A/N: 13, 13, 13, 13… Yes, it's my lucky number! Why? … I have no idea XD But I won't bore you too much with these random Author's notes. Let's try and finish things up quickly, shall we?
First, yup this fic is dedicated to BlooDy-MaY, however this particular chapter is also dedicated to my good friend Dejichan4444, who inspires me not only in her own writing, but also through her reviews : ) This one's for the both of ya!
Yeah, I made another list of good songs for this chapter. Like I said, if you don't have 'em you can't listen to them, but they do suit the mood for each section, hence why I'm telling you about them. That and I am a looser with no life XD Eh, doesn't matter now does it?
Makalanya Forest – Final Fantasy X Soundtrack – Section 1 (don't worry, it's labelled)
Fantasy – Final Fantasy X Soundtrack – Section 2
Night of Fate – Kingdom Hearts Soundtrack- I LOVE this song! Could be a bit too fast for the mood, but hey! I think it works! – Section 3
The Great Warrior – Final Fantasy VII Soundtrack – This song makes me cry remembering what happened during the song on the game! – Section 4
If You open Your Heart – Final Fantasy VII Soundtrack – Section 5
Righto! Let's go!
Those who dance with Darkness
Chapter VI
(1)
The brother and sister strode on, searching for the light. They had only been travelling for a few days, but it seemed like weeks. They had been lucky as they hadn't encountered many of Eiri's followers, whom they knew would kill them for sure if they found them. They had also been fortunate enough that regular people, of which there were few, had not recognised them either. But they were wanted people on both sides, and this made it very difficult for them to continue them to journey without being attacked.
They were travelling through a forest, one of the few remaining ice forests left of this world. It was known as 'Natu Forest' and was an extremely old forest. But the trees were dying, unable to stay alive much longer. The darkness was infecting it slowly, and soon it would spread and destroy everything left in the forest, from the small amount of life living it, to any passers-by who just happened to be there at that moment.
A rustle of bushes from behind them. Tatsuha drew his glaive and assumed a ready fighting stance. Mika took out her staff, a black staff with a golden emblem at the top, and stood ready for whatever emerged from those bushes.
More rustling. They stood firm…
… and from behind the bushes stepped an ice spirit, presumably the forest's protector. Mika and Tatsuha both sighed relief.
"Who are you? Why do you pass through my forest?" it asked. The voice was a mix of high and low, and so it was difficult to tell its gender. The skin of the figure itself was formed completely of the most beautiful, clear ice, with a face neither male nor female and the only clothing it wore was a simple blue sheet. But nonetheless, it was a rare sight and a beautiful one at that.
"We are mere travellers!" Tatsuha spoke up, feeling that out of the two it would require the persuasive words of a man to sway this spirit to allow them to pass through "We have come to search for the light that will destroy the darkness! Please grant us passage through your forest to continue our quest!"
Mika looked at Tatsuha, a puzzled expression adorning her face. Since when had her younger brother become so… mature? His face showed firm determination, his eyebrows arched down and his eyes showing his strong will. When had this boy, who used to cry when he got hurt while they were practicing their attacks and spells, grown up? How had she been unable to see how grown up he'd become until now…?
… that's right. Because he had had to grow up a little more. He had to grow up in order to face the darkness. He had to take that step out of being a mere boy and become a man, in order to get them that extra distance.
To find the light and face his brother, he had to become stronger.
The ice spirit smiled. It could sense his strong will… his determination. It could sense his good heart, full of light. And it could feel the aura of hero from him.
He may not be their saviour, but he possessed a true and noble heart of a hero, and a determination unlike any other.
It could also feel her inner strength too. She, the one who had not spoke, also possessed a strong heart that could survive the darkness. She could also bear the darkness and spread the light. But her heart was not like a hero, but more a seeker… she sought the light and when she found it would help it grow in all ways with her power. She would protect it to the end.
Why she was willing to do this was not important.
"I grant you passage through the forest. Go forth, reclaim the light. And maybe, just maybe, this grand old forest can be saved," the ice spirit said. Tatsuha gave it a sincere smile of gratitude, before nodding to his sister and the two moved on, their hearts of hope shining in the darkness that was consuming the forest.
(2)
A new vision came forth to the Seer that night.
He saw a place… a sanctuary from the darkness. A place where light was abundant… a place of harmony…
… carried in the heart of a believer.
The believer he saw, he had seen before. That believer had come to him on the night he made his first prophecy of their saviour. That was the same believer whom he knew was a summoner.
That believer was their saviour.
