Okay, before I begin I'd just like to thank everyone who has bothered to review anything else I've written. Seeing good reviews makes me smile, and I need to be in a good mood these days because of my upcoming math exam. Thanks especially to my friends at ffgurus, who were helping and encouraging me when I was in progress of writing this, as well as all my other fanfics. Now I'll stop rambling and let you read. Enjoy!
Final Fantasy VIII – A Dark Moon over Deling City
By Tarlia
A sequel to 'In Honor of Our Children'. All names and characters from the game, Final Fantasy VIII, belong to Squaresoft. All original characters are the property of the author. Do not use without permission.
Chapter 1:
Sparks flew as the two, silver blades clashed together with incredible force, one forcing the other to slip away. The swords separated, only to strike again the next second. Left, right, left. Slash, cut, stab. The sound of metal meeting, over and over. Concentration, strength, skill.
They were a man and a woman, out in an open, grassy field, and no one else was there. The sun was low on the sky; it was early evening. She was an aging female, face and mind marked with her 50 years of age, but her body fit for a 30 year old. Her clothes, a dark purple in color, matched her intimidating attitude perfectly, and went along well with her talent in sword fighting. It looked like a dress, in many ways – one piece of clothing, with long sleeves and a black vest on top of it, but what looked like a skirt was in fact wide trousers. A long, purple cape with a hood and black boots would have completed the image of a knight, hadn't it been for the fact she was a woman. Her hair was amazingly long, pitch black, and tied together with three bands of the same color as her cape and clothes, and her eyes were impossibly dark brown, almost blending in with the pupils.
The blades kept hitting each other, again and again. Stress, sweat, heat.
He, however, was younger, and contrasted her with 15 years less of experience, as well as a very handsome face compared to her witch-like features. Moderately short hair was silky and soft, long bangs covering part of his face and dangling in front of his muddy green eyes, which carried the hardened expression of a difficult and tragic life. His clothes were simple enough, a brown shirt and boots, and gray pants. Despite his natural charm, appearance seemed to be the least of his worries.
"Right, Moonlight, on the right!"
"Shut up! I'm doing my best!"
Concentration, strength, skill. That was all he needed.
Pride.
(Concentrate…)
With one swift swipe, the longsword was brutally knocked out of his hands, and passed several meters through the air before hitting the ground. The tip of a sharp blade was brought to his throat.
"Game over. Kneel for me," she hissed.
Mutely, he refused. His cold eyes met her dark ones, and they stared at each other, unblinking. Then, she brought the blade closer, "I said kneel for me! Do it!"
Bitterly, reluctantly, he gritted his teeth in humiliation and fell to his knees in defeat, but his gaze never left hers.
For a moment longer, she returned the stare. Then, she gave a heavy sigh and threw her sword to the ground in front of him, "Damn it, Moonlight! What the hell is the matter with you?!"
Slowly getting to his feet, the man brushed off his clothes and walked over to retrieve his weapon, "Nothing's the matter. You're just a better warrior than me," he replied, dully.
"Don't give me that," she narrowed her eyes warningly, picking up her own sword, "You've been fighting like a blind Geezard lately. There's something bothering you, and I know what it is. It's because I told you, isn't it?"
Not replying, he strapped the sword to his belt and sat down on one of the many rocks scattered in the area, staring towards the mountains.
The woman sighed again, "Had I known it'd affect you this much, I would never have told you the truth," she paused, her eyes turning softer, almost hurt, "You never really loved me, did you?"
He answered immediately, without looking at her. She had asked so many times before, and every time he responded the same, "Of course I love you, Sakira. You are my guardian. My teacher. My protector. My life is devoted to you."
"I meant as a mother."
(I had a mother. You were not her.)
"You took me away," he whispered, his voice swept away by the wind. Yet, she caught his words.
"They didn't want you," Sakira said with simplicity.
"No," standing again, he turned to face her, eyes burning with inner frustration, pain and betrayal, "No. You took me away. You were only a child then, and you took me away for your own, selfish desires. My mother would never have given me up! Never! You did this to me!"
