Chapter 68 - To Offer and to Promise
8.27.1206 - Sunday
Towa watched silently as the Courageous II flew near the Nord Highlands. After exchanging contact information with members of the SSS, Tio had uncovered more classified information regarding the airship incident that had taken her parents' lives. The exact coordinates of the crash site to be precise. It felt very strange to be so close to where her parents once flew before their untimely demise.
With everything going on however, it was unlikely that the Courageous II could take the time to stop by the Nord Highlands. Her selfish desire would have to wait until after the war concluded.
"Hey Towa, would you mind accompanying me on a quick trip to the Nord Highlands?" Rean asked as he suddenly appeared behind her.
"Huh, Rean?" Towa responded. Unsure as to how long her boyfriend had been standing her.
"Gaius and I have been discussing doing a quick recon mission around the settlement near Zender Gate. We think it would be a good idea to install a repeater in case things get dire in the area and the settlement needs more range to call for help. Especially with how the area could potentially be a major front for the war." Rean explained.
Of course, there was a more personal reason why Rean wanted to take a quick trip with her to the Nord Highlands. One that he wasn't going to tell Towa.
The SSS had also sent him the same classified information they uncovered about the airship incident in secret. Now having the coordinates of the crash site, Rean wanted to make sure Towa had the opportunity to see the area for herself. He knew he was crossing a line forcing her into a corner like that, but he concluded that it was what was best for her.
Towa tried to politely decline Rean's offer, but he insisted that she join him. Pointing out that she was more knowledgeable than him at setting up and operating a repeater.
In the end, she agreed to go with him.
After using the Spirit Path to get to Nord with Valimar's help, the group separated. With Gaius going to go check in on his family, while Rean and Towa went off to set up the repeater.
After trekking through the area together to find a good spot, the pair decided to set up the repeater behind a boulder that provided cover from a nearby watchtower. Thanks to Towa's repeater expertise, she was able to set it up quickly. Which gave the two time to stand and take in the scenery, a rare moment of calm for them during this troubling time.
Nothing but green and mountains stretched out onto the horizons.
"It's really beautiful. The sky is so vast too." Towa noted.
"If things weren't the way they were right now, I'm sure the kids would love to have another astronomy lesson here." Rean suggested. "This is your first time seeing the highlands, right?" Rean asked.
"Yup, but I feel like I've seen this mountain range before." Towa admitted.
Silence quickly overcame her as she recalled where she had seen this scenery before.
"The airship went down just beyond this mountain range, right?" Rean asked as he recalled the pictures included in the document the two of them uncovered.
"Yeah, in the no man's land right between Erebonia and Calvard. The files said all evidence of the incident's been covered up… It seems there's nothing left there." Towa stoically explained as if she was reading to him off of a transcript.
Rean quietly turned to Towa to see how she was doing.
"Hey, Rean? Thank you. I think I feel a bit better now." Towa said as she looked up at him. "As a kid, I was pretty unhappy that I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to my parents. But now… I feel like I can finally move on."
"You're lying." Rean bluntly replied after a long pause.
He wanted to help Towa, even if it meant that he'd be pushing her into a corner. He was crossing a line he didn't want to, but it needed to be done for her sake.
"H-Huh?" Towa responded. She wasn't sure what Rean was trying to do.
"Come on, how long have we known each other? You can't hide it from me. You're always putting others before yourself, even more than I do. But right now, there's no one here but you and me. Please. For once, just be honest and open about how you're feeling. About your parents, about your family, about your friends, about everything." Rean begged as Towa looked away from him.
"R-Rean… Haha, do I look that down about it? It was seventeen years ago. I was only four at the time, so I barely remember it all. Just blurry images of people who I guess must have been my mother and father." Towa said as she tried to move the conversation away from the topic.
"Grief isn't determined by time." Rean argued. "Besides, that's not all. Grief isn't the only thing you're holding back. It's okay, just let it out."
Towa could only close her eyes and curl her hands into fists as she fought against her body trying to turn around and face Rean.
"Rean… Why would you say all this to me…?" Towa asked as she tried to keep her cool. "I've been trying so hard not to let it get to me, but now…"
Staying silent, Rean watched as she opened her eyes and looked down at the vast highlands before them.
"The war's just a few days away, and my uncle's been drafted… Hundreds of thousands of lives, maybe even millions, are hanging in the balance here. I was so happy when Angie came back, I could have cried. But George is still with the enemy, and there's no guarantee he'll change his mind anytime soon. Then there's Crow… It seems like it's impossible for him not to disappear forever when all this is over…" Towa continued before finally turning to Rean. "I don't even know for sure what'll happen to YOU, Rean!"
"Yeah… My body's linked to the Great Twilight and, well, we all know about my heart… I might be headed towards the same fate as Crow" Rean reluctantly admitted.
Be it out of fury or worry, Towa moved closer to him and grabbed onto his shirt tightly as she fought against letting out her tears.
"Then why!? Why are you making me speak from the heart!? I've been at my limit for so long! Trying to keep it in the whole time!" Towa begged. "Angie, Crow, George, my parents, my grandfather… Everyone I've ever loved has disappeared!"
Nothing but trouble has always followed the people she'd gotten close to. Rean was no different in her eyes. He's had to endure so much for so long already, even before they met. A part of her questioned if their meeting only amplified the amount of trouble that's occurred in his life these past few years.
"I-If I lose you, too… I… I can't…!" Towa confessed as she rested her head on Rean's chest and began to weep.
