School is out for the day and the sun is again smiling in the western sky. Its a quiet thurday afternoon. Most other kids have gone home, found other things to do, or are with friends. Sierra is not most kids. She is alone and has only just discovered the Botannical Gardens.
Quietly Sierra has settled into a spot under a bright pink Sakura. She has her books out and is doing up her homework. Her parents aren't exactly thrilled about her doing homework away from home but as long as it's getting done and they can see that she is doing it, they are okay with it. On she goes, writing an essay for one of her classes. This isn't her strongest suit but she is fairing alright. Her handwriting is neat as usual but, she seems distracted. In the margins of the paper there are a few doodles of planes.
Yup. School is out for the day, and Chloe is enjoying it rather well. She has also discovered the botanical gardens but her homework is already done, at school. Yup. She does her homework at school.
However, passing by a certain sakura, she notices who's there and smiles to Sierra. "Hey Sierra. Sorry if I weirded you out the other day."
Constantly pushing oneself to perform any task means that eventually you burn out. Kukai Souma knows this, and so today, no patrolling, no searching, no nothing. He's just out of the house at King Penguin Park, wandering around through the Botanical Gardens, Daichi napping in one pocket, hoping to run into Nadeshiko, or Utau, or Runealy, or maybe even Mamoru and Wall-kun. Anybody is fine.
What he does run into, though, is the blue-haired girl from the other day who was pretty sure he was crazy, and one of her other friends and his other aquaintances, Chloe. Well. Time to try again.
"Hello! How're you two doing?" Kukai waves from a distance, approaching them. "It's a great day to be out here, isn't it?"
Sierra Earhart continues drawing for a few moments. Its rare for her to get distracted. She's usually more astute when it comes to her home work. That is until she hears a familiar voice. Quickly she turns to look up. Its the girl she had met just a few days pryor. Not Utau but the other one. "Hey, Hows it going? Its fine. Don't worry about it. It's not the craziest thing thats happened lately."
Her attention shifts as she hears the more masculine voice of Kukai. She turns and gives a little waves. "Hello, Souma-san. A pleasure to see you out today. Yes it is lovely. A very fine day for working on school work under the shade of a pretty tree!" She gives a little smile.
Chloe looks up and smiles. "hey Kukai. Yeah, it's really good to be outside, instead of in the rain." She then looks to Sierra. "really? What happened to you that was weirder?"
Kukai grins, walking over towards the two of them. "It's nice to see you both as well. And ugh." He grimaces, laughing. "There's no good time to work on homework. It always sucks. It is a really pretty sakura tree though, isn't it?" He looks up into the pink tree for a moment, before looking back at Chloe and Sierra. "Oh? Yeah, what else happened today?"
Sierra Earhart shrugs, "Well, I met a few of few of the Guardians. That was interesting. Well a few besides you, Souma-san. I met Hotori-san and Hinamori-san. Given that a strange voice told me to talk to them, I took the advice Hotori-san gave me to heart. I have been doing as he told me and while I don't understand why, I feel a bit better. I even found a way to face my fear of heights! If I can keep doing that, maybe I can achieve my dream after all?" She smiles a little bit.
"I umm... Well hearing weird voices does count for crazy. But as I told Hinamori-san, straight-jackets cramp my style."
"Really? What's your dream?" Chloe says softly to Sierra. "Hearing weird voices? Mmmmm....you may not be as crazy as you think, Sierra." She then looks to Kukai. "have you....talked to the rest of the guardians about what you, I and Rena talked about?"
Kukai nods, then grins. "Well hopefully you don't think you're crazy anymore. Or we're crazy. And that's good! We're here to help, after all. I'm glad I don't have a fear of heights - I'd have trouble with going up into Clover Tower!" He laughs. "I wish I'd been there to talk with you alongside Amu-chan and Tadase-kun. It's good that they helped you out."
He hmms. "As for voices... can't help you there. I see all the voices that talk to me, you know." He chuckles, then looks at Chloe. "Not as yet, but I did talk to Utau-san the other day. I need to make a point to talk to them about things. I've got another thing going on that's on my mind a lot too. I promise, if Utau needs everyone, everyone will be there, even if I have to carry them there in their pajamas."
