A/N: Well geez, I really, really apologize that that last update took so long. I'm already in my senior year now….work work work. Gotta prepare for my future job, ya know. Anyway, here goes! –brick'd-
Disclaimer: I don't own the Star Ocean series, and in regards to the previous chapter, I don't own THE iDOLMASTER either! –brick'd-
And frankly, I wouldn't know if Roak has Earth's tarot system (which ironically, I don't really believe in tarot readings xD;; ). I just set it this way for convenience and to sort of keep Eleyna in character xD;
What It Means to Make Amends
Chapter 6
Total Eclipse of the H e a r t
As the sun rose over Tropp, Eleyna Farrence stood on the shore where she met Crowe that fateful morning, looking into the horizon as the sea's surface reflected glimmers of sunlight. The scene was beautiful, and while it may have captivated some people, her thoughts remained distant. Not only did she miss him, she also felt somewhat lonely without Meracle's childish antics and Sarah to talk to once in a while.
It's just like that time, so long ago… I haven't felt so lonely in such a long time. She sighed. No…I have to calm down. I can't dwell on things like this right now.
She walked back inside her house, and took out her deck of tarot cards and set it on a table and sat down. Drawing five cards and setting them face down on the table, she then flipped them over and read them.
The Hermit. The first card. A search for one's self.
Crowe… Eleyna could not help but be reminded of him when that card came up. What are you looking for…?
Death. The second card. A slight frown pulled at Eleyna's lips at the sight of the ominous image depicted on the card. She was not sure what to make of this one.
The Hanged Man. The third card. Acceptance; a sacrifice of sorts…
But of what? What will have to be sacrificed?
The Tower. The fourth card. Unforeseen changes, tribulations.
Crowe…it seems there will be hardships awaiting you, just as my auguries predicted…maybe they have already begun…
Wheel of Fortune. The last of the five cards drawn. A turning point; many possibilities, not to mention interpretations.
What will happen to all of Roak…? And what will happen when…
Almost immediately, Eleyna heard the sound of knocking at her door.
Crowe! Wait…it can't be him so soon. Why am I thinking these irrational thoughts…?
She walked over to the door, and opened it. Del Argosy, the Crimson Shield, stood before her.
"Argosy…what brings one of Astral's most renowned knights to such a lowly place as this?" she questioned, her expression unreadable as it often was when she dealt with people she usually kept at arm's length.
"Miss Eleyna Farrence, I presume?"
"…Yes, that is I."
"The King of Astral has sent me here to inform you that you have been summoned to Astral."
I never thought I'd be going back there so soon… "Why?" she asked, an edge of suspicion in her voice.
"You see, Lady Eleyna, it seems part of the auguries you described in the letter you wrote have come to pass…a prominent Symbologist has been murdered in Tatroi, and a cult of sorts is believed to be the prime suspects."
So it has truly begun…
"Very well. Let us be on our way."
As Eleyna left Tropp with Argosy, she pondered, Still…what could those readings mean…?
The morning sunlight shone through the windows and illuminated the room Crowe was staying in, waking him up from his sleep. The natural light was a pleasant change from what he was used to have shining in his eyes when he was growing up on Earth, but it was still something he wasn't entirely used to.
"Uhn…" He sat up and rubbed his eyes for a second.
I still can't believe it…what happened yesterday…I guess I should just be prepared for anything at this point. He climbed out of bed. All of a sudden, he heard a knocking at the door. "I'll be there in a sec," he called out. He walked over to the door and opened it.
"Oh…good morning, Meracle…Sarah."
"Good morning, Crowe," Meracle chimed. "You have some visitors downstairs."
….
As the three walked downstairs into the lobby, they saw Arianna, Mikhail, and Fionne standing there.
"Mikhail? Fionne?"
"Hey there, Crowe," Fionne called out to him cheerfully.
"So…what's up?"
Arianna replied, "Well, Mikhail and Fionne wanted to spend some time with you, Crowe. And I have a lot of things to do back at the orphanage…Sarah has volunteered to help."
