The Way It's Meant to Be
She stared out at the cold ocean waves. The salty sea washed up
against her bare feet and slid away, leaving only foamy remains
clinging to her pale skin. She wrapped her arms tighter around her
knees and continued to stare out at the sea as the sun bathed
everything in gold and red. It was setting, as it had set so many
times before, as it would continue to from now on. Nothing would
change that. They'd made sure there would be people to continue to
watch the sun set. It was the way things were meant to be. She
felt something empty inside her. Something that was missing.
Meant to be... she snorted to herself disdainfully, flicking gold
locks out of her face. Some things aren't the way they were meant
to be.
A white bird alighted next to her hip. It cocked its head at her
and ruffled its feathers. A tattered blue bandanna was wrapped
around its foot. Celes sighed. The bird flew away. Celes was again
alone on the sandy shore. She glanced over at the small tombstone
encrusted with shells and sea weed. She could make out just the
three letters that adorned the face of it: 'C I D'. A yellow,
rubber raincoat gently billowed in the breeze, attached to the
tombstone.
"Grandpa..." she whispered. She sighed and stared out at the dying
sun, not really seeing it. "I'm supposed to go back now, aren't I?
I'm supposed to go and be 'Mrs. Locke Cole'... that's the way the
story's supposed to end, right?"
The wind shifted gold bangs into her face again. She shook them
out of her azure eyes a little too forcefully.
"What if I don't want that? What if I don't want to be what's
expected of me? What if I don't want to be the damsel in distress
all the time?"
The waves lapped at her feet and she lashed out, angrily splashing
the waves as they receded from her legs. Her trembling fist
dripped with salt water. Her yellow leggings were spattered with
wetness. She heaved a deep breath, letting her fist drop to the
wet sand.
"Of course I thought I loved him. He rescued me, after all. Of
course I wanted the chance to be the damsel in distress for once.
Of course I wanted someone else to be the strong one. Of course he
was there..." she whispered to herself, shaking her head back and
forth. Celes collapsed onto her back and stared up at the cotton
candy clouds as waves sloughed around her waist and drifted away.
"Grandpa, I don't... I don't love him. Everyone expects me to,
everyone wants me to, but I don't love him. Sometimes I want
someone else to be my hero, but I can be the hero, too. I don't
need someone else to make me feel needed. Is that what you were
trying to tell me, Grandpa?" Celes stared into the sky, not really
expecting an answer. The clouds drifted overhead, distant and
aloof.
"He doubted me that time in the factory. A few words from Kefka
and everything we'd suddenly been through together meant nothing.
And the time on the boat, with Leo... I was so stupid, thinking I
needed him to make me feel welcome..." Celes shook her head. She
glanced at the tombstone again. Sea weed rustled in the gentle
breeze.
"He made the same promise to Rachel as he made to Terra as he made
to me," she muttered cynically. "But of course, I was taken by it.
What happened when the world was ruined? He went running right
back to Rachel. Continued on his quest to try and bring her back.
That's not love. He didn't love me. Everyone still thinks so,
though." She sighed.
"They don't notice the small things..." Celes whispered wistfully.
"No one ever notices the small things..."
She sat up, rubbing her eyes. Everything was suddenly too vivid;
it made her eyes water.
"She always was weird," Celes murmured, leaning on her thigh and
gazing out at the sea. "I wonder how she's doing? Probably married
to Edgar or someone by now, at least. The way it was meant to be."
A thought struck her and she pulled out her treasure: a small,
green, cloth rosebud. She twirled it, smiling slightly at the
memory. The same soft green as a certain woman's wavy hair...
Another thought struck her and Celes frowned.
"He didn't even understand when I almost lost this... I'm supposed
to marry a man like that? Someone I'm just supposed to hang onto
and allow to do everything for me, like some little child? I'd end
up killing him, or myself..." Celes grumbled. She stared at the
cloth rose, gently shaking her head.
"Everyone has their own ideas but I...I don't... want the story to
end that way. Not the way everyone wants. Not the way it's meant
to be..." She reached over and picked up the long, curved scimitar
that lay in the sand near her. She stared at the silver hilt as it
reflected the sun's fading ruby light. She could see her
reflection in the blade. Her green headband stood out under the
shock of blond hair. She felt her white cloak shift about her
shoulders. She gazed at her image for a long time.
' "Have you...loved anyone?" ' the soft question whispered against
the back of Celes's mind. She hadn't understood the question at
the time and maybe she still didn't. She knew one way to find out.
She reached into her pack as she gathered her thigh-high boots
from their dry perch farther up on the shore. She slid them on as
she fastened the scimitar at her back. Her hands dug around in her
supplies until they came across the small round stone. She pulled
it out, gazing at it. It twinkled dimly in the fading light.
"Magic is dying, but it's not dead yet. I wonder if this still
works. Only one way to find out," she murmured. Picturing the
place in her head, Celes raised the small blue stone in the air.
"Warp!"
* * * *
Terra laughed as the children tore around the side of the house,
screaming and laughing. She stooped to collect the wash from the
section of brook that Duane had diverted for everyone. The town
was beginning to come together quite nicely and people were
finally beginning to come back. So far, it was only traveling
merchants, but soon enough people would be showing up to live in
Mobliz again. She sighed, feeling something empty within her.
