The Returners


It was the first official day of school. While most of the students would be taking their time or dragging their feet to start the new year, there was one student who had gotten to the school extra early that morning. A tall boy carrying a large bag full of books, school supplies and tools was seated beside one of the school's flower gardens. This particular garden was Firion Fynn's favorite garden, as it was where all the roses were grown. Carefully, he pruned away the last of the dead leaves from a particularly beautiful red rose. Mopping a bit of sweat from his brow, he sat back to admire his work. The roses all seemed to shine in the sunlight, as if they were showing him their appreciation for his efforts. Smiling, he gently stroked the petals of one of the shining red roses.

"You're here early."

Firion turned at the voice to see a boy with spiky blond hair and blue eyes. He was wearing the same white uniform that Firion himself had chosen on his first day of school. It seemed like ages ago, especially with the recent changes to the Academy. He gave the boy a small wave and said, "You know me. I'm always here early."

"True," Cloud Strife replied with a small smile, "but I guess I meant you got here even earlier than usual."

Firion returned the smile. "You would be right." He turned back to the roses and said, "It's getting colder and soon all the flowers will be gone again. I wanted to make sure I get as many chances to take care of them as I can before then. Plus, with all the new people coming in today, I thought it might be best if I did some maintenance today. I figure if they're looking their best, maybe these new students won't bother them so much. At least, I hope so."

Cloud nodded at the sentiment, knowing his friend's love of flowers. Still, his face turned serious and he stared intently at Firion as he said, "That's not the only reason you're here so early, is it?"

Firion gave a sigh and shook his head. "Of course not." He turned his brown eyes back to Cloud as he asked, "Are you worried?"

"A bit." Cloud admitted. "Are you?"

"How could I not be?" The gray haired boy replied as he looked up at the school's second story windows. There was a familiar figure leaning out of one of the open windows, one with long blond hair and cold blue eyes.

Cloud followed his friend's gaze and grimaced. "I understand your concern, but I don't think you need to worry yourself much today. I think it's too early for him to try anything."

"I suppose you're right." Firion admitted as he studied the figure in the window. "He is a lot of things, but he's never been impulsive." The gray haired boy sighed deeply. "Still, you never know with him."

"I know how you feel." The blond haired boy remarked as he searched the school with his blue eyes. He thought he saw a shadow standing on the railing of the roof, one with long hair, but it disappeared as quickly "They're calling us the Returners, you know."

"Because we're the veterans at this school, right?"

"Right." Cloud confirmed, adjusting his bag on his shoulders. "I think the new students should be okay for a time. They wouldn't be here if they couldn't fight in some way."

"True. I think they will be happy here for a while." Firion trailed off as he saw one of the new students walking slowly towards the school. She had green hair pulled into a pony tail and was wearing one of the school's black uniforms. The girl stopped in front of the school and her blue eyes showed her uncertainty. Firion got to his feet and was about to ask if the girl needed any help when a cheerful voice calling her name made her turn around.

Firion and Cloud watched as Luneth Ur walked up to the girl and asked her if she needed any help. The young Onion Knight was soon joined by his constant companions, Arc Ur, Refia Kazus and Ingus Sasune. They all greeted the girl warmly and exchanged names before Arc asked if the girl named Terra needed any help getting around the school. Though the four younger students would have been on the lower levels of the school building, Refia offered to walk with her to her first class and the others quickly agreed. As they were heading into the school, Luneth noticed Firion and Cloud standing nearby. He smiled and waved at them before catching up to his friends.

Firion turned back to Cloud and said, "We should follow Luneth's example. We've got to help these newcomers and not just with adjusting to their new school life."

"Right." The blond haired boy handed Firion his large bag. "Thing should be fine as long as we're watching out for them."

Firion gathered up all his things, somehow managing to juggle all of it between his arms and back and said, "Then, we'd better get started, don't you think?"

