My Prayers... Will They Reach You?

[Eyuki]

Eyuki loved any place cold and covered in ice. So, although she lived in Sougen for her job as a singer at the Sweetwater Saloon, she enjoyed making somewhat frequent trips out to Tenka where she felt more comfortable.

Eyuki entered the ice city, Quazmrl, with an astounded smile on her face. This was her first time entering this city as she did not previously know it existed in this country. The ice architecture made her feel right at home and she happily strolled through it.

On her way through, Eyuki noticed a rather large temple fashioned out of the ice. She felt a lump in the back of her throat build as her smile fell. She had been searching for Kaoru since she left DD at the end of the school year but still had not found him. She wondered if prayers were even worth it, if they would even help her to find him.

After a pause and a deep breath, Eyuki made her way inside the temple. She gaped at the beauty of the temple as she headed to the main altar and stopped in front of it. She felt that lump in her throat again as she thought of him and knelt down.

Eyuki's eyes looked towards the floor as she held a solemn expression on her face. Slowly, she clasped her hands together and lifted them underneath her chin while she prayed. If there is anyone there who can hear me and help me... Please let me find him... Please help me find Kaoru.

When she finished, Eyuki opened her eyes. She let out a sigh as she lowered her hands and sat more relaxed, pulling her feet out from under her and hugging her knees in front of her now, staring at the altar.

I don't believe that he left only because of his brother.... She thought as her eyes began to grow a bit moist. He always only spoke of how much he loved me and would always be with me... She lowered her eyes and hugged her knees closer to herself.

Why did you leave me, Kaoru? She thought as a couple tears began to trickle down her cheeks. What was the real reason that you left?"

[Jared]

Gods.

One of the most fascinating things in the world. A lot of people lay their fate into their hands. Yet, they never know if these mystical creature are actually aiding them. Jared himself hasn't had the opportunity to meet one face to face. And if the sayings about the afterlife are correct, he also never will.

Jared, who was leaning at a wall stepped out of the shadow from one of the huge iced pillars to lay his eyes on the girl, who has entered these halls recently. What may be her reasons for coming here and say her prayers. Or more specific, what is she praying for?

She appeared to be quite moved.

After standing there for a while without taking his eyes off her, Jared decided that it was time to make a move. Somebody has to answer to her prayers after all.

He took a step forward, the sound of his heavy boots echoing through the vaults of the temple. "What are you praying for, kind one?"

[Eyuki]

Eyuki sat there, hugging her knees to herself as more tears slowly rolled down her cheeks. She recalled thoughts of a somewhat socially awkward Kaoru who seemed to light up whenever she looked at him. The way he treated her was unlike how he treated others and she was moved simply by how much she could touch him in that way. He had been the focus behind a number of songs she began to write, especially after he left. Eyuki had never gotten over him. She needed to find him, and she hoped that he wanted her to find him too.

At the sudden sound of a heavy footstep, Eyuki's eyes widened and she quickly brushed her tears off of her face as she looked in the direction of the noise. As soon as her eyes fell on a tall man with long, dark hair, she heard him speak. He was asking her what she was praying for.

Eyuki stared at him a moment longer in silence as she considered telling him of her prayers. He certainly didn't look like a priest, but he also didn't look much like a bad person - though she was not always a good judge of character. Eyuki forced a small smile on her face, though her eyes held a sad expression. She let out a small sigh as she looked down again a moment before standing up.

As she turned to face the man again, she managed to brighten her smile just a little bit more. "I was praying that I might find the person I am looking for." She said finally, trying to keep her sad thoughts at bay for now. "Hello. My name is Eyuki." She introduced herself then, slowly appearing more relaxed as her smile widened a bit more again. "What's your name?"

[Jared]

Jared nodded in response, before he started to walk over to her with slow steps. His eyes wandered over the well decorated altar, the pillars around it and the handcrafted ornaments on the wall behind it. This was his way of trying to get the right impression on how Eyuki felt when walking down that path.

When his steps came to a stop, when he stood next to Eyuki, Jared turned to her with a neutral smile. "Jared." The fact that she seemed to enjoy this meeting, even though he boldly interrupted her was interesting. Maybe he just found another open-minded person.

"So tell me Eyuki, how do you think that this visit will benefit your search in any way?" he asked her with a calm voice and added "Or was it me that you were looking for?". It was a joke indeed, but Jared didn't show any sign of amusement.

[Eyuki]

Eyuki had managed to pull a relaxed and somewhat cheerful smile to her face by the time he had gotten closer and stopped beside her. "It's nice to meet you, Jared." She said happily, always trying to at least seem pleasant and friendly around others. She hadn't spent years trying to overcome her cold element to not show smiles to those she meets.

"Hm?" She questioned curiously as he asked her how she thinks this visit will help her. Just as her smile was starting to break apart as she thought that this visit really would be hopeless anyway, his next question caused her face to flush a bit. "E-eh? What?" She asked, smiling again and chuckling somewhat.

