Light Never Dies (II)

Chapter 19 - Our Promise

Another day had passed of uneventful activity. Just more walking towards our objective. However, something had been bothering Lightning ever since we had woke up this morning. I didn't want to pester her otherwise she might just scold me and tell me coldly to mind my own business. But for some reason, her uneasiness was making me hurt inside.

The day only consisted of us walking in silence towards our goal. Not a word was spoken between the two of us. So I just listened to music the whole time we traveled. Every time I awoke without memory, there were two items that I always seemed to carry. It was my cell phone and wireless headphones. They weren't earbuds but rather they were the kind you wore over your head. They were also jet black. I synced them with my phone and listened to music throughout our day. I felt connected somewhere to the songs. I sometimes would get lost in them when I was thinking alone.

It was getting late and I told Lightning that we should probably set up camp for the night. She nodded towards me and we setup camp like we had the night before. We ate food, prepared our sleeping areas, and told each other good night. But when she said good night to me, I thought I had heard her voice crack. I laid down in front of the tent again while she slept inside. I hope the rest of our days wouldn't be like this. The silence was killing me for hours today. I just wish she'd say something instead of look at me like a filthy animal that no one loves.

I put my music in one ear and left the headphones off of the other so I could hear my surroundings. Soon I had drifted to sleep. But like the previous night, I had awoken again in the wee hours of the night. This time it wasn't just whimpers that I heard though. It was soft crying. Actual crying instead of just a single tear. It hurt me inside for some reason to hear this. So I opened the tent to see Lightning on her knees with her head in her hands. I don't know why she was like this but I'm guessing it had to do with her missing person problem. Whoever was missing must've been extremely important to her for her to cry like this. It kind of made me jealous and almost made me want to beat the crap out of them. I can't stand it when girls cry for some reason. It just hurts me too much inside. And it reminds me of all of my pain and sorrow of my past in Gamindustri.

I walked up to Lightning and took her hand softly off of her face. She hasn't realized that I had walked in and was surprised to see me in front of her. I thought that she'd jerk her hand away as soon as I touched it but she just sat there, almost as if she welcomed the touch. Her hand felt, strangely familiar somehow but I couldn't quite place it.

"Hey. It's ok Lightning. Please, tell me why you're crying?" I asked her with a soft voice.

She stopped sobbing for a minute and looked me in the eyes. Or rather my mask since it was still on. I had to admit though, her eyes still shone a little even when she was sad. She still looked stunningly beautiful too. I don't know how she does it. Then after a few seconds she spoke.

"I'm sorry. It's just... today. It was supposed to be my loves birthday. January 15th. He was turning 18 today. I wanted to be there for him but now I can't. I just, I just thought we'd be together for it. Now that he's not here with me, I worry about him every day. I worry that we won't ever find him. I think the only thing that keeps me going is the love I have for him and the love he left me. I promised myself that no matter what I'd find him but it's just so hard without him here..."

More tears came out of her face when she said this. So this was what she must've been experiencing last night. Memories of her love leaving her. But something just didn't add up.

"Hey it'll be ok. I promise you we will find him. He has to be here somewhere ok? I won't go anywhere until we find him." I told her.

She looked at me with sadness but also with a little bit of hope in her eyes. Then I told her to come closer.

"Here. I have the perfect remedy for you. Someone long ago taught me a song. I can't remember who but whenever I was feeling down or sad, she'd sing this to me to give me hope."

I hugged her and she hugged me back. Then I started singing softly to her.

"Make my wish come true.
Let darkness fade to light.
Show me there's still hope.
Show me it's not over.
Battles we can win.
Our struggle lies within.
Will we live to greet the dawn?"

Lightning looked at me in shock but she was still in my arms. I decided to finish the song though.

"Love will not leave you.
Hate will not heal you."

The next thing she did was totally unexpected. She sung the last line with me. With a voice as heavenly that I couldn't do it justice by describing it.

"Promise me one day that peace shall reign."

A single tear fell from her eye. Then she did something else I also didn't expect. She tore the mask I was wearing straight off my face. I guess my secret was out now. I was shocked and was unable to move.

"I only shared that song with one other person." She said.

And just like Lightning, she embraced me in a hug faster than I could act. I felt something in my heart start to spark. Then she spoke her next few words tenderly from the bottom of her heart.

"Happy Birthday Quinn. I love you."

For the one thing that I did not expect today, was Lightning to say "Happy Birthday" to me on my birthday.