Chapter 6: The Face of True Evil
The days had passed in a painful blur. Every breath seemed to be as painful as the last, and his periods of sleep were longer than his time awake. It wouldn't be much longer now. This damnable illness was all but destroying his body. He couldn't die just yet though… and he would force himself to remain in the world of the living until he was finished.
For there was still a single ray of hope for him.
Knowing his pupil, it wouldn't be too much longer before she returned to them, if she was not already on her way back at this very moment.
So when he felt the time was right, he pretend to have fallen asleep until Momozigo left the room. Once he was gone, Musosai reached for another one of his potions where he immediately felt his pain fade and his strength miraculously return to him. Yet, he knew better than to hope that it would be enough. The effects of these potions were becoming weaker and shorter each time he took them.
He left the inn, taking refuge high on the rooftops as he waited for his pupil to return. All he had to do was guide her a little longer until she learned this final technique and he would have nothing left to teach her.
He only had to wait a short time for Momozigo to appear directly below him, looking around in panic. It seemed that he had already discovered his empty inn room.
Ah… she was here.
He saw Claire coming up the way of this frozen city and walk along the worn wooden ramparts as she headed to the tavern. She soon spotted Momozigo and the panicked state that he was in before running up to see what the problem was. He was too far away to hear them, but he could see Momozigo pointed away from them and he saw her nod. They split up and he understood that they were trying to find him. His eyes followed Claire as she went inside to take the short way to the area around the fountain in front of the inn.
He crept across the rooftop as he waited. Soon enough, he saw his pupil appear outside again and began searching the area for him. But he had to wait, just to make sure that she was far enough away from Momozigo before he approached her.
Out of the corner of his eye, he was able to keep track of Momozigo's movements—and he was glad to see that he was gradually moving farther and farther away from them.
Glancing back to Claire, he saw that she had wandered away from the fountain and was heading towards the main square, out of view of the inn and the Bloom. He nodded to himself, feeling that it would be safe enough to speak her without Momozigo seeing.
He carefully climbed down and walked after her, going over in his head what he was to tell her. He hated himself for having to do this… having to lie to her again… but it was almost over.
Quietly he stepped up behind her, taking her by surprise.
"At last we are alone," he said as he forced a laugh. "Good, good. The remedies of this land aren't to my liking, I'm afraid. Fortunately, I brought with me potent drafts from the Far East that restore one's vigor for a time. And while its effects last, there is work I would do."
"Master, what are you doing?" Claire asked in in concern. "You should be resting. Momozigo told me how ill you are…?"
"As I explained to you earlier, I came to Heir's Ear for two purposes," he reminded her. "The first was to find and train a worthy pupil. The second was to find and punish the fugitive Kogarashi. However, I had yet to tell you of his crime."
She waited as he took a deep breath, confessing carefully, "Kogarashi's crime was to create a killer. His pupil went on a killing spree, cutting down numerous Hingan dignitaries, one after the other."
He saw the confusion in her eyes as he added, "In my land, the master is held accountable for the deeds of the pupil, and Kogarashi's hands were deemed no less bloody than the murderer's. For his punishment, he was ordered to commit seppuku—atonement by ritual suicide. But desiring to live, Kogarashi forsook his honor and fled here, to Heir's Ear."
"I do not see," Claire said slowly. "In these lands, a teacher isn't held accountable for what their students become."
But Musosai shook his head, hoping that she could understand why this was so important and why Kogarashi must be punished for what happened.
"That he should thrive in spite of all the deaths he has caused in an affront to the very spirit of the samurai," he insisted firmly. And that was true… for he should have been able to see how his wayward pupil would have turned out. Should have seen the signs from the beginning, yet choice to ignore it. "It is unforgiveable, and he cannot go unpunished. But try as I might to render justice, as is my duty, I could not defeat him. Countless times I tried, but always I faltered."
The one foe that he could never hope to bring himself to kill on his own. Yet, he did have someone here to aid him in that desire.
"But you, Claire. You have grown tremendously since you first began walking our path," he told her. "Strong as you have become, I am confident that you can face Kogarashi on equal standing. This is your final trial. Find Kogarashi. Defeat him. And your training as a samurai shall be complete."
