Hidden Light - Chapter 12

Chapter 12:
Reunion


Douglas sipped at his steaming cup of coffee and stared out at the storm. He had been harbormaster of the Northern Continent dock for ten years and was glad his experience with storms prompted him to close the ports. Dark clouds roiled as flashes of lighting briefly illuminated the driving rain. All boats were grounded until it subsided. Smaller craft had been pulled out of the water while the others bobbed and twisted in the capricious surf.

Then he blinked. Had he seen that right? Douglas rubbed his eyes and peered out into the rain, waiting for the next lighting flash. When it came, his eyes widened. Out in the pounding surf was a tiny craft, probably the size of a skimmer, bravely battling its way through the waves. For a moment, he thought it might be empty, torn free from its moorings and set adrift. But no, it was moving with purpose, fighting the current. What mad fool chose to go out into such a squall, and a one-man skimmer at that! Recalling himself, Douglas pulled on his rain-slicker, grabbed a pair of glowlight sticks, and braced himself to meet the storm.

The wind almost flung him back into his house. Then it shifted to the right, causing him to stagger to the side. Rain swept across the dock in sheets. The boards were slick and treacherous, even with his rubber boots. Douglas got as close to the dock as he dared and activated the glowlights. Their bright, yellow-green glow seemed feeble in the storm's fury. But the skimmer must have seen them, for the tiny craft turned its nose towards the dock, riding the current in. How it had managed to stay afloat in such conditions he could not guess, but there was no telling if its luck would last. Still, he kept signaling to give the pilot a goal.

The skimmer fought against the conflicting currents, but then the wind shifted again, driving the waves towards the dock and carrying the hapless skimmer with it. With dawning horror, Douglas realized the skimmer wasn't going to stop. The waves were too powerful. He backed away as the craft hurtled towards the wood and metal pylons. Whoever was on the craft was sure to be dashed to bits when it hit.

But a split second before the skimmer shattered to pieces on the dock, the dark figure clinging to the skimmer leapt from the doomed craft. The figure skittered onto the dock, sparks flying from its boots and hand. The skimmer exploded as it hit the end of the dock, sending a wave of heat and shrapnel into the air. Douglas shielded his face, but nothing hit him. Then the rain eased for a moment and he lowered his arm.

A tall, gaunt, water-logged figure stood before him. The lightning illuminated gleaming claws on its hand, and Douglas shrank back. But the voice that issued from the stark silhouette was human, male: "Did a woman with white and black hair, one red eye and one blue eye pass through here?"

Douglas's mind went blank with shock at the unexpected question. The cloaked figure waited as he gathered his wits. "Um... yes! Yes, there was a lass like that who came through. On the last ferry, just before the storm!"

The cloaked man nodded gravely and started to walk past. "Wait!" cried Douglas. When the figure paused, Douglas said, "Please, come inside and dry off. The Planet knows how long you've been in that storm. You'll catch your death of cold."

For some reason, the mysterious man gave a dry chuckle, but he did hesitate. Finally, reluctantly, he nodded and followed Douglas back to his home.


~ * ~


Vincent took a sip of coffee, savoring the taste and the warmth. Although he was eager to continue his search, the continuing howl of the storm made him glad to be indoors. But then a twinge of guilt at sitting in relative comfort while Hikari's fate remained unknown. But the harbormaster, Douglas, was right; trying to search in this weather would be next to impossible. So here he was, sitting on a wooden chair by the stove sipped coffee while his cloak hung in the entryway, water pooling around it. Every now and then a shiver wracked his thin frame.

Douglas walked over with a bowl of soup and a bottle of wine. He set it on the stool that was serving as an impromptu table and pulled up a second chair, looking at his unexpected visitor with curiosity as well as concern on his swarthy, bearded face.

"Better?" Douglas asked when Vincent had finished the soup.

Vincent nodded. "Yes. Thank you for your hospitality."

The harbormaster waved aside the thanks. "It's the least I could do after seeing such a crossing." He leaned closer. "Why were you out in such a storm, if I may ask? You have a death wish or something?"

