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Chris Redfield, Claire Redfield, and Aqua: Epilogue - So Long, Farewell
With the great battle finally over, it seemed like it was time to go home. But of course, how would you get home? The portal that the Coalition forces arrived in seemed to be one-sided and gone. However, it seemed like a good thing that Chris Redfield thought ahead, as he produced what appeared to be a small panel from his pocket, pressing a button on it.
Suddenly, a portal would appear and out from it would appear a strange school bus with an orange-haired woman driving it!
"You rang for the Magic School Bus?" The woman asked, her doors opening up and welcoming anyone and everyone who would require a ride home.
"I did. Thanks for showing up, Ms. Frizzle," Chris nodded with a grateful smile, giving her a brief thumbs up, "If ah... you would be so kind as to give these nice people here a lift home?"
"Of course! That's why you called me here, right?" The lady named Ms. Frizzle replied earnestly with a smile and a nod, "Did you give that Arch Demon a special shot just for me?"
Yes, Ms. Frizzle is a member of the Coalition. I'm serious.
"Aha... No, I didn't. Sorry about that," Chris said sheepishly, seeming to soften up as he talked with the bus driver, "I was... too focused on Wesker."
"Ah, you don't have to say sorry. I guess too many cooks spoil the broth anyway."
"Yeah... Well, sorry. Sorry that I won't be able to stick around. Sorry that I couldn't have stayed with you guys longer," he suddenly said, as if he were saying a goodbye.
And he was.
Most people would have assumed that he meant that he was simply going to go back to his home world, if not for one small detail. His body began to fade slowly, becoming transparent like a ghost, his body glowing blue as if the strange energy that gave Claudia Wolf her power was leaving him.
And it was.
Like Claire Redfield's Paradise, he was a product of Claudia Wolf's powers. And thus, with that woman dead, with no one to supply his life force, he was collapsing. He was close to disappearing. Very close. It was honestly a miracle that he had lasted this long. Who knew what the reason was? Perhaps it was his sheer willpower. His sheer force of will to remain, just so that he could say goodbye to Claire.
As cliche as it was, maybe love conquered all sometimes.
"Ah, it's as I say. Take chances, make mistakes, get messy," she said with a smile, briefly patting Chris on the head like he was one of her students, "You stuck your neck out for the people you cared for, and that's the most important part. Speaking of which, you have some goodbyes to give to people far more important than me. Isn't that right? Now, if you'll excuse me..." Ms. Frizzle said, grabbing her mic, "All aboard the Magic School Bus if you want to get home safely!"
Well, that was pleasant.
So yeah, if you wanna get home safely and do your stuff, I'd suggest you hop on board the bus, and then you'll be free to your own devices.
Approaching Jill, he'd scratch his head briefly and awkwardly. What was there to say?
"Well... I guess this is it," Chris said reluctantly, "Sorry that I had to come back to you, only to have to leave like this, partner. But it's not like I have a say in this," he sighed, scratching the back of his head.
"Well... I guess it's not like I didn't know this was coming. I thought I was preparing myself... but it still hurts," Jill said, giving an awkward laugh at herself, as if attempting to lighten the mood, "It still hurts. My old partner... my best friend... Seeing you leave again, I can't get used to that."
"Yeah, I guess so..." He nodded, "I didn't want to leave you either. But it can't be helped. That's not the important thing. Listen... you'll keep your word, right? You'll take care of Claire while I'm gone?"
"What kind of question is that? Of course I will! It'd be in bad taste to not grant a dying man his last wish after all," Jill replied, her voice almost cracking up for a moment there, "Either way, I've... made my peace. I've believed Chris Redfield to be dead for a long time anyway, so all I'll say to you is... You're a jerk, you know that? Even if you're not the exact same, you came back into my life and now you're leaving again, just as quickly..."
"Yeah... I guess I'm really just the worst, huh?"
And then something happened that he didn't expect.
Jill Valentine got on her tippy toes, leaned in, and kissed Chris Redfield on the cheek.
She wished she had something witty to say, like maybe "That's why I like you though" or "But you're my jerk," but really, she couldn't bring herself to say something dumb and cheesy like that at a time like this though. So that was all she could do.
