Chapter 21: The Helpers
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Palom and Porom were depressed; that much was certain just by looking at the backs of their heads. And no one blamed them. Everyone had been under the impression that, with "professionals" taking care of this menace on the moon, Cecil and company might be able to stay in one place for a while. For herself, Mira had been anticipating a few wedding invitations in the near future. Jackie had suspected that Rosa would try to spirit Porom away to be her apprentice. But all those plans were cut dismally shot.
"Rosa and Rydia ran off," Palom informed bluntly at the dinner table. His parents raised their heads, surprised, and then realized that they had no reason to be surprised, really.
"That's… too bad," Jackie said, slow and sadly, fishing for something relevant to say. "I hope they'll be okay. I assume they talked to you two about it before they left, then?"
"They found us and said goodbye," Porom agreed, staring at her plate without interest. She sighed heavily and got out of her chair. "May I please be excused? I'm not hungry."
"Me too," Palom added, pushing his plate away from himself. "Looking at food makes me feel really sick."
"Go on to sleep," Mira advised. "Try to get some rest; maybe it will help you feel better."
The twins nodded weakly and left the room, too sad to even say good-night to their parents.
"We ought to do something for them," Mira suggested when the children were gone. "Something special; just the four of us. I just… I honestly don't know how to soothe them."
"They've lost their best friend," Jackie pointed out. "From what I gather, this is probably how Cecil felt when they petrified themselves. In a way, we owe it to them to let them feel depressed for a day or two."
"I know; I went through my fare share of depression relapses while we were in Baron, myself."
"I was there for three of them; you tried to overdose on sleeping pills and I was the one who caught and stopped you, remember?"
"Yes… You don't think they'd try to do something like that, do you?"
"It's not likely. Children so young don't usually contemplate suicide, even in the middle of depression. I think they'll be okay, in time. I mean, after going through something so intense like they did, how can anyone expect them to be the way they were again? Experiences change people; especially at such an impressionable age."
"All the same…" Mira murmured doubtfully.
Unbeknownst to them, the twins were each in their own rooms, their ears pressed firmly against their doors, hanging to every word echoing down the hall. At the same time, almost telepathically, the each envisioned the many ways that they could kill themselves—casting spells on themselves, raiding the medicine cabinet, throwing themselves off bridges—and then the reactions of their friends—Cecil, Rydia and Rosa returning triumphant to find them dead, their mother dressed in black, and their teachers in tears—and decided firmly that nothing was worth putting their friends through that kind of trauma again.
I'm going to bed, they thought at the same time.
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"Don't lose hope, lil' sister," Palom said earnestly while Porom continued to pick at her breakfast. "Maybe they're okay. Maybe they're on their way back here right now."
"Yeah, right," Porom muttered into her oatmeal.
"I dunno… I've got a really funny feeling that something big is about to happen," Palom insisted. "I had a dream last night about the moon. All our friends were up there, fighting this big bonfire-looking thing, and they were getting beat up."
"Oh, that's comforting," Porom snapped.
"There's more! Let me finish! Anyways, they were all getting tried and stuff and then, out of the darkness I heard your voice."
Porom looked up, interested at last. "My voice? Why?"
"Dunno. You were saying something about everyone was going to help them win; that we were all going to give them strength; something like that. I can't remember all of it."
"'We all'? There's only two of us."
"And we were there; I saw us appear in the dark, like ghosts. And then there was more! I saw Tellah and Anna too!"
"Tellah and Anna? But… They've been dead!"
"I know! And everyone else was there: Cid, Yang, Edward, they were all there with us! I'm telling you, Porom, something huge is going to happen!"
"What were we all doing there?"
"…I don't know. The dream didn't show."
"Oh," she said dejectedly and sighed. "I was really hoping that you would say we showed up to help them beat that guy."
"How would we get there? We don't have the Whale."
Tired of Palom and his cryptic dreams, she got down from the chair and stalked out of the kitchen, trying to ignore the sudden twitching of her shoulder.
