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Footsteps pounded on the concrete. Amidst the sounds of night crickets, small sobs and gasps for air filled the area. The pounding steps led the body making the noise out of the neighborhoods, past a downtown business area, and toward the edge of the city.
It was rather late...and for that reason, these seemed no one else alive in the city. Nothing moved; not a car, not the nearby trees; no strays; or people. Only the streetlights continued their mechanical rounds.
That was the way she planned it. She didn't want anything to stop her. No cops patrolled where she passed and she was grateful. She wouldn't be taken back so soon...not when she was so CLOSE.
So close to running away.
She slowed as the streetlights spread out a little more, her eyes daring to the darkened areas warily. A hand went to a backpack strap slung over a shoulder, as if the inanimate object could offer strength and comfort. It didn't, but the girl stopped her walk and clutched the strap. Comfort...she hadn't known that OR love in years. So how could she look for something she didn't know of?
Her vision blurred and a small sniff sounded. Timidly, that thin body turned the way she came, face becoming increasingly sad. She hadn't said goodbye of course. She COULDN'T or she wouldn't have gotten this far.
Her head bowed. One was asleep in a once-shared room while the other was taking up the couch. Eyes squeezed shut. They didn't love each other...so how did she expect either to love HER? That's why she left. She didn't want to stay in a home where all the love evaporated from...
Pushing her small shoulders back, grim resolution returned and she wiped the tears away. With a deep inhale and exhale, she looked at the river blocking the neighboring city and the bridge many feet above. The exit. Her eyes spotted a dirt trail leading up part of the base and headed over.
It took to the edge of the steel and concrete structure for her resolution to fray and doubt to creep in again. By the time she passed the city's entrance sign and reached the middle, it had snapped.
Her steps slowed to a crawl and then stop at the highest part of the bridge's walkway. The multi-lanes for cars resting next to the walkway were silent. The light from a metal streetlamp a dozen feet away was the only light to help her across the bridge. The other was on the opposite side, powered by their neighbor.
Dull eyes stared way below at the sluggish waters of the wide body. After a few minutes, an arm slowly tossed in a small rock she grabbed off the trail up.
Why did this have to happen...and to HER?? She wasn't a bad person...she obeyed her teachers, never picked fights, had friends, handed in her homework on time, was kind to animals, and loved her parents. Bitter tears stung her eyes.
Wasn't that last one why she was miles away from home in the first place??
"What do you MEAN you're not in love with me anymore?! I married you BECAUSE of that!"
"I'm just NOT okay?? I've spent fifteen YEARS by your side and I've CHANGED. FIFTEEN YEARS! We made a family in that time and it's been nice seeing her grow up. Just...let me go...ok?"
"I can't accept that. We've known each other since COLLEGE. That's TWENTY YEARS. Are you going to turn your back on that?? Every good and bad time we've had...I WON'T give up just because you THINK you're not in love with me!"
"Are you saying you won't give me THIS?? I gave you a beautiful daughter! Give me a peaceful divorce or I'll take you to court! I. Want. OUT!"
Of course...that was one of the MANY fights she overheard in the past three years. That seemed forever ago...but it all boiled down to the same thing...
"I... Want...OUT!"
She slowly slumped to the ground, unable to hold herself up any longer. It wasn't FAIR! Why HER family?? They were good people...it wasn't ALWAYS forced politeness with arguments brewing just under the surface... She could remember better times before all THAT started...
'So where is it NOW?' She angrily retorted. 'Where's the love they MARRIED for?! I don't believe a person can fall out of love like that!' A badly made fist collided with the metal poles with a small clang. Pain shot up her arm and her wrist shook to dissipate the ache in her knuckles.
The same hand loosely wrapped around one of the bars as her head gently rested next to it. Her eyes sadly looked to the ink-black waters before closing. More tears fell in the silence, the gurgling waters barely breaking the gloomy bubble around her.
She was so tired of the fighting. She was tired of her LIFE. It seemed the love diminished every year she aged. The way the fighting was going, there wouldn't be any left soon...
Blurry eyes opened and stared at the waters again. She sniffed and idly dragged a sleeve across her nose. Her parents were breaking up for separate lives and leaving what they all shared behind. There would be no life for her when that happened. She didn't want to be forced into it because of THEIR problems.
Her shoulder slumped and the strap inched down her arm till it landed against the ground. After a brief period of stillness, hands moved to grip the bars and help her stand.
She leaned over the bridge again, looking at the waters with different eyes. Both hands fisted.