Chris blinked in mild surprise, rubbing his head with his hand somewhat uncomfortably, until the woman would speak again.
"Anyway... I guess there's not much to say. We've already made our peace, huh? I don't want you to get all sappy and tell me how much I mean to you, because I already know what you're probably thinking. So... goodbye, Chris. I'll miss you."
In a sense, she was right. It happened when you worked with someone for almost fifteen years. You naturally get to know a lot about them. Their patterns, their mannerisms, everything.
"Yeah... I'll miss you too."
"Anyway, you've got one more goodbye to exchange. So you go do that before it's too late, alright?"
"Yes, ma'am," he nodded, patting Jill on the head briefly, almost ruffling her hair a bit if it weren't for her baseball cap.
With his body slowly, bit by bit, disappearing and wearing away, he approached his little sister. Claire Redfield, who had sinned in the past. Claire Redfield, who had worked to absolve herself of those sins. Claire Redfield, who had wronged others and worked to undo those wrongdoings.
Not only exhausted, but covered in blood and dirt from the previous battle as well, Claire would normally have felt self-conscious about her appearance. Her elation over the battle being finally over trumped everything else going through her mind. She turned to Chris as he approached, grinning wildly, feeling as if her whole life had finally found meaning.
Her joy was short-lived however, once she saw the state of her brother.
"No... Chris... Please don't--"
Chris's life flashed before his eyes a bit as he slowly disappeared. There was a time when his main concern wasn't the threat of zombies and bioterrorism, wasn't there? Yeah... once upon a time, many of his concerns were about the Air Force, wondering if the motorcycle he built with Claire would actually function well, the works.
There was once a time when he lived without any worry about those kinds of things.
Trying his best to keep from tearing up, Chris would hug Claire tightly, wrapping his firm arms around her. With a man like him, whose heart was the only thing bigger than his muscles, he definitely made sure that she could feel his heart with how close they were, metaphorically or literally.
"Sorry..." He mumbled once again, kissing Claire on the forehead, "I didn't know how to tell you. I didn't know... what you might have done if you'd find out," Chris spoke, "But this is the way it's supposed to be, Claire. Nothing can change that. It's a real shame though. I would have liked to build one last bike with you before I'd have to go, but I guess it's not as convenient as that, is it?"
"Y-You..." Claire's mouth wouldn't work. How could she even begin to process this?
Jill could only stand in the background, more busy fighting to keep her tears away than anything else. The goodbye was heart-breaking for her as well. After all, she had spent so much time trying to avenge the death of her world's Chris, and when he would come back to her, even if it was a different incarnation of him, she'd have to say goodbye to him once again.
"Still... At least I get to say goodbye to you this time. Claire, I just want you to know... that I love you more than anything. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me. I could never have asked for a better little sister," Chris said, pulling away so that he was face to face with her. He would give a soft smile, before speaking again.
"You're so short. Or maybe I just got a lot taller than I remember. I remember when you were younger, we were talking about how you'd be as tall as me one day... Those were the days, weren't they? Well, in any case, I'll always love you no matter what, Claire. Don't forget that. I'll always be with you. In here," he whispered, tapping the spot on his body where his heart would be.
Claire couldn't hold back any longer; Tears rolled down her face yet again. She had thought she was done crying for a long time, but how foolish she was to dare think that.
It was rare for Chris to be this sappy. Granted, he was always a sort of well-meaning, emotional person when it came to this, but he was rarely this touchy-feely and whatnot. Then again, maybe it was because he didn't get many chances to be like so.
Still, it was hard to say goodbye.
"So... goodbye."
But he had to anyway.
"Goodbye..." He repeated, and with that, his body had disappeared from reality. Chris Redfield had ceased to exist with that.
Claire had still been holding on to her brother as he disappeared. Now she was just holding on to air. Her eyes changed in appearance to their regular appearance, her powers disappearing along with her brother. Her hands fell limply to her sides as the heavy realization came over her-- this was real. It happened. Chris was gone, again, along with Sherry and the world that Claire had fought so hard for. It was all gone, leaving Claire with the hard truth that everything she had done in the last decade of her life had been for nothing.
Claire collapsed on to her knees, silently sobbing to herself.
