An update! (Suffers from heart attack)Oh no! Now there will be no more updates!
Kidding. Please don't kill me.
Not a whole lot happens, but I am all set for the next chapter, and with any luck it will be up later today.
I present to you...
YOU KNOW YOU'RE OBSESSED WITH FINAL FANTASY WHEN...
1. You dress up as one of the characters for Halloween or a Cosplay at least once... (Guilty. I was Rinoa for Halloween)
2. You spend hours watching trailers/and/or clips from any of the games or movies...
3. You own Final Fantasy Advent Children, and have seen it at least ten times... (Guilty)
4. You look up the lyrics to the songs online and sing them- even if you don't understand the words... (Guilty. I'm currently on Suki Di Nae from FFX)
5. When ever you see a guy wearing more than one belt, you think 'Squall Leonheart'...
Chapter Seven
Find Me
Seven Weeks Ago…
Scattered thoughts swam before her eyes. She stirred, bringing a delicate- though battle scarred- hand up to her temple. She blinked, eyes taking in her surroundings confusedly.
Quistis blinked. "What…happened…?" She rolled over on her flat mattress, finding that her arm was in a splint and that her face was in the dirt. Spluttering, she stood. As the memories rushed back to her, Quistis clutched her arm. It was wrapped securely in bandages. Absently, she brushed her long golden locks out of her face. The sound of footsteps shook her out of her reverie- and Quistis glanced up to see Zell bounding toward her, smiling. A bandage was wrapped around his head, but he seemed otherwise unharmed.
"Quisty!" He exclaimed, shaking her good arm excitedly. "You're finally awake!"
Quistis looked around, the white walls of Garden- ones that were very familiar to her. She was in the infirmary, and the curtains and simple plainness were something of a comfort. Briefly, she smiled at her energetic friend.
"Where are the others?"
At this Zell's smile faded. "Selphie and Irvine are talking to Cid right now…they're mostly okay, though Selphie hurt her ankle. Irvine covered in scratches though- not so confident that the 'ladies' will go for the rugged look." He sighed. "Squall and Rinoa…we haven't found them yet."
Quistis gasped. "But, surely they are in the forest or somewhere nearby! I remember them falling…" She trailed off as Zell shook his head.
"It's not that simple." He lightly placed a hand on his bandaged forehead. "We don't know much, and we won't until Selphie and Irvine get back to us. I was ordered to wait here and brief you if you woke up- Dr. Kadowaki is tending to some others right now."
Silence fell between them. Finally, when Quistis felt as though it was thicker than pea soup, she spoke- asking one of the many questions burned in her mind. "That…thing…creature…did we kill it?"
Zell closed his eyes for a moment. "I don't know. None of us do. We fought it- but it seemed like we barely scratched it…Selphie says that she saw it run off before she collapsed. But, there aren't even tracks to show that we fought any damn thing in the first place!" He clenched his fists in anger.
The movement reminded Quistis of something. "Zell," she questioned, fingers moving gently over her wrapped arm. He turned his attention back to her. "Why are we wearing bandages? These wounds…shouldn't they have been easily healed? A Curaga would have made easy work of a hurt ankle and scratches- wouldn't it?"
Zell nodded grimly before looking away. Still not looking at her, he answered- "The magic had little effect. Our supplies were almost exhausted by trying to use them at first. The more time that passed, the easier it was to use them, but…" He sighed, finally turning back to her. "We're not sure why…all we can determine is that whatever that…thing…was, it somehow nullified any magic used around it. And because it attacked us, our wounds were affected the same way." Quistis was silent.
Unable to stand the quiet, Zell nervously began to jump on one foot, switching from side to side. His shoes squeaked loudly on the floor, but Quistis did not react. Her suddenly icy eyes were staring hard at a fixed point on her arm. Finally she spoke, raising her frightened eyes to Zell's.
"What…" She whispered, clutching her arm to herself- "Could possibly have the power to do that…?"
"We don't know."
Quistis nodded, turning her gaze elsewhere. "That is what I am afraid of."
A small dinging sound made them both jump. The intercom system came on- Cid's voice issuing out of it.
"SeeD members Zell Dincht and Quistis Trepe to the main deck immediately. It is urgent. Thank you."
Zell and Quistis glanced at each other for a moment before hurrying out of the infirmary. "Out of the way!" Zell bellowed, barreling though a converging of the Trepies, all carrying flowers to wish their idol well. Quistis was right behind him, relieved to have woken up when she did at the sight of the sprawling Trepies on the ground, their magnolia flowers scattered. She had to fight the strangest desire to laugh out loud.
The elevator did not seem to move fast enough. Impatiently, Zell jabbed a good five or six more times at the 'Up' button before the doors opened and they raced out to greet the Headmaster and their comrades.