Light green brows knit together in confusion.
"I should be happy..." she whispered as she turned to hang the
sheet on the line. Suddenly, something wrenched inside her, making
her gasp. There was shriek and a form solidified a foot above
her, crashing down on her. The two went sprawling into the brook.
Terra reeled from the surprise attack and grabbed a stone as she
sputtered to get her bearings when she recognized the soaked blond
hair and the white cloak. A voice choked out ruefully, "There's
something not to try again..."
Terra dropped the stone. "You... It's you!"
Celes managed to claw blond strands out of her face and familiar
azure eyes gazed into Terra's soft emerald ones with an
embarrassed grin. A flush painted the pale cheeks.
"Uh... Don't tell anyone about the landing, okay?" Celes murmured.
Terra only uttered a joyous yelp as she threw herself forward, her
arms already around Celes's neck. Terra's momentum threw them both
into the brook more, drenching them yet again. Celes laughed, high
and lilting, her arms finding Terra's waist as she wrestled the
other woman for air.
"Nice to see you too, Terra!" Celes laughed. "I'm going to drown!"
Terra tore herself from Celes's neck to lean back and take her all
in. She noted the endearing way water dripped off the tips of her
bangs, making her hair cling in a wet, rakish look. Something
fluttered in her heart and the emptiness was quelled.
"Celes, what did you do? Magic shouldn't be able to work..." Terra
began to scold. Celes waved at her as she checked to make sure
everything was in place.
"Yes, well...You know me. Ever self-destructive..." Celes winked.
"I tried a warp stone."
"A warp stone? You're lucky you didn't warp yourself out of
existence!" Terra growled, splashing for emphasis. "Are you
crazy?"
Celes shrugged. "Possibly. I've been told as such." She grinned
innocently. "Wouldn't you have held me in your heart, Terra?"
Terra blushed and stuttered before splashing Celes again.
"That's not funny!"
Celes only grinned and got to her feet, staggering a bit. She
groaned and shook her head.
"Don't do warp stones. Warp stones are bad..." she mumbled. Terra
was up and at her side in a flash.
"Are you all right?" Terra gripped her friend's side gently.
Celes's arm came around her shoulders as she clutched at her head
dizzily.
"Took a lot more out of me than I thought..." Celes replied. She
allowed Terra to lead her out of the brook as she clutched Terra's
red clad shoulders. Resting on the shore, Terra shook her head as
she rested Celes's head in her lap.
"You're so foolish..." Terra whispered. Celes gave a weak shrug.
"Everyone's been looking for you. Locke really wants to see you."
Celes wrinkled her nose, making Terra chuckle slightly. Terra
began to comb her fingers through Celes's damp locks.
"Sabin tells me that Locke is going to propose to you," Terra
murmured. Celes closed her eyes, sighing.
"Ah," she mumbled. Terra waited for more, but when it was apparent
that Celes had nothing more to say, she cleared her throat to
continue.
"So, are you going to accept?" she asked hesitantly. Celes opened
her eyes and gazed at Terra sideways.
"Have you married anyone?" Celes asked instead. Terra's hand
faltered in Celes's hair before she blushed and coughed.
Stuttering, she shook her head.
"Um...no, not really. Edgar wants me to come live in Figaro with
him, but I'm not really comfortable around all that technology..."
Terra uttered, averting her gaze from Celes. Celes reached up and
caught Terra's hand, making her look down at her again.
"Do you love someone?" Celes asked. Terra flushed brighter red and
pulled her hand away, scratching her head.
"I don't understand what you're asking me..."
"I didn't either, the first time you asked me," Celes settled her
head better onto Terra's lap and stared up at the stars as they
alighted the dark night sky, one by one. "I don't think I
understand it still. Enlighten me, Terra?"
Terra blinked, watching Celes's pleasant blue gaze.
"Enlighten you with what?" she asked breathlessly. The blue gaze
flicked back to study her face.
"Why did you ask me if I loved anyone, that day?" Celes asked.
"The first time we met. When..."
"I remember," Terra offered. "I wondered if we were really the
same. If magic was all we had in common."
"We were also soldiers of the Empire."
"I was made to by force. I didn't have a choice," Terra murmured,
hurt. She felt Celes's hand on hers again, warm and comforting.
Celes was always warm and comforting, even when she seemed cold.
"So you asked if I loved someone?" Celes's voice insisted. Terra
shook her head.
"I...I don't remember why I asked you," she responded. "Why do you
want to know?"
Celes shrugged. "Just curious, I guess."
"Oh." Terra stared at the hand covering her own. Celes heaved a
breath and sat up. Terra's hands found her shoulders.
"Are you sure you ought to be up?" she asked. Celes nodded,
wincing slightly.
"I'm fine. Don't worry about me," Celes responded. Terra chuckled
slightly, leaning back on her heels.
"You know, if Locke were here, he'd make such a fuss over you.
He'd lecture you and everything about magic being gone and..."
