Final Fantasy [Begins]

[Crystal Tears]

Alex and Eden

Held her smile firm as she nodded to Markus’s invitation and ventured out with him towards the gardens.

Inside she was in turmoil.

Having little combat experience and nearly dying the entire time when they were fleeing and fighting every monster in the book… she felt entirely useless and worst of all – lost. She knew about the fal’Cie, she had grown up believing in them wholly, she had memorized entire doctrines on their ways and their purpose. She had learnt about humanity’s role and the role of their caretakers and now…

Now all that meant nothing.

The fal’Cie in the wilds had done nothing but break everything she had been taught. The blurry, hazy image she remembered as a focus was terrifying. It wasn’t anything to do with humanity’s salvation – though she wasn’t the brightest bulb in the pack she wasn’t so blind to realize what the rogue fal’Cie wanted her and presumably the others to do.

Destroy Eden? Destroy the paradise we live in? Why?

“Hey,” she felt his hand on her shoulder, and suddenly realized he was staring at her – concern on his face. “Are you alright?”

Alex blinked dumbly, it hadn’t dawned on her that they had walked so far. She smiled and nodded. “Sorry, lost in thought.”

“Yeah I got that.” He smirked, and they continued to roam around. “What were you thinking about?”

“Oh,” Alex thought back to the confusing focus and then shrugged. “Nothing.”

“Uh huh…” He didn’t believe her, but he didn’t push the subject.

The gardens weren’t the biggest in the area, but Alex had never seen one in such great condition. Everything was prim and proper and… well perfect. Rose bushes in full bloom, irises in purples, blues and yelloww and in the center of it all – a cherry blossom tree in full bloom, its trunk bending and curving like the waves of the sea.

And under it sat none other than Eden.

Markus froze, Alex looked at him and then back at the woman under the tree. The songstress noted how she was no longer in her armor – but casual clothing. But something was in her hand, not that either of them could make it out. It clear to Alex that her companion wanted to join the lone woman under the tree, and it wasn’t like the girl to prevent such a thing.

“Go talk to her.” Alex nudged him forward, a playful little smile on her lips. “She doesn’t bite.”

Markus snorted. “No, instead she has a sword.”

The songstress peeked around him and saw that Eden was currently unarmed. “Well, not right now. Go on, she looks like she could use a friend.”

She wasn’t sure if her words bothered the man or spurred him forward, but either way he gave her a smile and started towards her. Alex darted away as quietly and quickly as she could – she was tired and had a lot to think about.

* * *

It had been a long time since Eden felt like muttering even a syllable of the song she had once sung to Nova when they were younger. He was a moron and sure his antics had always made her worry – but this was different. She couldn’t save him from this fate, this fate was… rather… permanent. One way or another, Nova would get a fate that was either akin to death or worse then it.

She wanted to blame all of this on Nova’s idiotic preference for danger and law-breaking, but this time she couldn’t. This actually wasn’t his fault – this all had to do with Humbaba and his minions. Had they not attacked Ramblum, everything would be okay. They wouldn’t have been teleported to Ultima knows where and had to face that fal’Cie.

Bellaevis is gone.

Well, that stung more then she thought. It hurt more probably because she was staring at a small picture of her family: Kara, all prim and proper with a perfect smile on her face, Nova in the middle with a cheeky grin holding the sword Eden had given him. And there she was, on the other side of him, a quiet smile on her face.

How am I going to tell Kara?

“Make my wish come true, let darkness slip aside….” The song slipped from her tongue in a near inaudible whisper. “Hiding all the hope, mocking what we treasure…”

“So, you sing.”

All her thoughts disappeared and the song vanished as she looked over. Obviously she was more distracted about the situation then she had presumed – she hadn’t even heard Markus approach.

“You heard me?” She questioned, mildly skeptic.

“Barely.” He replied with a faint shrug. “You’d probably be pretty good if you raised your voice above a whisper.”

