a/n: ch 13! :D hope you'll enjoy! guys, please subscribe to my c2: "The Light and Star of the Night Sky", if you happen to like its NxS content! HUGE thanks to all!
Disclaimer: the awesome dudes at SE owns FFVXIII! :D
"Oblivious Fate"
By: rorudesu-chan
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Chapter 13: Pain in Emptiness
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A pair of dainty, ivory hands placed a bouquet of yellow tulips on top of a granite tombstone. It has been two and a half years since that grave was visited and now that it has, the visitor felt her regrets slowly disappearing with the gentlest of gale that was passing by.
She tucked a lock of her flaxen tresses in one ear and smiled. "It has been quite a while, hasn't it Grandmother?" She whispered.
Though with the absence of who she was speaking to, Stella felt a reply as the wind playfully brushed against her skin. The beautiful Ambassador couldn't help but shiver slightly at the cold feeling of the breeze. But nonetheless, she was relaxed.
Stella gazed around her surroundings. Tombstones were everywhere. Of course, that was how a cemetery would look like. But instead of giving her an eerie feeling on a sunny day, she actually felt nothing like such as she spent her afternoon there.
"Please do forgive my inconsistency." She continued speaking. "I know it is my responsibility to visit you every now and then. But,"
Stella was about to carry on but something had made her head spin towards the tree at her back. It was the presence of someone that she had come to know very well over time.
"I see you've been here all along." the voice asked.
"It would seem so." The diplomat responded.
"Shall we go now, Miss Fleuret?"
"I can't." Stella shook her head. "I must stay a bit longer, Somna."
Her fellow Tenebraean Ambassador walked to where Stella stood. Somna pursed her lips and shrugged.
"Should I tell them that you're here?" The brunette diplomat inquired.
"It's up to you." Stella grinned. "Right now, I just want to be here." Her sapphire irises darted towards the afternoon sky.
"Very well then." Somna sighed. "But, I don't see the reason why you really wish to do so."
"I miss her." She answered. "Dearly,"
"I know how that feels."
"Yes. But," The blonde Ambassador carried on. "You see, it's quite different from what you may think. She was the only person I had. She took care of me, right after…"
"That happened…" Somna finished Stella's sentence.
Instead of replying, the diplomat kindly threw her companion a look of agreement.
"I'm sorry about what happened, Miss Fleuret. I truly am."
"It's alright. Everything seemed to be a blur anyways." Stella said as she half-heartedly painted humor out of her own misfortune. "There's barely nothing to remember at all."
"True, but eventually you'll find out about everything right after your mission."
"I know." Stella nodded.
The breeze slowly faded away. Underneath the shadow of an oak tree, the vivacious Ambassador fixed her eyes upon the engraving of her grandmother's tombstone.
Her name was Ofelia and she had tresses that had a close resemblance with Stella's. Her grandmother's face was so full of life and joy which most probably planted a strong influence to the Tenebraean Ambassador when she was still a child.
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"I'm terribly sorry. But there's nothing more I can do. Her own heart failed her system."
The doctor pulled the stethoscope from his earlobes and hung it around his neck. His regretful eyes darted towards the lady in a blue dress.
"There must be something!" She insisted. "I may not know this old woman well but…"
The lady wanted to continue but tears forcefully gushed out of her eyes. She felt pain as she opened her arms wide and gestured towards the child beside her.
"I'm really sorry, Stella... Your grandmother had to go."
Caressing arms wrapped around the shoulders of the blonde haired child. The lady hugged her tight and Stella felt the cascading tears fall down on top of her head. She was being comforted through and through.
Through the embrace, the lady expressed her pity she had for Stella. She was still a child. But that wasn't the worst part. She no longer had her parents nor did she have any siblings to have as companions for the journey that she was about to take on from that day forth.
"Child!" the lady released the child from her embrace. "Why do you not feel any grief?? Your grandmother is gone! You have nowhere else to go!"
