Chapter 44: That Which Can't be Said
The moon stood out in the starlit sky, casting its light down over Daath. The softly lit streets showed not even a trace of the crowds that frequented them during the day. Windows were closed and locked, and the emptiness seemed to echo throughout the empty streets. The only life to be had were the night guards, dutifully standing in front of the cathedral, fighting off the proverbial sandman. There wasn't a sound, save for the crickets who sang well into the morning hours.
Not far from the slumbering city, the same moonlight streamed in the Albiore's small windows, landing on a table surrounded by four figures. On the table, a huge map of Auldrant was spread out, covered with numerous markings in various colours. Known enemy bases, passage rings, fallen lands, the colourful lines and circles gave off much information to the three people who were intently analysing it, and engrossed in conversation over which of those marks would become their next destination.
Ginji stifled a yawn as he struggled to pay attention to the group in front of him. Sleep beckoned the young pilot; he hadn't had any decent amount of it in almost three days. It had already called the girls, Luke and Ion into their respective cabins and he was just dying to crawl into his own makeshift bed. But at the very least he wanted to try and last the remainder of the meeting. They were trying to decide their next course of action, something he really should be there for. But seriously, it was really dragging on. Didn't they ever get tired?
"So I guess it boils down to two huge problems," Guy summed up. "The war that Mohs is pushing to keep the Score on track, and the lands falling, which… well we don't know why Van wants to do that, other than to make room for some huge replica."
"And get rid of the rest of the world while he's at it," Asch tossed it.
"Do you suppose he's trying to throw the Score off?" Ginji suggested, rubbing his eyes sleepily.
"Throw it off?" Guy inquired curiously.
"Well you guys keep talking about how Van and the God-Generals are always expressing their hatred of the Score. Could it be their goal to throw it off? I mean, I've never heard of anything as huge as the Outer Lands collapsing in the Score, and even if it was in the Closed Score, Ion should have heard of it, right?"
"Well I guess it's possible. One person trying to keep the Score on track, another trying to throw it off, and both are our enemies," Guy said. "Kinda makes you wonder where we stand, doesn't it?"
"We don't know if that's really what Van's after," Asch pointed out.
"Asch is right," Jade agreed. "Making assumptions at this point could prove to be quite dangerous."
"Besides, the Score is already off track," the redhead continued. "If that was all he was after, he could have stopped seven years ago."
"After making Luke," Guy agreed, seeing what Asch was getting at.
"That's a rather important little tidbit you've been keeping to yourselves," Jade stated disapprovingly.
"You mean that Luke doesn't appear in the Score?" Guy inquired.
"It's not like we could say anything until Luke was ready to admit he was a replica," Asch answered defensively. "Let's face it, if it had been up to him, no one would have ever found out."
"How is Luke doing?" Ginji stifled another yawn. He sincerely hoped his lack of sleep didn't come across as indifference, but Asch sent him a grateful smile.
"Luke will be fine," Asch said, still leaning over the map spread out in from of them. "How soon will depend a lot on how Tear takes things."
"Well seeing as there is little we can do on that front, shall we continue on this one so Ginji here doesn't fall asleep in his chair?" Jade suggested slyly. Ginji sat up straight with a start, doing his best not to look like he was nodding off, even though he obviously had been.
"Well, with the Rugnica Plains in the Qliphoth, the war's come to halt, though neither side has formally ceased hostilities," Guy surmised. "At least there's no fighting, but there's no saying how long that will last. On the other hand, we have the Sephiroth that have gone out of control. We don't know how long before they drop the Outer Lands either. If only we knew how much time we had to work with…"
"Seeing as whether we stopped the war or not won't matter much if the lands plummet, perhaps we'd best start there," Jade suggested.
"But what can we really do?" the blond asked. "I mean we can lower the land, but then everyone is slowly poisoned by the miasma. If that's the case, then letting the lands fall might be the less cruel of the two options."
"They won't worry about the miasma long," the Colonel replied. "Once the passage rings shatter the lands will all sink into the miasma, regardless of whether they were lowered or not."
"All the more reason for us to do something soon then," Guy said solemnly.
"Jade, could you take a look at this?" Asch pulled an old book out of his pack and set it down on the small table. "I think it might be able to give us some ideas."
"My, my, what's this?" Jade picked the book up and began to leaf through it.
"I found it in one of Daath's libraries. It looked like it could be useful, so I brought it along."
"Useful, indeed." Jade continued to flip the pages, slower as more information caught his eye.
"What is it?" Guy tried to catch a glance at what Jade was reading, but quickly retreated when Jade gave him a dangerous stare. Apparently the Colonel didn't appreciated people reading over his shoulder.
"It's a history of the Dawn Age," Jade explained after a moment. Guy looked at him dumbfounded, no way had he read it that quickly. "It's a forbidden text of the Order. Even just from what I've seen so far, it looks as if it could be very helpful in figuring out a solution to our problems with the Sephiroth. I'd like to take the time to read it properly if I may."
"Have at it," Asch simply shrugged. Jade grinned, the Colonel knew full well that had been Asch's intentions from the beginning.
"So where are we heading tomorrow?" Ginji asked before anyone could disperse.
"I would like to go to Belkend," Jade replied. "I'd like to have a word or two with Spinoza, assuming this text doesn't go into any greater detail then I've seen from flipping through it. His original specialty was physics, and I've a few theories I'd like to pass by him."
Guy shook his head. Theories? He had theories already?! He hadn't looked at the book for more than ten minutes! "Well that's where we were heading before this fiasco anyway, so I'm sure no one will object," Guy shrugged, trying to downplay his show of surprise.
"Belkend it is," Ginji said with as much energy as he could muster.