Sierra Earhart smiles a little to Kukai and then laughs a little and shrugs, "Not worried about it. I know I'm not crazy. I am just under a lot of stress I just moved for like the second time in 4 years and the 5th or 6th time since I was born. Not to mention starting at a new school, having next to no friends, and of course meeting one of my favorite singers who looked like she was going to rip my still beating heart out. I think stressed fits the bill, don't you?"
Then she turns and looks to Chloe and smiles a little. Quietly she unfastens the pin from her coat and hands it over to her for the moment. "Thats my dream. A few years ago I was on a flight from Texas to Japan. I was terrified at being up so high. Shaking, pale, the whole shabang. The Flight attendant spoke to the pilot. She then came back and took me up to the cockpit. It was there I seen the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I seen the world above the clouds. It was the most amazing thing. It calmed me down and I felt just right for once. The pilot was impressed that I calmed down so much and he gave me that pin. Ever since that day, I've dreamed of being a pilot. I am still terrified of heights though. I just know if I can get over that fear and see the world above the clouds again, I know that dream can come true."
Chloe smiles to Sierra. "You may be there again sooner than you think, Sierra. That world isn't as far out of reach as you think." She says before closing the girl's hand....without sticking her with the pin. "Hold onto that dream, Sierra. And your fear of heights won't matter." She then smiles to Kukai. "You know why." She says before looking to Sierra. "I used to be afraid of heights too, Sierra.....as well as other things. However, if your heart remains strong, anything is possible." She says taking Sierra's other hand, and places it on her hand. "Grab onto your dream with both hands, hold tight....and don't let go." She then takes a deep breath. "I should be getting home soon though." She says starting to walk away.
Kukai winces. "I'm actually really sorry things have been so crazy for you. That sounds kind of awful, moving so often. And hey, you'll make new friends, I promise, and hopefully this'll be the last time you have to move!" He hears her description of Utau and laughs. "Like I said then, that was my fault. I..." He grins, blushing a bit. "I think she likes me, and I sort of like her, but...I like at least one other person too, and maybe more. It's really complicated."
He listens to Sierra describe her dream, then nods, rubbing his chin. "It's not just about being just any pilot either, is it? You want to be a really great pilot, huh?" He grins. "Well.. this is the place to chase your dreams. I'm sure if you ask for help with it, everyone will help you get there!"
He motions to Chloe as she speaks, then grins. "Well. I guess I could say something after that but that's pretty much it. Your dreams are one of your most important things. It's what keeps you going. Abandoning it is a big no-no." Kukai turns from Sierra and calls out. "Seeya Chloe!"
Sierra gives a little wave to Chloe, "See you around, Stingray-san." She states before her attention goes back to Kukai. "I suppose thats true. After I spoke to Hotori-san, He told me to focus on my dream and to not let go of it. I went home. I did as he told me and I did something I thought would be impossible. I managed to go out on my balcony. I'm still really scared of heights but I think I know how to fight it now."
She smiles a little smile. "Maybe someday I will be able to climb Clover Tower and enjoy the view from there. It would be wonderful but I dunno if I can do it would be wonderful."
Kukai grins and nods, patting her on the shoulder. "That's excellent. I'm glad you're working hard on reaching your dreams. It's a great thing." He hmms. "Facing your fears can be hard, but it's also important. You have to be able to deal with your issues whatever they are."
"That is a fact. I wish it were easy but its not. I hate how I feel when I am so afraid. Its like everything just shuts down and I'm left cowering in fear. Its just a horrible feeling." Sierra packs up her books and stands up. "I have to overcome this. If only I could just let it go. I know I could be free of it and I would be able to become the amazing pilot that I wanna be. I wanna fly fast planes at the top of the sky. I wanna be a thrill seeker and I don't wanna be afraid of being alone. Gods its like I wanna be someone else."
Kukai laughs. "You want to change your entire character, is that it?" That's a knowing smile, that is. "And you have to remember. Bravery isn't not being afraid. It's being able to do what you have to do even when you're terrified. You might not ever get over being afraid, but you can certainly learn to handle it!"
He watches her stand up and moves back, nodding. "I ought to get going too." There's a flash of green fire in his eyes for a moment. "Maybe sometime we could go get something to eat or go do something?"
Sierra Earhart nods slowly, "I know, I heard it that, Its not being without fear, its knowing there is something more important. Either way, I've got to get over it. Maybe I can get past this. Even if I am still a little afraid. I can do it."
The sunlight catches her eyes just right causing those amethyst irises to sparkle. "I'd like that. It would be fun. I will see you around Souma-san."