"That's right," Sarah replied. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Arianna is a friend of mine and Eleyna's."
"I guess we'll be able to look around Tatroi more now," Meracle said. "Mikhail, Fionne…would you two like to walk around Tatroi with us?"
"Sure!" Mikhail replied with a nod.
"Well then, I guess we'll be going now," Sarah said. "Take care, you guys."
"You too," Crowe said. Sarah nodded and left the hotel with Arianna.
….
Meracle, Crowe, Fionne, and Mikhail had continued where they left off the other day, walking around town a bit more. Some of the sights were becoming familiar, but it was still enjoyable to see them again. The town was occupied with the usual bustle; not too busy, but also active enough to seem inviting. Tired, the four decided to head over to the plaza to rest on some benches.
"So," Meracle said, sounding tired, "Are you guys having fun?"
"Yup!" Mikhail replied cheerfully.
"Heehee…I'm glad," Meracle said, smiling.
Noticing Crowe looking at the sky, Fionne asked, "Hey, Crowe…what's up?"
"Huh?" Crowe looked at Fionne. "Oh…it's nothing. I was just thinking of my friends."
"You miss them, don't you?" Mikhail asked, tone sombering slightly. "It sounds like they meant a lot to you."
"Yeah…" Crowe replied.
"Your friends….what were they like?" Fionne asked innocently.
"Well," Crowe began, "Edge, Reimi and I were friends since we were young, like I mentioned before. They kind of looked up to me like the big brother they never had, since I would always be looking out for them. I beat him at almost every game we played. He used to get so mad when I beat him at sparring," he paused for a moment, and continued, "Edge was a bit stubborn sometimes, and Reimi would often lecture him for it." He chuckled briefly. "But nevertheless, we were really close friends. In fact…I promised them that one day, the three of us would be able to spend time together like we used to…but then we were separated."
"I'm sorry…" Fionne said. "It must have been really sad to have that happen..."
"It's alright," Crowe replied. "I'm sure I'll be able to see them again one day."
"You know…" Fionne started, "The way you put it…Marius was just like you to us. Since the three of us were orphans, he'd be the one to keep us together. He did so much for us, it's hard to really explain... And…" Fionne's eyes began to flood with tears.
"Is something the matter?" Crowe asked the girl.
"I'm fine," Fionne said, wiping her tears away. "Mikhail and I just…miss him a lot." Standing up, she asked, "Shall we keep going?"
….
After walking around a bit more, Meracle stopped for a moment and glanced around them. Her ears pricked up and she sniffed the air, trying to pick up on the scent she was used to having nearby. She then suddenly noticed Mikhail was missing.
"Wait…where'd Mikhail go?" Meracle questioned, glacing up at her companions curiously.
"Mikhail?" Oh no… Crowe thought. He's wandering town alone with that cult around? I have to find him… He could be in danger...
"Mikahil!" Fionne called. But there was no response.
Why would he wander off...?
"Where'd he go…?" she muttered worriedly.
"I'll find him," Crowe said. "I should have kept a better eye on him…but I promise, I'll find him. I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you guys…" and at that, he ran off.
"Wait, Crowe…!" Meracle called out, but he kept running. She looked at Fionne, and said, "Let's follow him." Fionne nodded.
…..
"Mikhail….!" Crowe yelled. He had looked almost everywhere and couldn't find the boy. He had run through the town countless times already, stopping only to investigate a place where Mikhail could have been hiding. His search was proving fruitless, much to his frustration. The simple setup of the town wasn't nearly as complex as the underground bases he had grown up in on Earth, but it was still proving difficult to find someone. Thoughts of the cultists swam through his mind as he gasped for breath. He collapsed onto his knees, exhausted. "Dammit…"
"Crowe…?"
Crowe looked up and saw Mikhail, holding a bouquet of lilies. He looked surprised at first to see the older Earthling before him, but Crowe was relieved to see Mikhail was fine and unharmed.
"Mikhail…? I was looking all over for you, why did you disappear like that? We were all worried…"
"I'm sorry, Mister Crowe," Mikhail responded. "I really am. You see…"
Before he could finish, Meracle and Fionne caught up to them.