Eyes went to the bag at her feet. Everything she carefully picked out and packed when making her escape. It all seemed useless now...
Her eyes thoughtfully narrowed. She would do it. She WOULDN'T be another statistic of divorce. Being from a broken home... Her parents would part and the friends she had she would part with soon when they reached high school in a few years.
Why stick with the pain? Why not end it before everything came to a head...
"No one will miss me." She tightly whispered.
Hands grabbed the railing and paused. Could she do this?? Go and jump? This situation never occurred to her in a million years! She originally planned on running away... But...
"No one would miss me."
"Are you sure about that?"
She gave a small shriek and grabbed the bars her torso was currently leaning over.
That was CLOSE!! She almost...fell in!
She blinked in surprise at that. Wait...wasn't that what she intended??
Sliding a few inches toward the concrete, part of her body remained leaned over to look threatening. She searched what she could of both sides of the bridge. "Who's there?? Don't come near me! I'm JUMPING!"
Silence. Those young eyes narrowed. She DID hear that...didn't she?? It wasn't just her mind making it up in a last ditch, logical attempt to keep her from doing something STUPID...was it?
She slid off the rest of the way in favor of fully looking around. Her brow furrowed in confusion. She was SURE she hadn't imagined that! After another minute, she turned back to the waters. Her hands gripped the railing to hoist her again...
"Are you SURE that is wise?"
She gave another loud start and forcefully shoved off the railing, spinning to look again.
"Who's THERE?!" She angrily called. Her fists clenched in annoyance. So...someone WAS out there! "If you're worried about your conscience of watching me drown, I'll give you long enough to leave!"
"Suiko would be very angry with me if I showed myself to you and then walked away."
The name was foreign to her, as was this person's accent. Her head whipped toward the barely discernable sound of something slapping on metal. Her eyes widened at finding someone who looked around her age walking toward her. There was nothing wrong with that except a few things. This person was walking on the railing she was just over with perfect balance...and the appearance was HORRIBLE!
She gaped as the person stopped before her and looked down with a friendly face. She took in the body, noting the highly tanned skin and muscle tone. Then the shoddy, tattered dress that was so torn up and dirty...if it was white once upon a time, it would never be AGAIN. Finally the knee-length, grossly tangled hair...full of dead sticks and crumbling leaves.
Was it a different runaway who spotted her going up the bridge? No, that was impossible, as this girl walked up the neighboring city side.
With grace and silence, the girl idly hopped off and landed in front of her, not caring that one misstep would've sent her plunging to the cold water below.
She took an automatic step back, even if there seemed nothing threatening about this girl. For such long hair, she didn't look that much older. She was only inches taller too.
"Wh-what do you mean?" She asked, finally remembering her tongue. She took another step back. "W-who are you?? And what's Suiko?"
"That." A toned arm swung over the railing and pointed a finger at the river.
A brow rose. Was this girl nuts?? Unless it was a tourist...but that didn't explain the clothes and hair. Not even a walk through a thick forest or tumble down a dirt incline could do THAT much damage. "Um...no. The river's called the Sioux." She explained. She only gained a smile in return, as if this stranger didn't understand.
"Perhaps. But it is also called Suiko."
This was a rather pointless conversation and she was ENDING it. "That's nice." She patronizingly muttered, waving a hand. "No offense or anything, but you're kinda creeping me out. If you're looking for a place to spend the night, there're shelters near the bridge where I came from. Now, if you'll clear away from my bag so I can pick it up, I'd be much obliged."
Her bag gained attention as the girl looked to it. It rested a little behind those bare feet and she itched to pick it up to run back the way she came...but she didn't trust this person.
She gained eyes again. They were amused at a something she couldn't see. "You intend on leaving? But I thought you were going to jump."
Her eyes narrowed. "What's it to YOU? You WANNA see me jump or something??
Any and all humor left, replaced with a little sorrow. "Not at all. I am one of the few who desire you to live more than even yourself."
She was quiet for a moment before giving an odd look. "You're strange, you know that? And you talk funny."
She gained another smile. "You come from your time, I come from mine." With that mysterious answer, the girl turned to the river and rested her hands on the railing.
She pondered that utterly BIZARRE answer, dumbly staring at the girl. She took in that thin face and clothes again. For being nothing but a pile of rags, it didn't flatter a thing. For being so ratty, that lengthy hair didn't LOOK that thick. But the placement of flora in her hair was rather neat and she wondered if it was put that way on purpose.
