in his cupped palm. "I know. I'm concerned about them myself."

We both sighed at the same time and rested our chins on the table. Even though we didn't admit it to each other, we were absolutely bored. If Tifa were here, she would think of something to do. Must be a motherly thing… or something? I lifted my head and poked Uncle Vincent's red headband.

"Let's do something," I insisted.

"…like what?"

"Uhm… well, when Elmyra was looking after me, she lets me bake cookies with her!"

He pulled his headband down. "I don't know how to make cookies."

I hopped out from my chair and searched through the drawers. "I remember a few things," I pulled out some aprons and tossed one to him. "Let's bake something for Tifa and Papa when they come back! I bet you anything we have everything we need!"

I smiled victoriously as Uncle Vincent stood up from his chair. He opened some of the cupboards and took out a bowl and a wooden spoon. For someone who didn't know to make cookies, it kind of looked like he knew what he was doing. I smiled and took out the ingredients we needed.

"Alrighty! We are going to make… gingerbread cookies!"

"Ginger?"

"Yeah! It's really yummy! And it's really easy to make! First… I need a chair…" I heard Uncle Vincent mutter, 'a chair?' at that.

As soon as I settled myself in, I poured flour, sugar and some molasses into the bowl really quickly. The flour exploded right into my face! I forgot how messy it could be. I blinked and turned to Uncle Vincent who was also covered in flour. He shook his head around and coughed. I smiled nervously and started to stir.

As we slowly followed my recipe, we came to a couple of problems. Since the wooden spoon just… broke, we decided to use a mixer. But, it was our first time using it so… we accidentally created a hurricane of mixing batter! It was sooooo funny though! As soon as the dough was finished, we wrapped it in plastic wrap and shoved it inside the fridge. I took my apron off and wiped my face with it.

"Well, it was easier when I made it with Elmyra," I giggled. "But, this was really fun!"

Uncle Vincent wiped away the last remaining batter on the wall and sighed. "And… really messy. I'll be in the shower, Marlene."

"…but, after the dough's chilled, we'll be using even more flour!"

He paused and snapped his head to me. "…more… flour?"

After an hour passed, we took out our dough and spread it on the counter. But, before that, I poured lots of flour everywhere! When I was with Elmyra, we always had fun and filled the kitchen with flour! But, I took it easy a little bit. I clapped my powered hands and pressed several cookie cutters into the dough. We laid them on the cookie sheets and stuck them in the oven. I jumped off of my chair and raised my arms.

"Yay! We're finally finished!"

Uncle Vincent waved his hands, trying to move the flour away from his face. He coughed and responded, "I think these cookies will taste more flour…y than ginger...y"

A few minutes later, we took out our cookies. They smelled sooo goooood. I thought I felt myself drool a river of… drool from my mouth. We set them on the counter and waited until they cooled off. When they did, I took the very first bite. It didn't taste floury at all! (well, maybe a little). I think I had four cookies… it tasted so good! Uncle Vincent had two, and he also agreed that it tasted good.

"Good job."

I smiled. "Same to you! Now, I need to save some for Tifa and Papa…"

Uncle Vincent's cellphone suddenly rang. He picked it up and responded with a 'Yes?'. I stared at him as he remained silent for some time now. Finally, he hung up his phone and headed for the living room. I placed my cookies in a plastic bag and followed him. He opened the front door and looked up at the sky. I blinked and copied him as well. I gasped as I spotted the Highwind right above Kalm! A huge gust of wind formed as the airship gently landed next to the town. Soon, Uncle Cid entered Kalm and ran up to us.

"What is it, Highwind?" Uncle Vincent said.

Uncle Cid paused to catch his breath. "T…Tif said she needs help over in Cosmo Canyon. It's only for a little while."

"What kind of help?"

"…just get on the goddamn ship already, HUH!" he pulled back his hair and lifted me up from the ground. "Are you up for some more traveling?"

I paused and stared into Uncle Cid's eyes for a while. He lifted an eyebrow and gently placed me on the ground.

"Hellooo, is Ms. Marlene there?"

"B-But what if Papa comes back when I'm not here! He's going to wonder where I am!"

"Psshaaww. Barret'll won't be back for like… a while n-"

I stomped my foot. "No! Papa might come home! And I'm staying right here to see him!"

"Marlene," Uncle Vincent started, "please think of what he has to do in North Corel. He needs to care for the sick. And that's something that takes time. Do you understand?"

I already knew that. I just missed him so much… even more than when he was traveling with his friends. He just left too soon and I wasn't ready to accept that yet. I tugged my shirt and nodded my head slowly. I was… definitely acting like a spoiled… child. Uncle Cid took my hand and made our way to the airship. All this time, I was thinking of my Papa… and not anyone else.

