HISTORY NEVER REPEATS
A FFVIII Second Generation Fan Fiction

"Remember my words, I may again return,
I love you, I depart from materials
I am as one disembodied, triumphant, dead."
~from So Long, Walt Whitman

CHAPTER FOUR

Having dispatched the two soldiers, who were tougher fighters than he'd anticipated, Syrus stepped out into the studio, Benji close behind him. At the far end of the room, Tempest was surrounded by no less than twelve G-Army grunts. He could see that she fought like a champ, but she was no match for that many. Syrus himself wouldn't have been able to hold off that many alone.

Without hesitating, Syrus jumped over the railing, weapon drawn. He hit the floor running, but was knocked to his feet by a powerful, white hot shockwave that tore through the room like a nuclear blast. As it washed over him, Syrus felt the sting of a thousand electric pin pricks under his skin. He let out an involuntary cry and tried to get up, just as a second shockwave hit him. This time he stayed down, waiting for it to end.

A third, forth and fifth blast tore through the room, one after another until Syrus lost count. This was magic he'd never seen before, but whatever it was, was unbelieveably powerful. With each shockwave, it felt as if the room around him was imploding, as if all the molecules in his body were being re-arranged then forcibly put back together. It was the most unsettling and most painful thing he'd ever felt in his life.

It seemed an eternity before he realized that the air around him had calmed and then there was absolute silence in the room. He got to his feet, quickly cured himself and surveyed the situation.

At the far end of the room, Tempest stood slumped against the wall, surrounded by a sea of fallen G-Army soldiers. Not a one of them moved in the aftermath of the unidentified magic, but it was clear every last one of them had fallen victim to it.

Hyne, almighty. Had Tempest been responsible for this?

No. It wasn't possible. Tempest may have been an incredible fighter, but she was no mage. In fact, Syrus could count on one hand the number of times she'd actually used magic in his presence, and it had never been very effective. For whatever reason, Tempest Leohart had an aversion to magic. She had for as long as he'd known her.

But there she stood, a semi-circle of dead around her. If she hadn't been the one casting it, why was she the only one still standing?

Syrus shook off his questions and jogged to her side. It didn't matter right now. What mattered was getting out of here in one piece.

"You okay?" he asked as he approached, fearing he'd see that same vacant look he'd seen before.

While she did look dazed, she wasn't gone, and to Syrus, this was a relief. She gave him a slight nod and gazed up at him through unfocused eyes.

"Can you walk?"

Tempest pushed away from the wall, swayed and slid gracelessly to the floor. Syrus crouched in front of her and took her face between his hands. Whatever happened had drained every last bit of strength she had left. Syrus didn't pretend to understand what was going on, or how any of this had happened. There was no point trying to figure it all out when there were other matters to deal with.

"What the hell was that?" Benji asked as he knelt beside Syrus.

"Don't know."

"What kind of magic was that?"

"I don't know."

"What's wrong with her?"

"Will you shut up?" Syrus snapped.

"Maybe we should get out of here, hunh?" Benji said, ignoring Syrus' request.

"Good idea," Syrus said, turning to survey the room.

To his left, he spied a discarded machine gun. He kicked it toward Benji.

"I'm going to have to carry her," Syrus said, "so cover us, okay?"

Benji picked up the gun and looked at it as if it were diseased.

"What, my fists aren't good enough for you?"

"If the enemy approaches, just point and shoot," Syrus said.

With that, he returned his attention to Tempest, who looked as if she were on the ragged edge of exhaustion. He leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. He didn't care if it pissed her off. He loved her and wanted to offer her what comfort he could, even if it wasn't welcome.

"I lost her," Tempest murmured.

"It's okay."

"She was counting on me, and I lost her."

Syrus wiped her sweat dampened hair from her forehead and kissed her cheek. Seeing her like this was heartbreaking.

"Shh. We'll talk about it later," he breathed as he scooped her up into his arms.

It was easy to forget that Tempest was a small girl, but in his arms, it was clear that she was much smaller than she seemed. She felt fragile, breakable, in his arms, and that scared Syrus more than anything else that had happened today. It didn't change the fact that she was tougher, stronger, and more corageous than anyone he'd ever met, but it did remind him that she wasn't immortal. She could fall just as easily as anyone.

And if Tempest could fall, the so could Syrus.

Benji shot the lock of the studio door and lead the way out. For the first time that day, he felt important, but he knew it was only because Syrus and Tempest were otherwise incapacitated. At least it gave him something to do, other than follow them around, worrying that at any moment they'd be captured or killed.

