Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Desolation ❯ Grief ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2: Grief

The girl with snow-white hair scowled at him. "Of course it's me, you goofball." She grabbed his arm and dragged him into the house, shutting the door firmly after him. "Took you long enough to get here."

"Well, the bus wasn't running," Marche began to explain, but he stopped and shook his head. "Ritz…why did you stop dying your hair?"

There was an expression of sheer horror on her face as she turned to him. "You…you knew…my secret?"

Marche nodded. "I've sat next to you too many times not to notice a white strand here and there, even with the dye. I figured you didn't tell me because you didn't want people to know. Don't worry, I never told anyone, not even Mewt."

Ritz relaxed somewhat at his confession. "Thanks," she murmured. "For not telling."

"Sorry for not recognizing you right away," Marche added with a hesitant smile. "It's just that I've never seen you like this."

"Few people have. I didn't want them to before."

"So what made you change your mind?"

She smiled faintly. "Something a dear friend told me. That's all."

"I'm glad you listened to them. You look nicer this way." Without thinking, Marche reached out to stroke her hair. His hand was halfway there when their eyes met, and he realized what he was doing. At once, he began to draw back his hand.

"It's okay," Ritz said softly, her cheeks burning. "You can, if you want to."

That was not the response he had been expected at all, but since she had invited, Marche hesitantly ran his fingers through her silky hair, tucking it neatly behind her ear when he was done.

"It never stays," Ritz explained, even as her hair breezed forward to frame her face again. "I've gotten used to it doing that, really."

"So what did you want to talk about?" Marche asked. "You sounded really insistent when you called."

"Before we get to that, I need to ask you something." She paused, as if uncertain of how to phrase the question. "Why did you restore Ivalice? Was it just because you wanted to go home, or was there another reason?"

Marche had to really think before answering. "There were several reasons. I did want to go home, but not just because I was homesick. If Mewt always ran from his problems, he would never be able to stand up for himself. I wanted him to grow stronger-like we did there-and become his own person, without hiding behind someone. I also had to look out for Doned. If anything happened to me there, he'd have been alone. I was a little upset that he sold me out, but I understand why he did it now. And of course I always intended for you to come back with us, Ritz. We're a trio, and it wouldn't have been right without you."

"So you think Ivalice wasn't right?" Ritz asked, with something like anger in her eyes.

"Not exactly. There were things about it that were wrong, like Queen Remedi, obviously. But the world itself wasn't really…bad. It just wasn't…you know…real."

"That's what everyone loved about it," Ritz sighed. "It wasn't real, but it was for them while they were in it. It was so real that no one wanted to let go. No one but you, anyway. But it was real for me, Marche. I made friends there, and I was happy there. So for anyone, especially you, to tell me that it didn't really exist, and that Shara was just a figment of my imagination, makes me so mad that I could just scream! I mean, you were there! You experienced the same things I did! How can you pass it off as a mere dream?"

"I know it wasn't a dream," Marche answered. "I know it was real, I just used the wrong word. I can't describe it. Ivalice wasn't wrong, exactly, it just…wasn't really right. I can't explain it any better."

"Well, for all your good intentions, I still think what you did was very selfish," she snapped. "I understand why you did it, but that doesn't change the fact that you took away something that made a lot of people happy."

"I had to give up my friends, too," Marche insisted. "It wasn't easy for me. But since no one else wanted to see our world restored, I thought if I didn't do something, no one would. Mewt was surrounded by yes-men, you were off adventuring with the Viera, and I was the only one trying to set things right."

"Maybe they WERE right before you meddled with them!" Ritz cried. "Can you honestly stand there and tell me that you never enjoyed leading your own clan?"

"No. It was actually pretty fun. But I wasn't willing to do it forever, unlike you two. It's one thing to play a game for a while, but it's another to lose yourself in it entirely. You can't just leave behind all your problems in the name of being happy. That's not how the real world works."

"Have you ever stopped to think that maybe St. Ivalice became Ivalice for a reason? Maybe you're the one that made the mistake in changing things. Maybe all this was supposed to happen to us-for us. For all we know, you've taken away the one chance we all had to be truly happy for the rest of our lives."

"Maybe you and Mewt could've been, but what about me?" Marche asked, his voice nearly hoarse with anger. "Did you happen to run into my parents? Were they still together? Had they stopped arguing about how they were going to pay Doned's medical bills? Being part of a clan was great, but even they couldn't replace my family."

"That's probably because you wouldn't let them," Ritz replied at once. "You were too busy fighting to leave Ivalice. If you'd just given it a chance before you changed everything back to-"

"Is this why you called me over here, Ritz? Just to throw this in my face again? I thought you said we'd still be friends. I thought you said you wouldn't hate me."

She sighed. "We are, and I don't. And no, that's not why I called you." Ritz took a deep breath. "While I was in Ivalice, I actually learned a lot from the Viera. They took care of me and taught me their ways."

Marche nodded. "I know. The Viera in my clan were like that, too. Each was different, but they all seemed to want to mother me."

"They probably sensed that you needed it," Ritz murmured. "Sometimes Shara gave voice to my thoughts before I even knew they were in my head. That can happen when you're close with a Viera."

A strange look passed over Marche's face. He could distinctly remember Eldena finishing his sentences only a few days after she had joined the clan. At first, it had seemed odd, but after a while, he got used to her reading him like a book. There were similar instances with Shanon and Rosetta, now that he thought about it. Had he been that close with all of them, and if so, when had it happened?

Ritz's voice broke into his recollection. "Marche, do you know where Doned is?"

"Um…no, actually."

"I do. Come on." She grabbed a white coat and slipped it on.

Marche's eyes widened as the person in white ceased to be Ritz for a few seconds. Instead, he found himself staring at a scowling Viera.

["I don't like this, Marche," Shanon said irritably, glaring down at her new white robe. "I'm not a healer, I'm an Assassin. This job doesn't suit me. Leave the White Magic to Thane."

"Taking life is easy for you," Marche reminded her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "But have you ever tried giving it back? It doesn't feel the same, but I bet you'd be great at it."

"But I don't-" Shanon began to say, before he pressed a finger to her lips.

"Listen, Shanon. You're an excellent Assassin, but what would you do if someone took my life in battle?"

Her dark eyes widened in shock and outrage. "I would never let anyone do that to you! I never have and I never will!"

Marche smiled at her fierce loyalty to him. "But you only know how to cut the thread of life, not restore it. Don't you think it would be useful to at least learn that?"

"I guess," Shanon muttered sullenly after a long moment. "But it wouldn't happen to you, Marche!" she insisted.

"Well, now we can both be sure of that, can't we?" He leaned closer to whisper in her ear. "Just do it for me, Shanon. After you've mastered Life, Cura, and Auto-Life, you can stop, and I'll never bug you about it again. Deal?"

"…deal," she replied in a small, reluctant voice.

Marche grinned and squeezed her hands. "Just you wait. You'll be the best White Mage this clan has ever had!"]

"Marche, you coming or what?"

He blinked and shook his head slightly, realizing that Ritz was giving him an odd look. "Oh. Um…yeah. Just thinking about something." Marche followed her out of the house.

Ritz gave her friend another curious glance as she turned to lock the door. She raised the key to the lock, paused for a few seconds, and frowned. With a grim look on her face, she stuffed the key back in her pocket without locking up, and started down the street in a hurry, leaving Marche to catch up as best he could.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Next Chapter: Sadness

With Ritz guiding him, Marche discovers the fates of Doned and Cid.