"Listen to yourself, Moonlight. You know I never lie to you," she remained as calm as she ever was, but her voice was harsh and sharp, loveless, spitting poison. Like a snake waiting for its next kill, "You are nothing without me. I gave you your life, I made you what you are. Your mother wanted glory, fame, expensive jewelry, you would never have been happy with her. A child born outside marriage would have destroyed her career, don't you realize that? She would have hated you for ruining her life."
Inwardly, the woman smiled as she saw how his rage changed to sorrow and shame, as his expression turned into one similar to that of a dog being beaten. She could control him this way, like she always had.
"Bloodline does not matter, Moonlight. You are my creation. My son."
(Shut up!)
"Do you hear me, Mwezai? You're mine."
"SHUT UP!!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, whipping out his sword in the flash of a second, "One on one, Sakira! Once and for all! I am everything without you! I will find my true destiny, I will take what is rightfully mine! If it wasn't for you, I could have been the hero now! I could have been famous! You made me what I am, yet I am nothing," he stood there, breathing hard, the blade hovering in the air. But he did not dare to challenge her. He did not dare to attack.
She watched him, darkly, for a long while. Then, a small smile spread on her lips, and she started chuckling. First quietly, then she was laughing out loud, "Oh, my, Moonlight! You are such a pitiful sight! You say you're going to take on some of the mightiest people of the world, yet you stand there, quivering like a child and afraid to attack an old woman. What kind of man are you?"
Mwezai bit his lip, hard, so hard blood began to spill. So much pain, so much anger and confusion, so much regret and shame. So many things to undo and so many things to catch up with, "I'm going to find them, Sakira. With or without your help. I'm going to find them, and I'm going to do what's right," there was a newfound determination in his face, one she had hardly seen before. His breath was shaky, and he licked away the red liquid from his lower lip.
Frowning, Sakira slowly put her hands on her hips, glaring at him dangerously. Then the smile slowly returned, but it was different this time. It wasn't really a smile, "Well then, Moonlight. You won't get far without me."
Chapter 2:
Raine Loire
-----
2356 – 2378
And that was it. So simple, so empty. A name and two numbers indicating the year of her birth and death, and that was all that was left to remember her by. A plain, gray, flat headstone placed out there in the open, surrounded by lush, green grass and flowers. The breeze picked up, ruffling his dark brown hair. He flicked the long bangs away from his eyes and slowly lowered to one knee, stroking a hand over the stone gently.
(So this is your final place of rest, mother… You were born in this town and you died in this town. You had long, dark hair and blue eyes, and that's all I know about you. I wonder what you were like. I wonder how it would have felt like to really know you.)
A bunch of beautiful blossoms – pure white and rose pink ones mixed – was placed at the grave, as the girl's tender hands gingerly put down the blue vase filled with water. She sat next to the man, staring silently at the name engraved on the headstone, the name of her grandmother whom she had never known.
The girl's hair was soft and fluid in appearance, reaching her waist in length. It was almost the same dark brown as her father's, though a shade darker, and tied back with a light lilac band. Dark blue eyes sparkled in a rounded, beautiful face – Apart from the features inherited from her mother's side, even as a 10 year old, she was a perfect reflection of Raine.
Beautiful, honest and stubborn.
"Dad, how come you haven't taken me here before?" she asked, glancing up at her father who was still watching the grave, an expressionless look on his face. As she spoke, though, his steel blue eyes slowly turned to her.
"I don't know. This is the first time I'm here, actually."
"You look different," the girl mused, meeting his gaze as he gave her a puzzled look, "I mean, you look different from when… You know, when we visit Adrian's grave."
Despite the indifference he had adapted in his younger years, Squall's expression visibly darkened at the mention of Adrian. The characteristic frown found its way to his face as he glanced back to his mother's headstone, shaking his head lightly, "I never knew her, Dawn. I don't feel the… The same pain when I'm here. The same guilt."
Dawn kept watching him, slowly reaching up with her hand to take his, much larger one in her own, "What do you feel?"
