Author's Note:

I apologize profusely for the delayed update. However, I do have a special treat to make up for it! In this chapter, Selphie Tilmitt is introduced into the story. She plays a vital role in foreshadowing the events that will take place in the near future, which she will do when she tells Rinoa the story of the Mortal and the Guardians. I'm actually considering working on that as a separate FanFiction because there was so much more that I wanted to have happen in the story, but this chapter was already running over long enough, so I had to write an abbreviated version of it. Also, I have the most difficult time using FFN's editing program. I can't get my line-breaks to work properly, so if you see a small dash in between paragraphs, that's where they're supposed to be. Thank you to those that reviewed in my previous chapters. They're greatly appreciated and always welcomed! I'd love to know what you all think. Onto the story… Enjoy!

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Chapter Three:

I didn't know how real prisons function, but everything about the way I was brought in to D-District seemed so wrong. There were no prisoner formalities and everything about it seemed suspicious. When I was brought into the prison, I expected the inside to be as guarded and caged in as the outside, but I was wrong. It appeared that all prisoners were locked in their respective cells and very few guards were lounging around without much care. What kind of prison was this?

I was thrown into a tiny cell that was so small that I could touch all three walls and the door just by standing in the center. There was a small metal toilet in the corner that reeked of something I didn't want to discover. There was no floor, just hard dirt beneath me, and the walls looked fortified with hard wood and thick cloth. There was no ceiling, which I was partly thankful for because I probably would have suffered from claustrophobia. With no windows and no way to see into the outside world other than the sky, I probably would suffer from it anyway. I wondered why they would make such a flimsy cell that with time and effort I could probably break, climb, or dig out of, but then I remembered that even if I were to get out, I couldn't escape the great walls of the prison with my life in tact.

All that was left now was to wait. But for what? I wasn't sure. I'd like to say I was waiting for my freedom, but that idea seemed highly unlikely. Or perhaps I was waiting for something to do. Sitting in a tiny cell for many years to come could get pretty boring. If someone asked me last week how I envisioned my future to be, I certainly never thought it would become like this.

-

I must have fallen asleep because I could hear a voice calling out to me. As my lashes fluttered, I blinked away my drowsiness and sat up. "Hello?" I whispered.

"Hi!" a cheerful voice greeted me. It sounded like it came from the cell to my left, and I quickly got up on my knees and put my ear on the wall.

"Who is this?" I asked.

"My name's Selphie," she replied. "Selphie Tilmitt. Pleased to meet you!"

"Are you alone in there?" I asked.

"Well yeah, all the cells here are the same. Everyone gets their own."

"Oh… I didn't know that."

"That's 'cause you're new!" she exclaimed. It wasn't irritating per say, but more of a surprise to meet someone so upbeat in a prison. "So what's your name?"

"Rinoa," I said sadly. "Rinoa Heartilly."

"Oh wow!" she said. "What a pretty name!"

I smiled gently. "Thanks."

"What did you do to get in here?"

I paused for a moment. "I shouldn't be here."

I heard silence on the other side of the wall. "I think a lot of people shouldn't be here. But here we are! So we might as well make friends and help the time pass on by faster, right?"

"Don't you get to go outside?" I asked. "Aren't we supposed to work as part of our sentence or something?"

"Oh no, that's not how it works here," she said. "Once you're in a cell, that's it. You'll never leave unless Cid has business with you or if you're free to go."

"What?" I said in disbelief. I sunk to the ground and gently leaned my forehead against the wall. "I can't believe this. How long have you been here?"

"I lost track, but I think it's been almost a year now," she responded thoughtfully.

"Wow, that long?"

"Yeah… they thought I was going to bomb a Galbadian daycare center and brought me here."

"Wait!" I yelped. "You're innocent?"

"I'm here aren't I? I don't think my innocence would matter," Selphie said with an ironic laugh.

"Yes it does!" I cried. "It does because I'm innocent too! Is everyone here innocent of their charges?"