Finally feeling tired, as she was normally in bed at this time, she decided she would run away another night and head home for now. Deciding to brave it, she cautiously edged around the girl who STILL hadn't moved and quickly yanked her bag off the ground.
Almost casually she sent another look to that sideways profile. "Well I'm outa here... It's kinda cold out, so I suggest you get somewhere warmer with that on. Or even better, get yourself a new outfit. That's seen better days."
She finally got the oddball's attention...and another amusing smile to go with it. For some reason, that annoyed her. It was like the girl had a plethora of secrets she didn't know about.
Not like SHE cared though...
"The cold does not bother me...I have had worse. And this outfit was given to me by my parents a long time ago, but it has served me well so I have no desire to part with it."
A brow rose again. "Okay..." She drawled. She bit her lip from adding that it was APPARENT of the garment's age by its condition. The sudden thought that this girl would wear such a garment to tatters, meaning it was probably never taken off, sent a disgusted shiver through her.
She decided to let it go at that and just walk away. Why keep at it when she had a few miles to go to get home? She turned and got only a few steps before the girl's voice froze her.
"So the reason you were going to end your precious, irreplaceable life was due to your home life is not it?"
Slowly...very slowly...she turned to meet the girl's eyes again, a hand clutching her bag in a white-knuckled grip. A few threads of fear and panic hit her and she backed a step away. "How...how do you...KNOW that??" She breathed, eyes wide.
Was this girl some kind of stalker?? Was that the reason behind the smiles and calm facade? It would explain the physical appearance at least...but who ever heard of a girl stalking a girl?? Stalkings normally were relationship or sexual issues.
"Well, I am not as knowledgeable as a few others I know, I am afraid. Spent too much time up there, dealing with my life." An index pointed to the inky sky. "But I DO know you are having family problems. You are still too young in this time to be on your own and your bag tells me you were running from it. It is easy to deduce."
She stared at the sky, still doing so when she was pointed to it. 'Okay...I take that back. This girl isn't a stalker...she's a full-blown WHACKO. ...Why ME??'
But through the 'alien' comments, there was still some logic. The deductions were true, so the credibility of the girl being a nutball couldn't totally hold up. Maybe she was just SLOW...
"Care to talk to me about it?"
She startled as if pricked and stupidly blinked. It took the time for her to hear that offer, understand it, and make the connections in her brain before blowing up. "What're you NUTS?! Me telling you something that personal?! I don't even KNOW you!! You could use that to KILL me for all I know! All that crazy talk about a life in space...NUTS!"
"I DO live in space. I can live here on Gaia as well but I choose not to. Too many humans and changes from the few times I have been here. There is MUCH more room in space."
She backed another step away. Both hands rose in defense to ward the girl's words off. "Okay, you've successfully weirded me out. Don't come any closer!"
"I will not hurt you. It defeats my purpose to harm anything from Gaia." The girl suddenly turned and sighed. "People in this day and age are paranoid beyond my comprehension. How can you not trust your own species? You just do not make sense to me."
It was almost like a direct insult, and being a human, she decided to take it personally.
"EXCUSE ME for being worried about my safety!" She shot out. "I'm still young yet. I don't like falling prey to the dangers of society!"
"If your will of life is that great, why were you trying to desist to live?"
She stopped and stared. Honestly...she couldn't come up with a retort for THAT one... Almost humbly, her eyes looked to the ground at her feet.
The girl gave a gentle, almost mother-like smile when she finally looked up. "What is your name child?"
"I'm not a child." She mumbled, the retort lacking a sting. That surprisingly in-depth question seemed to spark her own intellect and she had to wonder just WHAT she thought she was doing by trying to kill herself.
There was another bout of silence as she almost nervously fiddled with a sleeve. She couldn't meet the girl's eyes, but she knew she was being watched. "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours." She bargained, as if her name had importance.
"Agree."
"It's...Adeline."
"I am Stardust."
She finally looked to the girl and took in the appearance again. "That's an...unusual name...but it's interesting at least."
Stardust smiled. "Yours is very interesting too...in a good way."
Adeline's arms crossed as she leaned against the railing, her pack making that hard. Here came that horrible stagnation of not knowing what to say after introductions that she hated. It dragged out and part of her said to leave...but there felt like Stardust had something else to say.
Suddenly, Stardust kneeled on the concrete and extended a hand. "Would you care to sit and talk with me about it? We will have all the time you need." Another motherly smile appeared. "I promise."
