To A Thief - Chapter 50: Goodbye, Stiff

And so, as this chronicle comes to a close, we bid a fond farewell to our most unlikely of heroes.

???

Stiff floated in a realm of hazy whiteness, unable to stop himself and unable to move. The only thing he could do, was see and listen. But he heard nothing, and he saw nothing. 

However, despite this being much like the time he was floating in darkness, he didn't feel alone anymore...

He felt extremely at peace, like he could just float here comfortably and sleep for eternity. The thought alone was actually very tempting.

His mind was absolutely clear of any negativity. That side of his memories was as blank as this realm. In here, life was a gentle stream that he could simply drift on. 

In fact, the moment he imagined that... he actually felt himself floating along a gentle stream. No, he didn't just feel it. Looking again, he saw that he truly was floating in a stream of crystal clear water.

However, though he could feel it and touch it, the water didn't stay on him. Even drifting along its surface, his appearance was preserved. He didn't even have to make an effort to stay afloat. As long as he thought about it, he was able to. 

"This is nice," he thought to himself, closing his eyes and smiling as he allowed this river of time to carry him. "I think I'll go to sleep now... yes... a long, peaceful sleep on my water bed," he chuckled to himself in delight, relishing that thought. "But before that, I'd like to go to sleep to the sound of birds and the sound of waves. And the smell of meat kabobs in the air..." 

Sure enough, he got what he wanted. The ocean waves crashed in the distance, creating that sort of hiss of the waves pulling back from the shore. He could hear the sounds of various birds chirping in the air, lulling him to sleep. Of course, normally you hear the gulls cawing at the beach, but this was his beach. And in his beach, those annoying peckers that stole your food weren't allowed. 

"Nmm," he mumbled in satisfaction as he held his hand out and picked a fresh, hot, meat kabob from thin air and took a whole section into his mouth, chewing with a smile. "That's damn good." 

Upon finishing his meal, he threw the empty kabob to one side and watched it vanish before it hit the surface of his river bed. Giving a loud yawn, he sprawled himself along the water's surface and closed his eyes. "I'm bushed... time to catch some Z's for a while." 

But before he could slumber, he heard that same voice from before calling out to him. Actually, for some reason... he couldn't remember where he heard the voice, even though he was sure he had just heard it. 

Hey.... hey! 

Wake up, kiddo.

"Who... who's there?"

What do you think of our lazy kid, mermaid?

Stiff opened his eyes and blinked, wondering what this guy was talking about. Our kid? Mermaid? 

But before he could ponder it any further, a young woman's voice began speaking as well. She was answering the previous question. 

Well, I'm happy that he eats right and gets enough sleep...

And he's very social too, and sweet. I don't think he's lazy.

I guess you got a point! He got all of your qualities, yeah?

(Giggle.) No... he got both of our qualities, silly.

"Mom...? Dad? Is that you?"

Not too shabby, kiddo! You could have guessed sooner, though...

Aiden...

Yes, it's us Stiff. Hello, son!

Hmm... I'm still upset that they decided to name you Stiff, of all names.

They couldn't really have thought that was what I was going to call you, did they?

Aw, come on mermaid... it's, uh, it's alright.

"Is... Is it really you? I can't believe I'm finally meeting you two!"

(Chuckle.) Yeah, I'm kinda at a loss for words myself, man. 

I mean, looking at you from here... you don't even look that much younger than me or your mother. You sure have grown.

I can't believe it either, Stiff. Because of you, the three of us have been reunited. It's like a dream come true.

"But... where are you guys? I can't see you. Wait... I'm not making this happen out of my head, am I? Like with the meat kabob..."

Well, about that...

You see, kiddo, I'm actually inside of you right now. Inside your heart. Nice place you got, too... nice and big.

"My heart...? But how?"

Stiff, when your father died... he didn't go where most souls go. Somehow, he was able to reside in your heart the moment that you were born.

That's right. I saw two lights that day. The one your mother had gone through, and another coming from you... 

You were most vulnerable at that moment, and the darkness began to overtake you... I had to go in there and fight it. I couldn't let it claim you entirely. It's been a hard struggle in there but here where we are now, I've gotten all the rest that I needed. 

I'm sorry for not coming with you, Serena. I couldn't let our boy fight alone.