"I'd like to think that," she answered honestly. "But think about it. Locked up for years in a small space… anyone would say they were innocent to get out of here."

"Oh," I murmured disappointedly. "I guess you're right."

"Why fight things we can't control? Let's just make the most of it and enjoy ourselves!"

I smiled again. Ok, maybe it's a little annoying, but I admired her ability to be cheerful in times of crisis. It was certainly not a strength I excelled in.

-

A couple of months had gone by since the day I arrived in D-District Prison. With all the time I spent in my cell, the only thing that I could do was talk to Selphie. Though it was really just to pass the time, I learned a lot from our conversations. She knew almost everything about the prison like the back of her hand, and it was quite interesting to hear all of her stories.

She told me that Cid was not only the Headmaster of the prison, but he was the one that founded it many decades ago. "He's probably one of those guys trying to make the world a better place," Selphie had told me when I asked how someone could be so interested in creating and managing a criminal facility. I also heard he was one rich bastard, which was probably how he scored a wife as beautiful as Edea. Not many people knew Edea's story, so Selphie couldn't tell me much, other than the fact that everyone knew she was a power-hungry gold-digger. "Rumor has it that Cid's been so involved with his work lately that he's practically neglecting his wife," Selphie had told me as-a-matter-of-factly. "That little slut's hooked up with Seifer, and Cid doesn't have a clue! I heard that sometimes, they sneak out of the penthouse in the middle of the night and have wild, hot monkey sex in the empty prison cells!"

Remembering how the cheerful, innocent girl said that made me laugh. It was pathetic how gossip was what got me through the day, because I remember being the target of gossipers and loathing the way they talked about my business like it was theirs. I didn't personally know Cid, Edea, and Seifer, and I didn't feel that it was my place to judge their lives. But I couldn't help thinking how sad it was that things like that happen.

"I don't think I'll ever get married," I said to no one in particular one night.

"What?" Selphie whined. She was always ready to strike up or join a conversation. But then again, she was the only other prisoner around me. I could hear others in the distance, but none were close enough for me to talk to. "That's like every girl's dream! To find a wonderful man and share a beautiful wedding and spend the rest of their lives together in peace, love, and happiness!"

I smiled. Selphie was such a hopeless romantic. She was a great story teller too, that Selphie. Sometimes, when we had nothing to talk about, she'd just start telling me a story. I'd ask her where she got them from, and she'd say she just made them up as she went along. One night, I brought up the idea of escaping, just to know what she would do if we hypothetically did do it. But instead, Selphie had turned it into yet another romantic story. That time, it had been about how she and one of the guards would fall in love, and being the knight in shining armor that he was, he'd rescue her by helping her escape from the prison walls and hop onto a horse that just happened to be waiting outside the gates, and ride into the setting sun away from cruel and unusual punishment. Yep, that was Selphie.

"But I'm so young," I continued. "And there's so much I want to do. I don't have time for that kind of stuff."

"Stuff?" she asked. "This is love we're talking about! Not just 'stuff'! Don't you want to fall in love and live happily ever after?"

I thought for a moment. "My parents were never in love. They didn't have me out of love. And even in the short time we spent 'together', I don't know if it was love."

"Maybe your parents did love each other, you just didn't know it," she said, earning a gentle smirk from me. "And the love between family is different. I'm talking about the love between a man and a woman!"

"But I never liked a boy before," I confessed. "I wouldn't even know what love was even if it stared me in the face."

"No way!" Selphie exclaimed. "You never crushed on a guy? Not even once?"

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Maybe you like girls?"

"Selphie!" I pouted.

"Well, you never know, Rinoa," I could almost hear her winking. "It could be the reason why you never liked a boy before."

"No, it's not that," I explained. "I just don't want to get married, that's all."

"Rinoa…" I heard her voice turn serious. It was a rare thing to hear her speak so seriously. "Remember that story I told you about? The one about the Guardians?"

I smiled. "It's my favorite one."

