A/N: Hey there, readers. Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year; I know I did (since my last update was before Christmas; it's been a LOOOONG time since then). And I just finished my Spring 2010 semester, which was HECTIC. X_X But I did well, thankfully… If you kept up with my dA journal entries, you should know much of what has been happening. Also, I couldn't get a PS3 for Christmas in time for SO4 International (which, as I found out, has NO new playable characters or alternate scenarios...how disappointing. But I'll still get it for the fact that there's no disc swapping xD). However, on June 12, I just turned 21! And the day before, I was able to play just a little bit of SO4…it was awesome. xD Anyway, here's the next chapter!
Also, very important. I will be posting updates simultaneously to deviantART and FFnet; however, due to the fact that FFnet has either a bug or an implementation that kills any instances of double punctuation (i.e. a "!" and "?" together), the FFnet postings will be delayed (in other words, I have to separate said punctuations by spacing). I just DO hope FFnet fixes this soon; it's a travesty.
One more thing though: if you've kept up at this point, please re-read chapter 2, as I made an important revision that will make the events in this chapter make sense.
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Ocean, but I do own the OCs I create, I guess.
Warnings for this chapter: Some partial nudity...again xD since you guys seem to like the fanservice...
Notes: In this chapter, we'll see yet another OC who is related to a First Departure character! We'll see who soon enough.
What It Means to Make Amends
Chapter 5
Revelation
Meracle, Crowe, Marcel, and the two children walked through the imposing double doors into the Tatroi Arena. The lobby was full of all kinds of fighters from all corners of Roak - featherweight, sword fighter, and the like. Observing all the other fighters, Crowe began to feel intimidated; not because of the fighters themselves, but because he felt everyone would be suspicious of him, since he was not of their race.
Look at all of them, Crowe pondered. I...I'm not like them...at all. I'm not from this world. Wouldn't they be suspicious of me? He then remembered why he had entered the Arena. That's right, those men...they hurt Sarah, and they could wreak more havoc if I don't do anything. He glanced around subtly. Hmm...I can't see any men garbed in black, and no one else here seems too suspicious either. But I can't let my guard down. Any one of these combatants here could be in league with the Sydonaists.
"Crowe," Meracle said, noticing the scarlet-haired human looking around. "What's up?"
"Huh?" Crowe turned to Meracle. "...Nothing. I was just...observing the combatants, that's all. Just...wanted to get a glimpse at what I'll be up against." He crouched down. "Listen...I must ask that you hold on to some things for me. Try to make sure no one else sees them." He discretely handed Meracle his beam swords.
"Th..these?" Meracle whispered. "I don't know if..."
"Please...it'll be fine. Just keep them safe."
Heeding Crowe's instructions, Meracle took the weapons. "Thanks," Crowe whispered to her. Standing up, he walked over to the registration counter. "Excuse me?"
The woman at the counter looked up. "Oh, hello," she said. "I assume you wish to participate in the Astral Tournament?"
"Yes," Crowe replied. "Is it too late to sign up?"
"No, no," the woman said, adjusting her glasses. "You're just in time - there's only one sign-up slot left, and we need one more combatant to commence the tournament."
"I see." Taking the nearby feather pen, Crowe wrote his name into the combatant list. "Crowe...F...Almedio...there."
While all this was happening, a mysterious figure, hiding in the shadows of the not-so-well-lit area of the lobby, watched Crowe from afar. Once Crowe finished entering his name, he glanced around quickly.
"Hmm...I feel like I'm being watched..."
"Is something the matter, sir?" the woman at the counter asked.
"Huh?" Crowe directed his attention to the woman again. "Nothing...it's nothing."
"All right, I'll let the tourney supervisors know so the tournament can begin. We'll be calling the participants in a moment. Why don't you wait a while?"
"Sure," Crowe said. He walked back to the others. "Well...I'm in, you guys."
"You're sure about this?" Meracle asked. "Don't you need to train a little bit?"
