Chapter Eight: Change
"Jeez I'm tired!" Zeno streched.
"It's nice the three of us are together again." Arietta smiled.
"W-well." Zeno blushed and looked away. "I guess so."
Anise squinted and shoved her face in front of Zeno. Her lips curled and she giggled. "How sweet!" She sang and began to skip away.
"H-hey!" Zeno chased after her. "It's not what you think!"
"Oh? But I think it is." Natalia smiled. Guy looked at Natalia and smiled himself.
"How nice it is to be young." Jade sat back and rested his arms on the armrests. "I seem to be out of place."
"Don't worry Colonel, You're not the only one!" Noelle laughed from the pilot's seat.
"How true. I guess I'll join you while I leave these kids to enjoy their youth." He stood from his chair and sat in the co-pilot's seat.
"How far are we from Ortion Cave?" Jade questioned.
"About two hours or so." Noelle answered.
"Plenty of time to relax." Jade closed his eyes.
Sync continued to lean against the wall and watched them. Never thought they were so laid back. He looked in disgust. Anise was panting from running away and sat in one of the empty seats. Zeno approached her from behind the chair and ruffled her hair. She cried in terror and puffed her cheeks. Arietta stood beside her chair and seemed to ask her something. Anise stood and they both left the room. Sync skeptically followed them. He hid behind a corner and remained silent.
"Anise…" Arietta looked down and shifted her feet. "Now that Ion's dead, I feel really empty inside. He was always there for me and always made me smile. I know it's your fault that he's dead, but I still think I can move on. Ion's telling me I should."
"So, Gloomietta, You think we can be friends?" Anise bent her back and looked up at Arietta's face.
"W-well… I want to change." She bit her lip and uneasily shifted her eyes.
"Alright!" Anise grabbed Arietta's hands and smiled. "We have to get over the past someday. But I have a question." Arietta looked into her brown eyes. "Did you know about Ion's replicas?"
"R-replicas?" Arietta's eyes widened.
"I thought so. He never told you anything," Sync cringed from the corner and restrained himself. "The reason I was put as Ion's Fon Master Gaurdian, was because Ion you knew, was dying." Arietta fell to the floor as her long pink hair brushed the ground. "He had nine different replicas. Three survived. One being the one everyone had thought was the real one, another whose name is now Florian and the last one was-"
"Anise!" Sync revealed himself among the shadows and cut Anise off.
"So you were listening…" Anise charged at him and tried to remove his mask. Sync caught her arms and held them. Anise kicked his side and one he loosened the grip, she slapped him, knocking the mask off his face. Arietta gasped and held her hands over her mouth.
"Dammit!" Sync turned and bumped into Zeno. "Move!"
"She has to learn the truth sometime!" Zeno screamed into Sync's face. "No matter how much you hide it, you can't keep running away like this!"
"S-Sync. I-is that true?" Arietta hugged her doll tightly. "A-are you really Ion's replica?" Sync remained silent and turned to look at her. Arietta's eyes began to fill with tears and she grabbed him. Sync stared at her with confusion.
"A-Arietta?" She continued to sob on his shirt. Anise grabbed Zeno's arm and pulled him away, back to where the others were.
"Why didn't you tell me?" She cried between sobs. "Why didn't you tell me anything?"
"Do you really think I would tell you about how Ion died?" He exclaimed. "You would've committed suicide or something!"
"Then why didn't you tell me about you?" She banged on his chest. Sync sighed.
"If I did, what would you have done?" Sync asked. Sync stared into her eyes, searching for her answer. "I don't you to think of me as Ion. I want to be me." He placed his hands on her slender shoulders and brushed past her.
"Where are you going?" She turned.
"To cool off." Sync stepped through a door and disappeared.
Arietta knelt and picked up his gold beak-like mask. She shook her head and went back to the where Anise was.
"Gloomieta! What happened?" Arietta held Sync's mask and looked back at the door. "I understand it's hard, but did it have to end up like this?" Anise stomped her foot.
"I-I don't know what to do. He said he wanted to be him, not Ion." Arietta quivered. Zeno stared at her. Her eyes were all red and her sleeves were wet. "I'm so confused!" She kept shaking her head back and forth.
"Arietta." Zeno began. "Sync knows who he is. The thing is, nobody else does. Do you think he wants to be seen as someone he's not?" Arietta paused and looked at him. "I think you should clear things up. Is he Ion to you? Or is he Sync?" Arietta dropped the mask and her doll and ran back to Sync. Anise patted Zeno's back and sighed.
"So sweet and depressing."
"I think he needs her more than I." Zeno smiled painfully and planted himself into a chair.
"We used to always be fighting, but now, I'm actually helping her… things change so easily." Anise sat next to him.
"I wish they didn't have to."