Cloud nodded and the pair went into school together, heading for the second floor. The pair walked quietly down the hallway and when they spotted the person they were looking for, they ducked behind some nearby lockers to listen. Firion was both relieved and worried when he found the person he was looking for. Relieved because it seemed like the tall, imposing young man with long blond hair in a black uniform hadn't caused any trouble yet. At the same time, he was worried when he saw who was standing with him. His girlfriend, a slender young woman with long silver hair and gold eyes in the black uniform for female students, was staring out the window on the second floor, as if examining something.

The pair in question were Mateus Palamecia and Ultimecia Edea, two of the most powerful students in the Dissidia Academy. Not only did the two of them have a reputation for being powerful, they also had a reputation for being a pair that no one messed with without regretting it. As Mateus began to speak, Firion and Cloud started listening intently.

"I can't believe we're going to have to share space with such wretched insects." Mateus's voice held no anger, only a cold disdain as he stared out the window. "These worthless dregs will be the worst thing that ever happens to this school."

"I wouldn't take it so hard." Ultimecia consoled him as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "The school just needs some more funds and for that they need fresh blood."

Mateus scoffed. "If all the school needed was money, they could have just asked my father. He could have bought the school and easily funded it without having to bring the riff-raff here. There's a fine line between fresh blood and watered down mud."

"Just be patient." The gold eyed witch gave his shoulders a consoling squeeze. "There will be plenty of time to judge these fresh bodies and make a proper assessment of them. None of them will be on our level, but who knows? Maybe we'll find one or two among the rabble who will entertain us."

Ultimecia gave a small cruel smile, which Mateus reciprocated. Firion and Cloud exchanged a worried look, neither one liking the sound of that. Mateus was about to reply, when a deep, gravely voice asked, "What kind of entertainment are ya lookin' for?"

Cloud and Firion's eyes locked on the new student in a black uniform, one with brown hair to his shoulders, wearing a red bandana. He was muscular and had a few scars on him. He didn't look like a pushover. Still, Firion felt his heart go for his throat as Mateus and Ultimecia turned towards the newcomer.

Mateus's eyes scrutinized the newcomer before he said, "The kind that knows how to obey its betters and follow orders without question. The kind that understands that a taste of hell awaits all those who are disobedient."

"Huh." The big student rubbed the back of his head in confusion. "You sure have a strange idea of entertainment."

"Your opinion on my choices of entertainment mean little to me. You are nothing more than a common bug." Mateus placed a hand over his chest and his face went cold. A presence of regalia seemed to come upon him as he spoke again. "After all, I am the Emperor of Palamecia."

"The Emperor of Whozawhatits?" The muscular boy snorted as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Aren't you a little old to be playin' make believe?"

Mateus said nothing to this, though their was a chill in his blue eyes. Ultimecia smiled cryptically as she stood by his side. "You have a bold tongue. What is your name?"

"The name's Jecht." He seemed like he was about to ask for their names, but the silver haired woman spoke again before he could.

"Well, Jecht, let me give you a piece of advice. You should not speak so freely about things you know nothing about. It might get you in trouble."

"That a threat?" Jecht cocked an eyebrow.

"Quite quick on the uptake, aren't you?" Mateus's voice held a light sarcasm in it.

"Heh, I might not be the brightest student in this school," Jecht threw his hair over his shoulders and took a fighting stance. He raised his arms and balled his fists. "But, let me tell you, good grades don't make a difference in a fight and neither does make believe."

Mateus seemed amused on the surface, though anyone who had dealt with him enough knew there was a cold anger right beneath it. Before anything worse could happen, Firion and Cloud jumped out of hiding to intervene. Firion cleared his throat loudly, causing all three students to look at him. Mateus's expression grew cold, Ultimecia's impassive, while Jecht just looked confused.

"Well, if it isn't little Firion, come crawling back to the Academy just to get in my way." Mateus purple eyes were cool, but his lips curled into a little knowing smile. "Still attending to your little flower gardens?"

"If you must know, I was working with the rose gardens this morning." Firion explained to them, meeting their eyes and not backing down.

Ultimecia shook her head at that. "Still putting faith in such fleeting things. When will you ever learn?"

