Fire
By: BlackLiGurl
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue
Chapter 3: Hiro's ReturnAfter some time and struggle, Jean, Mauri, and Lemina had finally got the clothes on me. It was actually rather difficult because I didn't really know how to put it on. But, when the dress was on, I decided it was time for me to look at myself in the mirror. I nervously walked over to the glass that would show me my destiny; whether I'd be alone forever or have millions of guys swooning over me. When I saw myself in the mirror, I was amazed by my appearance. I looked around 17, which was about 2 years younger than how Nall looked and 6 years younger than Hiro. I had long reddish pink hair that flowed down past my shoulders to my lower back and red eyes. My skin was actually sort of pale but I guessed that that was because my fur hid my skin from the sun. The dress fit me perfectly, every curve of my new body seemed to be shown off by it. The slits on the sides went up to my upper thighs and the dress came down to my knees. I gasped.
"I-I'm beautiful!!" I stuttered.
"I told you you'd be a beautiful human!"
"Wait 'til Hiro sees me!!" I exclaimed.
"Is that the REAL reason why you wanted a human form?" Jean asked, "to show HIRO you could be beautiful?"
I turned around and looked at Jean. Her eyebrows were raised suggestively and her expression asked for me to think about what she said.
'Am I doing this for Hiro? Of course! Or...am I doing this for...him...' I thought.
"Go show Nall how you look," Jean said with a smirk.
"Yeah, he was gentlemen enough to close his eyes when you didn't have clothes on...so I'm sure he didn't get a good look at you," Lemina said, "and I know he wants to see how you look!"
"He's a pretty decent person for a thief..." Mauri commented.
I nodded and walked out. But the problem was to find out where he had ran off to. It was early afternoon and, around this time, he would be fixing lunch for the kids. So I checked the kitchen. The kids, and Inoru, said they were already fed and complemented me on my human appearance. So, I checked the halls. Ronfar and Leo said that Nall was in his room, and they also complemented me. After thanking them, and hitting Ronfar for his pervertedness, I went to Nall's room. His door was closed.
"Nall!" I yelled.
"Do you have clothes on?" he yelled from inside.
I fumed and turned red from anger and embarassment.
"Yes!"
There was a few noises from inside, showing that he was coming to open the door.
"Good! Because that's not something the kids should see yet!" he scoffed from behind the door.
As the doorknob turned, I held my breath. For some reason, I was really nervous about what Nall thought of my appearance. I heard Nall sigh when he finally opened the door. He stood before me in his human form. Slowly, I looked up at him. He was staring down at me in awe with his jaw dropped.
"Y-you..."
"What? You don't think I'm pretty do you?" I said sadly as my eyes welled up with tears.
"No! I mean...yes...I mean! No? N-no! I meant yes!" he stuttered, blushing madly.
His nervousness made me giggle. Just seeing him like that made my heart full of joy. He looked away from me. Finally, he regained himself and smiled sheepishly.
"No, you look ugly...of course I think you're pretty! And the dragons on that dress look a little like me," he said laughing and using his gloved hand to wipe the tears from my eyes. Suddenly, his voice took on a more grave tone as he held his hand on my cheek for a moment, "this is what you wanted...I hope you get the results with Hiro that you wished for. But, like I said before, don't expect him to leave Lucia for you...Love isn't always about looks."
I almost completely forgot about Hiro returning. At the moment, Nall's opinion was all that mattered. And, despite his comment after his complement, I smiled at him and wrapped my arms around his waist. I laid my head on his chest and sighed. I could hear and feel his heart. It was beating really fast, probably because he was as nervous as me. Why would he be nervous? I dunno, but that's the only time someone's heart beats so fast other than when they're angry. And I know he wasn't angry.
"Thank you Nall..." I whispered, "...thanks for helping me..."
"You know I'd do anything for yo-I mean-a friend...now, I have to do something..."
Nall grabbed my arms and pushed me away. For a moment, we just stared at each other. I could have swore I saw him leaning in, like he was about to kiss me. So I prepared myself. Whether it was to stop him or kiss him back, I would be prepared. But instead, he let go of me and went back in his room.
'Why did I expect him to kiss me? That was dumb of me! He would NEVER kiss me! But the question is...did I WANT him to kiss me?' I thought as his door shut.