Turning to his daughter once again, Squall started to say something, but paused, simply watching her. It was strange, how he could speak his mind to her. In many ways, he felt there were things he could say to her that even Rinoa would never be capable of understanding. That this girl, this walking, talking, little piece of himself was the only person in the world who could truly share his emotions and comprehend them. Perhaps that was a lie, perhaps it was something he imagined. But the feeling only grew along with Dawn, as both she and her intelligence idly matured. So he did not feel any reluctance when he cracked a small smile at her and replied, "Emptiness. Loss of something I never had."
It was similar to how she felt about Adrian. The big brother who had died before she was born. He would have been 16 now, he could have protected her, taught her new ways of getting in trouble, told her things her parents never would. Loss of something she never had, but something that was supposed to be there. Dawn's eyes narrowed, like a mirror of Squall's own frown.
"Laguna says you look very much like her," he continued, letting the previous subject slip away, "I think so, too." He could remember, from when he had seen into the past through Laguna's eyes as Ellone had him 'connected', that one time 17 years ago. It was probably one of the few things he and Laguna had ever agreed on.
"Why do you always call him Laguna if he's your dad?" Dawn asked, in all her innocence.
"Ask Laguna about that." Some things weren't meant to be talked about.
Silence enveloped them again for a while as they sat there. Dawn let her hand loosen its grip on his and slip away, and she rose, "I want to go back to mom."
"Dawn, wait…," Squall stood up, too, looking down at her for a second before lifting his hand to touch the Griever medallion that hung around his neck, "Ellone told me this belonged to Raine. She gave it to me before she died." Grabbing the chain of the necklace, he pulled it over his head and held it, then put it around Dawn's neck, "I think you should have it."
The girl studied the silver lion head carefully, letting it rest in her hand for a moment. "It's a symbol of strength," Squall said as he watched her, "And pride. It helped me once. Now it is yours."
A bright smile spread across Dawn's face, "Thanks, dad!" she cheered, before whirling around and dashing back towards the spot where they were having their picnic, "Mom! Mom! Look what I got!"
Squall sighed quietly to himself and remained where he was as he saw his daughter proudly show off the necklace to his wife. They both smiled and laughed about something. That cheery attitude was one thing Dawn definitely had not gotten from him. She was a girl of so many different personalities. Or maybe just one, big personality.
(Here I am, having a picnic out in a grassy field with my wife and daughter, like any normal guy… Who could have imagined?) He inwardly chuckled and shook his head, glancing up at the sky. (I don't know where I'm going, though… Don't know if I'm content. I suppose I am. I have Rinoa and Dawn, and that's all I need, really… I guess.)
Suddenly, he got a creepy feeling of something being amiss. That he was being watched, that someone was stalking him from behind. But as he turned, there was no one in sight. There was no one there but the three of them.
(Old, touchy nerves… I'm seeing ghosts.)
Shrugging it off, Squall went to join his small family.
Chapter 3:
"… Are you the father of the child, sir?"
"No, I am her manager. How is the boy doing?"
"Well, he's born one and a half month early and is quite weak. It can go both ways from here."
Sakira peeked around the corner of the wall, her dirty, black hair hanging into her eyes. She watched the black dressed man speak with the doctor, and for some reason, she disliked the expression on his face. He seemed cold, the sort of man who only cared about business. The sort of man despising all those who were less fortunate than himself. Like her, a young girl who lived in the streets, stealing and begging to keep herself alive.
"Make sure he does not survive another day," the manager said.
The doctor looked shocked as a huge amount of gil was stuffed into the pocket of his white coat, "Sir?"
"You heard me," the man hissed, "If this comes out into public, her career is over before it has even begun. Tell her he died of natural causes. I will not ask you again."
The girl's eyes widened as the doctor nodded mutely. The two men looked at each other, then went in different directions. Quickly, Sakira snuck towards the room where she knew the baby was. Keeping out of sight, even in a pale-walled hospital such was this, was one of her specialties, along with sword fighting and thievery. The combination secured her survival.
Immediately, she found the small child lying in a white clothed bed. Wrapping the blanket around it, she lifted the baby boy and made a hasty retreat towards the window. Opening it, she moved out into the cold and dark night, climbing down the fire escape with one arm around the infant.
As she ran down the black alley, with the crying child in her arms and the wind in her face, she looked up at the sky. It was past midnight, but the stars and the moon lit up her path, and she immediately knew what to name him, "Nakupenda, Mwezai. You are my child now."
