Chapter Nine: The Bloody Rose
Arietta stood outside the door and hesitated. I don't think he wants to see me. She lowered her hand. But I need to clear things up. She took in a deep breath and opened the door.
"What?" Sync was the top part of a bunk bed with his face shoved into a pillow.
"Can I come up there?" She asked timidly.
"Do what you want." He said in a muffled voice. Arietta stepped onto the ladder and clung onto the white bed sheets. Just as she was about to pull herself up, her foot slipped and she began to fall. Sync grabbed her arm without looking up and remained silent. Arietta grabbed onto the bed again and pulled herself up. She patted her clothes and sat with her legs hanging off the side.
"Are you mad at me?" Arietta asked.
"What do you think?" He snapped back. "Ion is all you ever talk about. I don't want you to see me as apart of Ion. I want to have my own identity. I want my own life… I'm so selfish." Sync buried his head deeper into the pillow.
"That's not true." Arietta disagreed. "If you were selfish, you would have told me a long time ago you were Ion's replica. You never told me because you didn't want me to break. I'm happy." Sync lifted his head from the pillow and sat straight.
"Who am I to you then?" Sync demanded. Arietta looked at him and smiled. She closed her eyes and leaned her body towards him. She kissed him on the cheek and simply said, "Sync."
They entered the cave leaving the Albiore 2 and Noelle at the entrance. "Be careful!" Her voice echoed from the opening.
"Can't believe we have to come back here…" Anise shivered. "It's so creepy!"
"Y-yes." Natalia agreed. A bat suddenly screeched form above, screeching. Natalia screamed and grabbed onto Guy's arm. Guy's face grew red and he jerked his arm away.
"I-I'm sorry." Natalia bowed and apologized.
"I thought you got over your phobia…" Tear wondered.
"I-I thought so too…" Guy sighed.
"Hiya!" Anise grabbed onto his back and sat on his shoulders. Guy remained silent and looked up at her.
"What are you doing?" Guy cocked an eyebrow.
"Well, you didn't fling me off this time." Anise pointed out, remembering the time they were in Choral Castle. Anise had screamed and hugged his arm, causing Guy to throw her off and fall into frenzy.
"True." Guy agreed.
"It's that face…" Zeno shook his head.
"What face?" Anise replied innocently with her eyes narrowed and her mouth grinning.
"That face." Zeno repeated,
"Now, now." Jade cut in. "We should be chasing Dist, not bickering among ourselves."
"Agreed." Tear stated.
They continued their way down the cave and made it to where the replicated cheagals were.
"Cheagals?" Zeno exclaimed. He rushed to the cages and blasted them open,
"The ever so cheagal lover." Anise smirked.
"You've never been here?" Jade questioned.
"Never. I wasn't allowed here." Zeno shook his head.
"Funny. Dist isn't here?" Anise examined.
"But of course!" A man with white hair sitting on a floating red lounge chair appeared from above.
"Ew." Anise said in disgust.
"Dist the Reaper!" Sync cried.
"IT'S DIST THE ROSE!" He banged his fists. "Why are you three with them?" He inquired.
"Why are you alive?" Sync answered.
"How rude! You must have come for the parts I took from that vessel!" Dist laughed cynically. "Well too bad! I need them for more research! I will learn to create a person from scratch!"
"From scratch? Alright Saphir, that's enough!" Jade commanded. "When will you ever stop?"
"Jade. Why can't you come back to me? Can't we work on this together?" Dist welcomed.
"Rise in the name of the Necromancer!" Jade raised his spear and summoned a large amount of fonnons, causing it to light the cave.
"Jade!" Dist called out.
"Mystic Cage!" A blast of light emerged and hit Dist. He fell to the ground and coughed up blood.
"J-Jade… why?" Dist reached for him.
"I'm sorry. Saphir." Jade struck him with his spear. Dist began to disintegrate and disappeared.
"Jade…" Guy looked at him.
"I'm fine. We should search for the parts." Jade pushed his long light brown hair behind his ear.