She had told me the story a few nights ago, one with an ending that couldn't really be classified as happy or sad. The night she told me had been a beautiful night, one we could see as we laid on the cold, hard ground of our cells. I remember rolling my eyes when she began because I thought it'd be some sappy romance that I'd think was silly. But those thoughts slowly dissipated as she began to tell me the story of the Guardians.

With a voice as serious as the one she spoke in tonight, she had asked me, "Do you think it's possible to fall in love when you don't have any senses?"

"What do you mean?" I had asked her.

"Like the ability to see, for example," she had explained. "If you didn't have any senses, do you think you could still fall in love?"

I had thought about it for a long moment. "I don't think so."

"Are you sure?"

"Well, how do you fall in love with someone who you don't know is even there?" I had asked her. "If you can't sense anyone around you, you couldn't possibly fall in love."

"Then, if you could have just one sense, what would it be?"

As hopelessly romantic as Selphie could be, I remembered wondering how she was able to get me thinking so much about myself through those conversations. "I don't know… I guess… sight."

"Sight?"

"Seeing is believing right?" I had said jokingly, but Selphie didn't laugh.

"Wrong," she had answered simply. "That's not love, that's lust."

"How is that lust?" I had asked a bit offended. "It doesn't matter if you can taste or smell a person. And you can't fall in love with someone just by touching them. Plus you don't need to hear to communicate; you can write to each other or use sign language—

"As long as you can see what they look like, right?" Selphie had cut me off. "You know, looks can be deceiving. There are things you can see by hearing when you're not looking. You can learn a lot about someone if you just listen."

"Like us?" I had said.

Selphie had gasped. "Rinoa! You're finally admitting that you like girls?"

I had pouted when I heard her laughing. "You know what I mean!"

I could hear her laughter die down when she continued, "Yes, like us. I've never seen you before, but I can tell when you're happy or sad. There are things like that that you can't always tell just by seeing."

"I see," I had said ironically. "How come I have a feeling there's a story coming out of this?"

"Because there is!" Selphie had exclaimed.

"Naturally," I smirked and waited for her to tell the story of the Mortal and his Guardian.

"Gaea had always been a peaceful world. But what many did not know was that Gaea had been protected for many millenniums by celestial beings. Those beings were called Guardian Forces, all of whom live in the heavens and were guided by their Father, Alexander, for he was the Guardian Force of Sight. His abilities, however, would not allow absence from the heavens, thus he must send his fellow Guardian Forces of the Senses to aid him in watching over Gaea.

"One day, Siren, the Guardian Force of Sound, descended upon Gaea. Upon arriving, she suddenly heard the sounds of a man weeping. 'I hear so much sorrow,' she said. Unable to ignore the sounds of the weeping man, she followed them until they guided her to him. 'Kind sir, why is it that you weep?' she asked. But the man did not even acknowledge her presence. Noticing this, Siren closed her eyes and held her hand up with her palm facing the man. Her hand started to glow, when suddenly, her eyes shot open in sadness. 'Poor sir, you cannot hear a thing,' she said.

"Realizing this, Siren clasped her hands together and slowly spread them apart as another light glowed between her palms. But just as soon as she did that, the light disappeared as she hesitated to continue. She knew the repercussions of what she was about to do, but she could not bear to carry the guilt and remorse for leaving behind someone she knew she could have helped. And so, she held her hands up again and soon, her golden harp appeared as she began to play a tune with a sound and melody that no mortal had ever heard before. As she played, waves of gold emanated from the harp while an amethyst tide flowed gently around her and streamed its way towards the man. When the ritual was complete, Siren's golden harp transformed into dust and slowly spirited away with the wind as she collapsed onto the ground. But as weak as she was, she waited.

"A moment later, the man stopped weeping and sat in silence. His face was wrought in confusion when Siren decided to ask him again, 'Kind sir, why is it that you weep?' The question made him jump. 'I… I can hear,' he said more as a statement than a question. 'Yes, you can,' Siren told him. 'I have given you the gift of Sound, and now you may listen and speak to the world to your heart's content.'