"I'm fine," Crowe replied. "Got all the training I need..."
"Well," Marcel said, "No matter what happens, just do your best."
"Yeah..."
"Hey, Crowe," Mikhail said.
"Hmm?" Crowe crouched down.
"We'll be cheering for ya!" Mikhail chimed, chipper.
"Yeah," Fionne added, "So give it your all!"
"Heh...of course." Looking at the two children, Crowe thought, Already I can see faint glimmers of Edge and Reimi in these two...the way they support me...I know Edge and Reimi always had faith in me, and seeing these two do the same, well... He pat Mikhail on the head first, then Fionne. "I won't let you guys down." He stood up.
Within a few seconds, two soldiers walked into the lobby. "Will all the participants of the Astral Tournament follow us? The preparations are complete." Immediately, all the participants, including Crowe, stopped what they were doing and directed their attention to the soldiers.
"Well, looks like it's time," Crowe said to the others.
"We'll be watching you from the audience," Marcel said.
Crowe nodded. "Meracle, you remember what you have to do, right?"
"Yup!" Meracle chimed.
"Good." Crowe followed the other combatants, waving to his friends for a split second before moving on.
...
The combatants walked into the hallway leading into the battle area. One of the soldiers, who seemed to be the tournament director, explained the rules. While listening to what the director was saying, Crowe subtly glanced around once again, but saw no one who could possibly be in cahoots with the new Sydoniast cult.
"...Do you all understand?"
All the combatants immediately replied, "Yes, sir!"
Heh, Crowe pondered. I can't help but be reminded of my days in the SRF like this...kinda brings back memories. Can't believe it wasn't too long ago that...
"Hey, kid," someone next to Crowe whispered. Crowe looked to his side and saw a brown-haired man, slightly taller and older than he was, with tiger-like stripes on his deep tan skin, and an orange tail extending from his posterior. Hmm... seems he's of the same race as that Lias guy. By looking at him, Crowe observed that this man was the same type of fighter as he was - a dual wielder, balancing agility and strength. "Hmm? Yeah?" Crowe asked the Highlander man.
"You new around here? Never seen you around before."
Could he be referring to..? "Well, I, er..."
"Don't worry about it, kid," the man replied. "I have no idea why someone as young as yourself is entering the tournament, but I can see something...special about you. Can't quite put my finger on it."
"What do you mean?" Crowe asked.
"Well, for one, you seem like the type who has...a certain strength. One that none of these other fighters seem to have. It's like you have the potential to blow the competition outta the water, ya know?"
"Heh, thanks, I suppose."
"Don't mention it. Name's Arlon. Arlon Melle." He extended his hand, as if for a handshake.
"You can call me Crowe," Crowe replied, shaking Arlon's hand.
"Heh. I'll be watchin' ya, kid," Arlon said. "Do your best."
"You too," Crowe answered. "Maybe we'll get to go one-on-one later on."
"Heh, maybe..."
"All right then, let's get on to business," the director said. "We've selected the combatants for the first round...Crowe F. Almedio?"
"Yes," Crowe said, stepping forth.
"Eri Simel?"
A young, violet-haired Lesser Fellpool girl, slightly older than Meracle, stepped forth. "Let's do this, meow!"
"…I'm fighting a girl?"
"This is going to be fun, meow!"
….
The two entered the battle area and faced each other, ready to fight. "Alright," the tourney announcer said. "Let the battle…begin!"
"Heh, wouldn't want to hurt such a pretty girl like you," Crowe said to Eri.
"Heehee…don't expect me to go easy on you just because you're a hottie!" Eri taunted back.
"Huh?"
Eri placed small kunai between her fingers and hurled them at Crowe. Crowe dodged as quickly as he could.
"Heh, you'll have to try harder than that if you're gonna-"
Before Crowe could finish his sentence, Eri dashed toward him with superior agility and delivered a flurry of blows, knocking him down. He slowly stood up, only to be knocked back a short distance by another series of attacks.