Her obsidian eyes locked into Stella's blue ones. She frantically searched for any signs of sadness, melancholy or even fear. But in the process, found none.
"Grandma left like Mother and Father did." Stella politely replied. "I just want her now to be happy wherever she went to."
The blonde child ran away from the lady's hold, thus escaping from her taunting gaze as well. Stella toddled off and brushed past the doctor. Finally, the young girl found herself standing right beside her grandmother's death bed.
With blissful innocence, her hand gently stroked the face of the old woman. It was colder than the frozen juice pop that her grandmother used to make during those warm summer days.
"I'll go to them, Grandma." Stella whispered. "I'll take care of this kingdom the way you took care of me."
It was a heartbreaking sight. The lady in blue couldn't help but walk out of the room and then finally, she let herself pour out her pain and sympathy in tears.
Stella kissed her grandmother's forehead and felt the coldness and stiffness of the lifeless body upon her lips.
"Goodbye, Grandma."
It was as simple as that. No tears, only words. Her beloved grandmother was gone forever and the best reaction she could give was a farewell kiss and two words that signified pain in acceptance.
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Stella spun to face Somna who was behind her. "I think you know what happened afterwards, right?" She asked.
"More or less." She replied. "It was rather surprising that the council of Tenebrae willingly welcomed you as their apprentice. As far as I can remember, you were only seven then."
Stella chuckled lightly. "It was a ridiculous fact that I try hard to forget."
"You were so young and naïve. I've always wondered how you managed to capture the elders' praise with the works you've done in the past."
"It's Grandmother's fault." She glanced towards the tombstone. "She thought that it was a good idea for me to be introduced to one of her closest friends who was part of the council. My outlandish ideas about the kingdom always baffled her."
"Yes, because I honestly think that you, Miss Fleuret possess the skill of good judgment. Isn't that so?"
"If you think of it that way, Somna." Stella said. "But please, enough with the praise. It's a bit too much."
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Three succeeding beeps rang as the ringing tone was recognized by the older Ambassador. Her hand quickly shoved into the left pocket of her slacks and her thumb pressed the answer button.
Stella observed as Somna was engaged in a phone call. After a few seconds, the brunette ended the conversation. Her eyes looked upon the blonde girl before her whose curious face wanted to know if something came up.
"Miss Fleuret," She called. "Would it be alright if I go on ahead?"
"Is the council in need of our assistance?"
"No, actually…" Somna's cheeks blushed in a pink hue.
"Oh, I see." Stella understood. "Spargo,"
"He's wanted to discuss the date."
"Really now? Well then, I think the bride-to-be shouldn't keep her man waiting."
Somna agreed. "I don't think I should."
"Tell me if you're having troubles with the date or the venue, Somna. I'll be glad to help."
"I will, Miss Fleuret. Goodbye then."
The brunette Ambassador turned around. Her feet were already on its way but suddenly, they halted. Somna faced Stella and grinned.
"You've always been helping me with things that are of great matter. Please, I'd like to return the favor."
The blonde diplomat waggled her head sideways. "It will be returned to me in time. I trust on that."
"I know. But, is there anything at all that I can do to help find your real self as its quickest pace?"
"There's no shortcut to that catastrophe. It's hard, but I know I will succeed."
"Your parents," Somna began. "Your life before you lived with your grandmother… Is there any fragment of memory left?"
Stella searched. She looked and felt if there was really anything she could remember about that one night that changed her life. But it was all a blur—except for a scream that continued to haunt her nightmares every now and then.
It was a shout of pain that was immediately followed by darkness and silence.
"There's nothing," Stella replied darkly. "It's empty." Her voice quivered. "I… don't know… anything."
Her blue irises penetrated through Somna's gaze. It was full of hurt and regret. Stella felt anger beating along with her heart, but it was the anger of an innocent victim who knew nothing except the reason why she continued to live each day of her life.
She was Stella. But that was what the old woman decided to call her the moment the blonde child realized that her mother and father had gone away and was never coming back.
