The Difference
by Half-Esper Laura
Based on Final Fantasy III (US) by SquareSoft.
Author's Note: I'm posting this solely to share it, not as a beta-version. FF3 has a special place in my heart, but it was a long time ago for me. My FF3 fanfiction was written about five years ago, and is not something I work on anymore, so while reviews are appreciated, a revised version is unlikely. See my Rurouni Kenshin, Castlevania, or Fushigi Yuugi fanfiction for more "mature" examples of my writing.
*
Setzer looked around the room for a good place to keep his Opera ticket. The premier of a new opera! And a front row seat! He knew he had to put it in a place where it would be safe, but not hide it so well that he couldn't find it when it came time for the performance in a few days. It was only with the greatest of satisfaction that Setzer pondered this problem, however. Even as good as life was, he wasn't sure that it had ever been better.
There was a knock at the door. Although he had landed his airship near Jidoor, and was effectively using it as a house, it was the last thing he had expected. He opened the door and looked down to the visitor standing on the ground below.
Setzer barely managed to catch himself in time to avoid falling from the doorway. For several moments he stood still, frozen with shock.
"What's your problem? I was expecting a warm welcome!" the woman on the ground called up. She stood out against the grass, shining brightly in the afternoon sunlight.
"D... Daryl?!?" Setzer stammered. "But how... You... You're..."
"Look, can I come in now?" Daryl tapped her foot impatiently.
"Ah... Why... yes... of course... certainly."
Daryl climbed the ladder to the door, and stepped into Setzer's airship. Setzer regarded her closely as she walked proudly about the room, examining the airship's sparkling interior. "Still your baby, isn't she? Please don't tell me you decided to call her 'Lucky Seven' or whatever it was," she finally commented. It was certainly Daryl.
"I never did decide on a name, actually," Setzer replied. "I... Well, I've done a bit of work with the interior since... since we last met."
"Suppose you give me the guided tour?" Daryl flashed the sort of smile that is very hard to argue with.
***************
"I should've expected something like this from you," Daryl said, looking around at the room's furnishings with a smile. Setzer had to admit that the roulette wheel, rows of slot machines, all of it smacked of his own personal style.
"I'll see your twenty, too," Daryl said. "Let's see what you've got."
"Full house, aces high," Setzer replied, spreading his proof on the table. "I'm glad you like my decorating."
Daryl was looking thoughtfully at Setzer's cards and her own. "Whatcha got..?" Setzer suggested.
"Straight Flush," she said, and began to rake in the bets. "Say, how many times have you upgraded the engine on this baby since I saw her?"
"I'd say three or four times," he replied, "and you are really supposed to show me your cards."
"Three or Four?" Daryl seemed surprised. "You used to do it that many times every month!"
"Well, without you around, the competitive spirit just wasn't there. It wouldn't have been that many, but the airship was completely destroyed once and I had to rebuild her from scratch." Setzer replied.
"Wow, I guess you really got reckless without me around! Not even I realized how much you needed me," she said with a smile. "I'll deal this time, okay?" She took the deck of cards and began to return her cards to it.
Setzer smiled. "Daryl..." he said, "I'd like to see that straight flush, if you don't mind...?"
There was a pause. "I don't have to prove anything to you."
Setzer laughed. "Just like old times, eh?" he said.
"Yeah," Daryl said with a smile. "I'd forgotten how much fun we always had together! There isn't anything like this where I've been, you know."
"Oh, no?" Setzer was puzzled. "Where have you been?"
"Oh, uhhh..." Daryl seemed uncertain. "I really didn't want to tell you, but I guess it's time I confess." She paused and lay the deck of cards down on the table. "I'm not actually alive, you know."
Setzer was shocked. "Well, I..." he said, "I thought you were killed when Falcon crashed... But you're here now."
"Well, yeah," she said, "but I'm just a ghost."
"Oh." All the laughter was gone from Setzer's eyes. "Then I suppose 'where you've been' is The Other Side."
Daryl nodded. "It really is pretty nice there. We don't have to worry about much. There aren't any monsters or evil dictators to bother us, and we don't have to worry about going hungry or finding a place to stay, because everything's provided. My only gripe is that it's a bit boring for my taste, but when we're both there, I'm sure we'll find plenty of excitement. Don't worry. You'll like it, I'm sure."