Vincent poured a small amount of whiskey into his glass and sipped. The liquid burned as he considered his answer. "I'm looking for someone," he said. "A young woman."

"Aye, you described her when you came ashore. But really, man, risking drowning for a lass…." Douglas shook his head, unable to find the words to convey his astonishment.

"I need to find her." Vincent pinned Douglas with his scarlet eyes. "You said she passed through here. How long ago? Was she all right? Do you know where she went?"

"Saw a lass get off the ferry the night before last," said Douglas, frowning thoughtfully. "I remember her looking around at everything like she'd never seen it before. No luggage, no companions, not even a pair of shoes. Walking around barefoot! But she seemed all right to me, a little odd and nervous, but sweet enough. She came up asking about the Sleeping Forest. I told her that nobody goes to the Sleeping Forest, but she was pretty fixated on it. It was late, and I told her she should find a place to stay the night, but she seemed really opposed to the idea. Said there was no time. I told her how to reach it, gave her a pair of shoes, and off she went."

The Sleeping Forest. Why would she go there? Then Vincent remembered all the stories he told her of the outside world, and how the Sleeping Forest was his favorite haunt. Hikari wasn't running blindly. She had a plan, a purpose of some kind. And he had a good idea where she would be.


~ * ~


She walks along the shore. The sea spreads at her right hand, while the stones of the cliff brush her left. The sand gives under her feet, making it hard to walk. But she does not want to use the road. Not yet. She watches the waves crash against the shore. They were small when she left, but now they are larger, closer. The sky darkens with oncoming night, but there is something in the air and the Light is tumultuous, mirroring (or influencing?) nature. She stops, seeing a red light on the horizon. She does not know what it is. More of the light peeps through the clouds and she realizes it is the moon. A red moon. A blood moon. She shivers, eyeing the glowing russet sphere with suspicion.

A wave is stronger than she expects. It crashes over the sand and splashes over her feet and legs. The cold water shocks her and she backs away, hissing in surprise. But the surf takes no notice and drains away as naturally as before. The salt stings her skin and the thin slippers on her feet, a gift from the boat-man, are swollen with water. All her footprints are wiped away.

Suddenly she realizes how very far away she is and how very alone. She does not know this place, does not know this world. She has only her memory of the maps and His stories. Tears, salty as the water, threaten to run down her cheeks. But she holds them back. He does not cry, so neither shall she. She knows where the road bends close to the shore before turning in towards the long-dead-place. It is time to leave the sand. She walks carefully, watching the waves until she is close to the rope-like tree branches hanging down the cliff face. She jumps, grabs, and climbs, like she climbed the rope out of the lab in Midgar. At the top, she looks back and waits for the patient waves to erase her marks. When they are gone, she turns her back on the sand and the sea and the bloody moon and runs.


~ * ~


There was no trace of Hikari in the Sleeping Forest, so he had come to the pale heart of the Forgotten City. Even though Vincent had been here many times, the alien grandeur of the place still humbled him. The eerie white trees, glowing with a natural phosphorescence, the dark, near-silent streams, the utter hush of this place where nothing stirred except the winds in the bare branches of the forest.

Before him stood the great pearly shell that formed the centerpiece of the Forgotten City. The pool of water at its base had been cleansed of Kadaj's pollution, but the waters remained dark in the City's eternal twilight. For an instant, the stark, alien beauty of the place was overlaid with the memory of Tseng and Elena's broken, bloody bodies…of children drinking the blackened waters while a silver-haired man laughed madly… Vincent shuddered and pushed away the images. He started to circle the lake, but a glint of lavender caught his eye and drew him to a stunned halt.

Standing on the water was Hikari.

