Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ By Your Side ❯ Confessions ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter 3: Confessions

From the moment they returned to Muscadet, Shara felt Marche's eyes on her. She suspected he might be upset about Ritz disappearing for hours without his being told, but she did not fear his wrath. Ritz would never let Marche yell at Shara, and even if he did, Shara did not fear Marche. She was the only reason Marche and Ritz's already strained relationship hadn't collapsed completely, and on some level, all three of them knew it.

Marche didn't approach her right away. Instead, he waited until Ritz was resting comfortably before coming up to her room.

"Could I speak to you outside, Shara?" he asked hesitantly. "It's about Ritz, and…well…"

Shara's first reaction was to protest. She didn't want to leave Ritz alone, even for a few minutes.

"I'll stay with her," Rosetta volunteered at once. "I think I can handle a sleeping girl for a while."

Shara shot her a look, but she couldn't help feeling a bit grateful as she followed Marche outside.

Marche bit his lip. "Shara, if I told Ritz I loved her right now, what do you think she'd do?"

"Probably yell at you for not saying it sooner or more often," Shara answered truthfully.

"And what would she do if you told her the same thing?"

The question caught Shara quite off guard. Finally, she said, "Well, I think she would definitely react differently."

"But do you think she'd be angry?" Marche pressed.

"At first, probably. But I think it would fade, either because she valued our friendship, or…" She trailed off and stared at Marche. "What is this about?"

"I'm about to make a decision. It could be right or wrong. And I just…I want to make sure you're there for her."

For some reason, this unnerved Shara to no end. "Marche, if you're going to do something foolish-"

He shook his head. "Look, only one of us has been making Ritz happy for a long time now. Maybe it hasn't been me because it was never supposed to be me."

"Just because Ritz isn't madly in love with you doesn't mean your abandoning her isn't going to break her heart!" Shara cried.

Marche smiled sadly. "I know that. But ever since we came back to Ivalice, Ritz hasn't been recovering as fast as she should've. Now I think I know why. She gave up her life for me, but I couldn't do it for her. I care about Ritz, and I don't want to see her suffer, but I don't think I could die for her. Deep down, she must know that, and so does her heart. It's what hasn't healed, not her body."

"A nice theory," Shara snapped. "But I swear, Marche, if you hurt her…"

"You know I'm right, Shara. When there's poison in the body, you don't let it stay there to spread. You get it out and dress the wound. I've poisoned her long enough." He turned to walk away.

"You're a coward!" she shouted at his back.

Marche stopped and lowered his head. "I only want Ritz to be happy. If someone else can make her happier than I ever could, then she deserves them. All that Viera has to do is open her eyes and admit to herself that being a friend isn't enough for either of them."

Shara watched him go with fear rising in her heart. But she wasn't sure what scared her more: the idea of Marche being wrong, or his being right.

* * * * *

Ritz was only vaguely aware of bells ringing in the distance as she opened her eyes. The brown, white-topped blur pacing before her cleared to reveal an anxious-looking Shara.

"Shara?" Ritz murmured sleepily, rubbing her eyes. "What time is it?"

"Early," Shara replied, coming to sit beside her on the bed. "Do you feel like walking today?"

"Not especially, but I should get back into the habit, I guess." She moved to sit on the edge of the bed, and found that Shara made no move to get out of way. "Um, we could start tomorrow, if you want?"

"Ritz," Shara said severely, her expression one of blatant discomfort.

"What's wrong?" Ritz asked, reaching out to grasp Shara's hands. "You look so uneasy."

"I need to show you two things, and I'm not sure you'll care much for either in the end."

"Show me now," Ritz replied. "Let's get it over with so we can move on."

Shara sighed and reached into her pack. She carefully drew out a bright blue rose and handed it to Ritz.

"My rose!" Ritz exclaimed joyfully, sniffing it deeply. A serene look settled on her face as she tucked it into her pink hair, just above her right ear. "Thank you, Shara! But why didn't Marche give it to me himself?"

"It's not from him, Ritz," Shara answered softly.

Ritz's face now held some confusion, but her smile remained. "What? Who else could it be from?"

Instead of answering, Shara gently cupped Ritz's cheek in one hand. "There's something I've been meaning to tell you for some time now. You know that I've been helping Marche in his half-hearted attempts to return your love?"

