II: Jeuno
Day One.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Saerun wandered around Lower Jeuno, her hands behind her head. The streets were busy and bustling, with vendors shouting and trying to advertise their goods. Adventurers were leaning in on the Auction House counters, screaming at the poor, frazzled looking Auction House Attendants.
She walked forward, trying to get out of the stairway to Upper Jeuno, and got nearly rammed by a large Galkan warrior. It was only her evasiveness on Dancer that saved her from an unpleasant meeting with the guide stone.
"Watch it!" She yelled after the Galka and got a faint, "Screw you!" for her efforts. She shook her head.
I need a shield to get through all of these people unharmed…
She managed to get to Chamber of Commerce, where there weren't nearly so many people. She clutched her bag closely to her chest and sighed in relief. She set her bag down on a counter and started to rummage through it.
"Okay…what do I need? Daggers, check. Armor…" She glanced down at herself, and was happy to note that she had not suddenly gone naked. "…check. Linkpearl…" She pulled the blue pearl out of her pocket and smiled painfully. It brought up so many both happy and painful memories
for her. "…check. What am I missing…? She tapped her chin thoughtfully. She was missing something…something very important.
A male hume dressed in dark red and black heavy armor, who was standing next to her looked over. His armor reminded her of something…something she had seen not too long ago. But what?
"How about food?" Sae glanced at him and then slapped her own forehead.
"Of course! How could I forget!" The hume chuckled softly.
"Planning to go on a trip?" She nodded to him.
"Yes, I am. Off to find something really. The hume looked up from the paperwork he appeared to be doing and locked eyes with her. Something was piercing in his blue eyes, and it seemed to peer through her soul.
"What are you trying to find?" She found herself incapable of looking away from him. She was feeling more and more uncomfortable around the hume. But city living 101 kicked in: Never appear weak. She leaned back against the counter nonchalantly, but her heart was pounding. What was going on?
"Where the white gate meets the sea…" She quoted to him. The hume looked away, pondering, breaking their eye contact. She sighed silently in relief. Something about him was too…intense.
"Are you perhaps a seer? That sounds like something straight from a vision." She laughed to herself and shook her head.
"Oh no…It was just a dream! But I have nothing better to do, so why not see if such a place exists?"
The hume smiled at her.
"Most seers start with dreams you know. But let me give you a tip…from the way that you said that…I don't think that this white gate is an item, but a place," He leaned in, his face close to hers and their eyes locked, once again knocking her breath from her.
"I…uh…thanks…" He chuckled slightly and leaned back.
"Don't mention it. Plus…aren't there people around here who are good at
finding…unusual…places? Why don't you look around?" The hume turned and walked out.
What the hell was that about…? Sae stood staring in shock for a moment before shaking her head.
"That was odd…" She slung her bag over her shoulder. "So what did I need again…?" She sighed. "Right…food." She pushed the door open and forced herself into the crowd of people swarming the streets. She got in line for the Auction House. She ended up waiting for a good ten minutes before the Attendents got to her.
"Hi there, I'll take a stack of Yellow Curry Buns, for 15,000." The Attendent shuffled somethings around before shaking his head.
"I'm sorry…you can't purchase a stack of those for 15,000." She sighed and stared at her gilpurse.
"Alright…how about 17,000?" She questioned. The Attendent nodded, and she handed the corresponding gil over.
"What else can I get you?" He asked.
What kinds of food can I make that are cheap and won't go bad? Well let's see…depending on where I go, I could probably pick up ingredients from monsters…goblins drop onions, funguar drop different types of mushrooms, dhalmel meat from dhalmels…So maybe just some basic
ingredients like water…and some crystals…
"I'll take three stacks of fire crystals for 2,000 each. Also one water tank for 3,000.
That's it, thanks" The Attendent shuffled a few more papers before handing her the three bundled stacks of fire crystals and the water tank. She placed everything into her bag before waving goodbye to the attendent and walking off.