Oh, Aiden... I would have done the same, you know that. Unfortunately, I left too soon... thank you so much for staying with him. 

I'm so sorry we couldn't be there for you in person, son. You had such a hard life... didn't you? 

"That's okay, mom... I think made a lot of good friends. They made it easy. So, is that why I was able to fight back the darkness? Because of dad? I... I think I've always felt you there within, I just never realized it was you, dad."

You got it, kiddo. It's fine. The fact that you sensed me or heard me at times alone is amazing. But there's only so much one Dragon Knight can do against the force of darkness. You've felt how agitated it's become in your body, haven't you? When it tries to take you over, it doesn't know where to go... so it becomes very sporadic.

Besides, I can't take all the credit. There's more to it than just me. You've got your mother's heart. No matter how dark times got when we were around, she always remained the light of my life.

(Giggle.) Well, you've also got your father's courage and will. No matter how scary or how little hope there was during the war, he never gave up. Not once. Even now, he continues to fight... inside of you.

"I understand now... no wonder I couldn't control myself. It's not because of the darkness taking over... it was because my body was stuck in limbo, between light and dark. I was like a whole other being."

...

"But wait. If we're here with mom... does that mean I'm...?"

Yes... you died trying to save your friend. Do you remember, Stiff? 

Because the darkness Ecco placed in you had no way to settle into your heart, it kept digging deeper into your body. It made you go out of control, and eventually your body did the only thing it could to force the darkness back out... it shut itself down.

Right. Stiff, I want you to know that nobody is forcing you to do anything. You decide for yourself what you want to do...

But the world needs you, son. Everyone else is doing whatever they can, but they need you just like you need them. In fact, they need all three of us.

Yes. If you wish to stay here and sleep, then do so. Sleep as long as you want. You've done beautifully, honey. Altana knows you've earned it. 

But if you wish to go back to everyone... you have to try and remember what happened. Only then will your heart and mind be ready to return.

"I... I don't really understand, though that's probably because I haven't remembered yet. I'll try... but even if I did, what could I do, mom and dad? I'm just one kid."

You won't be alone. Both of us will be with you this time, inside your heart like I was before. Darkness will have a hard time with our sexy trio.

Oh, Aiden... don't talk like that!

You'll have us and your friends, sweetie. 

Take as long as you need to remember, if you choose to return.

"But don't you guys want to spend more time together? If dad's been with me this whole time, that means you've been alone for so long, mom..."

(Laugh.) You're a good kid, Stiff. Even when you've got the decision of the world on your shoulders, you're worrying about your folks.

I assure you, we got all the time we needed together, right mermaid?

Yep! Time isn't perceived in this realm as it is in our world. 

Me and your father spent a lot of time together when you arrived.

Mhm. Think of it as time traveling, but without the worry of being lost in time or changing the course of history.

Even if you qualify to remember your past and return to Vana'diel, you could spend years here and then go back to the second after you died.

"That's... amazing! I never knew life after death worked that way. But aren't there more requirements than that? I mean, what if your body was blown to bits... would you come back as a talking head or something?" 

(Shudder.) Oh, gosh. Don't be silly, Stiff! Happy thoughts, happy thoughts! Don't want that image appearing before me in this realm! 

Yikes. Well, of course there's more to it than that, man! There are two ways to return to life from this realm. 

The most common way is reincarnation. That works just about exactly the way we think in the real world.

Then there's the ones who can return to the real world just moments after their death, as themselves. As you may think, this is a lot less common... but it happens.

"I see... then you have the ones that stay here, right? That makes sense, I guess. But... do you really think I can do it? That doesn't happen very often in the real world. What makes me any different...?"

It might even be easier for you to do than most, actually. Because your heart is so full of memories that you cherish, and people that you care deeply for.

Also, Lady Altana doesn't believe it was your time to die either. Though it is against her way of life, she would really like if you would go back for her and everybody else. But again, her or anybody else doesn't expect you to.

"Did she say that herself...? This might be out of line, but I have a hard time believing that when she's been ignoring us all this time. If she truly is the one who runs life around here, why can't she do anything to save it? I lost so many friends already... including two of my best friends to the darkness, yet she has nothing to show for it."

I... I know, Stiff. 

