Opening Up
Shortly after Aisha and Amy flew off to have a nice lunch date, Arthur took to the Vortex Gate with a hunger for power in his eyes. He entered the halls of the Mecha Gods, and accepted the challenge of the Thunder God. It was a long battle, and arduous, but every time the god knocked all his units down, he brought them back to keep fighting. Finally, the party of Quaid, Ophelia, Rosetta, Lidith, and Elmedia (brought by an allied summoner) felled the Thunder Mecha God and it submitted to Arthur and his stubbornness. With this final piece in place, Arthur had all he needed to bring Eze to his full potential. A Seven-Star evolution, as logged in his S.C.D. Arthur continued to do missions as normal, and he went on several summoning binges in between.
One day, after a long day of missions, Aisha came to Arthur’s room, armor dematerialized. The summoner often went right to bed after several assignments in a row, and this day was no different. The girl knocked on Arthur’s door, and received a groan in response. Since he was still awake, she took it as a sign to come in, and opened the door. He was lying on his back, still in his day clothes. “Arthur? Do you mind talking for a while?” Aisha’s tone was steady, almost apprehensive. Arthur looked up as best he could, then sat up slowly, moving back some to give Aisha room to sit. “Something up, Aisha?” She came over and sat beside him on the bed, though she didn’t look at him. The girl was quiet for a moment, then nodded. “Yes… I’ve noticed that you’ve been summoning units a lot lately… Sometimes even fusing old allies into new ones if they’re an evolved form… You already have Eze’s final form, what more do you want? Are your friends not strong enough to deal with that shield-toting harlot who harasses you? Am I not strong enough?” “… Aisha, my summoning frequency has nothing to do with Kaitlyn. We’re getting closer to completing our assignment, so…” “So what? You’re trying to get more powerful spirits to finish with a bang? Instead of doing what you’ve been doing these past few months and relying on the ones that have gotten you this far?” The dragoon was glaring at her summoner now, frustration clear in her eyes. “We’re coming across tougher opponents as we reach the end, so I need units with more power to help you and the others… I’m not trying to replace you. I wouldn’t do that.”
“Arthur, what’s going to happen when we do complete our mission? Will you even need us anymore…?” “I don’t know what happens after, Aisha. There’s still plenty of demons left wandering the world in addition to the Four Fallen Gods… The Demon Slayers haven’t found all of them. As long as they’re still around… And if I can get in… We’ll still be together for a long while.” “And what if you don’t get in? What then? Will you have to retire? Will you not be allowed to use us anymore?” Aisha’s voice cracked a bit, but she cleared her throat to try and play it off as a dry throat or something. “If I can’t get in with the Demon Slayers… I’ll see if I can get a position working with Lin or Noel. I won’t let the hall make me retire.” The young man put a hand on his unit’s shoulder, giving her a reassuring smile. “I feel like you’re just trying to pacify me now…” “What’s exactly gotten into you lately? You’ve been real distant and just generally weird…”
“I already lost one family to a war with the gods, Arthur!” She finally snapped, unable to contain her feelings any longer. “Do you remember Julep Village, in Amdahl? That was my home… And I was too late to protect it from the initial onslaught… Ever since you summoned me, I’ve strived to use my powers to protect you… This little village you call home became my home, too. I don’t want to see it fall to ruin… But every time you go on one of those Gate binges… I feel like you’re trying to replace me… Like I’m not useful to you anymore. I feel like all you care about is the power a spirit holds, or that this is some sort of collection hobby, or, gods forbid, you just like to ogle the ‘flavor of the month’ from those unofficial reports on new spirits…” As the girl spoke, a small tremor ran through her, and she wrapped her arms around herself to try and keep from flat out breaking down and crying right there. “I know there are others who’ve called my spirit from the gates… And despite the gravity of our situation, these few months with you have been, dare I say, the most fun I think I’ve ever had… The memories are cloudy sometimes, but I don’t remember enjoying myself in life as much as I have been here with you and the other spirits you’ve summoned… Not to mention Amy…
You’ve become like a little brother to me, Arthur… I don’t know what you think of me, but I only hope that I can keep doing what I’ve been doing right up to the end: keeping you safe,” Her voice cracked again, but all she could do now was choke back a sob. The girl screwed her eyes shut and inclined her head. “Please don’t replace me… I don’t want to be too late to protect my family again…”
Arthur just looked at his unit silently, amazed that she had bottled this up for so long. He sighed quietly, and pulled Aisha close to him, embracing her like a parent would a child. “Why didn’t you say something before…? If I’d known it bothered you this much, I would have cut back or stopped altogether. I didn’t mean to seem like I was trying to replace you, Aisha… You were the first Summon that I made on my own. All that I’ve done to make you who you are now… All that we’ve been through together…” The boy loosened his hold a bit as he felt Aisha’s arms press against his chest, giving her space to move them. The dragoon simply put her arms around her Summoner, and a small smile came to his face. “I would never dream of replacing you, sis…”
She couldn’t hold it in anymore. Aisha tensed up slightly at hearing Arthur’s words, and she buried her face in his shoulder, using his robe to muffle her break down of tears and wails. The cloth sizzled slightly as her tears came into contact with it, but was unlikely to burst into flames, or even bear scorch marks. Arthur let her get it all out, though, gently stroking her hair to gradually coax her into calming down. The two sat there on his bed for some time, working through her episode without speaking. Once her bawling had been reduced to sniffles and the occasional hiccup, Arthur finally spoke. “Better…?” Aisha lifted her head from his shoulder, streaks of pink cutting down her flushed face from her eyes. “Yes… I… I think so…” She let go of Arthur and began to wipe away her tears. “Alright. Go and get some rest now, okay? We’ll go into the capital tomorrow and visit Ralis and Amy.” The girl nodded, getting up from Arthur’s bed. “Okay… Good night, Arthur,” She exited his room, and looked back as she stood in the doorway. “And… Thank you for listening…” She gave him a small smile before stepping out into the hall and closing his door behind her.
Once Aisha had left, Arthur settled back down onto his back, looking up at the ceiling. “Hope mom and dad saw that from wherever they are… Maybe they won’t have to worry about me so much now…” he muttered, closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.
END