"Don't even think of getting up early." Asch pinned their silver haired comrade under a threatening glare. "You need your sleep too.
"Don't worry," Ginji answered with a grin.
"Oh we won't." Jade's voice laced with his most dangerous tone. It was soft, misleadingly so. No one had the first clue how he made such an innocent tone so obviously threatening. "If we are in the air before breakfast, I'm sure Guy will be happy to take over, while we hang our pilot from one of the wings." Everyone stared at him in a dumbfounded silence. "Well, now that that's settled, I think it best we all got some rest."
"He-he wouldn't seriously do that…" Ginji whispered nervously to Asch as they made their way down towards the cabins. "Umm…would he?"
"With the old man, you never know." Asch shrugged. "I don't know about you, but I'm not going to be the first one to find out."
Ginji laughed nervously. "I'll keep that in mind."
--
Natalia rolled over in her bed and stared aimlessly at the ceiling. In the bunk beneath her Tear slept soundly, her steady breathing entrancing the young princess and occupying her otherwise unpleasant thoughts. It amazed her that Tear slept so well, especially given how upset she'd been before. Then again, perhaps she was simply so exhausted, physically and emotionally, that she just didn't have it in her to be restless. Natalia wished she was the same way.
It had been two days now since they'd rescued Asch, and she'd yet to say a word to him. What could she say? Sorry didn't even begin to express how she felt, nor was it anywhere near enough given her recent actions. And if that wasn't bad enough, she didn't even know where to begin with Luke. He still refused to speak with her, and rightfully so. Her irrational actions had almost gotten him killed, and for what? Some petty jealous fit. It was a wonder they even tolerated her presence at all.
What would she have done had they abandoned her? Natalia curled up under her covers and clutched her pillow in a death grip. It wasn't like she could return home; she wasn't even the real princess. Perhaps it was true no one knew that secret of hers, but she did, and she couldn't return as if nothing had ever happened. She was a fake, a fraud. No different then Luke really; she was nothing but an imitation of a princess who had died years ago. What would her father think if he found out? About either her actions, or her lack of royal blood… She had delayed the truth by following along with Van's schemes, but that couldn't last forever. All she had done was hurt the people she loved and scored another point against herself for that fateful day when the world would see her for the impostor that she was. She was beginning to understand why Luke hated being a replica.
Natalia had never even given any thought to the outcomes of her scenario. Not once had she thought Luke could be hurt, that Asch would be angry, that she might be betraying her friends… none of it. She had only seen an end, a long desired dream, and had foolishly ignored the rest of the world around her, disregarded the people she had hurt in doing it. To protect her secret? No, that was just an excuse, a line her mind used when the guilt was more than she could bare. She had done it for no one but herself, she had been selfish and had gotten nothing more than she deserved.
But she couldn't hide forever; avoiding Asch would only last so long, after all. Natalia had to confront him. This was a fact, there would be no avoiding it and the sooner she did it, the better. But for all that she knew it had to happen, it did nothing to appease her fears. What would he say when he found out? After watching the normally quiet Tear, and how upset she'd been that Luke had lied to her all this time… Natalia couldn't even begin to fathom Asch's reaction. Would he leave her, abandon her, right then and there? If he did she couldn't deny she deserved it, but in her heart of hearts that was her greatest fear. Tears slowly leaked down the young girl's cheeks and drowned in her soft cotton pillowcase. What could she possibly say to show him how she felt, how sorry she truly was? She would do anything, if he would just understand.
She still loved him. And she would give up the world, if it meant he would stay at her side.
--
"You better not get us lost again!" Hands on her hips and with an eyebrow cocked, Anise stood between Asch and the entrance to Belkend's labs giving said young noble what everyone in the group had dubbed 'the look'. It was pretty funny actually, sort of reminiscent of a mother disapproving of her child's behaviour. But seeing as she was the shortest one among them (with the exception of Mieu) and had to look up to give them her 'look', it really lost a lot of its impact.
"I wasn't lost," Asch argued, crossing his arms and giving the Fon Master Guardian a look of his own. "It's not my fault you didn't know where I was going."
"You're just lucky we ran into Spinoza. You were totally walking in circles!"
"And since when are you such an expert on the layout of the Belkend laboratory?"
"Last time we were here, we wandered for a good hour," Guy whispered to Luke, who was doing his best to hide his laughter. He knew full well Asch had been hopelessly lost, but watching his brother prove otherwise was amusing to say the least.
"Yeah, cause the boy genius over here got us lost," Anise added after overhearing Guy's comment. "You're lucky you weren't here Luke, we walked around for hours!" The young Fon Master Guardian punctuated her point by sticking her tongue out at Asch. Luke simply smiled. Little did she know…
"Well then Anise," Natalia piped up. "If you're so certain, why don't you lead the way?"
Anise looked at everyone whose gazes were suddenly fixed on her. "Uh uh, no way! You're just looking for a reason to blame me if we get lost!"
"But if you're leading and we get lost, isn't it your fault?" Mieu inquired innocently.
"Hey! You're supposed to be on my side!" Anise protested. "Well fine then, no riding on Tokunaga for you!"
"Mieuuu," the young cheagle's ears sagged.
"Don't worry Mieu, you can ride on my shoulder," Tear offered.
"You guys do realize that Jade and Asch have both gone inside already, right?" Luke spoke up before things got too out of hand. The girls both spun around just in time to hear the big doors slam shut.
"Honestly," Natalia rolled her eyes. "Would it kill them to wait for the rest of us?"
"Well seeing as we're in one of Van' strongholds, it just might," Guy pointed out.
"I guess you're right," Natalia replied apologetically. "Shall we go after them before they get too far?"
