Where we left off:
The two exited the room, leaving only Death's favorite jacket behind.
Chapter 5
The room they were in was... shiny. That was the only word that any of them could come up with to describe it. Every inch of the room, actually, it was more of a tunnel than a room, was like chrome, or a mirror, or anything else that reflects an image.
And yet.. that was the strange thing. Nothing actually did reflect in the mirror-like surface.
Rinoa walked very slowly over to one of the walls. It wasn't that she was scared, it was that fact that since every single inch of the tunnel looked the same, she couldn't actually tell where the wall was. After a short distance, her outstreched hand pressed against the wall. "It's smooth. Really smooth." She turned towards Death, "Are these mirrors?"
"Not Exactly, But That Is The Best Way To Describe Them."
Selphie piped up, "Well, how come we can't see ourselves in them?"
"Because They Have Been Polished To Perfection."
"Well, that's a dumb reason. If they're polished that good, then shouldn't we be able to see ourselves even better."
"No. Have You Ever Actually Polished A Mirror To Perfection?"
"Well, not me.. but i've seen some pretty clean mirrors in my day. All the janitors in the garden keep the mirrors really, really clean."
"Polished Well And Polished To Perfection Are Two Different Things."
"How so?"
Death pondered this for a minute, trying to think of a way to explain it. "When A Mirror Or Any Other Reflective Surface Is Polished To Perfection, It No Longer Reflects Outsite Of Itself. Understand?"
Selphie grinned widely, "Not in the slightest."
"You mean that when a reflective surface is perfectly clean, it only reflects itself?"
Death looked at Quistis, impressed once again. "Exactly. You Know, Young Lady, You Really Are Quite Bright. May I Ask What You Are Called?"
"My name is Quistis. Quistis Trepe."
"Very Well, Quistis Trepe. I Shall Be Keeping An Eye On You. I Expect You Shall Accomplish More In Your Life Than Most People Ever Dream Of."
Selphie started bouncing excitedly from one foot to the other. "You wanna know my name?"
"Not Particularly."
"Meanie!"
Death walked to the front of the group. "Now.. If You Would All Follow Me, We Would Do Well To Begin Our Journey. I Suggest That You All Follow Me In A Single File Line. You Are Not Used To The Tunnel of Reflection Like I Am, And It Can Be Hard To See Where The Path Bends." He turned and began walking down the tunnel, and the group settled into a single file formation, with Fanboy and Irvine bringing up the rear.
***
War surveyed the scene around him. Bodies lie broken everywhere he turned. He felt sorry for the deceased, but right now he could do nothing about it. Too many years of solitude and captivity had left him unable to function at 100%, and right now he was just going through the motions that made him what he was. He turned and left the garden, not knowing exactly where he was going, just that he had to be somewhere else. After about a half an hour of walking, he came upon a sign on the side of the road.
Balamb. That sounded like a nice town.
***
It seemed that they had walked for days before reaching the end of the tunnel, but that could probably be accounted for by Selphie's incessant off-key humming.
Outside was no less pleasing to the eye than the tunnel had been. M.C. Esher couldn't have come up with a more distorted reality than this was. If up was down, then that meant that down was 3:42 p.m. eastern standard time, left was blue, and right no longer existed. Nothing made much sense, but somehow.. it worked.
Death saw the group's obvious discomfort and gave some advice. "Try To Let Your Eyes Drift Out Of Focus. It Helps."
It did, actually. With the world half in focus, a clear path through the madness could be seen. Without another word, the group walked on.
About fifteen minutes into Dr. Seuss's worst nightmare, the eight adventurers came to a sudden stop. They all heard it. It sounded like a woman's scream. Squall, Rinoa, Selphie, Zell, and Quistis then realized one of the reasons that the place they were in was so disturbing, besides the nonsensical landscaping. There hadn't been a single noise since they entered this place. No footsteps. No breathing. No sounds from the strange animals that kept darting across the path. Nothing. And now.. this. A woman's scream that seemed to be getting louder every second.
