Chapter One

Her hair bounced up and down in its infamous fashion as she cheerfully walked the streets of Dollet. It was a bit colder than she had anticipated for but it mattered not, she was on a mission and a little cold weather wasn't about to stop her… but the rain might. She had noticed the deep gray clouds looming over head since that morning but she had hoped they would clear out and quit taunting her by afternoon, but it was almost one o'clock and the sky was not evening hinting at a chance of blue. She sighed and hoped for the best.

A small little coffee shop on the corner had caught her attention, it was about lunchtime anyway and she could use a nice warm hot chocolate to thaw her aching bones. The shop was quaint, set up with small round tables each covered with lacey tablecloths. There was a small fireplace off to one side and a jukebox next to the counter. She inhaled deeply and let the aroma of coffee tickle her senses. She loved the smell of coffee; she just wasn't too keen on drinking it. As she approached the counter she was greeted with a warm smile from a delightful little old lady.

"And how might I help you darling? You must be awfully cold walking around town in just that," said the old woman as she noticed her patrons attire, which was that of a knee length skirt, a light jacket rapped tightly around her body, and some brown boots that climbed up her legs to just below her knees.

"It is pretty cold out there. I'm not from around here and I wasn't expecting the weather to be as harsh as it is. I'll just have a small hot chocolate." At this the old woman turned and began preparing the drink.

"So what brings you here then my dear?"

"I'm just getting my shopping done early for Christmas this year. I just get so busy when it gets closer to the holiday that I don't have any time at all to shop, so I like to get it all done before hand."

"You sweet child. Whom are you shopping for might I ask?"

"Mostly my friends. They're more like family to me really."

The old woman smiled and handed her the hot chocolate and a chocolate chip cookie in a paper sack as well as the receipt. After making her payment the girl glanced at the receipt and the old woman received a puzzled stare.

"The cookie is on me darling, they're homemade and fresh so it'd be a sin for me to send you off with out one."

"Thank you so much Miss. Um," the girl stammered as she realized she didn't know the old woman's name.

"Just call me Melinda honey, and its no bother," she said as she extended her hand.

"And you can call me Selphie," she said as she shook Melinda's hand.

Selphie was about out the door when the old woman stopped her once more with a knit scarf and cap in hand. Before Selphie could even decline the offer the knit cap was on her head, the scarf around her neck, and she was out the door and waving at the old woman. The girl could only smile at the woman's kindness.

She quickly began searching through her bag when she snatched out a paper and a pencil. She then scribbled down the address of the coffee shop then stowed the paper and pencil back in her bag and continued on her merry way down the streets of Dollet but her shopping day was far from over.

Selphie had only crossed off a few names on her list and so many more remained. Normally Selphie was overjoyed to shop, especially for those she cared about most, but her muscles and joints ached so much from all the shivering and the dark sky was growing even darker. She knew her shopping day was coming close to its end and she would soon have to make her way back to the Dollet Hotel that she was staying at. Selphie turned to head back when a nearby antique weaponry shop caught her eye.

The little shop was so charming on the outside she couldn't help herself from stepping in if only for a moment. She figured at the least she might be able to cross one more name off her long list.

A little bell rang as she opened the shop's door and the inside was just as charming if not more so than the out side. The walls were adorned with all sorts of weaponry, some of the likes Selphie had only read about in her textbooks but never imagined she'd actually see. Some of the weapons seemed so primitive while others were exquisite with detail.

A tall man with broad shoulders and large belly emerged from the doorway in the back. He had dark hair, a bushy beard, and a deep voice to match.

"Can a help you mam?"

Selphie found herself almost startled by the size of the man the voice came from.

"Oh, I'm just looking," she smiled and continued gazing at a much older version of the gun blade. The man noticed her interest in the piece.

"You know, that was one ofthe very first experimental versions of the gun blade. You see," he explained as he removed the weapon from the wall to show her, "the metal they used was far to heavy. They soon realized that no human hand would every be able to wield a sword that heavy with that kind of handle." He replaced the gun blade back on the wall and moved to another. Selphie followed close behind, absorbing all the man had to say.

