The same she told me when she had the chance. That I must never go over to where she is now, because I'm the Phoenix Saint, the Saint of Hope that keeps rising no matter what. That I must go live for my brothers and for the whole humanity, no matter how much I want to see her again, I must never give up and I must keep moving forward. Forever.
[Nothing Marco doesn't know, being a phoenix as well, but back when that happened Ikki didn't know it. He hadn't realized how much being the Phoenix Saint meant, what it implied. How it forced on him the "gift" of never been able to truly die.]
I didn't know I couldn't die back then, I thought I was going to die and join her. But she came to me, her soul didn't let me go further and she made me realize exactly what it meant to be the Phoenix Saint. That's it's more than just a mere title anyone could attain... I don't know what happened to her soul afterwards, despite crossing Hell several times after that, and even going to the Elysium, she was nowhere to be found. So I suppose that what she did, meeting me when I died to deliver that message, was something she shouldn't have done and was punished for it. Maybe by getting her soul erased or something, it fits the way the gods work.
[At any rate, Ikki has clearly given up a long time ago the hope of meeting her once more ever again.]
And I know that was her own decision, just as she was the one who wanted to go see the final test. But I still hate it. I can't stand how they can be so kind and pure and give a guy like me so much that there's nothing left for them. As if that would make me happy. Specially when they go and say things like how they only care about me being happy and they are fine even if they have to suffer or go through something they don't like.
[The "she" becomes a "they" without him realizing it. But it's true, how many times has Kotomi told him something like that? How many times they have "argued" about how Ikki doesn't want Kotomi to just be happy because he's happy? To be happy for herself, to do things she wants to do even if it's something he doesn't like or enjoy. It really isn't a wonder why he has so many issues regarding her, she probably would be stupid enough to do the same things Esmeralda did for him if she was given the chance.]
[Action]
The same she told me when she had the chance. That I must never go over to where she is now, because I'm the Phoenix Saint, the Saint of Hope that keeps rising no matter what. That I must go live for my brothers and for the whole humanity, no matter how much I want to see her again, I must never give up and I must keep moving forward. Forever.
[Nothing Marco doesn't know, being a phoenix as well, but back when that happened Ikki didn't know it. He hadn't realized how much being the Phoenix Saint meant, what it implied. How it forced on him the "gift" of never been able to truly die.]
I didn't know I couldn't die back then, I thought I was going to die and join her. But she came to me, her soul didn't let me go further and she made me realize exactly what it meant to be the Phoenix Saint. That's it's more than just a mere title anyone could attain... I don't know what happened to her soul afterwards, despite crossing Hell several times after that, and even going to the Elysium, she was nowhere to be found. So I suppose that what she did, meeting me when I died to deliver that message, was something she shouldn't have done and was punished for it. Maybe by getting her soul erased or something, it fits the way the gods work.
[At any rate, Ikki has clearly given up a long time ago the hope of meeting her once more ever again.]
And I know that was her own decision, just as she was the one who wanted to go see the final test. But I still hate it. I can't stand how they can be so kind and pure and give a guy like me so much that there's nothing left for them. As if that would make me happy. Specially when they go and say things like how they only care about me being happy and they are fine even if they have to suffer or go through something they don't like.
[The "she" becomes a "they" without him realizing it. But it's true, how many times has Kotomi told him something like that? How many times they have "argued" about how Ikki doesn't want Kotomi to just be happy because he's happy? To be happy for herself, to do things she wants to do even if it's something he doesn't like or enjoy. It really isn't a wonder why he has so many issues regarding her, she probably would be stupid enough to do the same things Esmeralda did for him if she was given the chance.]