"Alright so, I've got all of my bases covered. Now for what that guy said…Who would be good at finding unusual places around here?" As she was looking around for any clues, she heard a familiar Tarutaru yelling.
"Come one, come all! Let Kurou-Morou tell your fortune-wortune!" Sae shook her head in amusement and headed up the stairs to Kurou-Morou.
"Hey Kurou-Morou! Wanna tell me my fortune?" Kurou-Morou looked up and grinned happily.
What the heck…maybe I'll have some good luck! I could use it right now…
"Certainly-wertainly, Saerun! I have your crystal ball around here, somewhere!" He ducked behind his counter, while she was left in her thoughts of what it had taken in order for her to fetch the materials to make that crystal ball. She had been…extremely bored that day.
While she had been thinking, Kurou-Morou had found her crystal ball and was peering into it.
All of a sudden, he slammed his hands down, and quickly pulled the crystal ball off the table with a sheepish grin.
"Heh…heh…maybe you should come back and ask again tomorrow-worrow!" She glanced at him curiously.
"What? Did you crack my crystal ball or something? I worked hard to make that you know!"
Kurou-Morou instantly looked affronted.
"Absolutely-wutely not! I would never damage a client's crystal!" She leaned her arms on the counter and stared at him.
"Well then! Just tell me my fortune!" She was starting to grow a big aggrivated. Kurou-Morou sighed and then nodded.
"Very well then…General Signs: Poor. Financial Signs: Poor. Romantic Signs: Poor. Take special care when throwing things away lest you toss out a key item." She stared in shock.
Really? Is my luck really that bad?!
"I'm so sorry…you've been having a really bad day, haven't you?" She stood up straight and groaned, running a hand through her hair.
"You're telling me…so unless you know of anyone who is good at finding places around here, my day is just going to continue on like it is…" She grumbled. Kurou-Morou looked thoughtful for a moment and then pointed down the stairs.
"How about down there? I've heard people muttering about some Aht Urgan… or White Gate or whatever when entering there-where." Her eyes lit up and she nodded.
"Thanks Kurou-Morou! That makes up for your crappy fortune!" She quickly ran down the stairs.
Behind her Kurou-Morou threw a minor fit, shaking his arms in anger.
"It's *not* a crappy-wappy fortune! Just…not…happy!" At the same time, Chululu, the tarutaru love of his life, passed by and rolled her eyes.
"Oh please! Your fortunes *are* crappy…compared to mine!" She burst out laughing and continued walking by. Kurou-Morou's heart sank and his head banged on the counter.
–––––
Meanwhile, Sae looked around and saw the door to Neptune's Spire.
Of course! They *would* probably know about the eastern lands! Maybe this White Gate is there!
She walked into Neptune's Spire and into the door at the end of the hall. She followed the long hallway down the stairs through another door. As she entered the last door, she stopped and looked around, placing a carefully crafted emotionless face on. These were people who could sense and see weakness and would rip you apart for it.
Her eyes scanned the room, and just as she was unable to look away from the male hume earlier, her eyes kept being drawn back to the blonde elvaan male standing at a table in the center of the room. She walked to him.
"I want to get to Whitegate. Can you help me?" The blonde elvaan looked shocked for a moment before staring at Sae. Their eyes met and it became a battle of mental wills. The other elvaan was trying to stare her down and scare her. She didn't let him, she wouldn't let him. She had to find this place if it was the last thing that she died. People grew quiet around them, as they watched the interaction.
The staring match lasted for what could have been hours, but was probably just seconds.
Eventually the elvaan burst out laughing.
"Alright, lassie…I can help ye'…but at a price!" Sae folded her arms over her chest and simply raised an eyebrow.
"Name it." He smirked.
"Bring me a coffer key from a beastman stronghold, and I'll get ye' a permit to travel to the Empire." Her eyes widened in surprise. That was it? In fact, she was pretty sure that she had a coffer key in her bag.
"One moment…" She stepped back out into the hallway and rummaged around in her bag.