"I'm terribly sor—"
"I'd like to be alone for now, Somna." Stella turned her back and once again, she faced the granite tombstone. She was now gazing with eyes that were filled with indecisive emotions.
Somna pressed her lips together. As much as she wanted to share the pain that her council confidant was going through, she knew it was best that Stella be left alone. And so, the brunette left silently, leaving her fellow Ambassador in her much wanted peace.
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It was already past nine in the evening by the time Stella had finished her dinner. The young Ambassador made her way upstairs as she wanted to take a relaxing bubble bath in her room. It has been a long day for her and quite honestly, she just wanted to forget her problems even just for a mere split of a second.
Her feet trudged gently upon the palace's carpeted floor. It was quiet in the hallways since the other Tenebraean officials were most probably out spending a night of unwinding pleasure. Stella successfully managed to forget her worries as her mind pondered on trivial things such as what she would wear to the Senior's dance.
But then, it would seem as if these worries of her couldn't be forgotten easily.
Stella felt something calling her. Her head jerked to the left and to the right, in search for the voice that was in need of her attention. But then she realized something. There was no voice. But still, something kept calling her.
Then finally, her eyes spotted a half open door at the end of the hallway. Stella stood right there, debating to herself whether or not she should go inside that room. 'It seemed pointless', she thought. She always used to pass that room since hers was not too far.
But something hit her. Of all the rooms she's been in or at least had a glimpse of what the inside was, that area in the hallway was the only room that failed to give her knowledge of how its interior looked like.
Curiosity pushed her feet to step ahead one after the other. And as she stopped in front of the door, Stella placed a hand upon it. Her azure pupils peeked through the small opening, looking for any possible reasons why not to go inside. But seeing that the dimness of the room had made it impossible for anything to be visible, her hand reflexively pushed the door open.
The Ambassador tapped the nearby wall and felt the light switch. Her index finger clicked it open and the whole room was engulfed in luminosity. Stella's eyes gazed around.
It was a room fit for a king—literally.
Stella walked around and gave her own impressions about how the room looked so grandeur. The red carpeted floor smelled of royalty and the flesh curtains that flowed down the windows exhibited a formal designing approach.
In the east side of the room, three busts of the previous Tenebrae Kings gloriously stood in a line. In the west, was a staircase leading to a second floor which had a huge bookshelf upon the wall and before it was an oak colored balustrade that marked its boundary.
Meanwhile, right in the middle was a wide desk. But there were no papers, pens or books on top of it. The Ambassador laid two fingers upon the empty table and quickly swiped its surface. She realized that despite the possibility that this room must no longer be in use, its cleanliness was still maintained.
Stella returned her gaze to the room's second floor and she was immediately attracted to the numerous books that flooded every section of the shelf. She ardently ambled towards the staircase but before she could climb up, her eyes keenly spotted something wedged between the second and third treads. The diplomat bent down and her right arm reached for the unknown object.
Stella had retrieved a book. Years probably went by without anybody even noticing that it was right there under the staircase. Dust had collected upon its cover and its title. The diplomat kindly rubbed it clean with her fingers and recognized that the book's title was, "Sleeping Beauty".
Sleeping Beauty.
Stella stared upon the book's cover.
Sleeping Beauty.
Her gorgeous irises widened.
Sleeping Beauty.
It was a bedtime story.
Sleeping…
Her hands went limp and the book slipped from her fingers.
...Beauty.
She drops down to her knees with her hands catching her fall.
Stella's mind suddenly became like that of a camera. Images quickly processed in her brain. And for her, it was painful.
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a/n: how was this chapter?? ANY THOUGHTS ON WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN IN NEXT?? share your predictions! Review! Critique! Thank you so much!! :D
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this is the 13th chapter... i'm soo happy i made it this far! but i wouldn't be able to continue this fic without the awesome reviewers/critiques who gave their opinions after reading a chapter...
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