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Hello everyone! I'm not a very good story-writer but the "Dream World" has inspired me much to come up with a fic about the past! I don't know much about Laguna's past or the relationship between him and Raine but I'm trying as best as I can to fill in the missing pieces of this story. If there's something wrong with my fic, please tell me! I welcome comments/suggestions so don't be afraid to email me about it! ^_~ Siren (shivavssiren@hotmail.com) Note: You may notice
some familiar quotes in here....enjoy!
******************************************************************************************************************************* The heavy waves crashed against the rocks loudly, spraying up a cloud of mist into the air. The sun shone down at him, giving him complete warmth. He could feel the waves brushing against his feet as he lay restlessly on the shore but nevertheless, it did not bother him much. He was simply too tired to do anything. "Are you okay, sir?" asked a soft, gentle voice. He didn't know why but it sounded musical to his ears. He opened his tired eyes reluctantly, squinting to the brightness. It gave him a start to see a young, beautiful woman gazing down at him. The sun was shining directly behind her, giving him a warm feeling of her presence. For a slight second, he thought that he was gazing at what appeared to be an angel. In truth, his heart contrasted strangely in her presence. He gazed up at her, hoping to see her face more clearly. He figured that she was in her mid-twenties, about twenty-five years old. She had a slender body with long, dark brown hair that was brushed back with a yellow head-band. "Sir, are you okay?" she repeated again. Her sky-blue eyes were locked concernedly in his. She reached a hand out gently and felt his forehead with the back of her hand. After some time, she withdrew her hand and gazed down at him anxiously for a reply. He wanted to speak but he lacked the strength to. He opened his mouth and tried to force out a sound. When the young woman realized that he was trying to say something, she leaned further down towards him with her ear close to his mouth. "I'm sorry, what are you trying to say?" she asked, shaking her head. He took in a deep breath. ".......every muscle...bone...hurts...," he choked out at last. She moved away from his mouth and peered down at him for a slight second in silence. "I'll take you back to town. You should be able to rest from there," she assured him. "Um, can you sit up?" He tried to move slightly from his spot but it didn't work. Every muscle ached miserably. It felt like it was on fire. Being stubborn, he tried to budge in his spot but always ended up hurting a muscle once again. "...n-n-no....I-I-I don't think...I can..." "Here, let me help you," she offered. He glared at her at first but then nodded in silent agreement. Gently with one hand behind his back and the other behind the back of his head, she helped him sit up in his spot. He felt his back burning painfully. "Oww!" he cried. The young woman shrieked by this sudden remark. She removed her hands quickly away from him which ended up making him fall backwards again on the sandy beach. He fell down again with a loud "thump!". "I-I-I'm sorry!!" she apologized, eyes widened in shock. "Uhhhhh....," he managed to mumble out from the fall. She leaned closer down at him. "I'm so sorry!! I-I- didn't..." "..th-that's okay...I'm fine...really," he explained. She was silent, rather embarassed by her action. The man in the other hand, tried to sit up himself. Although he felt that every bone in his body was in pieces, he struggled to get up anyway. "Oh, let me help you!" the woman offered again. She held onto his arm and as gently as ever, heaved him up. Every muscle continued to burn from the action but nevertheless, he tried to move. "Um...where's this town that you're going to...take me?" "Winhill. It's my hometown," she replied. "Easy now...," she urged, helping him up on both of his two wobbily feet. "Aww, dammit. It hurts," he whined. She glared at him but didn't say anything. "Um, I hope you don't mind my inquiring, but how on earth did you end up here?" "Oh..well, it's a long story." "I don't mind listening to it." "You sure?" he asked dryly. She nodded and smiled. The man took in a deep breath. "Well, I was on a mission with my buddies...and during the escape from Centra, my buddies and I....well, plunged into the sea during the chase out by Esthar Soldiers," he explained. "I was with them before I ended up here," he said. "But they're nowhere to be found. I hope they're alright." ".....don't worry, I bet they are. If you could make it, I bet they could too." "Yeah...thanks." "Um, you're a Galbadian Soldier, aren't you?" she asked. "....that's right." "I thought your uniform looked familar...," she said, becoming engrossed in silence once again. To make travelling more easier, the young woman placed his arm around her neck with the other hand behind his back. "Easy now," she warned, helping him take small, careful steps. "That reminds me....what's your name?" he asked curiously. She stared at him for a second then looked ahead. "Raine....and you, sir?" "You don't have to keep calling me 'sir'. Just call me Laguna," he corrected. "Hello, Laguna. It was nice to meet you," she smiled. 