Meanwhile, shortly before Claire's conversation with her brother, a very battle-worn Aqua ran with newly-acquired, invigorating speed as she hunted to find the red-head. Her armored boots clanked on the ground when she moved. The keyblade master's armor was scratched, dented, and cracked in some areas while under her armor Aqua's skin was bruised and sore. But Aqua couldn't feel any of the pain on her body; she was too focused on the joy she felt in her heart to even notice.
She shouted a victory cry into the sky and summoned her keyblade, lifting it above her head. "It's over! We did it!" she cheered, shooting from her weapon celebratory, colorful bursts of fireworks into the air that squealed and crackled as they exploded. She then allowed her keyblade to fade from her hands, continuing to run with a smile from ear-to-ear on her lips.
As she ran, Aqua picked pieces of her armor off, tossing them away. The battle was entirely over! She almost couldn't believe it! All Aqua wanted to do now was forget all about the fighting and enjoy this moment with the one person who had been her greatest ally and friend throughout this entire ordeal.
"Claire!" she called, eventually spotting the woman from behind. "Clai--" Aqua cut herself off and stopped running, going silent as she did. She had caught Claire at the end of her conversation with Chris, her eyes widening as he disappeared in front of them.
When Claire dropped to her knees crying, Aqua felt her joy halted. Her lips clamped shut for a moment and she honestly had no idea what to say. Claire had just lost the one person who meant most to her. Chris was everything in Claire's heart; when Claire talked about him before, Aqua could see the love in her eyes. The hurt reminded Aqua of the time she had found out she lost her master, only the pain Claire felt was certainly worse--her brother was all she had.
Silently, Aqua approached Claire and knelt down by her, gently placing a hand on her back. "Now you know... that you were wrong. He did recognize that you changed. He never shunned you. He loved you in the end. He was proud of you."
Claire didn't say anything at first, her eyes transfixed on the ground. How could it all be gone? Just like that? She reached up without really thinking, grabbing at Aqua's arm to pull the other woman's hand closer to her. She held Aqua's hand tightly, as if letting go would mean she would be swept away.
"This is my punishment. I shouldn't have thought..." Claire lowered her head, bringing her free hand to hold her forehead. "I shouldn't have thought I deserved so much. I know he loved me. He's always loved me, but now he's just gone."
When Claire grabbed her hand, Aqua pulled it close to her--gripping it with both of her hands. She shook her head. "No, you mustn't think that way. It's only a punishment if you make it out to be one. Chris wouldn't want you to see it like that. He would want you to be proud of what you did and not see the results as a punishment. Because of the wrongs you helped right, you've assisted in protecting so many other lives. Now, there are many others who won't lose their homes, their loved ones, or the things that matter to them. Imagine, there are other girls out there who will never have to lose their brothers now all because of what you did..." Aqua looped her fingers through Claire's, continuing to keep a hold of her hand. "And he's not gone entirely. He never will be so long as he's in your thoughts and memories. I know that seems hard to grasp after just having lost him but... I'm right here. You're not alone."
"Aqua..."
Claire's voice caught in her throat. Everything Aqua was saying made sense. It was all beautiful to think about, but it ultimately did little to dissuade Claire's sudden pangs of guilt. Everything was gone now. Wasted. Worthless. Her life up to this point one grand joke that she played on herself.
"All those people I've wronged... All of it was for nothing. I hurt them all ruined their lives for nothing. No reason but pain and to prolong that sick bastard's life." With that other Claire gone, this Claire was now the despicable one here. Claire still held on to Aqua tightly, but she couldn't look her in the eye. "I know you're going to disagree because you're so..." Amazing. "I don't deserve you, Aqua."
Unable to stand watching Claire talk herself down any longer, Aqua gently tilted Claire's chin up with one of her hands. "Hey, you were a different person then. You've changed; the fact that those bad things bother you now proves it. We all make mistakes, Claire. And in the end, you've done your best to make up for them--as have I with my own mistakes. I'd say, for a couple of ex-traitors, we haven't done half bad," she said, smiling gently.
She dropped Claire's hands and pulled her into a hug. "By the way, I do disagree with you. Everyone deserves to have people who care about them. And I..." care about you more than you know "couldn't have made it through this without you. I've always relied on the connections in my heart to keep me going. You've become part of my strength. Thanks for... being there for me." She pulled back from the hug a little, still smiling. "So there you have it. You haven't ruined every life you've touched. You made my life better."