She didn't look the least bit happy about this. For a moment, he feared that she had seen through his story. But, in the end, she finally nodded and he smiled gratefully.
"Kogarashi makes his liar in the western highlands of Curs Are Us, at a place called Twin Fools," he said, having taken the name from those he had met in the tavern. "Let us set off, but as you make your way, remember: 'tis a loathsome wretch you go to face, who places his own life before honor. Such evil cannot be suffered!"
The two of them left the same way that they took before when they went after Momozigo. They used the black horse-birds to take them to the settlement and began to head out towards the northwest. Neither of them spoke the whole way there, and he was grateful when he touched down, pulling out his favorite old jingasa.
Once, whenever he put it on he could believe for a moment that he was the young fledgling samurai who decided to venture out into the world and do what he could to make a difference. But now, it only served to remind him of everything that had happened… and the thought was enough to bring him overwhelming sadness.
"Master? Are you alright?"
He blinked as he looked to his side to see that Claire was there and was looking up into his worn face with concern. He forced another smile as he reassured her that he was just fine.
"Now then," he said, "You said that this Twin's Fools is a fair distance from here?"
"Yes," she answered. "The Convictors, low-born knights are camping close to it. We can rest there before finishing the rest of the way."
"Good, good," he said with a nod as they set off together.
"What of Momozigo?" she asked suddenly.
"No need to involve him in this," Musosai said. "He has been a dear friend and I could not have hoped for a better guide. But I do not wish for him to be in harm's way. For who knows how this battle with Kogarashi will end?"
Oh, he knew how it would end… or rather, how he hoped it would end. Still, he did not wish Momozigo to be here should he try to do something foolish like put a stop to the battle.
A few scatter of clouds seemed to gather overhead and he admired the few flakes that gently fluttered to the ground around them as they walked.
"You frightened?" he asked her suddenly as she gazed up at him in surprise as he elaborated, "At the idea of facing a foe you know nothing about?"
She shook her head and he placed his weathered hand upon her shoulder encouragingly.
"That's right," he said. "It doesn't matter who our opponents are. We samurai must fulfill our duty no matter the challenges and difficulties that lay ahead. You must remember that. The foe that you will face is not deserving of your mercy anyway. Don't believe for a moment that he does."
He feared that she would falter in her determination and he couldn't let that happen. He had wanted a kind and compassionate soul to inherit his full knowledge and he found just that, the question was, would that kindness be enough to stop her from full-filling her duty? He prayed not.
He passed the time as he usually did by telling her more of his homeland and how it would be spring right there right now. He confessed that he had wished that he could have stayed long enough to see the cherry blossoms bloom one last time.
"Even now," he explained as he looked up at the falling snow, "My yearning to see them again is so great that I can almost see them dancing before mine eyes. Tell me, have you ever seen them? There is no sight out there that compares to those beautiful blossoms that can put even the weariest of hearts at ease."
He smiled as he told her more of the beauty of the land, the vast green hills and towering snow-capped mountains, of the many rice patties where the waters are so clear that they reflect the bluest skies…? Just thinking of it was enough to bring a smile to his face.
Like always, she did not say much as she let him talk, probably sensing that he needed this time for reflection more than anything else. It seemed that she enjoyed listening to him however, and he was glad that he had such a good listener.
He paused in his tale when they reached the outskirts of the camp, which took a shorter time than he expected.
"Do you need to rest?" she asked him and he shook his head. "No," he said truthfully. "I'll rest when… I'll rest soon. No need to fear for me. You better check your blade once more, however. Prepare yourself, mind and body. I need but a moment alone."
"But…?" she began before she seemed to think better on it and nodded. He gave her a grateful nod as she told her that he would only be a short distance away and to join him when she felt that she was ready.
And so he left her near the camp, heading off on his own. He checked his pockets once more for the potions that he brought with him. There were only two left… which he felt that he would need both before this battle was over.
He gripped them tightly for a moment before tucking them back into his kimono—coming out to step to a ledge overlooking the frozen land.