'It was nice to meet you too...Raine.' The young woman lead Laguna into the town after a half hour walk. She felt extremely tired. With all the weight that Laguna had piled on top of her, she was tired enough to fall on him. Inside town, many townspeople stared at them. Laguna felt rather weird and uncomfortable at this attention. Raine called upon a couple of middle-aged men to help her carry Laguna into the vacant house. The men approached them and supported Laguna between their large bodies. They carried Laguna into the house and heaved him up the stairs and dropped him heavily on a small, puny bed. Raine thanked the two men and they nodded curtly and left. "Laguna," she said, "I'm going to call some other men to help you change your wet clothes, okay? I'll be back shortly after." ".....yeah, thanks." He shifted in his spot, feeling the cold wetness of his uniform on his back. With that, Raine smiled at him and left the room. He could hear her going down the stairs and closing the door behind her. He waited. He wished that she would be back soon. He didn't know why but whenever she was around, he felt warm all over as if she was the rainbow that would clear his storms away. He closed his eyes and drifted asleep. When his eyes opened again, he saw that one lovely face again. She smiled warmly at him. "How do you feel now, Laguna?" Raine asked, placing a hot bowl of chicken soup down on a tray. She placed it gently by his bed side and sat down on a chair next to him. "Oh, Raine...I feel...a little better, I guess...but I feel numb all over...," he explained. She smiled. "Ah, don't worry, I bet you'll recover as soon as possible if you have more rest." "Yeah, I guess so," he said, glancing over by the door to see a young child. She peeked over at him by the door, looking really shy. Laguna couldn't help but ask, "Who's that standing over there?" Raine turned around to look. "Oh, that's Ellone," she explained. "Come in Ellone, don't stand there. Why don't you say 'hi' to Uncle Laguna?" When she did not move from her spot, Raine stood up and went over to her. Gently, she picked her up in both arms, brushed her short, brown hair, and went over to the chair again to sit down. "There now, Ellone. Don't be shy. This is Uncle Laguna....he's not feeling well so he'll be staying with us for a while." The girl simply looked at him then blurted out, "Uncle Laguna not feeling good?" Laguna tugged at his blankets then looked at Ellone. "Aww, she's so cute," he said to Raine. '...for a little runt.' Blinking continuously, he shook his head quickly. 'What am I saying?' "Heh, heh. Did you hear that, Ellone? He said you're cute!" chimed Raine. "Now, what do you say?" "Th-thank you, Uncle Laguna." Raine smiled at her. 'Could this be...her child?' "And she's your....?" asked Laguna. Raine glanced over at him. "Oh, no! It's not what you think. Ellone's parents died when she was really young and I couldn't help seeing a poor, young child in an orphanage so I adopted her. She's like a daughter to me." "Raine is nice," the girl said. "Do you mind if I call you Elle instead?" he asked, shifting over to them a little in his bed. The girl simply stared at him. "Hmm...Elle sounds pretty good, don't you think Ellone? That could be your nickname," Raine explained to her. "Okay, Uncle Laguna." He smiled at her. 'Ah, she's so cute.' "Well now," Raine said, standing up and placing Ellone down on her two little feet. "You should drink your soup now. It's getting cold." "I wanna give Uncle Laguna soup!" Laguna stared at the young child in surprise. 'Oh, no..' "What do you say?" asked Raine. He took in a deep breath and forced himself to smile at them. "Sure," he said through gritted teeth. Ellone scrambled over
by the table and took a spoonful of soup. She carefully went over
to Laguna who's mouth was already opened widely. Smiling, she shoved
the spoon into his mouth with force. He choked in astonishment.
"Ack!"
Time passed by very quickly. With the efforts of Raine and little Elle, Laguna was back on his two feet again with much more strength than he had before. During his stay at Winhill, many townspeople had kindly visited him, bringing with them fruits and drinks during the visit. He couldn't just leave this town right away after he recovered. During the time that he was bed-ridden, the townspeople and Raine had treated him so well. He just had to do something for them in return. But what? He had nothing to do so he decided to go visit Raine at the pub next door. Leaving the house and closing the door behind him, he thought it strange that no one was out at this time. It was a sunny day with no clouds and there's not one person out to bask in this nice weather! 'Hmm...that's strange. Where IS everyone?' In the distance, he could hear strange roaring sounds. 'That...doesn't sound good.' Dashing into the house again, he climbed up the stairs and entered his room. Quickly, he opened the wardrobe by the door. Inside, was the uniform he wore when Raine first found him injured by the beach. He brushed past it with one hand and reached for his Machine Gun that was securely hung against the back of the wardrobe. Making sure that it was loaded, he hung the weapon against his belt and once again went outside. He could hear more eerie cries in the distance. Walking slowly through the stealthy path, he took out his weapon and held it tightly against his sweaty hands. He couldn't make out what he saw in the far distance but it was huge and it somehow resembled a...Tri-Face. It appeared as if it was dashing right towards him..... "Hi, Laguna!" greeted a calm, cheery voice. He turned around immediately. His heart jumped in its spot to see that one lovely face. There stood Raine, smiling up at him. "Raine! Get inside the pub now and lock the doors!" he yelled, looking away. Her smile faded from her beautiful face. She stared at him with a questioning look but obeyed his command without another word. Judging by his expression and with that weapon held between his hands, she knew that something was wrong. "Okay, Laguna. Please be careful!" "I will. Hurry and get inside. Make sure Elle's okay too." Raine looked down on the ground. "Yes..." The cries from the distance grew louder. As he predicted, it WAS a Tri-Face afterall. It roared loudly, sending eerie cries in its wake. Laguna raised his weapon immediately, aiming his Machine Gun right towards it. He turned to look at Raine again. "GET INSIDE!" "L-Laguna...please, be careful!" she sobbed. Hurriedly, she ran towards the bar only to see Ellone hop out of the door. "Uncle Laguna! What is dat?" she called, dashing past Raine and towards the scene. "NO, ELLONE!! Come back!" cried Raine, she ran after her. "Dammit!" he cursed. He lowered his weapon immediately. He didn't want to send any bullets right after Elle....and Raine. 