"I think that's a good idea," Tear agreed, sharing a smile with Natalia before following the Princess, Anise and Ion into the laboratory.
Luke watched Tear disappear behind the big brown doors. She hadn't so much as glanced back at him. Luke swallowed the lump in his throat. This was to be expected, after all, she hated replicas and fomicry. Why did he expect that he'd be the exception? They hadn't said anything to each other beyond the usual formalities: good morning, hello or excuse me as they passed each other in the narrow halls of the Albiore, but that was it. Did everything they'd had, the friendship they'd shared… really amount to nothing in the end?
"Luke, are you coming?" Guy's voice brought the redhead back to reality. "You've been a space case for the past few days, are you sure you're alright?"
"Yeah, thanks Guy."
"Don't mention it, I'm your friend, it's my job to worry about you. Now let's get going, this isn't the place to get separated from the others."
His best friend answered with another transparent smile and Guy was reassured several more times that Luke was, in fact, fine. Guy shook his head; didn't Luke realize it was obvious he was bothered by something? Most likely a something that started with a 'T' and ended in 'ear'. Guy had noticed the indifference that the melodist had shown his best friend for the past couple days. Yulia only knows how Luke was interpreting this new development, but the blond was sure it wasn't good. For all that Luke put every drop of his faith in others; he really was a bit of a pessimist when it came to figuring them out.
Thankfully, as the two best friends entered the front doors, they found everyone waiting for them in the entryway, some more impatient than others, but everyone was there. They all shared the same mentality: this was the last place they wanted to get separated, unless you counted Daath.
Rather than listen to Anise's continuous complaining for hours on end, Asch finally broke down and asked one of the lab technicians for directions to Spinoza's lab. It was simple enough, and though it required some backtracking, the lab was easy enough to find and so embarrassingly well labelled that they could only wonder why they hadn't noticed it the first time through. And it hadn't even taken them fifteen minutes.
As impressive as Spinoza's lab was, it would have been much more so had they actually found the man in there. Unfortunately, the complex fon machines and a mess of disorganized papers were all there was in the overly crowded room.
"This place is a mess!" Anise exclaimed, nearly tripping over one of the many cords on the ground.
"Do you think if we wait long enough he'll come back?" Ion asked hopefully.
"I'm highly doubtful of that," Jade commented as he eyed the mess. "From the looks of things, he's been planning to leave for some time now."
"What makes you say that?" Luke walked over to the table where Jade was scanning the many sheets of papers scattered about.
"Many of the pages with key information are missing, and the others are systematically damaged. For whatever reason he left, he didn't want anyone using his research."
"Do you think he knew there was a chance we'd come looking for help?" Asch began to leaf through the papers on the floor. Jade was right. Most held useless or indecipherable information, while others were either covered in dark stains or too faded to make out. Definitely nothing of any use, and definitely at least somewhat planned.
"Well, whatever the case, it doesn't look like he's been gone long," Jade pointed out.
"Hey guys, there's a door over here," Luke called as he examined the small exit. It was much narrower than the other doors in the building and was camouflaged by a book shelf and some machinery. After a moment of trial and error, Luke finally figured out how to open it. Not that the young noble minded, there was something satisfying about pushing all the different buttons.
The metal door glided open and Luke hurried through it with the entire group not far behind. "Dr. Spinoza! Wait!" A flash of gray and white just vanished behind the door on the other side of the room.
'You idiot, don't make him run!' Asch reprimanded his sibling.
'What are you talking about? He's not running from us.'
'How do you know he hasn't betrayed us?'
'How do you know he has?'
Asch was silent.
"Luke? Asch?" The opposite door opened a crack before sliding open all the way. Spinoza walked back into the small office and set a couple of books back down on his desk. Though the hidden office wasn't in as much disarray as his lab had been, it was still rather disorganized. Pens and other writing utensils were scattered haphazardly across the desk and surrounding floor. Crumpled pieces of paper were tossed into various corners, and several fomicry books were sitting open to pages on many different topics. But Spinoza didn't seem to be bothered by any of it, from the look on his face, he had much greater concerns. "Thank goodness it's only you." The scientist said with a relieved sigh. "I thought you were one of those cursed God-Generals. But what, may I ask, are you doing here?"
"Dr. Spinoza," Luke continued after shooting Asch a disproving look for having doubted the man. "We were wondering if you could help us with something."
"I'd love to help you Luke, but I'm afraid now isn't a very good time."
"You said you thought we were the God-Generals," Jade took over the conversation. "Why are you fleeing from them?"
"It's all because of Class I."
"Class I?" Luke looked puzzled. "Like Iemon and those guys from Sheridan?"
"Sort of," Guy explained. "It refers to two rival classes, one from Belkend, the other from Sheridan. In the world of Fon Machines, the two have always been competing. Iemon, Tamara and Aston, or Class M, have all the attention right now though because of the development of the Albiore."
"Yes, and Class I was getting desperate to regain that attention," Spinoza explained. "Van Grants has them working on something they're calling the 'Preservation Project'."
"But what does this have to do with you?" Asch asked suspiciously. Spinoza looked at Asch hesitantly. The redhead dropped his suspicious gaze and nodded with an exasperated sigh. "It's okay, they know."
"Well, I'm not sure if even you're aware of this Luke, but I was heavily involved with Van when he was doing fomicry experiments seven years ago."
"Really?" Luke was somewhat taken aback. Though it did make sense then why Spinoza of all people was chosen to help look out for them.
"Yes, and something I deeply regret. Not that I regret the chance to know the two of you," Spinoza quickly added defensively. "But it was something I never should have gotten involved in in the first place. But at the time fomicry fascinated me so, I just couldn't resist Van's offer."
