Chapter 4: Promise

I sat on my bed, fidgeting with nerves. Inside I was squirming. What if's and might's kept wandering in my thoughts, driving me towards the point of utter and complete terror. I could lose Zidane, I could lose my life, I could lose EVERYTHING. My body shivered all over with these thoughts and it was all I could do to stop from swooning.

I had returned to Alexandria and acquired the two remaining eidolons already. It had been easy; both were very kind and quite willing to help me. They seemed a little dismayed when they noticed Iifa Root, but if the quirky eidolon bothered them, they said nothing.

Thankfully Zidane had held on throughout all the time it had taken us to collect the eidolons and now we were all waiting for tomorrow. The reason for this: I was exhausted beyond compare. The closer and closer I'd come to Alexandria, the more and more fear I had began to feel. Needless to say the trip, coupled with my fear, had certainly put me out of the health, mentally and physically, required to deal with the problem at hand.

I didn't know what tomorrow would bring; I never did. It could bring life, it could bring death, it could bring failure, it could bring nothing; I didn't want to think about what it could bring.

A quite knock on the door to my room sounded. "Come in," I called, not bothering to open it myself; I didn't think I could walk. Garnet entered and closed the door behind her. "Hi Eiko," she said, taking a seat on my bed next to me. I nodded in reply.

For a moment we were silent. "Eiko, we all believe in you," Garnet said suddenly. I looked up at her –where had that come from? "What I mean is, all us know you can do this. You'll save Zidane, we just know it," she explained, seeming a little out of sorts: she was probably unsure on how to go about a heart to heart with me, we'd had so few in the past. "I know," I replied, looking at her.

"And, you know we'll be there for you, right in the room, if you need any help at all. All you have to do is call," she continued. I had to smile at that. "Hey, I'll be fine Garnet. You don't have to worry about anything," I said, thumping myself on the chest without realizing it.

Garnet broke out laughing. "Hey! That's so rude! Don't you laugh at a Lady when she's being serious!" I exclaimed.

"Haha, sorry, it's just, you seemed so much like Zidane for a moment there…" she replied, still giggling. I giggled too.

"I guess he's worn off on me. So see, I know him so well he'll HAVE to get well, if just to prove I'm not him!" I said encouragingly, half joking. Garnet laughed again.

"He won't know what to do," she said, quieting down.

We sat in silence for a few moments.

"Um…Garnet…Before we all left…When you were saying you wanted to help too…You said Zidane was your…What were you going to say?" I finally said, squirming inside at the blatant question and trying not to show it.

"Hunh? Oh, I was just going to say he's my friend too. Why?" Garnet replied, puzzled. I fell off the bed.

"What! That's ALL you were going to say! It's been ten years Garnet and you still call him 'a friend'!" I cried from the floor, looking up at her in complete and utter amazement. They really were slow!

Garnet stared at me, puzzled. "What do you mean? Should I have said he was my lover or something? That seems kind of forward, doesn't it?"

I pulled myself back up onto the bed. "I guess so…" I said. I couldn't help, but think how disappointed Zidane must be at still being under the category of 'friend', though.

"Anyways, Eiko, do your best," Garnet said and gave me a hug.

Looking at her, in her royal finally with her raven hair and fair, lily skin with no horn adorning her head, I realized something. It was the first time I believe this had ever really hit home with me; I was so used to thinking of Garnet as an Alexandrian. Sure, she had been born in Madain Sari and could summon, but she belonged to Alexandria. That night though, I finally fully realized: she was the only summoner in the world after me. If I died, it would be devastating to my people. Garnet is nice and all, but she really doesn't know the first thing about our heritage. She only remembers a few things from when she was young and those memories hazy themselves.

Getting up, I walked over to the cabinet in the corner and searched under a few clothes in a draw. Pulling out the book Morrison had given me I turned to Garnet. "Garnet, if I die, you'll be the only summoner left in all of Gaia-"

Here Garnet interrupted me. "Eiko, what are you talking about? You're not going to die…"

"Hey! It's rude to interrupt a lady you know! Let me finish! I mean it!" I replied, not wanting to hear her idealism at the moment. I was afraid if she tried to make the future look positive, I might not do what needed to be done.

"As I was saying, if I die, you're the only summoner left. You'll be the only one who will know anything of Madain Sari as it once was." I handed her the book. "Don't let our heritage die. Whatever you do…don't let it die," I told her, love filling me through every inch of my body; love for my people; love for Madain Sari; love for everything that was my culture. "Promise me!" I added firmly, noting the look of disbelief on her face. I could tell she didn't want to think she might lose me too. It was practically written on her forehead.

For a moment she was silent, and then, "All right, I promise Eiko. But in return you have to promise you won't die!"

I grinned. "Of course not! I'll be with you to the end! We're rivals after all!"

"Eiko…You say the strangest things sometimes…"