'What...what should I do??' Raine ran after her as fast as she could. She couldn't let that monster harm Ellone...whatever it will be, she would protect her no matter what the consequences were. "Dat...dat thing doesn't look nice!" Ellone cried. She stood rooted to her spot just as the Tri-Face stood a mere five inches away from her. "Ellone!" Raine cried again. She reached her hands out towards her arm immediately and yanked her towards herself. The Tri-Face reached its claws up at Raine, ready to plunge its sharp claws down on her. She didn't know what to do but instead, she knelt down on the ground quickly and wrapped her arms protectively around Ellone and held onto her tight from under her arms, turning away from the hideous creature. "RAINE!!!!!!!" cried Laguna. He immediately set fire, sending a shower of hot bullets towards it. Black blood sprayed out of its wounds, filling the air with its stench. The blow killed it instantly. It's body fell lifelessly to the ground. "Elle!! Raine!!!" Laguna called, dashing towards them as fast as he could. Raine remained on the ground, shivering involuntarily by Laguna's action. Under her arms was a frightened Ellone who immediately, broke into tears. She clung tightly against Raine and refused to let go. "Raine...you're alright now...you're safe," he assured her. "L-Laguna....is...is that monster...dead?" she asked nervously. He tilted his head aside and glanced over at it. Black blood came oozing out of its three heads. It appeared dead enough. "Yup. Looks dead enough to me!" He peered down from under Raine's arms. "Now, Elle. You were not being a good girl! You shouldn't have ran up to that monster like that," Laguna reasoned with her who by now have calmed down a little. "Uncle Laguna.... *sniff* *sniff* .....I thought..dat was a doggie," she sobbed. "Next time, don't ever go off alone like that, okay?" Ellone nodded then replied calmly, "Okay..." Laguna smiled at her. "That's a good girl." He patted her on the head and then pinched one side of her cheek. He glanced over at Raine who by now had released Ellone from her arms and placed her hands against her chest to ease her breathing. "Uncle Laguna's brave," said Ellone. "And Raine's brave too!" Laguna glanced over at Raine immediately. She could feel his gaze on her but somehow, she was afraid to meet his calm, sea-green eyes. Why is that? It was something she could not possibly explain.... "Here, let me help you up," offered Laguna. He held his hand down towards her. Shakily, Raine took his hand and got up slowly. She took a quick glance at the creature lying dead a few inches away from them. She took a quick glance before hurrying away. She picked up Ellone on the ground and shielded her eyes. "Um, let's get back to the pub," Raine suggested. Laguna scratched the back of his head. He glanced around the area. On spying another huge object from the far distance moving closer, he hurried and replied, "Yeah. Let's go." Inside the pub, Laguna hurried and locked the door shut. By the window, he peered outside. Another Tri-Face. This time, a much larger one. "There are monsters coming in and out of the town now," he observed. "Yeah...ever since all the working men were sent off to war, nobody was patrolling the entrance so the monsters found their way here. Usually, the monsters never come this close into town," answered Raine. "Y'know....I've got an idea," Laguna smiled. He walked over by the counter where Raine stood behind, wiping a clean glass with a cloth. "And what would that be?" she asked, glancing up at him quickly then back down on the glass. "In return for the town's kindness, I want to patrol the town! And you...will be my commander!" "What?" she asked dumbfoundedly. "What's with the commander thing?" "You will be the one to remind me to do my job...as an instructor! And...let's have Elle to be....the assistant commander!" he laughed. Raine sighed with a grin on her face. "Sure.... but you must promise me to be careful when you come upon another monster, okay?" She peeked up at him shyly. Laguna stood silently in his spot, glaring back at her. Did that mean anything? Feeling the awkward silence, Raine hurried over to the other side of the counter and reached for the radio. Needless to say, he watched her without a word. She turned it on immediately and fiddled around with a button until she found the right music to listen to. The song was gentle to her ears and yet...sad. It was just nice to hear even if it was played on a piano. Laguna simply stood gazing at the radio. The music was familar to his ears. "Hey, this must be Julia's music!" he blurted out all of a sudden. "Julia?" Raine turned around to face him. His heart contrasted strangely at her reaction. "Oh....well...uh..," he fumbled out, scratching the back of his head. "Can you go upstairs and check up on Ellone? She must have kicked her blanket on the floor again," she said, changing the subject. "I don't want her catching a cold so can you pick it up and tuck her in for me?" she asked, turning off the radio all of a sudden. "Yeah, sure." Without another word, he hurried up the stairs. Raine watched him as he disappeared from her sight. 'What is this I'm....feeling?' she wondered, turning on the radio once again. *The next day* "Uncle Laguna!" called Ellone, scrambling up the stairs loudly in the vacant house. "Elle?" wondered Laguna, sitting up from his small bed. With a stretch, he stood up just as Ellone bursted into his room. "I came here all by myself to get yoo! Am I a good girl?" she asked sweetly. "No you're not! It's dangerous outside, especially for a young girl like you! There are monsters wandering around town and who knows? One of them might snatch up a cutie like you and suck your blood!" Ellone only stood gazing up at him. "If anything happens to Elle, Uncle Laguna's gonna cry...." "That's okay. It's only next door." "What are you doing here?" he asked, expecting to hear a good explanation. "Someone's here to see yoo!" she answered, jumping in her spot. "And he looks funny!" Laguna crossed his arms in deep thought. "Someone's here to see me? Okay, where is he?" he asked, bending down to reach Ellone's height. "Next door! Raine is talking to him right now!" she smiled. "Eh?! Okay, let's go!" he said hurriedly, standing up again. "Follow me!" said Ellone, dashing down the stairs loudly. Laguna followed her. He watched