"That still doesn't explain why the God-Generals would be after you," Anise pointed out. "Did you find out something that they want?"
"Not exactly, Van has been asking for my cooperation again. Class I seems to have hit a few road bumps, and they want me to join in on their project. So he made me an offer: either I agree to help them, or he'll have me killed."
"That's terrible," Ion said sympathetically. "So you're destroying any useful information they may get from your lab and hiding?"
"I will never co-operate with that man again, even if it means my life," Spinoza replied definitively. "But the God-Generals are due back to hear my answer sometime today, so I've been trying my hardest to remove anything they would find useful, and I plan to run. I'm so sorry I can't help you."
"Why don't you come with us?" Luke suggested.
"Hey, that's not a bad idea," Guy agreed. "Why not join class M in Sheridan? They don't have the lab facilities that Belkend does, but you could probably still get some work done. Besides, Van doesn't have as much presence there."
"But how will we get there? I'm certain the ferries are all being watched in case I try to run."
"We have ways around that," Guy answered with a mischievous smile. "In exchange, Jade has a few things he wants to discuss with you."
"You do?" Spinoza asked somewhat in awe. "Dr. Jade-" At that point Spinoza managed to interpret the dangerous look Jade was giving him and stopped in his tracks. "Jade Curtiss," the scientist tried again. "What could you possibly want to discuss with me?"
"I've have some theories about ways to isolate the miasma in the Qliphoth that I've developed based on some information we've gathered. I'd like you to look over them, I'm afraid my specialty isn't in physics."
"Ah, it's been many a year since I've done much work in that area. But in my day I was a master physicist! I'll do my best to help you in any way I can."
"Well then," Jade said conclusively. "If we're going to leave, we should go now. The God-Generals are likely on their way, and I'd like to avoid a confrontation with them at this point."
"Now," Asch said. "Let's hope that's more than wishful thinking."
--
In the end, the journey to Sheridan went off without a hitch. Though it had taken some fancy footwork to avoid Sync on their way out of the labs, they managed to go undetected. Once again, their silver haired pilot had done a wonderful job of hiding the Albiore from enemy detection, a feat all in itself given how large the airship was. It was a skill Ginji was quickly mastering.
Spinoza's worries about his reception by Class M were somewhat appeased when Ginji seemed more than happy to see him. Despite the occasional joke about switching sides, the pilot had no bias against Spinoza because he was from the rival class.
The elderly researcher spent a great deal of the journey speaking with Jade, mostly concerning topics that were so completely beyond the rest of them, it made their heads spin just thinking about it. Luke sat and forced himself to listen. He really wanted to try and follow along, but this stuff was beyond just complicated. The two of them might as well be speaking some strange new language for all he understood.
When he wasn't scheming with Jade, which for all they knew could be some grand plot to bring misery down on everyone, Spinoza shared his experience with Van, as well as provided them with all the information he could about the so-called 'Preservation Project'. Most of it was things they had already surmised, but it was still good to have it confirmed from a second source.
Sheridan eventually proved to be as welcoming as Ginji had been. Though it had been a just slightly less than rocky start. The three seniors stubbornly refused to concede to the fact that Spinoza was not, in fact, a spy, and it took the combined efforts of Ginji, Noelle (who had accepted their story the first time they told it) and several retellings of the current circumstances to quiet them down.
Luke flopped down in one of the chairs in the small meeting hall; he was exhausted already and they hadn't even started yet. He had forgotten how much of a handful Iemon, Tamara and Aston could be. They sure had an awful lot of fight in them for a bunch of old people. But as stubborn as they were, they were equally completely cooperative once they were convinced, and all three of them were now excitedly discussing things with Jade and Spinoza at the head of the table.
"Not that I mind you guys making plans or anything," Guy finally spoke up after 20 minutes of complex discussions that no one else understood. "But do you plan on sharing with the rest of the class?"
Asch snickered as the four seniors and Jade, or rather, the five seniors all looked up at Guy. He was right though, it would be kind of nice if they'd acknowledge the existence of the other nine people at the table. If he had to endure another five minutes of Anise's impatient fidgeting he might have to strangle the girl. At least then he wouldn't have to worry about whether she was a traitor or not. It would solve two problems in one.
The scientifically inclined group at the head of the table looked at the group with a look akin to curiosity, as if they didn't know what the problem was. Yeah maybe the rest of them weren't much help, but Asch for one wanted to know what the hell was going on. Did they have a plan or what?
"My apologies," Jade pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.
"So what's the deal?" Anise asked in a rather harsh tone. "You guys have been talking forever! Do you have a plan or are we just sitting here for nothing?" Apparently Guy wasn't the only one annoyed at being ignored.
"We've been working on a plan to keep the Outer Lands from sinking into the miasma once the Sephiroth cease to function," Jade explained. "It turns out that the cause of the sea of miasma originates in the core."
"It stems from the Planet Storm," Spinoza picked up Jade's explanation. "As all those fonons move through the core they cause it to vibrate, and that's what liquefied the mantle."
"So it used to be solid land before Yulia created the Planet Storm," Asch surmised.
"That's right," Tamara answered. "So what we need to do is find a way to stop those vibrations, then the core should solidify and the lands won't be in danger of sinking, Sephiroth or not."
"Can we stop the Planet Storm?" Luke suggested.
"That would be impossible," Tear replied. "The Planet Storm is what supplies the world with fonons, without it, eventually those fonons would run out and many things would cease to function."
"So then what's your plan?" Asch asked.
"We need to create a vibration that will counter the vibration the Planet Storm causes," Aston provided. "As for how that will be accomplished, we're still working out the details, but it will entail first measuring the vibrations, then carefully calibrating a device that will need to be implanted into the core itself."
