Well, this will end up being my second FF8 story. The FF8 characters are mentioned in a flashback towards the end, but don't expect them to be completely involved in the story until the end of chapter two or in chapter three. Obviously, Final Fantasy 8 doesn't belong to me, but I hope you enjoy the story anyway. Please read and review!
**- Used for flashback.
Kaelyna's gaze slowly traced the dimly lit pub, eyeing the dingy signs hanging upon the ceiling displaying the latest booze and all the drunks spread across the room. She brought her right hand to her hair and idly played with one of the golden, curly strands. An annoyed sigh escaped her lips as she searched around for the bartender, gesturing him over soon after she found him.
"What'll it be, miss?" The bartender asked as he ran a rag through one of the glasses, setting it down once he cleaned it.
"A glass of sweet ale, please," Kaelyna answered as she reached into one of her pockets and felt around for the few golden coins she had brought with her, setting it down upon the table.
As she was waiting for her drink, she allowed her eyes to once again travel their gaze along the pub. As she was doing so, she caught a glimpse of herself in the dirt-covered mirror hanging to the left of her. She brought her left hand to her cheek and softly ran her fingers down it, surprised at the sharpness of her features the applied make-up gave her. She had her hair in their usual loose curls, her icy blue eyes matching the sapphire necklace she wore.
"Here you are, miss." The bartender said with a grin as he placed the glass upon the table. Kaelyna grabbed the handle of the mug and smiled in spite of herself at the fact that she paid so much for only a half-filled glass.
"Thanks," Kaelyna replied half-heartedly, nodding lightly to the bartender. He smiled a little more and she quickly averted her gaze, not having the time to get involved in a conversation.
She lifted the glass mug to her lips and gently tipped it to lead some of the ale into her mouth, grateful as the dry feeling in her throat diminished. Her gaze wandered over to the man she planned to kill and her smile grew faintly. How long she had waited for this moment, to finally end the threat on her believed friend's life. She slowly brought the glass back down on the table, turning her attention to the mirror once again, finding it an easier way the scan the room without drawing too much attention.
Her smile faded as she took note of a group that had been eyeing her much like she was a meal for the past few minutes. She slowly shook her head as she watched her target wander over to the group of men that she could only assume was his friends. His gaze soon moved over to her as one of the men in the group pointed her out and she cursed inwardly at starting directly at him moments before.
Her target's eyes caught her gaze and she quickly looked away, a soft curse escaping her lips. Once she returned her gaze to the mirror, she watched as the man slowly stood and lifted his glass to his lips, draining the rest of the mug before tossing it to one of his friends who caught it with a laugh.
He looked her way with slightly interest and sauntered over to her with a noticeable stumble in his step. Kaelyna lowered her gaze to her half-filled mug, gently tracing her left ring finger along the rim. As she felt him draw closer, her hand slipped instinctively to her thigh as though she were reaching for her dagger hidden in her boot. She let a slow breath slip from her lips and allowed her tense body to loosen, sliding a fake smile upon her lips. She was ready for him now.
"I haven't seen you here before," He said with a grin as he leaned against the bar, stepping in close to her. She moved away just enough to escape the stink of alcohol on his breath. His smile grew as he watched her move and proceeded to move closer to her, setting his right hand upon her shoulder.
"Perhaps because I'm new to this section," She drawled slowly, allowing her finger to circle the rim once more before dropping it from the glass to brush his hand from her shoulder.
"You are, hmm? Well, where did you come from?" He asked with a laugh, leaning in closer to her before setting his hand upon her upper thigh. Kaelyna sighed softly before pushing his hand away from her, smiling softly before replying.
"I'm from Trestoria, section 19," Kaelyna said with a nod before looking back to the mirror. The whole group of men had been watching them for a while now and she watched her target through the reflection, shaking her head slowly as he winked at his friends.
"A traveler, I see... What made you come to these parts?" He asked, slipping onto the bar stool next to her before leaning her back upon the bar once again, his gaze roaming over her body.
"I needed change, much like anyone who decides to travel. It's rough over there and I decided to find an area more trustworthy. A place that I could settle down..." Kaelyna allowed her sentence to trail off into a whisper as she finished up with, "Get some business taken care of."
The man smiled thoughtfully and she could already tell he probably wasn't listening to a word she had said. She felt the annoyance of being ignored build up within her and she shook her head before returning her attention to him. He moved his hand back to her shoulder and she chose to ignore it for a time, tired of fighting him off.