I'm so stressed…
The twitching continued as she went, growing worse. She finally stopped and began rubbing her shoulder as hard as she could. It subsided slightly, although it seemed to have spread up her neck and into her eye.
Really, really stressed…
Porom felt dizzy all of a sudden. The world was spinning around her and there was this loud ringing in her ears. She clapped her hands over them to try and block out the ringing, but it did no good. The ringing suddenly started evolving from a pointless noise to something intelligible. Familiar voices were calling her name, asking for help.
"Porom, Porom! Gather the others! Lend us your strength! We can't... We're falling... Help us, please!"
The ringing stopped as suddenly as it had started and she collapsed on the floor, feeling a little nauseous. There was a new voice, much clearer than the ones in her head; crisper and closer.
"Porom! Porom, are you okay?"
Oh; it was just Palom. She struggled to sit up, but fell back again. Her twin caught her head in his lap before she hit her head on the stone floor.
"Palom... Get every else and bring them here," she groaned, wishing the room would stop spinning. "I think Cecil's in trouble... He needs our help, now!"
Palom beamed. "Aha! See? I told you that something big was going to happen!"
"Cut it out! Just get them!"
"Bring them here?"
"—No, not here; the tower. We need uncle Rai's help."
"What about you? You don't think I'm just gonna leave you here like this, do you?"
"I'll be fine; I'm feeling a little better already," she lied. In truth, she still felt like she was going to throw up at any minute, but her vision had left her with a sense of urgency that was not to be ignored.
"What should I tell them?" Palom asked.
"I don't... That I saw something. Maybe they'll know what it means."
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Even though they didn't know what Porom's vision was supposed to mean, Rai seemed to know exactly what was going on.
"They're in trouble; big trouble," he informed everyone once they had gathered together on the roof of the tower.
"What do you propose we do?" Yang asked sternly. "Surely there's something we can do."
"What if there wasn't a way?" Rai asked cautiously. Yang's dark eyes darted around nervously, defiantly, not able to believe that he could do nothing but sit back and watch his friends dying. The others present—Edward, Cid, some women from Troia, Leon the pilot and his twin, King Giott, and the twins—all fidgeted tensely under the question.
"I was just curious," Rai said at last. "There is a way," he informed, and everyone let out a simultaneous sigh of relief.
"What would you have us do?" Edward asked eagerly.
"I would ask a great deal from each of you; for your strength and vitality for a few days," Rai answered and observed the reactions for a moment: confused adults, nervous-looking children.
"What would this accomplish?" Cid asked, trying to sound bigger and more intimidating that he probably felt.
"If we can get in contact with our friends on the moon, I can transfer our strength to them from here. It will leave you all feeling very weak and maybe unable to stand for a good while, but if we pooled all our energy and gave it to them, it might give them enough firepower to hold their own."
"And… Our magic?" asked one of the Troian women.
"If it's not asking too much, my lady. Rosa is a white mage, and Rydia is a Summoner; they'll need all the extra power they can get." The woman nodded her head understandingly.
"It certainly sounds like a plan," Edward said firmly. "I say we do it."
"Feh," Cid snorted. "When last I looked, you barely had anything to give, squirt!"
"That's not fair, Cid," Yang reprimanded. "We all have something or other to offer our friends; what little any of us might have could be the one thing that wins the fight."
As the group murmured its agreement, Rai stood still and watched how the twins would react. They had nothing to add to the conversation; they remained quiet, communicating silently with each other. After a few seconds, they grinned affirmatively at each other. They, too, were in.
"When do we start, cap?" Leon's brother asked. "Can we start now?"
Everyone seemed to agree; if Cecil and company were in trouble and there was something to be done, now was the time to do it.
"Stand in a circle around the roof," Rai directed and everyone scrambled to get in place. The area was just big enough for everyone present to fit in a circle around the roof top; everyone, that is, except the two little members of the group.
"Move over, please," Porom said politely to Yang. "Palom and I need to fit in the circle too."