He still didn't understand what had happened back there. He'd never seen that kind of magic before. Even from a distance, it had wounded him and he couldn't imagine how Tempest had survived it, when the Galbadian soldiers had not.

One thing was clear to him, however. Syrus loved Tempest. There wasn't any doubt of that, and Benji was glad. It somehow gave him hope to know that Tempest wasn't just a conquest for Syrus. And if a guy like Syrus could love someone else, then maybe the world wasn't as crazy as it seemed.

It wasn't hard to find their way back to the main corridor, but when he arrived at the intersection that would lead them out, he heard footsteps, then voices.

Benji signaled for Syrus to wait, but he was already stopped. He'd heard the voices too. Gingerly, Syrus set Tempest down and drew his blade.

"Wait right here," he commanded, as if Tempest was going to suddenly get up and walk away on her own. Tempest could barely keep her eyes open, let alone stand.

"Could be more," Syrus said.

"I'm aware of that," Benji replied.

Benji slid toward the intersection peered around the corner, his grip tightning on the machine gun. To his surprise, it wasn't more G-Army but the SeeD Medic Unit and a team of SeeDs and candidates. Among them, he spotted Cedra Almasy, Syrus' little sister, who was also participating in the exam. Benji was betting that Cedra had a much easier time than he had.

He let out a breath and turned to Syrus.

"Reinforcements. We're okay."

Benji stepped out into the hall and signaled to them that he was with SeeD, just so there was no confusion.

"Benji!" Cedra cried when she spotted him. "Where's my no-good brother? He didn't take off on you, did he?"

"No, he's here," Benji assured her.

Syrus had gone back to Tempest's side and Benji noticed, with dismay, that Tempest seemed to be gone again. Then he realized she wasn't gone, exactly, but she wasn't quite there, either. Her lips were moving and she was singing softly to herself, her voice sounding very much like a child's.

It was a lullaby. Something Benji had learned as a kid, in Sunday school. It was supposed to be a child's nightime prayer.

"The darkness is there to teach us to love the light. There is nothing to fear in the black of the night. Hyne loves us and keeps us from harm. We are his children, he keeps us safe and warm....."

It was eerie enough to raise goosebumps along Benji's arms. Eerie because Tempest never sang, and because it sounded nothing like her. Not to mention, that particular song had always creeped him out, even when he was a kid.

"Oh, my," Cedra said when she saw the sorry shape Tempest was in. "What happened?"

"Long story," Syrus said. "I'm fine, by the way. Thanks for asking."

Cedra rolled her eyes and looked at Benji. "Anyway, we have new orders."

"I'm the captain," Syrus said. "Why are you looking at him?"

"Oh, sorry," Cedra said.

At that moment, the Medic team pushed Syrus out of the way and surrounded Tempest, who continued to sing that same verse over and over again.

"Hey!" Syrus protested. "She's not injured, she's just-"

"We know what we're doing," one of the medics said. "Let us handle this."

"Come on, Syrus," Benji said. "She's in good hands. We've got great medics, remember?"

Syrus took a deep breath and then nodded.

"So what were those orders?" he asked.

"We're to withdraw and assemble at the train station ASAP."

"Thank Hyne," Benji muttered.

"What are you guys doing here, anyway?" Cedra asked.

"Ask him," Benji said. "He's the captain."

"What exactly did you hope to accomplish by going off your patrol route, Syrus?" Quention demanded once they were on the train back to Balamb. "Do you even realize what you've done?"

Syrus had a headache and he was too concerned with what was going on with Tempest to care what Quenton thought. Tempest was still in the care of the Medics, and no one had reported back yet, and that was making him nervous.

"You put your whole team in danger. You knowingly disobeyed orders. You could have gotten all of us killed. Do you know that?"

"Yes, I know that," Syrus fired back. "What do you want from me?"

"I want an explanation!"

"Well, I don't have one to give you."

Quenton scowled at him and threw his hands up in the air.

"Well, you're going to have to explain it to the Headmaster. You'll be lucky if you don't end up in the brig for this."

"You think I care?" Syrus asked. "My instincts were right. That's what really bothers you, isn't it?"

"You'll never be a SeeD, Syrus," Quenton said. "You've just blown your last chance."

Syrus crossed his arms and leaned back into the seat. Quenton was right. He'd failed the exam, gotten Tempest into this mess and now she might not ever be all right. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if she never came back from this. Even if they never got back together, he still wanted her to be as she was.

"The hell with being a SeeD if it means I can't ever think for myself," Syrus said evenly. "The hell with it if it means I have to be like you."

His comment hit Quenton where it hurt most. He was a shadow of his mother's greatness and he knew it. All he had ever done was posture and lord his superior intellect over the rest of them, all the while acomplishing nothing of significance.