She stood, transfixed at the girl. That stance made Stardust like a person begging for something...but the unseen grace in those movements, the natural way that nature-tangled hair fell around her, and the wisdom in those dark eyes made the girl out to be something more.
It was like she was being pulled in by patience and warmth. From somewhere deep inside, there was an unfilled, unconscious need that rose. Telling her to spill everything to this slip of a girl. Whispering that this Stardust could give her something her parents never had.
Tears welled up in her eyes as her shoulders slackened, effectively dropping the bag again. It rested with a thump, but was ignored as her breathing became shaky. At a snail's pace, a hand extended to take the offered.
The second their hands finished clasping, there was a massive tingling that quickly spread through her body.
When it finished, the breath left her in a rush...and blurred the air around her. She blinked wide eyes, a small feeling of dread and wonder hitting her. "What...WAS that? What just...happened??" When she slumped to the ground, the thinnest film of dust started spraying from impact...and stopped in midair.
"I slowed time down for you. I cannot stop it, as I have not the age and knowledge yet, but I know of a few tricks." Their eyes met. "Did I not promise you all the time you need? I never go back on my promises." Stardust's eyes softened.
Their hands remained clasped, forgotten, as she stared in fear and confusion at this...thing. Was it an alien disguised as a human?? "H-how...how..."
Those raven brows furrowed. "How long? Well...if you want numbers...I would say every second equals somewhere around ten minutes." As if to proclaim this, Stardust reached in her hair and pulled out a twig. Her hand stuck in between the railings and let go.
It fell maybe an inch until it caught the time distortion and stopped.
If Adeline's eyes got any wider, they'd pop out of her head! That wasn't what she was going to ask, but the point seemed moot now. It wasn't every day she met a creature that could change the speed of time...
A sudden thought struck and her free hand reached over to pinch the top of the other. The minute prick of pain confirmed it all and everything overwhelmed her again.
"Why did you just do that?"
"I...wanted to make sure I wasn't dead, or dreaming..." A finger inched over to the literal dust cloud and poked it. It yielded, even with the digit swirled a spiral in the mass. Finally, she fisted some and mimicked Stardust's previous motion. Soon dust and stick 'floated' in the air.
She looked at what she just deposited and then at the rest by her feet. "This is REAL...isn't it." She breathed. "I'm not imagining you OR this..."
"No. I am quite solid." Stardust gave her hand a brief squeeze to prove her point. "This time has focused more on what you see in order to believe in it. I have not observed long, but I DO know that the pull from nature with the gained intelligence is the problem. Your mistrust of your fellow humans if proof that your mind has become narrow."
Adeline stared, taking in the mysterious words...but finding a hidden meaning this time. It wasn't an insult, but a frank opinion of an honest observation. "Meaning..."
The look on Stardust's face was almost heartbroken. "I knew you would not trust me until I proved myself to you. Even though I did, you looked at me in fear. You do not accept that perhaps there are things out there beyond your limits that can exist."
Why did she feel a prick of embarrassment, and guilt? "That's just how the world works. If I didn't accept the system I'd be dead or labeled nuts and outcast."
Stardust smiled again. "Like I was."
Adeline blinked. "You?? How could YOU be an outcast?? How...WHEN? I can see with the power thing, but you seem pretty normal to me otherwise."
"It was a very long time ago....at least to you. I lived back when your current world touched nothing of this land. Back when people were few and land was prime. Where my tribe believed in gods that ruled over every aspect in nature."
Adeline thought back to her history classes. The tribal belief sounded Indian, which would put the girl around or before Columbus's time. She eyed the clothes again. But what she knew of Indians was they wore animal skins, not actual cloth. So she would have to be older still. "So...we're talking...pre-American discovery? Pre-European development? Pre-middle ages? What?"
Stardust shrugged. "I have watched over some of those, so I know it is farther back." Those blue eyes looked above to the night sky. "I have existed next to Gaia and Her fellow planets so long I do not think about my human years anymore. I have forgotten my age, but it does not matter anyway. Time is relative, is it not?"
That question seemed too hypothetical and not really directed at her. And the tone used to say it almost sounded like Stardust was restating something told to her by someone who knew that answer.
There was an almost comfortable bout of silence that followed. Her eyes looked to the stick and wondered if its positioned changed. If it had, she had a feeling she would need to measure it in MILLIMETERS.
"So...would you like to talk about it? We still have plenty of time for you to say whatever you want."