"Well that sounds easy," Anise rolled her eyes. "How on earth are you planning to get something into the core?"
"You'll be able to get in from where Akzeriuth collapsed," Iemon explained. "We'll build the device into the Tartarus. It survived the fall into the Qliphoth, so with some adjustments, it should be able to survive the core as well. We still have a great deal of obstacles to work out, but this should still be possible."
"Have you made any progress in regards to the miasma?" Ion inquired. "It won't do to lower the lands safely if everyone will die of the miasma."
"I'm working on that," Spinoza said. "I'll need more time to verify it, but I've a great deal of faith in Jade's theories."
"So now it's just a matter of waiting to see if this can all be done?" Natalia inquired.
"I'm afraid so," Spinoza confirmed. "However, there will be some things we'll require from you as well."
"You mean other than diving head first into the core?" Anise asked sarcastically.
"Yes, unfortunately so." Jade tucked the book Asch had given him back in his pack. "We'll need to go to one of the active Sephiroth and take measurements of the core's vibration so that the counter vibrations can be properly calibrated."
"And how exactly are we supposed to do that?" The Fon Master Guardian sounded as if she was at her wits end. Did she not get enough sleep or something?
"We'll build you a measuring device," Iemon provided.
"Are you guys going to be able to handle all of this?" Guy asked. "This is no small project, and when you've just recently finished the Albiores."
"Ha! Of course we can!" Aston declared. "We'll show those Class I whose better and claim our 100th victory! No 'Preservation Project' is going to beat us!"
"I may not have been involved with Class I for a great many years now, but I'll still do my utmost to help out as well," Spinoza offered. "After all Class I is better known for their finely tuned devices. The measurement device shouldn't be any kind of problem."
"Poppycock!" Tamara argued. "Just you watch, we'll do a better job than they ever could!"
"I'm going to stay and help out as well," the Malkuth Colonel added.
"Jade?"
"I'm going to help work out the theory regarding the calibration device and isolating the miasma."
"We'll be needing all the help we can get," Aston admitted. "We don't have many spare heads, especially none of his calibre."
"And what about the rest of us?" Asch asked with a bit of a pointed look at the old man. He may not be all that fond of the man's endless sense of morbid humour, but he didn't want to leave him behind either. Jade was useful, he'd give the old man that much.
"While we're working here, you should head to Baticul and see about putting an official stop to the war," Jade replied. "We won't be able to afford any interference later on, so while we have the opportunity, it would be best to act."
"But what of you?" Natalia spoke up. "You'll be rejoining us later, won't you?"
"Don't worry Princess, these old bones of mine still have a journey or two left in them." Jade shrugged.
"Old bones? Ha!" Aston laughed. "You don't know anything about old bones yet!"
"Yeah, don't talk to us about tired old bones!" Tamara added.
'Old bones will be broken pretty soon if they keep that up,' Asch commented, sending Luke into fits of stifled laughter at the thought of Jade taking on the senior trio.
"So that's it? We're done?" Anise was already up and out of her chair before the words had escaped her mouth.
"For now, I guess," Tear replied. "But I'm assuming we're headed for Baticul next?"
"Yeah," Asch confirmed. "Jade's right; we have the time, there's no reason we shouldn't try and put a stop to Mohs and his attempts to start a war. I hate to ask, but Ginji, would you be able to help us out again?"
"Of course I will!" Ginji stood up so fast he nearly knocked his chair over. "I told you, I'm with you until the end!"
"Thanks," Asch said with a smile.
"I'll need to give the Albiore a bit of maintenance before we leave, but it should take more than a few hours. We can be back in the air by sundown."
"Tomorrow morning is fine," the redhead replied. "There isn't a huge rush, seeing as it sounds like things here will take awhile anyways. Take your time."
"Tomorrow morning, huh?" Anise was now halfway to the door. "Sounds good. Hate to run, but I've a few personal things to take care of. I'll catch you guys at the inn tonight, okay?" Then before anyone could say a word of protest, she had slipped out the door and was gone.
"My, she was certainly in a hurry." Natalia stared at the door. "I wonder what that was all about, she's been anxious since we sat down."
"It does seem odd," Ion noted, "even for her. She must have something urgent to attend to."
'Asch… what's the matter?' Luke looked over at his sibling who had stood up from his chair. His face had become dark and donned a very dangerous expression. What was it? But Asch didn't answer Luke's inquiry. Instead, he walked straight for the door and followed Anise out. This couldn't be good. Asch knew something he wasn't sharing, and whatever it was, it involved the young Fon Master Guardian.
It couldn't be good at all.
--
Anise finished the seemingly innocent letter and carefully tucked it into its envelope. Man, that stupid meeting had lasted forever! If it wasn't one boring thing, it was another. How Ion had the patience to put up with this kind of stuff all the time, she'd never know. But she didn't really mind everyone, sure the Colonel was a pain and Asch was too full of himself half the time, but things were always lively when they were together. She had fun... didn't she? She laughed and made jokes with everyone, and spent time with Ion… none of that had been a lie, right? Those smiles, those tears, all of them had been real. That meant all her friends were real too, didn't it?
Stupid Mohs, Anise grumbled to herself as she searched through the post house for the bird that looked the fastest. He was going to have her head if she didn't send in a report. He'd already threatened her with her parent's safety if she didn't stop delaying them. Damn him! She hated the conniving little- she wished she could rip his stupid guts out. Why should she have to work a low-life like him?!
But Anise already knew the reason. He held her parents hostage in Daath, and really, she should be lucky he did. If they didn't have their so-called 'jobs' in the Cathedral, they wouldn't even have anywhere to go. Ever since her stupid, gullible father had been conned out of all their money, they've been wrapped around Mohs' little finger. But she would fix that! She'd marry some rich old geezer, and then they'd never even have to even look at Daath ever again.