"Well, I happen to be quite popular in these parts and I must say that you are lucky to have met me. I try to make it my business to get to know all the pretty women around here... What do you say we go back to my place?" He said, smiling at the snickers rising from the group's table.
She smiled gently, raising the glass mug to her lips and thoughtfully taking a sip of the ale, savoring it's sweet taste before rising to her feet. The man watched her for a moment, a look of victory shining in his eyes as he did the same. She turned to look at him with an amused expression, taking a moment to travel her gaze over his form. He wore metal spikes on a wrist band held upon his left wrist, a flame-thrower strapped to his right thigh. By this bit of information, she could already tell he was better with his left hand. Most of the men, no matter what section they came from, had their nose broken at least once, yet this man's nose seemed perfectly fine, showing that he was either very good at what he did or very new. She smiled softly to herself, deciding on the second. She took all this in a single glance, something she had trained herself to do. Besides, she would have to gather all useful information since she planned to kill him.
"Thanks for the offer, but... No." Kaelyna said with a smile. She had expected a harsh reaction out of him and she wasn't taken by surprise when his expression hardened dangerously, his smile growing grim as anger flamed in his eyes.
She brushed his hand away and turned to walk off, but he reached out again and grasped her shoulder tightly, whirling her around. She stifled a shout as the cold, metal spikes on his wristband pressed menacingly against the tender flesh of her throat. She had expected a harsh attack, yes... But not one so fast nor so rough, but she was ready anyway. She flicked her arm unnoticeably, yet doing so enough to get the flamethrower into her hand. She let out a slow breath, trying not to distract him so much to the point where he'd slice her, pressing the weapon to his groin.
She almost smiled in satisfaction as he let out a gasp and took a moment to look down before returning his gaze to hers, fear moving through his eyes. His grip loosened for only a moment, but picked up soon after he had regained his composure, staring at he with a mixture of both anger and fear.
"Tell your men to back off," She began slowly, sensing that the group had now left their seats and formed a circle around the two of them, "Lead us outside slowly... And be careful. You don't want to make me nervous, do you?"
As a sign that she was serious, she pressed the weapon closer into his groin, receiving a sound of pain from him. She allowed her gaze to mesh with his and raised a slender brow in question. He nodded quickly to her request and she smiled a bit more, her brow lowering as his gaze wandered to the circle of men.
"Everything is fine," He said with fake laughter. The men talked amongst themselves for a few moments, obviously seeming unconvinced. Slowly they drew in closer and Kaelyna instinctively placed one finger upon the trigger.
"Back off," He said, lowering his voice to a dangerous tone. A few of the men continued to talk before making an agreement, dispersing back to their tables with comments of a 'sorry excuse for a fight.'
He loosened his grip on her a little before he slowly led her to the door of the pub, looking back to his grinning friends for a single moment before exiting the place. He thought to himself momentarily how idiotic those groups could be at times, but quickly returned his attentions to the woman that had him in quite the odd position. He smiled softly to himself, thinking of just how surprised she would be when she found out what was really going on.
Once he reached the outside, her reluctantly let her go, letting out a sigh of relief once she removed the weapon from him. She took a moment of silence to enjoy the soft breeze of the night. It was dark in the city, the streets littered with nothing but loose papers and the stench of pollution. Turning to face the man, she allowed her gaze to roam over him, strapping the flamethrower back to her arm. He was a fairly tall man, a good foot taller than her. His hair was a lovely golden like hers, held into place as tiny little spikes with gel. His eyes shone a bright green and she took a moment to think on what a pity it would be to soon force them to a close. He wore a black tank-top to match the wristband he wore, along with loose-fitting khaki pants, showing off his deliciously sculpted figure. She smiled gently as she watched him grow nervous under her cold gaze, her head tilting to the side.
The man took her full appearance in, cursing out how stupid he was for not noticing the flame thrower strapped to her left forearm. She wore a white tank-top, pulled taunt over her breasts, the main thing that had drawn his friends' attention. She also had a short pair of skin-tight, black shorts on with matching knee-high boots. She was slim and a foot shorter than him, but despite her tiny appearance, he could already tell she was an agile fighter. He felt his stomach clench at the intensity of the ice-blue gaze she had on him, brushing a strand of her curly golden hair behind one ear. Despite the fact that she had tried blasting off his jewels, he found her quite attractive.
"Name?" He asked breathlessly. He hadn't even notice he had been holding his breath until he opened his mouth to talk. He watched as her smile grew, a look of thought entering her eyes.
"Kaelyna," She answered with a nod, she took a single step forward, watching him expectantly.
