We failed. Over a year had passed, and that was still the only thing I could grasp. We couldn't stop him. We could only stand back and gawk, immobilized as Gestahl spouted out words of corruption and greed. I was forced to watch as even Celes' steadfastness and loyalty were tested against the enticing power of the Three Goddesses, an internal conflict of honor and self-preservation. I had watched as she met my gaze, refusing the tempting promises and seductive power offered her before running Kefka through with her sword. I had listened as Kefka laughed and batted her aside, calling on the Goddesses to heed his call. I had cringed when Gestahl was struck down and sent plummeting to the world below. I had whimpered as Kefka doomed the world. Almost fourteen months since The Ruin had passed, and still I dreamt it every night, every morning waking up to my own scream as I fell from the Blackjack's splintered deck. The end of the world, and I survived, lived on to watch its slow decay. Kefka's Light of Judgment had left Mobliz in ruins. Duane and Katarin, barely eighteen, were the only other adults, with about a dozen small children under their care. I had to wonder if the rest of the world had suffered like that as well. I thought about my friends and if any of them had survived the fall. On the outskirts of Mobliz, I stood at the water's edge, deep in thought. It had become my customary place of solitude, where my 'family' knew I wasn't to be bothered. Of course, when I felt a familiar cold presence step up beside me, I couldn't help but smile. Without even glancing at her, I made my greeting. "I should have known you would survive." "Takes more than global annihilation to kill me." I could tell she was also smiling even before she turned to me. "How are you, Ter?" I kept my gaze on the water as I answered. "Alive." She turned her eyes back to the horizon. "I know the feeling." Hearing a note of melancholy in her voice, I finally turned to her. To the casual observer, it would have appeared she was relaxed. I knew her better than that, of course, and saw that just beneath her serene expression lay a nameless turmoil. Studying her profile, it looked as though she had grown more than just a year older. I wondered what unspeakable horrors had made this once young and vibrant woman age far beyond her twenty years. I suppose more than anything, she looked tired. "What happened?" "Some things are best left buried." She said it as though it brimmed with irony. I took a breath to press but instead let it out in a bittersweet laugh. "You're never going to let me in, are you?" I dropped my gaze back to the water. "Every time I think I'm getting close, you put your armor back on." Celes shook her head. "You melted my armor, Ter. I don't have any left." I glanced at her thoughtfully. "Is that why you keep me at arm's length?" She turned to me in surprise. "What? Terra, I don't-" "It's like you're afraid I'm going to burn you." She looked away, no longer attempting denial. "I missed you, Ter." My smile returned at the admission. When I pulled her into a soft hug, I was happy to find that she returned it. I began to let go, but by some foreign and repressed reflex, I leaned closer, nearly pressing my lips to hers. Only when she withdrew slightly in surprise did I realize what I was doing. Letting my arms slip away from her neck, I cleared my throat and took a couple awkward steps back. I then gave a nervous chuckle, and when I mustered enough courage to look in her eyes again, the blue orbs glinted with amusement. Damn her. Leave it to Celes to find humor in my humiliation. I cleared my throat again, pretending I didn't notice how hot my face felt. "You're, um, welcome to stay for as long as you want." The corner of her mouth quirked up for a fraction of a second before a faint sadness took over again. "I can stay for a while." And again I could only watch as her 'melted' armor froze and snapped right back into place.
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