Two Months Later
It turned out that Bahamut played "Mr. Mom" for two more days after that initial time. Terra was feeling fine by noon of the second day, but the esper wanted to make sure she wouldn't pass her disease along. As it turned out, Terra was left with nothing to do, and that was hard. After spending so much time just doing things for the children, she didn't know what she could do on her own. So much of her life had been restricted until that point…and she wasn't used to being waited on.
At any rate, the next two days went by easier. The kids were more used to the arrangement, and Bahamut was more used to running around with them. He actually tried to free up Katarin more too, so that she could change a diaper the next time it was needed. He also continued his story over two more days. The kids grew more excited then, when he started talking about monsters and battles and quests and the like. By the end of the third day, he concluded with how Bahamut had managed to vanquish the foul Fiend of Wind with his new Megapyrin ability. After that, they were so hooked that after Terra resumed they wanted to hear the rest of his story first. And they weren't alone. Terra also wished to hear it. Only she realized that she was actually hearing about the Planet's history and that of humanity as well as the story of espers.
Over the next two months, things continued to go well. Bahamut now had Duane helping him full time, and after a few more work periods he got pretty good at it. They finished putting up the fence within a few weeks. However, Bahamut wasn't satisfied with that. He began to build a palisade wall around the whole of the ruined city. He explained to Terra that, if he could finish it, then they could run around town at will without ever having to fear the beasts in the area again. Such a task was impossible to complete in any length of time with just two humans…but luckily, Bahamut was an esper. He now freely showed Duane his powers in building, astonishing the young man. There was little Duane could do to help at this level of power, so Bahamut directed him to finish up small tasks while he continued to do this. At the end of two months, one side of the massive property, the fields and pasture included, were already guarded by a wall.
That, however, was only one thing. With the town looking more and more self-sufficient, Bahamut and Duane set about rebuilding it. They started with the old relic shop. It was already mostly intact, but they finished polishing it up and making it perfect. After that, they shifted their attention to rebuilding the old tavern. That was a much larger ordeal. It was more damaged than any other building, and it was much bigger. However, Bahamut was up to it. Duane actually liked helping too. It seemed he looked forward to it every day, the time in which he would rebuild his hometown into the way it was before the disaster…and the time in which he would give his family a better place to live. Already, they had fixed the foundations of the tavern, and were moving up.
Bahamut continued to play with the children outdoors, but after his babysitting stint, his duties had expanded. Now, he told them stories occasionally in place of Terra. He couldn't read the language, but his history provided plenty of opportunities, particularly more legends of this great esper named, "Bahamut". He mended their toys, gave them baths, cared for them when they grew sick, and had them help him in the garden from time to time. Occasionally, he would have a big job in which he would call them together to once again share the "magic word", and they loved that. On nights with thunderstorms, the younger children would cling to Terra…but when she was out of room they would cling to him as well.
A few more hazards happened over the two months. Bahamut killed a few predators looking for a meal. At one time, a group of bandits had been coming in to raid the area. Luckily, Bahamut scanned their simple minds from a distance. It was late night at the time, so the esper merely got up without waking anyway, walked out to them, and once he was within range revealed his full form. Normally…Bahamut would have just torn their throats out and been done with it. After all, if these people would murder innocent children for a few half-rotten vegetables, they were terrible in his eyes. And yet…he felt something different in him. He somehow thought that the children wouldn't like him so much if he tore them apart…and after spending so much time with humans he simply couldn't end the lives of others, even ones as bad as this. So, he was content to make them soil their undergarments, and then run away in terror.
That brought something else up. Bahamut found himself continuing to change. If a day went by in which none of the kids would be out with him…he found himself disappointed. He looked forward to reading to them. He enjoyed it whenever he got to play with them. And as he continued to give himself more duties in rebuilding Mobliz, he found himself desiring them more and more. He wanted to keep helping rebuild the town and interact with the children. And the more he did…the more of the feeling inside him he continued to feel. It was no longer unusual now. Now…he craved it. He wanted it. And the only way he could get more was by immersing himself more and more in the lives of these people. By now, it was almost impossible to even throw up an idea about how to rebuild his race. Those thoughts kept getting farther and farther from his mind. All he could think about was being here… No matter how much he told himself he had to help his race, he could only think of himself and this place…
And slowly, a new thought was beginning to appear in his mind as of late.
Would that be so bad?
It was early that morning. It was still mostly dark outside. Mr. Tumahab had already gone out to work with Duane. Katarin and Seras were still asleep, and so was Terra. She wouldn't wake them up for another half hour at least. That was all the window that Marcus needed.
He had woke up early that morning. He had made sure to go down early so he would. And now that he was awake, he quickly sat up in bed. He looked around the room for a moment. But then, sure enough, the other four children also sat up in bed and looked to him. They too had done the same thing, planning to get up at this time this morning. And now, with the house silent and everyone else still asleep or busy, it was time to move. Marcus had to wait until this point. He had tried doing this at night once, but Mr. Tumahab could hear anything once he was inside. The only time he couldn't hear was when he was outside working. With that in mind, they had planned to meet this morning.
Marcus, moving as quietly as he could, slid out of his bed and to the cold floor. It was unpleasant, but he endured it. Essner did the same, grimacing a bit when he landed. Ai and Yu were next, the former clutching her moogle tightly. Finally, Athena came out, still holding onto her chocobo as well. Now out of bed, all of the children quickly went into the center of the room, gathering into a circle. They bent down close to the floor, and tried to be as quiet and inconspicuous as possible.
"Why did we have to get up so early?" Athena half-grumbled, rubbing her eyes sleepily.
"Shh!" Marcus quickly silenced in a loud whisper. "Whisper, Athena! You'll wake up Katarin!"
"Why did we get up so early, Marcus?" Essner threw in with a whisper. "Mama won't wake us up for breakfast for another hour."
"Alright everyone, listen up." Marcus cut off, getting everyone's attention. As the oldest, he tried to draw as much bravado and authority to himself as possible. After all, he believed he was entitled to it. Everyone did look to him at any rate. "Here's the thing. We all like Mr. Tumahab, right?"
"Sure!" They all sounded aloud as one.
"Shh!" Marcus immediately hushed, his face growing angry. "Keep it down! Whisper!" The children all looked a bit regretful at that, and drew back a little. But the time soon passed, and they were normal again. Marcus continued. "And we all like mama, right?"
"Sure!" They sounded in a loud whisper.
"Now wouldn't it be great if Mr. Tumahab and mama both stayed here?"
Athena, on hearing that, brightened up. "Then we'd have a mama and papa!" She whispered excitedly.
"But Marcus, Mr. Tumahab said he'll be leaving after mama plants the wheat next year." Essner protested.
Yu turned to Essner at that with a worried face. "Really?"
Essner nodded. "I heard them talking about it way back when Mr. Tumahab first got here."
"But I like Mr. Tumahab!" Ai protested. "He lets me ride on his back!"