"Falles," He said and took a moment to glance at the flamethrower now strapped to her arm, his gaze slowly wandering back to her. She smiled softly and shook her head gently.
"You already knew that, didn't you?" He asked, not being all too surprised when she nodded slowly, taking yet another step forward.
"Not exactly, but I knew what my target was supposed to look like. Except for the eye color, you match it exactly, but I can see the rim of your contacts... So you are him. I've been sent here to kill you, you're a threat to my friend and I can't have that." She explained. Falles simply blinked before he nodded a little, a smile now growing on his lips as interest entered his eyes once again.
"Why are you telling me all this?" He asked, his hand slipping down slowly to the flamethrower on his thigh.
"Because you'll be dead in a few moments," She answered simply, receiving a soft laugh from Falles who nodded slowly.
"Confident..." He started, trailing off for a moment as her removed the weapon from his thigh and turned his gaze back to her soon after, a expectant look dwelling in his eyes, "Shall we?"
Kaelyna allowed her smile to fade as she shrugged gently, her gaze never once leaving his eyes. They both stood there, staring at each other expectantly before Falles smiled darkly, a laugh escaping his lips. He quickly took aim at Kaelyna before pulling the trigger on his flamethrower.
Kaelyna had just enough time to let out a laugh of her own before she swiftly ducked under the volley of fire. She hit the ground and rolled upon her left shoulder, pushing herself up and flicking her arm enough to get her weapon back into her hand. She had already pulled the dagger out while she was moving back to her feet. Falles took aim of her once again, but it was too late for Kaelyna had already started running towards him, forcing her elbow hard into his gut and pushing upward before standing. Falles fell upon the ground with a painful groan, wincing in pain as Kaelyna put the toe of her left boot upon his chest and pressed down, leaning enough to push the blade of her dagger to his throat.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you," Kaelyna said, her voice growing emotionless as a look of victory entered her blue eyes. Falles couldn't help but smile at her, despite the pain that ran through his body.
"Because, I'm not the one you're looking for, Kaelyna Roediano," Falles answered, satisfaction rising in his chest as Kaelyna's eyes went wide with fear and she removed the dagger momentarily from his throat.
"I am," a cold voice came from behind them and Kaelyna quickly moved away from Falles, standing to her feet and turning to face the owner of the voice. A cloaked figure stood in front of her, as tall as Falles was, but hidden by the black hooded cloak that draped over it. The only part she could make out was the violet eyes glowing softly within the darkness. She winced at her mistake but hid her fear with a smile of confidence.
"And who are you?" She said, but didn't quite expect an answer. She had wasted enough time here tonight and drew back her dagger slowly, taking aim of the figure. The eyes glowed brightly and she stopped for a moment in confusion, feeling a rip in her soul. She screamed loudly and dropped to her knees, her body shaking at the extreme hurt running through her. All she could make out was Falles running in front of her, then she fell to her side and everything slowly faded to black.
"Fallie! Is she going to be all right?" came a gentle, young voice, filled with concern.
Kaelyna winced at the sudden noise invading her sleep, opening one eyes and squinting in the morning light that streamed through one of the windows to the left of her bed. She heard a light gasp and the patter of feet running out of the room, faint happy shouts following soon after. She closed her eye once again and sighed deeply, trying to get back into her sleeping state, but suddenly realized what was going on.
She had no idea where she was and suddenly she was hearing voices that she had never heard before. She remembered blacking out after the assault that mage had done on her mind, but after that she didn't remember anything but her dreams. She took a moment to wonder if she had been picked up by a random idiot from the bar, but there was a little girl in this place, so she decided against it.
"Fallie?" She repeated the first word that woke her up, searching her mind for a familiar word. She sighed once again, finding that trying to remember anything at this moment would more than likely be a losing battle.
The patter of feet ran back into the room and she opened both her eyes this time, blinking lightly and turning her head to look at the person, trying to ignore the pain. There was a young girl there, around eight years old. Her raven hair swayed up and down as she hopped at the bedside, her green eyes filled with excitement. She wore a pair of jean shorts and a light blue tee-shirt, nearly completely covered by the open jean jacket she wore over it.
"Where am I?" Kaelyna asked groggily, trying to sit up and wincing once again before falling back onto the soft pillow, shutting her eyes. There was a throbbing pain running through her body that didn't seem to want to go.
