Salvation
Chapter three
The Journey

Setzer waved above to the Falcon. “Land the ship!” Someone from above waved back and proceeded to set down the mighty vessel onto the waters of the harbor. The ship came out from the skies and landed with a crash into the green sea. “Hey, be gentle with her!” He scolded.

“Christ, it’s just a ship.” Locke’s head appeared from over the rail of the Falcon. He jumped off its wooded frame and onto the dock below.

Shadow crossed his arms with much disappointment. It looks like he survived.... But a part of this ninja was wishing otherwise. Locke did annoy him to some extent. Or perhaps it was jealousy for the fact that Locke could have hope and he couldn’t.

Locke, on the other hand, did not share this same attitude that Shadow had towards him. He simply smiled and stuck out a hand. “Hey, Shadow! Long time no see!”

Setzer laughed. “Locke, I wouldn’t stick out your hand to him, he doesn’t know the shake command.”

Locke looked at his hand then at Shadow’s crossed arms and smiled timidly. “Well, we just won’t shake hands then.” Locke gave a glance at Setzer.

The gambler slid over to Gogo and placed an arm around the robed man. “This here, Locke, is Shadow's pal.....uh....”

“Gogo sir.” Gogo shook Locke’s hand.

“At least he can shake.” Locke smiled and led Gogo towards the craft.

Setzer attempted to pat Shadow’s back, but the look on the ninja’s face forced him to do otherwise. The gambler outstretched a hand for entrance to his ship. “Let’s get going to--South Figaro right?”

Shadow breathed in. “There might be a slight change in plans.” Setzer gave a blank look towards the ninja but said nothing. Shadow boarded the ship leaving a confused Setzer to follow.

“Then where to?”

“Ever hear of a town called Thamasa?” The ninja asked, following the others to the deck. “I have something I need to get back in that town and I’d appreciate if we’d take a little detour there.”

“Little detour? More like huge-out-of-the-way-side-trip.” Setzer grabbed the wheel of the Flacon. “It’s all the way south on the edge of the world.”

“I didn’t say you had to. If you don’t feel like it, you can drop me off at South Figaro and I can get a ship myself.” Shadow leaned back on the rail.

His nonchalant tone seemed as if what he wanted there was of no importance and he was simply doing this to annoy the gambler. But the fact that he was willing to go to the edge of the world, to a tiny town, made Setzer believe what was there was of some significance to this carefree ninja.

Setzer sighed. “We can make a little detour.”

The ship swerved in and out of the buildings of Nikeah. People held onto their merchandise as the mighty ship flew by, blowing dust onto people’s hair and clothes. Setzer’s laughs filled the air. He loved whenever he could get the chance to make a commotion with the aid of his beautiful ship.

“Is he always so manic?” Shadow commented to no one specifically. The mad man continued on his rampage through the city until he blasted out, causing merchants’ tents to blow off from their nailed locations.

“Yes.” Locke answered, a bit queasy.

“Air sick sir?” Gogo asked.

Locke nodded then rushed to the lower deck. The air currents and Locke didn’t mix well together.

***

The full moon showed it's milky light upon the world. It lingered lazily in the coal colored sky as the stars around it lit the way for lost people in the night’s dark shadows. Setzer didn’t bother to sleep, he could go on all night without it; something he and Shadow had in common. Locke, though, had to go below to rest...mostly from being airsick.

Shadow remained above on the deck with Setzer, who was still steering their way through the dark. The stars were the only things to guide them, but that didn‘t bother him. Shadow watched the gambler with much curiosity. Setzer’s love was obviously for his ship. That was an absolute. But how he could was what confused the ninja. He took care of his ship as if it were a living thing...a lover or a family member perhaps. Shadow knew that this vessel meant more to him then anything else in this world. At least I know about love, even if I’m immune to it‘s power...

“What’s wrong?” Setzer’s head turned to regard Shadow’s dark profile in the moon’s pearly glow.

Shadow stared blankly at him for a moment. “How you can love something this much is beyond me.”

“Huh?”

The ninja’s brows crossed. “Your ship. You take care of it as if it were a very close friend.”

Setzer smiled as he looked upon the wheel. “To me, it is.”

“I can’t see how. It’s not alive.”

The gambler paused. He seemed more confused by Shadow’s words then the ninja’s attempt to understand. Shadow had an obvious lack of knowledge, not to mention experience, on this particular subject. It did come as a shock, though, of how Shadow couldn’t possibly comprehend. “Daryl... This was her ship.” Setzer stroked the glossy finish of his wooden vessel. “She died in this ship.”