Yang shook his head. "Perhaps it is best that you two stay out of ths adventure," he suggested.
Palom looked as if his head would explode. "How can you say that?" he demanded. "We've gotta help too, you know. That's what we're here for; duh!"
"Of all of us," Edward was saying respectfully, "I think the two of you have sacrificed the most. Yet you would give more?"
"You're just a couple of whelps; you're kids!" Cid added. "You've done more than your share. Leave the rest to us."
"Whelps are puppies," Palom said indignantly. "Dogs can't do any of the stuff Porom and me have done."
"And we're not done yet anyways," Porom insisted. "Everything that's happened," she said, counting on her fingers, "The raid last year, going up Mount Ordeals and Scarmiglione, Devil's Road, the Waterway, beating Cagnazzo, turning ourselves to stone, the Giant—it's all come down to this! Everything that's happened to us happened to bring us here, for this very moment."
"And everything that happened to you guys brought you here for this too. It's our destiny; not just yours, 'cause you're all grown-ups. It's ours too," Palom added. "We're all Cecil's friends. Let's help him together!"
What kids; they must have spent a lot of time with Rydia, Edward thought.
Those two have changed. They are so full of resolve; they both seem to glow as angels. They've grown up, Yang thought.
Those little punks... One more word out of either of 'em and I'm gonna start cryin' like a baby! Cid thought
Almost at the same time, all three of them thought, They're absolutely right. Let's do this together!
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It was dark, cold, and it felt like someone had run him through with a spear. This was all that Cecil could register as he lay on the cold hard floor of the dark chamber, smashed almost to pieces. All around him, his friends and the little family he had left had fallen as well, dying with him.
We can at least say that we tried, he thought, feeling utterly defeated, feeling like a failure. He wished sorely that some of his friends would appear out of the blue, as Rosa and Rydia had. But no one was coming this time.
Better for us to all die together, I suppose. What would have happened to Rosa and Rydia down there had they stayed, anyway? Left to wait in vain for us and to die alone and scared… That's no way for either of them to go. Here, at the end, I'm glad to say that I fell beside them.
The evil thing laughed maliciously. "Too weak to stand my power. I knew it. I'll eradicate the rest of your weakling kind from the universe. Such weakness is not to be tolerated in light of my awesome strength."
The words made Cecil's blood boil. He wanted badly to get back up and try again, but his broken body didn't agree.
I need just a little strength…Just enough to get back up…
"Don't give up! Please!"
Cecil thought he must be delirious. That sounded like Porom's voice echoing in the cavernous ruins. But it couldn't be…
His eyes were shut tight, but he opened them cautiously to look around. The first things he saw—to his surprise and terror—were the twins.
"You're losing your will, Cecil," Porom warned. "You can't give up now! You just got started!"
"I can barley move," Cecil protested weakly, deciding that he was dreaming.
"We're gonna fix that," Palom countered. "All of us are."
"There are only you," Cecil pointed out.
"Not for long," Porom said cryptically. She and her brother knelt beside him and took his hands.
They felt so real; he wondered briefly if he was in the afterlife and all of his friends had followed him. But now that they were so much closer to his face, he could see that they were slightly transparent. It wasn't really the twins; they were just holograms.
This was magic.
"Take our strength and get back up," Palom commanded. "We're giving it all to you."
"You'll need it all for the fight," Porom added. They both began to fade away, and their voices becoming more and more echoic.
"I feel dizzy..." Palom muttered as he vanished into the air.
"Uncle warned you," Porom scolded, sounding lightheaded herself, and she too faded into nothingness.
"Wait! You guys!" Cecil called after them, but no one was there.
What was that all about? He wondered. Then he realized that he was sitting up and that most of his broken bones were mended. He felt—dare he say it—better.
"Cecil, look over here," called an old, familiar voice. Cecil turned to look and, once again, had to blink his eyes several times, convinced that he was still dreaming. It was Edward, Anna, and Tellah, together at last.