She was suddenly reminded of what led her to this point and looked to their hands. Gradually, she pulled away from the embrace, finding she was still inside whatever spell was cast.
"I...I don't know... I don't really..."
"You will feel better child. As I said before, I know some things while being amongst the stars. I have very good vision." A humorous smile appeared and again told her Stardust knew more than she was telling. "How old are you?"
"I'll be thirteen in a few months... Nothing compared to you I bet."
Stardust smirked. "You are correct. But you are very close to my age when my life changed."
"So how old do you THINK you are? If you had to pinpoint it."
"I lived my life in wealth and security until my fifteenth birthday. I was to be a sacrifice to my clan's primary god, but through amazing events, I began a quest that took me many moons to finish." A hand rose and fingers wrapped around her chin. "So I suppose I aged to sixteen or seventeen before Gaia granted me power and I joined Her sons."
There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but none so important than to clarify what'd been mentioned a few times now. "What or who is Gaia?"
The look on Stardust's face wasn't easy to pinpoint, but she could definitely pick out happiness and...pride? "She is you." A hand went to her hair and pulled out a leaf and another twig. "She is this." That hand set the flora on the concrete to wave around them. "She is myself and Her sons and every power they represent. Every sense you own communes with Her holy self."
Adeline blinked. A brow rose in confusion. A pause stretched out until she finally made sense of her jumbled mind to voice how lost she felt. "I don't get it."
"Your time knows the evolution of Gaia correct?"
She was still lost. "Considering I have no clue about this Gaia still, I'd have to say no."
"You know Gaia better as one of the seven planets in your solar system." A hand waved to the cities below. "Everything you see is sheltered on Gaia's body."
Her brows rose. "The EARTH??"
"Gaia is Her given name." Stardust answered.
"But this planet is scientifically called the Earth. Why do you call it something else?"
"'Earth' is what describes dirt and mud. Gaia's skin. Saying Her given name makes Her real and not just a thing you inhabit." Stardust looked to the view. "One must wonder how everything could survive if Gaia's influence wasn't around. What would help Tenku's winds blow? How could Suiko live? How could Kongo form? What would help Rekka burn? How would clouds form and block Korin to offer shade?"
"Not knowing any of those strange names...are you implying that the Earth-this Gaia-is a living, breathing creature??"
"In Her own way, yes. How do you explain the creation of water? The formation of mountains? The movement of wind? The molten heart that keeps burning? And plants grown from light?"
"Evolution..." She slowly answered.
Where was all this coming from and what was the point of this topic?? Sure she accepted this...person now, but it was too science fiction to think all nature and animals were created by sheer will alone.
"I don't really believe that... I mean, a planet with a name? Stuff coming to life just because?? Where would the souls come from?? And what about the solar system?" She looked up. "Kind of hard to imagine every star and planet has a soul. It's too much even thinking about where space ends without adding everything IN it."
"Space DOES not end. Just like looking at the ocean and wondering how deep it is, or staring off a mountain and wondering how far the view extends...space is like that in a way. When you wonder where a path goes and how far, then start it to find out exactly...on Gaia there will always be an ending somewhere. But Gaia is simply a single being housed with many millions of other beings in the land of space."
The two locked eyes, finally looking away from the sky. "Things are born and also die. There is no special place they go to. When an animal or plant is born, it comes from Gaia and lives on Gaia. When it dies, it is returned to Gaia. Because we are all apart of Gaia, She is apart of us. Therefore, everything experienced in one's life is shared."
"This being is female; all planets are. Almost everything in this world that creates life outside itself is female. There are very few exceptions." A hand rested over Stardust's heart. "We have a very special gift. If we died out, I am sure life would adapt and continue on, but it would be slow and tedious. We make the process of life easier by carrying that gift."
Adeline gave a wry grin. "Tell that to my mom who was in labor with me for six HOURS."
Stardust grinned. "I never said the gift was easy. But using human creation as a comparison might help you understand better... From way down to fertilization, the genetic makeup creates itself from scratch. But how can it do so on its own at such an early stage? As soon as the two pairs combine and become one, a soul has already been chosen and given. And with the instruments in hand, life forms. Does not matter what species it is...the soul will continue to grow and live from the desire to see exactly WHAT lies beyond. You should know very clearly that the will to live is all powerful. Not much can top it."
Adeline looked away with an embarrassed nod, feeling her face heat up from exactly what she tried to do earlier. "You make that sound SO much more glorified than my sex ed classes." She smirked despite the situation. Somehow, this simple 'talk' turned into a sex education, biology, and religious debate all rolled into one.