"Why would I worry?" Setzer asked. "I've got a lot of years left in me. I'm sure that will be plenty of time to get ready.
"What is it?"
Daryl sighed deeply. "I guess it's come to this, then."
"Pardon?"
"Well, when I go back there... you'll be with me."
"What!?!" Setzer cried. "You mean I'm going to die!?!?!"
"Yes," Daryl said quietly, "very soon."
"But... But that's impossible! I'm in perfect health and I..." His voice trailed off. He knew it was possible. It could quite easily be true. His tone softened. "How... How will I...?"
Daryl sighed, her eyes downcast. "All I know is that you're going to die in a fire," she said softly. "I just had to come back and warn you, because, well, I've had a lot of time to think about what I did with my life, and I'm not sure I did enough. I just played around and had fun the whole time and never really made a difference to anybody."
"You made a difference to me." Despite his own shock, Setzer wanted to reassure Daryl. "We just mentioned that a few minutes ago." It sounded odd. It seemed as though they had mentioned it so lightly years ago.
Daryl smiled sadly. "Sure, you tinkered with your airship a little more with me around. That's not much of a difference."
Setzer wanted to say something to her, but he didn't know what to say.
"I had to tell you," Daryl said, "because it's such an empty feeling. I don't want you to have it." She looked up at him. "Setzer, you don't have a lot of time. Use what you've got. Make a difference to somebody!"
"I have made a difference with my life," he said. "There was a terrible war with the Empire, and I--"
"I know all about it," Daryl said. "I know your airship was a handy way to travel, but if you hadn't helped all those other people, do you really think it would have stopped them?"
Setzer thought about that. That first time he had met Locke and Celes and the others, had they really needed his help to reach the Empire? They all had such strength and ingenuity, and they had so much at stake. Surely they would have found a way. They wouldn't have let it stop them.
Surely, he thought, there was something else that he had done to leave his mark. He thought about what Daryl had said--'I just played around and had fun the whole time.' He sighed deeply; he might as well have said it himself.
***************
Setzer got no sleep that night. Daryl needed none, and had wanted to see the town again, so he was left all alone with the afternoon's revelation. He paced all about the airship, but even the casino seemed dim and somber and brought him no joy.
What do you do when you see Death coming? Setzer had to decide. How could he explain to anyone what had happened? Surely, no one would believe it. Could he even believe it? The lady certainly seemed to be Daryl, but back from the dead to warn him that Death was coming soon? That was an old superstition, and one he had never had much respect for.
He would have to keep this to himself; that was certain. The question of making a difference was deeply disturbing, though. To change his behavior now would seem awkward and attract curiosity, but what if it was all true? What if he died the next day, and was left with Daryl's 'empty feeling' until Judgement Day?
Maybe, though, he didn't really have to be needed. He had faith that no one who had known him would ever forget him. Even if the others had not really needed his help, they would always have fond memories of him.
He told himself that he would be satisfied of having left his mark that way, and went on to bed. It seemed strange that the bed he'd rested pleasantly on so many times should suddenly be so hard.
***************
Setzer shuffled through a stack of paper on his table. He'd let things pile up over the last few days. The opera ticket had never found that place he'd been looking for a few days ago. Daryl had interrupted him, and he had spent the rest of the time with her.
The reason that Daryl had given for coming eased itself into his mind, and he pushed it aside with irritation. Daryl hadn't mentioned Setzer's impending death since the evening of her arrival, and he had just begun to think that he'd gotten it out of his mind for good.
He chided himself for neglecting the opera ticket. Surely he could have found some moment to put it in a proper place, but now he had to search for it, just hours before the show was to begin. Lifting a slim book, he found his ticket, and carefully placed it in a pocket of his long coat.
"Daryl!" he shouted across the airship to her, "are you sure you don't want to come? I'm sure I could get a seat for you."
"No," Daryl called back from another room. To Setzer, her tone seemed somewhat plaintive. "I'm not fond of tragedy."
He turned to the door. "I'll see you when I get back, then," he called, "Bye, Daryl."
