Chapter Six: What is left behind
I sat on the edge of the platform of the tower outside Dali, I had been here before many times…but the last time I sat here it had been just after I had been transported into the world of Ash Ketchum and the monsters known as Pokemon.
I sighed, unable to fully understand what had happened, maybe there was a chance he survived and would come back to me, but I’d seen the size of that fireball, the ferocity of the explosion, nothing could have survived that.
The sun was beginning to reach the western horizon, I sat cross legged and watched it sink lower and lower as the daylight came to an end and the night began.
A slight wind rustled my hair, mixing the purple high lights with the black and disturbing my fringe causing me to reach up and brush it back into place with my hand.
Even the wind seemed more desolate than normal, a mournful sigh which moved the trees around the tower.
I heard the person climbing the stairs long before they reached the top, the flight of stairs leading from the bottom of the tower to the top was long and winding.
“If that’s you Reiganna I told you I wanted to be left alone.” I said, without turning around or opening my eyes.
“Well…that’s a nice way to greet an old friend.” Said a very familiar voice.
I opened my eyes and turned around, a blonde human woman, about my age was standing behind me with a smile on her pretty face.
“Alex!” I shouted, standing up and running over to her.
“It’s been too long Dom.” She replied as we embraced.
Alex was an old friend from my days in the Thieves Guild before I joined Tantalus, I hadn’t seen her in a while.
“How’s things in Treno?” I asked, referring to the Thieves Guilds main base of operations, the caves just outside Treno.
“So, so. Usual rich pickings from the nobles and trouble from the rest. How are you Dom?”
“Oh…me? Oh…I’m, err…fine…” I said, turning my back on her to prevent her from seeing another tear fall down my face.
“I hear you’re married now…a guy called Thunderchild, right?” asked Alex, of course with the current state of affairs this was the worst question I could have been asked and I immediately broke down into tears.
Alex was by my side almost instantly, her arm around my shoulders.
“What’s up Dom?”
“He’s dead…” I just managed
“Who is? Thunderchild?” she asked
I nodded, the tears falling down my face once again.
“Oh Domino…why do all these things happen to you?!” Alex cried as she hugged me close, I couldn’t stop crying, just Alex asking me of my husband brought back everything that had just happened.
“What happened?” she asked
I didn’t know if I could tell her the whole story without breaking down but I tried.
“Ah…that would explain the explosion I saw, I was coming over here to see what had happened.” Said Alex
“What are you up to then Alex?” I asked her
“Me? Well, the Bandits are on an unofficial holiday at the moment so I thought I’d take the time to look at some interesting bones that have been spotted just outside the Ice Caverns.”
I laughed even through the tears
“That’s you all over isn’t it Alex? You get a holiday so you go and look at some bones.”
Alex snorted
“That’s exactly what Sam said,” she said, referring to Sam, leader of the Bandits “He wanted me to come fishing at Lindblum port with him but I prefer my archaeology.”
“Oh Dom,” she continued “What are we going to do with you? Do you want to come and stay with the Bandits for a while? There’s always room for you with us.”
I shook my head
“Thank you but no, at least, not for now, I’ve got to sort things out with the rest of the genomes first…we found Kuja today.”
“Kuja?! You’re kidding me! I thought he was dead!”
“Me too, but evidently not. We found him at Mardain Sari, we were just on the way back when…” I couldn’t continue that line of conversation, and Alex knew it.
“It’s ok Dom, you don’t have to talk about it.”
“Thank you…it’s hard to say anything about it or even think about it without crying.”
Alex nodded and we sat down together watching the sunset, she had her arm around my shoulder and I rested my head on her shoulder.
“Oh Dom, you never have a good time of it do you?”
I shook my head but couldn’t say anything else, couldn’t think of anything else to say.
A low droning in the southern sky broke the gentle silence, I turned and looked to my left, five airships were slowly approaching, I recognised the colours as being that of the Lindblum fleet.
“They came quickly.” I muttered
“Who?” asked Alex
“The airships…they’re going to look for any survivors of the explosion.” I replied
The airships split up moving into position until they were in a line with a mile gap between each airship, I recognised the Hildagarde III as being the lead airship while other ships followed behind.
“Do you think they’ll find anyone Dom?” asked Alex, speaking the question which was playing on my mind.
“I don’t know Alex, he’s defied the odds before…but…”
“You don’t think he has this time?”
I shook my head
“No…I think he’s gone for good this time.” I sighed
Alex sighed next to me.
“Come on Dom…lets get you back to Dali…there’s nothing we can do but pray.”
I nodded, unsure by what she meant by praying, I’d never even thought about religion before, it was something that happened to other people and not me…maybe if it brought luck I could pray just once.
We then walked back down the stairs of the tower and back to Dali as the daylight began to fade from the sky and the night drew in.
Standing on the Red Rose I watched the stars begin to shine in the newly darkened sky, it was beginning to get hard to see the ground now since it was too dark to see anything in detail. A tree or rock became an escape pod in this visibility, three times I stopped the airship to investigate a boulder or a bush. After the fourth tree I decided that enough was enough.