"Okay, I get what you're saying about the life and soul issue." A hand went to her head. "Man...you sure know how to overwhelm, honor, and make a person feel insignificant all at once."
Stardust grinned. "If you are overwhelmed, it is due to knowledge that has been buried for centuries or distorted. You should hold onto that honor you spoke of...as women are more important than your time makes them. And your feeling of insignificance is justified." Stardust looked back to the stars. "But try being mother and bringer of death to those many, many trillion beauties twinkling around you. I sometimes feel all three you mentioned with that task."
Once again, Adeline's eyes widened till they hurt. "No way! YOU make the stars?! How is THAT possible? And coinciding from everything you just told me about life and this planet!"
"Every star has a soul. In the beginning, they were taken from Tenku until I joined and divided his realm."
"What's Tenku?"
"That." Again, Stardust pointed to the sky.
"Space?" Adeline received a nod. "Ah...given names. "Ok, continue."
"Stars have a lifespan beyond mortal comprehension. There are some that have even witnessed the birth of Gaia and still live. The stars born from Tenku's soul will return to him and give him that knowledge. When I have created all the stars and every last one has returned to Tenku, the knowledge will be mine as well. I have learned a little from those that have come and gone...that is where the knowledge of my magic comes from."
Adeline gazed in bewilderment. "You just got done telling me that females were all important and yet you let a GUY run space?? If you make the stars now, how come you can't take the ones this Tenku guy made?? Wouldn't it be better to get smarter, faster? That way you can do more magic!"
Stardust's smile made her feel like a kid saying something stupid with an obvious answer in sight. "I have no need to be Tenku yet. I was given the glorious opportunity to be part of his realm and I have a good chunk of it now. I was born for Tenku and because I am a living thing, he did not keep me with him. I went on a quest given by the five as a way to atone for all the bad that happened to me in my life. I took the offer and traveled through the five elements to be with Gaia and She accepted me as long as I adhered to Her conditions. I would not be so ungrateful to either by wishing for more than the new life they gave me."
"And you also think as a mortal. I have no time limit placed on myself, so long as the stars are created from my soul. The vast amount of knowledge they possess takes time for me to understand and adapt to use. Even now, I give and take with my soul to those that wish for life and death. When every star is a part of me, I imagine I will be more of Tenku than Tenku."
"But...but that could take trillions of years! EONS even!" Adeline cried. "Can you HONESTLY stand to WAIT that long??"
Stardust gave a gentle smile. "By then I think I will know all I need to continue. Tenku will have become even more used to me and the idea, and will not mind so much. In the meantime, it is all I have to do. Why rush it? You forget, part of myself IS a star. I age with them, which is slowly. Your entire life will have been but a single breath to me."
Adeline's shoulders slumped. "Okay...now I feel even MORE insignificant."
Stardust chuckled and extended a hand. "This body you see before you was eliminated at the end of my quest. But the human spirit is untamable. Gaia told me when my magic was strong enough, I could recreate this form. Since this was the last mental image of myself, I chose it. But She was correct in saying it was unnecessary. Like Tenku, I live as conscious thought."
There was a small pause. Stardust stared at Adeline in wait for more questions. When none came, she spoke on her own. "Is there anything else you wish to know about my life? Aside from showing some of my powers, I will tell you anything you want to know."
Adeline thought and finally shook her head. "You've given quite a lot already." She looked up. "I thought I was supposed to do all the talking. Why would you take up some of that if you wanted me to speak?" Her eyes widened at what she just said. "Not that I'm not INTRIGUED though..."
There was another pause as the two looked at each other and Adeline wondered if she'd been rude again. "You have heard something that not a lot of people would find true. Do you understand all I have said so far?"
"Yes."
"Do you believe it?"
Her mouth opened and snapped close from the automatic readiness to answer. Her gaze drifted at first to the view of river and city before stopping on the sky. She genuinely pondered that...mostly because she wanted to give this being an honest answer. Finally, she looked straight once more and nodded with a tiny smile.
"Then your problems, whatever they may be, don't seem so important anymore...do they?"
She blinked widening eyes in shock. It was true though...comparing her parents divorce to the larger bits of life...it didn't seem that important anymore...
"But...even though...it won't go away. My parents are breaking up our household." Tears stung her eyes. "There is no love there anymore..."