And from that moment, she would never be alone again.
She woke to the dull sound of the train's wheels thundering against the rails. Blinking her eyes open, she focused on the younger man sitting on the opposite seat from her, as she leaned her forehead against her hand and groaned, "Oh… How long was I asleep?"
"For about an hour," he replied evenly, without looking up from the newspaper he was reading.
"Give me that," Sakira grunted, grabbing the newspaper out of his hands, "… Currently staying in Winhill… blah blah blah… The heroic son of President Laguna Loire… yadda yadda… Mrs. Leonhart says she and her husband are going to Trabia next…," she glanced up at Mwezai, "Media just won't leave these people alone, huh?"
He shook his head bitterly, letting his hand slip over his longsword, "And here I am, forgotten. But I will make them remember me." A sinister look swept across his face, "And if nothing else, the press makes it easy for me to find them."
"Will you please explain again why we are going to Dollet?" She glared at him, throwing the paper down on the floor and leaned back in her seat.
"Relax. I told you that geography book would come in handy. We're going to board a ship there and travel to Fisherman's Horizon. From there, we'll walk the old railroad to Esthar, and-"
"Hold on," Sakira held up a hand, "Did you say walk?! And if they are in Trabia, then why are we going to Esthar?"
"You always told me to have patience, Sakira. Take your own advice, for once," Mwezai smiled smugly.
She sighed and shook her head, "Foolish child… I still do not understand what you are seeking, Moonlight. Revenge? A chance to prove yourself? I don't see what there is to prove."
"You could never understand," he frowned and glanced out the train's window, "If you had understood what I feel, what this is like for me, you would never have told me in the first place. Because you want to hold on to me and tell me what to do, but not this time, Sakira. This one time, I'm going to reach my goal. You can try to stop me, you can follow me or choose not to, but either way, I am not turning back now."
The woman watched him silently for another moment, then smirked, "You know I follow you wherever you go, Moonlight, as you have always followed me. Besides, you can not do this on your own. You never could bear to be alone."
"No, Sakira," his brownish green eyes turned to meet her dark ones once again, "It is you who are the weak one. It is you who can not bear to be alone, as it always has been."
'Next Stop, Dollet. Next Stop, Dollet. All passengers please get ready to leave the train.'
She gave him one last, angry look before standing and promptly leaving. Mwezai chuckled to himself as he followed her, "The fun is about to begin…"
Chapter 4:
"Whoo-hoo, they're HERE!!!"
There wasn't a single person in Trabia Garden who did not recognize that voice. Some were amused by the sight, others – the new students, mainly – were surprised, and others again, annoyed. Their Headmistress was excited about something again. The fact that the Garden was so well-organized and the students so skilled, though, never ceased to amaze Squall. One thing he had not expected when Selphie was given this job, was total success.
The young woman sprinted to the front gate and threw her arms around Rinoa's neck immediately, hugging her tightly, only to do the same to Squall in the next second. Discreetly, he pushed her away, "It's so great to see you guys!" Selphie said excitedly, smiling broadly.
"It's good to see you too, Selphie," Rinoa replied with a smile.
Cute. It was the word that described Selphie the best. She had matured, though, and beneath her sweet surface was a strong woman who knew when she needed to be serious and take action. The difference that separated her from other Headmasters was that she was never serious unless she had to, and the students were never afraid of having a friendly conversation with her, but at the same time they respected her greatly.
Her hair had grown longer over the years, reaching down to just below her shoulders, but the tips still had a bouncy curl. The short dress had been replaced by a longer, yet sun yellow dress, which suited her nicely.
"Aunt Rinoa! Dawn!" a young girl's voice echoed through the halls, and the four of them – Selphie, Rinoa, Squall and Dawn; who was standing shyly behind her parents, – turned to face the approaching child.
Likoya was a perfect mixture of her mother and father. The 8 year old female had inherited Irvine's dark blue eyes and his charm, but also Selphie's spunky nature and her chestnut hair, which was neatly pulled up in two ponytails on the top of her head. Dawn's face lit up as the other girl lunged at her, giggling happily, "Haven't seen ya in like, forever!"
