A/N: Nothing much to say this time...except that the story will pretty much be following the concept of Meracle's favorite story, "Eleyna and the Feline Gourmand", on the chapter of "Lady Eleyna's romance". Except it'll be a bit sadder...and darker...maybe. Because you see, what fun is it if Crowe just marries Eleyna when he barely knows her? 8D And if you've played SO1 (either the SNES version or First Departure) you will notice there is a weapon you obtain later in the game called the "Force Swords" which, if you cannot tell, are Crowe's laser swords. And well...I just want to illustrate the events that lead to the first Demonic Wars, before Roddick and co. travel back in time to save the future of Roak, and the events where Eleyna becomes closer to Crowe and maybe even undergoes some changes herself. -cough and I'm miffed that there's no option for Eleyna as one of the characters cough- And yes, Crowe did sleep in his normal clothes 8D
AND I passed my Calc II course with an A-! But still no Xbox 360 or SO4 because my parents...-ahem- cannot afford it right now -.- ...-sigh- I guess that means more referring to YT in the future...
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Ocean.
What It Means to Make Amends
C h a p t e r 2
P u r p o s e
Morning came. The sunlight shone softly through the windows.
Crowe opened his eyes. Is it morning already...? He sat up and looked out the window.
I was sort of hoping this was all a dream...that when I awoke, you two would be by my side again...Edge...Reimi. But...I know that I am here for a reason.
Getting up quietly, Crowe walked out the door and headed to the shores.
The sky at sunrise was such a beautiful sight. The sky was dyed soft hues of pink, yellow, and orange, that blended as the sun rose over the horizon. The thin clouds floating in the air also gave the sunrise an ethereal feel. The gorgeous display signaled the dawn of something - a new day, another chance at life... But for Crowe, this sort of sunrise brought back memories both good and bad. He remembered the sky looked this exact same way when he arrived at Aeos two years ago, as endless tragedies unfolded one after another. As he glanced at the sky, all the sorrowful events that occured that day echoed in his mind.
Lucien...Lucien...!
Damn it! ! What the hell are the Grigori! Why would they...why would they do something like that? !
That's a lie...it has to be...it's all lies! You must be lying!
To Crowe, the sunrise that day heralded the dawn of catastrophe...of heartbreak. And yet, at the same time, there were some memories he held dear...such as the days when he, Edge and Reimi were young...they would look at the sunrise together from time to time when the Earth was still in ruins. Seeing the sun rise over the debris-covered horizon gave them hope...that one day, Earth would be restored to its former glory. And now, that day had already come...but Crowe could not see the sun rise back on Earth with Edge and Reimi, as much as he had wanted to.
I wish you two were here... so that we could see the sun rise together, just like we used to, he thought, as the wind blew in his hair.
"I see you're awake."
Crowe turned around...and saw Eleyna standing behind him.
"G...good morning, Eleyna," Crowe said, somewhat nervous.
"Good morning," Eleyna replied. "Is something wrong?"
Crowe sighed, and said to Eleyna, "Seeing the sunrise like this...brings back memories for me." Eleyna could sense the sincerity in his voice as he spoke. "Of course, not all of those memories are good ones..."
"I remember yesterday," Eleyna interjected, "that you said that your people were fighting a war amongst themselves?"
"Yeah," Crowe said, full of remorse. "It was terrible...and my goal was to help them make amends for their mistakes. But...sometimes I wonder if I even know what it really means to make amends. I mean, I feel like I only made things worse, as I was powerless to stop the chain of sadness like you heard about the other day. And..." He paused for a moment, and continued, "Those friends of mine...Edge and Reimi. When all this was over, I was hoping that I could return to my homeworld with them...but, as you see..."
"I see." Eleyna sat down on the shores, and Crowe did the same. "I also remember how you said that, before you came here, you heard a voice saying about how you had a greater purpose. Not too long before you came here, I had an augury...about you."
"An...augury?"
"Yes," Eleyna said. "The auguries told me that a man, descended of the Muah, would hold the key to Roak's salvation in the not-so-distant future." Looking into the horizon, she continued, "Because...Roak would soon be facing not one, but two wars."
