Cinderena: A Fairy Tale of the Stars
Chapter 3- Bittersweet Memories
by Umi
March 2002
Disclaimer: Rena, Noel, and all Star Ocean: The Second Story characters belong to Enix and Tri-Ace, not me!
Cinderella belongs to Disney, not me, as I am adapting Disney's version of the classic fairy tale! Once again, I'm not making any money from this!
Note: This is an Alternate Universe fanfic. I have inserted the characters of Star Ocean 2 into a fairy tale, and have altered the plot, relationships, and characters to fit the fairy tale! There will be some spoilers about the game, mostly concerning who the characters are!
The song lyrics that I am using throughout this fan fiction series are the translated lyrics of "Hearts," sung by Saori Nishihata. It's the cute ending song of Star Ocean EX, the Star Ocean 2 anime!
“Ouch!”
Rena kissed the tip of her finger, wincing slightly from the sting of the needle. She grinned, laughing at herself for being such a klutz. The young girl touched the soft lavender fabric softly, trying to imagine what it would like when she was finished with it. She began to doubt if she could even make a dress by herself, without anyone to guide her, to show her how…
She sighed.
I’ve never had someone to teach me anything.
I’ve had to learn things on my own.
Most girls learn how to be a lady from their mothers. They learn how to dance at balls, how to greet guests with a smile, how to cook delicious meals, how to sew a gown…
A soft smile.
I still remember the first time that I watched Mother sew…
I was lying on this soft, cozy rug, leaning my back against the sofa that Mother was sitting on. I felt warm… I don’t know if it was because we were next to a fireplace, or because I was with Mother. I’m not really sure…
Mother was mending a long, sleeveless pearl white dress. It was the wedding gown that she wore when she married Father… My real father… It was so beautiful, just like her… It sparkled brightly in the darkly lit room, and I remember thinking that it looked like a sea of stars…
I watched her for a little while, mesmerized by the delicate grace with which she used the needle to tie together inconspicuous loose ends and torn pieces of fabric. The dress was not in a poor condition, but she noticed every tiny detail, every slight tear in the cloth, and wanted it to be perfect…
Even though nothing ever is.
At one point Mother took a break from her work, looking down at me and smiling softly. She kissed the top of my head with sweet affection, and I shut my eyes contentedly. I was just resting, for I was so tired from playing in the Shingo forest with Noel that day. I enjoyed lying there, listening to the calming sounds of the fire crackling and Mother’s soothing humming.
Mother hummed songs all the time. She’d hum while she cooked meals, while she did her chores, while she went shopping in the market, while she strolled through the forest… She loved music with a deep, intense passion, and I think that may be where I got my same love for it as well. Sometimes she sang to me, singing always the same song that she hummed, that same familiar melody that I still sing in my heart…
She sang that night, and I even remember some of her words…
“Everyone shares that feeling of stress.
It’s because we’re alive,
We’re not just mannequins.
Reality is not a game.
We cannot selfishly reset it…”
At one point, my lips began moving, and I sang along with her…
“Oh my wish
Press the switch within your heart.
I only want to be happy…”
Even though the melody was fairly upbeat, Mother seemed sad to be reciting those words. The smile that was forever lighting her face disappeared, and her hands began shaking slightly as she held the needle. At that time, I couldn’t understand why she was feeling such sorrow, but now I know…
It was because she was mending her dress for her second wedding… Her wedding to Indalecio, the man she never truly loved…
I watched a tear fall onto the pure white gown.
That was the first time I ever saw her cry…
“Rena!!” A high-pitched voice rang from downstairs, interrupting the young girl’s reverie. “Please come down here! I’d like you to meet someone!!!”
A little annoyed by her step-sister’s constant cheerful enthusiasm, Rena sighed. “All right, I’m coming!” She gently placed her unfinished gown in a box underneath her bed, so that it would be hidden in case Indalecio went into her room. She didn’t want him to know that she had been secretly making a dress to wear to the ball, even though she’d have to tell him eventually. Rena stepped out of the attic and walked down the steps to meet up with Precis.
She never noticed that her dress was damp with fallen tears.