The believer himself though, could not be seen in the vision. The figure in the dream had been clutching his heart where he kept the light, a golden aura surrounding him…
… the golden aura that had belonged to their previous King, right before the Kingdom crumbled.
"Touma! It appears that Mika and Tatsuha have left!" called a voice through the bedroom door. The Seer known as Touma sighed and gazed out the window, watching as Eiri attempted to wipe out yet another village. He already knew that too. That had been yet another part of his vision last night…
… but unfortunately that was the part of the vision that had saddened him the most.
He'd seen the brother and sister meet up with the saviour, upon a wintry area, where the eternal snowstorm raged. He knew this must be a vision of the final battle… the final showdown of light versus darkness. And he also saw the Eiri, on top of his castle, firing a large wave of darkness after truly becoming a Dark Knight… a being of darkness… at the summoner. But before that beam could connect…
… yes. The brother and sister team had thrown themselves in front of it, taking the blow as their final act of love for their misguided brother. They wanted a healer for their brother so badly they were actually willing to give up their lives in the process… all for the sake of light…
And the worst thing about his visions? Touma was never wrong.
That was what saddened him the most.
(3)
Eiri Uesugi's sickly smirk and laughter echoed around the remains of another destroyed town. He'd forgotten how many towns they'd destroyed now. He'd forgotten how many people they'd killed. Even more so, he'd forgotten how many of his own men had died. Although it wasn't a case of forgetting. It was more a case of not caring.
He didn't care how lives he wiped out, so long as he could prove all who believed in the light wrong.
"Fate has already been written out for us, and no matter what you want to happen, in the end you will fall into darkness. Heroes are no more than glorified fools, who believe that the light is all-powerful and can destroy darkness. But the truth is, that no matter how much light there is in the world, it can never fully destroy the darkness. Do you understand Eiri?"
The wind whipped through his hair. Yes… yes he did understand. Heroes were fools… fools who believed in the light but still ended up dead. In the end there is no such thing as a light that overpowers all darkness, because all hearts are formed of darkness.
"Even yours…"
"Yes… even mine Sensei…"
(4)
The troops continued their quest, passing towns and cities that had been completely obliterated. On the way, Shuichi requested he do a quick sending for the souls still left in those areas so they could find their way to the other side without being devoured by the darkness. Hiro agreed with him, saying that they could afford to stop while the summoner did his work. After all, they couldn't do much about it. It was a summoner's duty to send on the dead, and that was what Shuichi must do.
Suguru still didn't trust this kid. He didn't like him one bit; nope not one bit. He wanted to know why this boy's resistance to darkness was so powerful. Why wasn't he affected by it like most people would be? And why did this boy seem to have put all his faith in the light? It made no sense… how could one person be that resistant?
And so, he decided to monitor his power during the sending, and see what he discovered.
Shuichi readied his staff, and began to dance.
Suguru closed his eyes and held out his hands, letting the power leak out of his fingertips and scan the boy once again. His eyes flew open again immediately and widened, his breath caught in his throat. He could have sworn he just saw… no that was impossible! He couldn't have seen that!
… yet he did.
Suguru had seen a vision.
He had merely been scanning the boy's heart, and yet he had seen a vision.
A world buried deep within that boy's heart… a world of eternal light, never once touched by darkness. A magnificent world of peace and harmony…
… was hiding in his heart…
(5)
The Gun Mage and the summoner who travelled together continued their quest for the light. They had no idea when they'd find it or where they'd find it, but they'd keep searching till they did. They had to uncover the light… they had to find that light…
Their hearts were strong and ready for anything. They believed in their dream for light, and so they chased it. They lived by their dream for light and so they sought it.
They wanted to stop the madness, and so they looked for it.
The light of their hearts lead their way through darkness, shining in even the blackest of nights.
They would not give up their dream.
A/N: Ack! That was so difficult to write! None of my ideas would flow onto the page, and so I got really frustrated and banged the computer a few times. Anyway, that's it. You like? Think it's really bad? Get back to me on that.
I dropped a HUGE hint last chapter on Shuichi's importance, though I doubt anyone noticed ('cept for BlooDy-MaY, who I applaud for noticing!). But I dropped another hint this chapter on why Yuki went evil in the first place. And I've got visions flying everywhere! And Mika and Tatsuha are supposed to die in one! GASP!
Hehehe. But don't worry. I've got plenty in store for ya!
Remember, still needing a new title, so any suggestions are appreciated! Thank you: D
Well, ja ne!
- Hikari-kun -