Ritz grinned and leaned into Shara's hand. "Yes. Some of those gifts were just too thoughtful to have come from a guy."

"There are two reasons why it's largely been a failure. The first is that Marche's head and heart are finally in agreement. The second…is this."

Ritz looked again to Shara's pack, thinking there would be something else drawn out of it. She did not realize how close their faces were until Shara actually kissed her. By the time Ritz realized that nothing else was coming out of the pack, and that Shara was trying to tell her something with the kiss, most other thoughts had faded from her mind rather quickly. Something in the back of her head insisted that she pull away at once, but something else suggested that she ride it out and see where Shara was going with this.

It was then that Shara slowly pulled away, and Ritz almost voiced protest at once. She'd been so busy thinking, that she hadn't really had a chance to enjoy the kiss. This was immediately followed by a strange, warm sensation in her belly, and the realization that part of her even HAD enjoyed the kiss.

"Ritz, I lo-" Shara began to say, but was cut off when Ritz grabbed her shoulder and tugged her forward.

"Hush," Ritz murmured before practically mashing their lips together in attempt to recapture the feeling of that first kiss again. Several seconds passed before she knew that was impossible, since she had no idea how the first one had felt. Disappointed, she released Shara and pouted. "Dammit!"

Shara stared for a long moment before finding her voice. "What?"

"You be quiet. I'm mad at you." Ritz hoped she sounded more convincing than she felt. Though, she had a sneaking suspicion that she was trying to smile, which would ruin the effect.

"Why?" Shara asked, almost desperately.

"How long have you been wanting to kiss me and not doing it? No, don't even tell me. The rose is from you?"

Shara nodded, still looking a bit confused. "Did you not like the first kiss?"

"You should've warned me. So I'd be ready for it, and able to appreciate it better."

"I couldn't do that! What if you hadn't let me?"

"Then you should've begged me. That would've worked. Eventually."

Shara frowned. "I knew I should've done it while you were asleep."

"Then I really couldn't enjoy it!" Ritz snapped. "What's the point of even kissing me if I can't get anything out of it?"

"Should I make an appointment next time?" Shara asked with a smirk.

"You keep that up and there won't be a next time."

"I don't think either of us believes that," Shara whispered as she leaned it to kiss Ritz's cheek.

"Hold on. What makes you think I'm okay with all this?"

"Well, that's just it, Ritz," Shara sighed. "You don't really have a choice anymore. Marche did give me the rose, but not to give to you. He didn't need it anymore."

"What are you saying, Shara?" Ritz asked.

"Marche did use the rose to remind him of you. He doesn't want it anymore. He's going to be bound today."

All the color drained out of Ritz's face. "What…?"

"I'm sorry. He thought it would be best if you heard it from someone else."

"Oh. You mean like my new girlfriend?" Ritz asked, a cold edge to her voice. "I really like how you two have planned out my life without asking me," she snapped, pulling away from her. "But I'm not Marche's to give away, and certainly not to you, Shara!"

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Shara asked, looking hurt.

"It means move!" Ritz shouted. "I'm going to stop that ceremony, and don't you get in my way!"

For a moment, she was sure that Shara would try to stop her. After all, she and Marche were partners in this elaborate crime, so they'd be used to helping each other. But the young Viera merely stood up and offered Ritz her hand.

"What's this? A peace offering?" Ritz asked with disdain.

"No. Since you seemed to like me better as your friend, that's what I am. We both know force of will can only get you so far on your legs, Ritz."

"So this all goes back to you carrying me, huh?" Ritz laughed bitterly.

"Well, I don't think Marche is an option anymore."

"You really expect me to forget what we just did?"

"I've waited this long for you. I can wait until you've settled things with Marche."

"And you know there's no guarantee I'll choose you over him?"

Shara shook her head. "Ritz, he already has chosen. You can yell at him all you want, but it will only make him more certain he made the right choice."

"I'm not asking for your opinion, Shara. I'm asking you to carry me."

"Fair enough." Shara turned away and sat down on the edge of the bed. When she felt Ritz's arms lock around her neck, she carefully stood up.

"Just one thing, though," Ritz murmured into her ear. "Did you kiss me just because you didn't want me to be alone, or…?"

"We can talk about that later," Shara replied. "Right now, we've got a ceremony to crash."

* * * * *

Next Chapter:

Marche is ready to be bound, but so is Ritz…or is she?