Her parents couldn't afford to leave Daath, and so Mohs could get her to do anything he wanted to. After all, to him, they were completely disposable. Damn it, she hated him! She didn't want to have to betray Ion like this, he didn't deserve it. He only ever trusted her, and she hated lying to him. But she didn't have a choice! She couldn't let her parents get hurt, no matter how much she hated the situation they'd gotten her into.
"There!" Anise said to herself. The young Fon Master Guardian finally spotted a midsized bird. It wasn't anything impressive, but it looked like it had plenty of energy. Maybe she should pick a slow one, but Mohs wouldn't buy that excuse. He was already angry with her, and she was going to be in real trouble if she wasn't careful.
"You sure left in a hurry."
"Asch!" Anise almost jumped as she spun around. It took a second for her heart to settle back into her chest. How long had he been in the room? Seriously, he was worse than the Colonel! "What are you doing here?"
"What do you have there?" Asch's expression remained serious as he approached the raven-haired girl.
"This?" Anise quickly hid the letter behind her back. "It's nothing! Just a letter to my parents."
"Then why were you in such a hurry?" Asch made a grab for the letter but Anise sidestepped at the last minute.
"Hey!" Anise took another few steps backwards. What was Asch's deal all of a sudden?
"Give me that letter," Asch demanded. His face becoming even darker than it had been before. What did he think he was her father or something? He could glare at her all he wanted, she didn't have to listen to him. She wasn't handing over this letter!
"No way!" Anise backed up again. Her back was up against the door now. She could bolt, but then Asch would just be even more suspicious of her. It wasn't like she could avoid him forever.
"My, what have we here?" Jade snatched the envelope from the young girl.
"Colonel! Give that back!" Anise spun around and stumbled backwards as everyone else streamed in the room behind him.
"What are the two of you up to?" Jade asked suspiciously, still dangling the envelope Anise was after.
"It's a letter to my parents! Give it back!" Anise jumped at the paper but Jade easily held her at bay.
"Pass it over here Jade," Asch held his hand out. The Colonel looked at him for a moment before handing the envelope over to the redhead.
"Hey!" Anise protested. She was panicked, this was terrible! If Asch read that letter, she was done for! And with Ion and the others here! She had to get it back! "There are personal things in that letter! Don't you dare read it!"
"What's going on here?" Ion demanded. "Asch, it's not your place to be reading Anise's personal affairs. Please return the letter to her."
"I'm sorry Fon Master, but this isn't a letter to her parents." Asch ripped the envelope open.
"What do you mean?" Ion asked.
"Asch, stop it!" Anise yelled at the top of her lungs. Tears were welled up in her eyes and her fists were clutched so tight the skin under her gloves must have been white as snow. Asch gave Anise a harsh look, pulled the paper from the envelope, and began to read.
"Currently in Sheridan… Escaped Belkend with one of the lab's researchers and are currently working on ways to neutralize the miasma… Heading towards Baticul tomorrow morning to meet with the King…" Asch read off some of the key lines out loud as he skimmed the letter's contents. "That's not all; you've detailed everything we've been doing! Down to the last name!"
Asch passed the letter to Ion, who looked it over. A solemn, almost sad look swept across his face. "Anise, who is this letter for?"
No way, Anise shook her head in denial. This wasn't happening! "I- I told you, it's for my parents!"
"You're a very naughty girl," Jade began tauntingly, but his voice became serious and dangerous very quickly. "But it's time for you to stop lying now."
"I'm not lying!"
"Anise…" Natalia almost sympathized with the poor girl. She knew this feeling, this complete and utter hopelessness. When you know you've lost, but you still can't come to accept it. But it was because she knew that feeling, that she also knew the look in Anise's eyes; and Anise was lying.
"Y- You believe me, right Ion? I would never send this to anyone I thought might tell the wrong people!"
"Anise…"
"I'll tell you who it's for," Asch finally spoke up.
'Asch, I think you've done enough, please stop,' Luke pleaded. He may not know what Asch knew or who that letter was really for, but this was just cruel. Anise didn't deserve this.
'No Luke, enough is enough! I've had it with not being able to trust the people around me.'
"You don't know who it's for!" Anise protested.
"Ah, then it isn't for your parents," Jade pointed out.
"Anise, please tell us the truth," Ion pleaded.
"It-it really is a letter to my family! Asch doesn't know my family, so how could he possibly know who it's for?! How could he know how I chose to write my letters?!"
"It's for Mohs," Asch cut the young girl off. His line proved to be the decisive blow. Anise's eyes were wide open, as she stepped back in disbelief.
"N- No way! You're lying!"
"Drop the act!" Asch's voice rose and silenced the protesting Fon Master Guardian. "I had a rather interesting conversation with Arietta while I was in Daath. You see, she said that you were the one who ratted us out last time we were in Baticul. That you've been working for Mohs from the very beginning!"
"Asch, one of the God-Generals is hardly a reliable source of information," Tear attempted to point out. "They might be trying to split us up."
Asch hesitated for a moment, and Luke debated trying to say something, but the feeling flowing openly over their connection gave Luke all the explanation he needed. Asch had believed that, had desperately wanted to believe that. But he couldn't ignore what was going on before him, especially when Anise had probably just laid out every bit of information Mohs needed to stop their peace efforts dead in their tracks.
"But you see," Asch continued. "As I was escaping I happened to overhear Mohs getting a report. It was from you. He was pretty upset that you hadn't gotten it in on time. Had you been faster he'd have been able to capture Ion and the rest of us; put a stop to us for good."