Firion frowned and his voice turned firm. "I did not come here to discuss the flower gardens with you. I came here to remind all three of you," he looked at three students before him for an equal measure of time before continuing, "that fighting is not allowed unless it is done in a classroom environment monitored by our staff. To persist in doing so would land you all in detention."

"Yet spying on other students is deemed an acceptable activity." Ultimecia countered with a faux sweet smile. "Or so I assume."

Firion looked uncomfortable at that, but before he could say anything Mateus cut in. "None of us required your worthless reminder. We are all well aware of the rules. Besides, do you really think I'd sully my hands with the likes of him?"

Jecht opened his mouth to say something, but Firion quickly talked over him to avoid making the situation worse. "It appeared that way to me. I didn't mean to offend anyone with my assumptions."

Mateus merely shrugged at this. "Offense can only be felt if one cares about what the other person thinks about them. I do not care at all what you think, Firion Fynn. Do not begin to assume otherwise."

With that, both Mateus and Ultimecia turned their backs on the trio and strode off. They never looked back as Firion, Cloud and Jecht watched them go. Firion breathed a sigh of relief as the pair disappeared into their classroom.

"Well, those two make quite an unpleasant pair, don't they?" The student in the red bandana commented with a shake of his head. "Especially that snobby Emperor of whatever land."

Firion felt worried at the nonchalant attitude this student was showing towards Mateus. "I would advise you not to provoke him." Firion's voice was adamant. "His father is one of the richest men in the world and it gives him free reign to act however he wants. He might try to hurt you if you do something he deems offensive."

Jecht scoffed at that. "Let him try. I'm not so easy to push around. That and I have quite a bit of money myself. My Dad was a famous blitz ball player and he left me quite a fortune. I'm by no means poor, if you catch my drift."

"Even so, you shouldn't go looking for trouble." Firion spoke up again, out of pure concern. "Especially from him."

"What are you, my mother?" Jecht crossed his arms over his chest. "I just told you, I can take care of myself. You don't have to worry about me."

"Firion is the student body president of the Academy." Cloud informed the muscular boy, feeling irritated at his attitude. "He's only trying to advise you on the best course of action as someone who's familiar with the students in this school."

"Well, thanks, but if I want his advice I'll ask him for it." Jecht waved a hand in dismissal as Cloud tried to speak again. "Listen, I got better things to do than be mothered by a pair of kids who are probably younger than I am. You can go back to your spying or whatever it was you were doing. Later."

With that, the muscular blitzball player turned away and walked back down the hall. Firion and Cloud exchanged a look of worry, but didn't try to stop him.

"That could have gone better." Firion sighed as Jecht disappeared into his classroom.

"It also could have been worse." Cloud pointed out to ease his friend's worries.

"Yeah, but things can always get worse where Mateus is involved. It's like saying the sky is blue."

Cloud actually smiled at that. "We'll just have to keep an eye on the pair of them whenever we can. Try to keep their mischief to a bare minimum."

"You'll help me with it?" Firion asked tentatively.

"Of course I will. Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't want to trouble you with it. I know you have your own worries."

Cloud's eyes flashed and then moved towards the stairwell that led to the roof. He gazed at it for a long moment, feeling a familiar presence lingering on the roof. "I do, but your going to help me keep track of him too, right?"

"Yes, of course." Firion response was immediate and firm.

Cloud smiled again. "Then let's share our worries. It'll make it a little easier on the two of us."

Firion nodded and then asked, "Should we meet up with the others after school?"

"Yes, let's meet on the rooftop. Although, we may end up meeting him up there as well."

Firion looked in the same direction as Cloud and nodded. "I will arrange the meeting with the others. For now, we should be getting to our classes. It's almost time for them to start."

Firion turned and started walking back the way they came with Cloud walking beside him.


"Hmm?" Bartz stopped and looked around at his surroundings.

"What?" Zidane asked curiously.

"Well, I don't think this is our floor."

This caused the shorter boy with the monkey's tail to look exasperated. "Then, why did you walk up here?"

"I just felt like wandering around." Bartz shrugged at him causally.

"You just started wandering at a time like this?" Zidane was incredulous. "It's our first day of school! I could understand if we had some more free time, but at this rate we're going to be late!"