"...But I thought you two were dead!" he exclaimed, pointing at Anna and her father.
"Naturally," Anna answered demurely. "But we've come to help you. You all look terrible."
"I'm weak and they are spirits," Edward informed needlessly. "We don't have much to give you in means of strength, but we will offer you what we can."
All three of them were transparent as well, more magical holograms. They began to fade away, like the twins; but as they did, he noticed his comrades coming around. As his daughter and once-to-be son-in-law disappeared, Tellah broke away from them and approached Rosa, who was struggling to stand on a leg that was still broken. Tellah offered her his hand.
"So, you're Rosa, eh?" he said as he hauled her to her feet. "I'm sorry that I never got to meet you; I came close several times." He took her hand and gave it a firm squeeze. His strength spent, he faded off to re-join the others, wherever they had come from.
"What was that?" Rosa wondered out loud.
"That was really weird," Edge complained, rubbing a headache off by jamming his thumb into his temples. "What happened?"
"I'm not sure," Cecil answered, still sitting on the floor. "I think, somehow, our friends are helping us."
"It's our turn!" cried another familiar voice.
Everyone lit up to see who the next people were.
"Cid! Yang!" exclaimed Rydia, who had missed most of what had happened. "What are you doing here?"
"We could all ask the same of you, kid," Cid scolded. "We're here to give you lot our strength."
"It would appear that Porom's little vision was totally correct; you all look terrible!" Yang added, beginning to fade.
"Going so fast, old men?" Edge reprimanded. "We could use your help here, you know!"
"We'd stay, but we're not really here," Cid informed, sounding dizzy. "The Elder's magic is just projecting us so that you can see us."
"Feeling better?" Yang asked drowsily.
Cecil understood what was going on, and his friends seemed to finally understand as well.
"You're giving us all your strength," Rosa guessed.
"Ain't magic wonderful?" Cid slurred as he disappeared. Yang waved goodbye as he followed Cid into nothingness.
The next to appear were the Troian mages, accompanied by Dharma and Sheila.
"You ladies could us some MP, no?" one of the women said sweetly as she began to fade off, faster than everyone else because she had less power to share. Sheila and Dharma split up; the white mage went to Rosa and the black mage went to Rydia.
"You'll need all the power you can get, if you want to call up your friends," Dharma chuckled as he helped Rydia to her feet. Edge lurched forward defensively, but Dharma vanished before the ninja could get to him.
Sheila bowed her head and blushed as she took Rosa's hands. "I've been rather rude to you. I'm sorry; I suppose I was jealous of you, for having the heart of such a wonderful man. Can you forgive me for my behavior?"
Rosa smiled benevolently and gave Sheila's holographic hand a squeeze. "Of course I can."
Sheila sighed, happy to have the burden off her shoulders. "I can see why Cecil tried so hard to get to you. You're a very special person." She sounded like she was going to say more, but her form faded like a ghost before she could continue.
"How about some strength?" bellowed a deep, jolly voice. King Giott and Luca had come to take their turn.
"We may be small, but we're hardy as anything!" Luca said brightly. "With our strength, you'll have a hard time failing!"
"Ha! You dwarves are alright!" cheered Edge, who was very fond of the inventive little people.
"Come back soon," Giott called as he and his niece began to fade. "And remember: don't die!"
"That's all of us," added Luca. "Go fight for us! Make that bad guy pay!"
"I think we might," Cecil agreed to the air. "Think we can try again?" he asked everyone.
"I feel great!" Edge commented, flicking some hidden shurikens out of his sleeves. "Let's get him! And this time, we know exactly what to do."
Kain, forgotten to the side but revived all the same, stood up and picked his lance up from where it had fallen. "Edge is right; now that we've fought Zeromus once, we know where and how to hit and when to heal. It's a straight shot this time."
"Then let's make the most of that straight shot. It won't be any easier, but we can do it now. Ready?"
"Ready!" everyone cheered together.