"Goodbye, Setzer"
He stared quizzically at the wall in Daryl's general direction for a moment. It would be better not to ask--silly to do it, in fact. He turned and headed out the door onto the streets of Jidoor.
There were no birds in the sky, and an unusual noise filtered through the city to him. Looking up, Setzer noticed a column of smoke rising from an adjoining street. It would be going out of his way to check it out, and he knew that the high society of the city would already be boarding the ferry bound for the Opera House. It would be worth it, though, he thought, to miss a little mingling if he could give someone some help.
He turned off onto the smoking street, and immediately recognized the stricken building. A large crowd had gathered, but no one seemed to be doing anything helpful. Setzer could hear the fire horns, and as he reached the edge of the crowd, a man rushed to him.
"Setzer, please!" he cried, "my daughter's still in that house! You have to help her!"
The predicted death in a fire loomed large in Setzer's suddenly numbed mind. "Wha... Why are you asking me?" he asked.
"Please, no one else will do anything!" The father was almost frantic. "You're the great hero here!"
Setzer hesitated. It was hard to doubt Daryl's prediction if he walked into the raging flames of that house. Perhaps, she had warned him so that he could avoid it... But then, while he hadn't believed in superstition, Setzer had always believed in fate--and the futility of trying to cheat it. Besides, Daryl had said that she was warning him, not to prevent his death, but to tell him to be sure to make a difference to someone first. Perhaps, if he could save this one little girl...
"...Aren't you...?" her father queried, seeing Setzer lost in thought.
...Perhaps, it would all be worth it...
Setzer set out toward the burning house, pushing through the useless crowd with all possible urgency and speed.
...It would make a difference.
***************
A familiar voice drifted vaguely through the lifting darkness. "Come here. I think he's waking up."
Setzer's eyes opened into a very white room. He realized that it was far enough from pure white that it could still be the world of the living. Terra's face entered his vision from the side, and he turned to see her sitting at his bedside.
"How do you feel?" she asked. "You were burned pretty bad."
He felt hot and weak and somewhat sick, but he said "Not too bad."
"I'm glad," Terra said. "Some of the others couldn't make it here, but they sent you their good wishes."
"You've been out for three days. Do you remember what happened?" Setzer heard Locke saying at his other side, and turned to see him.
Three days? He'd missed the Opera. He remembered what had happened, and the girl he had tried to save. "There was a girl..." he began.
"She's fine," Terra anticipated him. "She left the hospital the same day without a problem."
Setzer smiled with wholesome satisfaction. He relaxed and let his eyes close again. "Then, I suppose it was worth missing the Opera," he said.
"Under the circumstances, that's not saying much," Locke said.
Setzer looked up at him. "What do you mean?"
"Apparently, something went wrong with one of their gaslights and a fuel tank blew up," Locke told him. "They've shut down for repairs."
"Was anyone hurt?" Setzer asked.
"Well, it was during an intermission, so all the actors are okay," Locke said. "Most of the people in the front row or two on the east side were killed by the blast, but everyone else made it out all right."
"The front rows on the east side..." Setzer repeated. He lay dumbstruck.
"Setzer, what is it?" Terra asked.
"That's right where I would have been sitting!"
***************
Setzer stood outside the door of his airship. He hesitated to enter, not sure what he might find. If he knocked, expecting Daryl, it would seem odd to anyone who might be looking, so he finally climbed the ladder to the door and let himself in.
"Oh, Setzer! You're back!" Daryl welcomed him. "I was starting to worry."
Setzer began to say something to her, but he wanted to say and ask so much that he didn't know where to begin.
Daryl didn't give him a chance, though. "Well, as long as you're all right, I guess I'll be on my way. Ta-Ta!"
As she headed for the door, Setzer knew what to say. "Daryl, wait! You're just leaving, after what's happened?"
"Oh, Setzer," she said, "You know me. Places to go, things to do... Don't worry, we'll see each other around."
Daryl gave Setzer a quick kiss on his lips, and was out the door before he could say anything further. "Bye!" she called back through the doorway.
Setzer rushed to the door after her, but, looking out, saw only the ordinary commuters of Jidoor. He turned back to the airship's interior and closed the door behind him.
He wondered aloud: "What was that woman up to?"
Half-Esper Laura