"A war..." Crowe seemed saddened by that thought. "A war amongst themselves?"
"No," Eleyna replied, hoping that answer would make Crowe feel at ease. "The citizens of Roak will not be fighting with each other. Rather, they will be fighting against a powerful enemy whose resurrection will come ahead of its time...the feared Archfiend, Asmodeus."
A man descended of the Muah...huh, Crowe thought to himself. I remember learning about the Muah back at the Academy... how they were the first inhabitants of Earth, and were soon scattered all over the universe. She must believe I'm one of them.
Eleyna continued, "This man will arrive on Roak without warning, seeking to find his true purpose, and along the way, will fight many battles, deal with many hardships...and save all of Roak the moment the Archfiend awakens for the first time after many years. Unfortunately, after the momentary victory, he decides not to fight the war with the other Roakians, due to his beliefs. So he entrusts them with a certain...trump card that will help them win the war, if only for a while..."
"And what about the other war?"
"Good thing you asked," Eleyna said. "The second war comes later, when the Archfiend plots to destroy Roak. When that time comes, a small band of heroes will vanquish him once and for all."
"I see..." Crowe could barely comprehend what this all meant. "Will I...be able to see my friends again?"
"I cannot say," Eleyna said, looking at him. "The auguries did not tell me anything about that."
"I understand." Crowe seemed a bit distraught that he wouldn't be seeing Edge and Reimi anytime soon. In order to make him feel better, Eleyna said to him, "But don't lose faith. Someday, you just might see them again..."
Crowe seemed silent for a second, but then said, "Thanks...It's very reassuring to hear that."
"You're welcome."
Standing up, Crowe began to walk back toward Eleyna's house. Noticing that Eleyna wasn't following him, he called out to her, "Eleyna...you gonna head back?"
"I'm fine. I'll head back later," Eleyna said.
As Crowe continued to head back toward the house, Eleyna was watching him and thought, But...I do not need any auguries to know that if and when that day comes...the day that you see your friends again...you will have to make a decision. What will you do then...Crowe? Eleyna glanced away, uncertain.
As Crowe opened the door and walked back into the house, he heard...something. A melody of some sort. "Where's that music coming from? It's...beautiful..." he thought out loud. He noticed the melody was coming from upstairs. He headed up the stairs and saw Meracle, playing some sort of instrument.
"Meracle?"
Meracle stopped playing the tune and turned around. "Oh...hey, Crowe."
Crowe said to Meracle, "I heard you playing a song with your...what is that instrument called?" He glanced at the oval-shaped flute-like instrument Meracle held in her hands.
"It's called an Ocarina," Meracle said.
"I see," Crowe said. "That music you played a while ago...was beautiful."
"Thanks..." Meracle said, her voice full of reluctance. "You probably wouldn't believe what I'm going to say, but..."
"Go on."
Meracle swallowed nervously, and said, "Edge and his friends...found me on Earth."
"Earth? !" Crowe was astonished.
"Or rather..." Meracle continued, "...an 'Alternate Earth' as Edge put it. I don't remember much about how I got there...except that I was put into an escape pod as the ship I was in was sucked in a black hole..." Meracle took a deep breath. "But...being on that alternate Earth was terrible...I was captured...and the people there did these experiments on me..."
"How terrible..."
"But," Meracle said, "there was one man...the Professor...who was really kind to me. I really enjoyed the time I had with him..." She sighed.
"Did...something happen?"
"When Edge and his friends came to take me back to Roak...there was an...accident. Something happened when Edge handed...that woman...his technology. The Earth started to collapse...and I had to escape...I ended up leaving the Professor behind." She looked down.
"I'm sorry..."
"It's okay," Meracle said, sounding a bit happier. "I'm sure the Professor wouldn't want me to be sad. And...everytime I play my ocarina, I hope to myself that I will see him again someday...because I just feel that he is alive, somewhere..."
"And maybe you will see him again someday," Crowe said, patting Meracle on her head. Glancing away for a moment, he thought, I guess this means I should be really careful here...especially when it comes to the technology I have. Wouldn't want what happened to that "Alternate Earth" happen to Roak too.