The snow continued falling gently, but they sky was already beginning to clear up, meaning that they would be clear soon enough. He reached out a hand and watched as a single white flake dropped into the palm of his hand, melting almost as soon as it made contact with his skin. For a moment, he could almost believe that it wasn't snow, but rather the petal of a cherry blossom. He closed his eyes as he imagined being there… in Hingashi, underneath that clear blue sky and the air was full of the sweet-smelling flowers. He felt so at peace at that moment that it was almost as if he had merely been dreaming of how he had come to a new land and would never see his homeland again.
He soon woke up from that peaceful dream when he heard the sound of crunching footsteps in the snow behind him. He knew that she was here. He did not turn around immediately though as he kept his eyes closed, wanting to picture those pink blooms for just a moment longer.
But when the sound of crunching snow stopped he took a deep breath as he turned around to face her. Her eyes were hardened, and he knew that she was ready.
"Here we are, Claire," he told her simply. "Are you ready to deliver onto Kogarashi his reckoning?"
She was silent for a moment, as she usually was, but then she said in his own words, "Such evil cannot be suffered."
Ah, she had certainly learned well. But now was the time for him to put it to the ultimate test.
"Then you would do well to strike me down," he said gravely. "I am Kogarashi."
She didn't say a word, nor did she look surprised or horrified at what he said. Instead, her eyes hardened even more as she regarded him with that piercing stare that caused him to sigh. She was a very perceptive, young woman and deep down he wondered if she probably sensed that things were not as they seemed.
But he saw no more reason to lie and so he came out and told her everything.
"Kogarashi… I wore this name once upon a time," he explained her remorsefully, "As I wore this Jingasa. Together with my pupil, I journeyed the length and breadth of Hingashi hunting down evildoers. But my guidance was lacking, and ere long my pupil strayed from the path. And the rest of the tale you already know."
"So… the master who trained a killer was…?" she asked him and he nodded.
"I failed to prevent his murderous rampage," he acknowledge shamefully, having to force himself to look at her as he confessed his great sin, "but instead of taking responsibility, I took flight. Instead of honorable death, I chose dishonorable life. Countless time I've turned a blade upon myself, but always my courage faltered."
He had tried to do so… truly he did try. When he first learned of what his pupil had done, he reached for his blade, ready to end it there. But something stopped him and he chose to run instead.
"And so I have lived to this day with my disgrace," he finished before looking at those green eyes of hers once more as he added, confessing all of his guilt and grief inside him, "Furthermore, I deceived you. I masqueraded as a protector of peace, a paragon of virtue, when I am anything but. I spoke loftily of rendering punishment unto the wicked, when the one most deserving of it… was me."
"But… why now?" was all she could ask as she looked on.
He removed his jingasa and threw it aside, knowing that he no longer needed it. Come now… she was a clever girl. Surely, she already knew the answer to that.
"My punishment is long overdue," he commanded, "Render it unto me, Claire, and your training shall be complete."
Pain flashed across her face at the order and she shook her head.
"I can't…" she said softly, "I just can't…?"
He shut his eyes in pain at that moment, hating himself more than ever for what he was forcing her to do. But there was no helping it. He couldn't give her a choice now and he drew his blade, for what he knew to be the last time and held it up, ready to strike as she took a step backwards.
"'Tis not your master who stands before you, but a great evil!" he yelled out, "Now, come! Come and take my head… else I shall take yours!"
"You can't mean that!" she called back, but already he saw her hand go instinctively to her katana, ready to defend herself.
He ignored that as he declared, "Unlike before, this is no game. It ends only when one of us lies dead. Defend yourself, Claire!"
And he charged at her, forcing her to block with her blade and that was when their battle began.
He was on the offensive, forcing her to keep stepping back as he came right at her as she defended his attacks. He couldn't have that. She had to come at him with the same strength that she had shown him time and time again. She has struck down evil before many times why should that change now that she was facing him?
"My blade scours as a snowstorm!" he said as he used one of his stronger attacks until at last she slashed at his shoulder.
That last attack caused pain to flare through his chest so quickly and violently that he fell to his knees. By the kami, he couldn't believe that this was happening right now! Not when he had come so far! He couldn't let himself be defeated by sickness here!