A hand drifted into her blurry vision and rested on her knee in comfort. "I know it hurts child. Being torn away from your loved ones and all you knew on a vague concept is often horrible. I know all about that and I understand. Perhaps not the instance, but the circumstance. I told you that information so it would help put your priorities in order." Stardust's hand squeezed. "No matter how bad you think things are in your life...there is no reason to END it. You are one of a kind. Unique. And when you return to Gaia, there will not be another one like you."
She sniffled and wiped at the tear tracks. "My mother keeps telling me something like that..." She mumbled.
Stardust smiled. "The creator of life telling it to a fellow creator. It does not sound to me like you lack parental love in your life child." Stardust pulled back to her original position and looked to the hands in her lap. "Your parents love you very much, even if they might not each other. No parent will ever stop loving their child. When you see them in the morning...if you hug them and tell them you love them, I would not be surprised if they returned everything tenfold."
She exhaled a shaky breath and immediately sniffed. A sleeve idly swept across her nose again as she stared. Such logic...one could tell by the words and soft tone that this person loved every child she ever created. The kind look on Stardust's face was definitely that of a mother.
Before she knew what she was doing, she leaned forward to embrace the girl's body...receiving the rest of that embrace seconds later.
Tears of every emotion since her happy family started crumbling flowed through her. Stardust's arms held her in the physically awkward hold until she scooted forward a little to make it easier on them.
After she finally cried herself out, a feeling of peace replaced the hollowness of everything else.
Or it could've been the hand that almost lovingly went through her hair, soothing her nerves.
She was content to sit like that until the sun crawled to the horizon, even with the distortion...but she couldn't. She'd taken up enough time of Stardust from her duties already.
And she had a lot of thinking on how she wanted to handle this divorce. A nice, long, family discussion sounded rather inviting...
She slowly pulled away and gave a small smile, one Stardust copied. She was given a motherly kiss on the forehead before fingers gently wiped her face clean.
"Feeling better I see..." Stardust murmured. "You have decided to go back?"
"Yes."
"And you will not run from your problems again?"
She couldn't foresee every problem that would occur, but she'd try her hardest to be strong and face them. "I'll try not to." She promised.
A hand gently ran down her face. "And you will not ever try to take your precious life ever again?"
"No."
Stardust smiled almost proudly. "Good girl." She gave another kiss on the forehead before helping them both to their feet. "You are bound to be tired after holding all that in. You should go home now and get some rest. Things will look better when Korin shines again."
Tears pricked Adeline's eyes and she blinked at them. "I have to go?" Hands clutched Stardust's arms almost in panic. "But I don't want to leave you! Can't I stay with you??"
Those were the same words Stardust spoke in a situation quite like this. She would recite some of the same words given to that request, but with the finesse only a mother owned.
Slowly, the two locked eyes as Stardust held a hand to Adeline's chin. "I live in space. That is my home now..." The other hand rose and covered the reply. There was no talking out of this. Stardust's face softened even further. "Gaia has grown too much for me to walk amongst Her for any length of time. You and I are alike, but still too different to stay together like this in normal times. You have a life to live and I, mine." A gentle smile appeared as tears fell again. "But just because I am not near you like this does not mean I will not be around. I am apart of the stars and any time you feel the need to talk to me, they will hear and so will I."
"But it's not the SAME!!" She burst out, tightly hugging the girl again.
The pattern repeated itself for the standing pair until Stardust pulled away and cupped her face. "Now, now child," She gently crooned, "I will ALWAYS be around. Whenever you feel lonely or that no one understands you...just look to the stars and know that SOMEONE understands. I will always be there for you."
"You can't promise that..." She sniffled, sluggishly wiping her face.
Stardust pulled away a little and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Oh but I can. I am the stars, remember? They are apart of me and they will always shine upon Gaia. Did I not say earlier I always keep my promises?" A hand gave a final run through her hair. "It is time for you to return now. Dry your tears and look to the future. Be strong and think of this night as a reminder of how special and irreplaceable you are. Never forget those three emotions you spoke of earlier. And always know I am nearby."
The girl leaned in for another kiss and there was that same tingling sensation that felt even stranger starting from her head. On the ground, the barest of whispers of dirt touching concrete sounded. Seconds later, the twig finally splashed to the water.
Stardust returned time to normal.
Adeline deeply inhaled and reached for her bag. Her eyes drank in the girl's appearance one final time. The once shoddy hair now seemed to suit her and the offer she wanted to give earlier to fix it remained silent. The tattered clothes seemed a monument of everything this magical creature went through.