"Done." Sync called from the other side of the cave with Arietta. "These are all the parts." They picked up the parts and walked to them.
"They sure are small parts for all that work…" Luke sighed.
"You didn't do anything though." Tear struck him behind the head.
"For small parts, they are also rare." Guy patted Luke's back.
"Shall we go?" Natalia started to walk away when the cave started to shake.
"Dammit, I might have over done it!" Jade exclaimed.
"Don't tell me it's going to collapse!" Zeno grabbed the cheagals and placed them in his messenger bag.
"Run!" Luke cried.
"WHY AGAIN?" Anise shrieked. She jumped off Guy and chased after Natalia. They avoided falling stalactites and jumped over fallen ones. Just as they were about to exit, Natalia tripped and fell to the ground. She put pressure on her ankle and fell back down.
"Natalia!" Guy rushed to her side and piggy backed her.
"Guy! It's okay! I can run!" She said into his ear.
"You're lying! You think I can't avoid the falling stalactites and carry you at the same time?" He grinned. She bit her lip and stopped complaining. Noelle was waiting at the mouth with the Albiore 2 ready to go.
"Hurry!" She spoke through the speakers. They were able to reach the stairs and make it inside.
"Dammit why do these things happen to us?" Luke threw himself into a chair.
"It's because you're with us." Tear said sarcastically.
"Ouch!" Guy laughed as he placed Natalia in a chair.
"Thank you Guy." Natalia smiled and removed her boots.
"Seems like you sprained it. It's alright, I'll heal it." Tear hovered her hands over he injury and gather fonnons. The light became brighter and then slowly, it died.
"W-what?" Tear looked at her hands and tried again. "It's not working!"
"We're running out of time." Arietta mumbled. Natalia pushed her hands of the armrests and stood. She wobbled and fell back down.
"There wasn't enough to heal her ankle…" Guy helped her up and back into the chair.
"I-I'm sorry." Natalia shook her head.
"It's alright. You have to rest that ankle." Guy said tenderly.
"We can do it by ourselves! Don't worry Natalia!" Luke said reassuringly.
"I don't think we can do much while we travel though." Zeno yawned.
"Lazy!" Anise puffed her cheeks and stuck her tongue out. Zeno opened his bag and released the cheagles along with Cheese.
"Cheese!" Mieu skipped and happily jumped.
"Ah, it's the ugly girl." Cheese pointed at Anise.
"EXCUSE ME?" She stomped while the cheagles cheered on Cheese.
"More annoying things to come along during the journey?" Sync frowned.
"I think they're cute." Arietta and Tear patted Cheese on the head and smiled.
"Ha Sync. Ha." Zeno smirked.
"Trying to pick a fight?" He head locked Zeno twisted his knuckle into his head.
"Ow ow ow! Truce! Truce!" Zeno waved his arms in the air furiously. Guy took them by the collar and ripped them apart.
"Now, now kids. Just get along nicely." Guy released them.
"Now you really do sound like an old man." Zeno sneered.
"What was that?' Guy placed his fists on his sides and shoved his face in front of Zeno's.
"Old man!" Zeno sang.
"Welcome to my world, Guy." Jade said from the front.
"I'm not even in my 30s though!" Guy denied.
"You're getting there." Zeno coughed. "Shouldn't you be acting like a man in front of your beloved?" Luke coughed in attempt to avoid laughing.
"Is the whole world against me?" Guy sighed.
Once arriving at the Absorption Gate they grabbed the parts and transferred vessels leaving Natalia with the Albiore 2 and Noelle. Guy, Zeno and Jade began to work on repairs while the other were forced to wait.
"It should just be about done. I'll go ahead and try to start this thing." Jade combed through his long hair and left the engine room leaving the two alone.
"Hey, Zeno." Guy mumbled.
"What's wrong old geezer?" Zeno replied.
"What do you think about family?" He questioned.
"Family? Well I think it'd be nice to have… but then again, it's not like I really need it."
"Oh… I wish I could feel the same."