I shook my head and walked away. Later, around early evening, we (which was Ronfar, Mauri, Jean, Leo, Lemina, and myself) were in the front hall of the Magic Guild, awaiting Hiro and Lucia's visit. We were actually silent for the first time in a while. Nall, well, he was still at Taben's Peak. He said he going watch over the Dragon Kids and Inoru. My thoughts wandered to him every now and then. I wondered why he would possibly want to stay at Taben's Peak instead of greet Hiro and Lucia. But then I forgot about him and thought about Hiro. I looked around and saw that everyone was doing there own thing. Ronfar, Leo, and Mauri were in a corner, whispering quietly about something inaudible to me; Lemina was reading a book; and Jean was practicing a few dance moves.
"Do you guys think he's really coming back?" I asked, loud enough for anyone to hear me.
Lemina looked up from her book and smiled.
"The Star Dragon doesn't seem like the type to play a practical joke or lie...you know?"
I nodded.
"So he's probably just late."
I sighed and looked at my feet. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. The whole room stood up as I scrambled for the door. I threw the door open and there he was...with her...but that didn't matter. Hiro stood before me with his usual bright smile. He looked exactly the same. Nothing changed. All I could do was stare up at him in wonder.
"Hey everyone!"
"Hello..." Lucia said softly.
"Hiro!" I exclaimed.
At the time, that was all I could manage to say. He looked down at me with an eyebrow raised.
"You look so familiar! I can't place it."
I could tell he was confused as to my identity by the way he was looking at me.
"It's me Hiro! Ruby!"
"Ruby? Wow! You look wonderful!"
"Do you really like?" I asked, blushing slightly.
"Of course! You make a beautiful human!"
I jumped on him and embraced him tightly. He laughed and spun me around, like a father would do his daughter after he hadn't seen her for a while. After letting us have our moment, the others finally came over to greet him.
"Hey chief! Hey Lucia!" Ronfar said, "it's been awhile!"
"It has," Lucia said.
"Too long if you ask me!" Jean said, "Lucia, want me to show you how to dance now?"
"Uh...I would love that..."
"And now that you're back, you HAVE to join the Magic Guild!"
"Uh..."
Jean and Lemina took Lucia away, talking about all the stuff they wanted her to do.
"It's great to have you back," Leo said, taking Hiro's hand into his own and grasping it firmly, "how long will you be here?"
"A few weeks...maybe months..."
"How's the Blue Star?" Mauri asked.
"It's looking better each day!"
I grabbed Hiro's arm and leaned into him.
"Hiro, you and Lucia have to go to Taben's Peak! The kids are dying to see you two!"
"Really?"
"Mm-hm!"
"Well...we were planning on going there anyway. I have something to give Nall."
"And nothing for me?" Ronfar asked, putting on a fake pout.
"Actually, I was giving him back his sword...but, I do have something for you Ruby!"
I gasped and clapped joyfully as he began to dig in a bag on his side.
"And nothing for me?" Ronfar repeated.
"Ronfar!" Mauri snapped.
"I was just kidding Mauri...I was kidding!"
Hiro laughed and took out a necklace with a huge ruby amulet strung on a golden chain. I gasped again and stuttered as he reached behind my neck and put it on for me.
"It's 24kt gold and a real ruby! And, it's an artifact I found while I was walking around the Blue Star. I thought you would like it seeing as though you and I used to go on archaeological digs all the time. Not to mention it's a ruby and that's your name..."
I lifted it up off of my chest and looked at it. It was beautiful.
"H-Hiro this is beautiful!"
"Just like you!" he said with a laugh.
I blushed and laughed along with him. His laugh made me remonise about days of old.
"Well, I say we get Lemina, Jean, and Lucia and head on over to Taben's Peak. I have to retrieve my kid before he gets all the girls to fall in love with him!"
"You have a kid!?" Hiro exclaimed.
"Yeah! Wait 'til ya see 'im!" Ronfar said with a smirk, "oh, ladies! We're heading out!"
Jean, Lemina, and Lucia came back in the room. Lucia had be given a mini makeover while we were talking. She had makeup on, her hair was tied up in a ponytail, and they put a blue dress on her. Hiro laughed and took Lucia into his arms.