Ellone carefully as she opened the door to go outside then followed her next door. She entered the pub first. Inside, Ellone was greeted by a scolding from Raine. "Ellone!? There you are! How many times did I tell you NOT to go outside by yourself? Even if it's next door, you shouldn't go out by yourself, do you understand?!" Laguna entered the pub right after. Raine glanced over at him then turned away and went over to the counter to resume her daily chores. Ellone turned to face him. "I got in twouble...," she whispered. "Awww...that's tooooo baadddd!" he laughed. "Laguna! Don't use improper language with Ellone!" scolded Raine. He frowned at her. "I got in trouble!" he whispered with his hand over his mouth. "Awww...that's tooooo baadddd!!" she whispered with a wide grin on her adorable face. "Hello Laguna," greeted a familar voice from in front. He looked up immediately to see his buddy standing right in front of him. "Kiros!!!" he nearly screamed. Though he hasn't seen him for heck knows how long, he still looked the same...not one change at all. "It's been a while, my friend." Laguna bent down and whispered to Ellone, "This is Uncle Laguna's friend. He dresses kinda funny but he's not a bad guy." She grinned at him. The two friends had a very long conversation about a year ago, during the grand escape of Centra, where the 'chase out' took place. "Um, how's Julia?" he blurted out all of a sudden. "I don't know....," answered Kiros. "Are you talking about the famous singer, Julia?" asked Raine. Kiros glanced over at her. "Yeah, but she wasn't a singer yet back then. She only played the piano. Laguna admired her and always frequented the night club." Laguna glared at her immediately to observe her reaction but none came through. "I really love her new song," she finally replied. "H-How does the song go?" inquired Laguna. Raine finally rolled her sky-blue eyes towards him. "You don't know? It's called, 'Eyes On Me'. It's a really nice song," she described briefly. "You never let me hear it!" he complained. ".....I didn't think you listened to music," she answered, after a moment of hesitation. "The song's about being in love...I really loved it." Kiros cut in their conversation. "I heard she recently got married." "Oh yeah! To some army general...General Caraway or something?" Raine guessed. "I read in the magazine that her true love went to war and never came back. General Caraway comforted her and that's how they got to know each other." "Didn't she wait for the soldier to come back?" Kiros asked curiously. "So what! Who cares!?" Laguna bursted out in irritation. "As long as she's happy, that's all that matters, right Ellone?!" he said, looking down at little Elle standing behind him. "Right!" she agreed. "Uncle Laguna and Raine are....." "Ahhhhhhh!!!!" he yelled. He turned to Kiros again. "Um, let's talk a little later...it's time to patrol the town." With that, Laguna walked out the door with Kiros following closely behind him. Raine watched them as they left, hoping that they would return safely. "Um, what exactly are YOU doing here?" he asked curiously when they were outside of the pub. Laguna sighed out loud. "What do I DO here? Didn't I already tell you?! Well, let me remind you again! You are looking at the 'Monster Hunter of Winhill'!" he proudly announced. "Now, for today, you're my assistant. Our job is to patrol the town up to the main entrance. Anyone who's in trouble, we help, you got it?" He stared at his over-confident leader. "Uh...okay." The two men began patrolling the town, passing by house after another and peering through the corners of some deserted areas where deadly creatures would inhabit. Every creature they came upon, Laguna shot it immediately with Kiros being his helpful assistant to slash it one last time to ensure that it was dead. "Laguna, wasn't it your dream to become a world-travelling journalist?" Kiros asked all of a sudden, scanning around the area for any visible creatures wandering around the town. He stopped dead in his tracks. "Um..yeah..." "I've spoken to the Chief the other day and he was interested in any articles around the whole world. This is your chance now." Laguna hesitated for a long time. "Can we....leave a little later?" "Oh, you want to write an article about this town before you leave?" he figured. Laguna shook his head. "No...can't make this town famous...there would be tourists and everything then," he explained concisely. "Afraid someone might come and take Raine away?" he smiled. He felt his heart jump. "Look! I think I see a monster!" he cried, dashing across the bridge, back towards the centre of the town. Kiros ran after him. "You've changed, my man," he said after reaching him. Laguna didn't say anything, causing Kiros to smile even more. "Let's just get back to the pub and eat something, okay?" "Oh, sure. I'm getting kind of hungry anyway. We've been patrolling the town for an hour and a half already," he predicted. The two men headed for the pub right after they crossed another bridge. When inside, no one was there to welcome them from their hard day's work. Where is everyone? "They must be upstairs," recalled Laguna. "Well, let's report the extermination to the commander and the assistant commander!" Kiros nodded curtly and thus, the two headed up the stairs slowly. There, the two men could see Raine and Ellone in the middle of a conversation. "Girl talk....maybe we should go...," Laguna suggested. He began heading down the stairs cautiously but stopped short when Kiros' hand gripped firmly against his arm. "Something tells me we should stay," he smiled. Kiros stood by the head of the stairs while Laguna stood hesitantly near the bottom. The two men knelt down in their spots and tried not to be seen. "Raine, aren't yoo gonna marry Uncle Laguna?" asked Ellone. "A guy like that?" she asked, turning around to look down at little Elle, who was standing beside the couch. "He was crying like a baby when I carried him in here and I had to take care of him....," she complained. "His crude way of speaking....I don't know if his aspirations as a journalist will ever succeed." "Everytime I try to have a serious conversation with him, he avoids it.....," she whined. "I can't stand his snoring and he talks in his sleep....." Ellone shook her head quickly. "But he's really nice! I really, really like him!" ".....but you know...," she continued. "I think what he really wants to do is travel all over the world. I don't think he has it in him to live in a quiet country town like this one. Some people are like that....." "Ouuuu....it makes me so mad." Ellone took a few steps closer to her and gazed up at her face. ".......yoo don't like him?" She couldn't help but sigh out loud. "......I feel the same as you, Ellone." Raine took a few steps away from her and glared around the room. She was startled on noticing a pair of heads by the stairs. "Oh!?" she cried. On being noticed, Laguna and Kiros had no choice but to reveal themselves. 