Not for the first time he cursed his frail body.
Claire had stopped in her attack, taking a step forward, looking to help, but he shook his head violently at her.
"N-Not now… not to illness… I'm not finished yet…" he gasped as he reached into his kimono and pulled out another potion and smashed it. When the liquid poured down his throat, he was up on his feet when he felt his pain fade almost instantly.
"Fight, Claire," he commanded as he spun about to face her again, "Fight… or you will die!"
The words were as poison to his own ears as he shouted them. But he had to do it, had to make her believe that he would do it. He knew that she could never bring herself to kill him outright, but out of self-defense? That was different. He would force her hand if he had to.
"Blade of fury, ask one with the wind!" he cried as the wind picked up and created cyclones of air. She saw what he was planning and moved just in time as the cyclones went off. Had she been standing anywhere else she would have been sent flying into the sky and dealt heavy damage.
Very well, how about this?
"Frozen blade, come onto bloom!" he decided as he sheathed his blade only to draw it again to create several pathways of ice, which his pupil almost danced out of to avoid getting frozen.
"Blade of calm, graceful as dance!" he declared as the shadowy forms of flower petals filled the air and he combined all of his strength for a new attack.
Suddenly, pain hit him for a second time and he fell once more. No… not even the potion's effects were lasting long anymore! Not only that, but he started to cough up blood and he knew he was bleeding internally.
He spat out the mouthful of blood when he saw Claire stopped for the second time and looked ready to run to his aid.
But he shook his head. He knew that she had seen through his false threats and that he had no desire whatsoever to kill her. He was put an old relic from a bygone age and had already overstayed his welcome.
"How strong you have grown, my pupil," he said softly to her, encouraging her once more. "Your training shall soon be complete. I am glad. Now for my greatest test…"
He reached for his very last potion and shattered it once more so that he was free of all pain and he got to his feet. He moved to stand at the center of the field where their battle had been taking place. This was it. If he dropped once more, there was no getting back up. It was almost all over for him now as he sheathed his blade.
"The technique for which I have earned my name!" he informed her as she drew back, "Drawing upon my blade's power, I shall call forth violent winds. Show me the fruit of your training and weather it."
This technique would only give her about a minute to figure out how to survive it. He had to believe that she would understand as he prepared himself to unleash all the power the he had left. He caused clouds of wind to appear around him in a perfect circle around him. Should they all go off at once, anyone and anything within their range would be killed at once but for himself. Yet, if one could use their blade to dispel the winds before he finished, then the damage received would be minimal.
He closed his eyes, hoping with all his heart that she figured it out. For if not, then he would have the blood of one more innocent on his hands.
"Death comes!" he cried as he opened his eyes and dealt the attack. It was powerful, yes, but it wasn't as large as he had expected. He looked up to see that she had already taken down all but one of the clusters of wind in time… while she was injured, she was still on her feet and far from defeat. She had just taken down the last cluster of wind before facing him once more and he smiled, knowing that blood was dripping from his mouth now.
"Well done, my pupil!" he praised as he came at her once more, and she was forced to block him. "We are come to the end. I shall bring my all to bear, and so shall you. Hold nothing back, you hear me?"
He honestly had used up all the strength at this point and knew that he couldn't keep it up much longer. Just like he had seen that day in the Coliseum, he had seen all that he had yet to see.
"The storm amidst the calm!" he proclaimed and she didn't see it coming as she was sent flying. But she rolled back to her feet as she came at him once more, this time with more vigor. He sensed that now she was the one who was holding herself back because she was afraid of hurting him. As their blades clashed once more, he looked into those green eyes of hers once more. Everything that he wanted to say, everything that he wish he could say, he was trying to communicate to her without words.
"It's alright," he promised her softly, though he wasn't even aware that he spoke. "You can end this now."
"But…?" she began softly as she looked back, her face full of indecision.
She was young and strong; she couldn't possibly lose now. She just had to forget that he was no longer her master, to see that he was now a great evil, had always been, and she would find the strength to do her duty.