****
Rena walked into the room and spotted the visitor Precis was talking about. He was dressed in a dark robe and pants, accented with a deep blue cloak and black gloves, strange attire as far as Rena was concerned. A matching blue bandanna covered his forehead, and she couldn’t help but think that he was pretty good looking, with a young, handsome face framed by chocolate locks of fairly long hair that nearly reached his shoulders. She noticed that he had beautiful jade eyes, and she gazed into them…
Precis coughed loudly. Rena snapped her head back down and blushed slightly, realizing that she was unconsciously leaning closer to their guest.
“Rena, this is Ashton, a friend of mine who is also my date for the ball.” Precis pouted adorably as she looked at Rena’s embarrassed expression.
“Oh, um…” Rena smiled at the young man as she shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, Ashton.”
“Same to you, Rena.” Ashton smiled softly as he continued, “Are you going to the ball too? It sounds fun, and… Ack!”
Two pairs of eyes grew wide. “What…”
A couple of dragon heads shot up from under Ashton’s robe.
“AHH!” The two girls screamed in surprise.
“Gyoro, Ururun, don’t scare me like that! Next time, say something if you two want some fresh air!” The young man did his best to glare at the dragons, but they simply snickered and began talking to each other in their native tongue. He let out an exasperated sigh.
“Geez, those two frighten me every time they do that!” Precis crossed her arms over her chest and huffed.
Rena blinked. “What are they?”
Ashton grimaced. “It’s a long story.”
The blue haired girl reached out and petted one of the dragons, smiling softly. “Aw, you are such a cute dragon,” she cooed, her fear of them having disappeared completely.
Precis’ mouth hung wide open. “Sis! That’s… that’s just weird! They’re dragons, not something cute like kittens or puppies!”
The neglected dragon growled. Rena giggled. “Oh, I’m sorry! You’re very cute too!”
Ashton’s face brightened, his frown turning into a smile as he watched the young girl. “You must really love animals, don’t you Rena?”
She returned his smile. “Yeah, I do. I have ever since I was little. I play with all kinds of animals in the Shingo Forest. Rabbits, birds, squirrels… I even feed the ducks that swim along the creek running through Arlia.”
The little brunette grinned. “Yeah, that’s why she and Noel are best, best friends. He’s obsessed with animals too!”
“We’re not obsessed… Just… passionate about them.” Rena grinned.
The other two laughed. Precis teased her step-sister further, “And it’s that mutual of passion of yours for animals that makes Noel passionate about you…”
Rena’s cheeks burned red. “Wh… what?? Precis!”
“Hehe… It’s true! I’ve seen the way he looks at you! His eyes fill with this sweet gentleness, like he’s lost in a wonderful dream…” The girl’s own wide emerald eyes became starry as she clasped her hands together, excitedly imagining moonlit walks and bouquets of roses.
“Ah, so who is this Noel?” Ashton’s jade eyes flickered with amusement.
Rena wanted to just sink right into the ground. Trying desperately to control her blushing, she turned to the young man and asked, “Please tell me the story about your dragons. I am ever so curious as to what happened.”
Precis giggled at the obvious attempt to change the subject. Ashton grinned himself, and then proceeded to tell his tale, “All right, Rena. If you want to be bored by my story, be my guest.”
Rena politely motioned for the three of them to sit on the cream-colored sofa in the living room. She hesitated for a moment, remembering… This… This is the same sofa that Mother was sitting on while she mended her wedding gown that night… Why haven’t I noticed that before?
She realized that she had been staring at the piece of furniture for a little too long when Ashton said, “Rena? Is something the matter?”
She shook her head and forced a smile. “Ah, no, it’s nothing.”
“Oh, ok…” Ashton cleared his throat, and began his narrative, “Well, I guess I should start off by saying that I… um… I… do jobs for people, for money…”
The girls’ eyes widened in shock.
“Ah! No, no! I don’t mean that!!” Ashton blushed, chagrined.
“Whew!” Rena and Precis laughed softly.
Ashton laughed nervously. “Anyway… What I meant was that I hunt demons and monsters that people want destroyed for a price.”
“Ew…” The little girl frowned.
“So you’re a bounty hunter...” Rena stated.
