navy = flashback
She returned to this very spot every year at this very time. Just outside of Zephilia with only a small stone marker to mark the spot. Most people don't even notice that it is there. A person wouldn't find it unless they were looking. However, she knew exactly where it was. She had come here every year for the past twenty-six years. She would approach the spot with her black cloak pulled tight around her and the hood pulled down low over her face. The local children told eachother stories about this apparition that comes every year.
This year a small group of them were waiting and watching. Sure enough the lady came out to the spot. She didn't look in their direction. If she knew of their presence, she didn't aknowledge it. The children started daring eachother to go and touch her cloak. They continued with this until finally young Derek accepted the dare. The little eight-year-old meekly made his way across the field toward the strange woman. He stopped a few feet away from the woman and looked back at his friends. It seemed as though they were miles away. He was afraid to continue, but he couldn't face his friends again if he backed out now. If I turn back, I'll be safe but they'll call me a chicken. If I do this, I'll die a hero. Deciding on the latter, Derek closes the gap between him and the woman. He timidly reaches up his hand and touches the back of the woman's cloak. She lifts up her head and he dashes back to his friends and joins them in running for their lives.
Kalis didn't even notice the children watching her until she felt a small hand on her back. When she turns around to see who it was, all she sees are the children running as though their lives depended on it. This happened every few years. Whenever the kids would stay long enough to see her, she would just scare them off. Kalis would never actually hurt the kids; scaring them just gave them something to talk about. It also got them to leave her alone the next few years. Turning her attention back to the reason she came, she kneels down in front of the stone marker on the ground. Taking out the single rose that she had brought, she lays it near the stone.
The marker was a simple one. When the person's body was burned here, the people didn't know much about her; only her name. The flat, round stone lay on the ground with only two words carved onto it. 'Nika Romar' The people who preformed the funeral may not have known her, but Kalis did. Making herself comfortable, Kalis sat down near the marker and started to talk to her long lost friend.
"Hey Nika. I miss you so much. This past year has been interesting. Xellos has got me hooked on traveling with this sorceress named Lina Inverse. She's pretty powerful, almost a match for me if you can believe it. I wish you could be here to see them. Their whole group is fun to hang around. The princess of Sailoon, Amelia, she's always spouting off her speeches of love and justice. She doesn't even realize that half the things that the group does is bending the law. Then there is Zelgadis Greywords. He is generally quiet, you know the strong-silent type. He's a chimera with both golem and demon added to himself. It's kinda funny to see the conflicting parts make themselves known. He is usually real calm and logical, however he can have a temper. The third person is Gourry Gabriev. He's real dense, but when it comes to swords, he's the best there is. He is also real loyal to Lina. Lina? Like I said, she's a powerful sorceress. She likes money and food, and even though it doesn't always show, she is always willing to help others. She tries to cover that up by claiming she does those things to get the rewards.
"Then there's Xellos. He says 'hi' by the way. Me and him, well, we've kinda gotten together this past year. He is able to make me forget how much I miss you sometimes. Even though nobody could ever replace you in my heart, he comes close. I love him. I hope you aren't mad at me, it's just that I need somebody. Xellos has always been there for me, even when we were little, he always protected us. He keeps telling me that you would be happy that I'm getting on with my life. I hope he's right.
"It's still hard. I wish you had let me come with you to Zephilia; let me continue to play the protector. I know that you could take care of yourself most of the time. Ironic that the first time we had really been apart, you got attacked. I hate those Gold Dragons, they ruined our lives then they took yours away. I still think back to the day I found out ... It's getting late, I should get going now. I miss you so much, my love, my heart."
With her final words, Kalis stood up to move on the second part of her yearly ceremony. She starts on her way to a small clearing about ten minutes from there. This walk always gives her time to remember that awful day...
"What do you mean, you're not coming with me?" Kalis stared in shock
at her best friend.
"I'm going to Zephilia. I've been accepted to apprentice at the guild there. I really
want to learn magic, and since you can't teach me.."
"I wish I could teach you. It's just that I don't really understand it myself. It just
feels natural; I don't even have to think about it." Nika puts her finger on Kalis' lips.
"You go on to Testeborne without me. We'll each learn what we can and meet back here in
three years. Okay?"
"Why don't I go with you. We will both go to Zephilia together. I can protect you."
"Please, stop playing the Protector. I can take care of myself. Let me have these three
years to do this on my own. I will be fine." Nika brings out her knife with the rose carved
onto it and places it in Kalis' hands. "Take this, and when you miss me, pull it out and
remember, 'we will be together soon.'"
