THE unofficial adaptation of the FF6 video game!=)  Terra is haunted by the demi-demon Phunbaba.  Can she overcome her own inadequacies & save the children?

Forever & Always

Author: Furysetzer

Disclaimer: Steps to disclaim a copyrighted story: 1) "I don't own the Final Fantasy characters." 2) "I am making no money off this.  It's just for fun." 3) Make stupid joke.

Note: I don't like how fanfiction.net loads their pages, especially stories with many chapters.  So what I'm going to do is post the newest chapters FIRST in the list, that way, all's you need is 1 click & then you're there!  I hope you enjoy my story.

Ch.15—"Full Circle"

Why did things have to be like this? thinks Terra miserably.  Everything was going wrong.  Dwaine & Katarin were having marital problems, the demi-demon was constantly stalking the town, & worse, her ability to protect the children was waning.  She was losing it: her fighting edge.

For the Nth time, she found herself wishing for Celes or any of the others to be here.  Any of them would be able to handle this situation better than she could.  Then, at least, the children wouldn't be constantly terrorized like this.

She turned to Katarin.  She sat there, looking worried, waiting.  Terra tries to say to her, "Look, it's… not all that bad.  You 2 can work this out."

Emotionally, she said, "But, Ms. Branford, he won't even try!  At first, I was really excited about being pregnant.  But now… it's nothing but misery…"

Katarin fidgets with her hands, eventually placing them around her belly.  It had gotten bigger.  Terra had to tailor some of her clothes to make them fit. She wasn't very good at the sewing skill, but Katarin had talked her through it.

Terra couldn't understand their tension.  They loved each other, right?  So why would they be fighting over having a baby?  She thought that having a child was the ultimate product of love.  Terra sighs.  "I don't know what to do."

Dwaine opens the door to the underground room.  He said to Terra, "Ms. Branford, that girl is back again.  She wants to see you."  After a moments hesitation, he adds, "More people are with her."

"Celes!" she says brightly.  Terra rushes past Dwaine.

He stood there for a second, looking angrily at Katarin.  She averted her eyes.  He then walks out, after Terra.

Outside within the main cavern, Terra saw them.  The 3 of them were talking to the children gathered around.  Cyan was sitting on the floor, telling them about an adventure with knight & sword.  Celes watched with interest, adding comments whenever needed.  Gau stood off to the side, aloof from the group.  When he saw her, he exclaims, "It's pretty lady!"

Terra laughed at that silly nickname.  Next, he was in her arms.  But, something wasn't quite right.  She takes a step back.  Concern on her face, she asks, "Gau, what happened?  Your aura… is strange."

Cyan grabs her, picking her up.  "'Tis truly a delight to see thee again!  How hast thee fared, lass!?"

After being set down, she still couldn't stop grinning.  "Better than you," she jokes. "Your hair has a lot of gray, now!"

He bolsters, "True, middle age hast not been kind.  Although thou seems to bear a load of responsibility now."

Her eyes immediately avert to the children playing on the elaborate, hand crafted rug.  "More then you can know," Terra murmurs, walking over to Celes.

She stands next to them, waiting nervously.  Terra grabs her hand, & they hold it tightly for a moment.  An almost aurish glow surrounds the handshake, & they smile knowingly.

Turning her attention back to Gau, Terra tells, "I know what's wrong with you, Gau.  I think… some of your life energy has been stolen."  She walks over to Dwaine & puts her hand over his shoulder.  "It's the same way with Dwaine, except his memory has been fed upon."

Celes was about to ask her to explain, when they all hear a loud pounding within the ground.  The whole place shook.  "W-What's happpenning--!" she exclaims instead.

All of the children start to panic.  "It's Phunbaba!" they say.

Terra rushes to the kids, trying to calm them.  "P-Please!" she says to the travelers.  "The demon… you must stop it!  I can't… do it anymore!"

Cyan storms out the passageway, determinedly.  After a second's hesitation, the other 2 follow.

"COME OUT, ESPER! "the green demon coarsely growls.  "I SMELL YOUR BLOOD..."