And yes, you are a little out of line, son. It's much more complicated than that, though you'll have to learn another time. Altana isn't the only force of life in Vana'diel. Believe us when we say that she's in a battle of her own that we can't even begin to comprehend. 

So she must rely on everybody in Vana'diel, even those who aren't her children, to preserve the way of life. 

Listen to your mother, kiddo. She's been here a lot longer than we have.

...

Hey, wait a minute...! You remembered that, Stiff? What you just said...

!

Ah! That's right! We missed it just now. Stiff, you mentioned your friends. Do you remember their names?

"I did? Um," (Thinking hard.) "Let's see... yeah... I think I remember my friends. I remember... yeah! Okina and the others."

"And my two best friends... who were they again?" (Grunts as he struggles to remember.)

...

"That's them! Draven and Moku...! Their image is hazy, but they're the ones that have been taken by darkness. Mom, dad, I have to go back to save them! I have to save my friends! And I promised Okina that I wouldn't ever leave her side like I did once before..."

Atta' boy, Stiff! You've remembered!

We knew you could do it, Stiff! Have you decided what you wanted to do?

Remember what we said, kiddo. Nobody's pushing.

(Laugh.) "You guys kidding me? I'm not staying in this joint! I have way too much to do in life while I'm still young! Besides like, you know, save the world and stuff."

As Stiff sat up and jumped out from the surface of his river bed, his shoulder was met with a firm hand. Turning to look, he saw the grinning face of his father- whom like Sekai said, looked a lot like himself. Aiden was of course, a lot taller and had more matured features as well as black spikier hair. "Good answer, kiddo."

His other shoulder was met by the gentle hand of his mother's, a young woman with a beautiful form and long silky brown hair, the same color as his own. "We believe in you, Stiff. And we'll be with you every step of the way this time!"

It was strange having parents that looked like they were barely old enough to be adults, but it made sense considering they left the world of Vana'diel at such a young age.

Stiff smiled warmly at both of them, nodding his head. "You two ready? Looks like we're going for the long haul!"

"Damn right, we are! You see that over there?" His father asked, pointing off the edge of this little strip of heaven Stiff had conjured up. Amid the hazy realm's whiteness that appeared to span for eternity, was a large crystal that rotated slowly and held the image of Vana'diel in its entirety along its walls. "You know what to do. Head for home!"

"This is it, Stiff," his mother smiled as her and his father became transparent, moments before walking into him and taking their place in his heart. 

Closing his eyes and taking in that wonderful feeling of love in his heart as he became one with his family, Stiff grinned and began a fast sprint towards the edge of this realm. He looked at the great crystal and didn't stop to look back, "Sorry to keep you guys waiting!" 

He stumbled on a rock he conjured up in front of him for whatever reason and flipped off the edge, flipping towards the crystal out of control before re-balancing himself in midair and gliding for his target. "Whoa! I mean, wooooo!" 

As he flew over to the crystal, he saw a glint coming from above and looked at it. It went straight for him and landed directly on him, causing nothing but the familiar sound of a droplet of water that echoed across the realm. His body had a slight hue of light coming out of it until it died out. 

"Eh?" He blinked.

"You don't have to cry anymore, Lady Altana," his mother said in a gentle tone. 

"Yeah, spare your tears m'lady! I feel like Stiff understands now," his father added.

Stiff smiled, reaching forward as he closed in on the crystal. "I forgive you, Altana... thanks for giving me another chance."

As he came into contact with the large spinning shard, the images of Vana'diel within began to expand over the realm. 

"Oh! Stiff," his mother began suddenly. "Wouldn't you like to know what your real name was going to be?"

Giving a smirk, Stiff answered without hesitation. "Maybe later, sure. But right now, I think I'll stick to my unique name. Thanks for asking, though!"

******

The Icarus Wing Mk. III

As if just waking up from a long dream, Stiff awoke to the sounds of Sekai's airship tearing through the wind and the swaying of its turns in the air. He was on board and lying on the bed in one of the guest cabins. 

Waiting a few seconds before catching his bearings, he finally brought himself to move his head and look around. He could feel something on his stomach. 

Looking down, he saw that it was Okina. She was laying her head face down on it and crying silently. 