Eden was quick to dismiss the compliment. “We have a songstress, and I doubt you’d want me to run around singing.”

“You’re terrible at taking compliments.”

“Maybe you’re just terrible at giving them.”

He snorted and took a seat beside her as she shifted and made room on the bench.

“So you wanna talk about it?”

“No.” A sharp retort, it was a common thing to hear from Eden.

“Really?” Markus tilted his head a bit, his tone a bit prying. “Because your expression a few seconds ago suggests otherwise.”

“Go away Markus.” She countered, giving him a glare - though it was quick to fade as she looked back at the picture in her hands.

There was an silence between them, and suddenly a tiny chink in her armor formed. Not that the man didn’t deserve it, she had known him for a long time and offered him nothing but criticism for it. Eden let out a sigh she hadn’t been aware she was holding in and spoke.

“My best friend died today.” She folded up the picture and put it back in her pocket.

Markus was silent for a time. “I’m sorry.”

“Why should you be?” Eden sounded irritated; she only hoped that he realized it wasn’t at his words but more at herself. “I’m the one who killed her.”

“Eden-“

“I don’t want to hear it.” She shot back at him, angry. “I killed her, twice in fact. So don’t tell me I didn’t.”

His mouth slowly shut and he looked away.

“Come on,” she stood. “We should sleep, tomorrow we’re going to the Crystal Hall.”

Markus frowned. “Is that the best place to be heading given our situation?”

“I would rather see the crystallized heroes of the past then go aimlessly wandering out in the wilds with the monstrous alternative.” She replied, “and we’re meeting Kara.”

“Oh..” He smiled, though she could tell it was forced. Kara wasn’t he easiest to get along with at times – her authority and by-the-book nature often put her at odds with people. “Great.”

“Just don’t talk to her.” Eden smirked, “in fact if you could just pass that message along to everyone, that’d be great.”

“You want me to tell everyone to shut up?”

“When around Kara? Yes.” They re-entered the house and went back upstairs to the rooms. “All I need is for this ragtag band to unleash their drama in front of her.” She leaned against the doorframe marking her room, and crossed her arms.

“Well that’d be all sorts of awkward,” he joked. “Nova pulling another idiotic stunt, Kite admitting his love, Alex being wholly clueless, Jin finding some sort of long lost trinket and you threatening to murder everyone…”

“Yes,” she agreed. “That’d look bad on my record; because I would have to end all of you if that were to happen.”

“Note how I didn’t mention myself in that? No need to kill me.”

Eden smirked evilly. “I’d have to murder you.”

“What?” He gave her a look feigning hurt. “Why?”

“Because knowing you, you’d have put Nova up to whatever dumb stunt that caused everything in the first place.” She patted him roughly on the cheek. “Sorry Markus, you die too.”

“Damn it.”

Then there was that awkward moment between them. Tiny flickers of static energy danced from either of the new l’Cie, neither of them moving or knowing what to say. Eden frowned mentally, this wasn’t like her – she was never stumped or lost. Today had been a long, tiring day that had caused her so many problems that she just wanted them all to piss off.

Particularly the problem of completing a sacrilegious focus or becoming a terrible ceith.

That chink in her armor closed up; there would be no more emotional moments for her, at least not tonight.

She opened her door and stepped inside, eyes staring out her window. Though it was more of a wall made of a single pane of masterpiece glass, showing off a gorgeous view of Ultima’s throne in the fal’Cie Keep. It sparkled more than all the stars did in the sky.

And that’s where Kara was, sitting upon her throne in the crystal hall.

She heard Markus begin to move away and she glanced over her shoulder.

“Where are you going?”

He paused and looked at her, confused for a moment before he slowly entered. Markus was cautious; maybe he thought she was just looking for an excuse to murder him.

Any other night, he would’ve been right.

Eden’s frown appeared on her face; apparently she’d have to spell it out for him. She crossed her arms and shifted her weight.

“Shut the door.”

- - - - -

Kay done. XD