"Anise…" Ion's face lost any of the light it had been holding onto. "Is any of this true?"
"I-it's not… I- I didn't want to!"
Everyone's hearts sank. Not once would any of them suspected bright, chipper Anise of such an underhanded tactic as spying. And for Mohs of all people!
"Don't you all look at me like that!" Tears were streaming down Anise's face. "I didn't have a choice, I was forced to!"
"So you've been Mohs' spy from the beginning," Jade surmised. "It was no wonder he managed to keep such close tabs on our activities."
"Ion…" Anise took a small step towards the Fon Master. "I-I'm sorry, I just…"
"Anise, do you know what the penalty is for traitors?" Ion said, his normally warm green eyes were stone cold. No one had ever seen Ion angry, least of all the small fury he seemed to be showing right now. The letter Anise had written was still tightly clenched in his fists.
"Y-Yes," Anise answered meekly. "Traitors are killed."
"Do you have any idea how many people got hurt because of the things you did?" Anise hung her head at Ion's words. All those people that died in the war… it was all her fault. She knew it, she had always known it, but hearing it from Ion tore her apart.
"I do." Anise swallowed hard. This was her worst nightmare, of all the people she knew she was hurting, Ion was the last person she wanted to ever find out.
"Anise Tatlin, you are hereby relieved of your position as Fon Master Guardian."
"No! Ion, please don't-"
"Noelle?"
"What is it Fon Master?" The blonde pilot had been standing quietly at the back of the room. She and Ginji had followed their friends to see what the fuss was, this was far more than either of them had expected.
"Can I ask you to give me a ride to Daath? I have some disciplinary measures to attend to there as well."
"Sure, we can leave whenever you're ready."
In Daath? Anise's gaze darted up from the floor. No! "Ion, wait! Please don't! They don't have anywhere else to go! They'll die if you kick them out!"
"I'm sorry Anise, but you've left me with no choice. Measures must be taken in accordance with Order regulations. This is the end of the path that you chose to take; I suggest you choose your next path more wisely." Then, without saying another word, Ion turned around and left the room. After a moment of tense silence, everyone else silently followed.
Her friends were gone; her family was as good as dead. Why? Why would Ion do something like that? He knew! He knew that her parents didn't have any kind of money or way to survive outside of Daath! This was all so unfair! It should be her; she should be the one to suffer for her own treason, not her family. It was all so… so… Anise pounded the wooden floors with her fists. This was all her fault. She should be glad Ion spared her life, but with no one left, and the only person she ever cared about with his back turned to her, she would have rather died.
There was nothing, the only sound that was left was that of ruffling feathers, and of cold tears dropping against the wood.
--
The sky had turned a soft shade of gold when the young Fon Master, followed by his friends made it outside; their numbers now short a treasured friend. At least, to Ion she had been a treasured friend, all his travelling companions were. It was because she was such that he simply couldn't refuse to act on her treachery.
It was such a foreign emotion to him. Was this what it felt like to be betrayed? To feel a strange mix of sadness and anger, disbelief and resentment? Ion had always believed in his friends, that what they had done, they had done for their own reasons, that they never truly meant any harm in doing so. Perhaps the same also held true for Anise, but he still couldn't deny his feelings. Ion felt betrayed, and it was a feeling he much rather would have not experienced.
"Fon Master, are you certain about this?" Natalia asked. "Returning to Daath could be dangerous, especially with the God-Generals and Mohs about."
"Mohs isn't in Daath," Jade provided. "I spoke with the postmaster. Anise was sending the letter to Baticul. That must be where he is at the moment."
"Either way, there's still Master Van," Luke pointed out.
"Thank you very much for your concern," Ion replied. "But I'll only be there for a short time. I'll return here and wait with Jade once I'm done what I need to do."
"What if Van tries to capture you? You have no one way of defending yourself. " Guy said. "Maybe one of us should go with you, just in case."
"No, you should stick together." Ion shook his head. "Really, I'll be fine."
"Let him go," Jade spoke up before anyone could protest any further. "With the Sephiroth in their current condition, whether Dorian General Grants opens any more passage rings or not is irrelevant. The lands will still fall. I doubt capturing Ion is high on his priority list at this point."
"I guess," Luke conceded. "Just be careful."
"Thank you Luke, I will."
"So what should we do about our young friend?" Jade nodded back in the direction they'd just come from. "I don't imagine locking her in there is an option."
"Please, leave Anise to do as she sees fit. I believe she knows the severity of her actions and has been punished enough. I'll speak with the postmaster and make sure she doesn't send any messages from here. She should not be able to interfere with you otherwise. Is that satisfactory?"
"That's fine," Guy replied. "As long as she doesn't give Mohs any heads up, I'm game."
"Thank you."
"Well then Fon Master, shall we be off?" Noelle offered.
"Yes," Ion agreed, following the blonde pilot towards the hangar. "The sooner we can get this done and get back, the better."
"You think they'll be okay?" Tear asked once the two were out of an earshot.
"I hope so," Luke replied. Tear turned to look at the redhead, and their eyes met for the first time in days. Tear quickly looked away. Any attention focused on the melodist was short lived as Asch turned around and walked away, without even saying a word.
"I wonder what's eating him," Guy wondered aloud.
"It's probably this whole Anise thing," Tear answered, still watching Asch fade away in the distance. "I don't think any of us ever thought she would do such a thing."
"That's what makes it all that much harder to swallow," Guy agreed.