He nodded firmly, showing her that it was for the best. That he did not blame her for any of this and that it was his just punishment. She then closed her eyes in understanding and he knew that this was it. He stepped back once more as she brought his katana up one last time—and this time—he would use absolutely everything that he had left.
Their katana clashed once more and she broke through, under his guard… he closed his eyes as he felt the pain as she slashed across his body with the blade and knew that it was over. At long last, it was finally over.
He felt his body slowly falling backwards and he landed with a strange flumping sound in the snow, his katana slipping from his hand. And there he lay, no longer able to move. He was lying on his back in the cold snow, battered and bloodied as he felt blood dripping from his mouth and he struggled just to breath.
Already his eyes were darkening and he was feeling himself slip away; she had dealt the final blow, but it seemed that he was still alive for the moment. That was when he heard the sound of a katana being sheathed and running footsteps. She appeared at his side, looking down at him with eyes filled with sorrow and regret.
No, she had no reason to feel regret for what she had done.
"Well done… my pupil… you have fulfilled your duty…" he croaked out, struggling to even form the words. She was breathing hard, and didn't seem to be badly injured, which he was glad to see, but why would she still look so sad? She knew what he was, that he had been lying to her the entire time… so why did she feel sorrow for the broken old man that laid here?
Just then she gasped slightly as she pulled out the same crystal that he had given her himself that day they first met. It was glowing brightly in the palm of her hand and he smiled, knowing that she had inherited the final technique he had to teach her.
"The final technique… you have drawn it forth…" he panted, "Good, good… I have served my purpose."
And he meant it. She no longer needed his guidance. She was a samurai in sooth, just as he had been hoping since he first asked her to become his pupil.
She looked at him as he looked to blue sky above him as he gave her his final order, "Now, end it… give this villain his just punishment…"
"Haven't you suffered enough?" she asked him with a shake of her head. "Why do you torment yourself so?"
For who else could he blame for the crimes that his first pupil committed? He should have been able to stop him, but he did not… he all but trained a killer. And he had to accept responsibility for this sin. But it wasn't enough for him to simply take his life—for so great was the shame that he felt—that the only way he could atone was to start over by training a new pupil who would bring him great honor. And great honor she had brought him even before he became her teacher.
At long last, he felt that he could die and face the responsibility for his sin now that he found a way to make amends. Before she could however him, he heard the sounds of more crunching footsteps and a familiar voice crying out as he ran up to them, "Claire! Oh gods, what have you done?!"
Musosai looked up at their dear Momozigo, who somehow discovered that they were out here, and smiled as he reassured him, "Peace, Momozigo… it was my doing… and no more than I deserved…"
Momozigo looked confused as Musosai looked back at Claire, trying to will her to finish it. To make it quick. At last, she stood back up, and readied herself to draw her blade once more.
"No, stop! For the love of the Twelve, that's enough!" Momozigo pleaded as her eyes hardened and Musosai closed his eyes, ready to embrace death. He heard the blade sing when it was swung, and something cut… yet he felt no pain… felt no more blood being spilled…?
He slowly opened his eyes and could see the blue sky above him once more as Momozigo cautiously looked through his fingers, looking even more confused than ever. He, himself, was trying to figure out what happened, for he was certain he heard Claire cut something. But when he saw the bewildered expression on Momozigo's face… so like that day in the forest when he excised the evil in him…? He understood.
"Excised the evil in me, have you?" he asked softly as he closed his eyes, tears of joy and gratitude making his already darkening eyes difficult to see. "Absolved me of my crimes…"
Momozigo sighed in relief and smiled, thinking that it was all over. And it was, though he was sorry that things had to end this way, he was glad that it did. With what little strength that he had left, Musosai turned his head to look at Claire once more, who was looking down at him with sadness as he beamed back.
"Claire…" he said earnestly, his voice growing quieter. "You have become a greater samurai… than even I dared to hope… living in shame and coming to this land… it was all worth it."
It was all worth it in the end.