Damn…she's tough… Crowe thought as he slowly stood up. If I understand correctly, she uses those kunai as a distraction. Hmm…
"What's the matter, hottie?" Eri taunted. "You ready for more?" She pulled out a few more kunai from her pocket and, after readying them, tossed them at Crowe. Instead of dodging, Crowe stood there and raised his daggers the moment the kunai were about to strike, blocking them.
"What…?" Eri said in disbelief. She then dashed toward Crowe as per her usual attack routine, but Crowe dodged as fast as he could and got behind her.
"Crap….!"
"Like I said," Crowe said, standing behind her, "…I can't bring myself to hurt a girl." Putting his daggers away, he dealt a swift chain of blows to Eri that, while they did not do her any major harm, stunned her. She fell to the ground on her knees.
"Agh…"
"It looks like Crowe F. Almedio wins this round!" the announcer shouted. The crowd burst into cheer.
"Oh wow…he's soooo cool!"
"Ah! I-I think he's looking at us!"
"Amazing…"
"Kid's really something."
"The next round will commence shortly," the announcer said. Crowe walked back into the combatant waiting area.
"Nice job out there, kid," Arlon said.
"You…saw the whole thing?" Crowe asked him.
"Uh-huh. So far, I seem to be right about you. Just…keep it up."
"Thanks…you do the same. I look forward to facing you in the semifinals."
"As do I."
"Arlon Melle?" The announcer called.
"Oh…looks like I'm up, kid," Arlon said. "Wish me luck."
"Good luck," Crowe replied. "I'm sure you'll do fine." As he watched Arlon enter the combat area, Crowe thought, It's strange...I can't help but feel uneasy about all of this. But why…?
Navigating the hospital hallways, the nurse made her way to room 169 – the room Dr. Johann S. Almedio was occupying ever since the incident that sent him into a coma. It had been almost two years since then. She entered the room, which had an eerie near-silence that was broken only by the sound of the EKG beeping, relaying Dr. Almedio's heartbeat. Her footsteps seemed to make faint echoes as she walked over to his bed. Seeing him in that state was unsettling – an oxygen mask covering his nose and mouth, several intravenous tubes through his body. She noticed a digital tablet on a table nearby, and picked it up. On its screen were the results of the most recent diagnostic scan, taken a day ago. She read the results, and was shocked.
Organ functions – slowly and irreversibly shutting down.
Metabolism – degenerating.
Overall diagnosis:
And the words following the colon were displayed in deep red, bold letters:
Terminal.
"I feared it would come to this…" the nurse said under her breath. Looking at Johann, she thought, Although….it's not surprising that this would happen…
She turned the nearby patient's radio on, and a song from 2005 A.D. started to play. It began with a slow violin instrumental, and then proceeded to the voice of a young woman singing.
Dr. Almedio… First he lost his wife, then his son, and now…
It was the night of the day the Underdeveloped Planet Protection Pact was established, and the Space Reconnaissance Force had officially become the Terran Alliance. Edge Maverick and Reimi Saionji were walking through the vast jungle of synthetic lights that illuminated the night and large television screens propped onto tall buildings on their way back to their dorms when they heard a familiar voice calling to them.
"Excuse me?"
Edge turned around and saw Dr. Johann Almedio, Crowe's father, standing there.
"Oh…Dr. Almedio," Reimi said. "It's nice to see you again."
"Same to you two," Johann said, shaking Reimi's hand first, then Edge's. "I've heard about your promotions. Congratulations."
"Thanks," Edge replied.
"By the way…" Johann began. "Crowe…isn't he with you?"
Oh God...do I have to tell him? Edge thought.
"Well…"
It was then that the display on the television screens changed, and the announcer began to speak. Edge, Reimi, and Johann's attention was drawn to them.
