JKA: Umm... Hi everyone. ^^; Well, I'd say this is long overdue. Heh. I'd like to say I had a good reason for taking so long to update but honestly... I just kept forgetting. *scuffs toe in dirt nervously*
Anywho, before anyone decides to come after me for my lateness, I present to you drabble #9! Honestly, I'm not particularly happy with this one. For some reason the more upbeat ones just bother me. :P Should that say something about me? Oh well, I digress, and usual disclaimers apply. Read, review, and enjoy~
Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
A canopy of leaves swayed lazily overhead, outlined by a vast expanse of clear azure sky. Two figures lay sprawled in the middle of a grassy clearing, both watching a lonely cloud scuttle past, feeling more at ease than they had in years.
The time of hostilities and fear was at an end, and the citizens of Haven were picking up the pieces of their broken lives. Mass devastation remained in the aftermath of daily Metal Head and Death-bot attacks, but things were gradually returning to normal, and the future looked just a bit brighter.
"You know what this reminds me of?" Keira asked complacently, the first speech to break the peaceful hush that had fallen over the duo since entering Haven Forest.
"Sandover?" Jak guessed, fairly confident in his answer as he'd been reminiscing of the exact same thing. He folded his hands behind his head, eyelids falling to half-mast as contentment lapped at him like a gentle ocean wave.
"Yeah," Keira sighed wistfully, glancing over at him. She allowed herself to admire his features for a moment, outlined in soft golden rays filtering through the treetops. "Everything seemed so much simpler back then, don't you think?"
"Sure did," Jak agreed pensively, turning his head so that his gaze met hers. A jolt traveled straight to his heart the instant he looked into those emerald orbs. "Do you ever wish we could go back there?"
"Yes and no," Keira replied, rolling over onto her side and propping her cheek in her palm. "I mean, I miss how beautiful it was there and everything, but life isn't so bad here — especially now that the war's over. We've got our friends, a place we can call home…"
"And each other," Jak finished for her, a crooked smile playing at the corner of his lips. He shifted so that his position mirrored hers, extending his free hand in order to twine their fingers together.
"That, too," Keira giggled, lifting her attention to the sky above once more, picturing herself in a distant village several hundred years ago. Even after all the time she'd spent living in the future, she still missed the place she grew up in — her true home, the place she felt she really belonged.
But she knew in her heart that Sandover would always be a part of her, and so would Jak. As long as she had her memories to hold onto, and her best friend standing by her, life was good.