"Mikhail?" Fionne ran over to Mikhail, looking very upset.
"Fionne, listen. I..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Fionne slapped Mikhail across the face hard, knocking him over. He landed on the ground, with a rather dumbfounded look on his face and a more than slightly prominent red, hand-shaped mark on his cheek. Crowe and Meracle were shocked at the oddly familiar scene, as well as the fact that such a reserved girl as Fionne would do such a thing.
"Fionne...?" Meracle exclaimed, looking almost as surprised as Mikhail.
It was clear in her expression that Fionne was really upset. "Do you know how much I worried about you? Something could have happened!" she exclaimed, tone still urgent.
"I know..." Mikhail said, looking down. "And I have a good reason." He showed Fionne the bouquet of lilies he held, her favorite flower, and handed them to her. "How can I forget such a special day as this? Happy Birthday, Fionne."
Her expression changed instantly when she saw the flowers. Fionne's eyes began to well up with tears. "Mikhail...thank you..." She hugged him tightly, the bouquet still in her hand. Though it was easy to notice the red mark on his face from when she slapped him had hardly faded.
"It's your birthday today, Fionne?" Meracle asked curiously.
"Yup," Fionne replied. "I'm thirteen now."
"Well then, happy birthday, Fionne!" Meracle chimed in with a smile.
"Yeah...Happy birthday." Crowe said.
I can't help but remember...lilies...those were Reimi's favorite flower too.. It's almost like...Edge and Reimi are right here with me. These two are just so similar to them.
All of a sudden, Crowe could hear the surrounding crowd murmuring. The warm mood of the moment faded suddenly as the suspicious voices exchanged quiet comments.
"That man...isn't he the one from yesterday?"
"I think so, he looks familiar..."
"You think he's...?"
"Stop!" Fionne exclaimed. "This man...and his friend...they haven't done anything wrong, and they've helped us both so much. So please...everything's all right." The crowd dispersed.
"Fionne..." Crowe said. "Thank you." Seeing the sun starting to set, he said, "It's getting late...we'd better head back to the orphanage."
As Edge and Reimi entered the hosital room, the somber mood made it unquestionably clear that their reason for being summoned was not a good one. The door to room 169 slid closed behind them with an odd sense of finality. A shadow of hesitation was reflected in Reimi's eyes as they walked over to Johann's bed, but it did not stop her from walking forward.
There was a sense of isolation in the room, almost as though time had slowed down. Many met final moments that were anything but peaceful, but the sense of sadness that came with knowing the end was near could not be ignored. It hung in the air like an ominous cloak.
"Johann...?" Edge said as he and Reimi walked over to the former professor.
"Johann, we're here," Reimi said quietly to get his attention.
"Edge...Reimi...so glad you could arrive," Johann said weakly.
"Of course, we wanted to come as soon as we could," Reimi said with a nod and an attempt at a reassuring smile.
"I have things I must say to you both before I pass on..." he said, though his voice had grown weak and tired.
Seeming silent for a moment, Edge said, "...Yes?"
"I know I've acted reprehensibly to you two in the past...and now I don't even know if my wife and son will be able to forgive me...but...at least...I don't want to die full of regrets." He weakly reached for the tray next to his hospital bed and grabbed his locket. It was still in very good condition, though its exterior did look aged, as though it had been carried for a long time.
"Johann...?" Reimi asked Johann as he opened the locket.
"I have...some very important information...that I must...entrust..." he said, his voice sounding weaker by the second. He slowly held out his hand, holding the locket, and murmured, "Mr. Maverick...no, Edge...take this..."
Edge reached out and gently lifted the locket from Johann's trembling hands. "What is this for?" he asked as he examined the piece of jewelery. He pressed the opening at the side. Inside the locket was a photo of Johann, Nerissa, and a young Crowe. The other slot seemed to have an obscure series of characters engraved in it. They both looked at it closely, but whatever message it told could not be deciphered with just a mere glance.