"And he tells great stories!" Yu added.
"And he fixed Choci!" Athena whined.
"That's what I'm talking about, guys." Marcus interrupted, making the children stop talking and turn back to him. "Essner told me Mr. Tumahab was leaving. So we have to do something to make him stay here with us."
"But what?" Yu asked.
At this, Marcus gave a grin. "That's where I had an idea. What if mama and Mr. Tumahab got married?"
The other children were a bit surprised at that. They actually leaned back a bit and blinked at Marcus. However, the older boy continued to believe his idea was good. He leaned in closer to them, strill grinning.
"Think about it. If they were married, then they'd stay together forever. Then Mr. Tumahab would never leave, and we'd have both a mama and papa."
"But Marcus…" Ai protested. "Don't they have to be in love with each other?"
"Ai's right." Yu added. "You can't get married if you're not in love."
"How do we tell if they're in love?" Athena asked.
"I think they have to act like Duane and Katarin did." Essner responded.
"How was that?" Athena pressed.
Essner paused a moment. He turned his head up and scratched his chin in a thoughtful expression. "Well…they have to spend a lot of time just staring at each other, like they're going to eat each other's faces or something. And they have to go off with each other a lot and not tell anyone where they're going. Oh, and they have to go out and eat together sometimes. And the man has to say a lot of nice things to the woman, and the woman has to smile and laugh and cover her face like she's embarrassed in front of him a lot."
"Do they do that?" Yu inquired.
"I don't know." Ai replied. "I know that Mr. Tumahab says nice things to mama sometimes."
"And I know that I see mama sometimes staring at Mr. Tumahab when he walks away, but I don't think that's love." Essner replied.
"Aw, we don't have to worry about that stuff." Marcus threw in, waving his arm at them. Afterward, he grinned again. "All we have to do is make them fall in love, and then they'll get married. And I know how to do it."
At this, the other kids turned back to Marcus in genuine amazement. Eagerly, they leaned in and wanted to know Marcus' secret. "How?"
The oldest boy continued to grin. "You see…before everyone went away, my mommy read this story out loud to my older sister. It had these boy and a girl in it, and they were always mean to each other and fighting and saying they didn't like each other. Then one day, what happened was that some of the boy's friends and the girl's friends got together and managed to fool them into going to dinner with each other. And right after that, they fell in love!"
"Wow!" Ai remarked. "It's that easy?"
Marcus nodded. "Yup. And that's what I was thinking. Let's make a dinner party just forMr. Tumahab and mama. I remember what they did in the story. We'll trick Mr. Tumahab and mama into going to it, and once they do they'll fall in love and get married!"
"But how do we make them dinner?" Yu asked in confusion. "We don't know how to cook."
"We'll get Katarin to do it." Marcus simply answered. "We'll make decorations and find a spot outside to set them up. After that, we'll just have to keep them away until it's time to eat. Then we'll do what they did in the story and get them to go out to it. But we'll all have to work together."
"What do we do?" Athena responded.
"Come in close, and I'll tell you…"
Katarin looked down uneasy at Athena a few hours later. This was an unusual request. And the kids rarely asked anything for her. They already had such a low opinion of their cooking, it seemed more likely that they would ask Terra for this. However, Athena continued to plead with her, her eyes large and nearly begging. All of the other children were up now, and Terra was off making breakfast. Duane should have been coming in soon, and until then the rest of the kids were usually running around, as was Katarin. She had been in the middle of changing Seras when Athena asked her.
"Please?" Athena begged.
"I don't think there would be any chocobos around here, Athena."
"But I saw one!" Athena insisted. "I saw it yesterday! He was running around outside near the field!"
"Athena, most of the chocobos around here died during the Collapse." Katarin responded. "It was probably some wild creature around here. There aren't any greens for chocobos to eat here."
"That's why I want to feed him!" Athena insisted. "Can you please make me some dinner to give him?"
Katarin frowned in reply. "Athena…chocobos don't like eating stew. They don't like meat."
"Come on! Please? Pretty please?" Athena continued to beg. "Just this one time? If he doesn't come to eat it, I won't bother you anymore."
"It might attract a wild animal…"
"I just want to do it once. We can bring it in before the sun comes down. Come on. Please? I don't want him to starve…"
Katarin sighed in response. It was obvious she was getting nowhere with this. No wonder she wasn't telling Terra. She'd never approve of it. If they did attract any beasts, there would be hell to pay. And yet, she had never seen Athena so insistant. She didn't know she had cared so much about seeing a real chocobo. She had never begged her this hard for anything. And why did she think the chocobo would like what she made over what Terra made? And yet, seeing as she wouldn't relent, Katarin decided to finally cave in.
"…Alright. I'll make it after dinner."
Athena immediately smiled. "Thank you! Thank you!"
The rest of the day pretty much went along as it normally would. Breakfast went by without a hitch, and all of the children got dressed and ready. The only thing that was unusual was that they spent a lot of time under their beds before they went out, and once they did they seemed to be walking a little funny out the door and outside. And they did walk this time, not run. Normally they would charge out at this point, but they were all calm and orderly as they left. And once they were all outside, they didn't readily go and play, but for a moment just stood there and looked to each other.
Terra had gone off with Duane to tend to the original small garden, while Bahamut was left watching them. For once, they didn't jump on him and insist on playing or roughhousing. They merely stood there looking a bit odd, seeming to hold themselves. The esper was rather puzzled at this. He looked them over and how they hadn't charged him yet, and quirked an eyebrow.
"Children…is something wrong?"
The five of them looked to each other, and looked anxious and nervous for a few moments. But then, Marcus finally turned up to Bahamut, seeming to sweat a little, and replied.
"Um…I have to go to the bathroom."
It wasn't long before the others turned to him and nodded as well.
"Oh yeah! I have to go to the bathroom too."
"Me too!"
"Me three!"
"Me four!"
Bahamut looked over them all, and narrowed his gaze. He wasn't stupid. Unless there had been some rush of food poisoning in this morning's meat, there was little to no chance of all five of them wanting to go to the bathroom at the same time. He knew immediately they were hiding something. But, seeing as the kids were rarely naughty or troublesome, he decided to go along with it for now. "…Alright. All of you go to the latrine behind the house."
However, the children didn't respond well to that. They began to look nervous again. At last, Marcus looked back up to him and winced a bit.
"Um…could we go to the bathroom over on the other side of the field? Near the trees?"
Bahamut frowned at this. Now, he knew something was definitely up. And he wouldn't be so flexible this time. He crossed his arms and leveled his gaze at them. "And why do you want to go there? Why not go in the latrine like you always do?"
Marcus turned a bit white, and licked his lips. "Um…"
"Well…that's only when we go one at a time." Ai suggested innocently. "If we go together, we have to go out there."
Bahamut kept his frown. Now, he was very suspicious. He continued to stare at them and kept his arms crossed. "Really? And why all the way out there?"