"What's the big deal, even if we are?" Bartz shrugged again. "We've probably got a grace period, given that it's the first day and we're new here. I don't think anything bad will happen if we're late."

"Yeah, well, the staff might think differently. I don't want to end up in detention on my first day of school." Zidane rubbed the back of his head. "Man, Kuja would never let me hear the end of that and I don't even want to think about what my parents would say."

"Kuja?" Bartz had never heard that name before.

"My older brother." Zidane explained. "He goes here too."

"Does he have a tail like you?"

"He does, but he doesn't show it like I do. He doesn't like it." Zidane explained before Bartz could ask. "He also doesn't look much like me, so people don't know we're related unless we tell them."

Bartz made an interested noise, then turned back to their situation. "Well, I suppose we better ask somebody where our classroom is."

"Yeah," Zidane agreed and looked around for some people who didn't look busy. He spotted a quartet of kids, who seemed to be around their age. There were three boys, one with silver hair and violet eyes, another short boy with brown hair and brown eyes and a third with blond hair and blue eyes. The fourth member of their little group was a girl with red hair and brown eyes. They were waving to a pretty green-haired girl who was disappearing into her first class. Zidane turned back to Bartz and said, "Hey, why not ask them? They look friendly enough."

"Sure, let's go."

Zidane and Bartz trotted over to the quartet, who looked at them expectantly.

"Hello there." The shortest boy said politely. "Can we help you with something?"

"Yeah, if you can." Bartz started and showed them his schedule. "Do you guys have any idea where our classroom is? We're a little lost."

"Here, let me see." The short brown haired boy took the schedule, looked it over and smiled. "Oh, you two are eighth graders. We're in the same level as you. My name is Arc. It's nice to meet you."

"I'm Bartz."

"And I'm Zidane. It's nice to meet you too." Zidane replied before examining the rest of the group. His blue eyes rested on the red haired girl and he gave a big grin. "So, can you introduce us to the rest of your friends, starting with this lovely lady here?"

The girl looked a little dubious at the remark, but Arc was happy to oblige. "Oh, sorry, that was kind of rude of me. This is Refia, a good friend of ours." Refia gave a little curtsy at her introduction. He gestured to the silver haired boy standing next to him. "This is my friend Luneth and next to him is our good friend Ingus." The blond haired boy looked up and gave them a little nod of recognition.

"So, Arc, can you help us get to our classroom?" Bartz asked once the introductions were done.

"Sure thing. The room is on the same floor as ours. We can lead you to it." Arc assured him.

"Great, let's get going." Zidane urged, wanting to get to his class on time.

The group of six started moving back down the hallway where Bartz and Zidane originally came from. Zidane was making friendly conversation and Bartz was about to join in, when he felt a pair of unfriendly eyes upon him. The feeling was so intense that he stopped abruptly and turned around. It didn't take him long to find the source. An incredibly tall, burly man with thick, slicked back gray hair was staring at him from just outside a classroom. A few long bangs covered his forehead, leading to a pair of golden eyes. His skin seemed oddly pale and his body was covered by a completely black suit. Bartz couldn't help the ominous feeling he got from this figure. The others stopped when they realized Bartz wasn't with them any longer and saw the figure he was staring at.

"Who's that guy?" Zidane asked the four young kids standing beside him.

"Oh, that's Xavier Death." Arc put in helpfully. "He teaches a lot of normal classes here, like botany and geology. However, he's mostly known for his magic classes. He's incredibly gifted, especially in Earth magic. Not only that, but he's really good with a sword."

"Will we be taking classes with him?" Bartz questioned, hoping for a negative response.

"Oh, no." Ingus shook his head. "Professor Death works with the seniors and the occasional talented junior. You won't train with him for a long time, if ever. He only takes the most advanced students, you know."

"No kidding." Zidane whistled and looked at the towering man a few feet away from them. "Personally, I'd love to try and take that big guy on. He might be strong, but I wonder if he's a match for my speed."

"Don't let him hear you say that." Ingus warned him. "Exdeath is as powerful as he looks, you know."