"Project...truth...behind..." were Johann's last words before he slumped over in his bed and breathed his last, the EKG giving off a low, ominous beep to signal that the former professor had passed on.
"Johann...!" Edge shouted.
"It's too late, Edge..." Reimi said, flatly. "His time has come... let's go."
"...Right."
Meracle, Crowe, Mikhail, and Fionne entered the orphanage. The decor of the building was simple, and even in spite of that, the atmosphere was one of love and care. It wasn't at all foreboding, and even Crowe felt welcomed when they all stepped inside.
Sarah and Arianna were sitting at a table, drinking some tea. "Oh, hello...I guess all went well?" Sarah questioned brightly.
"Yeah..." Crowe said.
"Why don't you and your friend have a seat?" Arianna invited. "Mikhail, Fionne, you too."
As they sat down, Arianna told Crowe, "I thank you for taking care of them for me. I appreciate all your help."
"Of course," Crowe said with a nod.
"Good, it looks like they had a lot of fun." Arianna said. "Right?"
"Mm-hmm," Fionne replied, holding on tightly to her bouquet of flowers.
"Meracle, right?" Arianna asked Meracle politely. "Could you keep Mikhail and Fionne entertained for a while?"
"Um...sure!" Meracle chimed. "Mikhail, Fionne, why don't we go play for a bit?"
"Okay!" Mikhail replied happily.
As Meracle and the children left the table, Arianna told Crowe, "I should let you know...that Mikhail and Fionne are going to be adopted. Sarah helped me make arrangements earlier...I'm happy that they finally have a family that will take care of them, but also..."
"Hmm?" Crowe asked.
Arianna continued, "But also...I'm a bit sad that they'll be leaving. I took care of them for so long...they were so little when I took them and their friend Marius in. And it seems they'll be going to the same place Marius went when he was adopted...Eckdart."
"I see..." Crowe murmured. "That's quite far away."
"The adoptees will be coming soon. They've been staying here in Tatroi for a while, but they'll be moving to Eckdart tomorrow morning."
...
Arianna was still conflicted about her feeling about the two children she had cared for over so many years when the two people who would be their new parents entered the orphanage. In one light, she should have been happy, since they would finally have a place to call home, and parents to take care of them.
"Hello," Arianna greeted politely, smiling at the couple making the adoption. "Thank you for coming to talk with me."
"But of course," William said cordially. "Is there anything else that needs to be done before the adoption is finalized?"
"That has all been taken care of," she replied with a nod; her demeanor was almost flawlessly polite, revealing none of her indecision about seeing the children adopted. "I just wanted to talk to you about Mikhail and Fionne. They've been here for a long time, and it may take them a while to get settled in at a new home. They're both very good children though."
"They're the sweetest children we've met," Alysia added warmly. "We've got our home all prepared for them, too."
"I'm glad to hear that," she said with a small smile. "I'm sure they'll like it. They've come through a lot together, but they've always managed to be able to smile in almost any situation when they're together. We're very grateful that you're adopting both of them. I used to worry quite a lot that they would be separated."
"I agree that it's important to keep such close friends together, there's no need for a family to be further separated," he said with a nod. "They'll both have their own rooms at our home. Unless they want to share, of course."
"Thank you for being so thoughtful toward them," Arianna said, finding herself feeling more at ease with the arrangements. "I've been watching them grow for a long time now. They have some friends here, but I'm sure they'll be able to make plenty of friends in Eckdart as well. Please take good care of them."
"We will," he said, as both he and his wife nodded. "Is that all? Let's get going, then."
...
"Well, I guess we're here," Fionne said, sounding slightly hesitant.
Arianna told Mikhail and Fionne, "Well, I'll be staying over, if that's alright...I want to be sure to see you two off. I hope we can still keep in touch."
"Of course," Mikhail said.
Crowe could already feel a sense of heaviness in his heart. These two youths who reminded him of his two closest friends were leaving, and he felt he would never see them again. The separation may not have been as agonized as when he had said goodbye to Edge and Reimi, there was still a somber feeling to the situation.