Ai paled. "Er…uh…"
"Mama said we had to go out there." Yu suddenly spoke up.
"Yeah, whenever we go together, mama said we had to go out there." Ai immediately added with a nod.
Bahamut snorted. He didn't like this. He hoped the children weren't doing anything foolish. However, he wasn't too upset about the area that they suggested. Although the palisade wall hadn't been completed for that part yet, it was well protected by the ocean on one side. In fact, it actually afforded a good view of the surrounding area. Before they learned it was dangerous to stay outside, that was a place that the children and Terra used to gather. However, he didn't like how fishy they were acting.He cursed himself for not being able to simply examine their minds without risking offending Terra. In the end, he finally sighed and gave a shrug.
"Alright…but I'm coming with you."
The children brightened up at first…but then looked downcast right afterward. One of Bahamut's suspicions was proved at that. They wanted to get away from him. The children had only done this one other time he had known them, and that was when they left to try and get the flowers for Terra. So they probably didn't have anything too bad in mind as a goal…but something that could be dangerous as a means. If Bahamut hadn't been there, Ai and Yu would have long since passed through the stomachs of two hideous creatures. Whether they liked it or not, he was coming along. And so, looking nervous and anxious, they turned and began to walk toward the area with Bahamut following.
It was a fairly good walk, though not long enough for any trip. It took about five minutes to walk to the fields and then walk along them down to the area the kids had designated. The fields themselves were growing nicely. The wheat had taken root quickly, and was already up to Bahamut's waist. The couple years of lying fallow had helped rejuvenate it somewhat. At any rate, the kids walked through it all continuing to look nervous and troubled. After that time, Bahamut began to see the area looming up ahead. Straight ahead, at the end of the natural row he had made in between his wheat crops, was the palisade wall, tall, packed with mud and logs, staked on the top, and rather formidable to any dumb creature. About a hundred feet from here, it terminated their path, and it opened on either side. On the left, it went to the spot that the children were interested in. Bahamut could already hear the ocean waves and feel the breezes waving the grain stalks.
But here, Marcus suddenly turned around and halted. The other kids, a bit surprised, turned and looked to Marcus, but then back to Bahamut. The esper halted himself, and formed something of a frown. He crossed his arms then and looked down on the boy.
"Yes?" He asked.
"Wait here for us." Marcus answered.
"Why?"
"I don't want you to be a peeping tom."
Bahamut sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'll just be right behind you. I'll keep my back turned."
"I don't trust you. You'll look." Marcus insisted.
"And I can't go when I'm afraid of people looking at me." Essner added.
Bahamut frowned again. He was about to point out the error in logic that four other people would be looking at him while he was going anyway, but he decided to let it slide in the end. He wasn't in the mood to argue, especially knowing that the children were going to be stubborn about this. Luckily, there was little to nothing there that could be a problem. Any attacks would come from farther north and east, and they were far away from that now. Besides, that was where walls were guarding them at this point. And he could hear if any of them screamed. At last, he exhaled a blast from his nostrils, tightened his arms up, and then looked down on them.
"Alright. But hurry."
Only now did the kids seem to get the urge to truly go. They turned and immediately ran off the rest of the way down the wheat rows. Once there, they turned and soon mostly vanished behind the fields. Bahamut could still see them at first, but as they went further back along the fields, even the taller children soon vanished behind the wheat. In a few moments, he could only trust that they were now on the other side of the field, doing as they had said they would do. Bahamut sighed again, and then waited for them to come back.
Ten minutes later, Bahamut was still waiting. None of the children had come back. The esper began to grow impatient. He tapped his foot on the ground a bit, and then called out over the fields. "Are you all finished yet?"
"No!" A faint voice called back. "We're going potty!"
Bahamut frowned again. He wasn't going to wait for this any longer. He shifted his eyes to see a different kind of vision, focusing on heat, and then looked out far in the distance. All five heat signatures were over there, just as they had said they would be. However…they all seemed to be lying on the ground and doing something. What, Bahamut couldn't tell. His resolution wasn't that good. He sighed a bit, and broke off the vision. At least they weren't in danger. Maybe they had found some old valuable buried in the dirt, and they were trying to get it. He'd let them go for now…
Yet after another ten minutes, Bahamut was now getting impatient. His face turned stern as he glared out at the end of the wheatfield. "I know you all have to be done by now!"
"We're wiping!" A voice instantly replied.
Bahamut grit his teeth and looked out again with his heat vision. They were still on the ground at this point. Clenching his hands into fists, Bahamut waited a little longer.
Another ten minutes went by, and by this time Bahamut had almost enough. He called out again to the other side of the field. "You have to be finished by now!"
"There aren't a whole lot of big leaves here! We're looking for some!"
No, but I'm beginning to wonder what you all are doing… Bahamut muttered inwardly. Now they were up, and he saw them running around the small area filled with trees, doing various things around them. He couldn't tell what. Bahamut crossed his arms tighter and continued to wait, growing more and more impatient as he did so. This was annoying him. What were they doing that required privacy for this long?
After ten more minutes, that was the last straw. Bahamut uncrossed his arms and began to walk forward. "I'm coming!" He called out.
"No! Not yet!" A panicked voice cried back.
"Then get back here!"
"Alright! We're coming!"
Bahamut stopped and was stayed for that moment. Yet as it turned out, he had to wait even longer. It was another five minutes before he finally saw Athena run around the edge of the wheatfield and run up to him. He grimaced at her as she came up to him, and then stopped right in front with a smile.
"I'm back!" She cheered.
"Where are the others?" Bahamut immediately asked.
"They're coming." Athena reassured.
Bahamut looked at her for a moment. Then, he frowned somewhat. "…You guys wouldn't be doing anything back there you're not supposed to be doing, would you?"
Athena's smile vanished, and she paled a bit and shook her head. "Oh no…of course not." She responded, not looking at all convincing.
The esper continued to frown. "…Are you sure?"
Athena looked a little pale, but shook her head. "Y…Yeah…"
"They weren't making you do anything you didn't want to do, did they?"
"No…no…that's not it…"
"Then what is it?"
Athena paled at that, and cupped her hands to her mouth, realizing she had let slip. "Um…nothing! Nothing!" She quickly spat out.
Bahamut realized he wasn't getting anywhere. If it turned out to be a problem, he'd go back and check himself later. As it was, it was another five minutes before Yu came back. Interrogating him had similar results. These children were terrible at lying, but good at not saying what you wanted them to say. Another five minutes went by before Ai came back. All of them said the others were coming, but Bahamut knew it took about a minute to go from where they were to where Bahamut was. They were stalling, and he didn't like it. As expected, it was another full ten minutes before they all gathered, first Essner and then followed by Marcus. The last two looked very hurried and nervous, but also relieved that something was done. They went up with the others and stared at Bahamut nervously, with fake little smiles on their faces.