Claire couldn't help herself as she eagerly hugged Aqua back. She felt content being held by Aqua-- so loved. My best wasn't good enough was what Claire wanted to say, but the words died in her throat. "I guess I have done my best. Akibahara's dead, and you're alive. That's all... that should matter..."
Claire went quite for a moment, burying her head into Aqua's shoulders. Her soft tears fell on to the other girl's skin, and Claire whispered a small apology. She pulled back and wiped at her eyes; They felt raw with all the crying she'd done lately. "And you've made my life better too. Everyone's lives, with your sacrifice..." She frowned, shaking her head. "I don't know what I'll do now. Without Chris, without my old life... I know you'll be there for me, Aqua. At least there's that. I'm-- I'm really grateful for... your existence."
"That's right," Aqua agreed, hugging Claire until she pulled back. "And you're alive too. That's also very important." She touched Claire's cheek with the back of her hand, softly wiping off some of the tear-stains. "If I had to do it over again, I'd still sacrifice myself. The only regret I have from that time is having made you cry so much." Aqua sighed. "You've been hurt and have cried a lot. But it's all right; you can cry as much as you need to until you feel better. I'll wipe every tear until you don't feel like crying anymore. You're special to me and... as you said, I'll be there for you."
She paused, thinking over Claire's words before smiling again. "Are you sure you don't know what you'll do now? I happen to recall you promising to travel with someone. She's been alone for a very long time now and could use the company. She wanted to show you a few places like... a world made up of the most amazing garden you'd ever see and a world that throws different festivals all year long. She was also hoping you'd show her those things you mentioned like movies and dancing..." Aqua's cheeks flushed slightly red and she rubbed the back of her own head sheepishly. "...because she's good with a keyblade, but clueless with things like that. So long as you're still interested, of course."
Claire smiled at this a little, almost moved to laughter. "And we still needed to find her friends." She reached out and softly touched Aqua's shoulder. "I don't know where I'll show you those things now... but we'll find a way. Maybe we'll enjoy ourselves for once in our lives. It'll be hard moving on from this, I know, but... we'll find a way."
"Together."
The smile on Aqua's face widened a bit when she saw Claire was already able to show a little smile, albeit a small one. She was glad something she had said might've made her feel at least a little bit better. It would take time, but Aqua knew that Claire--and even herself--would be able to put the events of the past behind them.
"Right, Terra and Ven are waiting for me. I'm sure we'll find them somewhere out there." Aqua stood up and offered a hand to Claire to help her up. "Of course, together," she replied, helping her stand. "I'm not sure what kind of worlds might have things like that either, but that's the beauty of it. We can explore new places while figuring it out." Aqua stood back and summoned her keyblade within a flash of light in her hand. "And... if you're ready to go now, I'll call my ride."
Although she hadn't mentioned it to Claire yet, there was one last thing Aqua needed to take care of: her cracked and damaged heart. She intended to ask Claire--one of the people she trusted most--to help her fix it, of course, but she didn't want to bring it up just yet. Claire was just recovering from the shock of her brother dying, after all. Aqua didn't want to give her any more to think about after such a terrible thing had just happened to her. For now, her heart was stable and could handle being injured just a little longer.
Waving her keyblade like a wand, Aqua produced a glowing portal in the sky. It was a method of travel her master liked to call The lanes between. She then waved her key a second time to adorn herself in her armor. Lastly, Aqua tossed her keyblade into the air, watching as it transformed into her glider before waving a hand to call it down. She likely could have materialized it a bit faster than she did, but the master was totally showing off. Showing off wasn't what she normally did either, but she knew Claire liked interesting rides. Subtly, she was already making attempts to cheer her up a little more, and maybe even impress her.
She took the helmet of her armor off her head and placed it in Claire's hands. "Here, wear this just as a precaution." She then walked over to her glider, climbing on it before offering a hand to Claire to help her get on as well. Once the both of them were situated, Aqua would fly them out through the portal she had created. She wasn't sure where she would take them first, but that's what made it exciting. The war was over, and they were finally free... to live.