“We’re not going to find him in this light. We’d better call off the search until tomorrow first light. Take us to the tower near Dali, we can moor some of the ships there.” I ordered the helmsman of the Red Rose.
As we approached Dali the Hildagarde III pulled alongside us and I waved to Regent Cid who appeared on the deck.
“Any luck?!!!” I shouted across
The Regent shook his head and pointed towards the tower ahead of us which was slowly approaching.
“We’re going to moor at the tower!!!” he shouted.
“So are we!” I yelled back.
He nodded in return and walked back into the Hildagarde and I returned to the bridge of the Red Rose, it had been a long day, too long. Thunderchild was dead, the Invincible destroyed and Domino a widow.
Alex walked alongside me as we entered Dali, she stopped by the Inn and beckoned inside.
“I take it you’re staying here?” she asked
I nodded
“Where are you staying?” I asked in return
“Oh…well, I was staying at Lindblum but it’s too late to head back there so I guess I’ll be staying here the night as well.”
We walked into the inn quietly, careful not to wake the snoring innkeeper or his gently purring cat. I still mourned for my lost husband, he hadn’t been gone long but it seemed an age that I had been without him.
Better get used to it I thought He’s gone forever.
Reiganna looked up from where she was sitting by the window, she quickly raised a finger to her lips to warn us to be quiet, looking at one of the beds I saw Kuja fast asleep. His face a picture of innocence, which considering his past was quite incredible, I walked over to Reiganna and sat next to her, Alex sat down on a bed next to her.
“He’s sleeping well.” I whispered to Reiganna
“He’s had a long day Yugami, He still doesn’t know of his past…I don’t know how to tell him.” She whispered back, her voice low so to not wake Kuja.
“What? That he was a mass murdering maniac?!” said Alex, her voice slightly raised.
Reiganna turned to Alex and shushed her, pointing at Kuja.
“You put it quite bluntly, but yes, I don’t know how he would react to it.” Said Reiganna.
“Who cares? I was in Alexandria when he got Bahamut to attack…and then…the Invincible…” Alex’s voice trailed off but she didn’t have to continue, we both knew how the Invincible had virtually destroyed Alexandria with a powerful energy blast.
“I care…for I am his sister!” hissed Reiganna, her face threatening.
Alex jumped slightly
“You are his sister?!”
Reiganna nodded
“We are silver type genomes…as was Yugami before she was…altered.”
Alex turned to me
“You’re Kuja’s sister as well?” she asked
I nodded, sighing, I didn’t want this truth to come out, I thought the demise of Kuja would mean it’d never have to…but I was wrong.
“I was created using some of his DNA…so, yes, I am his sister…in some respects his twin sister.”
Alex shook her head
“This is just too confusing.”
Reiganna nodded and turned to me
“Have you thought about his funeral Yugami?”
“His funeral? Good god Rei, he’s only been dead half a day and you want me to plan for his funeral?!” I nearly shouted at her
“He was well known…many people will wish to attend…those from his ‘Discworld’ as well.”
Of course I thought Nagy, Proeliator and Beowolf amongst others would want to attend, I’m gonna have to get to the Discworld some how…
I sighed
“Yeah…you’re right Rei, as usual…I’m going to have to get to the Discworld somehow.”
Alex looked up
“Well…if I heard your story correctly, Black Mages teleported you last time and then you came back using Thunderchilds ship.” She said
I nodded
“What about the portal system you found Dom?” asked a voice from the door, looking over to the source of the sound I saw Zidane gently closing the door behind him.
“How’s Kuja?” he asked
“He’s tired…whatever brought him back from the dead also knocked it out of him completely, I’ve never seen a genome sleep so soundly.”
Zidane nodded as I stood up, clicking my fingers gently.
“Of course, those portals go everywhere, there must be one to the Discworld…and if I can use it to get there I can use it to get back.”
Zidane nodded and sat down on the bed just across from Alex
“Did you find anything?” I asked him
He shook his head
“Nothing…not even burning debris…the explosion must have vaporised everything…we’ll keep looking at first light tomorrow though.”
“Thank you Zidane…” I said to him, standing up and giving him a small hug
“It’s ok Dom, although don’t get your hopes up…”
“I know Zidane, The chances of him surviving that are very slim.”
Zidane nodded
“Yeah,” there was an awkward pause as he thought out his next words “But we’ll keep looking for him. There’s still a chance, however small.”
I hugged Zidane again
“Thank you…I must prepare for the worst however…his funeral. As Reiganna has said, there will be many people wanting to come to it.”
“What? You’ve written him off already?!” said Zidane, jumping to his feet.
I groaned, this was exactly the reaction I expected from him, sometimes he could see something only his way…the wrong way.
“No Zidane, believe me, I’m holding on to every last hope that he survived…that he’ll come back to me and welcome me into his arms,” my voice faltered, almost breaking into tears again. “But I’ve got to be prepared for the fact that he isn’t…you said so yourself for me not to get my hopes up…”
“Yeah…but I didn’t mean you should start preparing for his funeral!”
I held up my hand
“Zidane, please let me finish. I need to get together his friends, he had many…and not just from this world, and I need to arrange his funeral.”