"You look beautiful sweetie!"
"Thank you Hiro...they said that makedown-"
"Uh...it's makeup..."
"Oh...makeup...will enhance my beauty...am I really that pretty?"
"Of course!"
My heart felt heavy suddenly.
'Nall was right. As soon as Lucia came in the room, I was nothing to Hiro. My human form had no impact on Hiro whatsoever! But then, I was sorta dumb for dreaming that Hiro would suddenly dump his first love for little old me. No matter what he said, I was still that little flying-cat to him...The necklace was nice though...'
I forced a smile on my face as we walked out of the Magic Guild and hiked our way to Taben's Peak. It wasn't a long walk so we didn't use the Destiny. We reached Taben's Peak and took the gondola up to the top. Everything was quiet, so I suspected that the kids were asleep.
"Where's Nall?" Hiro asked.
"I'm not sure...I'll check his room. That's usually where he is..."
I ran to Nall's room and bumped into him as he was walking out. He was holding Sasha's hand, leading her out of the room.
"Hey Ruby."
"Ruby?!" Sasha exclaimed, "wow! You look really pretty!"
"Thanks Sasha. Are you going to see Taben's Peak's guardian again?"
"Yeah. I had my nightmare again..."
"Now remember, I have to go tell him that you want to see him and you can't come out until he says so. Okay?"
"Okay!"
Nall walked out to the playground, leaving me with Sasha. She looked up at me.
"How long have you been having these nightmares?"
"Awhile...sometimes my dreams are premonitions...that's why I always want to see the Guardian..."
I blinked. Suddenly, there was a roar from outside. Sasha smiled and ran out to the playground. So, I decided that now would be the time to tell Hiro that I found Nall. I went back to the room where Hiro and the others were.
"Nall's out on the playground. You want to see him now?"
"Sure!"
I took Hiro out to the playground and led him up to the roof.
"Remember, Nall is with one of the Dragon Kids, Sasha, in his Dragon form. Sasha doesn't know that the Dragon is Nall, 'kay?"
He nodded. We reached the roof and Nall was there speaking to Sasha. Sasha lept up when she saw Hiro and ran over to him.
"Hiro!"
She hugged him. Nall looked at Hiro and scoffed under his breath, then laid his head on his paws in a disappointed way. I watched Nall for a while. I saw the sadness in his eyes as he watched Sasha go to Hiro. Was this why Nall was jealous of Hiro?
"Hi Hiro! It's great to see you again! Did you bring Miss Lucia back?"
"You bet!"
"Yay! I'll go ask her to sing to me! Maybe that will make me feel a little better too! Bye Hiro! Bye Ruby! Bye Mr. Guardian! Thank you!"
Nall lifted his head to look at her and bowed his head. She climbed down and went inside. Hiro cleared his throat to get Nall's attention as he plopped his head back on his paws. Nall sent several sideward glares at him.
"How've you been Nall?"
"Fine..." he growled.
"Thanks for taking care of Ruby, she's really grown up..."
"Welcome..."
"Oh yeah! I brought back Althena's sword. I know it meant a lot to you, so I decided to return it!"
Hiro sat the sword by Nall, but he just slid the sword infront of him and stared at it, all while keeping his head on his paws. I just stood back and watched. Nall was being unusually cold today and I had to find out why.
"Thanks...now, I want to be alone..."
"Sure. Okay."
Hiro went inside but I stayed there. I walked over to Nall's face and poked him in the nose. He looked at me confused.
"Don't you want to go back down there with Hiro?"
"I will...as soon as you answer a question..."
"What do you want?"
"Are you jealous of Hiro?"
Nall changed to his human form and picked up his sword. He laid on his back, holding the sword up so he could look at it. I sat beside him and looked him straight in the eyes. I noticed they weren't glowing tonight.
'Hm...maybe his eyes only glow when the Blue Star is full or something...' I thought, 'bleh..that doesn't matter right now...man my thoughts flip quickly...maybe I have ADD...'
"I guess I am..." he mumbled.
"Why?" I said in shock when his statement interrupted my thoughts.
'He actually admitted to being jealous of Hiro!? This must be seriously hurting him inside for him to just go out and tell me like that!' I thought.