"And that was precisely what the man did. He had introduced himself as Aki, and for many days and many nights, he spoke a great deal with Siren and wished to listen to her speak just as much. To hear another's voice, as well as his own, was something Aki had not been able to do in so long. When Siren had asked him again the reason why he wept, he told her it was because all of his senses had degenerated, and he could do nothing but continue living out his meaningless existence. 'It must have been lonely,' Siren sadly said. 'Yes it was,' Aki replied. 'But because of you, I don't feel so alone anymore.'

"The two continued their conversation for many days and many nights when finally, Siren asked him, 'If you could have one wish, what would it be?' Without hesitation, Aki replied, 'To fall in love.' This made Siren curious as she asked, 'How does one fall in love when they cannot sense those around him?' Aki answered, 'Because now I can hear. Hearing is seeing with my eyes closed. You can hear things that the eyes cannot see. If I can hear her voice, then that alone would make me happy.'

"Siren smiled, but it soon turned into a frown when she told him it was time for her to return back to the heavens. 'Wait!' he called out. 'Please, do not leave me.' Siren told him, 'But I must. It is my duty.' Aki replied, 'You have given me the gift of hearing, but what does it matter if all I will hear is silence?' With that, Siren played her golden harp again, but with a different tune this time. Siren told him, 'When you stop hearing this song, that is when I will return.'

"And with that, Siren summoned her golden harp once more. As she played, the same waves of gold and amethyst tide flowed around her body, but cascaded across the sky up towards the heavens where she was to return. Once the path was made, the golden harp turned to ashes once more as its Guardian made her way on the path she had created. Before she left, she turned around once more to look at the man who she had given her gift to and smiled with affection.

"The Guardian wasn't sure exactly what it was she was feeling at that moment, but whatever it was, it made her happy. 'It is a mysterious feeling,' she whispered. 'This thing called love.' Though she said it so softly, Aki's keen sense of hearing had hung on to every word. But before he could tell her that he felt the same, he knew she was gone. 'I thought there was nothing left in this life for me,' he wished she could hear. 'Yet I waited instead of putting an end to what I thought was nothing more than a meaningless existence. My patience, though as lonely and painful as it was, was worth obtaining, because I was able to meet you.' A single tear escaped from his blind eye. 'Because of you, I was able to hear again, to live again… to love again,' Aki's voice wavered. 'I've found a reason to be here. Not to wait for death, but to wait for life. My patience is no longer being tested. For you, I'll wait an eternity.'

"Many sunrises and sunsets later found the man listening to the song of Siren, and though each note was never repeated and every melody never stayed the same, he was able to remember the feelings behind the music. He soon realized it had been Siren's heart he'd been listening to, for it played her feelings of happiness and sadness, a song of love and longing. It was almost like she was speaking to him from the heavens, and though he never wanted to stop hearing such a lovely tune, he also wished for it to end, for that was when Siren was expected to return. But what he didn't know would soon come to haunt his days.

"Unbeknownst to him, though Siren safely returned to the heavens, she had a difficult time fulfilling her duties as a Guardian because she was still weak from giving the man her some of her mystical powers. But she persevered and finished her tasks quickly because she wanted to return to Gaea as soon as possible. It was unwise of her, because when the time came for her to return, something devastating had happened.

"After summoning her golden harp to create the path she must take to return to Gaea, she descended into her journey, only to find that she did not have enough strength to make it to the end. The path itself was draining whatever strength she had left, and it crumbled before turning to ashes beneath her. Unsupported and weak, Siren, the Guardian Force of Sound, was sent plummeting to her death.

"The moment that it had happened, the song of Siren had changed from its relaxing tune of content and anticipation to one of disturbing anxiety, all within four measures. This sudden change had startled the man, especially when it ended in silence. 'The music has stopped', he said with uncertainty. 'But something's not right. Something is wrong. I just know it!'