The quick trip on the Highwind soon led us to Cosmo Canyon. I was both depressed and excited (is that even possible?). I always wanted to go to Cosmo Canyon. It was sooo different from the way I pictured it. The scenery was really pretty and I could see the clear blue sky better than when I was in Kalm. As we entered the canyon, it was very lively. The villagers were out playing and everyone seemed very happy. I smiled and looked around. Maybe I would spot Damian somewhere…? Just then, Tifa, Cloud, and Red came rushing down the stairs. Tifa greeted Uncle Vincent with a hug and she patted my head. Cloud and Red bowed their heads and greeted me. I smiled and patted Red's head. He didn't really seem to like it, but he shrugged it off.

"I'm so glad you can come in such short notice, Vincent," Cloud said. "We needed another hand to help us out."

"It's alright," he responded. "What exactly are you fixing?"

"My Grandfather's machine," Red answered. "It's very important that we fix it as soon as possible."

"Very well," Uncle Vincent looked down at me as I looked up. "Marlene, is it alright if you stay down here? This is dangerous work."

I shrugged. "Okay, but… with who?"

Red stepped in front of me. "I'll look after her. I already gave Tifa and Cloud the plans to the machine. You should be fine."

"Thank you," at that, everyone made their way up the stairs. I sighed and hung over Red's back. He sat on the ground as I slowly slid down to the ground.

"Marlene, hm?" he said in a cool tone.

I nodded. "That's right…"

"It's been a while since we last saw. How long ago was it?"

"Uhm… many months ago?"

A soft laugh escaped from his mouth. "Well, you may call me Nanaki if you wish."

"Okay, Nanaki," I shook the dirt out from my hair and sat up. "Hey, do you know someone named 'Damian' here?"

"You want to see him?"

"Oh, yes! I met him at a Wutai festival and he said he lives here!"

Nanaki nodded his head towards the big bonfire. "He's usually hanging around the Cosmo Candle with his friends."

I smiled and made my way there with Nanaki following close behind. I spotted a few other boys there, but not Damian. I tilted my head and stepped up to the Cosmo Candle. The loud laughter of the boys suddenly stopped. I smiled nervously and asked,

"I-Is there someone named Damian here?"

One of the boys lifted an eyebrow. "Why should we tell you?"

I made a dirty look. Nanaki stepped forward and growled at him. "Knock it off, Tran. Now, where is Damian?"

"Duh, he wants to hang out with his brother and Trinity. He has been so attached to them ever since they came back from Wutai. We haven't seen him out here for a while."

"I see. I'm sure they have a lot to catch up on," Nanaki sat on the ground. "I'm sure he'll come out. We'll wait for him."

I slowly nodded and sat next to him. The boys shrugged and continued their loud laughter. So, Damian hasn't seen light ever since he came back? I wondered what they were doing? I really wanted to meet him again, but… I understood that he really wanted to get to know them better. I smiled at that thought. Maybe I would see him later on…?

Pretty soon, Tifa and everyone else made their way down the stairs. Nanaki stood up and ran up to them. I followed close behind.

"Daaaammit! I never knew that piece of junk weighed so much!" Uncle Cid leaned back and cracked his back. "Thanks back there, Vin."

Cloud rubbed his spiky hair. "Well, it's a temporary fix. I don't know how long it'll last. I'm sorry, Red."

"No, it's alright. As long as it works. Thank you for everything."

Tifa kneeled down in front of me and smiled. "Ready to go?"

I turned around, hoping Damian would make a sudden appearance. I shrugged then faced Tifa. "Yeah, I'm ready."

"Don't worry," Nanaki nuzzled against my arm. "I'll tell him you said, 'hello'."

"…thank you."

After our final goodbye's, we boarded back on the Highwind and was off. Maybe I would bump into Damian somewhere else? It could happen. I sighed and rested my chin against the railing. And… I just had to be patient. I didn't want to rush Papa with his work. I knew that his work was good for North Corel.

"Yo, Marlene," I turned around as Uncle Cid handed me his phone. I blinked and tilted my head in confusion. He shook his phone and sighed. "It's your 'Papa'."

I gasped and swiped the phone away. "Papa! How is everything there?"

"Everything's better, actually."

"Really? That was really quick!"

"I know! And… you know what?"

"What?"

Papa snickered. "Oh, you'll see tomorrow!"

A/N: End of chapter seven! This chapter made me so hungry. I want gingerbread cookies! (grabby hand gestures) And, that SO happened to me with the flour. Man… just… don't get it in your eyes. (blinks) I think I might have rushed through some parts. Eh, well… those're the results when you get writer's block. (sigh) Anyways, will Marlene see Damian again? Oh? Barret has a surprise for her? What is it? Hope you enjoyed reading and please tell me how you thought of it!