Zell frowned. "Sounds like it's coming from above us."
The scream picked that time to abruptly end with a sickening thud about twenty feet ahead of them on the path.
"PAIN."
"That sucked, ya know?"
"OFF."
"Oh.. sorry Fuj.. couldn't be helped, ya know."
The group walked over to where Raijin was getting off of Fujin, and helping the prone woman to her feet. Once she had regained her footing, Fujin let Raijin know how she felt about him using her as a landing pad.
"Ow! It wasn't my Ow! fault, ya know? How was Ow! I supposed to know that Ow! we were going to land like we Ow! did? Ow!"
Fujin's good eye caught sight of Squall and the others and she stopped in mid-shin kick. "VISITORS."
"Wha?" Raijin turned around and let out a relieved sigh at the familiar faces. "Geez, are we glad that we found you. This place doesn't make any sense, ya know? We've been walkin' around here forever, tryin' to find Seifer."
Zell looked at Fujin. "I don't think I've ever heard you scream like that before."
"NOT ME." Fujin pointed at Raijin, who got an embarrased look on his face.
Squall stepped forward. "Where have you two been?"
"I'm not sure, ya know. Last thing I remember was walking through the garden lobby, then Quistis yellin' 'Head's up!', then Seifer catchin' a bottle.."
"IMPRESSIVE."
"Yeah.. it was really cool..he just snatched it out of the air, ya know, like it was nothin'"
Squall began to look annoyed. "Get on with it."
"Oh, yeah.. and then the bottle broke and me and Fujin woke up here. Um.. exactly where are we?"
Squall explained the situation the best he could.
Raijin seemed to take the news of his demise in stride. "So, Seifer finally got the best of ya, huh? I always knew that he would. He's the greatest there is, ya know?"
"I've Seen Better."
"LIES."
Raijin looked at Death. "Just who are you that you think you can get away with insultin' the great Seifer without takin' a beating for it, huh?"
Selphie got a worried look on her face. "Um, Raijin.. that's Death."
"Yeah? Well, if he's Death, then who's the big guy wearing his shirt?"
Fanboy looked up. "I'm Big D's number one fan. Youse got a problem with that?"
Raijin put his hands up. "Relax, I don't have a problem, ya know." He walked over to Death. "So you're death, huh? I thought you'd be all skulls and hoods and capes, ya know."
"Well, To Tell You The Truth, I've Never Been Into The Whole Skull And Crossbones Thing. It Gives Me The Willies."
"What a wuss. You don't like skulls and you even talk funny... Ow! Not you Fuj."
"I Talk Funny? You're One Eyed Girlfriend Seems To Have A Stranger Manner Of Speech Than I Do. Ow!"
Quistis raised an eyebrow. "You know, Fujin, I'm not real sure if it's wise to kick Death in the shin."
"INSULTED."
"You want me to break her legs, boss?" Fanboy had laid Irvine on the ground and was approaching Fujin.
Rinoa was quick to diffuse the situation before it got any worse. "Hey! We have bigger problems right now than worrying about how people talk. We need to get back before that War guy kills any more people."
Squall nodded his agreement. "She's right. Let's just drop this for now, and you two can settle your differences when this is all over."
Fujin looked hard at Death. "LATER."
"I'm In No Hurry. You'll Be Back Here Sooner Or Later. Everyone Comes Here Sooner Or Later."
With the promise of violence postponed for the time being, the travelers, now ten strong, walked on.
***
It watched the confrontation with no small amount of amusement. It had been watching them since they got here. They would be here soon enough, and when they did...
There would be Hell to pay.
*notes* I would have had this up here sooner, but I haven't been home for a few days. I'd like to thank everyone for the words of encouragement to keep this going. I actually have a vague idea of a story now, and if all goes well, this will be the first part of a trilogy of stories that all go together. And, to give credit where credit is due: the idea of having Fujin kick Death in the shin goes to Akira Silveracious Majere.