If he hadn't blown it before, Syrus was fairly certain that this last statement would be the one to do him in. He didn't even care. He didn't care that his mother would tear him limb from limb once she found out.

Nothing really mattered to him except Tempest. And Hyne help him if she wasn't all right.

Cid and Quistis had been discussing the future of the three candidates at length and still hadn't ironed everything out. They agreed on the fact that Benji had passed, but they were still on the fence about the other two. There were reasons to fail the both of them. Syrus because he'd disobeyed orders and left the patrol area, and Tempest for refusing to follow Syrus' orders later in the mission.

Typically, that would have been enough to fail them both, however this situation wasn't exactly typical. It wasn't every day a candidate was in touch with a potential Sorceress. Cid felt that if Tempest had not been a participant in today's exam, they would not have known about the girl. Syrus might have gone into the TV station anyway, but Squad B might well have died there. It was fate that Tempest was in the right place at the right time, and without that, the mission would have been a complete failure.

There were things about Tempest Leonhart, and by extension, Syrus Almasy that Quistis didn't know, and Cid was trying to convince her that Garden needed both of them, without revealing what he knew. Had the situation been different, Cid would have agreed, both deserved to fail, but they would need both of them if they hoped to change the course of fate. The girl, Ophelia was her name, had become a priority for just about everyone who knew about her. Galbadia had her. Esthar wanted her, and Garden needed her.

The fact remained: without Tempest, they might not ever find the girl, but without Syrus, Tempest might stray off course. They were a packaged deal. One was useless without the other.

Convincing Quistis of this was another matter. She was willing to let Tempest pass, but not Syrus. Even after they'd met with all three candidates and heard their testimony, Quistis remained unconvinced.

Tempest, though weary, had given them a chilling account of what had happened, and had taken most of the responsibility for their actions. Not Syrus' initial decision to stray, but for everything that happened thereafter. She'd also informed them that had Syrus not decided to leave their designated patrol area, the girl would still have gotten Tempest's attention, and that she would have followed regardless of Syrus' decision.

Cid knew that if Tempest had gone in first, Syrus would have followed.

Which meant, they would have ended up there anyway.

"Before you condemn him, Quistis, we need to consider that Syrus took the appropriate action based on the situation. Even Benji agreed that Syrus took the proper course of action, even if he didn't necesarialy agree in the beginning," Cid said.

Syrus and Benji had never really gotten along, so there was no reason to assume that Benji was covering for Syrus. If anything, Benji Dincht had every reason in the world to want Syrus gone. Quistis knew this, too.

Cid understood that Quistis' reasons for not wanting Syrus to pass were more personal than practical, which was rare for the pragmatic instructor. She seldom let personal matters cloud her reason, but in the case of Syrus Almasy, Quistis was guilty of bias. Cid knew it had more to do with Seifer than anything else. Quistis feared that Syrus might walk the same road Seifer had, but Cid knew failing Syrus wasn't the answer. Expelling Syrus from Garden might very well be the thing that lead him down that path, and Cid knew he'd take Tempest along with him.

"I'm sorry. I know I'm being judgemental. I just can't help worrying that he's going to end up like his father."

"That's exactly what I'm trying to avoid," Cid said. "Besides, Syrus is not his father."

"Thank Hyne for that," Quistis said with a roll of her eyes. "However, I just don't know if I can in good conscience give him my stamp of approval after a third incident."

Cid sighed and shook his head. Quistis could be very stubborn in her own way.

"I understand your position, Quistis," Cid said, "but Syrus did very well, given the position he was in."

"How can you say that? He did the exact same thing Seifer did."

"No, he did not," Cid countered. "Need I remind you, Seifer took off on his own mission, leaving his team to fend for themselves. Syrus did not abandon his team to pursue his own agenda. He stuck by them and fought with them. There is a world of difference between the two. Yes, he got himself into this situation by disobeying orders, however, he followed through and made sure his team got out alive! How can you even compare them?"

"Calm down," Quistis said. "I understand all that. I'm just not sure Syrus is cut out to be a SeeD."

Cid thought differently. Syrus was capable of becoming a strong leader one day, though he wasn't quite there yet. He was intelligent, charming, charismatic, and was one of Garden's strongest fighters. They could not afford to lose him. Not now.

"I know what you're thinking, Cid. I can read you like a book," Quistis said. "Out with it."

"We have to pass them. All of them."

"Tempest, yes," Quistis agreed. "Syrus, no."

"They're a packaged deal," Cid said. "If we fail Syrus, I guarantee you, Tempest will leave with him. Do you really think we can just throw away two of our brightest, just because you're not willing to bend the rules?"