"Desperate to hear from his love, he decided to pray to her Father, the Guardian Force of Sight, Alexander. 'Great Guardian Force Alexander, please hear my call, I wish to find my beloved Siren!' he prayed. And soon after, the Guardian heard his prayer and asked him, 'What has happened to her?' Aki replied, 'I do not know. But she speaks to me through her song. Before I was met with silence, she was so afraid! She was in so much agony! She was in danger! I… I can't stand the thought of losing her! Please, Great Alexander, tell me what I can do! How can I find her? How can I save her?'

"Alexander found the man quite intriguing. 'Do you love my Daughter?' he asked. Aki didn't blink. 'I do', he answered. 'Enough to return her gift?' Alexander asked. Aki did not answer right away, but then said that he did. His hesitation did not go unnoticed by the Guardian, and Alexander thought for a moment before nodding in uncertain approval. 'Then you must go to her. I will bless you with the gift of Sight. Then, my children shall guide you to where she is. Find her, and bring her back to me'. Aki replied, 'I won't rest until she is safe from harm.'

"Alexander summoned two of his Children who were also Guardian Forces of the Senses. Ramuh, his eldest son, was the Guardian Force of Smell, and Carbuncle, his youngest son, was the Guardian of Taste. Both had blessed Aki with their gifts, but Alexander told the man that he must retrieve the last Sense on his own. 'You must go to the Shrine of my Daughter, Shiva. Pray to her. Ask her to bless you with her gift of Touch. If she accepts, then she will guide you to where Siren is.'

"And so, Aki accepted his mission and began his journey around Gaea. But before he went, he asked Alexander, 'How will I find her Shrine?' Alexander answered, 'I shall call upon my nephew, Odin, for he is one of the Guardian Forces of the Universe. He is the Guardian Force of the Stars and shall aid you in navigating you to your destination.'

"A moment later, Aki saw a spectacular display of light when suddenly, two bright stars appeared in the sky. 'The first start represents your present location', Alexander told him. 'The second is where you need to go. Follow the Constellation of Odin, he shall guide you to the Shrine.'

"When Aki set out on his journey, he found that with each destination he arrived, another star appeared, soon taking him to the Temple where the Shrine of Shiva dwelled. 'Great Guardian Force Shiva, please hear my call, I wish to find my beloved Siren!' Aki had gotten on his knees and prayed to her. He waited for a moment until the room became misty with a cold fog. He couldn't feel it, for he had no sense of touch thus had no sense of pain, but he could see frost forming on the walls. He watched in amazement as the floor in front of the Shrine turned into a sheet of ice and flurries of snowflakes spiraled from the ground. It was like an isolated blizzard, and when the snow cleared, the man saw the celestial being encased within ice. Aki stood up and cautiously walked toward the Guardian. When he was an arm's length of the frozen Guardian, he held up his fingers and touched the ice. He could not feel its coldness biting the tips of his fingers and did not see them turn blue, for he was too entranced with the beauty of the Guardian to notice.

"Suddenly, her blue eyes shot open, causing the man to jump back bewildered as she broke through the ice and walked towards the man. 'I've felt the touch of many filthy mortals' hands on me,' she said monotonously. 'But you did not shrivel at your touch. Did you not feel any pain when you laid your fingers on me?' Aki shook his head. 'I did not mean you any impure harm,' he defended himself. 'I was uncertain whether you were the Guardian Force Shiva.' The celestial being paced around the man. 'Yes, 'tis I,' she replied. 'What is it that you so desire that you must pray to the Guardian Force of Touch?'

"Aki told her of his mission to find Siren. 'And that is why I must ask you, Great Guardian Force Shiva, to grant me the gift of Touch, and to help guide me to my beloved Siren!' Aki pleaded. 'No, I do not ask,' he corrected. 'I beg of you! Please, help me find her!'