"Hey...Crowe," Meracle said. "Want me to play a song for you?"
"Huh?" Crowe snapped out of his daydream. "S...sure, that'd be nice."
"Hmm...somehow, I think it's best if I played a song by the pier...wanna come with?"
"All right."
As they headed out of Eleyna's house toward the pier, Meracle noticed Sarah flying downward toward her.
"Look out! !"
"Eeyaah! !"
Sarah bumped into Meracle, and her glasses were knocked off of her face.
"Oh, my..."
"You two okay?" Crowe asked.
"Owww!" Meracle griped in pain. "Sarah, you klutz!"
"Oh...sorry, Meracle," Sarah said, eyes closed. "I guess I should work on my landing a bit more..." When she opened her eyes, her vision was blurry. "Oh dear...I can't see very well...where are my glasses?"
As Sarah looked at Meracle and then Crowe, Crowe could not help but be reminded of somebody close to him as he saw her eyes.
Those eyes...just like...
"Oh dear...I need my glasses..."
Crowe spotted something on the ground and, picking it up, noticed that it was Sarah's glasses. He examined them to make sure there weren't dirty or scratched. Good. They're okay.
As Sarah got on her knees and tapped the pavement frantically with her hands, hoping to touch her glasses, she heard Crowe say to her, "Looking for this?" He then put her glasses back on.
She blinked...and saw Crowe looking at her, smiling. "Hope that's better."
"Oh..." Sarah said, flustered. "Thanks..." She noticed that Crowe was still looking at her. "Is there...something on my face?"
"N-no, it's nothing," Crowe stammered, standing up and looking away.
"Awkward..." Meracle murmured to herself quietly.
"So..." Sarah said curiously, "What are you two up to?"
Meracle replied, "Crowe asked me to play a song for him, but you're welcome to come along too, Sarah."
"Oh, sure!" Sarah said.
As they walked to the pier, Crowe said to Sarah, "Um...Sarah...?"
"Yes?" Sarah asked innocently.
"I'm...sorry if I came across the wrong way earlier, when I was looking at you. But..." He paused.
"But...what?"
But...you remind me of someone I know, Crowe wanted to say, but he knew that if he said that now, he'd probably sound even more awkward. He looked at her, smiled, and said, "You look nice without your glasses."
"Thanks...I guess."
"Heh..."
When they finally arrived at the pier, Meracle said to Crowe and Sarah, "Okay, you guys ready?"
"Just...do your best," Crowe said reassuringly.
Meracle took a deep breath and, placing the ocarina's mouthpiece to her mouth, began to play a beautiful melody, just like the one Crowe heard earlier...except, this melody was somewhat different. It started out as peaceful, calm, and somewhat nostalgic, then became sad, then changed once again to a tune of...one could describe it as...hope. As he heard the melody, Crowe looked into the infinite sky, recalling his past...his family, his friends...Edge...Reimi...and everything that had happened up until the present time. He was greatly moved by Meracle's song, from start to finish.
"Well? What do you think?" Meracle asked eagerly.
"I liked it!" Sarah said happily, then proceeding to hum the tune to herself.
"That was beautiful," Crowe said calmly.
"I remember...two years ago, I played a similar song for Edge...and Lady Eleyna told me that eventually, my melodies would reach wherever I wanted them to go..." She turned to Crowe, and asked, "Do you think...our friends out there could be hearing this?...The Professor...even Edge and Reimi?"
The minute Crowe heard Meracle mention Edge and Reimi, he was overcome with...a certain feeling. He couldn't describe it himself, but it was a mixture of great happiness...and of hope. He felt tears come to his eyes.
"That...that would be nice," he said, turning away.
Meracle could hear Crowe's voice starting to crackle since he was about to cry. "You okay?"
"I'm fine...just...so happy."
"What do you think, Sarah?" Meracle asked Sarah. But Sarah didn't seem to hear Meracle since she was humming.
"Sarah!" Meracle shouted, trying to get Sarah's attention.
"Oh!" Sarah stopped humming. "What were you saying?"