"Passing them means that future candidates will think they can disobey orders and still pass."

"This is a special circumstance, Quistis, and you know it. All in all, they did the right thing," Cid insisted. "You of all people should know how circumstances can change with the wind. They showed a remarkable tenacity for being able to improvise. They're not machines, and I for one am proud of that rather than irritated by it."

"Fine," Quistis said, obviously exhaused. "They pass. Just don't complain to me when the next batch of them follow Squad B's lead and end up in trouble."

"So you concede?"

Quistis threw up her hands.

"Yes! Fine. Pass them," she said. "And I truly hope I get to say I told you so."

"If what I think is going to happen actually does, you won't need to."

In the morning, Syrus went looking for Tempest. He knocked lightly on her door, but there was no answer and not a sound from inside. He hoped she was asleep, but he had a feeling she wasn't.

He found her in the Training Center, practicing the bizarre moves he'd seen the day before. Now that he had a moment to appreciate them for what they were, he realized the genius of it. It was ballet with a blade. Somehow, she'd integrated dance, martial arts and acrobatics with a series of devastating attacks that would be almost impossible to block. With moves like that, she'd be unstoppable and he half wished he'd been the one to come up with them, but he could never hope to be that graceful, no matter how hard he tried.

When she stopped for a moment to rest, Syrus approached casually.

"So, what's with these new tricks of yours?"

Tempest just shrugged.

"Thought you'd be taking it easy after yesterday."

"Not a chance."

She sounded tough, but she looked exhausted. Syrus wished she'd slept in for once. Between the gash on her forehead and the dark circles under her eyes, she looked like hell. Still beautiful, but also haggard. Syrus was fairly certain she could have used more rest, but Tempest was never one to take it easy. It was one of the reasons he had to train so hard. If he hadn't, she would have surpassed him in skill years ago.

"Wanna talk about it?" he asked, knowing that she wouldn't.

He'd have to drag it out of her, and that's exactly what he planned to do.

"No," was the expected answer.

Syrus paused and kicked at a rock near his shoe. He hated himself for making her hate him.

"So when did you learn all this new stuff?"

"Been working on it for a couple of months," she said with a shrug.

"Why didn't you use it on me the other night?" he asked. "You seemed pretty intent on taking me out. That spin slice thing would have done it, you know."

"Maybe I didn't want to kill you, Sy."

Well, that was something. A glimmer of hope. An admission that his untimely demise wouldn't make her year.

"Then what did you want? Just to maim me?"

"I don't know what I wanted."

Syrus watched her for a moment. He could tell something was troubling her, though her expression gave nothing away. He knew her well enough to know when she was bothered by something, even if it didn't show. To anyone else, she would appear calm, collected and focused, but Syrus could sense her concern. He saw through all of her masks.

Most of the time, anyway. There were still moments when he couldn't read her, and it unsettled him when he couldn't.

He wondered if she was still fretting over the girl. If so, it was unlike her to worry this much.

Or maybe it was just the not knowing. Everything that had happened yesterday remained a mystery, and it must have been upsetting to know that she could be controled by someone else.

Maybe, she was worried she hadn't passed the exam.

If he knew Tempest half as well as he thought, it was all of the above.

"What about the magic?" he asked. "You been sitting on that too?"

Tempest let out a breath and shook her head.

"I don't know where that came from."

"You're not exactly a first rate mage. Hell, I don't think you could even cast a low level fire spell to save your life."

Tempest flashed him a look but kept her silence. A remark like that should have gotten, at the very least, a biting response.

Nothing.

"If it was you, then what was it and where did you get it?"

"I don't know."

Tempest twirled her blade around, one handed. It struck Syrus as odd. He'd never seen her do that before. Griever was a heavy blade, and it was meant to be weilded with two hands. It occured to him that these new moves of hers required her to use it one-handed as well, which was difficult with a two handed blade. Especially one as hefty as her father's sword.

"I was surrounded. I started to panic. It just....happened," she finally said.

"So it was you."

Tempest nodded.

"Hyne, almighty, Tempest," Syrus breathed. "That's...really scary."

"Tell me about it."

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were the perfect weapon. Crazy acrobatic moves. Insanely powerful magic. Gorgeous face -"

"Here we go," she said with a roll of her eyes. "Look. It is what it is. Maybe a limit break I didn't know about. Probably a one time deal, won't happen again."

Or the beginning of something, Syrus thought to himself.

"So, what now?" he asked.

"We wait. Nothing else we can do."

"I meant us."

"There is no us. It was a mistake."

That stung. He hoped she didn't really mean it.