"Aha!" She lifted up a key, which had "QS Caves" engraved on the side of it. She walked back into the room and handed the elvaan the key.
"Here you go." It was his turn to look surprise, and then he laughed.
"Alri', Lassie. Come back and see me tomorro' and I'll have ye' permit ready." He turned away
from her, pocketing the key. She quickly walked out of the room.
Tomorrow…tomorrow I'll be heading to this Whitegate…And I can find out whether it was really a dream or not…
Obieta hitomi to kodoku | I threw away the frightened look in my eyes
Dokoka ni sutete shimaou | And my loneliness, somewhere
V.
Day Four: The Other Me
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Sae staggered into her moghouse after a long day of getting beaten up by monsters. It had takena while, but she had figured out what to do. Anytime a monster was about to use a special move, she had to focus her magic and then watch attentively. If she was sucessful, she'd feel her magic shift, and would feel the spell bind itself to her. Feliz hadn't been kidding when he said taht she'd create herself and wrest her strength from her enemies. Each spell, each monster's soul that she bound to her own increased her power significantly. But hell if getting beaten up didn't get extremely tiring after a while.
"Master, master, kupo! Are you alright?!" She barely heard MogMog, she was so exhausted. And she *still* had something to take care of too before she could go to sleep.
"Can you…cure me please?" She felt the powerful moogle magic wash over her and cure her wounds. "Thanks MogMog, go to sleep ok?" MogMog actually looked hesitant, but then nodded.
"Okay…kupoo…" the little moogle summoned her own bed and fell asleep instantly. Sae put her sword down in the corner, put on some nightclothes and laid down on her bed. Before she could go to sleep though, she had something to take care of first. What Feliz said to her was weighing heavily on her.
"I think we need to talk…other me," She felt more than a bid ridiculous talking out loud to herself. There was silence for a bit. She wasn't sure what she had expected, but nothing happened. She sighed and was just about to discount Feliz as completely crazy when something did happen.
(*You don't need to speak out loud, Sae*) Sae heard the voice in her head. The voice was definitely female, but the tone and inflection were completely different from her own. Sae gasped in surprise.
(Who? How?) The other sighed and Sae got the feeling that she was both amused and annoyed at the same time.
(*I'm going to pull you back so we can speak face to face. Brace yourself.*) She blinked in surprise.
"Brace myself? How?" Her eyes closed and then she had the distinct sensation of falling backwards. The sensation stopped and she felt someone holding her up.
"Open your eyes, Sae…" Sae opened her eyes and saw herself looking at someone who was nearly her twin. Her twin had longer hair that was pulled back into a braid, but had the same green eyes as her, but there was something in them. A certain darkness that dulled her eyes. She had seen that look before, generally in the people who had seen too much in their lives.
Sae stumbled and realized that she had been standing on a step and her twin let go of her. She glanced around the room. The room was well lit with a natural light although there were no windows for light to come in from. The walls were a light green, splattered with what looked like white paint. It made it look like the sky…if skies were green of course. There were a lot of framed photos on the walls.
Her eyes were drawn to the white couches in the middle of the room. She slowly walked over to them and ran her hand over them. They were made of smooth leather, a type of leather purified by anima. Her twin simply stood in place and watched Sae walk around quietly. Sae turned around to face her twin, and then saw what was behind her. A large pedestal in front of a screen.
"What is that?" Sae walked over to it. There was a step up to the pedestal, and the pedestal was surrounded by a railing. She was about to step up onto the step, when her twin pulled her back.
"Stop that…If you want to talk, don't go up there. You'll return to consciousness and it'll be harder to talk." Sae glanced between the screen and her twin.
"So what is it?" Her twin pulled her back towards the couches. Sae quickly realized that her twin was much stronger than herself. Sae sat down on the couch and found it to be extremely comfortable. Her twin sat down on the bed, looking very uncomfortable.
