Air we Breathe
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And the air we breathe will take us,
The air we breathe,
And all the loneliness wont break us,
'Cos I know all we need,
Is the air we breathe...

* * *

They were taking all the GFs. They said it was because of the possible side effects, the memory loss. It seemed ridiculous, so stupid that these things had not been thought out before the beasts became part of a person.

They should have come with a warning label, like all the medications... possible side effects include dizziness, nausea and memory loss.

It was true though, she knew. And she knew that she would have to give him up, or surrender even more of her memory to the black depths that was spanning her mind: growing larger and larger very day, looming into the back of her every thought.

She knew it was for the best. But it didn't make it any easier. He was such a large part of her, part of her personality. For Hyne's sake, he was part of her name.

The fabric of her very being.

He was something that came from the time past. The time that she couldn't remember, the time that ironically, that he had erased with his very presence in her. But she felt comforted when he was there.

When Squall had ripped him from her, in the middle of the heated battle, she felt it more profusely than any other of the wounds that their weapons had caused. A screaming void in her head, that memory had rushed to fill.

Nature abhors a vacuum. But it didn't feel right, she didn't. It wasn't just that the power was gone, it was that nature itself felt different. When she walked from the hotel in Balamb, the wind no longer gave a damn about her.

After it all was over, and Pandemonia was returned, she felt complete once again.
But she was going to have to give this all up. The wind was no longer her friend, it was a foe, slowly killing her. But she wasn't sure if she could.

How could she walk without the gentle breeze surrounding her? How could she fight with her tornado attacks, which would just be mocking what she once had?

What she once was?

That is why she stood on the edge of the cliff on this twighlit evening, watching the splendour that spread before her. The burning globe of the sun slipped further over the horizon, tainting the blue sky with many shades of crimson.

Like blood. Her lip curled wolfishly at her own thoughts.

Tomorrow, was the day. Tomorrow they were taking the wind from her. But tonight was hers...

Removing her shoes, she curled her toes over the soft grass that edged the precipice. She leaned over, eyeing the hard, jagged rocks that lay below. If she fell, it would mean certain death.

Behind her, Garden glinted in the fading light. Nobody knew she was out this late. Not that breaking the rules bothered her. She had done worse in the weeks gone by.

It was just her, the dwindling evening, and the wind.

She leaned further over, and whispered silently under her breath. A small breeze gusted around her, toying with her hair, and pushing her baggy shirt closer to her body. It increased in intensity.

It sang in her ears, through her veins, becoming stronger as it whipped around her. The rest of the world disappeared into a windswept memory. She relished the feeling as the air caressed her.

The single red eye cracked open, focusing on her target: the edge of the cliff. Her arms spread wide, back straight, she leaned into nothingness.

And the wind held her. She smiled once again.

The time was now or never.

She jumped...

...And Pandemonia caught her.

And she was flying.
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Hi all!

Well, this was meant to be a limited edition story for the CBB, but since the board has imploded, I decided to rescue it from the depths of my history files and post it here.

Okay.. ATTENTION ALL MEMBERS OF THE CBB! This one is for all of you. And I hope the board is ressurected soon!

As always, none of the characters belong to me... *sigh*! Squaresoft, you win!

Lyrics are taken from the song "Air we Breathe" by Alisha's Attic, on the "Alisha rules the World" album.

Review me? It makes me smile!

Lady_illyna@hotmail.com