Selphie cleared her voice, "Likoya, we have two other guests too, you know!"
"Oh," the girl smiled and whirled around to hug the black haired Sorceress' waist, "Hi, aunt Rinoa!" she looked up at Squall, her expression quickly changing to one of almost fearful respect, "Hi, Mr. Leonhart."
Squall sighed and rolled his eyes. (Do I look that intimidating…?) Likoya had called him that ever since he had told her he didn't appreciate being referred to as 'Unca Squall'.
"Howdy, Leonharts," Another voice joined them. While Selphie's hair had become longer, Irvine had cut his hair shorter than Squall's, and gotten rid of the cowboy outfit. He looked more like a true commander, dressed in his SeeD uniform as he paced towards the gathering. The attitude and the sly smile, however, were the same.
"Trying to impress the female students, Irvine?" Squall asked with a faint smirk.
"I don't have to try anything to do that," Irvine snickered. Selphie frowned and punched his shoulder playfully.
"Momma, can I show Dawn around? Please? Pretty please?" Likoya asked, tugging at Selphie's dress.
"Sure, honey," Selphie answered, "Oh, Rinoa, I have got to show you how wonderful our new Quad turned out after we rebuilt it! It's almost as pretty as Balamb Garden's, now."
"That's boring stuff!" Likoya exclaimed and grabbed Dawn's arm, "Come on, Dawn. I'll take you on a tour a la Koya!" she said as she dragged the quiet girl off, although a smile was at Dawn's lips.
"Stay away from the Training Center, young lady!" Irvine shouted after them. Selphie had already convinced Rinoa to come with her to the Quad, and the two males were left alone by the Garden's entrance. Irvine looked at Squall and shook his head, grinning, "Women…"
"Yeah, whatever," Squall smirked still as he started walking down the hall, Irvine following him.
"How are things going, Squall?" the SeeD commander asked. It still felt somewhat strange for him to look upon Squall as a normal civilian instead of commander and headmaster, even though it had been over 10 years since he quit SeeD.
"Rinoa is teaching Dawn how to use the blaster edge," Squall said simply, "With all these monsters still wandering around everywhere, she has to learn to protect herself."
Irvine nodded, "Of course. Likoya has started to train to become a SeeD… Seems like she's got Sefie's nunchaku skills," he paused as Squall seemed to have lost interest. He never quite understood Squall – he had everything he could ask for, with a loving family and permanent support from both Garden and Esthar after what he did for the world 17 years ago, yet he never seemed completely happy or content whenever Irvine saw him. Perhaps it was just his imagination, though. Squall had never known to be a very openly cheerful person, anyway.
"So… Going back to Esthar anytime soon?" he said, in a vain attempt to start a conversation. Squall, who had been watching the floor as they walked, looked up at the other man.
"Next week."
"How… um… How are you getting along with your father?" Irvine asked nervously.
Squall stopped, narrowing his eyes for a moment, then he actually smiled – a sarcastic smile, but a smile nonetheless, "I still dislike it when you call him my 'father'. But I guess I tolerate him. And Dawn is very fond of him, obviously… God knows why."
Deciding against pushing the subject any further, Irvine made a turn, heading towards the cafeteria, "Well, feeling up for a hot cup of Trabia Garden's coffee?"
Glad to let the subject rest, too, Squall nodded, "Sounds good."
Chapter 5:
"…and just as they all thought we were doomed, I rushed forward and delivered another series of punches to the Ruby Dragon. It threw its head up, opening its mouth and showing off all the deadly, sharp teeth… I was sure it was going to kill me," pausing for effect, Zell grinned slightly at the wide-eyed expressions of the children gathered in front of him. They literally held their breath as they waited for him to finish the story.
"But then, suddenly, the crack of a whip distracted it! Now its attention was on my friend, Quistis. The dragon roared in fury and turned around to give Quistis a taste of its fiery breath. As it was already weakened by my powerful attack, though, all I needed to do was cast a Blizzaga spell on it, just as it was about to attack the dear instructor. And so the huge beast was defeated, and we were safe once again. The others sure were lucky I was there! Umm… The end."
"Tell 'nother stowy, unca Zell!" one of the small children said.