Zidane sighed and sat back down
“Well…if you’re that eager…”
“Zidane, I’m NOT being eager to write him off so quickly, I just want to get this over and done with so I can get on with my life without him.”
“Maybe you should go and talk to Cid, get the funeral to take place in Lindblum.”
I shook my head
“No…not Lindblum…Terra.”
Zidane raised an eyebrow but it was Alex who spoke first
“Domino, Terra is wasted…it’s a destroyed world! Kuja, Jara and the Borg saw to that!”
“I know, I know,” I protested “But it’s his home, he was born there and I think it’s only fitting that his funeral should take place there.”
“But how are the people going to get to Terra, I mean, you say that people will want to go to his funeral, you’re right…I know a lot of people on Gaia who will want to attend…if you hold it on Terra then they can’t.”
I stopped my next words, Zidane was right, it was unfair to those of Gaia who wanted to say goodbye to him.
“Maybe there should be two funerals…one in Lindblum, one on Terra.” Said Reiganna
“A public and a private funeral?” asked Alex
Reiganna and I nodded
“Good idea Reiganna.”
“I don’t think there should be a damn funeral until we’ve finished searching for him!” exclaimed Zidane, his annoyance getting the better of him.
That was one step too far in my opinion and I whirled on Zidane, pointing at him with clear anger on my face.
“He’s,” I paused, some of my anger lost “He was my husband, all you ever did was keep watching his back, waiting for him to slip up so you could say to me ‘Oh he never was good enough for you.’ And now, you’re telling me what to do?!!”
Zidane stepped back holding up his hands almost in defence.
“Alright, alright Dom, you’re right, he…was…your husband and it’s up to you what happens, just give us some time to try to find something. We…might find something, you never know.”
I nodded at Zidane
“I will, I’ve got to go to the Discworld anyway, that will take a couple of days.”
Reiganna stood up.
“So we’re all agreed, Domino will go to the Discworld while Zidane and the fleet keeps looking for Thunderchild.”
Zidane and I nodded in agreement
“What are you going to do Rei?” I asked her
Reiganna pointed over to Kuja
“I’ll take care of him with Mikoto.”
Now Alex stood up
“I’ll go with Domino.”
My eyebrows shot up
“Are you sure Alex?”
“I can handle myself Dom, besides, I’ve got to see this Discworld I’ve heard so much about.”
I kept my eyebrows raised but nodded my head
“We’ll set off to the Evil Forest tomorrow, I know there’s a portal to the Pokemon world in there, that’s our best place to start.”
Zidane walked over to a bed in the far corner and lay down on it
“Right, well, now we’ve got that sorted I’m off to sleep, I’ve got to be up at first light to lead the fleet out.”
Reiganna sat down on the opposite bed to Zidane.
“Yes, we’d all better get some sleep. You included Yugami.” She said nodding in my direction.
“Me? I can’t sleep.” I replied
“You must sleep. Or else what state will you be in tomorrow?” said Alex
I shook my head and walked out of the room and outside, I swung up onto the roof and climbed to the top of it with the ease of a monkey, after all my nickname was ‘Monkey girl’, I used my agility to my advantage as much as I could, especially when escaping from enemies.
And on the roof of the Inn at Dali I sat, watching the stars come out my arms folded and resting on my knees. Another tear fell down my face, it still seemed so distant to me, almost as though I was in shock, which is what I was in I suppose.
Over towards the tower of Dali I could see the running lights and cabin lights of the airship fleet of both Lindblum and Alexandria moored up for the night. While I was looking in that direction I saw a falling star streak across the sky burning up in the atmosphere, if Thunderchild was here he could explain it better, rocks burning in the air. I remembered that falling stars were often considered lucky things… ‘to wish upon a falling star.’ I thought anything was worth a try:
Please bring my husband back to me I wished
I lay back and stared at the stars, unable to think of anything but the days events, he had always been there for me, always been by my side come hell and high water.
And now he was gone, dead in a fireball, saving the most of the Mist Continent from a fiery destruction, always the hero.
I smiled, remembering all of the heroic deeds he had done before, ridding the Twilight Forest of evil, freeing the city of Ankh-Morpork, saving me and Zidane from Jaras control, beating Jara in Klatch and pushing her back to Terra where he had given the ultimate sacrifice and died battling Jara…and then he had come back, from beyond the grave with no explanation at all. Though I sensed that Reiganna knew more than she ever let on, then again, there wasn’t much that could be kept from that genome.
A shadow flitted past overhead at a quick speed blocking out the stars briefly as it passed, I blinked and it was gone, I dismissed it as the overactive mind of a tired genome.
I fought to keep awake but before long I found myself slowly drifting into a dream world where my husband had never left me, together we danced around the bonfire in Klatch, and so my mind continually replayed that event over and again in that dream until he was torn away from me as the bonfire exploded and he disappeared into the flames.
But then he walked back out of the flames wearing the black clothing he had worn the last time I saw him, his face was locked in an evil sneer as he advanced towards me and smacked me around the face with a closed fist.
“Love you?” He said to me in a tone of disgust “I feel no love for anything or anyone. I’m above that. I don’t love you!”