"You're in our village," Came the response of an all too familiar voice. Falles smiled softly and watched Kaelyna with interest. He lifted up the clothe he had been soaking in a bowl of warm water, dabbing it gently upon her forehead. Kaelyna's eyes shot open and she turned her gaze to him, surprised at the voice that rung in her ears.
"Calm down... You fainted last night and since I don't know anything about you, I decided to take you here." Falles said soothingly. He continued to dab the liquid across her forehead, watching her contentedly.
Kaelyna's heart sped up in fear as she shook her head slowly. First she had missed her target and now she had no idea where she was or whether or not she could trust this man. All she knew was that she had this terrible ache in her chest as she longed to be back with her friends, Squall and the others. Especially Seifer... Despite the fact that he could be an arrogant bastard, she missed all his comments and that smile. She let the painful look in her eyes turn to one of ice and she shook her head quickly, shooting a glare at Falles.
"You don't know me, you're right. I have a mission and you took me from it!" Kaelyna shouted, her voice rising in anger as she sat up. Falles shook his head slowly and gently pushed her back down onto the bed.
"Fine, next time I'll leave you to die in the streets," He answered with a laugh. Kaelyna grew silent and shut her eyes once more, nodding in silent defeat as a sigh escaped her lips.
She couldn't help but drift into thoughts of her friends once her eyes closed. They had all been so kind to her and they had warned her not to go off alone. But it concerned her and Jeremy... She didn't want anyone interfering with a mission that concerned her youngest friend.
**
"Kaelyna, you don't know who this person is or if you have the right target," Quistis said as Kaelyna laid out her items upon the bed.
"Quistis is right, Kaelyna. I don't want to see you hurt!" Selphie had chirped. That girl had always been the most active and loudest of the bunch. Kaelyna smiled softly and looked to her to girl friends.
"I'll be fine you two. I have this planned out and no one is going to take Jeremy from me," Kaelyna said, looking over to the boy that had entered her life not so long ago. He was found by the SeeDs and they both grew close, he was her closest thing to a son and she wouldn't let anyone harm him.
"You know, you really are the stubborn one when it comes to that boy of yours," Seifer had commented with a smirk but gave her an almost compassionate smile, something rare with Seifer, "Good luck."
Squall had merely nodded along with Seifer, always being the quiet one. Squall was one of her closest friends, though. She was not the loudest one either and she felt most comfortable in his presence than with anybody else. She smiled softly to herself... Her friends meant so much to her.
**
"Who is she?" Kaelyna asked, leaving her thoughts for another time and gesturing at the young girl who now sat at the foot of the bed. The little girl's eyes brightened at being acknowledge and she nodded quickly. She looked to Falles hopefully and he nodded, tilting his head a little to the side.
"I'm Meredith!" she shouted happily, gently hopping upon the bed. Kaelyna felt more pain rush through her body and she winced against it. Falles sighed softly and shook his head at Meredith who quickly caught the hint, moving off the bed.
"I'm sorry," Meredith said, her gaze dropping to the floor and Kaelyna couldn't help but smile at her childish innocence.
"It's all right, I'm just in a bit of pain after last night." Kaelyna said, her smile softening. Falles dropped the clothe back into the water and moved his gaze back to Kaelyna. She looked back to him and caught the affectionate gaze he watched her with. She blinked softly, her cheeks coloring lightly before she allowed her gaze to harden.
"Where are my weapons?" She shouted, sitting up and moving out of the bed before Falles could move her back down once again. She slipped on her boots that had been removed and stood up, ignoring that pain as best she could. She began to pace back and forth, listening to the rhythmic click of her heels.
"Over on that table," Falles said, watching as Kaelyna looked about herself, slowly walking around the room and inspecting the tables she came across in search for her items. Having little success, she looked at him with an annoyed look, tapping the toe of her right boot against the floor. Falles smiled softly and shook his head slowly, "Beside the window."
Kaelyna looked back to the window she had woke up to and her eyes lit up. She walked over to the table and slipped the dagger back into her boot, strapping the flamethrower to her arm once again. She looked over her reflection in the mirror, turning to the side for a moment and smiling softly. It felt good to have her weapons in their rightful spots.
As she was observing her image in the mirror, Meredith slowly wandered over to her. After standing there for a while, she gently took Kaelyna's left hand and tugged lightly, gathering her attention. Kaelyna blinked lightly before looking down to the little girl.
"Fallie says that the mage attacked you. He's the one after us," She whispered softly. Kaelyna looked to Falles in confusion and he walked over, gently pulling back Meredith's hair enough to reveal a star-shaped mark below her left ear, "Help us, Kaelyna."