The lake was at least waist-deep, but Hikari stood on the surface as if it were a shallow puddle. She took light steps, moving in a kind of slow dance to music only she could hear. The odd shimmer that he had seen around her in the abandoned house, but had dismissed as a product of his imagination, was back. It was stronger now, more solid, flickering like slow-moving willow-wisps around her body. Like a bolt of shimmersilk, he could only catch glimpses of it, just enough to suggest a larger, unseen pattern surrounding her before vanishing again. Hikari's arms moved along the flickers of light, her eyes wide with wonder. She threw back her head, a bright peal of startled laughter scattering bright beads of light into the air. She twirled back towards the shore... and saw Vincent standing at the edge of the forest.

The light vanished, and Hikari plunged into the dark water. Vincent moved towards her as she surfaced, sputtering. He sloshed through the water and helped her regain her feet. Hikari wiped the water from her eyes, and looked up at Vincent. Surprise, joy, and fear chased one another across her face. "V-Vincent?" she asked, as if not entirely sure it was him.

Relief poured through him. I found her. She's alive. But relief was quickly swamped by other conflicting emotions. It was too much to put into words, so he silently draped his arm around her shoulders and led her out of the water. When they were back on shore, Vincent turned to face her, put his hands on her shoulders, looked into her mismatched eyes, and said, "Don't run away like that again."

Hikari blinked and pulled away from him, her lips pressed into a thin, tight line. She suddenly looked older, harder, more aware than she ever had before. "Had to," she said in a clipped voice.

Vincent's first instinct was to grab her again, but he restrained the impulse. She was jumpy, scared, and pushing would only make it worse. He struggled to keep his voice even. "Why? You know we will protect you."

A shudder wracked Hikari's body and she wrapped her arms around herself. "Can't," she whispered.

Before he could ask why, Hikari winced and hobbled over to a log. When she sat down and heaved a sigh of relief, Vincent saw that her feet were blistered and raw. "Hikari! How…I thought the harbormaster gave you shoes!"

The young woman shook her head, her hair spattering the ground with droplets. "Did. Got wet. Hurt feet. Couldn't run right, so threw away. Much running." The exhaustion in her voice cut Vincent. He used a dry section of his cloak to dry her feet. Even though he tried to be gentle, she still flinched. Then Vincent pulled a small jar of from one of his belt pouches and dabbed salve over the cuts, bruises, and blisters. Hikari bit her lip, but did not pull away.

When he was done, Vincent took a seat on the log near Hikari, waiting for the healing salve to do its work. For several moments they did not speak. He studied Hikari's face while she averted her eyes. Finally, she sighed and said, "You should not have followed, Vincent. How Hikari supposed to protect you if you follow?"

For a moment, Vincent thought she might be making a joke, but her sad expression convinced him otherwise. "Hikari," he said, "does the name 'Eva' mean anything to you?"

Hikari's red and blue eyes became distant. "Eva flies away, dreams the world far away," she said in a soft sing-song voice. She blinked and looked at Vincent, eyes wide. "Miss Lucy sang. The song with sunflowers. What is it?"

So in that strange, twilight realm, Vincent told Hikari about what Shelke had found in the archives. She listened patiently, asking no questions. When he was done, Hikari mulled over his words in silence. Vincent looked out over the dark lake at the ancient Cetra shrine.

"So... you knew Miss Lucy?" Hikari's voice was tentative.

"Yes."

"You were friends?"

"Yes." Please, Hikari, don't ask me anymore.

"What—" Hikari's voice broke off, Vincent turned to look at her. She seemed uncertain and her quick, darting glances were filled with worry. Then she took a deep breath, and raised her mismatched eyes to meet his. "What happened to her?"

Now it was Vincent's turn to look away. "She... died."

"Oh." He felt something touch his arm and looked down. Hikari's fingers were so pale against the black leather, almost glowing in the light of the white trees. "I'm so sorry," she said.

Vincent felt an old twinge of pain at Hikari's unconscious echo of Lucretia's lament. "So am I." He glanced at Hikari and saw only concern. Concern for him. He felt some of the ache abate as he covered her fingers with his own. "Thanks."

She started to smile. But then her face went white. Eyes wide with terror, she leapt to her feet. "They're here!"