Once the lift ascended to the top, Quistis could not fight the relief she felt at seeing Selphie and Irvine- but the grim looks on their faces shook her out of the brief happiness. Selphie was sporting a splint on her ankle, and Irvine's face was indeed covered with healing scratches.
"What did you find?" Her voice was barely a whisper.
Selphie- her normally bright green eyes dull and drooping, answered. "They are in the forest under the cliff, we know that much. But we don't know where- and it's as though there is some kind of force field around it. The Garden can't get in."
"We have a vague idea of where they landed," Irvine continued. The scars around his face stretched as his mouth moved, causing him to wince as he spoke. "But the forest seems to nearly cancel out all magic, just as the beast did. Headmaster Cid thinks that we should find out all that we can on the forest- because it shouldn't be able to have that kind of power- or immunity to it." He sighed heavily. "So no just charging in there. For all we know, it could be a trap of some sort."
Headmaster Cid, back turned toward them, patted Nida on the shoulder and pointed in the direction they were to go. He turned with a grim smile to the others. "We're flying to an old friend of mine- one that may be able to tell us about the forest."
Zell made an impatient sound- the Headmaster turned to look at him.
"I don't get it- who gives a damn if there is power in the forest? We can find them, and save them! They wouldn't have spent time talkin' or worrying about THEIR lives!" Zell glared at the people around him. "This is messed up, man! We need to find them!"
When he was met with silence, Zell let out a roar and thrust his fist into the wall, a loud metallic clang ringing throughout the room- causing the others to jump. "DAMMIT!" he shouted, pounding his fist against the wall again.
"Zell, please understand-" Cid began, hand reaching out peacefully. But Zell cut across him. "Understand what old man? Understand that you are too much of a coward to do anything?!? Understand that our friends are out there, maybe dying and you want to wait to save them!?!? No- I don't understand why we are leaving them to die while we think only of our own FRIGGIN LIVES!!!" He stared at them all, breathing heavily.
"Don't you dare." Quistis's voice was low, threatening. Her eyes were steely as she came forward to glare at Zell, her uninjured arm tense and shaking as she clenched her fist. "Don't you dare imply that we do not want to rescue them. Don't you DARE think that we will let them die!" Tears choked her throat. She blinked them back from her eyes stubbornly. "They can't be dead! Don't say it- don't ever say it- because they can't die! They can't!" Slowly, she drew back, breathing ragged.
"They're okay. They have to be…" Her voice was barely a whisper now.
Cid sighed heavily. "You…have no idea- the power that lies within that place. It is staggering. You cannot just rush in there- for what good will you be to Squall or Rinoa dead?" He ran a hand over his face. "We will find a way. We will rescue them." With that, he turned and stepped on the lift.
The others watched him go.
"Zell…" Selphie murmured. "Quistis…Irvine…" They turned to stare at her. She gave a bright smile. "Don't anybody worry! Rinoa has Squall to take care of her- and he has her to look after him!"
They stared at each other for a moment, processing this statement.
"Damn," Irvine muttered, pushing his hat up over his eyes. "They won't last two days- they'll murder each other."
They couldn't help it- they all burst out laughing.
It wasn't the laughing that they were used to. It was laughter that came when you were simply happy to be alive, when you were in situations so weird and scary that they were ridiculous. It was laughter that held no happiness, but was used so that one could remember that happiness existed.
And though they did not speak out loud, Zell, Quistis, Selphie, and even Irvine thought the same thing as the laughter died away.
'We'll find you, Squall and Rinoa. Just hang on. We're coming…'
((((((((((((Present Time)))))))))))))
"So…are you sure that I'm doing this right?"
The look on his face made her explain herself hurriedly.
"Just making sure! Sheesh! One little question and sudden you're shooting fire out of your eyes," Rinoa adjusted her grip on Lionheart. She grinned at Squall as he rolled his eyes- watching her movements and the handling of his precious Gunblade carefully.
"Relax Squall, I'm not going to break it," Rinoa smiled, eyes twinkling. Squall restrained from rolling his eyes with difficulty.
He came up behind her, gripping her arms lightly, putting them in the appropriate position again. Unseen by him, Rinoa blushed slightly, struggling to listen to what he was saying. "The bullets do damage on their own, but they'll do a lot more if you don't hit the trigger 'till a split second before the sword hits. Give it a try."
"Alright…" Rinoa regarded the weapon for a moment with nervousness, as though she was positive it wouldn't work. She glanced up, staring at the assembled brambles and branches that they had piled together in the rough likeness of a monster. Taking a deep breath, she charged forward, swinging the blade high over her head. Her finger pulled the trigger a split second before the blade sunk into the branches- resulting in a boom and a rebound that knocked her off her feet. Rinoa landed with a thump on the ground, starring in bewilderment at the smoldering tree beyond the pile, and at her own position on the ground.
Squall snorted with what seemed to be suppressed laughter. "Did I forget to mention that firing at that moment would increase the power of the rebound as well?"