Terra stopped. "Did I say something wrong?"
Celes had a distant look of sorrow on her face as she sat parallel
to Terra. She suddenly snapped back to reality, shaking her head.
"You didn't say anything wrong," she murmured. "You said exactly
what you were supposed to."
"Supposed to?" Terra asked. Celes nodded.
"Do you expect me to marry him, Terra? Just like everyone else? Am
I just a story book girl that's supposed to marry the hero and
live happily ever after, just like we're supposed to? Is that all
I am?" Celes asked. She wasn't even listening to herself. Terra
studied her for a moment, then shook her head.
"It's not all you are. You're kind and strong, you can take care
of yourself, though you don't usually when he's around..." Terra
muttered. "You always seemed kind of ditzy to me when he was
around, honestly."
Celes chuckled. "I see."
"Yes, well. If you ask me, he's not really right for you. Oh,
you'd be a cute couple for sure, and I know you two had a small
attraction to each other at least, but I don't think you'd really
be a good a match...You notice little things that other people
don't, and you act on instinct to help people...and he..."
"He has to be needed. He has to be the hero of the story, right?
Never mind that he doesn't understand details..." Celes muttered.
Terra nodded. She suddenly flushed and dropped her gaze.
"But, he's not bad, or anything..." she added lamely. "I just
think there are other people better suited for you..."
"You know, he's not really the hero of the story," Celes murmured
thoughtfully. Terra glanced up at her. Celes was smiling gently.
"You are."
"Me?"
Celes nodded. "Without you, the world would've ended a long time
ago. Or else, be enslaved under Gestahl or Kefka. The Espers
wouldn't have listened to us and would've gone on a rampage and
destroyed the world." Celes shrugged. "You're the hero, Terra. It
was your story."
"But I didn't even want to be a Returner..." Terra argued. "I was
scared out of mind most of the time."
Celes shrugged. "We all were at one point or another, you know.
But you kept going. That's what counted. You made your decision.
Without anyone else. We just followed your lead. You could've left
at any time, but you stayed and righted what Kefka wronged. We
just helped."
Terra shrugged, then scratched her head.
"Why did you come here, tonight, Celes?" Terra asked. Celes
shrugged, gazing up at the stars.
"There are things that are meant to be in a story and things that
aren't. Saving the world was meant to be. We were supposed to do
that. Helping to rebuild civilization, that's meant to be, we're
supposed to do that..." Celes ticked off on her fingers.
"Getting married to the people that we fought with? We're supposed
to do that," Terra added, studying Celes's reaction. Celes glanced
at her and nodded, not adding it to her list.
"Right. We're supposed to do that."
"But what about the things that don't end up the way they're meant
to?" Terra pressured, beginning to understand. Her heart
fluttered. "What about the things that people don't foresee?"
"What about them?"
"You brought them up," Terra muttered. Celes shrugged, leaning on
her back in the grass. Terra's fingers caught a gold strand of
hair and played with it between her thumb and forefinger.
"We're supposed to marry the person that we spend the most time
with and talk to the most right? The one everyone can plainly see
there's a slight attraction to, right?" Celes asked, gazing up at
the sky. Terra nodded. Her gaze met Celes's.
"What if we don't want to marry that person?"
Terra couldn't speak around the lump of emotion in her throat. She
could only smile and shrug as she blushed. Celes smiled at her,
making her heart skip a beat.
"Don't marry him, then," Terra finally managed to choke out. Celes
raised a finger in admonition.
"Ah, but that's not the way things are meant to be," she
responded. She shook her head like a scolding teacher. "Not at
all, not at all."
Terra leaned forward, pressing her hands to Celes's shoulders. The
something that had been empty inside of her fluttered with life
and threatened to overtake her.
"Make up your own story," Terra whispered. "If it's not what you
want, make up your own story and end it the way you want it to
end. Never mind about everyone else."
Celes gazed up into Terra's eyes. Something reflected in Terra's
eyes that Celes felt was amazingly familiar. She had thought it
was magic that had bound them at first. She wondered if it wasn't
something entirely different.
"Have you loved anyone?" Celes asked again, gazing into those
emerald eyes. Terra blushed but her eyes didn't turn away this
time.
"I love you."
Then suddenly Terra's arms were around Celes's neck and her lips
were pressed firmly against the other woman's. Celes wrapped her
arms around Terra's waist and held her, her hands making odd
swirling patterns on her back before they slid up and tangled in
Terra's wavy green locks, pulling her hair free of the ponytail
she constantly had it up in. Terra giggled and broke their kiss.
"Does it matter that this isn't the way everyone wants the story
to end?" Terra asked. Celes arched her brows and smiled at her.
Her azure eyes sparkled happily. She made a show of pretending to
think about it, then shook her head.
"Nope. Really doesn't matter at all. It's the way we want it to
end, right?" Celes asked. Terra grinned and nodded, leaning
forward to kiss Celes again.
"It's exactly the way it's meant to be," she whispered against
Celes's lips. They smiled to each other and continued to kiss.
------------------------------------------------------------
Author's note: C&C on the story, leave a message at the forum
requesting my email if you need me. Talk to you later!
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