Collab by Atomyk, Klutzy Ninja Kitty, and Verite
With the great battle finally over, it seemed like it was time to go home. But of course, how would you get home? The portal that the Coalition forces arrived in seemed to be one-sided and gone. However, it seemed like a good thing that Chris Redfield thought ahead, as he produced what appeared to be a small panel from his pocket, pressing a button on it.
Suddenly, a portal would appear and out from it would appear a strange school bus with an orange-haired woman driving it!
"You rang for the Magic School Bus?" The woman asked, her doors opening up and welcoming anyone and everyone who would require a ride home.
"I did. Thanks for showing up, Ms. Frizzle," Chris nodded with a grateful smile, giving her a brief thumbs up, "If ah... you would be so kind as to give these nice people here a lift home?"
"Of course! That's why you called me here, right?" The lady named Ms. Frizzle replied earnestly with a smile and a nod, "Did you give that Arch Demon a special shot just for me?"
Yes, Ms. Frizzle is a member of the Coalition. I'm serious.
"Aha... No, I didn't. Sorry about that," Chris said sheepishly, seeming to soften up as he talked with the bus driver, "I was... too focused on Wesker."
"Ah, you don't have to say sorry. I guess too many cooks spoil the broth anyway."
"Yeah... Well, sorry. Sorry that I won't be able to stick around. Sorry that I couldn't have stayed with you guys longer," he suddenly said, as if he were saying a goodbye.
And he was.
Most people would have assumed that he meant that he was simply going to go back to his home world, if not for one small detail. His body began to fade slowly, becoming transparent like a ghost, his body glowing blue as if the strange energy that gave Claudia Wolf her power was leaving him.
And it was.
Like Claire Redfield's Paradise, he was a product of Claudia Wolf's powers. And thus, with that woman dead, with no one to supply his life force, he was collapsing. He was close to disappearing. Very close. It was honestly a miracle that he had lasted this long. Who knew what the reason was? Perhaps it was his sheer willpower. His sheer force of will to remain, just so that he could say goodbye to Claire.
As cliche as it was, maybe love conquered all sometimes.
"Ah, it's as I say. Take chances, make mistakes, get messy," she said with a smile, briefly patting Chris on the head like he was one of her students, "You stuck your neck out for the people you cared for, and that's the most important part. Speaking of which, you have some goodbyes to give to people far more important than me. Isn't that right? Now, if you'll excuse me..." Ms. Frizzle said, grabbing her mic, "All aboard the Magic School Bus if you want to get home safely!"
Well, that was pleasant.
So yeah, if you wanna get home safely and do your stuff, I'd suggest you hop on board the bus, and then you'll be free to your own devices.
Approaching Jill, he'd scratch his head briefly and awkwardly. What was there to say?
"Well... I guess this is it," Chris said reluctantly, "Sorry that I had to come back to you, only to have to leave like this, partner. But it's not like I have a say in this," he sighed, scratching the back of his head.
"Well... I guess it's not like I didn't know this was coming. I thought I was preparing myself... but it still hurts," Jill said, giving an awkward laugh at herself, as if attempting to lighten the mood, "It still hurts. My old partner... my best friend... Seeing you leave again, I can't get used to that."
"Yeah, I guess so..." He nodded, "I didn't want to leave you either. But it can't be helped. That's not the important thing. Listen... you'll keep your word, right? You'll take care of Claire while I'm gone?"
"What kind of question is that? Of course I will! It'd be in bad taste to not grant a dying man his last wish after all," Jill replied, her voice almost cracking up for a moment there, "Either way, I've... made my peace. I've believed Chris Redfield to be dead for a long time anyway, so all I'll say to you is... You're a jerk, you know that? Even if you're not the exact same, you came back into my life and now you're leaving again, just as quickly..."
"Yeah... I guess I'm really just the worst, huh?"
And then something happened that he didn't expect.
Jill Valentine got on her tippy toes, leaned in, and kissed Chris Redfield on the cheek.
She wished she had something witty to say, like maybe "That's why I like you though" or "But you're my jerk," but really, she couldn't bring herself to say something dumb and cheesy like that at a time like this though. So that was all she could do.
Chris blinked in mild surprise, rubbing his head with his hand somewhat uncomfortably, until the woman would speak again.