"…..Of course, there were many sacrifices along the way. Many SRF members were killed or went missing in action." The screen changed to show a list, with pictures, of the unfortunate SRF members, and Johann's eyes were immediately drawn to his son's portrait, which said below it,
"Crowe F. Almedio – Missing In Action."
"What….?"
Even though I weep easily, these tears are not because of sadness
"They're lying…" Johann murmured.
"Dr. Almedio…" Reimi attempted to console him. "I know how you must—"
"It's not that…Why won't these people have the guts to admit that my son is dead? !"
Edge and Reimi were shocked. "Dr. Almedio…?" Edge asked, apprehensively.
I chose of my own volition
"Please…I don't want to hear any more…!" Johann ran off into the street.
"Dr. Almedio!" Reimi cried.
Johann was so emotionally upset that he did not happen to notice a light approaching him quickly until he heard a car horn beeping.
"Watch out!"
By then, it was too late. Johann turned around to see the car rush toward him until the inevitable happened. Everyone's attention was drawn to the incident.
"Dr. Almedio! !"
To be separated from those I cared about…
…I will always remember you, but I cannot dwell on the past…
Just then, the EKG started to beep slightly faster, and the nurse heard Johann moaning slightly. "Uuuhh…"
Oh no…
Johann opened his eyes and noticed his surroundings. "Huh? What am I…?"
"Dr. Johann Almedio…?"
"Yes?" Johann asked, apprehensively.
"Well, ever since that incident two years ago, you've been in a coma. What's more…"
"…What?"
I chose to fly with these wings, because I chose to live my life the way I wanted to…
The tournament had already proceeded to the semifinal round. After a great many battles, Crowe and Arlon were finally battling each other, just as they had hoped. The round itself was almost over - both had put up a good fight, despite the fact that both had similar fighting styles.
"Heh, you're good, kid," Arlon said.
"You're not bad yourself," Crowe replied, clutching his daggers in preparation for the final strike. "But only one of us can advance...you ready for this?"
"Give me your best shot, kid!"
The two fighters dashed toward each other, weapons clutched tightly, and, almost as if in a flash of light, dashed past each other. The audience was silent for a moment, until Arlon collapsed onto his knees, injured. The battle's outcome had been determined; Crowe was victorious. The crowd erupted into cheers. Crowe, on the other hand, was concerned about Arlon. He walked over to him and asked, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, kid," Arlon said, wincing and grasping his arm, which had a small gash on it.
"But you're...!"
"Just a flesh wound," Arlon reassured Crowe. "Either way, congratulations. I was right about you...there really is something special about you."
Crowe paused for a moment, then said, "Thanks." He crouched down and shook Arlon's hand.
"Don't mention it," Arlon said. A Symbologist walked over to Arlon from the inner hallway and healed Arlon's wounds. "Good luck," Arlon said, following the Symbologist back into the inside of the arena.
Mikhail cheered from the audience, "That was awesome!" Fionne yelled, "You can do it, Crowe!"
The tournament director said, "And now for the final round!"
Out of the other corridor, a tall, burly man garbed in black walked onto the battlefield. Crowe stood on guard. There's something suspicious about this guy... Once the garbed man walked closer, Crowe immediately noticed he was wearing an artifact on his neck that appeared to have been stolen from Astral Castle. It was then that Crowe realized who this man was.
"You...you're the one who hurt Sarah!" he said.
"Sarah...?"
"Don't play games with me!" Crowe retorted.
The tournament supervisor said, "Alright, let the battle commence!"
Crowe immediately charged toward the thief, but the thief, being of a larger build and therefore having more physical strength, grabbed Crowe by the collar, lifted him with his immense strength, and tossed him to the ground.
"Urgh..." Crowe grunted, the massive pain from the impact reverberating through his body for a moment. Slowly standing up, he brushed himself off and thought, This guy's tougher than I thought...gonna have to come up with a better strategy.