Bahamut looked over them all, and crossed his arms again. "…Are you guys sure you weren't getting into any trouble back there? You mother tells you to stay out of trouble for a reason, you know…"
Marcus shook his head furiously, and was joined by the others. "No, no! We weren't getting into any trouble, Mr. Tumahab."
Bahamut doubted it, smelling how much sweat was coming from their bodies. That was almost a sure sign of a liar. However, they were all ok for now. None of them looked hurt. There was a chance they were just playing a game or something. But if so…why didn't they want him along? Usually, he was their favorite playmate. Why wouldn't they want to bring him? Perhaps they were getting into some trouble, or at least something they thought would get them into trouble. Bahamut would make sure to investigate later, making sure they hadn't gotten into anything…but for now, he let it go.
"…Alright. Let's go back then."
Again, nothing else happened for a while. The children had lost a good hour of play time, but they didn't seem to care. They ran around with Bahamut normally after that, while everyone else went about their business. It became time to go in and have lunch, and after that the kids had their time for indoor recreation. As they did, the only thing out of the ordinary was that Katarin was continuously pestered by Athena, who wanted to make sure that she would make that food for tonight. She even pressured her to make it sooner than that, but she refused. Time otherwise went normal up until dinnertime.
But at that point, Bahamut went outside to lounge a bit. He didn't sit in for meals normally, after all, and he'd just get some more fresh air and maybe some extra work in. The other children were left to eat there normally. Yet this didn't last long. Around this time, the children began to look to each other uneasily again. They started to grow nervous, and had a secret plan running through their heads. After a moment or so longer, at last it was sprung. Just as Terra began to pass out dinner, Essner raised his hand.
"I have to go to the bathroom, mama."
Terra turned to him at that, right in the middle of serving up Yu. "But Essner…you just went before we sat down for dinner."
"I know, but I got to go again." Essner responded. To accent this, he immediately grabbed down his middle and crossed his legs. "Please? I really have to go."
Terra looked at him a moment longer, but then finally sighed and nodded. "Alright. Hurry back though, before your food gets cold. I hope you're not getting an infection… You went to the bathroom a long time this morning too…"
But Essner didn't listen to this. He was already out of his chair and running for the door.
Bahamut stroked his chin a bit and looked out to the horizon. The sun was still fairly high, but it was definitely lowering now. Soon, it would turn the world orange. He wondered a bit, however. What were the children doing out there? It had to be something, but based on the limited information he had he didn't know what. What had they in mind when they went there? Perhaps he had better run out there and try and find out…
However, the esper was shaken from his thoughts as he heard footsteps run up behind him. When he did, he turned around, and was just in time to see Essner coming out of the front door. On seeing Bahamut standing on the porch, he froze where he was. But then, as if he was remembering something, he calmed down, straightened up, and then licked his lips anxiously.
"Um…Mr. Tumahab?" He asked him.
Bahamut looked at him a moment, but then turned the rest of his body around to better face him. "Yes, Essner? What is it?"
"Uh…um…" The boy hesitated for a moment. He folded his arms behind him and fiddled with his fingers. "Er…you know, to tell you the truth…we weren't going to the bathroom out there earlier today."
The esper cracked a smile at that, and gave a little chuckle. "I had guessed that, Essner." He replied in a reassuring way. "Did you come to tell me what you really were doing?"
The boy nodded in response. "Uh huh. The truth is…we were setting up something for mama."
Bahamut smelled quite a bit of sweat on Essner at this…and this reply didn't bode well with him. However, he gave him a berth for now, and raised an eyebrow. "Setting up for mama? What were you trying to set up?"
Essner winced a bit and twisted in his position. "You see…she really wanted to have dinner with you, but she was afraid to do it and she didn't have time to set up. So she had us set up for her. We were fixing up that place back there for her. She's going to go back right after dinner. She told me to come out and tell you to meet her there."
Bahamut stared in puzzlement at this. Obviously, it was a lie. He didn't have to be a genius to know that. Why would Terra want to have dinner with him, after all? However, he began to realize the true nature of what this was. Obviously, it was a set up for him. They had a surprise planned for him, it seemed. Well…that was nice, in any event. Of course, what the surprise was or what it meant was peculiar to him. And why were they doing it now? At any rate, in the end, Bahamut decided to go along with it. If they did have a surprise planned for him, he thought he might as well bait it and act surprised. And so, he gave a smile and a nod.
"Alright, Essner. I'll go out there right after dinner."
The boy brightened up at that immediately. "Really?" He asked excitedly, obviously surprised that Bahamut had "bought" it. Soon after, he leaned in closer to him. "Ok. Make sure you clean yourself up real nice and look good. Then go off to that place. I'll tell mama you said yes."
With that, Essner turned and ran back into the house like a shot. Bahamut was left sitting outside. He shook his head and gave another snort. What were these kids planning? He didn't know, but he wondered what it had to do with him dressing up and being clean. As near as Bahamut could figure, they might have been setting up party favors of some sort over there. Now, Bahamut wasn't that big on parties…but he wouldn't let them down if they really wanted to do something for him. As to why they wanted to was beyond him. For all he knew, he was mistaken.
In the end, however, Bahamut sighed. He got up from the porch and walked to one side. If they wanted him clean, then he'd have to get out of their range first before he transmuted his clothing to lose the dirt.
"Um…are you sure?"
Marcus eagerly nodded. "Yeah!" He whispered in reply to Terra. Dinner was over now, and the kids were cleaning up their dishes. However, Marcus had used the moment to draw his matron aside and talk to her for a brief moment. "He wants to eat dinner with you tonight! He told me to go get you! That's why we were out there this morning setting up."
Terra looked uneasy at that. Why would Bahamut want to eat dinner with her? Well…she could actually think of a few reasons, and none of them were good. Most likely, he wanted to say something private to her that was something he didn't want the children hearing. But if he was doing that, he could have just waited until tonight. Unless…he wanted to transform that night. Unless he wanted them both to. Did that mean he wanted to take them away tonight? But no…he said he'd wait until next spring for that… What was going on in that esper's head? Although, it made sense if he told the kids not to alertDuane and Katarin. Obviously, they might understand something he had not…
In the end, however, Terra knew it would just be more problematic if she said no. She didn't want to give him a reason to be upset with her. In the end, she turned to Marcus with a sigh. "Well…alright. I guess I'll go out there after I'm done here."
"Oh no, that's ok!" Marcus immediately answered. "We'll clean up. You should go get ready. You know…make yourself look nice and everything."
Terra frowned a bit. Exactly how was she supposed to make herself look nice? The only clothing she owned was what was on her back. And this wasn't exactly a Jidoor beauty salon. However, after a moment, she supposed she could do something with her hair, get a flower, and maybe lose her upper torso armor. She didn't know why Bahamut would want her to look nice. Most likely, he didn't. The children were the ones who wanted her to. And she supposed she might as well to give the illusion that they were really having dinner. And so, forcing herself to smile, she put her hands down and shook off her wet hands.