"You and I were not a mistake."

"It was fun while it lasted, Sy," Tempest said. "But it's over, and it was a mistake."

Syrus wasn't having it. She could say what she wanted about him, but he knew in his heart that they were no mistake. They were meant to be together, and she should have known it too. She should have felt it. He knew that she did feel it, she was just too wounded to admit to it.

"Stop saying that!" Syrus said, furious. "You listen to me, Tempest, and you listen good: We were not a mistake. Even if you never speak to me again, I will never believe that you and I shouldn't have happened. You are the best thing in my life and no matter what happens, there will never be anyone in this world who gets me like you do, and there will never be anyone I love as much as I love you!"

Tempest, strong, unbelievable, stoic Tempest burst into tears at that and turned away from him.

He hadn't meant to make her cry, but it was more powerful a reaction than he'd expected. He'd wanted her to scream back at him, to fight him, not this. He couldn't remember ever seeing her cry, and the idea that he'd been the one to do it made him feel like the world's biggest jerk.

"Geez," he muttered. "I'm sorry."

"Just go away."

"Take it back," he whispered.

"I'm not telling you what you want to hear," she sniffled. "Don't make me a liar."

"Then look me in the eye and tell me you don't love me anymore," he said. "If you can do that, then I'll leave you alone, okay?"

"Syrus, go away," she said.

"Look me in the eye and tell me that you don't love me!"

Tempest spun around, her face flushed, eyes burning with rage, even as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I don't love you!"

The instant the words left her mouth, a powerful bolt of lightning streaked through the room and struck the tree directly behind Syrus. Flames shot out from the upper branches and electricity sizzled in the air. Syrus could feel all the hairs on his arms stand up.

There was a loud crack, and Syrus barely jumped out of the way as a burning branch crashed down on the very spot where he'd been standing. Had he not moved, he would have been lit up like Deling City.

"Was that you?" he asked in disbelief.

Tempest shrugged.

"I thought you didn't want me dead!"

"Please, just go," she whispered. "I can't do this right now."

Syrus decided it was best not to argue, or else she might actually hit him with a bolt of lightning, or something worse, like the magic he'd felt yesterday. He turned on his heel and left her there next to the burning tree with tears running down her face. Every molecule in his body screamed him to stay, but he knew it wasn't wise. She needed to be left alone, and there was nothing else he could do for her but do as she'd asked. He didn't like it, but it was the best he could do.

He didn't believe that she didn't love him anymore, even though she'd said it to his face. For just a second, he'd seen something in her eyes that told him it wasn't true. Even if she believed it, it wasn't true. She was just still too hurt and too angry to admit otherwise, and Syrus was just going to have to wait it out. It might even have more to do with the odd situation they'd found themselves in than her actual feelings.

Something seriously weird was going on. Something he wasn't able to explain This sudden strength. The crazy-powerful magic. None of that was her. Was all this tied to the girl or was it something else? Syrus wasn't sure. The idea that this was the girl's doing seemed unlikely. However, the idea that Tempest had suddenly developed the ability to cast powerful magic seemed just as unlikely and he didn't buy the limit break theory, either.

Worse, he couldn't help but feel as if they'd gotten in over their heads, and now they were going to have to claw their way back out.

Or die trying.

A/N:

It's a double header, folks. Not only do you get a new chapter here, there's also a new chapter of I Hate Everything About You (co-authored with Wench of Diablos) up today. If you haven't checked it out yet, take a look....we're very proud of it.

Sooo....lots of changes here. All of this is new material. While I will be using quite a bit of the original post in upcoming chapters, the story has become a lot more complicated with the addition of 'the girl' aka Ophelia. I won't explain why yet, as I don't want to spoil the story for new readers, but the answer will become clear in the next few chapters. And, no I have not deleted any of the old characters from the story, though their role will be expanded beyond just supporting cast/scenery. I think that was one of the mistakes I made with the first version of this story. Most of the characters were pretty much in the background, with the exception of Tempest, Syrus and Quenton (and a handful of others). In this new version, most of them will have a voice-particularly a few of the as yet unmentioned characters.

I realize at this stage that Second Geneartion fics do not get a lot of readers, however, I've noticed that people are reading, and I'm grateful. To my long time fans and new readers, I thank you for sticking with me through my periodic disappearances, tendency to start stories that I never finish (demand for continuation on some of them is interestingly high-three in particular come to mind-one of them may actually be updated, though I'll make no promises as of yet) and personal dramas. In all honesty, I'm kind of surprised that this particular fandom is still thriving, so thank you for staying around and giving me a reason to do this.

Don't forget to leave a review.....