The Sun's Rays

[01.09.02] » by Beowulf_VII

Gau sat quietly on the chair, waiting for the clock to do his bidding. It wouldn't of course, he had lost Haste -- along with every other spell -- barely fifteen years ago, as did everybody else. But it never hurts to try... That though still spoke to him, above all others. It never hurts to try and feel Magic again...

The feeling of that bond he once shared with so many Espers, one after the other -- the feeling of being so close, the Esper's spirit coursing through his own chakras -- it overwhelmed him. He never spoke of these emotions. None of them did, even though he could see it in their eyes. Especially Shadow; the lonely man was obviously ill equipped for such closeness to another being.

There was one night in particular, when Gau had stumbled upon the masked man removing the stone that was once Siren from his navel. The little stone had glowed almost with femininity, lending a wisp of light to Shadow's face, to the single tear falling from it. It was never mentioned later on, even though he knew that the ninja would definitely have heard him there.

Something...something about the phantoms of those mighty people, lingering on and sharing not only power, but a few memories as well, made the entire experience enough to make a hardened ninja cry. He didn't want to imagine what Terra had gone through. She had disappeared for a week, into the deepest forest, equipped with nothing but a crystalline reminder of her father. Still, not one word was ever said.

It was sacrosanct.

For fifteen year, Gau has tried to cope with the loss of Magic, not only of the bond when a Magicite resided in the hub of his spirit, but the Magic itself was something almost...tangible; a comfort that could not be explained. It was useful, too.

The clock was ticking, ever so slowly, ticking towards three-o'clock.

Even the Veldt, he had lost. For some reason, Kefka's ghost had chosen the entire Veldt as his haunting grounds. The things he drove those poor creatures to...he couldn't even remember anymore. The memories are all blocked now, behind years of therapy -- all but one, stubborn memory...

At one time he had commanded the powers of every beast in that land. Now, it was all hidden under his mental fortress, that thing that kept him from becoming like his father.

Young Cyan laughed in the next room. At that age, everything seemed of little concern. At that age, Gau was off saving the world, maybe taking a little time out to play with a behemoth, yet here was his son, back from his first date. The sad part is, that it was only two-thirty.

Birds were chirping outside. Lovebirds. "You hear those birds, son? They're lovebirds. Something tells me you're not one of 'em." Footsteps approached the study's door, which opened hesitantly. A face peeked through, not at all sheepishly.

"Heh. Umm, yeah...about that." The teenager's face gave the impression that he'd been laughing the whole trip home. "That matchmaker didn't tell me that my date was a crow."

"What? Come on now, you can't judge a person by appearances. You know that. Just look at me."

"Oh, I know, Iknow. This has nothing to do with looks. Well, almost nothing. You see, she didn't set me up with her daughter. She set me up with her mother."

Laughter blossomed in Gau's lung like it hadn't in a very long time. The two roared for a minute or two, and Cyan began to glance out the window. "Say, dad. Why don't we go for a walk? It's beautiful out, the birds are singing, and you can even see Mt. Kolt on the horizon."

The proposition made Gau uneasy. Apprehension took hold, and he began to shake his head, even though he knew it would do no good. "No, I don't think so. Not today. Please."

Cyan rolled his eyes. "Ah, come on. You always try to get out of going outside. A little Sun will do you some good, dad. Trust me."

"Yeah, right, trust you. I think that date with Fana's mom has taken its toll on your brain." It didn't work, like nothing else worked.

"Well, maybe. You never know. Heh. So, what have you been up to while I was off?"

"Oh, just reminiscing what little I can. Not out dating crows, that's for sure, and certainly not wishing I could outside." Gau's face was a stark frown, albeit a forced frown after hearing of the botched date.

Smiling, Cyan picked up his father's frail body, as careful as ever, and carried him out of the house, despite every verbal effort the cripple made. The one behemoth's horn the doctors couldn't remove still scratched the inside of his collarbone when he was moved, but he was used to it.

His son was right. The Sun felt good. Its rays were warm and comforting, almost like Magic...

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beowulfvii@kana.00game.com