AN: oh my god… I'm so sorry for the late reply! It was just school was ending and then summer came and I needed to look for a job, and then it was just all this other stuff in my life –sigh- I feel so bad about it! But I promise to finish up the story as soon as possible. I believe there is only one more chapter after this one.

Chapter 12

I'm not bringing anything with me, as I never accumulated anything of importance during my stay here. I came with nothing but my hospital gown, and I'll leave with nothing but the blood stained dress I'm wearing.

My heart is pounding and I feel I may be sick any moment.

Laurette is silent across from me and I breathe heavily, trying to get myself together, wondering if this is the right thing to do. The right way to go about this. I knew I needed to get away, and this was probably the most stupid idea I could ever come up with. But simply running away wasn't an option.

He would find me.

"You will go to the docks?" Laurette's voice sounds odd, and I chalk it up the fact we're both drenched in blood and waiting our fates standing here like this.

She takes a step towards me. Her hands are stained with blood that she hasn't wiped off yet.

"I'm going to the docks. If they've left already I'll…" Do what? I don't know. Can I do anything? There was the small hope that I could use the pendent that was now on my possession again. Wish hard enough to go to Fanalia, or Asturia, which was closer. Meet them there?

If the pendent still works like that. If I have enough faith left in these things.

"You're ruining everything for us."

I come crashing back to the now instantly, furrowing my eyebrows and clutching my dress with uncertainty at her words. "Laurette-"

"Do you have any idea what you're leaving will do to us? We'll all be beaten. We might be sold. Cast off into the streets."

She looks wild-eyed. Frightened. Desperate. I take a set away as she takes a step forward.

"I- I can't stay."

"You can!" She reached for me, and I'm unable to move out fast enough as her hand closes around my upper arm in a rather strong grip. I wince from the bruises already there. "The girl is out of the way, why do you need to go with them?"

I shake my head. Try to pull out of her gasp.

I can hardly believe this is happening. I expected such from others but not her. Not Laurette who has acted like a mother to me since I got here.

I feel guilty. Am I really doing them all a great harm by leaving?

"We're going to clean up this mess, and you're going to act like this never happened."

I shake my head because I can't think of anything to say, wincing again as her hand tightened around my arm again. "Laurette – you're hurting me."

She lets go, and I move away quickly, afraid she'll change her mind, my hand going up to clutch the pendent automatically.

Safety. I want safety.

"Help me clean this up." She crouches down, moving her bare hands over the floorboards as if to clean up the blood that way. Her voice has gone rather funny. Sort of shrill, wispy, as if she's dream walking, and her eyes are fixed on the floor.

I don't move. I watch painfully as she desperately wipes at the blood. Trying to soak it up through her skin, mix it with her own blood and spirit. She looks up again, and my breath catches in my throat.

"Help me."

I shake my head again, though I know it will do nothing. Give no comfort or help to this woman who is no longer listening to me. Who is no longer known to me.

Driven to desperation.

"Laurette-"

"Help me!" She stands and pulls something from her sash and I realized what is when the light catches it.

"Put that knife down, Laurette." I'm surprised by the calmness in my voice because I feel absolutely none of it coursing through me. I'm scared.

She looks at is, as if she didn't know what she was holding. I don't move until she makes a move towards me and I take a few steps back. My heart is in my throat. The blood on the floor squishes up against my bare feet. Between my toes.

I must have slipped. I don't know. But I feel a sudden pain in my tailbone and back and I'm lying facing the ceiling, and suddenly I'm fighting off Laurette who is heavier than I am and moving in frantic motions that are hard to judge.

I yell at her. Something. I don't know what words I use.

My head slams into the wood floor as she lunges at me, and my attempts to hold her off falter.

And the pain… the pain. I can't bear it. It burns and seers through my entire body until I can't breath. I don't know where the pain comes from.

Then I'm warm all over, and Laurette is gone. I'm warm and calm and quiet and I close my eyes against the light surrounding me. I hear my heart beating in this quiet. My breath coming in gasps and something thick and sticky running down my side.

My pendent is nearly burning hot against my neck.

Van. Take me away.

I see him with wings outstretched. I smile. It feels as if I'm moving around with him, wrapped in the light and his wings and his arms. Warmth. Comfort. A slow dance that seems to last hours and hours. Years. But only really lasts a few seconds before I close my eyes and loose everything.

Take me away.

………………………………..---…………………………………………………---…………………………….

Celes was sitting on a small stool near the port window when I entered the room. Her hair had completely fallen out of string I'd attempted to tie it back in. Black hair like my own spilling over frail shoulders as she hunched forward to look out the window at the waves we surged past.

When we'd left the harbor, she'd been standing at the railing, watching the fish dance up and leap about at the side of the boat, as if seeing us off.

She'd smiled at me when I stepped up next to her then, but she didn't smile at me as I slipped into another chair beside her, only turned her one dark eye to me, the other still hidden. Her expression was blank, as it mostly seemed to be.

Blank or knowing. I didn't know which.

"Did you like the food Gadess got for you?"

She nods, and turns her gaze back to the window a moment before looking back. "Something happened."

I still a moment, before frowning and moving to try and get into her line of sight. Get her to look at me.

"What do you mean, Celes? What happened?"

To Hitomi. Something happened to Hitomi.

I feel sick to my stomach as my heart lurches into my throat.

She turns her gaze to me and… just looks at me. Perhaps she already knows I that I know what she means and doesn't feel the need to repeat things.

But I needed to hear.

"What happened?"

She shakes her head. "If I tell you, you will be sad. You're not supposed to be sad."

I feel a sudden urge to just grab her and shake her until she tells me. Instead I grasp the fabric on my pants tightly and grit my teeth.

"Hitomi doesn't want you to be sad. She told me."

I feel tears starting to form, and I'm not sure if I should let them come or leave to somewhere where nobody can see me.

I'm looking down. I don't realize I'm no longer looking at her until her fingers touch my cheek. I am crying now. I didn't realize…

Her fingers grip my chin. Pull my face up so I may look at her.

When she's sure I have her attention she smiles. An odd smile, but one that reminds me only of Hitomi even though it isn't like how Hitomi smiles.

If I lost Hitomi, would this girl always be there as a constant reminder of her? Of what I lost?

I'm reaching out before I even realize what I'm doing; my fingers going to the black fabric crossed over her other eye. I tug on it after loosening the holds at the back of her head and it falls away so simply. Almost mockingly.

Her other eye is green.

Or not simply green.

Green. Blue. Purple. Brown. It seems to be every colour. I've never seen anything like it. It gives me chills, and I feel more tears come as I stare into it. I feel sad, happy and amazed all at once.

She's destined for great things.

"You're crying."

A simple comment given from an observant little girl as she touches my face again. Me removing the cloth over her head didn't seem to faze her.

"I want Hitomi here. Safe."

"Yes." As if that was why everyone cried and she was agreeing with me.

"But you won't tell me what happened."

She is silent, and I bury my head in my hands as a sob escapes.

I haven't cried in so long. Not like this. Normally I would feel ashamed, but now I only feel relief.

Maybe because Celes is here, with one small hand on my shoulder, the other still on my cheek. My tears running down to her finger tips.

……………………………………………………………………………………………….

AN:

Ahhhh…this is a shitty chapter! So sorry! In my attempt to get this wrapped up I feel like I rushed this too much. –sigh- I hope it's not complete utter shit, and I hope at least some of you enjoy it :P

..It's also very short. The next chapter will be longer. It will also be the last chapter.