"Exdeath?" Bartz repeated the name, feeling a kind of odd resonance at the title.

"It's the nickname everyone has for Professor Death." Luneth explained to them with a grin. "No one knows where the name came from, but the students here think it's a combination of his first and last name. Probably some lazy student called him that and it ended up sticking."

"Lazy like you, huh?" Ingus teased and Luneth stuck out his tongue.

Bartz turned back to Exdeath, still feeling uneasy. The man with the golden eyes stared at him coolly a moment longer, before he turned away and went into his classroom.

"I don't think he likes me very much." Bartz muttered, not sure what he had done to earn this man's ire.

"Don't worry. Exdeath isn't the friendliest of professors." Refia chipped in with a shrug. "Maybe he's just having a bad day."

"Yeah, maybe." Bartz shrugged back, deciding not to worry about. After all, what would worrying do anyway? It never accomplished anything except wasting time, at least that's how he saw it.

The quartet of kids was about to say more when Zidane gave an appreciative flirt whistle. The group turned to see a woman in a skin tight red dress shirt and short skirt combination. Her slender legs were covered only by a thin pair of cream nylons. Her silver wavy hair flowed down either side of her face, while her red eyes focused on the group of students in front of her. Her full, red lips remained impassive and her gold hoop earrings flickered in the sunlight.

Admiring her figure, Zidane said, "She sure is impressive, in more ways than one."

Bartz stared a little himself. "Is she a teacher?"

"Yes," Arc replied very softly. "That's Claudia Darkness. She teaches high level magic classes. She's also an expert on the Void."

"What's the Void?" The brown haired wanderer asked.

"It's the place where all existence came from. It's also the place where all existence will eventually return to." Arc explained quickly. "At least, that's the short version of it."

Claudia Darkness eyed the four young children with a cool stare, one very much like Exdeath's. Then, she turned into the stairwell and made her way upstairs.

"Another bad day?" Zidane asked as he watched the curvy woman walk away.

"Yeah. Something like that." Luneth said in a small voice, his three companions looking incredibly uncomfortable.

"We should get going if we don't want to be late." Ingus reminded them all, breaking up the somber mood. He started walking off and the others followed him. Bartz and Zidane exchanged a confused look, then shrugged and followed the four other kids.


Cloud waited at the top of the stairs to the roof for Firion to arrive. He hadn't been waiting long when he heard the sound of feet pounding up the stairs. Around the corner came Firion, breathing heavily, with his bag of books, weapons and tools slung over his back. He stopped on the step below Cloud, giving a friendly wave as he caught his breath.

"Hey," he said as he wiped some sweat from his forehead, "did I keep you waiting long?"

"Of course not. I only got here a few minutes ago. You didn't have to rush yourself so much." The spiky haired boy voiced his concern at seeing his friend out of breath after carrying all his heavy gear up the stairs.

"It's no problem. I'd have hated to keep you waiting. Besides, it's good training, right?"

Cloud shook his head at the last sentence. "If you say so."

"So, are we just waiting for the others?"

"Yeah, they're not here yet," Cloud's blue eyes darkened as he turned around, "but that doesn't mean we're alone."

Firion's own eyes narrowed in understanding. "Best take care of this before the others arrive."

Cloud nodded. "Let's go."

Cloud opened the door to the roof and walked purposefully on to the roof. Firion was right behind him guarding his back. The pair of them examined the roof, looking for any signs of the tall figure in question. They both jumped and turned around to face a tall gray haired boy in one of the school's black uniforms. The other student was standing right in front of the door, blocking their way out. His arms were crossed over his chest as he looked at the pair of them with a small smirk on his face.

"It's good to see you again, Cloud." The voice was calm and held little inflection. The green eyes met his own with an impassive expression on his face. His long gray hair was blowing in the breeze, long strands wrapping around his tall body.

"What do you want, Sephiroth?" The spiky haired boy asked, not wanting to play any games.

"I just wanted you to know you disappointed me. I didn't get a chance to spar with you today in our weapon's training class."

"I didn't want to fight you." Cloud informed him coolly. "I had no reason to."