"Hah! Pathetic," the thief said, pounding his fist into his palm, as a taunting gesture. Backing off from a distance, Crowe then ran once again toward the thief, leaping as he drew near in an aerial-attack attempt, but the thief knocked him back with a strong blow. The attempt was not a failure, however; Crowe did manage to make a small tear in the thief's sack, threatening to expose him.
Once he realized what Crowe had done, the thief yelled, "You...!" He pulled out a blowgun from his pocket and shot a dart at Crowe just as Crowe was standing up.
"Ow!" Crowe shouted as the dart hit his left arm. Within a matter of seconds, something strange happened. "Ugh...what? My arm...it's going...numb?" His paralyzed left hand dropped the dagger almost automatically.
"Heh heh..." The thief shot three more paralyzing darts at Crowe; one at each of his remaining, unparalyzed limbs.
Argh...my body...I can't move... Crowe began to lose his balance as he felt himself losing sensation in his limbs. I guess...this is it...I screwed up... he thought, as he collapsed to the ground, paralyzed.
Immediately the tourney supervisor yelled, "Halt!" He walked over to the thief. "According to the tournament rules, paralyzing opponents is an illegal move! Henceforth, you are disquali-"
The thief grabbed the supervisor in a stranglehold. "If you disqualify me, I swear I will..."
As the audience booed, Lias Warren and two of his Astral Knights subordinates jumped down into the battlefield safely. "Hold him down," he ordered his subordinates, who followed his command. After the thief was restrained and the supervisor released from his grasp, Lias examined the tear in the thief's sack, and then tore it all the way, causing the stolen treasures to spill out. The audience gasped. "Hmm...so you're the thief who stole from the castle..." He told his two subordinates, "Arrest him." The soldiers carried the thief away. Shortly after, the same Symbologist from earlier walked onto the battlefield and cured Crowe of his paralysis. Crowe stood back up.
The tourney supervisor was at a loss of words, but then regained composure and said, "Since the challenger has been disqualified, Crowe F. Almedio wins the final round and the tournament!" The audience burst into massive cheer.
"Awesome!"
"Way to go!"
Walking over to Crowe, Lias said, "So we meet again...Crowe, is it?"
"Yes, Lord Lias," Crowe replied.
"I must say, I am amazed at your fighting prowess," Lias complimented him.
"Thank you," Crowe replied.
"You wouldn't mind if we had a short duel now?"
"Heh, be my guest."
The tournament supervisor said, "The tournament may be over, but now begins a special bout: the current champion versus the Captain of the Astral Knights! Let the battle-"
However, just as the announcer was going to finish his sentence, a scream emerged from the audience. Crowe recognized the scream as Meracle's. "Meracle!"
"Help!"
All attention was diverted to another man in black - a Sydonaist - attacking Meracle and mugging her. The cultist ran off.
Oh no...those were...!
The audience began to panic. Lias said to his soldiers, "Alert all our men to guard every exit in town. Don't let him escape." He then began to run into the corridor, heading to exit the arena. Crowe shouted, "Wait!"
"Hmm?"
Running over to Lias, Crowe said, "Please, let me come with you."
"I'm afraid I cannot," Lias replied. "It's too dangerous."
"Please," Crowe reiterated. "The thief stole something that belongs to me, and I insist I come along. I know what I'm doing."
"...Very well then," Lias said. He and Crowe ran, exiting the arena.
Back in the audience, Marcel asked Meracle, "Are you alright?"
"Y...yeah," Meracle said, brushing herself off. She checked herself and noticed that Crowe's beam swords were missing. "Oh no..."
"What?"
"They've been stolen!"
"What has been...?"
"Listen, Marcel," Meracle said. "I have a favor to ask. Could you accompany Mikhail and Fionne back to the inn? I have to go after Crowe."
"But..."
"Please, I'll be fine. I'll meet you guys back at the inn," Meracle said, running off.
...
"Crowe...!" Meracle cried, chasing after him and Lias, both of whom quickly seemed to vanish into the crowd. "I've lost him..."