The kami work in mysterious ways, and seemed to have planned all this out from the beginning. They wanted him to come to this land to find a new pupil to train, and he had fulfilled his purpose. He had trained a student in which he poured all of his hopes and dreams of honor and redemption into. A soul of kindness, whom he believed would never turn her blade upon the innocent…
He rested his head against the pillow of snow as he closed his eyes, muttering in relief to himself, "The evil in me is no more… now I may know peace… in the realm yonder…"
"No, Musosai!" Momozigo begged from next to him, "Please don't die! You can't!"
With great effort, he forced himself to look at Momozigo, the first friend that he met coming to these lands and said to him kindly, "My time was nigh… better that it end this way… Claire, Momozigo… every moment of our journey… I cherished."
And he meant every word. Every word that they shared, every smile and laugh he would hold onto forever in the next life. Momozigo started to cry, tears flooding down his face as Musosai looked back to his pupil—now a master.
"Our work here is done… one fewer evil afflicts… the realm," he said. He looked directly into her face one last time as he felt peace fill his entire being.
'I wish… I wish you happiness… thank you…' he thought and his eyes shut for the last time. His head collided with the snow… but the cold, the pain… he was no longer able to feel it.
*Claire*
Claire felt a cold numbness spread throughout her body that had nothing to do with the blistering winds that wiped around them as they looked down at the broken body of her master.
Momozigo fell to his knees in grief as Musosai took his final breath and was gone… forever. They both stood there for a time, unable to move or say anything as the shock of what just happened washed over them. Once he had regained control of himself, Momozigo got back to his feet and sniffled with a faint smile as he looked down at Musosai's remains.
"Thank you, old man. For everything. We'll go on one last journey together, to the promised place," he said as he looked up to her and she looked to the sky. Yes, they would go together to one last place, the only question now was… to where?
"We shall head back to Ul'dah," Momozigo said firmly. "I know the perfect spot where Musosai can rest in peace. I promised… I promised him this much."
She looked back down at him as he told her all about the conversation that the two of them shared as he was resting at the Forgotten Knight.
"He wished to be buried there?" she asked him softly.
"He was insistent," Momozigo nodded as he wiped at his red eyes. "When I described the location of the Silver Bazaar, he seemed to have decided it. Said that he wanted a place near where he first arrived to Eorzea… which he never learned to say its name properly…?"
They both shared a fond chuckle at that as he finished, "But I gave him my word that once we found this fugitive Kogarashi, we would return there. Speaking of which… where…?"
Claire looked down again at Musosai's face, which was now so peaceful that he looked to be sleeping. She told him everything about what Kogarashi did and, more importantly, who he was.
"So his first pupil went on a killing spree, and Musosai blamed himself for it?" Momozigo demanded. "But that wasn't his fault!"
"He felt that he created that monster," she explained as she knelt at his side and wiped the blood away from his mouth with her own hand. "But instead of dying to atone, he came here… where he trained me."
"So… he was training you to fight him from the very beginning?" Momozigo gasped and she nodded grimly as she lifted the old man's head and shoulders up into her arms.
"Yes," she said, "But come… let us lay him to rest. Our last journey together."
*Later*
It was already growing late when they arrived and carried Musosai's body the rest of the way to the Silver Bazaar. Neither of them said much as Momozigo found the perfect place overlooking the ocean for them to lay him to rest. They set down Musosai's body as they dug the grave deep into the earth. It wasn't much, but they knew that Musosai wanted it this way and would hold true to his wishes. Once the grave was deep enough, they gently set him inside and placed his jingasa on top of his chest as they folded his hands.
The hardest part was filling in the rest of the grave and making the small mound. A humble grave for a humble man…
At last, Claire held up Musosai's katana, holding it in her hands for a moment as she looked at the setting set reflected into the blade, and then stuck it into the mound to mark the grave. Once there, they both set flowers and prayed one last time to pay their respects to the old samurai. The sun continued to set and everything was bathed in a crimson-golden glow that was breathtakingly beautiful.
"Musosai bade me bury him here, where he could look upon the western seas," Momozigo informed her as he finished his prayer. He then stood up with her as they watched the sun and the gorgeous light spreading across the endless span of ocean.
"I did not know why at first, but now I think I do," Momozigo went on thoughtfully, having dried his tears and was even smiling a bit once more. "He wanted to watch the setting sun. Watch it begin its return journey to the east—to Hingashi. No doubt he wished that he could do the same."