The two exited the room, leaving only Death's favorite jacket behind.
Chapter 5
The room they were in was... shiny. That was the only word that any of them could come up with to describe it. Every inch of the room, actually, it was more of a tunnel than a room, was like chrome, or a mirror, or anything else that reflects an image.
And yet.. that was the strange thing. Nothing actually did reflect in the mirror-like surface.
Rinoa walked very slowly over to one of the walls. It wasn't that she was scared, it was that fact that since every single inch of the tunnel looked the same, she couldn't actually tell where the wall was. After a short distance, her outstreched hand pressed against the wall. "It's smooth. Really smooth." She turned towards Death, "Are these mirrors?"
"Not Exactly, But That Is The Best Way To Describe Them."
Selphie piped up, "Well, how come we can't see ourselves in them?"
"Because They Have Been Polished To Perfection."
"Well, that's a dumb reason. If they're polished that good, then shouldn't we be able to see ourselves even better."
"No. Have You Ever Actually Polished A Mirror To Perfection?"
"Well, not me.. but i've seen some pretty clean mirrors in my day. All the janitors in the garden keep the mirrors really, really clean."
"Polished Well And Polished To Perfection Are Two Different Things."
"How so?"
Death pondered this for a minute, trying to think of a way to explain it. "When A Mirror Or Any Other Reflective Surface Is Polished To Perfection, It No Longer Reflects Outsite Of Itself. Understand?"
Selphie grinned widely, "Not in the slightest."
"You mean that when a reflective surface is perfectly clean, it only reflects itself?"
Death looked at Quistis, impressed once again. "Exactly. You Know, Young Lady, You Really Are Quite Bright. May I Ask What You Are Called?"
"My name is Quistis. Quistis Trepe."
"Very Well, Quistis Trepe. I Shall Be Keeping An Eye On You. I Expect You Shall Accomplish More In Your Life Than Most People Ever Dream Of."
Selphie started bouncing excitedly from one foot to the other. "You wanna know my name?"
"Not Particularly."
"Meanie!"
Death walked to the front of the group. "Now.. If You Would All Follow Me, We Would Do Well To Begin Our Journey. I Suggest That You All Follow Me In A Single File Line. You Are Not Used To The Tunnel of Reflection Like I Am, And It Can Be Hard To See Where The Path Bends." He turned and began walking down the tunnel, and the group settled into a single file formation, with Fanboy and Irvine bringing up the rear.
***
War surveyed the scene around him. Bodies lie broken everywhere he turned. He felt sorry for the deceased, but right now he could do nothing about it. Too many years of solitude and captivity had left him unable to function at 100%, and right now he was just going through the motions that made him what he was. He turned and left the garden, not knowing exactly where he was going, just that he had to be somewhere else. After about a half an hour of walking, he came upon a sign on the side of the road.
Balamb. That sounded like a nice town.
***
It seemed that they had walked for days before reaching the end of the tunnel, but that could probably be accounted for by Selphie's incessant off-key humming.
Outside was no less pleasing to the eye than the tunnel had been. M.C. Esher couldn't have come up with a more distorted reality than this was. If up was down, then that meant that down was 3:42 p.m. eastern standard time, left was blue, and right no longer existed. Nothing made much sense, but somehow.. it worked.
Death saw the group's obvious discomfort and gave some advice. "Try To Let Your Eyes Drift Out Of Focus. It Helps."
It did, actually. With the world half in focus, a clear path through the madness could be seen. Without another word, the group walked on.
About fifteen minutes into Dr. Seuss's worst nightmare, the eight adventurers came to a sudden stop. They all heard it. It sounded like a woman's scream. Squall, Rinoa, Selphie, Zell, and Quistis then realized one of the reasons that the place they were in was so disturbing, besides the nonsensical landscaping. There hadn't been a single noise since they entered this place. No footsteps. No breathing. No sounds from the strange animals that kept darting across the path. Nothing. And now.. this. A woman's scream that seemed to be getting louder every second.