"Alright…I'll just head in the back for a few minutes."
Athena waited patiently, right until the point when she saw Terra go into the back room. The door was closed soon after behind it, and the moment it was she wheeled around to Katarin. She was busy cleaning off her own dishes at the time, but Athena soon pleaded with her.
"Ok now!" She insisted.
Katarin let out a nervous laugh as she continued to scrape. "Athena, I'm still cleaning off my bowl… Can't you just wait a few minutes?"
"Can we do it now?" Athena immediately shot back. "Please?"
Katarin rolled her eyes. In any other situation, she would have told Athena that she had to wait until the other chore was done. But she did figure that it might be simpler to cook now than wash out the pot and put it back a second time. What more…Athena had never begged so much for anything before. It seemed unusual for her, rather than a characteristic of a brat. At last, she rolled her eyes, and put her own bowl down.
"Alright. Since you don't have much time left before dark anyway."
Athena nearly leapt for joy and cheered. As soon as she did, Katarin sighed and turned over to the stove. She took up the pot and began to rinse it out and fill it with a small amount of water. As she did, Athena turned around and looked to Ai and Yu. She gave them a nod, and the two of them nodded back. As Athena turned and stood guard behind Katarin, the two began to go around and do other things over the next few minutes. As Katarin put the water on, the two of them managed to swipe a spare white tablecloth from the cabinet. As she began to cut a small amount of meat and vegetables, they found two bowls and glasses and put them in the middle of the tablecloth. As she put them in and brought it all to a boil, the kids found silverware as well and tied it all up in the tablecloth. They passed it to Essner afterward, who carried it outside the door and set it there as Katarin finished with her own task. Once she was done, she set it all in a smaller pot with a handle. She turned and began to look to Athena.
"Ok…this is too heavy for you, so I better carry it."
But before she could take a step, Ai and Yu suddenly came forward. Both of them looked eager and ready.
"We'll take it!" Yu offered.
Katarin blinked in response to this, a bit muddled. "Um…thank you, guys. But Athena wanted to do this."
"No, it's ok!" Athena immediately added. "They can do it."
Katarin turned to Athena in confusion. "But…you wanted to do this all day. You kept insisting…"
"I just want him fed. I don't care who does it." Athena quickly replied.
Katarin continued to look puzzled at this. She had been eager all day for this, and now she was just passing off the duty to someone else? She held for a moment, until Ai and Yu seized the pot right out of her arms. It was a bit hard for kids of their size to manage it, but they took it from her regardless and managed to hold. Katarin, a bit surprised at how quickly they had taken it, turned back to them in confusion.
"But wait…you kids can't go out by yourselves anyway. I'll go out with you…"
Both children seemed to turn a bit white at that for a moment. However, they quickly shook their heads soon after.
"Uh…no, that's ok! We're just putting it out right outside! We'll be fine!"
Katarin wrinkled her brow. "But…"
Yet before she could protest further, Ai and Yu turned and made for the exit as fast as possible. Not being the head disciplinarian, Katarin was unable to simply tell them to stop and explain themselves immediately. She was mostly confused as they turned and left, leaving her puzzled and standing there. Soon they had gone out the door, and had left her and Athena standing there. The young woman continued to stare at this, and scratched her head.
What are these kids up to?
"Hmm?"
Bahamut was done "sprucing up" at this point. Now, he was headed over to the location that they had specified, taking his time for the moment. He hadn't done much. He had adjusted his hair a bit and cleaned it, removed the stains from his clothes, and straightened his jacket in a more suit-attired way. He styled his hair a little, and he supposed that would do for "looking nice". After that, he had begun to slowly make his way to the area. But he hadn't gone far before he had heard something not too far away. It was distinct noise, and it was footsteps as well. On hearing that, Bahamut froze and turned his head to the source.
Shortly after doing so, Bahamut began to make out certain details. He could smell the youth and familiar scent on them…as well as the taste of fresh stew. They must have still had it on them. His heat vision could see them, and saw that they were running down another row of the wheatfield. They were trying to stay hidden, it seemed, and they labored along as if carrying something. He soon identified them as Ai and Yu. He was suspicious a moment. After all, they were the two who had caused the trouble that got Bahamut involved in the first place. And yet, after a moment longer, he decided to let them go. It was safer here, and if they were planning a surprise, then he might as well let them. They were probably trying to beat him there anyway. Giving a small smile, Bahamut slowed his step and purposely let them get ahead.
Soon after, they did so, and Bahamut continued his leisurely stroll up to the designated area. His process took a while, seeing as he expected the other children to come fairly soon. Such was not to be, however. Not only did the children fail to show up, but after a few minutes of being down at the area, he detected the children turning around and coming back, hiding the whole way as they did so. Now, the esper was very puzzled. What was this supposed to mean? Were they leaving a surprise for him? Were they playing a joke on him? What? He didn't know. With a sigh, he merely continued to walk forward toward the area.
A few minutes later, Bahamut came to the same turn he had been at earlier today. By now, the sun was low in the sky. The day was yellow and orange, and it was rapidly turning to red. He sighed, supposing he should be thankful the children had gone in. They didn't need to be out this late. After reaching this point, he turned left and began to walk down the wheat rows to the side. Already, far ahead, he could see a few of the trees that were left, and beyond it the rocky, rough shore that had been carved out of the destruction of Gaia. However…he noticed something else. In the rapidly dimming light, there appeared to be some sort of glow coming from the left… Bahamut looked at it a moment as he walked forward, but then recognized it as some sort of torchlight or firelight. He frowned a bit at that. Ai and Yu knew they weren't old enough to be lighting fires, even if just for a candle. Nevertheless, he sighed and continued to walk forward to see just what this was. He reached the corner of the wheatfield at last, and then turned and looked to see what they had left.
Bahamut, in actuality, was a bit surprised at what he saw. It was obvious now why the kids had been so busy. There was a central stump in this area with a fairly flat top, for it had been cut down long ago. Pulled up next to it were two rocks large enough for adults to sit on. Both of these rocks were decorated with paper dolls, images of the moon and stars, flowers, and other happy items. There were also several crudely drawn pictures of smiling couples put around the whole area, each one on a small stick that acted as a signpost. The trees overhead were filled with long paper chains and daisy chains. There were also a few paper lanterns hung up, with yellow paper for flames. But most interesting of all was the central stump. A bouquet of wildflowers was on the middle of the table, including some of the flowers Terra had received and planted four months ago. There were also two places set with the good glass glasses, and two bowls of stew had been set up at either position. Both were across from one another, coinciding with the rocks.