'I can't let her catch us listening in!' He immediately thought of some excuse. "Boy......*huff* *puff*.....we've sure wasted no time in getting here! *huff* *puff*....Commander, we've exterminated over ten monsters!" Laguna concluded. He hoped she bought it. Lying wasn't really his thing. "Oh! That's great! But you look so tired. Why don't you two go take a quick nap? I'll call you guys when lunch is ready," Raine explained to them. With that, Laguna and Kiros agreed reluctantly and headed next door. When they reached the vacant house, they started up stairs to the bedroom. Laguna was silent all this time. Something deep inside of himself seemed to bother him greatly. "What's the matter?" asked Kiros. He didn't want to keep his problems to himself so he poured it out to him immediately. "I get scared sometimes. Scared of waking somewhere else...scared of not seeing Ellone...." Kiros corrected him. "Scared of not seeing Raine?" Laguna buried his misery into both trembling hands. "What happened to me? I feel....what is this I'm feeling?" "Laguna...you've changed, my man." "Oh, let this be the same tiny bed when I wake up!" he cried. *A few hours later* Laguna entered the pub with Kiros following behind him. They sat down by a nearby table and gazed around the area for Raine. "Where's the food?! I'm starving!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. "Uncle Laguna! Mr. Kiros!" greeted a charming, young child. She hopped down the last few steps of the stairs and stomped on the floor loudly. Laguna simply smiled at her. "Hey, Elle! Where's Raine?" Ellone jumped in her spot. "She's in the back room cooking us food! It smells really good!" "Oh, now THIS I gotta eat more of! Lemme unloosen my belt first...," he said, fidgetting around with it. "Um, Laguna, do you remember about the thing we were talking about?" Kiros spoke up all of a sudden. "What thing?" He took a moment to think...yes..he remembered now...it was that one serious conversation he had with Kiros after their quick nap. ~"Laguna, if you REALLY like her, why don't you express that feeling to her then?" Kiros simply asked, tired of his pondering.~ ~"You know me...I...I can't! Do you remember the time at the night club with Julia? Everytime I go near her, I get leg cramps and I always ended up talking a lot!"~ ~"You know, I was wondering ever since we were at the pub before...were YOU that person she truly loves who went off to war and never came back?"~ ~"The hell are you talking about?!" he bursted out, turning away from him.~ ~"So it WAS you...I thought you liked her...why didn't you go back for her?"~ ~He had a long moment of hesitation. "Because....my heart...was no longer there....with her's..."~ ~Kiros flung back in exaggeration. "Oh!?"~ Yes...he remembered now...it was all so clear to him. Why did he have to tell Kiros about it?! He'll probably force him to express that feeling to Raine if he doesn't take the first move! He wrenched in his spot. "Lunch is ready!" Raine called, bringing out dishes of hot food. The aroma was great, causing his stomache to growl. Ellone immediately climbed onto a tall chair and stood sitting right in front of the two men. Raine placed the hot food down on the table and scrambled over to get some plates. After giving everyone a plate, she sat directly in front of Laguna. "So...Laguna...don't you have something to say to Raine?" asked Kiros, shoving some food into his mouth. Laguna's eyes widened in shock. He reluctantly forced himself to smile at Raine, who was gazing straight at him then kicked Kiros in the leg, causing the table to fly up with a loud 'crash!'. "Ow!!" he cried, giving Laguna an evil glare. Raine looked confusedly at him. "What are you two doing?" "They're playing footsie's!" cried Ellone. "I wanna play too!" she smiled, flinging her legs back and forth, hoping to kick one of the two men. "Ellone! Stop that! Eat your lunch!" scolded Raine. "And you boys too!" With that, she resumed back to eating in silence. Ellone frowned at her then shoved a spoonful of soup into her mouth. "Laguna...you've got to tell her sometime...," Kiros whispered. "You don't want to leave here not telling her, do you?" "Leave? You're leaving already, Kiros?" Raine asked, looking up. He didn't know what to say but he was silent. He only fumbled out a, "Uh..." 'I've got to let her know I'll be leaving this town soon...,' Laguna thought. "Um, Raine...I'll be...leaving with him too...," he managed to choke out. "There's an opportunity for me to becoming a journalist..." Every word felt like daggers piercing through her heart. She could feel the pain throbbing inside of her. Calmly as ever, she forced herself to smile at Laguna. "Oh, really?! That's great! I'm happy for you! Now you could finally have a good, decent job!" she smiled again. He simply glared at her in silence, hoping to see a reaction. Does she really mean it? "But, Uncle Laguna...," frowned Ellone. "Who's gonna look after the town?" He took in a deep breath. "Don't worry, Elle, I'm going to build a gate to protect this town...and Mr. Kiros here, will be helping me!" he said, turning his head to the side to look at his buddy. Kiros made an evil eye then looked away from him. "But, who's gonna look after you?" she continued in her persistent way. At this remark, he was silent. He couldn't help but to look down at his food. "Ellone, I don't need anyone to look