"Anyway... I guess there's not much to say. We've already made our peace, huh? I don't want you to get all sappy and tell me how much I mean to you, because I already know what you're probably thinking. So... goodbye, Chris. I'll miss you."
In a sense, she was right. It happened when you worked with someone for almost fifteen years. You naturally get to know a lot about them. Their patterns, their mannerisms, everything.
"Yeah... I'll miss you too."
"Anyway, you've got one more goodbye to exchange. So you go do that before it's too late, alright?"
"Yes, ma'am," he nodded, patting Jill on the head briefly, almost ruffling her hair a bit if it weren't for her baseball cap.
With his body slowly, bit by bit, disappearing and wearing away, he approached his little sister. Claire Redfield, who had sinned in the past. Claire Redfield, who had worked to absolve herself of those sins. Claire Redfield, who had wronged others and worked to undo those wrongdoings.
Not only exhausted, but covered in blood and dirt from the previous battle as well, Claire would normally have felt self-conscious about her appearance. Her elation over the battle being finally over trumped everything else going through her mind. She turned to Chris as he approached, grinning wildly, feeling as if her whole life had finally found meaning.
Her joy was short-lived however, once she saw the state of her brother.
"No... Chris... Please don't--"
Chris's life flashed before his eyes a bit as he slowly disappeared. There was a time when his main concern wasn't the threat of zombies and bioterrorism, wasn't there? Yeah... once upon a time, many of his concerns were about the Air Force, wondering if the motorcycle he built with Claire would actually function well, the works.
There was once a time when he lived without any worry about those kinds of things.
Trying his best to keep from tearing up, Chris would hug Claire tightly, wrapping his firm arms around her. With a man like him, whose heart was the only thing bigger than his muscles, he definitely made sure that she could feel his heart with how close they were, metaphorically or literally.
"Sorry..." He mumbled once again, kissing Claire on the forehead, "I didn't know how to tell you. I didn't know... what you might have done if you'd find out," Chris spoke, "But this is the way it's supposed to be, Claire. Nothing can change that. It's a real shame though. I would have liked to build one last bike with you before I'd have to go, but I guess it's not as convenient as that, is it?"
"Y-You..." Claire's mouth wouldn't work. How could she even begin to process this?
Jill could only stand in the background, more busy fighting to keep her tears away than anything else. The goodbye was heart-breaking for her as well. After all, she had spent so much time trying to avenge the death of her world's Chris, and when he would come back to her, even if it was a different incarnation of him, she'd have to say goodbye to him once again.
"Still... At least I get to say goodbye to you this time. Claire, I just want you to know... that I love you more than anything. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me. I could never have asked for a better little sister," Chris said, pulling away so that he was face to face with her. He would give a soft smile, before speaking again.
"You're so short. Or maybe I just got a lot taller than I remember. I remember when you were younger, we were talking about how you'd be as tall as me one day... Those were the days, weren't they? Well, in any case, I'll always love you no matter what, Claire. Don't forget that. I'll always be with you. In here," he whispered, tapping the spot on his body where his heart would be.
Claire couldn't hold back any longer; Tears rolled down her face yet again. She had thought she was done crying for a long time, but how foolish she was to dare think that.
It was rare for Chris to be this sappy. Granted, he was always a sort of well-meaning, emotional person when it came to this, but he was rarely this touchy-feely and whatnot. Then again, maybe it was because he didn't get many chances to be like so.
Still, it was hard to say goodbye.
"So... goodbye."
But he had to anyway.
"Goodbye..." He repeated, and with that, his body had disappeared from reality. Chris Redfield had ceased to exist with that.
Claire had still been holding on to her brother as he disappeared. Now she was just holding on to air. Her eyes changed in appearance to their regular appearance, her powers disappearing along with her brother. Her hands fell limply to her sides as the heavy realization came over her-- this was real. It happened. Chris was gone, again, along with Sherry and the world that Claire had fought so hard for. It was all gone, leaving Claire with the hard truth that everything she had done in the last decade of her life had been for nothing.
Claire collapsed on to her knees, silently sobbing to herself.