Kaelyna's eyes widened at the girl's mark and she slowly took a step back in unmasked shock, simply whispering out, "A Twilight..."
**- Used for flashback.
Kaelyna's gaze slowly traced the dimly lit pub, eyeing the dingy signs hanging upon the ceiling displaying the latest booze and all the drunks spread across the room. She brought her right hand to her hair and idly played with one of the golden, curly strands. An annoyed sigh escaped her lips as she searched around for the bartender, gesturing him over soon after she found him.
"What'll it be, miss?" The bartender asked as he ran a rag through one of the glasses, setting it down once he cleaned it.
"A glass of sweet ale, please," Kaelyna answered as she reached into one of her pockets and felt around for the few golden coins she had brought with her, setting it down upon the table.
As she was waiting for her drink, she allowed her eyes to once again travel their gaze along the pub. As she was doing so, she caught a glimpse of herself in the dirt-covered mirror hanging to the left of her. She brought her left hand to her cheek and softly ran her fingers down it, surprised at the sharpness of her features the applied make-up gave her. She had her hair in their usual loose curls, her icy blue eyes matching the sapphire necklace she wore.
"Here you are, miss." The bartender said with a grin as he placed the glass upon the table. Kaelyna grabbed the handle of the mug and smiled in spite of herself at the fact that she paid so much for only a half-filled glass.
"Thanks," Kaelyna replied half-heartedly, nodding lightly to the bartender. He smiled a little more and she quickly averted her gaze, not having the time to get involved in a conversation.
She lifted the glass mug to her lips and gently tipped it to lead some of the ale into her mouth, grateful as the dry feeling in her throat diminished. Her gaze wandered over to the man she planned to kill and her smile grew faintly. How long she had waited for this moment, to finally end the threat on her believed friend's life. She slowly brought the glass back down on the table, turning her attention to the mirror once again, finding it an easier way the scan the room without drawing too much attention.
Her smile faded as she took note of a group that had been eyeing her much like she was a meal for the past few minutes. She slowly shook her head as she watched her target wander over to the group of men that she could only assume was his friends. His gaze soon moved over to her as one of the men in the group pointed her out and she cursed inwardly at starting directly at him moments before.
Her target's eyes caught her gaze and she quickly looked away, a soft curse escaping her lips. Once she returned her gaze to the mirror, she watched as the man slowly stood and lifted his glass to his lips, draining the rest of the mug before tossing it to one of his friends who caught it with a laugh.
He looked her way with slightly interest and sauntered over to her with a noticeable stumble in his step. Kaelyna lowered her gaze to her half-filled mug, gently tracing her left ring finger along the rim. As she felt him draw closer, her hand slipped instinctively to her thigh as though she were reaching for her dagger hidden in her boot. She let a slow breath slip from her lips and allowed her tense body to loosen, sliding a fake smile upon her lips. She was ready for him now.
"I haven't seen you here before," He said with a grin as he leaned against the bar, stepping in close to her. She moved away just enough to escape the stink of alcohol on his breath. His smile grew as he watched her move and proceeded to move closer to her, setting his right hand upon her shoulder.
"Perhaps because I'm new to this section," She drawled slowly, allowing her finger to circle the rim once more before dropping it from the glass to brush his hand from her shoulder.
"You are, hmm? Well, where did you come from?" He asked with a laugh, leaning in closer to her before setting his hand upon her upper thigh. Kaelyna sighed softly before pushing his hand away from her, smiling softly before replying.
"I'm from Trestoria, section 19," Kaelyna said with a nod before looking back to the mirror. The whole group of men had been watching them for a while now and she watched her target through the reflection, shaking her head slowly as he winked at his friends.
"A traveler, I see... What made you come to these parts?" He asked, slipping onto the bar stool next to her before leaning her back upon the bar once again, his gaze roaming over her body.
"I needed change, much like anyone who decides to travel. It's rough over there and I decided to find an area more trustworthy. A place that I could settle down..." Kaelyna allowed her sentence to trail off into a whisper as she finished up with, "Get some business taken care of."
The man smiled thoughtfully and she could already tell he probably wasn't listening to a word she had said. She felt the annoyance of being ignored build up within her and she shook her head before returning her attention to him. He moved his hand back to her shoulder and she chose to ignore it for a time, tired of fighting him off.
"Well, I happen to be quite popular in these parts and I must say that you are lucky to have met me. I try to make it my business to get to know all the pretty women around here... What do you say we go back to my place?" He said, smiling at the snickers rising from the group's table.