"Then, should I give you a reason?" Sephiroth opened one of his palms to reveal a handful of crushed roses. They were the bright red roses from the garden that Firion had worked so diligently on that morning. He let some of the crushed petals blow away in the wind as both of the students in white uniforms looked at him angrily.

"Those roses are school property." Firion informed him in the most neutral voice he could muster. "You had no right to touch them."

"The roses are for the students, are they not?" Sephiroth made sure to throw the remaining petals into Firion's face. "I will do with them as I please."

"No, you won't." Cloud said firmly. He hid the anger he felt inside him at the gesture. He didn't want the gray haired student to know that his actions had gotten to him.

"If you want to stop me, then fight me tomorrow." Sephiroth turned his body sideways to head down the stairs. "Otherwise, I'll just do it again."

Sephiroth turned around without another word and headed back down the stairs. Cloud started after him, but Firion grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back.

"Don't go after him." Firion advised sternly. "That's just what he wants."

Cloud stared down the stairwell, watching Sephiroth disappear. Once he was gone, the spiky haired boy turned around to face Firion and said, "I'm sorry about the flowers."

"As am I." Firion sighed. "They will regrow though, so no lasting harm was done. Don't feel guilty about it, okay?"

Cloud was silent for a moment, then he closed his eyes and said, "I guess I'll have to fight him tomorrow."

"You don't have to." His friend's brown eyes were filled with concern.

A long silence was Firion's only answer and before more could be said upon the matter, the pair heard the sound of several pairs of pounding feet coming up the stairs. A few seconds later, Luneth, Arc, Refia and Ingus all appeared before them looking a little flushed from their run up the stairs.

"Are you guys okay?" Luneth asked as soon as he saw them. "We passed Sephiroth on the way up the stairs and we thought he might have been waiting up here to fight with you."

"He was waiting for us, but he didn't fight us." Cloud answered quickly. "You shouldn't worry so much about us."

"You two always say that, but seeing as your rivals are two of the strongest people in this school, it's hard for us not to worry about you." Refia's hands were on her hips and her reply had a motherly ring to it.

"We're glad you're okay." Arc added meekly and Ingus nodded along with the sentiment.

"Well, we're sorry we worried you." Firion's smile was warm as he gestured them to all gather by the railing in front of him. Once the six of them had settled by the railing and were looking down on the school below, Firion placed his gear behind him and asked, "Did you four have a good day today?"

"Pretty good, actually." Arc responded promptly. "The new students we've met so far seem like nice people. Talented too."

"Yes, talented," Cloud's eyes grew dark as he stared off into the distance, "and so many of them."

The smiles faded from everyone else's faces as they understood what Cloud was getting at.

"Do you think they've found everyone they need?" Firion questioned as he looked at Cloud's somber face.

"It's hard to say." The spiky blond-haired boy leaned against the railing. "It will be a while before all the new students have been properly assessed. After that, they'll know if everyone they need is here or not."

"That won't be for a while though, right?" Refia sounded worried. "There will still be the midterms and other tests that they'll have to go through. Not to mention the..."

"Trials?" Ingus picked up where she left off. The serious young man faced the others and said, "Yes, it will be a while before all will be ready, if they have found all the right people. We still have a lot of time left, I think."

"But, it is getting worse, isn't it?" Arc added with concern. "Do you think that will cause them to rush things a bit?"

"There's no way to know for sure." Firion replied carefully. "I'm afraid all we can do for now is wait and see what happens."

"That and do our best to help the new students. We should try to look after them as much as we can, just as we've done today." Cloud said firmly as he watched the students of Dissidia Academy walking back to their homes.

The other five nodded in agreement and they all turned to face the sky again. Staring at it in silence for a while, finally Luneth said, "Well, we don't need to worry so much for now. The new students will enjoy themselves here for a time. We should try to do the same with the time we have, right?"

"Right." Firion said to him with a smile on his face.


Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in updates. I participated in Nanowrimo in November and once I finish that I typically have a writing burn out period. This one just happened to last a lot longer than usual. I hope I can update this story a bit more frequently in the future, if I'm not too busy.