"Meracle...!" a familiar voice called out.
Meracle turned around and saw Sarah and Lucas. "Sarah...you're back?"
Lucas asked Meracle, "What happened?"
Meracle told Lucas all that had happened, without divulging what exactly it was that was stolen, only that it was important. "I see..." Lucas said. "Let's hurry, then."
...
After a long chase, the thief was finally cornered at the town square. The crowed looked on as Crowe, Lias, and a team of Astral Knights confronted the thief.
"Crap...I'm trapped..." the thief said. "But why are you all going through all that trouble for these things?" He pulled out the stolen technology from his pocket. "What do these even do, anyway?" He found buttons on each of the blades, and pressed them. An ominous whirring noise was heard and two beams of blue light shot up from the swords.
Crowe knew what this meant. No...! He immediately ran to the thief, tackled him, and, after grabbing the beam swords, turned them off and put them away. Immediately, the crowd began to murmur. Crowe looked all around, and realized they were all talking about him. Slowly, the murmuring noises began to be muffled by the sound of his heart beating violently in his chest.
Oh God...they know...they know my secret...that I'm not from this world...they know who I am.
Crowe began to feel dizzy before immediately passing out.
Crowe lay on a couch in his dorm in USTA Headquarters, asleep. The morning sunlight crept in through the window, and he opened his eyes. Yawning and stretching his arms for a moment, he stood up and looked out the window. He once again beheld the tragic sight of the planet covered by debris and dust. He pondered, It's sad…how Earth had to end up like this…but I feel that I, and everyone else in the Space Reconnaissance Force, will be able to—
Within a few seconds, the phone rang. Crowe picked it up. "Hello?"
"Crowe?"
"…Dad?"
"Listen, Crowe…" Johann said over the phone. "I know I probably haven't been the kind of father you should have had. I mean…I couldn't seem to spend enough time with you and your mother. That was especially true when…"
"No, it's alright," Crowe replied. "I guess I overreacted that day. And…how were we to see it coming? It's not your fault, dad." He paused for a moment, and said, "I guess I should apologize. I tried to avoid you for a while after mom died, and I…I'm sorry, dad."
"…Thank you, son."
Crowe nodded and smiled, trying to hold back some tears. "Well, I'd best be going soon. The departure ceremony is about to start."
"Alright, son. You take care of yourself…and do your best."
"Of course, dad. When I return home, it'll be a day that we can all start over…you, me…all of us."
"Uh...uhhnn..." Crowe slowly awoke to find himself lying on a bed in the inn.
"You okay, Crowe?"
Crowe looked around and saw Sarah sitting in a chair next to the bed; Meracle, Marcel and Lucas were also present. "Sarah…you're alright?"
"I'm fine, Crowe," Sarah replied. "My brother Lucas took care of me."
Lucas walked over to Crowe. He was slightly shorter than Marcel; had long, silver-bluish hair; gold eyes; and light blue wings; and was garbed in a silver-lined robe. "Sarah told me about you…I'm Lucas Jerand. Nice to meet you." He extended his hand, as if for a handshake.
"Same here," Crowe said, sitting up and returning the favor. "Do any of you…remember what happened?"
"I can't say I remember everything," Lucas said. "When Sarah, Meracle, and I followed you, we found you unconscious on the ground."
"Is that so…?" Crowe murmured. Almost immediately, he began to recall what happened. "Wait a second…" Images began to flash before his eyes: Meracle being robbed… the thief discovering the full potential of the foreign technology…Crowe recovering the technology and, in the process, exposing his secret.
Oh no…
Lucas saw Crowe looking anxious. "Is something the matter?"
Crowe calmed down. "….No, it's nothing." He paused for a moment, and asked, "What about Mikhail and Fionne? Are they safe?"
Marcel walked over to Crowe and replied, "Yes. During the commotion, I accompanied them here. They're in the room next to this one, with Miss Arianna, who seems to be doing well. Would you like to see them?"