It appeared everybody else was in the room as well, though they were oblivious to his waking up. The reason for that was because they all had their heads lowered or their eyes closed, perhaps mourning what they thought was his passing. 

Bear was at the end of the room trying to stop Vero from punching a hole through the airship's interior.

They all looked as though they had been in quite a fight while he had been dealing with Draven.

Reaching over, he patted Okina gently on the head. 

As she looked up slowly, her watery eyes that had left a moist tear-stained spot on his clothes went wide. She gave a loud gasp and froze, hardly able to move. "S.. St..." she stuttered. 

Stiff gave her a weak smile, the effects of the previous battle now sinking in. But he found them easy to ignore, even the stinging coming from his missing right eye. 

"Look, Okina..." Annie began, turning her head to look at her and thinking that the monkey girl was still crying. But when she actually saw why Okina had suddenly stuttered, she threw her head back and screamed, making everybody jump back in surprise. 

When they turned to look at Stiff, everybody else was just as shocked and dumbfounded. 

"Holy S**T!" Flint screamed, pulling out his gun and pointing it at him. "A fricken' zombie!?" 

"You dumb a*s!" Vero shoved Flint out of the way. "He's not a zombie, he's alive!" 

"Oof!" Flint grunted as he landed on the floor and quickly jumped back onto his feet with a nervous chuckle. "I knew that! I was just kidding! Stiff, my man!" 

Mel blinked, rubbing her eyes and leaning forward to get a closer look. "You're... not dead?" 

Claire looked at him and slumped her shoulders in relief. "I don't know how this could be, Stiff, but we're glad to have you back. We thought we'd lost you..."

"Care to tell us what heaven was like?" Nanaa peered over Mel's shoulder with a smile. 

"What makes you so sure he was in heaven?" Annie mumbled. "Stiff, you're a dick, you know that? Don't go dying on us all of a sudden, sheesh." 

Bear's wyvern flew over to the bed and lowered itself on top, resting its head against Stiff. "Heh, look at that," Bear grinned. "Even he missed you."

Stiff chuckled and sat up tiredly, looking at them all in acknowledgement before turning his gaze back towards Okina and giving her another smile, "I'm back..."

She seemed to be struggling between smiling and pouting, the tears continuing to stream down her cheeks. The next moment, she was throwing her hands around him and crying into his chest, hugging him a little bit too tight. Of course, she was crying from relief and happiness. 

Still, he endured her tight hug and rested his hands against her back, enjoying her warm embrace. 

******

Jeuno

The day after the next.

Stiff spent his time recuperating in the infirmary the next two days. He had quite a fair share of wounds, not to mention he seriously needed to get his eye patched up. 

Even so, he was restless and kept complaining that he wanted to spend time with the others. He was going to be leaving soon after all, to start his Dragonhood training. He didn't want to spend the little precious time he had left recovering!

But alas, even his friends forced him back to bed. At least they visited him throughout the day to wish him well. 

It seemed as though Sekai and Lion had met with everyone to explain Stiff's departure. And even though he had just come back from training in Norg, they appeared to be okay with it. 

After the last battle, it seems everyone was beginning to grasp the integrity of their resolve. 

******

Stiff was released from the infirmary later that day. It felt good to get some fresh air on a beautiful day like this. He hated being stuck indoors. However, he was met with something he certainly wasn't expecting after Okina walked him to the promenade in Lower Jeuno. 

Along the walkway, many people, including his friends had turned up to see him off. But what he figured was that much of the attention was due to the large wyrms that stood at the end of the walkway, awaiting the young Thief. They were to be his escort to the Sky World, after all. Ouryu was among the three wyrms.

"Okina... I really wish you could come with me," he mumbled, turning his attention to her for a moment. He kept wishing he could at least stay with her for one more day. 

"I know, Stiffy," she smiled helplessly. "I do too, too! I missed you so much when you went to Norg. It's going to be hard not being with you for two years..."

Taking her hands in his, Stiff returned her smile and then wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in for a long, sweet kiss. He didn't care if everybody could see. He wasn't going to be able to feel her lips for a long while, so he made the best of it. 

After that, he smiled and took hold of her hand. "Come on, I want you to meet my dragon friends before I go." 

"Okay!" Okina smiled, leaning against him as they walked. 