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The Elder was true to his word. When the large group came to from the rite, they felt terrible. Porom was surprised that she could sit up at all. Beside her, Palom was unconscious. The adults were all sprawled out on the rooftop around her, either asleep or groaning in terrible pain.
"I warned you that it would sap most of your strength," Rai reminded those who could still hear him. "Do any of you find yourselves able to walk?"
No one raised a hand. Porom tried, hoping that she could stand if she was awake, and found herself lying on the floor again.
"Recovery will come slowly, but it won't hurt," Rain informed. "I'll go and find some help to get you all downstairs. Wait here, okay?"
Several people groaned again, not amused by his teasing. The two airship pilots, who had been deliberately left out of the ritual for this reason, came forward and followed him back into the tower.
"We'll be back soon," Leon assured everyone before he disappeared down the stairs.
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For the next few days, the twin's lives revolved around thick soup and deep sleep. Porom was lucky to be a white mage; she recovered faster than her brother, who was once again sapped completely of his health and hardly able to sit up.
"I wonder if it worked," Palom mused drowsily during one of the brief periods of time that he was awake. "I mean, it had better have worked. I feel terrible."
"I feel complete, somehow. Like it won't matter now if I live or die now, because I did what I was supposed to do and my task is done now," Porom added.
"Don't talk like that; of course it'll matter if you're alive. What would happen if you died?" Palom pointed out. "You wouldn't want my life to get all boring, would you?"
"I guess not. Still; I don't have to go looking for a destiny anymore. Even if I stopped learning right now, I wouldn't care because I've done what I was destined to do. Do you get that feeling at all?"
"Nah; I feel like I still haven't grown up, so I haven't reached my destiny yet. You're not going to quit school or something, are you?"
"Of course not!"
"Then stop worrying about it," Palom advised with a yawn. "I'm going back to sleep. Maybe, when I wake up, they'll all be back from the moon. I hope so…"
"You've been saying that since yesterday evening," Porom pointed out, though her brother was already snoring again. She yawned too and laid back down to take a nap herself.
Then, maybe they will be back. You never know… Not with them..........
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At last! Who's up for an EPILOGUE?!?!?!
In the next chapter...
Palom's made a new friend; and she's making him completely re-think his opinion of Edge's favorite topic: girls.
"Hey, Lisa, if I'm late for dinner again, my mom's gonna cream me. How about you come over to dinner at my house tonight? I don't think anyone would mind," he suggested, feeling pretty good about himself, despite his looming punishment.
Lisa grinned. "Sure! I'd love to! When should I—"
"I'll come for you after school," Palom interrupted. "You can walk home with me and my sister. We can have a snack and do our homework and stuff. Think your mom would let you?"
"I think so. I'll wait for you outside the academy, okay?"
"Okay; see you then."
Heh; girls aren't as icky as I thought they'd be, he thought smugly as Lisa ran out of the garden, waving goodbye. I love it when she smiles; she's so pretty when she smiles.
Once again, it's time to celebrate. Not just for new beginnings, but for old ones as well!
"Now that I think about it," Rydia mused, "it was about this time last year that we were shipwrecked. In fact, I think the one-year anniversary is tomorrow."
"Do you think that's why Cecil and Rosa picked today for the wedding?" Porom asked.
Rydia grinned ruefully. "Perhaps; maybe they just pulled a date out of the air. They certainly didn't pick it for the weather."
Porom made a thoughtful noise and thought for a moment. "If tomorrow's the one-year anniversary of the shipwreck, the that means that the day after tomorrow--no, the day after the day after tomorrow is the day that Palom and I met Cecil for the first time. "
"Wow," Rydia said reverently, staring out the window at the rain. "A lot happens in a year, huh? Even when you weren't a part of it."
"Uhuh," Porom agreed. She knew well what the summoner meant; a lot had happened over those several months, and she hadn't been there for a good deal of it either.
Stay tuned! The Faraxhae Family Circus will return after this short break!