Meanwhile, shortly before Claire's conversation with her brother, a very battle-worn Aqua ran with newly-acquired, invigorating speed as she hunted to find the red-head. Her armored boots clanked on the ground when she moved. The keyblade master's armor was scratched, dented, and cracked in some areas while under her armor Aqua's skin was bruised and sore. But Aqua couldn't feel any of the pain on her body; she was too focused on the joy she felt in her heart to even notice.
She shouted a victory cry into the sky and summoned her keyblade, lifting it above her head. "It's over! We did it!" she cheered, shooting from her weapon celebratory, colorful bursts of fireworks into the air that squealed and crackled as they exploded. She then allowed her keyblade to fade from her hands, continuing to run with a smile from ear-to-ear on her lips.
As she ran, Aqua picked pieces of her armor off, tossing them away. The battle was entirely over! She almost couldn't believe it! All Aqua wanted to do now was forget all about the fighting and enjoy this moment with the one person who had been her greatest ally and friend throughout this entire ordeal.
"Claire!" she called, eventually spotting the woman from behind. "Clai--" Aqua cut herself off and stopped running, going silent as she did. She had caught Claire at the end of her conversation with Chris, her eyes widening as he disappeared in front of them.
When Claire dropped to her knees crying, Aqua felt her joy halted. Her lips clamped shut for a moment and she honestly had no idea what to say. Claire had just lost the one person who meant most to her. Chris was everything in Claire's heart; when Claire talked about him before, Aqua could see the love in her eyes. The hurt reminded Aqua of the time she had found out she lost her master, only the pain Claire felt was certainly worse--her brother was all she had.
Silently, Aqua approached Claire and knelt down by her, gently placing a hand on her back. "Now you know... that you were wrong. He did recognize that you changed. He never shunned you. He loved you in the end. He was proud of you."
Claire didn't say anything at first, her eyes transfixed on the ground. How could it all be gone? Just like that? She reached up without really thinking, grabbing at Aqua's arm to pull the other woman's hand closer to her. She held Aqua's hand tightly, as if letting go would mean she would be swept away.
"This is my punishment. I shouldn't have thought..." Claire lowered her head, bringing her free hand to hold her forehead. "I shouldn't have thought I deserved so much. I know he loved me. He's always loved me, but now he's just gone."
When Claire grabbed her hand, Aqua pulled it close to her--gripping it with both of her hands. She shook her head. "No, you mustn't think that way. It's only a punishment if you make it out to be one. Chris wouldn't want you to see it like that. He would want you to be proud of what you did and not see the results as a punishment. Because of the wrongs you helped right, you've assisted in protecting so many other lives. Now, there are many others who won't lose their homes, their loved ones, or the things that matter to them. Imagine, there are other girls out there who will never have to lose their brothers now all because of what you did..." Aqua looped her fingers through Claire's, continuing to keep a hold of her hand. "And he's not gone entirely. He never will be so long as he's in your thoughts and memories. I know that seems hard to grasp after just having lost him but... I'm right here. You're not alone."
"Aqua..."
Claire's voice caught in her throat. Everything Aqua was saying made sense. It was all beautiful to think about, but it ultimately did little to dissuade Claire's sudden pangs of guilt. Everything was gone now. Wasted. Worthless. Her life up to this point one grand joke that she played on herself.
"All those people I've wronged... All of it was for nothing. I hurt them all ruined their lives for nothing. No reason but pain and to prolong that sick bastard's life." With that other Claire gone, this Claire was now the despicable one here. Claire still held on to Aqua tightly, but she couldn't look her in the eye. "I know you're going to disagree because you're so..." Amazing. "I don't deserve you, Aqua."
Unable to stand watching Claire talk herself down any longer, Aqua gently tilted Claire's chin up with one of her hands. "Hey, you were a different person then. You've changed; the fact that those bad things bother you now proves it. We all make mistakes, Claire. And in the end, you've done your best to make up for them--as have I with my own mistakes. I'd say, for a couple of ex-traitors, we haven't done half bad," she said, smiling gently.
She dropped Claire's hands and pulled her into a hug. "By the way, I do disagree with you. Everyone deserves to have people who care about them. And I..." care about you more than you know "couldn't have made it through this without you. I've always relied on the connections in my heart to keep me going. You've become part of my strength. Thanks for... being there for me." She pulled back from the hug a little, still smiling. "So there you have it. You haven't ruined every life you've touched. You made my life better."