Bahamut had to chuckle after gazing at this a moment. Was this what the children had been setting up? Had they been telling the truth after all? However, he soon realized it couldn't be right. No…Terra hadn't wanted this. The kids had set it up all by themselves. Why they wanted the two of them to have dinner was beyond him, but he knew it wasn't Terra's idea. This was all far too crude. They had forgotten to even bring water to fill their glasses with. Nevertheless, while shaking his head at the whole thing, he walked over to one of the stones and sat down. There really was only one reason they would have done this, it occurred to him. They must have somehow thought that he and Terra were an item. He had no idea what had given them that idea. Most likely, kids at that stage thought any man living with a woman long enough had to be a sweetheart. He sighed again at the whole thing and leaned back a bit on his rock. He supposed he better wait for Terra to show up…
He only had to wait a few minutes before he detected her approach. His heat vision spotted her from back at the house, and soon she began tonear the same area. Bahamut merely folded his hands and calmly waited. It took a few minutes more for her to come all the way out there, and by then the sky really was red. Over beyond the trees, he could see the sun almost touching the horizon of the seashore by now. It was a good thing this was an ocean, or there would be mosquitos all around him by now. Finally, he began to hear Terra coming around the side. He turned his head at that.
AsTerra turned the corner…Bahamut found himself almost surprised. She had changed. Her hair wasn't tied up now, but was loose and hanging behind her and around her neck. Her upper armor was gone, revealing her own sleeveless shirt hugging her top. A flower had been tucked behind her ear as well. They were just small changes…but they made a bit difference. They made her look far more loose and free…not to mention improved her appearance somewhat as well. Bahamut actually found himself staring at her a moment before resuming his normal look. As for Terra, she looked around for a moment at the situation. When she did, her face seemed to turn a bit white, especially when she saw Bahamut. At last, she turned to him and stared blankly.
"…You…you really wanted to have dinner with me?" She finally asked, her voice hesitant and nervous.
Bahamut's face turned to puzzlement at that. "What?" He responded. But then, at once it hit him. He rolled his eyes and groaned, before putting a hand to his forehead. "Oh…I get it now…" He muttered aloud. He put it down after a moment, and then looked back to Terra, who was still perplexed at all this, and shook his head. "No. You're mistaken. The children told me that you wanted me out to dinner tonight. I assumed they had some surprise and so I came."
Terra blinked for a moment at that. But then, she leaned forward, realized what the truth was, and then sighed and rolled her own eyes. "…That's what they told me about you." She responded after a moment. "Why would they do something like that?"
Bahamut inhaled slightly and looked around where he was. "I'm not sure…but I'm thinking they thought we were sweethearts or something, because we've been living together so long."
Terra frowned in response, and sighed again before she dropped her arms to her sides. "Great…" She said aloud. "I skipped dinner because Marcus told me to…and he didn't explain why until after it. If I had known…" She stopped again, and frowned after a moment. In the end, she threw up her arms, and gave out a sigh. "I'm starving. I'm going to eat it regardless. I'll go back after that."
With that, Terra walked right up to the table, though somewhat impatiently. She sat down on her own side with a huff, and somewhat tiredly drew herself up to it. Bahamut himself turned and faced her, his own hands still folded in front of him. The half esper herself looked around for a moment at the set-up, before forming a confused expression.
"…There's no water."
"I think they may have forgotten that." Bahamut suggested.
Terra hesitated a moment, but then smiled and gave a slight chuckle. She shook her head, and then began to dive right into the stew with her spoon. "What am I going to do with them…" She said in a rhetorical voice as she ate the first bite.
Bahamut leaned on the table himself, ignoring his own bowl, and looked around a bit. He gave a bit of a shrug in response. "Oh, I don't know…" He slowly answered as he looked around. "It was a nice gesture. They really did decorate this place more than I thought they could."
Terra paused herself as she ate another bite. She looked up and around the area a bit as well. Soon, she smiled a bit wider and gave a nod. "Yeah…it was, I guess. It was very sweet of them, at any rate. This is one of the things I love about children. So many people…young people especially…they think they're just some waste of time or effort… They think you just lose all your free time with them and all they ever do is want things from you. But it's things like this…these rare moments when they just up and do these sorts of things…that make you remember why you're working so hard for them."
Bahamut leaned back a bit and smiled himself. "They remind you that they love you and care about you." He suggested. "And it makes you think of the people that they have the potential to become one day."
Terra turned back to him at that. After a pause, she gave a nod. "That's right. That's absolutely right."
Bahamut gave a slight shrug, and leaned in again. "It's a pleasant thought…dreams of potential in others. As you know from my stories…it's something I'm not a stranger to. Of course…" He hesitated here, and frowned slightly. "I've seen my share of disappointments to those dreams in the past…"
Terra stared on at him silently, her own smile fading. "So…you think that's what's going to happen to these kids too? That they'll lose these feelings and will become corrupt?"
At that, Bahamut turned back in a snap, and immediately shook his head. "Oh no, no… I was just stating what I had seen before. And sure enough, that made me lose hope more than once. But no…" Bahamut slowly a bit here…and a faraway look went into his eyes. As it did…his voice grew slower and he smiled a bit. "No…not with these children. Not them. I can see an inner spark in them. An inner light. It is so rare in the world…and yet when you see it it's the light in the darkness. It's what keeps a generation alive…it gives you hope for the future. You look out at Gaia for years on end…you see one corrupt generation after another…you see people engaging in all sorts of evils and destruction…"
Terra heard this…and as she did she grew quiet as well. Her own face stayed low, for she remembered seeing such things in her own time. She focused in on Bahamut as he continued.
"And you say to yourself…is this what the world is now? How bad have things become? Are things really this low and terrible? How did it become this way? Are all people so bad that there's no way back? And you just sit there and think all of this, and it disgusts you. You wonder why these people were ever born…why they even came to life just to bring death. You lose sight of everything innocent…and you just see this perversion in the world…
"But then…you see someone just like these children. Maybe it's a few. Maybe it's just one. But you see that one light in the darkness… You see that one exceptional person who doesn't go along with the crowd and stands out. You see this person spreading…because as they touch other lives they improve other lives. Other people start seeing the light in them. And as they see it…they want it for themselves. They see this one great person and they realize that they don't have to be these base, cruel individuals. It changes them. It makes them better. It makes them be more.
"And that's when you realize…no matter how bad things become…no matter how rotten things are…no matter how perverted everything gets…things will pass. There will always be one left. There will always be one remaining. Someone will still stand for something good in this world. Someone must. This dark age…it will go away. But the world will come back…and it will be because of this person. And you have to hold on to that. You have to believe, just as this one person believes. You have to keep faith. You can never lose that. Because once you do, you'll be just as dead as everyone else. But if you keep that faith and hope alive…you'll survive. Because it will survive. You have to keep on to the end, just as every generation has one great survivor who will hold on to the end. It is because of that fact that I hope even now. Even after hearing what humanity did to my race…after hearing all of the evils they had done to it…I still have faith." He hesitated after that, and then smiled a bit. Slowly, he turned to Terra afterward.
"…I'm happy that faith was justified."