She smiled gently, raising the glass mug to her lips and thoughtfully taking a sip of the ale, savoring it's sweet taste before rising to her feet. The man watched her for a moment, a look of victory shining in his eyes as he did the same. She turned to look at him with an amused expression, taking a moment to travel her gaze over his form. He wore metal spikes on a wrist band held upon his left wrist, a flame-thrower strapped to his right thigh. By this bit of information, she could already tell he was better with his left hand. Most of the men, no matter what section they came from, had their nose broken at least once, yet this man's nose seemed perfectly fine, showing that he was either very good at what he did or very new. She smiled softly to herself, deciding on the second. She took all this in a single glance, something she had trained herself to do. Besides, she would have to gather all useful information since she planned to kill him.
"Thanks for the offer, but... No." Kaelyna said with a smile. She had expected a harsh reaction out of him and she wasn't taken by surprise when his expression hardened dangerously, his smile growing grim as anger flamed in his eyes.
She brushed his hand away and turned to walk off, but he reached out again and grasped her shoulder tightly, whirling her around. She stifled a shout as the cold, metal spikes on his wristband pressed menacingly against the tender flesh of her throat. She had expected a harsh attack, yes... But not one so fast nor so rough, but she was ready anyway. She flicked her arm unnoticeably, yet doing so enough to get the flamethrower into her hand. She let out a slow breath, trying not to distract him so much to the point where he'd slice her, pressing the weapon to his groin.
She almost smiled in satisfaction as he let out a gasp and took a moment to look down before returning his gaze to hers, fear moving through his eyes. His grip loosened for only a moment, but picked up soon after he had regained his composure, staring at he with a mixture of both anger and fear.
"Tell your men to back off," She began slowly, sensing that the group had now left their seats and formed a circle around the two of them, "Lead us outside slowly... And be careful. You don't want to make me nervous, do you?"
As a sign that she was serious, she pressed the weapon closer into his groin, receiving a sound of pain from him. She allowed her gaze to mesh with his and raised a slender brow in question. He nodded quickly to her request and she smiled a bit more, her brow lowering as his gaze wandered to the circle of men.
"Everything is fine," He said with fake laughter. The men talked amongst themselves for a few moments, obviously seeming unconvinced. Slowly they drew in closer and Kaelyna instinctively placed one finger upon the trigger.
"Back off," He said, lowering his voice to a dangerous tone. A few of the men continued to talk before making an agreement, dispersing back to their tables with comments of a 'sorry excuse for a fight.'
He loosened his grip on her a little before he slowly led her to the door of the pub, looking back to his grinning friends for a single moment before exiting the place. He thought to himself momentarily how idiotic those groups could be at times, but quickly returned his attentions to the woman that had him in quite the odd position. He smiled softly to himself, thinking of just how surprised she would be when she found out what was really going on.
Once he reached the outside, her reluctantly let her go, letting out a sigh of relief once she removed the weapon from him. She took a moment of silence to enjoy the soft breeze of the night. It was dark in the city, the streets littered with nothing but loose papers and the stench of pollution. Turning to face the man, she allowed her gaze to roam over him, strapping the flamethrower back to her arm. He was a fairly tall man, a good foot taller than her. His hair was a lovely golden like hers, held into place as tiny little spikes with gel. His eyes shone a bright green and she took a moment to think on what a pity it would be to soon force them to a close. He wore a black tank-top to match the wristband he wore, along with loose-fitting khaki pants, showing off his deliciously sculpted figure. She smiled gently as she watched him grow nervous under her cold gaze, her head tilting to the side.
The man took her full appearance in, cursing out how stupid he was for not noticing the flame thrower strapped to her left forearm. She wore a white tank-top, pulled taunt over her breasts, the main thing that had drawn his friends' attention. She also had a short pair of skin-tight, black shorts on with matching knee-high boots. She was slim and a foot shorter than him, but despite her tiny appearance, he could already tell she was an agile fighter. He felt his stomach clench at the intensity of the ice-blue gaze she had on him, brushing a strand of her curly golden hair behind one ear. Despite the fact that she had tried blasting off his jewels, he found her quite attractive.
"Name?" He asked breathlessly. He hadn't even notice he had been holding his breath until he opened his mouth to talk. He watched as her smile grew, a look of thought entering her eyes.
"Kaelyna," She answered with a nod, she took a single step forward, watching him expectantly.
"Falles," He said and took a moment to glance at the flamethrower now strapped to her arm, his gaze slowly wandering back to her. She smiled softly and shook her head gently.