"That's the screen of consciousness. You're the one who's normally in control…so you're the one who sits up there. It's why you've never seen the inside of our mindscape," Her twin said, nearly monotonous. Sae simply shook her head.
"Ok…back up. Control, mindscape, what?" Her twin sighed and ruffled her hair up slightly, looking a bit stressed.
"Ok, ok…I'm not doing a good job explaining this…" Sae placed a hand on her shoulder, and her twin stiffened at the touch.
"How about you start with who you are?" Her twin nodded.
"My name is Sobe, and I am…for lack of a better term, an aspect of you." Sae took a deep breath, trying to control her extreme confusion.
"Explain that please…Sobe," Sobe nodded.
"Alright…You know how you don't remember what happened after our first failed mission in Windurst and the four months following that?" Sae nodded. "That's because something…very traumatic happened to us. Something that lasted for four months. Eventually something…so horrible…happened, that it…nearly destroyed our mind. So that we wouldn't go insane, our mind fractured.
"That's why you forgot those four months. When our mind split, I was created to hold those memories, because you couldn't handle them. I was created from pain…both physical and mental. Therefore, I'm far more equipped to handle them than you are. That's why when you're in situations where you're liable to take too many hits, I tend to take over." Sobe slowly explained. For the first time in years, Sae was receiving the answers to the questions she had always asked.
"So…the blackouts…the hours of missing time…" Sae trailed off and Sobe nodded.
"Correct. That was me. Sometimes I would come out even when you weren't in danger. I was…" Sobe trailed off, looking away. "…lonely…" She whispered. Sae pulled Sobe into a hug, and she felt Sobe stiffen against her before relaxing into the hug.
"I'm so sorry Sobe…that you had to go through this nearly alone." Sobe's eyes widened in shock.
"I…I tell you that I'm the reason for your blackouts, and you're trying to comfort *me*?!" Sobe pulled away, pushing Sae away from her harshly. "I'm you, but I don't understand you at all!" Sae looked startled but started laughing. "Don't laugh! This isn't funny!"
This just caused Sae to laugh even harder. Sobe found herself sulking. Sae slowly calmed down and looked at Sobe seriously.
"So what exactly was the event that caused our…" Sae trailed off, not sure how to word it. Sobe glanced over at her.
"Mental destruction?" Sobe helpfully provided. Sae nodded.
"…Yeah…" Sobe sighed, looking depressed. She stood up and walked towards the screen. While she did so, Sae saw the horrible looking wounds on Sobe's back, that looked like they had only just scabbed over.
"Your back…!" Sobe turned towards Sae and nodded slightly.
"They match the ones that we have outside of here…" Sobe completed Sae's thought. "Alright…" She sighed. "I'll tell you. You…deserve to know." Sobe's eyes glossed over as she started to relive her old memories.
"The Yagudo captured us, I'll say 'me' in order to not confuse you, and brought me to Castle Oztroja. From what I gathered, they sent a message to Father that they had me held hostage. Father, from what I heard, had a permanent limp-"
"You don't remember that?" Sae interrupted and Sobe glared at her for it.
"No. Anything before I was created, I don't remember." She said shortly. Sae brought her hand to her mouth and nodded.
"Sorry…continue…" The words were muffled, but Sobe nodded.
"Obviously, he came after me once he heard that. But it took him four months. During those four months, I was tortured in every way imaginable…" Sobe paused for a moment and then sighed, pain deeply rooted in her eyes.
"That's where we got the scars. I still remember the cell I was in…the tan colored floor was red. The chains…and shackles…" Sobe breathed in shakily. Sae got up and placed a hand on her other's shoulder for comfort. Sobe nodded to her in thanks.
"But eventually, father arrived. He freed me from the cell…we were making our way to the exit…when we were ambushed. Father was…Father was killed in front of me…" Sae's eyes widened and she inhaled sharply.
"Father was…" Sobe nodded.