"This request enthralled Shiva. In response to him, she grinned devilishly. 'You're honest. Passionate. And you do not fear my touch,' she told him as she bent down and picked up his chin to level their eyes. 'I have never met a mortal of your kind. Forget your mission and stay with me. I can make you immortal, and we can be together for all time.'

"The man felt his eyes glaze over as the Guardian spoke to him. Her eyes held a piercing gaze, her skin was as blue as the sky, and though she was not human, she was strikingly beautiful. He felt himself drift into a state of entrancement when she leaned closer to kiss him on the lips. But right before her lips could graze his own, he turned his cheek and gently pushed her away. He was afraid to look at her, for a woman scorned was already a nightmare, but to scorn a Guardian Force was more like casting a curse than committing sin.

"He cast his eyes downward as he told her, 'I had not laid eyes on a woman in many years. You, though a celestial being you may be, are the first. Your beauty is undeniable, but to be able to see such beauty was a gift from your Father. Alexander entrusted me with his gifts to find his Daughter. I cannot dishonor him this way. Nor can I dishonor my love for Siren this way,' Aki said without looking at her. "It was never my wish to live forever, though as enticing it may be, I find that my existence has more meaning knowing that there will be an end. And my love for Siren... you cannot grant immortality to what will already live forever.'

"The man finally dared to look up and was shocked to see what he found. Shiva's hands were placed one on top of the other and were glowing a bright golden light. She brought her hands slowly upward over her head as the golden ball of energy built up to maximum power. Her back arched as she prepared to shoot the man with a beam of light, with mountains of icicles leaving a trail between the two. For a moment, Aki was terrified. Had he shamed her that much? Was this his punishment for rejecting a Guardian? Was he going to die before he had a chance to save Siren? Before he could ask himself any more questions, he felt the beam shoot at him, and instead of going through him, it filled his body from his core to his finger tips, and when the light disappeared, he felt an incredible cold air surround him. The mountains of icicles broke, and he could feel the cold melt away as he held up hands and rubbed them together. 'You… you've blessed me with Touch!' Aki exclaimed.

"Shiva's face that was once filled with lust had now turned into one of gentle grace. With a smile on her face, she told him, 'It was what you prayed for, is it not? Forgive my intrusion. I never wished to betray my Sister with such actions. But it had to be done. Father needed to know whether you would have chosen lust, vanity, and immortality in place of Siren's love, and now it is clear where your heart lies.'

"Aki was beaming. 'I cannot thank you enough. I am forever in your debt,' he told her. 'You will repay your debt when you return my Sister. I do not know exactly where she is, for I cannot sense her presence any longer. All I can do is tell Odin of where I last sensed her. But with the combined powers bestowed upon you by the Guardian Forces and with the help of Odin's Constellation, you and you alone can find her. Please, return my Sister. A world without Sound is a lonely one.'

"Aki nodded and bid the Guardian Force of Touch farewell before he left the Shrine. When he stepped out of the Temple, he noticed that Odin was creating a new Constellation for him. From the sky, the man heard Odin's voice tell him, 'Within the stars is where she lies.' Knowing what this meant, Aki used all of his senses to find Siren. 'I'm coming, Siren,' he whispered, hoping she'd hear him. 'Please, just hold on.'

"Aki ran with all his might day in and day out until he could run no more. He stumbled onto the ground and buried his face within his hands and cried. 'Siren!' he screamed. 'Siren, where are you? Please, answer me! Tell me where you are!' Aki continued to cry until suddenly, he heard a faint noise. 'What is that?' he wondered. 'It… it sounds like… Siren's Song!'

"Aki quickly climbed onto his feet and prayed that the Guardian Force of Wind would carry him to his beloved. He focused all of his strength on his gift of Sound and tried to hear where the music was coming from. He ran and ran, and finally, his legs gave out, not because he could run no more, but because he had found his Guardian, lying lifeless on the ground. Aki noticed her golden harp floating beside her, and though it was glowing weakly and it struggled to play Siren's Song, it glided its way toward him and rested on his hands. As soon as his fingers curled around it, its light faded and played no more.

