"How did we end up being the ones that had to do this?" Celes complained as she entered the cave. She looked around at the dark damp rock walls, floor and ceiling then turned to Terra.
"I'm not sure, actually…They needed a small group to explore this cave and made us the group." Terra shrugged…this was definitely a small group, just her and Celes. Terra felt anxiety building up in her and an awkward, uncomfortable feeling building up with it. She wasn't afraid that Celes and she couldn't handle staying in the cave for two days by themselves, she was uncomfortable being alone with Celes…Ever since the two had met up in Narshe, Celes had been trying to avoid contact with Terra, and Terra knew it…
"And who is this?" Edgar questioned Locke not long after Locke had walked in with the mysterious new blonde haired girl.
"This is Celes, ex-general of the Empire and-" Locke was cut off by the new member of the group, Cyan.
"General Celes?" Cyan pushed Gau harshly to the side. He unsheathed his sword and pointed it at Celes, "You're the one who single handedly conquered Miranda. Prepare thyself!" Cyan brought his sword back to attack but stopped when Locke stepped in between him and Celes.
"Wait! She's on our side now!" Locke threw his hands up as if he was pleading innocence for himself.
"It matters not!" Cyan brought his sword back again, not caring that Locke was in between him and Celes this time.
"Wait!" The room grew quiet at the unexpected shout. Cyan looked back at Terra who had grabbed his shoulder, "I-I was once part of the Empire too." Cyan turned around in utter shock and stared at her.
"W-What?" Terra simply nodded to his one word question…Cyan shook his head and brought his sword back again but this time at Terra who threw her hands up over her face as the only protection she could offer herself. Sabin intervened this time, stepping in between Terra and Cyan. He grabbed Cyan's arm and held it still while using the rest of his strength to hold Cyan in place.
While Sabin tried to reason with Cyan, Celes peeked around Locke who was frozen in place. She eyed Terra who stared blankly back at her. Some sort of revelation hit Celes and her face lit up.
"Terra! Is that really you?" Terra tilted her head to the side in confusion, "It's me, Celes!" Celes ran past Locke and the others to stand in front of the mage.
"I kinda picked up on the fact that was you name." Terra shrugged timidly as Celes stared her in the eyes.
"What do you mean? Don't you remember me from back at the Empire?" Celes began to worry internally that something wasn't the same about the girl standing in front of her and the girl she remembered from the Empire.
Locke, sensing where this was about to go, walked up behind Celes, "Celes, I think you need to stop…you're not going to like what happens next." But Celes ignored him and waited for Terra's answer.
"Am I supposed to remember you?" Terra frowned, not at Celes but at herself…*This girl obviously thinks I remember her…Come on, Terra…try to remember something!* She yelled at herself internally as she watched a wave of confusion and hurt sweep across Celes' face.
"Yes! We were best friends at the Empire! We've known each other since we were six!" Celes now wished she had listened to Locke and let it go…stopped before it had a chance to really hurt her because she knew where this was going next by Terra's blank expression.
"I'm sorry…I don't remember you…" Terra looked down at the ground ashamed and disappointed in herself as Celes felt another wave but this time of just pain.
Terra sighed as she remembered that day…she had obviously hurt Celes by not remembering, but she remembered everything now and wanted to let Celes know that she remembered how close they used to be..but, Celes hadn't really talked to Terra since that day. Actually, Celes' sentence when they first entered the cave was the most Celes had ever said to her in months. Maybe things would change…now that it was just the two of the, Terra could finally get a word in, finally tell her previous best friend how sorry she was.
"Well, let's get going…the more we do today, the less we have to do tomorrow and the sooner we can leave." Celes began to walk deeper into the cave causing Terra to sigh…her last sentence plainly said that Celes was in no mood to talk with her still.
During that night, in their tent, the two girls sat in complete silence. Terra's head was filled with things she wanted to say and Celes' was filled with things she didn't know if Terra remembered from their childhood together at the Empire.
Terra sighed and laid down, "I don't know how much more of the cave we have to explore tomorrow so I'm going to get extra rest just in case it's a lot…" She trailed off and looked at Celes who laid down a good five feet from her. Frowning, Terra turned over to her side, "Goodnight, then."
Another long silence filled the tent…Terra was seconds away from sleep when she heard Celes' voice, which was no more than a whisper.
"Terra? Are you awake?" Terra turned back over to her back and looked in Celes' direction but only saw her outline due to the darkness.
"Yes." Terra answered as quiet as Celes had spoken, maybe softer.