“She was your--”

“Girlfriend.” Setzer looked down upon the wheel once more. “After her death I repaired the ship and kept it hidden. I thought that maybe I could block out my memories of her with it....” He glanced back up at a quiet Shadow, the strands of silver locks blowing in front of his face. “You lost someone close?”

Shadow’s eyes went soft with remembrance and regret. It was the first time someone had actually asked him. He processed the question in his head as Setzer patiently awaited his answer. The gambler already knew what the response would be just by the look upon the ninja‘s face. “I lost everything I was ever close to.” After a moment of silence, he left Setzer to the comfort of the lower deck.

Setzer stared in the direction Shadow went, then returned his attention to the sky before him.

Locke was in his room, snoring away. Clearly now the rocking of this ship was more soothing then sickening to him.

Shadow stood in the lower deck’s main room. He sunk into the pink fabric of the couch around him. He lost what was so important to him....so why is he so happy? I don’t understand. Does he mask his feelings...or am I lacking what makes him so human?

“Shadow?” A sleepy Locke poked his head out of his door. “Can’t sleep?” The thief joined a disgruntled Shadow on the couch.

“I don’t sleep.” Shadow sighed. “I know you do so why are you here?”

Locke rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “I heard noises so I came out--”

“Well, you know its me so you can get lost now.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Why does everyone ask me that?” Shadow looked about, mostly for a quick way to change the subject. “Where’s my best friend?” He asked, sarcasm clearly in his voice.

Locke shrugged, obviously missing the irony. “I don’t know where Gogo is.” He leaned back into the soft upholstery of the sofa and closed his eyes.

Shadow did the same. He breathed in the fresh scent of lavender. The soothing aroma relaxed the ninja into a peaceful trance. That was until Locke brought him out of it.

“You’re very quiet you know that?” Locke’s eyes remained close, but a smile spread across his face.

Shadow glared at him. “I have no reason to talk to you.”

“Well, talking is a great thing ya know. Lets ya open up...understand certain things about the people around you.” Locke opened his eyes and gazed up at the ceiling.

Shadow shook his head. To him, Locke was doing nothing more then rambling on about things of no concern to him. “You are losing my interest and that is not a good thing.”

Locke stared at the ninja. “Shit, you are too serious. Lighten up.”

“You sound like Setzer now.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Locke yawned. “Though Setzer's a bit crazy at times, he’s still a cool guy.”

“I don’t understand him. How he can find something to live for after what has been taken form him is...” Shadow's brows crossed with confusion. "Different to me."

“Hey, I lost my girl too.” Locke still kept a smile on his face to disguise the pain. “In fact...I lost her twice...”

“And yet you have something to live for?” Shadow asked.

“Well, adventure!” Locke laughed lightly. “Why else would I be here?” The thief outstretched his arms and folded them behind his ash blond hair. “You should find something to care about. It’s a nice feeling to have ya know.”

Shadow looked at the man with a raised brow. “I go on because I want to. I don’t need to dwell on the past. I don’t do that anymore...”

“I don’t believe that.” Locke now extended his legs on the coffee table before his feet. “You lost something you loved, that’s why you are the way you are. That's why Setzer’s the way he is and that's why I'm me. We all lose things we love at certain times in life. You can’t control that anymore then you can control whom you fall in love with. And everyone has a different way of grieving for it. Only Setzer and me didn’t put on a mask and shut out the world.” Locke looked at Shadow. “Ya got rid of the mask though, that’s a start. Now all you have to do is open your eyes.”

“To what? This dead waste land?” The ninja snorted. “Do you have any idea how it was for me? To wake up and see this world? The last time I left it was when it was still lush and green. It‘s been a year since this world was like this. Whatever feelings I had went dead with my family.”

Locke sat up with renewed interest. “You had a family? I’m sorry, I didn’t know...”

Shadow turned away. “Forget it.”

“I guess you don’t know that Cefca’s dead?”

“Why would I care anymore?”

“You can’t be as heartless as you say you are.” The thief stared at the back of Shadow’s head. “You saved us from the falling continent remember? And you lived. You were given a second chance. Don’t go through life blind.” Locke watched the ninja, wanting him to respond. After some time, Locke figured he wasn’t going to get anywhere tonight. He wanted to help Shadow, but the ninja did nothing but ignore him. Before Locke went back into his room, he turned to the brooding ninja. “What are you running from Shadow?”

When there was no answer given, the thief gave up and closed his door. Shadow rose from his seat to a near by window. He opened it, allowing the cool wind to carry the scent of clover into the room. He watched the moon hang over the land below as if it were guarding the world. “No matter where I go, I will always be haunted by them...” He whispered into the night sky as the wind took his words and whisked them away to the protection of the moon.