"It's okay, Towa. I'm here." Rean calmly assured Towa as he lowered his head and wrapped his around her. "I don't know what the future holds, but I promise you, I won't give up until the very end. So, please-"
"Oh, you're impossible, Rean!" Towa shouted before he could finish saying his oath. "Even if it's just an empty promise, I want to hear you say it! You bring me all the way out here, hold me in your arms and still… still… It's not fair! It's just not faaaiiirrr!"
"Towa… I'll always come back to you." Rean whispered into her ear. "Even if I have to fight fate itself, I'll always return to be by your side, always."
Whether or not Rean's promise was empty, Towa didn't care. She accepted his word, be it a promise he'd honor or a reluctant lie said to comfort her.
Towa continued crying for a few more minutes as Rean comforted her. The two soon found themselves getting tired and sat down on the ground.
"This breeze feels kinda nice, doesn't it?" Rean said in an attempt to lighten the mood after what had happened.
"Yeah… Thank you, Rean. I've been holding all that in for a long time. I never realized just how stubborn I am…" Towa admitted.
"All of us were worried about you, Towa. So I took the liberty of doing something about it while I still had a chance." Rean explained. "I did show you a pretty pathetic side of me before your graduation after all."
"Oh, right…" Towa responded as she recalled what had happened between them during her last day as the Student Council President.
How she had made him let out everything he was trying to hold in after the civil war, just like how he made her let out everything she was holding in right now.
"Heh, I almost forgot about that. It was all Crow's fault. Then he came back and acted like it was nothing. Has he even given you back that 50 mira coin?" Towa complained.
"He hasn't paid back the interest. His nonchalant behavior still bothers me a bit. Even though I'm his junior, I feel like he's irresponsible enough to be one of my students." Rean joked.
"Wait Rean, what do you mean that you showed me a 'pathetic' side of you?" Towa questioned.
"I… Well, it was a bit improper of me to let out my emotions on you like that back then." Rean explained.
"Improper? We were already dating back then! I'd be more worried about you if you hadn't shown me that side of yourself back then. Did you think it was improper of me to have cried in your arms earlier?" Towa pointed out.
"O-Of course not! That's why I brought you out here to see the highlands since you'd probably talk yourself out of taking a detour here yourself." Rean answered.
"Then there's nothing pathetic about you crying in my arms!" Towa argued. "Mm, it looks like we've both embarrassed ourselves in front of one another, huh? Fate must have brought us together, huh?"
"I… I consider it an honor." Rean admitted.
The pair looked forward, taking in the view that surrounded them. Towa tried her best to separate the landscape from the tragedy that had occurred in the sky above seventeen years ago.
"You would love the sky at night." Rean commented. "It's vast and filled with stars."
"That's right, you came here for a field study a few years ago." Towa recalled.
"Haha, yeah. One night Alisa, Gaius, Emma, Jusis, and I looked up at the stars. It was a beautiful sight. I'm sure the granddaughter of a famous astronomer would love it." Rean noted.
"I suppose that's something to look forward to once this is all over." Towa suggested as she scooted closer to Rean and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Yeah, promise." Rean quietly said in agreement.
As much as he disliked making promises to her that he wasn't sure that he would be able to keep, he didn't want to let it show. Not in front of Towa right now. He had pushed her to admit things she'd been bottling up, it would be unjust of him to give her anything other than comfort.
As the pair continued staring at the highlands, Towa spotted a few white flowers growing nearby. Noticing her wandering eyes, Rean got up and offered Towa his hand so they could go get a closer look at the flowers.
"These flowers are beautiful. Would you like to go offer them, together?" Towa asked Rean after she picked two flowers. "I'm sure my parents will appreciate it."
"Sure, I'd be glad to." Rean answered as she handed him a flower.
The two carefully approached a nearby cliff and quietly said a prayer together before tossing the flowers down to where the airship had crashed all those years ago. Much like with their prayers, they hoped that Aidios' will would allow those flowers to reach Towa's parents.
After receiving a message from Gaius notifying them that he was on his way back to Valimar, Rean and Towa followed suit. Not before the two checked up on the repeater they installed to make sure everything was in order before leaving.
"Everything seems to be working." Rean informed Towa once he was done reviewing the repeater's status.
"I see you're quite knowledgeable on how to operate a repeater. If I didn't know any better, I would assume that you never needed my help setting up the repeater in the first place." Towa pointed out.
"H-Haha… It looks like you've caught me. I knew it was important to bring you here, even if I would have to lie in order to convince you to come along with me." Rean admitted. "I, uh, hope you're not mad."
"Rean… Thank you. For bringing me here and comforting me. I already said this before, but I'm not sure my stubbornness would've let me come here by myself. I'm looking forward to coming back here with you, telescope in hand, so we can stargaze together." Towa vowed.
"I'm looking forward to it." Rean promised. Choosing to believe in the peaceful future that she saw for the two of them.
Author's Note
Hey there, it's been a while. (sorry)
Gosh, I really love Towa's second bonding event in Cold Steel IV. Such a perfect encapsulation of her and Rean's relationship. People who always put themselves last dealing with some who does just the same. The meeting of an unstoppable force and an immovable object. And a call back to their interaction at the end of CS2 in the Student Council Room, the scene that made them my Trails OTP.
In my head, this chapter was going to be a bit different. Originally wanting to start with a flashback to Lil' Towa getting being given the news about her parents by her grandpa. But in the end, I decided to keep it set in the present and an idea for the future. I also didn't want to write sad Lil' Towa.
Special thanks to ZetianWu and CrowgoesCaw for beta-reading this chapter for me!