She also felt herself smiling and nodded in agreement.
"As we walked to across the Western Highlands, he told me about Hingashi again," she informed him.
"He missed his homeland dearly," Momozigo nodded in full agreement. "And to the last, the thought of his errant pupil weighted on his mind."
She wished that there was something more that they could do. But what's done, is done. His time had been short, yet he had completed everything he set out to do. The evil within him, which she wasn't sure was ever there to begin with, had been cleansed and he could die in peace. He could be left to rest and they would continue on… as he would want them to.
Momozigo seemed to realize this as he glanced up at her and said, "Well, I suppose we should be going. Let's leave Musosai to rest and head back to Ul'dah."
She agreed, but they both looked to the blade once more, knowing that it would be left here to rust, but they enjoyed the sparkling light that bounced off the blade for a few more long moments. At last, when there was no more reason to say, they walked back together.
"So, what will you be doing, my friend?" Momozigo asked her as they walked. "And please don't be so vague this time. You can trust me!"
She chuckled as she thought it over for a moment.
"I think it is time that I join my comrades to aid the Ala Mhigan Resistance," she said at last. "It should only be a matter of time before the Wall is claimed by the Alliance. And when it happens, I shall lend them any aid that I can."
"Truly? Well, when it's over, you must come back and tell me the story!" Momozigo told her with bright eyes. "As for me, I shall soon return to work at the Coliseum. Though I think that things will seem pale there in comparison after seeing the blade work that you and Musosai were capable of. Don't worry, I'll pay a visit to Musosai occasionally and let him know what's going on around here. So, you should just focus on helping those in need. He would be happy about that. Though, if it's not too much trouble? We could pass the time by listening to each other's stories?"
He seemed too eager to hear another story that she found it difficult to refuse. So, she told him more about the wind-swept lands to the Churning Mists, and the ruins that were slowly being built up into a budding nation in Idyllshire…? Momozigo was fascinated by all that he heard and begged more and more for details until they reached the Quicksand in Ul'dah.
Once he realized where they were, he sighed, but he nodded in acceptance as he turned to look up at her once again.
"While we were on the road, the old man told me something," he said after they said their goodbyes. "That before he died, he wanted to leave behind a pupil into whom he has poured all of himself. I don't think he could have found a better person."
She turned red at his praise, but she appreciated it all the same as she muttered her thanks. She was going to miss his cheerful nature when she took to the road once again.
"And as his final pupil, I get the sense that he's entrusted his legacy to you, Claire," Momozigo said with a nod. "So, I hope that you'll keep on protecting the peace as Musosai once did, seeking out the wicked and bringing them to account. And remember always, 'Such evil cannot be suffered'!"
Aye. That was her purpose in the world, wasn't it? She promised Momozigo that she would come back to visit occasionally before she left the Quicksand. At first, she was trying to decide where she would go first… but after speaking with Momozigo about Idyllshire, she thought that perhaps she could visit the children of Menphina's Arms and see how they fared.
Once she made up her mind, readying herself to teleport, she suddenly had an urge to return to Mor Dhona as well when the image of a certain young Elezen with the brightest shade of blue eyes appeared in her mind's eye. She turned red and shook her head hard, wondering why she would be thinking of him right now?
She shook it off as she left, wondering just what sort of evil would be waiting for her over that wall. She would enjoy the free time that she had left… for a new journey was bound to begin soon.
(Hello everyone. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. For those of you who are curious, this story happens shortly before the events of Stormblood. And for those of you who read my Azure Skies and Crimson Squall series, then this lines up with the events there. Shortly before Alphinaud and Claire meet up in Idyllshire, in the last couple chapters of Eyes Ever Heavensward. I thought that it was appropriate to put it up here. You see… my pet cat, who I had for around 20+ years… died today. Yesterday was my birthday, and today he died. So that has been pretty hard on me. I don't know when I'll next be able to put up a chapter, but this will be the last one for a little while. I hope that you all have a Happy Thanksgiving coming up, and make sure to give your pets a hug today. I know that you will be grateful for it.)