"Mikhail, Fionne..." he began. "I regret that I really won't be able to see you two off...I have some important things to do. But I really appreciate the time we spent together, and I guess...that this is the last time we'll see each other. Even so...I hope you two take care...and I hope you see your friend again in Eckdart."
Fionne seemed silent for a moment, her eyes welling up with tears unbeknownst to Crowe, and replied, "Thank you...Crowe. We'll tell him you said hi...and...we'll miss you. We had a lot of fun spending time with you."
"I'll miss you guys too...a lot," Crowe said, an edge of sadness in his voice. "Well then, good night, and I hope you'll be safe..."
"Goodbye, Crowe...and thanks," Mikhail said.
"Bye..." Fionne said, smiling, trying to hide her tears. The children, their new family, and Arianna entered the house.
"Crowe..." Noticing the Earthling looking sad, Sarah consoled him. "It may be sad right now, but they'll be really happy to have a new home and a real family."
"...You're right," Crowe replied. "Night is falling...we'd better head back to the inn."
...
The three were sitting at a table in the inn's bar, drinking tea. There was an almost awkward silence, and Meracle noticed a troubled expression on Crowe's face. "Crowe...what's wrong?" she asked.
Crowe seemed quiet for a second, and then replied, "Have you ever felt this way...knowing what it is to say goodbye to someone, not knowing if you'll ever see them again?"
Meracle and Sarah were surprised. "Crowe...what do you mean?" Sarah asked.
"When Edge and Reimi returned you two here...did they have to bid you farewell? And if so...did they seem...sad?"
"What...?" Meracle was confused.
"...It's nothing," Crowe said. "Nevermind..."
Although really, it's not "nothing" at all...They just don't have to know that if they aren't burdened.
All of a sudden, the door opened and a suspicious man, all garbed in black, stepped in. He looked around for a few seconds.
"You two..." Crowe whispered. "Don't look at him...Just...try to act normal. I have a bad feeling about this guy..."
The three sipped on their tea while Crowe kept a subtle and cautious eye on the man who eventually walked up to the bar and asked the bartender for a drink. After the coast was clear, Crowe whispered to Meracle and Sarah, "We'd better go back up to our rooms. Being in this man's presence makes me very uneasy..."
The three stood up from their table and walked up to their rooms calmly, so as not to arouse suspicion in the garbed man.
...
"Well, I guess we'd better go to bed," Crowe said. "Good night, you two..."
"Good night, Crowe," Sarah said.
"Good night," Meracle said, not sounding as happy as she usually was. Meracle and Sarah headed to their room while Crowe entered his. As he plopped down on his bed, he pondered, I can't help but feel like I kinda...made Meracle and Sarah feel a bit insecure. And what about those two children...? I don't think I can sleep well tonight...
It was already dark. Eleyna and Argosy were almost at Tatroi when Eleyna suddenly sensed something.
"That hut..." she said as she and Argosy passed the hut that Meracle, Crowe, and Sarah once took shelter in on that rainy day.
"You're not suggesting we stop here?" Argosy asked. "We have to be in Astral as soon as possible..."
"I know," Eleyna said. "I just...sense there's something here." They entered the hut.
Walking around, Eleyna couldn't help but sense that Crowe was here. Crowe...agh! I've got to stop thinking like this. There's something else here...
Almost as if by instinct, Eleyna walked to one of the beds and looked under the pillow. She found a folded-up paper, perhaps a letter of sorts. She read the letter.
"...! It can't be..."
"Lady Eleyna?" Argosy questioned.
Tucking the paper away, Eleyna answered Argosy, "It's a good thing we made this stop...I found some...very startling evidence. Let's hurry to Astral."
"Right."
A/N: I know, I know. I am beyond late with this one…but the plot thickens! As for Reimi's/Fionne's favorite flower thing…I kinda made it up ^^; But it does have a more symbolic significance…you'll see in the next few chapters. And is it just me or did FFnet screw with the formatting more by taking out custom dividers? Crap...gonna have to fix the earlier chapters now...AGAIN. -sigh-