Claire couldn't help herself as she eagerly hugged Aqua back. She felt content being held by Aqua-- so loved. My best wasn't good enough was what Claire wanted to say, but the words died in her throat. "I guess I have done my best. Akibahara's dead, and you're alive. That's all... that should matter..."
Claire went quite for a moment, burying her head into Aqua's shoulders. Her soft tears fell on to the other girl's skin, and Claire whispered a small apology. She pulled back and wiped at her eyes; They felt raw with all the crying she'd done lately. "And you've made my life better too. Everyone's lives, with your sacrifice..." She frowned, shaking her head. "I don't know what I'll do now. Without Chris, without my old life... I know you'll be there for me, Aqua. At least there's that. I'm-- I'm really grateful for... your existence."
"That's right," Aqua agreed, hugging Claire until she pulled back. "And you're alive too. That's also very important." She touched Claire's cheek with the back of her hand, softly wiping off some of the tear-stains. "If I had to do it over again, I'd still sacrifice myself. The only regret I have from that time is having made you cry so much." Aqua sighed. "You've been hurt and have cried a lot. But it's all right; you can cry as much as you need to until you feel better. I'll wipe every tear until you don't feel like crying anymore. You're special to me and... as you said, I'll be there for you."
She paused, thinking over Claire's words before smiling again. "Are you sure you don't know what you'll do now? I happen to recall you promising to travel with someone. She's been alone for a very long time now and could use the company. She wanted to show you a few places like... a world made up of the most amazing garden you'd ever see and a world that throws different festivals all year long. She was also hoping you'd show her those things you mentioned like movies and dancing..." Aqua's cheeks flushed slightly red and she rubbed the back of her own head sheepishly. "...because she's good with a keyblade, but clueless with things like that. So long as you're still interested, of course."
Claire smiled at this a little, almost moved to laughter. "And we still needed to find her friends." She reached out and softly touched Aqua's shoulder. "I don't know where I'll show you those things now... but we'll find a way. Maybe we'll enjoy ourselves for once in our lives. It'll be hard moving on from this, I know, but... we'll find a way."
"Together."
The smile on Aqua's face widened a bit when she saw Claire was already able to show a little smile, albeit a small one. She was glad something she had said might've made her feel at least a little bit better. It would take time, but Aqua knew that Claire--and even herself--would be able to put the events of the past behind them.
"Right, Terra and Ven are waiting for me. I'm sure we'll find them somewhere out there." Aqua stood up and offered a hand to Claire to help her up. "Of course, together," she replied, helping her stand. "I'm not sure what kind of worlds might have things like that either, but that's the beauty of it. We can explore new places while figuring it out." Aqua stood back and summoned her keyblade within a flash of light in her hand. "And... if you're ready to go now, I'll call my ride."
Although she hadn't mentioned it to Claire yet, there was one last thing Aqua needed to take care of: her cracked and damaged heart. She intended to ask Claire--one of the people she trusted most--to help her fix it, of course, but she didn't want to bring it up just yet. Claire was just recovering from the shock of her brother dying, after all. Aqua didn't want to give her any more to think about after such a terrible thing had just happened to her. For now, her heart was stable and could handle being injured just a little longer.
Waving her keyblade like a wand, Aqua produced a glowing portal in the sky. It was a method of travel her master liked to call The lanes between. She then waved her key a second time to adorn herself in her armor. Lastly, Aqua tossed her keyblade into the air, watching as it transformed into her glider before waving a hand to call it down. She likely could have materialized it a bit faster than she did, but the master was totally showing off. Showing off wasn't what she normally did either, but she knew Claire liked interesting rides. Subtly, she was already making attempts to cheer her up a little more, and maybe even impress her.
She took the helmet of her armor off her head and placed it in Claire's hands. "Here, wear this just as a precaution." She then walked over to her glider, climbing on it before offering a hand to Claire to help her get on as well. Once the both of them were situated, Aqua would fly them out through the portal she had created. She wasn't sure where she would take them first, but that's what made it exciting. The war was over, and they were finally free... to live.
Collab by Atomyk, Klutzy Ninja Kitty, and Verite
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