"Why would you be jealous of Hiro?"
"...A lot of reasons..."
"Like?!" I snapped, getting frustrated with his less-than-10-word sentences.
"The kids...they love him...every time he comes to visit it's like they don't even care that I'm here..."
"Of course they care-"
He sighed, interrupting my sentence, and sat the sword down on his chest, the blade barely touching his nose.
"When I think about it...everyone loves him...the world, the kids, you...all because he's a hero. But, without me, he wouldn't be the hero he is today. But no one cares about that...as the Dragon of Althena, I should already know that I wouldn't get any credit for what I've done to help the world's hero but...it would still be nice to be acknowledged..."
I stared at him as he closed his eyes and laughed sadly. At that very moment, I just wanted to take him into my arms like he was a child. But I knew better than that.
"Not to mention, he's a better person than I'll ever be...I guess that's why everyone loves him..."
"Nall...don't say that..." I whispered running my fingers through his hair, "you're a wonderful person..."
He scoffed and turned over, making me withdraw my hand momentarily. Then I put my hand on his shoulder.
"If I'm such a wonderful person...how come no one-"
"Loves you?"
"Exact-"
He paused for a second then sat up. Then he looked at me and shook his head slowly.
"You know what, don't worry about it..." he mumbled as he stood up, "I'm going for a fly, take care of the kids...and remember to have fun..."
With that, he jumped off of the roof and transformed into a Dragon before he hit the ground below. I watched as he took flight and flew off into the starry night. Although he told me not to worry about him, I couldn't help it. He seemed so upset and I hated it when people were upset. But, I had to take care of the kids so I didn't follow. I just sighed and went back inside like he told me to. Later that night, a lot later, me and Hiro were alone on the front balcony talking about old times and Nall hadn't returned yet. Everyone else had went into one of the kids' rooms to sleep. I leaned on the ledge with Hiro by my side.
"We should go on another adventure together!" Hiro said happily, "I know there are still some caves here on Lunar that have yet to be explored!"
When I was about to reply with an excited, "yes", I thought about what Nall was saying to me earlier.
"I dunno...I would love to go but..."
"Nall?" Hiro asked.
"Yeah...he was really upset today. He's jealous of you ya know."
Hiro nodded slowly.
"I kinda figured that..."
"It's not like he hates you though. I think he admires you a lot but...he just feels...oh, I dunno. Anyway, if I go he might feel a little unwanted. He already feels that way with the kids..."
"The kids love him! All they ever talk about with me is 'Nall showed me this' or 'Nall did this'. You know?"
I sighed and rested my chin on my hand, my elbow propping me up.
"I know that...but he doesn't. I'm really worried about him..."
Hiro chuckled, causing me to look at him.
"Why are you laughing?!" I yelled.
"Nothing. It's just that you are caring about Nall. It's cute."
I raised an eyebrow and placed my hands on my hips, confused and frustrated at the same time.
"Of course I'm caring about him! He IS my friend...and he DID take care of me while you were gone. Even though, I didn't need his dumb help."
He smiled at me.
"Well...remember to think about my offer. It'll be just you and me, like old times...I'm sure Nall would understand. G'night."
After a quick hug, he went inside to sleep in one of the kid's rooms. I sighed and stayed out for awhile, staring up at the night sky and waiting to see if Nall would come home. I wanted to talk to him about earlier. Suddenly, I heard a rustle in the tall trees around the sides of Taben's Peak. I looked at the area the noise came from as my whole body tensed up in fear.
'Oh no...if this is a monster, I don't have anything to protect myself and no one's awake to protect me!'
"Who's there?!" I yelled.
"Hah! That's a dumb thing to ask. Now, if I was a monster or someone really trying to kill you...would I really just tell you who or what I was?" a voice said sarcastically.
I relaxed, recognising the voice, and went over to the trees.
"You know that's just an instinctive question! Now come out, Nall!" I said looking through the leaves and branches.
"I don't think I want to..." I heard him say.
"Don't be so juvenile!"
I climbed into the tree, still in search of him. I found him sitting on a branch with his back against the tree trunk and his hands behind his head. He stared at me.
"Why are you in this tree?" I asked, sitting infront of him.