"Three years? Soon to you; an eternity to me. I love you."
Nika kisses Kalis tenderly on the lips. With a gentle smile, "I love you too." With that
the two of them pick up their packs and set off on their separate ways.
Kalis realizes where her memory is going and she knows that she is powerless to stop it. Every year she relives the last times that she saw her lover. She is only about half-way to her destination and the sky is already starting to dim. She can barely make out the first star of the night up ahead of her hanging low in the sky. She always believed that the star was Nika watching over her. The roles had been reversed; no longer the Protector, but the Protectee. Her mind wanders back to her vivid memories.
After three years, Kalis had finally returned to the cottage in the
woods. She walks in the door and realizes that Nika had not returned yet. Deciding to surprise
her lover, Kalis starts to clean the collected dust. She kept her mind so busy on the work
that Kalis hadn't even realized how late it had gotten. Not until she saw the sun starting to
rise through the eastern window. Feeling the exhaustion of working all night, Kalis lies down
on her bed to get some rest.
However her worried mind would not let her sleep. Nika was late. Nika is never
late. Something happened to Nika. Shaking her head to clear those thoughts, she
wouldn't let herself think that. It was only a day. Nika would come walking in through that
door any moment now ... any moment now. The doorknob slowly starts to twist and Kalis' eyes
light up. Three years, I wonder how much she has changed. The door opens and ...
Xellos.
Right away Kalis knew there was something wrong. Xellos was standing there with open eyes
and his usual smile was nonexistent. "What happened?" When she asked this question, there were
already tears starting to well up in her eyes. Not saying a word, Xellos crosses the room to
where Kalis is sitting. He sits down next to her and wraps his arms around her.
"I'm sorry."
By now her mind is screaming out at her. "What's wrong Xellos? Where's Nika?"
Hesitating, Xellos did not want to answer her question. "Nika's gone." Those were the
only words that he could get out of his mouth.
Kalis' mind comprehended the words, but her heart refused to believe. Inside she was
screaming out that is wasn't true. That she had heard him wrong. The only words out of her
mouth were, "You're lying." These words were spoken barely above a whisper and Xellos almost
didn't hear them. A little louder she repeated those same words. She kept repeating it until
she was shouting out. She was trying to make herself believe it as well as Xellos.
But deep down, she knew he wasn't lying. Xellos never lied. Especially not about
something like this. "There's going to be a small funeral right outside of Zephilia. I came
here to take you to it." Mutely, Kalis looked up at Xellos' face. He could see the tears
trying to escape her eyes, while she was doing her best to not let them. It was as though
letting herself cry would be admitting that this was really happening. Then without warning,
the tears escaped. Kalis started weeping and she buried her face in Xellos' chest while he
wrapped his arms around her.
They stayed that way until Kalis was too exhausted to cry any longer. Barely even awake,
she allowed Xellos to pick her up and carry her out the door. Xellos phazes to Zephilia with
Kalis still in his arms. They can see the funeral but they aren't near enough for anyone to
notice them. Kalis climbs down out of Xellos' arms and mechanically walks up to the familiar
form lying on the pyre.
The person had a white cloth drapped over her entire body so that the only part of her
showing was her face. Kalis stared down at the features that she knew by heart. Her cheeks,
her nose, her .. lips. Kalis leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on those familiar lips.
Instead of the warm inviting embrace she always received for such an act, they were cold and
lifeless. It was at that exact moment that the realization of what was happening dawned on
Kalis. She jerked her head up and ran. She took off into the woods and didn't stop until her
legs collapsed from under her in a small clearing.
It is in that exact clearing that Kalis stops in now. She again kneels down on the ground
and pulls out Nika's knife. She takes out the knife that Nika had given to her three years
before and holds the edge of it against her left wrist. Xellos finds Kalis sitting on the ground and sees the knife pressed against her wrist. He
runs over and pulls the knife away. She only looks up at him with expressionless eyes. "Nika
wouldn't want you to do this. I'm sure she would have wanted you to continue on with your
life. If you kill yourself now, can you honestly face her? Can you look into her eyes and
admit that you were weak and quit? You didn't even try to continue? You need to continue your
life. Now you're living it for the both of you."
"Well Xellos, you aren't here to stop me this time." She takes the knife and .. puts it back in its sheath. "I can only promise one year at a time. But I will not give up Nika. I will continue to live for the both of us."
Moon high in the sky, Kalis rises and walks back to Zephilia. Now remembering all the good times she had with her friend. Also thinking ahead to all the good times she will have with her other friends. She will live her life to its fullest, always remembering, Nika.