Terra paused again, and smiled a bit. Bahamut was right. She had to learn that as well, but it was a lesson she was glad she had learned. "…I'm glad you can see the children at least in some way that I see them." She finally responded.
But on hearing that, Bahamut turned his head a bit in reply and looked puzzled.
"The children? I was talking about you."
Now, it was Terra's turn to look puzzled. She looked back a bit, and forgot about eating for the moment. "…Me?"
"Of course. The children are good, no doubts there. But they wouldn't have been that way if it wasn't for you. I came here to help because I came for you. Duane and Katarin are here because they were once your charges as well. But you…you cared for them this whole time by yourself, without any compulsion at all. You saw the goodness in them yourself, but you had enough of your own goodness to stay here and help them. They never would have been so happy and confident if you hadn't protected them. They never would have been able to love you and do such kind things for you if you hadn't shown them what it means to love. You brought out their full potential. And you did a great job. They're wonderful. They really are."
Terra bowed her head a bit, and blushed at all this. She wasn't sure how to respond to that right away. To her, it wasn't a big deal. She had just tried to be there for the children and do what any caring person, in her opinion, would have done. She was unable to answer a moment. But finally, she managed to catch enough in what Bahamut said to say something else.
"…You really think the children are wonderful?"
Bahamut paused for a moment at that. Had he just said that? He thought back a moment…and supposed he had said it. After a moment or so, he swallowed. But then he figured he might as well. He raised his head again and gave a nod. "Yes. Yes, I do."
Terra kept her head bowed for a moment more. But then, she smiled a bit and looked up to him. "Well then…you lied to me."
The esper leaned back a bit at that, surprised at the sudden accusation. However, Terra merely continued to smile at him.
"You tell them stories. You play with them. You laugh at their bad jokes for the fifth time. You carry them inside when they get hurt. You help them with their drawings. You kiss their stuffed animals good night. You stay up with them when they have nightmares. You build all these things around the ruins just for them. You let them go off and do this with a wink and a nod. Until now…I've been put off by you. I didn't really trust you. But…I suppose I should have seen this ever since that one night, when you were talking to Athena. You told me that night you were only doing it to keep order…but you lied. You really do love them, don't you?"
Bahamut's jaw loosened. He was taken aback again. He hesitated. That was impossible. He liked humans, but as of late he wasn't attached to them. After all, he had his own people to worry about. He had never even been that intimate with esper children. Why would he be that way with human children? Especially these? He wanted them away. He wanted them to let Terra go, make her available for more important use. They were supposed to die by now anyway, along with any other children in the world who had died in the Collapse. He cared about the future. He cared about the many, not the few. He didn't care about them…
Yet as he said this to himself…he realized, at long last, that he was lying to himself.
No…he couldn't deny it now. For months he had been doing so…but now he began to realize what this feeling in him was. He had denied it time and time again, and feigned ignorance when, subconsciously, he realized what it meant the whole time. He knew all along why he was eager to play with them. He knew all along why he had made this pasture to give the children fresh milk. He knew all along why he continued to tell them stories. Most of all…he knew why he stayed here when he should have been somewhere else. He thought he had been making a grand illusion for them all, and perhaps he had at first… But now…the thoughts of espers…the thoughts of his kingdom…of the common good…that was the illusion. What had happened to Terra happened to him. He found himself now here…and wanting to be here.
She's right.
I…I love the children.
I love them more than anything I've seen in thousands of years.
Bahamut hesitated a moment longer. He leaned back forward and propped his head up on his arm. He thought he should be upset…angry at himself for doing this. And yet…he wasn't. Rather, he felt like smiling about it. He felt…happy about it. And he didn't care whether he was supposed to be angry or not. He only wanted to feel happy. And so, he smiled and shook his head with a faraway look in his eye.
"Yes." He finally answered.
He paused after that. Both sides stayed silent. Bahamut just sat there, and let that reality sink in. He had changed. Now…he realized he'd lose a part of himself if he went away. He realized that he wanted to be with the children every day now. And if he wasn't…though it was only four months out of thousands of years, he'd feel more empty and incomplete than ever. At last, he shook his head a bit, and looked to Terra.
"…How did you see something in me I failed to see about myself?"
Terra exhaled at that. She leaned a bit more, and looked down a little. After that, she managed a slight shrug. "Well…it's probably because I wasn't looking for it. When I first met you, all you were to me was just another ruler in my life. For years, everyone wanted me to be their shining standard. Everyone wanted me to use my power to help them. And I hated it. I didn't want that responsibility, and I didn't want people with both kinds of hearts to want me. They enslaved me for that. I thought you were the same way…"
Bahamut let go of his head at that, and turneddown. He looked downcast for a few moments. Hearing this brought back memories of how he had been. In truth…he was a little ill tempered at that point in time. And now, in retrospect…he regretted it. He should have been more coaxing and friendly from the start. If he had known the woman's full story…he might have been. She didn't deserve the stress of him after her long, painful life.
"…And how do you think of me now?"
Terra paused again. She was uneasy to say this too. However, she finally straightened up a bit and spoke back. "…I still don't know you all together…but I know a lot more about you. You're a complicated person. You won't let anything stand in between you and what you want…and yet you can still be so kind and flexible sometimes. You lay down commands on one hand…and then you turn around and try to give people as much freedom within your decision as possible. And you don't do it because you already have what you want…you do it because you think those people should genuinely deserve their own freedom and choices. I don't know what to say about you.
"If I had to say something…I guess I would say that you seem to be a very complex, multi-faceted person… You just never had the chance to express it. You've always been a bright standard yourself. You've always had to take charge and be responsible. In that way…I guess you're like me. In retrospect, I know that the best thing that ever happened to me was nearly being blown up on that airship. Once I got here…once I slowed down for a year…I finally had time to live for myself. I finally had just myself and my own choices, with no one making them for me or telling me what to do. Maybe the only reason I'm the way I am is because I was shaped by these children…
"But I think the same is happening to you. I used to think you were bad…but I was wrong. You just weren't in the right situation. And now…I'm seeing you for who you really are. For a while I wouldn't believe it, because I didn't want to believe you would be that way. But I see it more clearly now. You're a very kind and gentle person, deep down inside. And you have more mercy and grace in your heart that you realize. For years, I saw people with power just use it to fuel their own ends. But you…I know now that you feel that the best thing to do with your power is to give it to other people. I don't know if you knew that before…but I see the light in your face whenever you enhance the strength of the children, or play games with them and jump to a roof, or when you made other things. You like making people happy. You want people to be happy. That's why you gave me so much time to stay here…because you didn't want to see me upset.
"Also…you enjoy this feeling that I learned for myself." She looked up into Bahamut's eyes at this, and the esper silently looked back. "Just like me…you learned what love is from these children. And you want more of it too. You never knew what love was until now…but now that you do, it's making you into a more beautiful creature than ever…so much greater than the person I saw in my dream those months ago."