"Killed because of me…" Sobe looked away, hiding the tears that started falling from her eyes. Sae pulled Sobe into another hug, and for the first time ever:
Sobe broke down. She started crying. She cried for her father, she cried for the unfairness of the world. She cried for her lack of strength and lack of character which led her to her downfall. But most of all, she cried for herself.
Sae meanwhile, simply stood there, holding Sobe and rocking back and forth slightly. Sobe wrapped her arms around her 'lighter self'.
"I wish…you didn't have to shoulder this burden alone, Sobe…I wish I could make this easier for you…" Sobe looked up and wiped the tears from her eyes.
"You want…to help *me*…." She started shaking with laughter while Sae simply stared in confusion. "Thank you…but it's my duty…my purpose…to protect you." Sobe looked up and gently touched Sae's cheek.
"I truly appreciate the thought…but it's my job to hold these memories until you're ready and able to accept them. Your lack of these memories makes you innocent. I want to continue watching you smile and laugh, because then I know that I'm doing my job right. Everyone wants to look after you, Sae. You make people happy, with your smiles and with your caring nature. Someday you'll remember. Someday we'll merge and I'll remember our childhood, while you remember those four months of hell, and I'll be apologizing the entire time." Sobe said quietly, while looking down. Sae nodded and then smiled.
"Sounds like a plan, Sobe. But just a request…next time you feel the need to take control…can you please let me be aware of what's going on? So I don't keep needing to black out?" Sobe stared in shock and then completely cracked up.
"I tell you- hehe- about our past, and you!" A snicker "Want me to just…not make you black out! Promathia and Altana!" Another burst of laughter. "What the hell is *wrong* with you, Sae?!" Sobe's laughter was contagious and Sae soon found herself laughing as well. The two leaned against each other for support as their laughter abated.
Sae quickly found herself yawning and Sobe smirked.
"Tired?" Sae looked a bit sheepish and nodded.
"Yeah a bit…" Sobe let go of Sae and walked up to the pedestal.
"Then step up here, and you'll go to bed. I'll…talk to you in the morning." Sae nodded and stepped up the stairs. As soon as her feet touched the top of the pedestal, she fell to her knees, and leaned against the railing and she was deeply asleep. Sobe watched over Sae quietly for a few minutes.
"Sae…I never thought…that you could be so kind…even to me…" She sighed and stared up at the ceiling. "You surprise even me, my other…"
Dokoka ni sutete shimaou | And my loneliness, somewhere
V.
Day Four: The Other Me
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Sae staggered into her moghouse after a long day of getting beaten up by monsters. It had takena while, but she had figured out what to do. Anytime a monster was about to use a special move, she had to focus her magic and then watch attentively. If she was sucessful, she'd feel her magic shift, and would feel the spell bind itself to her. Feliz hadn't been kidding when he said taht she'd create herself and wrest her strength from her enemies. Each spell, each monster's soul that she bound to her own increased her power significantly. But hell if getting beaten up didn't get extremely tiring after a while.
"Master, master, kupo! Are you alright?!" She barely heard MogMog, she was so exhausted. And she *still* had something to take care of too before she could go to sleep.
"Can you…cure me please?" She felt the powerful moogle magic wash over her and cure her wounds. "Thanks MogMog, go to sleep ok?" MogMog actually looked hesitant, but then nodded.
"Okay…kupoo…" the little moogle summoned her own bed and fell asleep instantly. Sae put her sword down in the corner, put on some nightclothes and laid down on her bed. Before she could go to sleep though, she had something to take care of first. What Feliz said to her was weighing heavily on her.
"I think we need to talk…other me," She felt more than a bid ridiculous talking out loud to herself. There was silence for a bit. She wasn't sure what she had expected, but nothing happened. She sighed and was just about to discount Feliz as completely crazy when something did happen.
(*You don't need to speak out loud, Sae*) Sae heard the voice in her head. The voice was definitely female, but the tone and inflection were completely different from her own. Sae gasped in surprise.
(Who? How?) The other sighed and Sae got the feeling that she was both amused and annoyed at the same time.