"YEAH!" the others screamed in unison. Zell was a hero to the youngsters at the orphanage, a role-model. They all loved to hear about his adventures from when he was still in SeeD, and whenever he told a story, he had their complete attention. Far more interesting than any of the fairy tales Edea told them.
"Hmm, well…" Zell rubbed the back of his head, "There was this one time-"
"Zell! Zell!!" It was Bella's voice, from inside the house, and she sounded angry. Wincing, Zell slowly stood up and called back.
"Coming, dear! …Sorry, kids. Another time, okay?"
"Awww," the children pouted. Edea, who was sitting on a bench below one of the flower garden's trees, smiled softly as she watched the disappointed little ones. She knew how to cheer them up. She was an aging woman, now, her long raven hair marked with stripes of silver. Yet, despite her age, she still maintained that exotic beauty she possessed as a sorceress. After Cid had passed away a couple of years earlier, Edea had been quite lonely and depressed for some time, but the children never failed to cheer her up. This was the kind of life she preferred – that she always had preferred – feeling she was making up for the terror she caused while controlled by Ultimecia, by doing so much good for these children who needed it so badly.
"I know what to do. Let's go down to the beach and look for sea shells. Or you could play ball if you want. How does that sound?"
The seven children's faces immediately lit up, "Yeah!"
"All right!"
"Matwon's da best!"
"Last one's a ruby dwagon!"
They ran through the garden and ahead of Edea, as she followed her children as quickly as she could, chuckling quietly to herself.
Stepping inside the orphanage's main building, Zell gazed over at his wife who was standing by the other side of the room, her arms crossed and her foot tapping the floor. Next to her was their son, who was staring shamefully at the floor. It wasn't exactly the kind of homecoming Zell had expected – or rather, hoped for. Great way to start the weekend.
"Robbie, what did you do this time? Sneaked into the ladies' wardrobe again?" he asked, half-smirking.
"He failed another test," Bella said curtly.
"What? A written one?" Zell looked at Robbie in surprise. The boy was almost always reading something, either school work or other books, and always had a perfect score at the theory tests. That was one trait he had from his mother, that was for sure.
"No," Robbie admitted quietly, " …Instructor Trepe had to save me in the training center again… This grat was being really nasty and I… sorta… got cold feet," the 12 year old boy rubbed his gloved hands nervously. He wanted so badly to be like his father, but lacked the same courage in battle. Zell studied his son thoughtfully. He had light blonde hair, though less spiky than Zell's, and had Bella's coffee brown eyes. Somewhat short for his age, but strong. Taking in a breath, Robbie continued.
"Instructor Trepe says that if I fail another battle test, I'll have to leave Garden… She says I have the skill, but… I just can't fight alone, I guess…"
Bella sighed and shook her head a little, flopping down on a chair with a defeated expression on her face. A SeeD who couldn't stand on his own feet? That would never work.
Zell narrowed his eyes and stepped over to Robbie, kneeling in front of him and putting a hand on his shoulder, "Son, SeeD isn't the only thing that matters in the world, you know. But if you really wanna do it, go for it. I failed a lot of written tests, but I still became a SeeD."
"…Only because I helped you study," Bella mumbled.
Robbie nodded faintly, "I know, dad… Instructor Trepe wants to give me another chance. She says that the next time a fairly small mission comes up, I can go with her and the other SeeDs to practice. Y'know, just sorta hang in the background… But help out in small battles and such."
"Well, there ya go!" Zell said, grinning, "You'll do fine. Quistis is a great instructor. If she can't teach ya to fight, nobody can."
Smiling weakly, Robbie nodded again. Bella, however, wasn't quite so pleased. Despite how professional Quistis was, Bella knew she did this because Robbie was Zell's son. Under normal circumstances, a SeeD cadet would never be brought along on a mission, as a possible burden – or even worse – to fall in battle. Even if Bella didn't doubt Quistis would make sure Robbie was safe, she still was worried. Worried, and offended that Quistis would treat their son differently from the other students. These thoughts remained unspoken as she watched father and son walk out into the garden to train their martial arts. She could only hope that either Robbie would become a successful SeeD, or realize it wasn't meant to be before it was too late…