"Thank you." She said in reference to keeping her smile up. As she thought to answer his first question at least, Eyuki turned her attention back to the alter with a sort of melancholy look in her eyes as she forced her tightened smile to stay on her face. "I suppose I don't really know if this will help... but..." She looked down a bit and lightly clenched her fists then released them as she smiled back over at him again. "I have to try everything I can, right? Even if it might seem futile." She said, trying to keep herself together but unable to stop a few tears from starting to trickle down her face.

Her smile dropped and her expression turned to that of surprise as she felt the tears on her cheeks. "Eh?" She questioned as she faced a bit away again and lifted her hands to brush the tears away. She began to chuckle a bit nervously, trying hard to fight the tears and wipe them away. She eventually closed her eyes tight and held her breath for a moment with her hands covering just over her eyes.

When she felt that her tears had stopped enough, she released her breath and took in a few deep breaths again. She began to chuckle nervously again as she finished wiping the tears off her face then smiled over at Jared again. "It's okay. I'm okay." She said with a smile, trying to reassure both him and herself that her sudden crying just then was nothing to worry about or nonexistent.

[Jared]

Jared raised an eyebrow and finally showed at least some kind of expression on his face. He was surprised by how fragile Eyuki seemed to him. Did his one question already threw her off? It looked like she needed some time to arrage the words in her head and Jared was willing to give it to her.

While she took her time, Jared eyed the mature women. It was more an analytical look, instead of anything scary that might intimidate her. Jared turned his head as if he had to confirm that there really were tears welling up in her eyes. That was when she tried to not start crying out loud. She was really trying hard, that he could tell.

Eyuki obviously wasn't okay, even if she said so. But he decided to not tell her that. "This person you are looking for, must be very dear to you." Jared said while reaching out for her shoulder. He rested his hand on it, because he figured that she needed some kind of comfort.

Still, he couldn't stop himself from asking some more questions. "Do you mind if I ask you something more? I only wonder what may be the reason for his disappearance. Did something happen to him? After all, you don't know where to look for him."

[Eyuki]

Her smile faltered slightly again at Jared's next comment. Her eyes held a melancholic look and she lowered her head a bit with a sort of a sad smile. "Well, I love him..." She replied, then lifted her head again with a slight surprised look as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She smiled then as she considered it to be more of a kind gesture than something bad.

She smiled still as he asked her if he could ask something more. "Go ahead." She responded, not seeming phased at the idea, at least, of being asked questions. When he then voiced his thoughts, Eyuki's smile slowly faltered again and her gaze fell off to the side.

"He... said that... he wanted to break away from his brother..." Eyuki said a bit slowly and quietly, obviously not agreeing herself that that was the only reason. Her smile fell fully then as her head lowered again with an almost worried expression. "I don't believe... that that's the whole story..." She added a bit slower and more quiet.

Eyuki then lifted her head again and looked off to the side still with that sort of concerned look. "I'm sure there was more to it... that he didn't want to tell me..." After hesitating for a moment, Eyuki then looked back at Jared again with a sense of determination in her eyes. "I want to find out what that reason is."

She looked down again a moment later with a sort of sad smile once more. "If he really just doesn't want to be with me, then I'll let him go..." She said, rather sad at the thought but knowing that she's capable of doing so due to her element. "But... At least then I'll know for sure..."

After that, she managed to pull a bit of a bright smile back on her face as she looked at Jared again. "Those thoughts could just be unnecessary worries anyway. I know he loved me... So maybe he still does." She said, finding her happy thoughts once more. "And if he still does, then perhaps we can fix what caused him to leave."

She looked back over at the alter then, her body turning with her. A sort of confident smile was pressed on her face as she tried to keep her spirits up. "I don't know where he is right now... but... I'll know everything, then... When I find him..."

[Jared]

Jared listened quietly and attentively. His face wasn't showing any sign of movement and he kept staring into Eyukis direction. There wasn't any reason for him to react. After all she wasn't eying him at all. The poor girl shared her story of loss and Jared assumed that she was about to shed a tear again, when she lowered her head. To his surprise she faced him instead with a determined expression.

While she did her determination justice by words, Jared removed his hand from her shoulder, as if to make room for her rising spirit. Yet, after Eyuki finished, Jared wasn't satisfied with it.

"So you keep on wasting your time?" he replied in his usual calm manner. Slowly he looked up as if talking to the ceiling with his face more visible now without his hair in the way. "If he really loves you as much as you believe, don't you think he would come to look for you instead?"

Shaking his head in disbelief Jared proceeded with his probably unwanted lecture. "He had his time to make a decision, and he chose to leave. Isn't that all the answer that you need? I don't understand how you can stop living your own life, because your thoughts are still tied to that one person that most likely only exists in your head, the way you wished he would be."

Jared turned his head in Eyukis direction again. "It must hurt, doesn't it?" His voice barely showed any sympathy. "Tell me my dear, why are you doing this to yourself?"

[Eyuki]

Eyuki managed to feel herself gaining confidence from her words and thoughtful sense of determination. What Jared finally asked caused her expression to fall and shoulders to slump down a bit as she lowered her gaze slightly to the floor. As Jared continued speaking, Eyuki began to clench her fists down beside her, and her eyebrows scrunched together.