“Yes, I am…” Ashton looked at the two girls’ sympathetic faces. “Oh no, it’s not like that. I wasn’t forced to become a bounty hunter, nor do I regret becoming one. I love what I’m doing. I chose this path, to use my skills to help people…”
The two step-sisters smiled.
“So, I heard about a terrible dragon in the Salva Drift, and I took the job. I entered the mines one day, and there were so many monsters…”
Rena watched the bright fulfillment, the happiness, that sparkled in Ashton’s jade eyes as he told them about the perils that he faced in the mines, the monsters that he battled, and the times that he narrowly escaped death. I envy him… To be able to live a life like that, a life of adventure, of danger, of excitement… To live the life he chose, rather than what was given to him…
“… And after a few days, I finally found the dragon. It was this evil, cruel monster.” Gyoro and Ururun suddenly began to shriek loudly in Ashton’s ear. “AHHHHH!!!!” The young man screamed. “All right, all right, I’m sorry. But, you two have to admit that you were a vicious monster before!”
The dragons looked at each other and grinned, revealing their fangs.
“Why me?” Ashton groaned. Shaking his head, he sighed before continuing, “I battled the dragon, and all was going well, and I was about to use my final finishing move and destroy it… but then these guys come and try to do my job! They got in the way, and they tried to slay the dragon themselves, but they couldn’t, and I had to save them! They distracted me from my fight with the dragon, and somehow… this happened!!” He motioned towards Gyoro and Ururun, and put his hands up in defeat.
“Oh, that sucks!” Precis frowned, placing her hand into a fist and raising it ardently into the air. “How can those guys be so stupid?!”
“Yeah…” Ashton found himself wanting to smile as he watched the little girl being so cutely melodramatic.
“Ashton, I’m sorry about what happened. It’s terrible, but…” Rena smiled cheerfully. “I’m sure that you will become friends with Gyoro and Ururun someday, if you haven’t already. After all, everything happens for a reason, right?”
He returned her smile. “Thanks, Rena. I guess they are starting to grow on me…” He laughed.
Precis beamed, her eyes shining with delight. “Yay! I’m glad that you two get along! Maybe we can hang out with you at the ball Rena!!”
The young woman looked down at her hands clasped on her lap, wistfully thinking about her dress… “Yes, I’d love that…”
“All right, Ashton, now I have to introduce you to Father.” Precis dragged him by one arm, informing him about what was to come. “I’m warning you, he may seem stern at first, but he really just wants to protect me from getting hurt by the wrong guy. Just be polite, and I’m sure he’ll like you. He’s excited about me going to this ball, and he even bought me a dress today. It’s so beautiful! It’s a pretty carnation pink, and the skirt is long, reaching… ”
Rena watched them leave, her midnight blue eyes becoming cloudy with tears, her heart aching with jealousy…
Yes, everything happens for a reason…
****
Indalecio slowly crept up the stairs to the attic. What in the world is that girl doing? Why isn’t dinner ready? He was about to pound on the door to Rena’s room when he heard the faint sounds of someone humming. He stopped in his tracks, trying to make out the melody… It’s that song… That song that plagues my waking moments, that haunts me in my dreams…
The door was slightly ajar, so the tall man reached out and pulled it just barely open, enough so that he could observe what the young girl was doing. She was sitting on her bed, humming that melody that she always did. In her hand was… a needle.
He realized what she was up to. Rena was sewing a ribbon onto an incomplete pale violet dress…
Gentle hands holding a needle, mending a torn wedding dress… A beautiful face stained with tears as she sang that familiar song… A little girl watching her, confused as to why her mother was so sad…
A little girl with the same soothing voice, the same angelic face, the same enchanting eyes, as the woman he loved…
I will never let that girl be happy…
Because that beautiful woman never was.
Indalecio’s cold eyes narrowed as he slammed the door shut.
~To be continued…~
Author's Note: Hi there! Well, what did you think of this chapter? I hope you all like it! Don’t worry, the ball scenes are coming up soon! ;) I'm also planning to or am in the process of writing the following fairy tales as well:
* "Aladdin: A Fairy Tale Fantasy" starring Zidane and Garnet from FF9
* "The Little Mermaid: A Fairy Tale Fantasy" starring Tidus and Yuna from FF10