after me...and, I will look after you...like before, remember? It was just you and me. It would be like old times again...okay?" Raine sighed, gently brushing Elle's short, brown hair. "No!!! I want Uncle Laguna to stay!!" she cried. "Raine, Uncle Laguna and Elle should all be together!" she screamed. Immediately, she jumped off her chair and scrambled up the stairs in tears. Raine sighed out loud in distress. "Ellone!" she called, watching her run up the stairs loudly. She turned around to look at Laguna, who was silent all this time. He remained in his spot and said nothing. He looked miserable. Kiros shook his head and sighed at this mess. "Ellone!" Raine called again, turning away from Laguna and hurrying up the stairs. "Ellone...," she whispered, when she entered the room. She walked over to Ellone who was lying face down on her bed, crying. "....Raine...," she sobbed. "I don't want Uncle Laguna to leave us!" She gently pulled Ellone up from her bed and wiped away the tears in her face with her sleeve. Ellone simply nestled further against Raine and hugged onto her tightly. "....I understand how you feel...but you must understand, this is the path that Uncle Laguna chose and you must respect his decision." Little Elle didn't say anything but it only caused her to cry even harder...and louder. Raine brushed the tears away from her face again and began stroking her trembling back. "Now, don't cry....it's not like Uncle Laguna will leave forever. He will come back and visit us, right?" "....but it's not the same! It's not the same! We won't see him everyday!" she bursted into hysterics. Raine began rocking her back and forth. "You know what will be fun? We can always read the Timber Maniacs magazine and find the articles written by him! This way, we'll know that Uncle Laguna is doing great out there! And we'll be the ones to cheer him on!" "......it's not the same....it's...not the...same...." she whispered persistently as she began to feel a little drowsy and dozed off. Raine gently picked her up and placed her under the thick blankets. Brushing some of the hair off of Ellone's forehead, she pulled the covers up to her chin and tucked her in. She looked down at the sleeping girl then turned around and headed for the stairs....only to see Laguna standing there. He must of heard everything. "Raine, I....," he began. "....Laguna..let's talk a little later, okay? I have to go clean up the pub," she explained, brushing past him and quickly marching down the stairs. 'What should I do now?' he thought. 'I must tell her....I can't hide this from her any longer...' He watched Raine as she took in the dirty plates and began scrubbing the table with a clean, wet cloth. Kiros had left already. 'He probably went next door so I can have some time to talk with Raine alone,' Laguna thought. He didn't know what to do. Laguna climbed up the stairs to check on Ellone. She was sleeping like a baby. He reached for a near-by chair to sit down, next to Ellone. 'Elle's crying in her sleep,' he observed, as he noticed the tears sliding down her plump cheeks. With his sleeve, he wiped them away. 'What should I do?' He didn't remember how long he was sitting there for but assumed it must have been a long time. The door closed loudly all of a sudden. 'Who could that be? Raine?' Darkness began to take its place in the sky as some light, grey clouds drifted by from the wind. This beautiful field...so peaceful and quiet. It was just the right place to be in when feeling down. Raine wandered by these grassy plains, exploring the scenery around her. There were flowers everywhere...just too many to be true. She found a clear spot on the ground and sat down, gazing right towards the mountains up ahead. Laguna's going to leave... He'll be gone forever.... He won't come back for you... Raine's eyes began to fill up with tears. She wrapped her arms around her legs and cried. It is true. He won't come back... She wanted to tell him how much she cared about him but guessed that she will never get the chance to tell him. Never in her whole life had she felt this way before.... "Raine...," whispered a familiar voice. She turned around and felt her heart skip a beat as she saw Laguna standing a distance away. Looking down again, she stood up and quickly wiped away the tears on her pallid cheeks. "....how did you know I was here?" she asked in a shaky voice. "I...I...followed you," he replied honestly. Somehow feeling irritated, she looked up at him. "Laguna...I want some time to myself....please..." He stepped towards her until he was standing directly one step away from her. "Raine, we need to talk. I...I have something really important to say to you." "Please...Laguna...I-I-I don't want to talk right now...," she said, turning away from him. He stopped her by grabbing onto her arm and gently turning her around to face him again. Even by that action, Raine refused to even look at him. Slowly, he tilted her chin up with his fingers so she could look him in the eyes. "Raine...," he said, gently holding her hands in his. "....I..I...I...uh...." He could feel the nervousness in him. His right leg began to cramp up -- as always. So suddenly, he released her hand and grabbed onto his leg, feeling his muscles tightening with pain. "Oh shit! Not now!!" he hollered. She stared at him, wide-eyed with concern. "L-L-Laguna?? Are...are you alright??" she asked him. She lifted her hands up towards him and gently gripped onto his arm. "......cramps...again...ooh..pain..!!" he whined like a baby. Raine pressed her hand tight against her mouth to control the giggles escaping her throat. She forgot all about the situation they were currently at. After a moment of hard laughter, Raine helped Laguna down on the ground. "You should stretch your leg out whenever it's cramping. That way, it won't hurt as much and it'll be over sooner." He rubbed his cramping leg. "Yeah...thanks." Raine only smiled at him. Then, she sat down on the grassy plains, right next to him. Everything grew quiet all of a sudden. Laguna turned to look at Raine. She was staring straight ahead where the mountains stood in its place and then glared up at the darkening sky where many tiny, bright