"You already knew that, didn't you?" He asked, not being all too surprised when she nodded slowly, taking yet another step forward.
"Not exactly, but I knew what my target was supposed to look like. Except for the eye color, you match it exactly, but I can see the rim of your contacts... So you are him. I've been sent here to kill you, you're a threat to my friend and I can't have that." She explained. Falles simply blinked before he nodded a little, a smile now growing on his lips as interest entered his eyes once again.
"Why are you telling me all this?" He asked, his hand slipping down slowly to the flamethrower on his thigh.
"Because you'll be dead in a few moments," She answered simply, receiving a soft laugh from Falles who nodded slowly.
"Confident..." He started, trailing off for a moment as her removed the weapon from his thigh and turned his gaze back to her soon after, a expectant look dwelling in his eyes, "Shall we?"
Kaelyna allowed her smile to fade as she shrugged gently, her gaze never once leaving his eyes. They both stood there, staring at each other expectantly before Falles smiled darkly, a laugh escaping his lips. He quickly took aim at Kaelyna before pulling the trigger on his flamethrower.
Kaelyna had just enough time to let out a laugh of her own before she swiftly ducked under the volley of fire. She hit the ground and rolled upon her left shoulder, pushing herself up and flicking her arm enough to get her weapon back into her hand. She had already pulled the dagger out while she was moving back to her feet. Falles took aim of her once again, but it was too late for Kaelyna had already started running towards him, forcing her elbow hard into his gut and pushing upward before standing. Falles fell upon the ground with a painful groan, wincing in pain as Kaelyna put the toe of her left boot upon his chest and pressed down, leaning enough to push the blade of her dagger to his throat.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you," Kaelyna said, her voice growing emotionless as a look of victory entered her blue eyes. Falles couldn't help but smile at her, despite the pain that ran through his body.
"Because, I'm not the one you're looking for, Kaelyna Roediano," Falles answered, satisfaction rising in his chest as Kaelyna's eyes went wide with fear and she removed the dagger momentarily from his throat.
"I am," a cold voice came from behind them and Kaelyna quickly moved away from Falles, standing to her feet and turning to face the owner of the voice. A cloaked figure stood in front of her, as tall as Falles was, but hidden by the black hooded cloak that draped over it. The only part she could make out was the violet eyes glowing softly within the darkness. She winced at her mistake but hid her fear with a smile of confidence.
"And who are you?" She said, but didn't quite expect an answer. She had wasted enough time here tonight and drew back her dagger slowly, taking aim of the figure. The eyes glowed brightly and she stopped for a moment in confusion, feeling a rip in her soul. She screamed loudly and dropped to her knees, her body shaking at the extreme hurt running through her. All she could make out was Falles running in front of her, then she fell to her side and everything slowly faded to black.
"Fallie! Is she going to be all right?" came a gentle, young voice, filled with concern.
Kaelyna winced at the sudden noise invading her sleep, opening one eyes and squinting in the morning light that streamed through one of the windows to the left of her bed. She heard a light gasp and the patter of feet running out of the room, faint happy shouts following soon after. She closed her eye once again and sighed deeply, trying to get back into her sleeping state, but suddenly realized what was going on.
She had no idea where she was and suddenly she was hearing voices that she had never heard before. She remembered blacking out after the assault that mage had done on her mind, but after that she didn't remember anything but her dreams. She took a moment to wonder if she had been picked up by a random idiot from the bar, but there was a little girl in this place, so she decided against it.
"Fallie?" She repeated the first word that woke her up, searching her mind for a familiar word. She sighed once again, finding that trying to remember anything at this moment would more than likely be a losing battle.
The patter of feet ran back into the room and she opened both her eyes this time, blinking lightly and turning her head to look at the person, trying to ignore the pain. There was a young girl there, around eight years old. Her raven hair swayed up and down as she hopped at the bedside, her green eyes filled with excitement. She wore a pair of jean shorts and a light blue tee-shirt, nearly completely covered by the open jean jacket she wore over it.
"Where am I?" Kaelyna asked groggily, trying to sit up and wincing once again before falling back onto the soft pillow, shutting her eyes. There was a throbbing pain running through her body that didn't seem to want to go.
"You're in our village," Came the response of an all too familiar voice. Falles smiled softly and watched Kaelyna with interest. He lifted up the clothe he had been soaking in a bowl of warm water, dabbing it gently upon her forehead. Kaelyna's eyes shot open and she turned her gaze to him, surprised at the voice that rung in her ears.