"….Yeah."
…
"Crowe!" Mikhail said.
"I'm glad you're okay," Fionne said.
"Same here," Crowe replied.
"Crowe…is it?" Arianna asked him. Crowe walked over to the bed she was resting on.
"Yeah," Crowe said.
"I must thank you for helping me back there….and for taking care of Mikhail and Fionne for me."
"You're welcome," Crowe said. "I'd do anything I can to help."
"Hee hee…that's very thoughtful of you." Arianna sat up. "Well, it's getting late. We'd better head back to the orphanage." She stood up. "Take care."
"You too." Arianna, Mikhail, and Fionne left the room, and Crowe walked back to his room, where Meracle, Marcel, Sarah, and Lucas were waiting.
"Well, Marcel and I had best head back to Astral," Lucas said. "We have some errands to run there."
"Lucas….Marcel…" Crowe said.
"Yes?" Marcel asked.
Crowe paused for a moment, and said, "Thank you both."
"You're welcome," Lucas said. He and Marcel left the room. Crowe walked over to the bed and sat down.
Meracle walked over to him, seeing the troubled look on his face. "Hey, Crowe…I'm sorry…for what happened. I should have -"
"No, Meracle," Crowe replied. "It isn't your fault."
In truth, it's my fault…how could I be so careless?
"…Crowe?"
"I-I'm fine," Crowe replied, his voice sounding somewhat nervous. "I…I think I'll take a shower."
"Okay, then," Sarah said. "Meracle and I are going to register our rooms with the innkeeper. We'll see you soon." The two walked out the door.
…..
Having disrobed of all his garments, Crowe stepped into the shower. He sighed deeply and closed his eyes as the heated water splashed onto his bare body. And yet, even this was not enough to calm him down.
"Heh…" he chuckled, bowing his head. "It's funny…how a hot shower at the end of the day would always help me relax back then. And yet…"
And yet, I just can't seem to be at peace right now. There's no denying what happened today…a lot of people on this underdeveloped planet know the truth. Soon word will spread, and...who knows what will happen. He opened his eyes and tilted his head upward. And…Mikhail and Fionne…I hope they don't find out. How can I tell them that…?
"So much for me trying to keep a low profile on this planet," Crowe said, sighing. "…I just hope I can still manage…"
After a while, Crowe turned off the water flow, dried himself off, dressed, and walked out of the shower room toward his bed. All of a sudden, he heard a knocking at the door. He walked over and opened the door.
"Meracle, Sarah…what's up?"
"Just to let you know, Meracle and I will be staying in the room to the left of yours," Sarah informed him. "I'm sure you'll be fine on your own."
"Yeah," Crowe said. "If anything should happen, I'll let you two know."
"Likewise," Sarah said. "Well, good night."
"G'night, Crowe!" Meracle said.
"Good night…"
After Meracle and Sarah walked over to their room, Crowe closed the door and walked over to his bed. As he lay down, he thought, But really…I don't know if I can handle this by myself…
A/N: hehe, hope you enjoyed the fanservice…I believe with this, I am FINALLY over my writer's block! For the time being…it can always strike, yo.
Also, props to anyone who finds veiled references to THE iDOLMASTER in this chapter xD (-cough- yes, I'm back into the kick.) The room Johann is staying in is the reversed numbers of Production 961 from the SP games, and the insert song in the hospital scene is a transliterated version of Chihaya's song, "Aoi Tori", which I found fairly fitting here xD;;; And that Eri is named after Eri Mizutani from Dearly Stars…God, I'm getting obsessed again. –shot- Also, Arlon Melle is Phia Melle's biological father, since she is adopted by Lias in the events prior to First Departure. I imagine Arlon musta died in the line of duty…who knows, maybe I'll someday write a fic on that. xD;
…Holy crap, this has turned out to be one of the longest chapters I've written to date! I'll see you all in the next chapter, titled, "Total Eclipse of The Heart".