"Argh!" Meracle cried, frustrated. "Forget it!"
"Heh..." Crowe muttered, his eyes still flooded with tears.
"Is something wrong, Crowe?" Sarah asked him, as she could hear his voice starting to break too. She walked over to him and saw that he was starting to cry quietly.
"Are you...crying?"
"Wh-Wha...? !" Crowe was surprised. "I-I'm fine..."
Can't believe she saw me crying...
"Oh my...I didn't know you were the sentimental type!" Sarah said, teasingly.
"Wha-I'm not...!" Crowe brushed his tears away, and started to laugh. "Ha ha..." Meracle and Sarah laughed with him.
"Oh my gosh! Lady Eleyna's probably worried about us! Come on, Crowe, let's head back," Meracle said, alarmed.
"Yeah..."
"What about you, Sarah?" Meracle asked Sarah.
"Oh...I'll just be taking a walk around town. See you two later."
"See ya, Sarah!" Meracle said.
"Later..." Crowe said, waving.
As Sarah and Meracle walked off, Crowe was a few steps behind them, walking at a slower pace. As he looked into the sky once more, he said to himself, "I hope you two are doing fine...Edge...Reimi."
Reimi Saionji was sitting down on her bed in her quarters on the new transportation ship, Calnus, looking out into the vast star ocean. Sighing, she grabbed a small portrait from the drawer close to her bed and looked at it. It was an old photo of herself, Edge, and Crowe when they were in the Academy. "Crowe..." she murmured to herself, somewhat solemn.
It's been two years, Reimi thought to herself. Two years since...that...happened... She sighed.
"Reimi?"
"Come in, Edge."
Edge walked into Reimi's quarters and sat down next to her. "What are you up to..." and then he saw the old photo Reimi was holding. "I see..."
"Hey, Edge?" Reimi asked him.
"Yeah?"
"Remember how, two years ago, I told you that once our mission was complete, that it would be nice if we could all see the stars together...you, Crowe, and myself?"
"Yes...?"
"I asked Crowe the same thing back at the departure ceremony...but...you know..." Reimi sighed.
"I know," Edge said in agreement. "I know how much he wanted to see all this through to the end. I wish he were with us now..."
"Yeah..." Reimi continued, "Do you believe...he's watching over us now, Edge?"
Edge seemed silent for a moment, but then said, "Yeah. I'm sure he wouldn't want us to be depressed..."
Reimi smiled. "Edge..." She stood up and said, "I'll meet you back on the Bridge."
"Okay."
Once Reimi left her quarters, Edge looked out the window and thought, You wouldn't want us to be sad, would you...Crowe?
As Meracle and Crowe entered Eleyna's house, they saw Eleyna standing by a table, eyes closed, glowing brightest white. "Aaaaah..."
Crowe could not believe what he saw. "What's...going on! ?"
"She's having an augury," Meracle answered him. "And...every time she has an augury like that, it drains her of her strength..."
"I...see."
The augury ended, and Eleyna stopped glowing. Overwhelmed by exhaustion, she collapsed to the ground.
"Eleyna! !" Crowe ran to her side and caught her as she was about to hit the ground.
"Nnnng..."
"Eleyna...you okay?"
Eleyna slowly opened her eyes and looked up...and saw Crowe, looking concerned. "Crowe...how fortuitous that you're here..."
Lifting Eleyna's arm and placing it around his shoulder, Crowe walked Eleyna over to the bed and gently sat her down. "Thanks..." she said softly.
"What did you see?" Meracle asked, kneeling by the bed.
Looking up, Eleyna said, "It has begun..."
"What do you mean? What has begun?" Crowe could not understand what she meant.
Lying down, Eleyna said weakly, "Two years ago...there was a cult called the 'Church of Sydonai' whose goal was to 'cleanse Roak', as they put it, by reviving the Archfiend, Asmodeus...what they would really have done was assured Roak's devastation..." She paused to catch her breath, and continued, "In order to revive the Archfiend, they needed a sacrifice...one of pure blood...to awaken Asmodeus. It just so happened that they chose Sarah as one of their...candidates. And...they had invited me to join their little cult, but I refused. After that, they tried to kill me...and that is when I met your friends, Crowe."
