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Final Fantasy VI: The Sands of Time

Book 1: The Beginning

Chapter 2 - City of Dreams

Part 2.7 - Home At Last

Dune stood for a moment outside his door, planning his first words to his wife in over a month. After a few half-muttered words, he apprehensively opened the door and walked in, not sure what to expect. Everytime he came home from a dig he always feared Mae would not be there and his worst fear would be realized - that he would be alone. A quick glance around the apartment for signs of life and he was sure Mae had kept her promise. It was a spacious yet simple apartment separated into the main living area, the kitchen, and one bedroom. The lights were on in the main room, as was the television, which was covering the Figaro's return to Narsille. Of course the condition of its arrival had the media concocting all sorts of baseless theories, and Dune was concerned about what Mae had heard in regards to the crew. He cautiously made his way into the room and set his trusty hat and the cane on a rack beside the door. It was then that he remembered what he was missing. He had forgotten his luggage at some point on his trip home from the Figaro. Dune had not taken anything of value with him, and shrugged off his mistake as a minor annoyance to be dealt with later. He figured Mae would chide him for his carelessness, and welcomed her light-hearted annoyance. He continued walking past the television and the scent of a warm meal made its way to his senses from the kitchen. Mae must be in the kitchen preparing his homecoming dinner. A smile broke out across his face at her thoughtfulness and Dune called out to let her know he had made it home safely.

Mae suddenly appeared in the space separating the rooms with a flustered look on her face, her blue eyes full of worry and joy at his appearance. She began to run over to embrace him but stopped short when she saw his battered condition.

"W,what happened to you Dune? Are you alright? You look like you got hit by a train!"

"Lightning, actually. Don't worry, Mae, I'm fully recovered and there are no lasting injuries. Everything is alright now." Dune shifted his glasses, and then attempted to shift the conversation to a more pleasant topic. "But we can discuss my dig in a bit. I've had a very long day, and right now I'd like nothing more than to forget the last month and be with you once more. Is that roast duck I smell?"

Mae wasn't going to give up so easily, though, and flashed a cold stare in his direction. "Don't try to worm your way out of telling me what happened, Dune. You've been on countless digs before, and this is the first time you've ever come back hurt. I've been watching the news for over an hour now and they're saying all sorts of crazy things about what happened on that ship of yours. I hear there was a terrorist on board and that he tried to blow up the ship, and that the crew barely managed to make it back without crashing! And then you come waltzing in here looking like hell, saying everything's alright! I think I deserve an explanation, sooner rather than later."

Dune was taken aback by the sudden outburst and blinked a couple times before responding. He knew he had to choose his words carefully. There were many things he could not tell her, and he didn't want to upset her anymore than he already had.

"Well, for starters, nobody was trying to blow up the Figaro, and the trip back was quite safely executed. You know how the media blows things out of proportion. As for my condition, I assure you I'm fine. There were some unexpected...conditions...at the dig site, and I suffered minor injuries while returning to the Figaro. It is true this experience was an unusual one for me, but it's over now and everything is going to be alright, and that is what's important, right? Now come here and let me see the face I've been dreaming about for so long."

With that he walked over to Mae and gently lifted her face up by the chin. He gazed into her tear-filled eyes and the lingering pain he felt quickly melted away as long-suppressed emotions rose to the surface. The cold stare she had been trying to maintain faltered and she smiled despite herself. Dune softly kissed her trembling lips and pulled her to him, hoping to calm her fragile form. He realized how much pain she too must have been going through in his absence, and wanted nothing more than to ease her suffering. The past few days couldn't have been easy for her with the media mercilessly bombarding her with news on the Figaro's condition and she was finally breaking down after a long cruel wait. She embraced him with equal passion, but no sooner had she put her arms around him and pressed her body against his than she pulled back, uncertain of why.

"What's wrong, Mae? Don't worry about hurting me, I'm not as bad as I look."

Mae looked at him apprehensively, then spoke in subdued tones, "I'm not sure...there's something different about you. You seem distant, somehow...colder. Are you sure you aren't sick? I...think maybe we should just eat dinner and then get some rest. We both need a good night's sleep after today, don't you think?"

"Perhaps you're right, dear. I am feeling very tired all of a sudden. Let's eat and then sleep away this horrid day. I'll tell you all about the dig tomorrow, I promise."

At this, Dune unconsciously raised his hand to grab at his chest, but caught himself and raised it to Mae's face instead. He wiped away a slender strand of jet-black hair from her face, then glanced down at the pocket that contained his burden. The crystal would not be forgotten, or overpowered by Dune's inner passions. Dune and Mae reluctantly let go of each other, then turned to the kitchen to enjoy their first meal together in a month. They ate in strained silence, an invisible barrier being thrown up between them. This was not all the crystal's doing though. Not all of Dune's problems could be blamed on the crystal's influence. He had come home, one more time, but the strain of each mission wore on Mae's patience, and the strain was obvious in that room. Afterwards they gratefully prepared for bed, both hoping the night would wash away both the physical and emotional pain they were each in.