(*I'm going to pull you back so we can speak face to face. Brace yourself.*) She blinked in surprise.
"Brace myself? How?" Her eyes closed and then she had the distinct sensation of falling backwards. The sensation stopped and she felt someone holding her up.
"Open your eyes, Sae…" Sae opened her eyes and saw herself looking at someone who was nearly her twin. Her twin had longer hair that was pulled back into a braid, but had the same green eyes as her, but there was something in them. A certain darkness that dulled her eyes. She had seen that look before, generally in the people who had seen too much in their lives.
Sae stumbled and realized that she had been standing on a step and her twin let go of her. She glanced around the room. The room was well lit with a natural light although there were no windows for light to come in from. The walls were a light green, splattered with what looked like white paint. It made it look like the sky…if skies were green of course. There were a lot of framed photos on the walls.
Her eyes were drawn to the white couches in the middle of the room. She slowly walked over to them and ran her hand over them. They were made of smooth leather, a type of leather purified by anima. Her twin simply stood in place and watched Sae walk around quietly. Sae turned around to face her twin, and then saw what was behind her. A large pedestal in front of a screen.
"What is that?" Sae walked over to it. There was a step up to the pedestal, and the pedestal was surrounded by a railing. She was about to step up onto the step, when her twin pulled her back.
"Stop that…If you want to talk, don't go up there. You'll return to consciousness and it'll be harder to talk." Sae glanced between the screen and her twin.
"So what is it?" Her twin pulled her back towards the couches. Sae quickly realized that her twin was much stronger than herself. Sae sat down on the couch and found it to be extremely comfortable. Her twin sat down on the bed, looking very uncomfortable.
"That's the screen of consciousness. You're the one who's normally in control…so you're the one who sits up there. It's why you've never seen the inside of our mindscape," Her twin said, nearly monotonous. Sae simply shook her head.
"Ok…back up. Control, mindscape, what?" Her twin sighed and ruffled her hair up slightly, looking a bit stressed.
"Ok, ok…I'm not doing a good job explaining this…" Sae placed a hand on her shoulder, and her twin stiffened at the touch.
"How about you start with who you are?" Her twin nodded.
"My name is Sobe, and I am…for lack of a better term, an aspect of you." Sae took a deep breath, trying to control her extreme confusion.
"Explain that please…Sobe," Sobe nodded.
"Alright…You know how you don't remember what happened after our first failed mission in Windurst and the four months following that?" Sae nodded. "That's because something…very traumatic happened to us. Something that lasted for four months. Eventually something…so horrible…happened, that it…nearly destroyed our mind. So that we wouldn't go insane, our mind fractured.
"That's why you forgot those four months. When our mind split, I was created to hold those memories, because you couldn't handle them. I was created from pain…both physical and mental. Therefore, I'm far more equipped to handle them than you are. That's why when you're in situations where you're liable to take too many hits, I tend to take over." Sobe slowly explained. For the first time in years, Sae was receiving the answers to the questions she had always asked.
"So…the blackouts…the hours of missing time…" Sae trailed off and Sobe nodded.
"Correct. That was me. Sometimes I would come out even when you weren't in danger. I was…" Sobe trailed off, looking away. "…lonely…" She whispered. Sae pulled Sobe into a hug, and she felt Sobe stiffen against her before relaxing into the hug.
"I'm so sorry Sobe…that you had to go through this nearly alone." Sobe's eyes widened in shock.
"I…I tell you that I'm the reason for your blackouts, and you're trying to comfort *me*?!" Sobe pulled away, pushing Sae away from her harshly. "I'm you, but I don't understand you at all!" Sae looked startled but started laughing. "Don't laugh! This isn't funny!"
This just caused Sae to laugh even harder. Sobe found herself sulking. Sae slowly calmed down and looked at Sobe seriously.
"So what exactly was the event that caused our…" Sae trailed off, not sure how to word it. Sobe glanced over at her.
"Mental destruction?" Sobe helpfully provided. Sae nodded.