"Keeping watch...and listening to you and Hiro talk..."
"It's not polite to eavesdrop!"
"I'm not polite..." he said with a smirk.
"Don't play with me. Do you know how hard it is to look, climb, and sit in a tree with a dress on?!"
"Then shoo...go with Hiro..."
I blinked. I couldn't tell if he was mad or not. Nall wasn't an easy Dragonboy to read. Unlike Hiro, he doesn't say what he wants and what he means straight out. He usually says it in some kind of a riddle, just to annoy me.
"What do you mean?"
"You can go on adventures with Hiro while he's here," he said, "I don't mind. Besides, I want you to have fun and be happy. Don't stay here just because you don't want me to be sad. It's not like I want you to feel confined and jailed here. Don't worry about me. I don't matter. Plus, I'll be here forever, Hiro won't."
"Nall..." I whimpered.
Every word he said to me was so filled with hidden emotion. I could tell he was sad, but I could also tell he sincerely wanted me to go. It was making me want to break down and cry for him. But, I decided to do what I wanted to do last time he was so sad, hug him. Slowly, I embraced my depressed friend.
"What is this for?"
"Because I can tell you're hurt..."
"Pfft! I'm not hurt!" he scoffed.
"Then why are my clothes wet?"
"Because you're sweaty!"
"You're crying that's why!"
"I-I don't cry!" he choked out, "now get offa me!!"
"No! I want to hold you right now..." I said as I gently rubbed his back.
He was silent for a moment but I could still hear him sniffing.
"Why are you doing this?" he whined, "just go inside and go to sleep!"
"Shut up or I'll push you outta this tree," I threatened.
I gasped softly as Nall put his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to him. Momentarily, all I could do was stare straight ahead...at his chest.
"If you push me down...you're going down with me..." he sneered.
I looked up at him and blushed. My face was a bit too close to his for comfort. But he didn't really seem to mind as he stared down into my watery eyes. I examined his face and saw that there was small trails of tears right under his eyes, but he wasn't crying anymore. He was smiling.
"You're so fickled!" I laughed, "one moment you're sad, the next you're playing around again!"
"That's just the way I am..."
I opened my mouth to reply when he quickly took one hand from my waist and placed his finger on my mouth to quiet me.
"Ruby...please go with Hiro. I can take care of the kids by myself for a few months. Heck, I've done so for like 800 years..." he said softly, brushing a stray hair from my face.
"O-okay..."
"Good, I want you to be happy. Now go get some sleep!"
We let go of each other and I crawled out of the tree. I went into his room and went to straight to sleep. In the morning, I woke up to find Nall sprawled on the floor a few feet away from the bed, snoring away.
"Dat's right fishies...come tah Nall...don't worry. I don't bite...heh heh heh..."
I couldn't help but smile at him as his fingertips and the corners of his mouth twitched every now and then. He was drooling and his tounge lolled from the corner of his mouth.
'Ronfar was right...Nall is like a child. Except Nall's more arrogant and prideful...'
I watched him as he dreamed his crazy fish dream and talked in his sleep until Hiro came in. He walked over to me, stepping over Nall's sleeping form.
"I guess he's really tired from staying up all last night..." Hiro said sitting next to me.
"Yeah..."
"So are you coming with me? Lucia said she'd wait for me at the Magic Guild where she'll teach the history of the Blue Star for a couple of months."
"Yep! Nall said that he wanted me to go and have fun...but he was so sad about it. I could tell he was trying to hide it though," I said, still staring at Nall, "he's acts so tough but he's actually really sensitive..."
"All boys are like that really, and he'll never grow out of it...hey, let's go this afternoon! I can't wait to start a new adventure with you!"
"Okay!" I said blushing.
I couldn't believe that Hiro was actually leaving Lucia for an adventure with little old me. Of course, it was only for a couple of months but, it was going to be just like old times. Just me and him, exploring every unexplored cave and being the best of friends we always were meant to be. Every now and then, my heart excited to the possibility that me and Hiro still had a chance to be with each other.
Note: I'm lost...You're lost...the whole world is lost...Just kidding...review and disregard my last note about the constructive critism. I enjoy the inflation of my ego! M'wahaha!