Walking down the promenade, Stiff felt even more and more inclined to stay as he saw the faces of those he cared about that had come to bid him farewell. 

"Hey man, I got this for you!" Flint smirked, handing Stiff a small box that contained a high-quality eye patch inside. "For when you take that bandage off your face, you know? There's nothing more a girl likes than a guy who can don an eye patch! At least, I think so..." 

Stiff blinked as he looked down at the patch, imagining himself in some cool pirate attire. He gave a big grin and stored it safely away. "Oh yeah! I never thought about that! I totally qualify to wear one, huh? Thanks a lot, Flint! I'll see you around. Try to find a nice girl while I'm gone, buddy!" he joked. 

"Heh, I doubt it!" Flint winked as Stiff proceeded to walk down the promenade with Okina. 

The next to push him to a halt was Vero, glaring at him. "Hey, punk. You're not going anywhere without these," he said, handing Stiff his daggers. "What kind of dip s**t forgets his weapons on a day like this?"

Stiff took his daggers and cleared his throat in embarrassment, sheathing them properly on his belt. "Shoot, I could of sworn I had them with me... thanks, Vero! I owe ya one." 

"Don't mention it. Ever. Now get going," Vero said, pushing him towards his destination. 

Stiff smirked and gave him a nod. "See ya around, Vero."

As he walked towards Nanaa, he barely had a chance to even say anything before she pulled him in hard and gave him a big smooch on the lips. 

"Mnngh!" Stiff muffled in surprise until she pulled away. "Nanaa, what the hell!?" 

"Sorry!" Nanaa giggled, giving a little wink. "But Okina said I could!" 

"You did!?" Stiff turned to Okina in shock. 

"Um, well," Okina poked her fingers together. "Nanaa told me before that she was never going to have another chance to kiss a Dragon Knight, so... I said just this once, this once..." 

"Okina!" Stiff exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "You can't just agree to something like that alone! Besides, I'm not even a Dragon Kni-- I mean, Dragon Thief yet!"

Nanaa giggled some more and ruffled his hair. "Get going, then." 

Sighing, Stiff pressed on and continued his goodbyes with the rest of the Brigadiers. 

"You better bring me something nice," Annie had told him. "I'll be waiting... and you also better be ready for two years worth of humiliation when you get back." 

"Make sure you eat right!" Mel said, having given him a fresh Meat Chiefkabob for the road. "Don't gobble it up too fast, okay? These are rare nowadays. Exclusive ingredients from Khazam. Oh, and it wouldn't hurt to bring me some Sky World ingredients, tee-hee. I wonder what kind of stuff they have there!" 

"Let me know what it's like up there when you come back," Bear requested, ever the explorer. He held up his arm where his baby wyvern was perched. "My boy here would love to hear about it."

"We'll take care of things on the home front," Claire smiled proudly at him. "Don't worry about us. And Stiff... you'll see them again, understand? They're not gone from this world just yet. Things will be as they once were. I swear it on my life." 

Even Hyde and Lidia were there to say goodbye. 

"Get big and strong so you can do some more work at the Carpenter's Guild, y'hear?" Hyde chuckled, patting him on the back. "We could still use a man like you in there." 

"And visit us more often when you do come back!" Lidia smiled. "We miss you." 

As he approached the end of the promenade, he could see Lion waiting for him as well. 

But before her, was Salnar, Jakky, and Horis. 

"Hey guys!" Stiff exclaimed, going over to greet them, speaking through the meatkabob in his teeth which he was already finishing despite Mel's advice to eat it slowly. It was just too damn good. "You're here too?" 

"Arr, Stiff, mate! We heard ye' was goin' off on some crazy trip and was ta' be gone a while!" Salnar smirked, jabbing him on the shoulder playfully. "Ya didn't think ye'd be leavin' without sayin' goodbye ta' yer ol' crew, aye?" 

Stiff chuckled. "Of course not. I'll be back before you know it. We'll hang out some more then!"

"P-Promise?" Jakky asked, peering over shyly. "Thank goodness... you haven't forgotten about us," she said, drooping her furry little ears in relief. 

"Come here, Jakky!" Stiff exclaimed, pulling her out from behind Horis and giving her a big twirl-hug. He couldn't help but abuse her shyness by making her blush even more, like the times she'd pass out. 