Bahamut hesitated, and then smiled a little with a head shake. "You're wrong." He finally said. "I knew what love was. I just had it wrung out of me. Time, betrayal, and death slowly ruined those things inside me… I had given up on loving something else. I never loved anything other than my family, and one by one they went away. I never knew it was possible to love another thing, least of all a bunch of juvenile humans." This last part was said somewhat sarcastically, and Bahamut snickered a bit at it in the end. However, after pausing a moment more, he turned and looked back up to Terra.
"But like you said…I was wrong. I do love them now. I thought it was wrong for a long time…to just give love to something else so freely. I thought I undervalued it somehow when I did that. I thought you were born loving certain things and that was the end of it. Even these great people I met in the past…I assumed they had been born creatures who loved the world and all things and that was it. It was natural for them, I assumed. Or, at least, they had a general 'love' for all things and reserved special, intimate, kindred emotions for others. I thought to make it personal was reserved only for special things.
"But again…I was wrong. You've shown me that now, Terra. You were a person who knew nothing of love. Or if you did, it was taken away from you long ago. Yet you…you were able to expand your heart to include these children in it. And it changed you and changed them. It made this world brighter around you. And I see now that genuine love expanded only does make things better, not worse.
"You, Terra…you are a wonderful person. You are one of the greatest humans I ever met…perhaps even the greatest human I ever met. Don't compare me to you…because that cheapens who you are and exaggerates who I am. We've both had one bitterness after another throughout our lives. But you…you have known nothing but misery and sorrow your whole life. And yet you remained. So many other lesser people were corrupted and twisted by what happened to them…but you remained as innocent and pure as falling snow inside. You didn't succumb to rage, revenge, or wickedness. You just stayed so child-like and innocent to it all…and you kept hoping. You faltered once…but you came back stronger. Even when you lost your faith in humanity, you helped the children when they needed it. Me…I've felt short. I faltered more times. I let depression sink me into despiciable thoughts for years and lost hope. But even when you were hopeless…you helped these people. You shone forth as that light, even when you didn't know that you were that light. You give so much of yourself to these children… It astounds me. It puts me to shame. And I want to do the same. I want to love more as well. I want to give more of myself. Your own inner grace…it comes to me and it makes me want to be more. No one has ever done that for me. Ever."
Terra couldn't help but smile…and cringed a bit. No one had ever said anything so beautiful about her before. No one had ever praised her so highly. She couldn't help but be embarrassed…and let a tear fall from her eyes. Hearing this praise…it made her happy. It made her very, very happy. After living for months with no encouragement save from her charges…to hear another adult praise her for her work and perserverance…to say such things about her…it made her feel so much more encouraged. In the end, however, she shook her head a little and looked back up to him.
"No…you're wrong again." She finally said. "You undervalue yourself too much. Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone falls. But you keep getting back up. I've seen people on my trip…people who let their pasts kill them inside. Others let their pasts drive them into despair and insanity. But not you. You're not hard. You're not cruel. The fact that you've changed…that you've grown to love these children…it means you're still very human inside. It means you're still alive. I meant what I said. What you were frightened me…but now I do see you turning into a beautiful creature. You become more so every day. You reject what makes you hard and bitter, and let yourself be shaped by feelings of tenderness and kindness around you. So many people don't know how to do that. But you do…and it's making you wonderful.
"You're kind… You're thoughtful… You're gracious… You're loving… You care more about these children than anyone I've ever seen. You do so much around here… I used to fear you every morning…but now I look forward to seeing you every morning. Because when I see you…I feel better inside. I know that you'll always be there for the kids…and you'll always be there for all of us. Even me. And it makes me feel so good to see someone else who feels that way every morning. You make me feel safe…content… You bring me hope with every day. You help me to remember that there are people who care in this world…people who are great and kind and won't abandon others." Terra stopped for a moment here, and looked down. She shook her head a bit, and then chuckled a bit. Finally, she turned her head back up and looked Bahamut right in his powerful blue eyes.
"…I never thought I'd say this…but I'm glad…very glad…that you came to us."
Bahamut looked right back, leaning over the table still, and smiled.
"And I'm glad that I came back to life right at this point in time…so that I could meet you."
Both of them smiled and continued to look at each other. For a moment, they just studied each other's faces. And as they did…they both felt lighter inside. To Bahamut, Terra suddenly seemed so much more beautiful and strong than ever. She had a look more regal than Queen Starlet…and a kindness greater than that of Saraphim in her eyes. She was a wonderful person…a very wonderful person. She shone with an inner beauty that only made her radiant in his eyes. And as for Terra, Bahamut suddenly seemed to grow more handsome and strong. He had an inner strength now…an inner kindness and grace that radiated for him. He wasn't just a person of arrogance and boasting. He truly was a beautiful creature…the kindest and gentlest creature she ever met. That made his already stunning features all the more glorious. They both continued to stare without looking away, seeming to lose each other in a haze…seeming to slip off into a dream as they gazed on and on at each other. They didn't even notice as they both slowly closed their eyes, just continuing to bask in the glow of each other.
They didn't remember anything at all…until their lips gently touched.
For a moment, both of them continued to hold on that…but then both of their eyes open. In mutual shock, both of them sprung back from each other and sat on their opposite sides. Both looked nervous and began to sweat. Terra reached a hand to her lips and actually felt them. Bahamut himself looked to the ground and blinked for a moment. They both began to regain their senses…and were both shocked at how they had done just that. And yet…it felt great. Neither of them had ever been kissed before. And it was such a feeling… It felt so light and wondrous…and it had filled both with such a thrill and joy… Even if it had lasted only a moment, they couldn't deny how they felt about it.
Slowly, both of them looked up, both anxious and tense. They slowly stared at each other again, and held and quivered. Both of them looked each other over, seeing how they felt about what had happened. As they did, they both began to agree to one another that it had been a slip. They had both been lost in the moment, and somehow…they had just come together like that. They both dismissed it without a word, and were ready to drop it.
However, before either of them actually said anything…before they let this all go…both of them looked into each other's eyes for a moment. They held for a few seconds of silence…
…And then, both smiled at each other.
"L-L-Let's…clean up this mess…and get back…" Terra finally said aloud, still smiling.
"…Y-Y-Yeah…" Bahamut slowly added, also smiling.
Bahamut and Terra returned with the dishes and put them away to be cleaned up the next morning. Later that night, they put the kids to bed together for a change, and once they were all in Bahamut told another story. The kids were not punished at all that night, and not a word was said about their unexpected dinner party. Once the story was done, the lights were dimmed, and each of the children were tucked in and kissed goodnight. After that, Bahamut and Terra both went to the back and shut their door as always.
However…the children watched them both the whole time. Right from when they first came in to when they went back and turned in, they frequently saw Bahamut and Terra look to each other…and just stare and smile.
Seeing that, each of the children turned over and closed their eyes to sleep with smiles on their faces, confident that their mission was a complete success.
To be continued...
