The Cosmic Princess

I'm Coming Home

Overly tired, I had drifted back to sleep and mother had left me shortly after. When I had woken up again, my head was propped onto someone's lap and their fingers were gently running through my hair. Just by the crisp amber scent alone, I could tell who it was.

"Ike?" I whispered softly before my opening my eyes. A shy smile broke out when our eyes connected. Curious oceanic blue locked onto tired amber eyes.

"How are you feeling?" Ike gently asked me.

"I should be asking you that, you almost died on me." Tears burned my eyes, but I held them at bay. It was like I could grasp the emotion I needed. I just couldn't feel it. I felt numb. I glanced at his stature only to see he was in gray linen clothes that resembled sweats. A part of me was relieved I wouldn't have to see him in the blood-stained outfit that he nearly left me in.

A sad smile was gifted back to me. "But I'm here. Your mother's healers they're saved me. I couldn't believe I was meeting Angelus people in the flesh."

I broke away from his astounded stare, instead focusing on the metallic silver of the ceiling. "The cat is out of the bag I suppose."

"There's a cat in here?" Ike questioned bewildered, clearly not understanding that Earthling saying.

"No" I chuckled, but the laugh dried in my throat. I ignored it. "It's a saying. Basically, what I'm trying to get at is that everyone knows what I am now and who my mom is."

"She seems nice." Ike noted watching me go silent, eyebrows furrowing at my somber mood.

"I barely know her." I mumbled.

A soft kiss was placed against my forehead. At the connection, the gray I had been floating in grew lighter but then quickly darkened again. "Well, there's no time like the present and the future."

I blinked up at the ceiling, letting out a soft sigh. "I'm scared of the future."

Ike didn't say anything, and I glanced up to see murky sorrow swim into his eyes. "You've never been scared of something like that."

Mind fading to the tidal wave that was Zeddicus' castle that had managed to pull me under time and time again, I quickly blinked before the tide could pull me under. "Well, things change, and people change too."

Something akin to remorse settled in his voice as he frowned. "We spent all that time planning for a perfect invasion, and you suffered because of it. I wish..."

"I'm fine." I told him quickly, sitting up and grasping his hands "Any repercussions that happen to me because of that, I will be okay. I have always been able to bounce back and I will do it with this too."

Yet, why did I feel like I was lying?

My thumb came up, smoothing out the worry lines between his eyebrows only for him to grab my hand and place gentle kisses on it. I cracked a small smile before he pulled me into his lap and brought me close to him. My eyes closed on their own accord feeling protected and warm in his embrace. It was a feeling that I hadn't felt in a long time, but the comforting sensation made me want to curl into it and never let it go.

"How are the others?"

Lazily, running his fingers up and down my back, Ike answered. "They're fine, Mist is doing well. Everyone has been patched up."

A small wave of relief washed over me at that fact. For a few moments we sat in silence both lost in our thoughts.

For once my mind didn't drift to the darkness of my past, but to Terra. The idea of purple skies and greenery greeting me managed to soothe a silent ache in me. Many of my people had grown to love me, and I briefly wondered would they forgive me for being away for so long. Letting out a soft sigh, I remembered the kingdom I had left behind and both ached and was fearful of the kingdom I would see when we landed.