"Aki crawled toward Siren and placed her golden harp in her hands and put them down on her chest. He lifted her head and rested it on his lap. He smiled at her lovingly and moved the lock of golden hair that covered her face and stroked her cheek. He could not see her very well, but he knew she was beautiful. She had the heart of an angel, a heart he desperately wanted to beat again, but he knew well enough that whatever had happened to her, she was already gone.

"A tear slip down his cheek, then another, and another. 'I have so much to tell you,' he said. 'About the Guardians and how much you mean to them… and how much you mean to me.' He lifted her head up and rested it on his chest. With his arms around her, he leaned in and buried his cheek in her hair facing away from her face. Though she could not see, he didn't want her to see him cry for her.

"Instead of telling her about his journey, Aki began to hum. Even though her songs weren't memorable, he was able to hum every tune the way her Song did when it sung of love, longing, sadness, and sorrow. Shiva was right, a world without Sound certainly was a lonely one, and without her to fill in the silence of his world, he did not need her gift any longer. As he hummed, he returned the gift that she gave to him, and silently thanked her for giving him another chance to live.

"Soon, her harp began to glow, and with each note he sang, it glowed brighter and brighter, when finally, a wave of light exploded from the harp and temporarily blinded Aki. When he opened his eyes, the golden harp had transformed, and it began to play a melody that he was unable to hear. The sounds turned into waves of gold and a tide of amethyst flowed around Siren's body, levitating her off the ground. The waves swirled around her body making her glow as brightly as the harp. When the waves disappeared, Aki put his arms under Siren and gently put her back down on the ground. The golden harp turned into dust that was carried off in the wind.

"When Aki turned back to Siren, she had already begun to awaken. Her eyes began to flutter open, and as soon as they did, Aki hugged the Guardian close to him and cried in joy when he felt her heart beat against his. He pulled back and looked at her. Her eyes were a deep amethyst, like the ocean water that surrounded her when her golden harp played. She was indeed beautiful, but her smile and the look of love in her eyes were what took his breath away. He never thought he'd get to see them, but now he did.

"She was still weak, but she was able to speak. 'You came for me,' she said. But the unresponsive look on his face made her confused. 'You… cannot hear me any longer, can you?' He kept smiling, but he shook his head, letting her know that words weren't needed for a moment like this. Even though he had become deaf once more, he hadn't yet forgotten how to use his vocal chords, and though he couldn't hear his own voice speak, he knew she could hear when he whispered, 'Thank you.'

"Siren looked at him questioningly. He continued, 'Thank you… for giving me a chance to live again. But your gift, the Guardians' gifts, are not mines to keep. They do not belong to me. Now that I've found you, I wish to return them, even if it means I won't sense your presence any more. Knowing you are safe, seeing you alive, brings me great joy. I've gotten to see your smile and feel your heart beat. And I've been blessed with your love. My life, this life, was certainly not wasted.' He kissed her forehead very gently. 'If you wish to see me, I'll be here. Even if I can't see you, hear you, or feel you… I know you'll be beside me, holding my hand, until the day I am gone.' Siren began to cry. 'Please, do not cry for me… do not sacrifice your gifts for me again. A Guardian must be strong. You are the Guardian Force of Sound, and a world without you is a lonely one.' Aki kissed her again, this time, on the lips. And the moment he let go of her… was the moment he let go of his gifts."

As soon as Selphie was finished telling the story, I didn't want it to end. It certainly was an amazing story, and though the ending was neither happy nor sad, it did make me think about my own thoughts about love.

"You should be the Guardian Force of Story-Telling because that was a great story," I told Selphie with a gentle laugh.

"I should be, shouldn't I?" she replied thoughtfully. "Now that you remember it, do you still think you'll never get married?"

I thought about it for a moment.

"If I meet him, you'll be the first to know."

"You mean 'when' you meet him, right?"

I smiled. "Right."