Xu wasn't just any ordinary SeeD. She was one of Balamb's most elite operatives. Having came to Garden at fourteen years of age, she was a late starter but her background as a ninja, the daughter of Hanzo "Lyuda" Hitsaguya, the legendary "White Death" and Inahime Hitsaguya, one of the greatest kunocihi to ever live put her in good standing. By the time she had lost both her parents when she was ten, she was already highly trained in the ways of the fabled shadow warriors of Esthar and Trabia and by the time she made SeeD at eighteen, she proved just how capable she was on the field and in her supporting role in the administration of Garden.
Over the years she had accomplished many feats which people speak about now in such a way that they seem almost like myths or legends. Numerous times at social gatherings, people had asked her to tell some of the stories which always went down a treat. These ranged from some SeeD missions to card tournaments to the time she actually fought a GF one on one to prove a point to it.
Kept in a black, leather bound diary, hidden away in her weapon storage locker in her quarters, these are the chronicles of Xu.
=...=...= Prologue - Beginning the journal =...=...=
Cid Kramer was lucky to have such a versatile person in his employ and although he seemed to favour those who had passed through his care when he helped run an orphanage in Centra (Squall, Zell, Seifer, Quistis, Selphie and to an extent Irvine) he still made sure he looked out for Xu as best as he could. This was mainly due to the fact Cid was one of the few people in the world who knew the real reason behind the death of her parents. They were killed because they crossed the wrong person and even though the killers might be dead, the reach of such a person can cast a long shadow and still grip from beyond the grave. He sat at his desk and stared at the files which lay before him. They were pretty generic in appearance - manila brown with "Bika Police, Trabia" stamped across the front of them. In smaller writing the words "Case file #0432A" were hand wrote on each of them with an extra number at the end, signalling in which order they were to be read.
"I think now is as good a time as any to talk about these..."
=...=...=
Xu walked into the headmaster's office. She looked out of the window and saw the endless expanse of ocean in the background. It had been two days since they evaded the missile strike from Galbadia and discovered that their home, Garden could actually move. Taking a seat opposite the headmaster, the SeeD waited for him to speak.
Cid: "Xu, I called you here for a very specific reason. It's about your parents"
The twenty-two year old shifted in her seat. She remembered some of her childhood, but the last few weeks of when she lived out in the mountains in the Heath Peninsula were hazy at best.
Cid: "I think after twelve years, its finally time we spoke about the night they died."
Xu: "What is there to talk about? It was a gas explosion. A tragic accident"
Cid shook his head as he readjusted his glasses.
Cid: "Xu, your mother and father were murdered. The explosion was a cover-up to hide any evidence..."
The colour drained from Xu's already pale face. She started to shake for a moment as she tried to process the information Cid was giving her.
Cid: "Your father and mother were ninjas, but you knew that already. Over the years, they had made some powerful enemies with some of the missions they carried out and one of those enemies decided the time was right for retribution. All we know is that he was a Galbadian businessman who had a lot of money and some very suspect connections. He and your father had a disagreement which resulted in the eventual murder of your family..."
Xu shook her head and clenched her fists.
Xu: "Why are you telling me this now?"
Cid: "I've been privately looking into this. I managed to acquire the police files before a fake copy was put in the records. The fake is the one the media ran with, a tragic accident. The real truth is that the Trabian Police in Bika were paid to bury this case and all information relating to it."
Xu: "Why?"
Cid: "Money... Why else. Whoever orchestrated the hit on your family was well connected and had very deep pockets. Since it has been over a decade since that tragedy, I feel it is time you learn the truth. Once we deal with this current threat, I will allow you to act on this information in ways you see fit. You can chose to pursue it or you can put it aside and ignore it."
Xu: "I understand that over time those involved may have passed on or be no longer involved in the way which they were, but why tell me this now?"
Cid: "I made a promise twelve years ago Xu, I promised that I would help you find the truth and give you the ability to get the answers which you needed should you have any questions to ask. I also say this now because of current events. We had a very near miss with the missiles, and given the insurrection of the Faculty against SeeD orchestrated by the Garden master NORG, there are some truths which need to be told... This is one of them"
Xu sat silently, working out what to say in response. The headmaster did have a point, they were all in grave danger due to the current threat of the sorceress and there were some things which needed to be said. Were these the words of a man who was potentially accepting his fate? The confessions of a man who knew his time was almost up?
Cid: "I am sure you are aware of the apparent link of memory loss and GF use?"
Xu nodded. She did have some amnesia about certain events, but because she had such a close bond with Megitsune, the fire fox and guardian of her clan, she had most of her memories intact. Whether this was due to the fox's selective concealment of more painful memories, or because Megitsune wanted Xu to retain as much of her as she could.
Cid: "For this reason, I want you to keep a journal. It doesn't have to be in order, far from it. I just want for you to write down some of the significant things which have happened to you. Maybe this will help you regain some of your memories or coax Megitsune into revealing some of the things she may be hiding"
As Cid spoke Megitsune's name, the hairs on the back of Xu's neck tingled. The fox was listening in on the conversation and judging by the reaction, she seemed eager to help Xu in any way she could.
Xu: "Megitsune seems to be onboard with this idea... I don't know what good it will do though."
Cid smiled as Xu stood up. He collected the files together and handed them to her. As Xu took them and turned to walk out the door, Cid called her name again.
Cid: "Xu, there is one more thing... I have your father's journal here. Its written in Old Estharian so I haven't been able to translate much of it, but I believe you might be able to read and understand it..."
Reaching into his draw, the headmaster pulled out a thick, black leather-bound book and placed it on his desk. Xu put the files on top of it and picked it up.
Cid: "You don't have to read it all yet, just give it some thought... When you are ready to talk more about these events, please see me."
As Xu nodded, the intercom crackled to life.
"Would Headmaster Kramer please report to the MD level"
The voice was harsh and straight to the point. Xu looked at Cid who seemed to sigh.
Cid: "It seems NORG wants to see me... I was waiting for this. If you see Squall on your travels, please tell him to come see me as soon as he can. There is much I need to discuss with him"
Xu: "Yes sir!"
=...=...=
Later that night, Garden was buzzing with rumours. There was talk that Squall, along with Rinoa, the civilian who seemed to be following him around and Zell had taken out the Garden Master, the mysterious NORG after he threatened to hand them over to Galbadia as a peace offering to the sorceress and that the faculty had all mysteriously vanished, nowhere to be seen. Trying to dismiss the talk, she decided to question Cid in the morning about the events which had transpired. Sitting there on her couch, the SeeD was flicking through the police files Cid had gave her.
"There is so much in here, I wouldn't even know where to start..."
Shaking her head, Xu gathered the documents up and put them on the edge of the table. She then held her father's journal in her hands and ran her fingertips along the spine of it. She toyed with opening it and reading, but decided against it as she set it back down on the table. Shaking her head, she closed her eyes.
"This... It's too much to take in... "
As she looked at the leather journal, it dawned on her. She should take Cids advice and write one of her own.
"Maybe... If I write things, it'll help me get my head clear enough, ready to take on the task of sorting through this?"
=...=...=
A/N: This is the Prologue to the "Chronicles of Xu". They are based on the "Balamb's Diamond" story which I am currently writing and act as filler for that story. Events discussed in some of the chapters there may be expanded upon here so it doesn't clog up my main story. In each instalment, I will add a reference point so people can see where the chapters related to the events being discussed are found.