"…Yeah…" Sobe sighed, looking depressed. She stood up and walked towards the screen. While she did so, Sae saw the horrible looking wounds on Sobe's back, that looked like they had only just scabbed over.
"Your back…!" Sobe turned towards Sae and nodded slightly.
"They match the ones that we have outside of here…" Sobe completed Sae's thought. "Alright…" She sighed. "I'll tell you. You…deserve to know." Sobe's eyes glossed over as she started to relive her old memories.
"The Yagudo captured us, I'll say 'me' in order to not confuse you, and brought me to Castle Oztroja. From what I gathered, they sent a message to Father that they had me held hostage. Father, from what I heard, had a permanent limp-"
"You don't remember that?" Sae interrupted and Sobe glared at her for it.
"No. Anything before I was created, I don't remember." She said shortly. Sae brought her hand to her mouth and nodded.
"Sorry…continue…" The words were muffled, but Sobe nodded.
"Obviously, he came after me once he heard that. But it took him four months. During those four months, I was tortured in every way imaginable…" Sobe paused for a moment and then sighed, pain deeply rooted in her eyes.
"That's where we got the scars. I still remember the cell I was in…the tan colored floor was red. The chains…and shackles…" Sobe breathed in shakily. Sae got up and placed a hand on her other's shoulder for comfort. Sobe nodded to her in thanks.
"But eventually, father arrived. He freed me from the cell…we were making our way to the exit…when we were ambushed. Father was…Father was killed in front of me…" Sae's eyes widened and she inhaled sharply.
"Father was…" Sobe nodded.
"Killed because of me…" Sobe looked away, hiding the tears that started falling from her eyes. Sae pulled Sobe into another hug, and for the first time ever:
Sobe broke down. She started crying. She cried for her father, she cried for the unfairness of the world. She cried for her lack of strength and lack of character which led her to her downfall. But most of all, she cried for herself.
Sae meanwhile, simply stood there, holding Sobe and rocking back and forth slightly. Sobe wrapped her arms around her 'lighter self'.
"I wish…you didn't have to shoulder this burden alone, Sobe…I wish I could make this easier for you…" Sobe looked up and wiped the tears from her eyes.
"You want…to help *me*…." She started shaking with laughter while Sae simply stared in confusion. "Thank you…but it's my duty…my purpose…to protect you." Sobe looked up and gently touched Sae's cheek.
"I truly appreciate the thought…but it's my job to hold these memories until you're ready and able to accept them. Your lack of these memories makes you innocent. I want to continue watching you smile and laugh, because then I know that I'm doing my job right. Everyone wants to look after you, Sae. You make people happy, with your smiles and with your caring nature. Someday you'll remember. Someday we'll merge and I'll remember our childhood, while you remember those four months of hell, and I'll be apologizing the entire time." Sobe said quietly, while looking down. Sae nodded and then smiled.
"Sounds like a plan, Sobe. But just a request…next time you feel the need to take control…can you please let me be aware of what's going on? So I don't keep needing to black out?" Sobe stared in shock and then completely cracked up.
"I tell you- hehe- about our past, and you!" A snicker "Want me to just…not make you black out! Promathia and Altana!" Another burst of laughter. "What the hell is *wrong* with you, Sae?!" Sobe's laughter was contagious and Sae soon found herself laughing as well. The two leaned against each other for support as their laughter abated.
Sae quickly found herself yawning and Sobe smirked.
"Tired?" Sae looked a bit sheepish and nodded.
"Yeah a bit…" Sobe let go of Sae and walked up to the pedestal.
"Then step up here, and you'll go to bed. I'll…talk to you in the morning." Sae nodded and stepped up the stairs. As soon as her feet touched the top of the pedestal, she fell to her knees, and leaned against the railing and she was deeply asleep. Sobe watched over Sae quietly for a few minutes.
"Sae…I never thought…that you could be so kind…even to me…" She sighed and stared up at the ceiling. "You surprise even me, my other…"
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