"Ok…I was just wondering." Celes looked towards Terra's direction then looked away…Another silence filled the tent…Celes had wanted to talk with Terra about the day they had met each other again in Narshe but she didn't know where to begin or what to say…
"Celes?" Terra whispered even lower than last time.
"Yes?" Celes tried to match her volume with Terra's.
"I, um…I'm..I'm sorry about that day in Narshe…you know, when I said I didn't remember you? I'm so sorry…I never wanted to hurt you but I didn't remember anything becau-"
"Because of the Slave Crown…don't worry, Terra, Locke filled me in on everything…afterwards." Celes cut in on Terra's sentence. Celes looked up at the top of the tent, "I've also heard you've gotten your memory back…"
"Yes…and that's kinda where I was going." That caught Celes' attention…*Is it possible that she-* Celes didn't want to continue the thought just in case this wasn't going where she thought it was, "Part of my apology to you is also telling you that I remember everything now…the day we met, in great detail, right up to the last day I talked to you before I was thrown into the Imperial jail to await my Slave Crown punishment." Terra looked in the opposite direction of Celes as all the memories flooded back into her head.
"You remember the day we met in detail?" Celes was somewhat shocked by that…sure she remembered it but that's just it…she remembered meeting Terra, not all the details.
"Yes…right down to what both of us were wearing." Terra gave a slight smile to herself as she replayed it in her head not knowing that Celes' mind had already began to replay it for her.
"Terra, there's a new girl coming to join us here at the Empire today." Kefka, the normal, compassionate, adopted father, before the fall into insanity Kefka, said as he watched the young Terra zip up her jacket.
"Will I like her, Daddy?" Terra asked in her high soft voice as she flung the hood over her head.
Kefka laughed, "I don't know, that's really up to you, not me." Terra turned to him with an almost scared expression. "What's wrong?"
"I've never met another girl my age before! What do I do? What if she doesn't like me?" Kefka shook his head at her childish worries…then again, she was only six.
"Well, act like you would if you were at home with me and mommy and she's sure to like you." Kefka gave a reassuring smile. "Are you ready to meet her?" Terra nodded but then went still with wide eyes.
"Wait!" She ran out into the hall and into her room. In a few seconds, she reappeared holding a large stuffed bunny about the size of her. "Now I'm ready." She smiled up at Kefka who offered his hand for her to hold.
Outside it was still snowing from the night before, adding onto the five inches that was already on the ground. Out in the courtyard area of the Imperial HQ stood a young girl with blonde hair and a white dress that came an inch above her knees. Her parents stood on either side of her and were talking with the Emperor
"Don't fret, the Empire has the best training facilities and learning facilities around, she will be in good hands." He nodded to the mother who looked concerned with the idea of just leaving her daughter here but the girl's father seemed convinced.
"Thank you, Emperor Geshtal." With that, the father bowed, looked down at his daughter and walked away. Her mother bent down and gave her a final hug and kiss then followed after the girl's father.
"Alright, Terra," Kefka bent down and whispered to his adopted daughter, "She's probably uncomfortable and scared right now, so be nice and go play with her, ok?" He waited until the tiny mage nodded, then walked after the Emperor who had gone back into the building.
Terra took a deep breath then walked up to the new girl. She stood in front of her for a few seconds in silence before she spotted that the girl was holding a stuffed cat about the size of her own bunny. "I like your kitty." Terra commented as she stared at it then looked back at the girl's face as the girl stared at Terra's bunny.
"Thank you…I like your bunny." The girl smiled then looked down at the ground.
"I think I'm supposed to tell you my name now…" Terra thought out loud, "Hi, my name's Terra." She held out one of her light pink mitten covered hands. The girl eyed it then smiled again.
"Hi, I'm Celes." Celes held out her own light green mitten covered hand and shook Terra's. When they had let go, Celes examined what Terra was wearing…A dark blue skirt about mid-thigh with light pink leggings and dark blue furry boots that matched her skirt and came up to her knees…but those weren't what Celes concentrated on the most…what she focused on the most was the hoodie Terra was wearing. It was dark blue as well with pink fluff around the end of the sleeves and around the opening where her face was but the real eye catcher was the two dark blue bunny ears that stuck out at the top of the hood that made it look like she had actual bunny ears coming out of her head. Celes tilted her head as she stared at it, "Why does your jacket have bunny ears?"