stars could be seen. The wind blew gently towards them. Some dust pollen blew around them, making shapes like soft feathers. Laguna stared at her beautiful face. He began to remember those times they had been together...and with little Elle. Those were the most cherishing moments of his life. He remembered those happy moments they had together when he was sick in bed and when Raine nursed him back to health. Becoming a journalist isn't worth leaving a fine, young woman who has stood by his side ever since he got to Winhill. "Raine," he began, "I'm planning to stay....I don't want to take that job anymore..." He looked away from her and closed his eyes to feel the cool wind blowing against his handsome face. She turned to look at him. "Laguna, don't. We'll be fine....just let me convince Ellone a little more. I'm sure she'll understand too." "Raine...." "Laguna, it's your dream to become a world-travelling journalist...you shouldn't give up this opportunity you have in your hands. Please listen to me...go with Kiros. This is the chance you have been waiting for ever since." "Raine," he called again, opening his eyes to look at her, "I want to stay here...to watch over this town...and to watch over Elle." He shifted in his spot and raised his left leg up from the ground with his arms supporting his body from behind him. She sighed. "We'll be fine once that gate is built." He shook his head. "But -- " She didn't let him finish. "I hope you'll do great out there....I -- " "RAINE!!" he cried for her to stop. He took her hands in his and looked straight into her sky-blue eyes. "I...I'm telling you I'm not going!" he repeated. "I'm going to stay here!! .....with you!" He took in a deep breath and continued in a calm, gentle voice. "I can't stand being away from you...I want to be with you...to...to...always be here for you!!" he cried out passionately. "I want to see your face everyday...if I leave, I don't know when I'll see you again!" She felt the tears forming in her eyes. Gently, she moved her hands up to caress the side of his face. He closed his eyes and took her hand as she stroked his face calmly. He pulled her close to him so she was leaning against him. He placed his arms protectively around her, as if someone might snatch her away from him any moment. "Laguna...," she whispered. ".....I know that I will miss you once you are gone...but I think you should take this opportunity." She rested her head against his shoulder with both arms entwined in his. "I...won't go...," he insisted in his stubborn way. She sighed once again. "Please...do this for me. Promise me you'll go." He looked deep into her beautiful eyes. How could he refuse her wishes? ".....alright," he muttered under his breath. "But Raine," he said, releasing her from his arms. "I promise you...that I'll come back for you." She hugged him again. "I'll be waiting.....here." On the day of his departure, Laguna gave Ellone one last pat on the head and smiled. "Be a good girl while I'm gone." Ellone frowned at him. "Yes, Uncle Laguna. I will. Please come visit me soon!" she cried. Then she peered behind Laguna where Kiros stood by the newly built gate. "You too Mr. Kiros! Please come visit me soon!" He nodded as a response and picked up his luggages. Raine spoke up at last. "Laguna....I'll be waiting for you...no matter how long it'll take." Laguna dropped his luggages on the ground and took her hands in his. "I promise you, it won't be long. I will be back for you." He lowered his face down towards hers. She tilted her head up and closed her eyes as their lips met. He held her tight in his arms and brushed her long, brown hair. After that long, precious moment, he pulled away and planted a kiss on her head. He peered down to look at Ellone again....only to see Kiros kneeling before her with his hands over her eyes. "Mr. Kiros! Why are you covering my eyes? I can't see!" "You're still too young to see this," he simply replied. He finally released his hands away from the child's eyes and stood up to look at his buddy. "Ready to go?" Laguna grinned and nodded. He picked up his luggages and turned around one last time to look at Raine and Ellone. They waved at him as a faint, gentle smile crossed their lips. It will be a while until he will see them again. He hoped that it wouldn't be too long. *The next day* "Laguna...if only you didn't want money this badly!" complained Kiros. Ward nodded in agreement. Ever since he had lost his voice, he had learned to use sign language to communicate with the others whenever he had something to say. "You KNOW exactly why I need money as soon as possible!" reasoned Laguna. "And besides, that job interview won't be comin' up anytime soon! I'm last on the list! So what can I do? This is like the only job available at the moment! And the pay rate's not THAT bad." Kiros shook his head. "Not THAT bad? The pay rate for a journalist per day is triple the amount of THIS!" Ward rolled his eyes and crossed his big arms. Laguna opened his mouth to say something but the director cut in, in a loud, irritating voice. "Take your places everyone! Hurry up! Five minutes until filming!" he yelled, practically screaming. He turned to the three men. "You two there!" he pointed at Ward and Kiros. "What are you waiting for? I'm paying you to do this!! Go put on your dragon costume! I want you to be the head of the dragon," he pointed to Kiros, "and you to be the body," he glanced over at Ward. Without another word, Kiros and Ward scurried off to take their places. "I'm gonna regret this...," mumbled Laguna. He picked up the heavy, metal sword on the ground and glared at the director. "You, the prince, will stand over there," the director indicated. "And the princess...WHERE'S THE PRINCESS?" he roared after glancing around without any sign of the actress. "Ugghhh...I should've FIRED her!" he bursted out, rolling his eyes in irritation. "You there, what are you waiting for? Go up to that little hill! Don't just stand there!" he yelled at Laguna. Without any questions, he obeyed immediately. Quickly, he climbed up the small, stony hill and waited patiently for the next instruction given to him by his director. "Good. Now, the