"But that's not all either," Luke quietly added. Though Asch had already vanished from their view, his sibling had a long ways to go for his feelings to escape Luke's notice. Asch was really hurt, not that he'd ever dare to show it, but Luke could tell. The one thing that spoke louder than any of Asch's harsh words did, was his silence. He'd known this for several days now, since they'd found him in Daath. It wasn't like Asch not to say anything about it right there and then. He'd wanted to believe in her, he'd given her the benefit of the doubt.
Asch had changed, though no one else seemed to see it. The brother that Luke left that day when he had been swept away to Tataroo Valley wouldn't have hesitated for a second. He'd have revealed Anise's allegiances at the first possible opening. Never would have taken the chance that Anise might have sent that letter to Mohs. But things were different now, Asch was slowly starting to open up, even if it was only a little.
Luke only wished it didn't explode in his face every time he did.
--
Asch wandered aimlessly around Sheridan until the sun began to set. His mind wandered to many different topics, but in spite of his efforts, it always seemed to come back to the same one: why did everyone around him seem to betray him? He just had to get away from the others, even Luke for a little while. If he stayed he knew it would only be a matter of time before he snapped, and that he couldn't afford to do. He still needed to stop Van, and things were way beyond the point where he could do them alone anymore.
Before he realized it, Asch found himself standing at the lookout gazing out over the ocean. The sound of the water as it crashed against the cliffs was soothing, and the repetitiveness occupied his mind. He'd forgotten how much he liked it here. Though the last time he'd been here he got into a fight with Natalia.
Natalia… There was another issue yet to be settled. Another person he thought he could trust. He had never doubted his fiancée, not once. Sure they had their ups and downs, but he still trusted her with his life. Why did it have to be her? Of all the people to turn on him, why was she the one? The solid pillar, that constant support in his endlessly changing world had come crashing down that day, and even he didn't know if he could recover.
Natalia hadn't even so much as looked him in the eye since then either, not to mention that she hadn't said a word. Is that how it was to be with them now? Everything they'd gained over the past years, reduced to nothing, thrown away for some reason Asch still couldn't fathom. Didn't he at least deserve an explanation? Or would she just leave? Perhaps that's all he was worthy of in the eyes of the others.
After all, he certainly wasn't worthy of their loyalty.
"Asch?" Natalia's quivering voice drew the young noble's attention. He turned around to see the blonde Princess standing alone in the middle of the lookout. Her eyes darted to the ground when Asch looked her way. No, she had to face him she couldn't back down now.
"What is it?" Asch returned to watching the water. If she wasn't even going to look him in the eye, it couldn't be that important. As cruel as it may be, he just wished she would go away. He just… wanted to be alone right now.
"Asch, there's something a really need to talk to you about."
Asch took a deep breath before he said something he'd regret, and took a second to calm his annoyance before turning around. "Then what is it?"
"About what happened, Asch, I'm so sorry!" Natalia said with a deep bow. "I didn't stop to think about the people that I was hurting, or the trust that I was betraying. You have to understand, I was doing it for us. I thought- I though I was protecting our future! That means more to me than anything! I would do anything to make sure nothing ever endangers it!"
"Even sacrifice Luke's future?" Asch's gaze made Natalia's insides twist into knots. As if the words hadn't been hard enough to get out already, this was unbearable. Just how deeply the wound she inflicted had gone, was only now starting to be evident.
"I didn't know they were planning to hurt him!" Natalia pleaded. "I never wanted to hurt Luke, or hurt you! I didn't even want to go through with it, I hesitated… but I- I-"
"You what?"
"Asch, there's something you need know," Natalia said quietly. Perhaps if she confessed quietly enough, he wouldn't hear her. But she knew that wouldn't do; of all people, he deserved to know. "I'm not… I'm not really the Princess. The real Princess died at birth...I'm just her replacement. The God-Generals… they were going to-"
"Do you honestly think I care about any of that?" Asch asked, his head shaking in disbelief. "So what if you're not the Princess? I don't care whether you have royal blood in you or not."
"Asch… I never wanted to hurt you."
"But you did. You think I don't know how you were treating Luke behind my back? All those lectures, the times you yelled at him, cut him down for trying his hardest. All the times you got angry with me, the stares, the silence, did you think that didn't affect me? Then to-" Asch couldn't even bring himself to finish the sentence. Silence hung in the air and an invisible tentacle of guilt began working its way around Natalia's throat. She knew she had hurt both of them, but she didn't want to believe that it had been beyond repair. They could still recover from this… right?
"What happened to you?" Asch eyes started to glimmer in the setting sun. "What happened to the person I fell in love with? The girl who built the hospital and helped expand the orphanage? Who sheltered the homeless and helped out with the school… The Princess of Kimlasca isn't the blood daughter of the queen. She was a proud girl, respected by her people, and she loved nothing more than helping those in need. She treasured her friends and she always did her best to support them … you… you're not that girl."
"But Asch! I-"
"The person that you are now is not the one I fell in love with… I'm sorry," Asch looked Natalia straight in the eye. "I don't know you."
Natalia dropped to her knees, her entire world shutting down as Asch walked past her, leaving her alone on the lookout. Tears streamed down her cheeks falling onto her trembling hands. In all her nightmares, she had never once dreamed of this. She knew Asch was upset and feared he might be angry; now she wished for nothing more than that anger. Anger would mean that he cared, that he wanted to see her become a better person. It would show her how strong his feelings truly were, that they were still there. It couldn't be over…
But no matter how hard she tried to convince herself, that sinking feeling refused to go away. She couldn't shake off the finality in Asch's words, the end that had shone in his eyes. If it wasn't over, why did her heart feel like it was breaking? The sun began to set on the shell-shocked Princess, and for the first time in her life she felt truly alone. So she did all she could do.
She cried.
Sitting in the shadows of the nearby houses, Luke took one last look behind him, and without a word vanished down the road from which he'd come.