Zell frowned. "Sounds like it's coming from above us."
The scream picked that time to abruptly end with a sickening thud about twenty feet ahead of them on the path.
"PAIN."
"That sucked, ya know?"
"OFF."
"Oh.. sorry Fuj.. couldn't be helped, ya know."
The group walked over to where Raijin was getting off of Fujin, and helping the prone woman to her feet. Once she had regained her footing, Fujin let Raijin know how she felt about him using her as a landing pad.
"Ow! It wasn't my Ow! fault, ya know? How was Ow! I supposed to know that Ow! we were going to land like we Ow! did? Ow!"
Fujin's good eye caught sight of Squall and the others and she stopped in mid-shin kick. "VISITORS."
"Wha?" Raijin turned around and let out a relieved sigh at the familiar faces. "Geez, are we glad that we found you. This place doesn't make any sense, ya know? We've been walkin' around here forever, tryin' to find Seifer."
Zell looked at Fujin. "I don't think I've ever heard you scream like that before."
"NOT ME." Fujin pointed at Raijin, who got an embarrased look on his face.
Squall stepped forward. "Where have you two been?"
"I'm not sure, ya know. Last thing I remember was walking through the garden lobby, then Quistis yellin' 'Head's up!', then Seifer catchin' a bottle.."
"IMPRESSIVE."
"Yeah.. it was really cool..he just snatched it out of the air, ya know, like it was nothin'"
Squall began to look annoyed. "Get on with it."
"Oh, yeah.. and then the bottle broke and me and Fujin woke up here. Um.. exactly where are we?"
Squall explained the situation the best he could.
Raijin seemed to take the news of his demise in stride. "So, Seifer finally got the best of ya, huh? I always knew that he would. He's the greatest there is, ya know?"
"I've Seen Better."
"LIES."
Raijin looked at Death. "Just who are you that you think you can get away with insultin' the great Seifer without takin' a beating for it, huh?"
Selphie got a worried look on her face. "Um, Raijin.. that's Death."
"Yeah? Well, if he's Death, then who's the big guy wearing his shirt?"
Fanboy looked up. "I'm Big D's number one fan. Youse got a problem with that?"
Raijin put his hands up. "Relax, I don't have a problem, ya know." He walked over to Death. "So you're death, huh? I thought you'd be all skulls and hoods and capes, ya know."
"Well, To Tell You The Truth, I've Never Been Into The Whole Skull And Crossbones Thing. It Gives Me The Willies."
"What a wuss. You don't like skulls and you even talk funny... Ow! Not you Fuj."
"I Talk Funny? You're One Eyed Girlfriend Seems To Have A Stranger Manner Of Speech Than I Do. Ow!"
Quistis raised an eyebrow. "You know, Fujin, I'm not real sure if it's wise to kick Death in the shin."
"INSULTED."
"You want me to break her legs, boss?" Fanboy had laid Irvine on the ground and was approaching Fujin.
Rinoa was quick to diffuse the situation before it got any worse. "Hey! We have bigger problems right now than worrying about how people talk. We need to get back before that War guy kills any more people."
Squall nodded his agreement. "She's right. Let's just drop this for now, and you two can settle your differences when this is all over."
Fujin looked hard at Death. "LATER."
"I'm In No Hurry. You'll Be Back Here Sooner Or Later. Everyone Comes Here Sooner Or Later."
With the promise of violence postponed for the time being, the travelers, now ten strong, walked on.
***
It watched the confrontation with no small amount of amusement. It had been watching them since they got here. They would be here soon enough, and when they did...
There would be Hell to pay.
*notes* I would have had this up here sooner, but I haven't been home for a few days. I'd like to thank everyone for the words of encouragement to keep this going. I actually have a vague idea of a story now, and if all goes well, this will be the first part of a trilogy of stories that all go together. And, to give credit where credit is due: the idea of having Fujin kick Death in the shin goes to Akira Silveracious Majere.