"Calm down... You fainted last night and since I don't know anything about you, I decided to take you here." Falles said soothingly. He continued to dab the liquid across her forehead, watching her contentedly.
Kaelyna's heart sped up in fear as she shook her head slowly. First she had missed her target and now she had no idea where she was or whether or not she could trust this man. All she knew was that she had this terrible ache in her chest as she longed to be back with her friends, Squall and the others. Especially Seifer... Despite the fact that he could be an arrogant bastard, she missed all his comments and that smile. She let the painful look in her eyes turn to one of ice and she shook her head quickly, shooting a glare at Falles.
"You don't know me, you're right. I have a mission and you took me from it!" Kaelyna shouted, her voice rising in anger as she sat up. Falles shook his head slowly and gently pushed her back down onto the bed.
"Fine, next time I'll leave you to die in the streets," He answered with a laugh. Kaelyna grew silent and shut her eyes once more, nodding in silent defeat as a sigh escaped her lips.
She couldn't help but drift into thoughts of her friends once her eyes closed. They had all been so kind to her and they had warned her not to go off alone. But it concerned her and Jeremy... She didn't want anyone interfering with a mission that concerned her youngest friend.
**
"Kaelyna, you don't know who this person is or if you have the right target," Quistis said as Kaelyna laid out her items upon the bed.
"Quistis is right, Kaelyna. I don't want to see you hurt!" Selphie had chirped. That girl had always been the most active and loudest of the bunch. Kaelyna smiled softly and looked to her to girl friends.
"I'll be fine you two. I have this planned out and no one is going to take Jeremy from me," Kaelyna said, looking over to the boy that had entered her life not so long ago. He was found by the SeeDs and they both grew close, he was her closest thing to a son and she wouldn't let anyone harm him.
"You know, you really are the stubborn one when it comes to that boy of yours," Seifer had commented with a smirk but gave her an almost compassionate smile, something rare with Seifer, "Good luck."
Squall had merely nodded along with Seifer, always being the quiet one. Squall was one of her closest friends, though. She was not the loudest one either and she felt most comfortable in his presence than with anybody else. She smiled softly to herself... Her friends meant so much to her.
**
"Who is she?" Kaelyna asked, leaving her thoughts for another time and gesturing at the young girl who now sat at the foot of the bed. The little girl's eyes brightened at being acknowledge and she nodded quickly. She looked to Falles hopefully and he nodded, tilting his head a little to the side.
"I'm Meredith!" she shouted happily, gently hopping upon the bed. Kaelyna felt more pain rush through her body and she winced against it. Falles sighed softly and shook his head at Meredith who quickly caught the hint, moving off the bed.
"I'm sorry," Meredith said, her gaze dropping to the floor and Kaelyna couldn't help but smile at her childish innocence.
"It's all right, I'm just in a bit of pain after last night." Kaelyna said, her smile softening. Falles dropped the clothe back into the water and moved his gaze back to Kaelyna. She looked back to him and caught the affectionate gaze he watched her with. She blinked softly, her cheeks coloring lightly before she allowed her gaze to harden.
"Where are my weapons?" She shouted, sitting up and moving out of the bed before Falles could move her back down once again. She slipped on her boots that had been removed and stood up, ignoring that pain as best she could. She began to pace back and forth, listening to the rhythmic click of her heels.
"Over on that table," Falles said, watching as Kaelyna looked about herself, slowly walking around the room and inspecting the tables she came across in search for her items. Having little success, she looked at him with an annoyed look, tapping the toe of her right boot against the floor. Falles smiled softly and shook his head slowly, "Beside the window."
Kaelyna looked back to the window she had woke up to and her eyes lit up. She walked over to the table and slipped the dagger back into her boot, strapping the flamethrower to her arm once again. She looked over her reflection in the mirror, turning to the side for a moment and smiling softly. It felt good to have her weapons in their rightful spots.
As she was observing her image in the mirror, Meredith slowly wandered over to her. After standing there for a while, she gently took Kaelyna's left hand and tugged lightly, gathering her attention. Kaelyna blinked lightly before looking down to the little girl.
"Fallie says that the mage attacked you. He's the one after us," She whispered softly. Kaelyna looked to Falles in confusion and he walked over, gently pulling back Meredith's hair enough to reveal a star-shaped mark below her left ear, "Help us, Kaelyna."
Kaelyna's eyes widened at the girl's mark and she slowly took a step back in unmasked shock, simply whispering out, "A Twilight..."