She forced a smile and took a step back, not wanting to end on a sad note. "Thank you for sharing everything with me... Your name fits your new life well...and I really do like your hair. It looks pretty like that."
Stardust's head inclined in acceptance and hopped back to the top of the railing and looked down. That motherly smile was there again. "Gaia entrusted her sons kindness, courtesy, faith and loyalty, knowledge, and justice. She gave me life, patience, time, and death. If you balance all of these attributes, your life will be for the better. But also...remember strength, compassion, love, and wisdom. These were entrusted to women for the next generations. If you keep ALL of them in mind, your true happiness will come easily to you."
Adeline backed up a few more steps. A hand shot in the air as she kept that stance, too afraid Stardust would disappear if she turned around. More tears fell. "I won't forget!" She called, voice threatening to break. "And I'll NEVER forget you! I'll hold you to your promise!"
Stardust nodded once in acceptance. "Now turn around and look to the way before you child. It leads you home and to the future. Do not look at me anymore, for I am the past. Always wonder where the road will take you next Adeline!" Stardust's arm rose in a silent gesture over her head.
Obediently, Adeline gave a final wave and turned, jogging away before she wanted to turn back again.
Stardust stood facing the view on top of the railing even when Adeline's footsteps faded. A serene smile appeared as the cool night air suddenly blew. Her eyes closed, head tilting back as both arms extended as if to worship or embrace the wind.
"That was a risky, bold move on your part. But you are correct when you said none of those people believe what they cannot see. She will not tell a soul about this...your words helped with that. Gaia and us are still safe."
Stardust's eyes opened and lovingly looked to the sky. "I figured you were there. I could feel your wonder when I appeared."
"So did the others."
She chuckled. "I figured as much. I thought I felt Suiko, Korin, and Kongo in the area. I assume Rekka would have stopped to listen had the streetlights been hot enough."
"He was kept up-to-date." Silence. "Why did you risk exposure just for her?"
Those arms loosely crossed around herself. That stance looked a little insecure, matching the inside. "Does that whole situation and conversation remind you of anything?" Deep blue shone with mirth after a minute. "I still think I did a better job of handling the situation than you did."
"Humph! How many times have I told you...I am pure intellect. Not to mention you have mothered stars. You still have the emotions to help you."
"I have no doubt that my life in your realm helped me to deal with that girl, but you are not ENTIRELY emotionless..." Her gaze softened.
An almost meaningful silence passed through the two space elementals. When Tenku spoke again, his voice was gentle with no reprimand to it. "So, when are you returning?"
"Miss me already?" She teased, giggling. It echoed with her connection.
"You!..." Tenku's voice softened again. "Of course I miss you. And you have things to do up here."
She nearly pouted, even though there was a small blush on her cheeks. "You just HAD to ruin it with that last one did you not..." She nearly snapped. "Am I even wearing you down at ALL??"
"If I told you yes...you would just get a big head."
Stardust couldn't help it. She burst out laughing and the sound echoed over the area.
Footsteps fought for holds on the dirt incline as she scrambled for the top again. 'Wait!' She mentally cried. 'Please don't be gone yet!' The laughter echoed in her ears and gave her hope.
She got about a hundred feet from the base of the bridge and forgot to say goodbye! She wanted to say a proper farewell...at least for now...
She scrambled to the top and took off up the walkway. "Just wait a little more..." She coached, clutching the straps. "Pour it on! Hurry!"
She found Stardust still standing on the railing and felt glee run through her. For some reason, it also made it easier to say what she needed and part a final time.
Her mouth opened to call out, but her entire body froze a few dozen paces away.
There was a light, barely noticeable at first, that brightened steadily in an outline of the girl's form.
She dumbly stood and stared until the light was as bright as the nearby streetlights. Then she snapped to attention, having returned for what she thought was a very solid reason. "Stardust!"
That raven head whipped around with wide eyes...eyes that softened upon seeing her. A smile appeared as Stardust remained silent.
Her steps paused again when Stardust's form evaporated in between the stars' shine and shot into the sky. She quickly waved through a smile, more tears pricking her eyes.
"I just wanted to say goodbye!" She called. "And thanks again!! I'll always remember you!"
There was a small explosion and a few stars twinkled brighter before returning to normal.
She sniffed and quickly wiped the tears away...a smile on her face. A hand idly gripped the bag and swung in the opposite direction.
It was time to head home.
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