Eyuki wanted to speak, but Jared beat her to it as he continued. She felt downheartened and almost beaten at these thoughts, yet she also felt a strange sort of anger rising. Eyuki clenched her fists a bit tighter and closed her eyes as he spoke. She wanted him to stop. She didn't want to even consider his words. She wanted to believe in Kaoru.

Eyuki felt an impulse wanting to lash out at the one causing her emotions to sway with distrusting thoughts of the man she loves. However, she held herself back, remaining in that same tightened stance as if she were frozen in place.

When he asked her if it hurts, Eyuki felt another pang and opened her eyes again, staring down at the floor by the altar. Her fists still clenched, but then released as he asked another question. She slowly inhaled and exhaled a few times as she calmed herself. She looked up at the altar again with a straight look on her face, slowly pulling her posture back up straight. She managed to pull her determined and confident look back into her eyes as she internally reasoned with herself.

When she was sure of what to say, she turned back to look at Jared again, showing in her expression a slight annoyance of his words yet also a determination to not let such words destroy her purpose. "I'm doing this because I won't be able to rest easy if I don't. I'm doing this for myself."

"Besides..." She continued, turning back towards the altar again as her expression relaxed into a small smile. "I haven't stopped living my own life either. In fact... Actually, I'm living my dream already." She said, smiling back at Jared as she thought of her job singing at the Sweetwater Saloon. It wasn't a classy place, and she wasn't a big star, but it was still like a dream to sing on the stage there.

"So..." She smiled back at the altar again and lifted her head a bit more towards the ceiling, looking as if she'd completely recovered from her sadness. "I'm really okay." The expression in her eyes faltered again, though her smile remained. "I just... have to find him..." She looked straight towards the alter again with that faltered look in her eyes and a smile on her face. "To find out the whole truth... Then I won't have to worry anymore..."

[Jared]

The words that Jared spoke were getting to Eyuki. It was almost visible how the weight dragged down her fragile body when the thoughts, about what would happen if his words were true, started to grow and became entrenched into her mind. It was kind of a sad sight, but necessary. Necessary in order to not become a slave of your own thoughts.

Then suddenly she spoke up and to Jared surprise she seemed to not have lost her determination. This actually brought a smile to Jared face and he didn't know if that's something admirable or just downright stubborn. At least she was sounding determined.

He crossed his arms, as if he had to brace himself against what she had to say. But then he replied calmly. "I have to admit that I don't know you at all. After all, we have just met. Therefor I do not know about your dream. But I am all ears if you don't mind sharing it."

"I understand your longing for the truth behind all of what he did. But even though you say that you are not giving up on your life I have to ask you, will you be able to enjoy it to the fullest while dedicating a lot of your energy and will to find him?"

Jared turned around and walked towards the first row of the ice pews in front of the altar. He slowly sat down, as if he had to prove its stability first. Then he leaned back and rested one leg on his other knee before facing her again.

"On the other hand, a person who is as devoted as you appear might regret it for the rest of your life if you don't try everything that is in your power to find him." Jared let out a sigh. "I admit it's a tough choice you have there."

[Eyuki]

Eyuki smiled back at Jared as he spoke again, determined to not let anything he might say bring her down again. She had reason to remain determined and hopeful and happy. After all, she was not alone.

Her smile widened a bit at his sort of challenging question about if she could still enjoy her dream fully while searching. "I'm not alone." She answered with a confident smile, although such an answer might seem out of place. "My brother is almost always with me, encouraging me every step of the way." Her smile seemed to brighten even more as she spoke about Hikaru.

"Singing is so much fun. When I'm singing, I enjoy doing so. I've also met a lot of interesting people because of my job." She smiled back at the altar again as she thought of the possibility of Kaoru coming to the saloon and hearing her. "I hope that, one day, he can hear my songs as well."

Eyuki smiled back at Jared again, appearing rather refreshed and happy. "Until then I'll keep singing, and search for him when I can."

[Jared]

The girl in front of Jared certainly was spirited, he had to admit that. He lifted a hand and stroked over his forehead, appearing like a man who has to face the toughest decision of his life. "This indeed does sound like a well sorted life, but sadly all I can see is a girl who is saying her prayers."

Then he leaned back again and the sounds of his red leather coat rubbing over the frozen surface can not be unheard. "People who are chasing after an illusion are always telling themselves that their world is still completely functional. So that they can use all of their strength for going after nothing." He raised his index finger as if he wanted to point out something specifically. "You see."

But before continuing his explanation Jared was getting back on his boots and with quick steps he walked over to Eyuki again. There he made a playfully turn around her back, where he gently placed his hands on the girls soft shoulders. Then he bend over to the left in order to meet her eyes and said with a smile. "I think I would be able to believe your story if I actually met this brother of yours that you were talking about so highly. But all I can see right now is a beautiful looking and most certainly talented young lady that is wasting her time for this no-good son who has been breaking your heart."

After that he shook his head in disbelief as if he had just been left by his own love himself and was preparing for Eyukis probably fierce reaction at the same time.