Terra shrugged, "I don't know..I like it." Terra smiled and hugged her stuff bunny tighter as a gust of wind blew, blowing snow into the two small girls' faces. Celes sneezed then followed it with a small quick cough. Terra frowned…Celes wasn't exactly wearing winter clothes…her white dress didn't look very thick and the sleeves came down to her elbows. She had light green leggings on with short white boots that snow could easily get into. "You're going to get sick just wearing that." Terra tilted her head then smiled, "You can wear some of my clothes for right now." She eyed Celes' large stuffed animal cat, "I think I have the perfect jacket for you."
In her room at the Empire, Terra stared at her open closet as Celes sat on her bed and hugged her cat and Terra's bunny. It was quiet as Terra looked for the hoodie and boots she had in mind for Celes.
"Here they are!" Terra yanked down something off a hanger then bent over to grab a pair of boots up off the closet floor. She rushed over to the bed and set the stuff down so she could pick them up individually to show Celes what she had picked out. "Here's the jacket." It was a white jacket, practically identical to the one Terra was wearing but instead of bunny ears on top of the hood, there were two large cat ears. Celes smiled then Terra picked up the boots, "And now the boots." They were also identical to the ones Terra was wearing but instead of dark blue, they were white like the hoodie with the cat ears. "Do you like them?" Terra smiled and waited for the answer.
"Yes!" Celes jumped off the bed and grabbed the hoodie, put it on, then zipped it up, instantly feeling warmer. Terra reached behind Celes' head and pulled the hood up onto it.
"Now we can both be like our toys." Terra smiled and Celes nodded wearing the same smile. Celes then kicked off her short boots and tugged on Terra's long white ones. "Better?"
"Yup! Thank you, Terra!" Celes smiled.
"Welcome! Now we can go play outside without you getting sick." Both the girls then ran out the room, leaving their toys on the bed, rushing past Kefka, Leo and the Emperor.
"Where are you two going?" Kefka yelled after them.
"To play in the snow! We'll be back!" Terra yelled in response.
They played out in the snow for hours, building snowmen, having a snowball fight, sledding, ice skating on a nearby fountain they had found in their boots…falling several times but always getting up laughing. It was getting late and neither of them wanted to go in just yet.
"Terra, have you made snow angels before?" Celes eyed the flat ground then looked over at Terra who was staring at the flat ground as well.
"Of course!" Terra smiled and looked at Celes, her blue bunny ears on her hood swaying with the head movement.
"You wanna make some before we go back in?" Celes continued to smile as Terra nodded. Celes laid down in the snow and began to move her arms and legs back and forth. Terra laid down so that the top of her head was inches away from the top of Celes' head and began to move her arms and legs in the same motion. After a few seconds, both the girls stopped but instead of getting up, they laid there and stared up at the clouds that were now clearing, revealing the last few minutes of a sunset.
"Terra?" Celes broke the silence that had grown and arched her neck so that she was staring the top of Terra's hood upside down.
"Yeah?" Terra did the same but ended up staring at Celes' upside down face upside down.
"Will you be my friend?" Celes watched as Terra rolled over onto her stomach, messing up her snow angel.
"I kinda thought we already were." Terra tilted her head and still stared at Celes.
Celes smiled, "Friends forever?" Celes held out one of her light green mitten covered hands in the air above her but towards Terra.
Terra smiled and reached out with her light pink mitten covered hand and shook Celes', "Forever."
The two girls sat in silence as the scene ended in their heads.
"Terra, I'm sorry…I've been avoiding you but after you told me you didn't remember me..I..well, I was.." Celes trailed off.
"It's alright, Celes…I would've been upset too if it was the other way around." Terra frowned in the darkness.
"No, it's not ok…I was being a jerk and it wasn't your fault." Celes sighed.
Another silence fell over the tent.
"Terra…I know this sounds childish but I don't know how to phrase it another way…will you be my friend again?" Celes frowned to herself…she wouldn't blame Terra if she said no for ignoring her for so long.
"I never knew we stopped being friends." Celes could practically vision Terra tilting her head to the side and smiling that comforting smile of hers. Terra held out her arm towards Celes, "So, there's no point in being friends again if we've always been friends…that's kinda what we meant by forever, right? The friendship never stops." She wondered if Celes knew she was holding out her arm and hand towards her but her wondering was quickly answered when she felt Celes' hand grab hers and shake hers just like they had done when they were little.
"That's exactly what forever meant." Terra could hear the smile in Celes' voice. "Thank you for remembering, Terra."
"Thank you for never forgetting, Celes." Terra smiled to herself. Both girls pulled their hands away and turned over on their sides and smiled then finally drifted off to sleep knowing that things would be different between them when they woke up…Or, perhaps not different, but the way it was before..knowing that the small time they hadn't talked was the time that things were "different" and now things were going back to the way they were and were supposed to be.