Instead, 3 other humans walk out, weapons drawn.  "That 1 ugly monster," the boy says in disgust.

The mucus-covered, rotund demi-demon stared with hateful eyes.  It stood hunched over, with head down, thrust forward.  The full length of Phunbaba's spine was covered with spikes, ending in a serpentine tail, which flickered back & forth restlessly.  He snarls, "FOOLISH ONES...  STEP ASIDE OR I SHALL DEVOUR YOUR MINDS."

"Be gone, demon!" Cyan commands.  "Trouble these villagers no more!"

It hisses, "YOUR SMELL... IS 1 OF THE ANCIENT LINEAGES.  MY DIGESTION OF YOU SHALL BE SWEET!"

It starts.

Phunbaba uses his sinewy legs to charge them.  They scramble out of the way as it crashes into the house, headfirst.  The shack's entire wall falls apart.

It turns back to them, a look of pure enjoyment upon its piggish face.  A piece of wood stuck to the end of 1 of his bullhorns, which he tosses aside.  "THE TIME OF RUIN IS UPON US.  THANKS TO MASTER KEFKA, NONE SHALL BE SPARED!"

Phunbaba opens its huge mouth & does something.  He unleashes his wicked Baba Breath.  The disgustingly hot wind surges toward the group.  It then turns into a cloud & envelops them.  They can't breath, & the fumes make their heads spin.  In short, they collapse.

The demi-demon walks up to them; the ground pounds from him stomping on clawed feet.  He easily picks

Cyan up.  Phunbaba bear hugs the groggy individual with his massive biceps.  Cyan gasps for air; the demon leans in closer.

Using mental powers, he emits a light beam from his forehead.  It bores into the victim's head.  Cyan screams like a banshee.

A shrieking voice resounds, "NOOO!!"

The pinkish blur leaps in the air.  Caught off guard, the demon is unable to react fast enough.  He is PUSHED forward.  Dropping Cyan, he is knocked into the air, smashing into another rotting building.

Phunbaba picks himself up in the rubble.  He laughs, "I LIKE YOUR SPIRIT, SMALL 1!  BUT WHY PROTECT THESE PREY!?  YOUR KIND IS EXTINCT!  JOIN IN ME, & AS I DEVOUR YOUR DELISCIOUS FLESH, YOUR MIND WILL SCREAM IN JOY!!"

TERRA's humanoid & feline form stiffens.  Her tortured voice trembles, "Your kind was banished long ago.  Humans rule now, & I  am  not  a  m o n s t e r!!!!"

Her body shakes with rage.  So much so, that flames of fire spark over her.  They envelop her body & intensify.  TERRA literally turns herself into an Esper fireball.  She levitates a foot from the ground & flies at Phunbaba.

He commands lightening bolts to attack from his hands.  They have no effect, deflecting off the living projectile.  In 1 final strike, the half-Esper tears through the demi-demon's enormous gut.  It explodes in a white magical light, which disperses into nothingness.

For a moment, nothing could be heard but for a pounding in her ears.

The others have recovered by now, except for Cyan.  He sat down with his head buried between his legs.  Celes tries to help him, but he refused.  Gau looked worriedly toward all the kids that are watching from the wrecked house.

Dwaine jerked suddenly.  He gasps, "I remember!"  His memories stolen from him by Phunbaba have returned.  And with it, his love for Katarin.  He turns to her, pain in his eyes.

TERRA, the Esper being, turns to them all, the same pain in her furry pink face.  She looks to her friends apologetically.  "I… I've been fighting it off for so long…  I'm sorry.  I didn't tell you—"

The littlest 1 timidly walks up to the pink monster.  She asks, "Mommy?  Is that you?"

TERRA turns away in disgust for herself.  "Afraid…  I'm always afraid of this thing inside me."

She starts to cry, "Don't be mad, mommy!  We love you!"

TERRA turns again, looking as if slapped in the face.  "You… what?"  The rest of the children rush over, crying her name.  She is bowled over.  Within the mob of embraces, TERRA starts to laugh & cry at the same time, for she now knew what love was.  And, she COULD fight, after all.