"Is that so..." Crowe murmured.
"Yes," she said, facing him. Looking back up at the ceiling, she continued, "Your friends...saved Sarah and defeated the leader of the cult. However...what I saw in my augury just now..."
"Yes?"
"It turns out...that the cult has risen again, with a new leader...and it seems that they are more determined than ever to set the day of Roak's demise in stone."
"...I see."
Slowly sitting up, Eleyna said, "Is something wrong, Crowe?"
Crowe sighed. "How ironic...here I am, thrust into a crisis where the fate of this world rests on my shoulders...I don't know what to say..."
"Crowe."
Crowe looked at Eleyna. "Yes?"
"So far, my auguries have proven to be true...it seems that you are indeed seeking to find your purpose."
"Yes. That, and...I want to do something right for once. If I just sat here and did nothing, I'd be a hypocrite...what will all that has happened be for, then?"
"Well, if that is the case," Eleyna said, "Let me help you."
"Thanks, but...I have to find my true purpose on my own. Right now, Eleyna, it's like I don't even know who I am. I have a feeling that if I just wander around for a while, I'll finally be able to know where my true path lies."
"If that is your wish, I cannot object."
"Thank you for understanding," Crowe said. He turned to Meracle, and said, "Where exactly am I, anyway?"
Meracle answered, "This is Tropp, on the Astral continent. Tatroi is a few hours from here, and across the canal from there is Astral City."
"Tatroi...and Astral..." Eleyna said. "That is where my auguries saw the chaos that would unfold." She looked at Crowe, and said, "Before you go...I want you to have these." Slowly standing up, she opened a drawer and handed Crowe a pair of short swords. "These were given to me by someone who also claimed to be of the Muah. Use them well."
"Thanks...You sure you should be up like that?"
"I'm all right," Eleyna said. Reaching into another drawer, she pulled out Crowe's technology - his laser swords and communicator - and gave them back to him. "I believe these are also yours."
"Thanks...take care, Eleyna." Crowe put his technology away.
"You too." Turning to Meracle, she said to her, "Alleyca...no, Meracle."
Meracle was amazed that Eleyna finally referred to her by her name, not as "Alleycat". "Eleyna...?"
"I want you...to accompany this man. I believe you'll be able to help him."
"Lady Eleyna..."
"I await your return...both of you. And...Crowe?"
"Yes?"
"I hope you see your friends again."
Looking back, Crowe said, "Thank you...Eleyna." He and Meracle walked out the door.
As she climbed back into bed, Eleyna thought, The road that lies ahead...will bring much trials and sorrows...I hope both of you can handle it...
Just then, Sarah knocked on the door. "Lady Eleyna?"
"Come in."
Sarah opened the door and then closed it behind her. "I thought I'd pay you a visit before I return to my enclave..."
"Sarah," Eleyna said, tired. "What good timing...I have a favor to ask."
...
As Crowe and Meracle were about to leave Tropp, Sarah called out, "Hey! Wait up, you two!"
"Sarah...?" Meracle was curious.
"Is something the matter?"
Sarah said to both of them, "I was supposed to return to my enclave, but I decided to pay Lady Eleyna a visit, and she asked me to come with you guys."
"Is that so..." Crowe murmured.
"Yes," Sarah replied. "I hope you don't mind."
Crowe paused for a second, and said, "Sure. You're welcome to come along, Sarah."
Smiling, Sarah walked with Meracle and Crowe as they left Tropp.
A/N: Well, I squeezed in a focus shift to Edge and Reimi. xD Not much to say...except that the next chapters will have occasional focus shifts.
And I just can't believe my next semester will be starting soon. X_X Discrete Math AND Physics w/Calculus I! Argh...that means less time for chapters...but I'll try to make time, honest xD
Peace out...math in. -dies-
...And it appears I have a slight writer's block, what with the new semester coming. X_X The next chapter may have to wait a while... As usual, don't forget to review! I appreciate any constructive crits...I really do xD