"This is a more modified version. You can see they found the right materials to craft a lighter metal but they were still having malfunctions with the actual firing of the gun. It just wasn't enough to have the handle of the gun; they wanted to be able to fire it as well. After all, what's the point of having a gun blade if you can't have the best of both worlds? The blade and the bullet?" At this Selphie gave a small chuckle, as did the man. He continued down along the wall and stopped in front of another gun blade. The weapon was so familiar, the green sheen radiating from the blade, she couldn't pin point it but she knew she had seen this weapon before.

"This version right here was basically the finalized design that all gun blades are still following today. The way it is structured you do get the best of both worlds because the gun not only functions as the handle for the blade but as its own weapon in itself." He held out the blade and Selphie ran her fingertips across the rigid surface.

"This was also the first gun blade to be given an actual name. It was named after its loyal creators the Hyperion Brother's. The green hue comes from a rare clove that was used when the metal was processed. The older brother, Arnold, his favorite color was green and he wanted somehow to incorporate that into the weapon."

Selphie gaped at the blade but she caught herself and regained her composure before the storeowner could notice. He continued telling his story while Selphie tried to show interest. She didn't want to be rude but her mind had drifted elsewhere. The man turned the blade over and she saw it, now there was no doubt in her mind it was his. In the corner of the blade were inscribed two letters, S. and A. This wasn't just a Hyperion; this was Seifer's Hyperion. The same exact blade she had fought against so long ago.

As the man continued he moved to return the blade to its home on the wall but suddenly Selphie interrupted and stopped the man.

"Do you sell any of the weapons here?"

"Why yes but this is an antique store, they come at a hefty price little lady."

"Well I want to by this one," she said firmly, but the clerk gave a bit of a chuckle.

"Listen this here is a really rare find. You can't find these anywhere because not many were made. The brothersonly constructeda few of them before they began finding newer and better ways to craft gun blades." Selphie just looked up at the man.

"I don't care, I want this one, I have to have it," the store owner was still having a hard time believing that petite little Selphie would have any interest or appreciation for the piece.

"Look, there's a new fangled weaponry shop up the street, why don't you go there and get yourself a new and shiny gun blade for a lot cheaper price then this one," Selphie was beyond annoyed, when she was determined there was no stopping her, either you jumped on board or you moved out of her way.

"Sir if you could be so kind as to not patronize me, I would be more than happy to purchase this weapon, not only for its quality but because it has sentimental value along with it. Money is no object here." At this point the clerk realized this was no laughing matter and that no matter how little the lady was she meant business.

"Sorry mam, it'll be right this way." She followed him up to the counter as he frantically searched for a case to house the weapon in. Selphie held her ground; she knew that if she let up this big brooding man would not take her seriously.

"Actually, sir, I was wondering if you could have it cleaned up for me as well? You know buff out all the scuff marks and dings, sharpen the blade, and make it look as good as new."

"Listen missy, I sure hope you know what you're asking. This gun blade here as is, is gonna cost you a pretty penny, roughly speaking it'll be around $30,000.00 gil. But, if you want me to go to the extensive effort of restoring this it's going to cost you much, much more. Plus I've got the original case here and that's going to cost you as well."

"Look Mister, I want this gun blade. I want it restored and looking perfect. I want the case as well, and while you're at it, shine that up too," the man's face was reddening and she could see he was about to scream but she stopped him dead in his tracks. In his face she held up a Platinum Seed card.

Different cards were distributed though out Garden depending on the level you were at. They were useful in that if you were a member of Garden you were able to get discounts on weapons and items needed for military uses as well as the card gave access to money the owner of the card has earned. Seed's were allotted the typical Bronze card, and the Silver was for and Seed who achieved a level 25 or higher. Gold Cards were given to the teaching staff, medical staff, and any of those with a high enough authority. After the whole sorceress ordeal the Platinum Card was installed for those who aided directly in the victory against Sorceress Ultimecia. In other words, this card meant Selphie had an endless amount of money. She just sighed; she couldn't deny that saving the world had its perks.

The man's demeanor changed and he calmed himself; he just gratefully thanked Selphie for her patronage and promised he'd hurry as fast as he could on fixing the weapon but it would still take a few days. Finally Selphie could relax and she no longer had to put up that front to get what she wanted and the tension slowly faded away with a warm smile.

She agreed to return in a few days to pick up the piece and was about to walk out the door when she had remembered something. With out turning around she called out to the owner.

"Oh yeah. You see that small S. and A. engraved in the corner of the blade?"

"Yes," the owner answered cautiously.

"Keep that there please," then she continued out the shop and into the cold night.