She squeaked and buried her flushed face into her hands as she was let back down. 

"You watch your back, stranger," Horis said. "I've never hung out with dragons before, but I'm sure they don't screw around. Stay in one piece." 

"Will do!" Stiff smiled. "Don't worry about me." 

"Ye take care of me baby step-sis, aye?" Salnar grinned, waving his hand at Lion. "Else me pap will come huntin' ye down." 

"Wait... Lion's coming with me?" Stiff blinked, looking over at Lion who was making her way over. 

"Who's that, Stiffy?" Okina blinked curiously. "Is she a friend of yours, of yours?" 

"Yeah, I trained with her while-" he began, but was met with Lion's hand to his mouth. 

"Shh!" she shushed, "That info's strictly confidential, kid!" 

"Again with the kid," Stiff grumbled. "Why are you allowed to come and not Okina? Huh?"

Lion giggled, shrugging her shoulders casually. "Me? You know me, I'm here for moral support! But don't worry, it ain't all about you, kid. I got a friend up there who I need to see. That, and Sekai needs me to kick your butt in gear when you're being a goof. He had an agreement with Bahamut. He wants to make sure you don't grow weak in spirit and decide to do something irrational," she explained.

"Greenhorns have a tendency to give up a lot... because they can't handle it. I heard some even used to commit suicide! So I think it's safe to say you'll need someone to provide emotional support that the wyrms otherwise can't." 

Stiff gulped, feeling anxious now after hearing all that. "I... I'll be okay, right?"

"Yes!" Okina assured him with a smile. "You will!" 

Lion smiled, patting Okina on the head. "Good girl! She has faith in her man. I like that." 

Okina smiled playfully and nodded. "Take care of Stiffy, okie?"

Lion put her hands to her own hips and nodded with a defiant smile. "You bet." 

She turned towards Ouryu and waved up at it. "You boys ready for lift off?" 

Ouryu leaned its face forward and got a good look at all of them, speaking out in its loud and deep tone. "We must leave at once! This land was not meant for the presence of Wyrms."

"Oh, right, I forgot about that," Stiff muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Vana'diel can't really support wyrm energy. I guess I'd better get going."

"Git' a move on," Salnar pushed him and grinned. "We've things ta' do, aye?" 

"Alright, alright," Stiff chuckled. "You all take care."

He gave Okina one last hug and a kiss and made his way towards Ouryu and the two other wyrms with Lion. "Okay, how do we do this?" 

Ouryu turned its head towards one of the smaller wyrms, who was actually more like a drake than anything else. It was maybe only twice the size of full-grown chocobo. 

"You will take flight on Raido, for he is one among few of drakes that allows the transport of Dragon Knights on his back," Ouryu explained, spewing out smoke from its nostrils as it snorted. "Not even your father could tame him."

"O-Oh... okay, well... I'll just," Stiff said, going over to the wyvern known as Raido and wondering how or where to mount it. "Maybe if I..." 

Raido suddenly let out a gnarl and bit down on the white cape that Sekai had given him, using it to swing the Hume up on its back. 

"Whoa! Okay, that works," Stiff chuckled nervously. 

"Alley-oop!" Lion exclaimed as she somersaulted with ease onto its back, grabbing onto Stiff's waist. 

Everyone cleared out of the area as Ouryu snapped its head up into the air and roared, "We fly!" 

Before he knew it, Stiff and Lion were off the ground and flying fast towards the sky. 

He looked down one last time and waved at everyone as they quickly became little specks on the land. Within a minute, they flew above the clouds, off to the Sky World. Off to meet destiny. 

Draven... 

Moku...

I'll bring you guys back, no matter what!

That's a promise.

See you in two years.

End

To be continued in Book II:

To A Dragon Thief

Tides of Twilight

Author's Note

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this Book!

Stay tuned for info on the second!

Reviews

[okina]

What a wonderful ending to such a great book! This chapter really touched me. I actually got choked up while reading it too. I loved the interpretation of the afterlife in the beginning. It was comforting knowing that Stiffs parents had and will always be inside his heart. The reunion with everyone Stiff had his adventures with was so nice ^-^ The memories of past chapters just flooded me.
I cant wait for Book II! I'm sure that one will be just as amazing as this one has been