dragon! Bring out the dragon!" he yelled. The director glanced all around the area but saw no trace of Kiros and Ward anywhere. "WHERE'S THE DRAGON??" Just then, a red dragon stampeded its way to Laguna.... "Kiros? Ward? Is that you guys? Wow, your costume sure look like a REAL red dragon!" laughed Laguna. He began poking at it. The director turned to Laguna and peered at him and the dragon. "Oh, good. There you two are. Now all we need is that stupid princess! WHERE IS SHE??" he growled in anger. The red dragon roared in anger. Laguna's sea-green eyes grew wider. "Eh...director...I think this thing's REAL!!" "Wahhh?" he asked, turning around to look at him and the hideous creature. "Uh...," he mumbled, backing away from the scene. When the red dragon sent another eerie cry, the director dropped his things on the ground and ran for cover. The red dragon inhaled and released a deep, breath of fire at Laguna. "Oh man! I shouldn't have took this lousy job after all!" he complained, using his shield for defense. He took out his sword immediately. "Where are those two idiots??" He slashed at the dragon once causing blood to spray up into the stuffy air. It roared in agony and flung its claws at him. Laguna dived away immediately and began scrambling down the hill like a frightened, little child. "Where's my Machine Gun? Where is it?" he cried, scanning the area quickly. "Where did I put it?" Another dragon appeared before him...yet something about this one appeared rather odd...it plodded awkwardly towards him. It seemed to 'hop' rather than 'walk' and it was terribly, terribly overweight...for a red dragon. "Another one, eh? C'mon, let's see what you can do!" Laguna dared. He grasped his only weapon, the sword, and pointed it at the dragon. He thought he heard the dragon cry out something but eveything didn't make sense. He could only hear mumbles. 'This dragon's a weird one...,' he thought. He raised his sword up and slashed it towards the creature. The dragon mumbled something once again and hopped backwards, falling on its back with its four legs moving back and forth in an awkward movement. Then suddenly, a hand popped out from under its skin, then a leg, and then a head. Kiros! And Ward! "What the hell were you guys doing? ...acting like some REAL dragon!" Laguna yelled. "What were YOU doing? I thought we were filming already! ....until you began slashing that sword on us for real!" Kiros cut in, in bewilderment. Ward's astonished face told them everything. It gave him a start with Laguna's action. Laguna crossed his arms and looked away. "Well, how was I supposed to know? I met a real red dragon up on that hill! But I think I lost it!" he grinned. He peered at his buddies who became engrossed in silence. "Guys?" Ward's eyes grew wide and his mouth dropped open. Kiros put a hand by the side of his mouth and mouthed out something at him with his other hand pointing behind him. Laguna was at first silent himself. Then he asked, "What?" He turned around....only to see the red dragon standing directly behind him. He could smell its foul breath...its hot breath tickling his face with its moisture. Without thinking, Laguna plunged the sword into its chest with force. The creature's eerie cry sent shivers down his spine. He rolled away immediately. Kiros took out his weapon, the Katal, and slashed the red dragon twice while Ward threw his Massive Anchor heavily towards the creature. All three blows sent the dragon down on the ground to bleed to death. "That was fast," smiled Laguna. "I guess my skill's not as rusty as I thought it was." The bushes beside the
three men began to rock swiftly and out crawled the director. "That
was...great! I got it all filmed! For that, I will reward you
with double the amount I offered to you before. Good job!"
****************************************************** It was a cool, starry night. Laguna stood by the grassy fields...thinking deeply of what he should say to Raine. He looked down at the palm of his hand. There it was...the gift he would be giving to Raine in a moment. He had worked very hard to purchase this wonderful gift for her....and he hoped she would accept it too. "Laguna! There you are!" called a cheerful voice from behind him. He turned around to see Raine's beautiful face. He waved a hand to greet her. "Oh, hi!" he smiled shyly, putting his hand with the gift behind his back. She approached him slowly. "What is it that you wanted to ask me?" she smiled sweetly up at him. "Well, um, uh..I..uh...," he mumbled nervously. Raine tilted her head side ways in confusion. "What? I didn't understand a thing you said," she smiled, shaking her head slightly from side to side. Laguna felt his leg beginning to cramp up again. "Uh...on second thought, nothing!" he mumbled. "Well, gotta go! I'll talk to you later, okay? Bye!" he said quickly, waving his hand again. He turned around and took a step. Raine reached out towards him. "Wait!" 'No, I have to do this! That's why I left to earn more money! To get this ring!!' he thought. Laguna turned around immediately when Raine reached for his arm. He took her left hand in his and slipped on the silver ring onto her second last finger. It glided on perfectly. The perfect fit. He lowered his hand and glared at her surprised, yet beautiful face. "I love you, Raine. Marry me?" Laguna smiled, confident with this proposal. Raine raised her hand up in front of her face and stared at the ring on her finger. The ring reflected off from the moon. It was beautiful. She had never been so happy in her life. Laguna proposed to her! She looked up at him, tears filling her eyes with joy. She held one hand over the other. Laguna raised his hand up for Raine to see. He had a ring on his finger as well. It was another replica of her ring. "You're wearing one and I'm wearing one. Now you're stuck with me forever!" he grinned stupidly. Raine was left speechless.
She raised her hand up as well with the ring and smiled gently at him.
With that, she jumped into his open arms and hugged him tightly.
He held her protectively and smiled as he heard the soft, gentle words
escape from her, "Yes..."
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