Rinoa glared up at him as she got to her feet, brushing dust off of herself -not that it really makes any difference, she reminded herself looking at her dirty clothing. "You did forget that little detail, yes."
"Well, now you know."
Rinoa huffed, blowing hair out of her eyes. She laughed, twirling it around her finger. "Wow, my hair has grown a lot. When we get out of here-" She stopped, her good mood gone.
Though they had both agreed that somehow, they would leave the forest, they never spoke of it. It was as though they were under a silent agreement to leave the words unsaid- for if they said them aloud, there was the hope and promise of possibility.
There was the chance that it would come true.
They had gone over it in their heads and hearts- and still they had no answer that they were satisfied with.
To stay…
Or to go…
They both knew, that in the end they would leave. But they had never lived this way before- so close and without worry of the outside. They had never before been in a place where they were free.
But they weren't free in the forest, either. They knew it- could feel this being pulsing and writhing; holding them there in the forest that never seemed to end. They knew that they couldn't leave.
But they didn't know how much they wanted to.
Squall stared at her for a moment, his eyes asking questions but giving no answers of their own. When he spoke, his voice was surprisingly gentle.
"Okay, let's try this again…"
((((((((((((Six Weeks ago)))))))))))
The castle stood prominent and wasted against the black backdrop of the sky. A group of people gathered outside it- staring in wonder at what was surely once a beautiful architectural masterpiece. Now however, the walls had crumbled, the ceiling was falling in, and moss had grown over the doors and windows.
"Well, here we are," Headmaster Cid said, gesturing lamely toward the ruin.
At the look on the other's faces he said complacently- "Oh, don't worry, it's always looked like that. Xavier said that one was truly a part of the planet only when the planet was not held down. He thinks that it's the best way to learn." With that, he began to make his way around the rubble, toward the door. Quistis, Zell, Selphie, and Irvine stared after him, shaking their heads bemusedly.
One by one, they followed.
As they walked, Quistis looked down at her now healed arm for a moment. Though still not up to their full effect, the magic had finally healed them enough to take their bandages off. The prospect of not using healing magic scared her- and show just how much they relied on the magic that many condemned. Without their healing or their attack magics, they accomplished little. Quistis shivered slightly at the thought of what some would give to know just how vunerable they could be in those times. She looked up as they crossed what remained of the threshold, and entered a long hallway
Here, there were also the remnants of spectacular. The walls were peeling and corroded with rot- but there were small bits that seemed to shine in a subtle sort of way. The floor was gone- so that as they trudged through the castle, they walked on grass that brushed their knees.
"Amazing," Quistis breathed, examining a flower with purple and white petals, which quivered slightly as her breath passed it.
"EEEAHH!" Irvine shrieked, dancing around and throwing his long coat off- "SPIDER! GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF!"
"Irvy," Selphie said, "Calm down- I'll get it off you…"
She came forward, the grass almost up to her waist rather than her knees- standing on tiptoes so that she could grab the thing crawling on Irvine's neck.
"Oh relax Irvine. It's not a spider."
"It's not?" Irvine let out a breath of relief. "Thank Hyne."
"Nope. It's a centipede."
"Oh- A CENTIPEDE!?!? AHHHHHH!"
Selphie snickered as Irvine ran around in a circle, proclaiming an assortment of abnormalities because he had suffered from the 'bite' of the centipede. She winked and held up a harmless cattail. Quickly, she chased after him before he got lost.
When they returned, Irvine was rather pink in the face- his scars standing out more than ever. He also seemed to be restraining himself from strangling Selphie.
Though she rolled her eyes and said that they should get going before they lost the path Cid had taken, Quistis wondered how goo it was that they could still play around while two of their comrades- their friends –were in danger. She sighed slightly.
They continued on their way.
As they walked, with only Cid's never ceasing (though steadily slowing) footsteps to guide them, they found themselves pushing branches and vines out of their way. The air became humid and hot, and a faint mist seemed to descend upon them.
Finally, they stumbled through the vegetation and found themselves in front of a large, wooden door with vines growing up the sides. The knockers were rusted, in the shape of a large key.
They looked around, wondering where their headmaster had gone, and if they had reached the right place. Quistis bit her lip in frustration.
Before she could say anything, however, the door opened and Cid's face appeared. Behind him, the room pulsed with silver light. He smiled lightly. "I apologize for leaving you waiting, but this gave me the chance to brief Xavier on everything. You all may come in now." He began to retreat back into the room. He paused. "Oh." He turned back to them, bringing his head closer and whispering- "I have known Xavier for a long time, but he is...not used to human contact. Just be prepared. His is quite courteous," Cid added, seeing the confusion on their faces. "But he does not have much...faith...in humankind. You may find yourself having to prove your worth to him. Well," he smiled brightly. "Let's go in, shall we?"
The others exchanged worried glances. It was Selphie that reacted first, giving a determined nod, before striding forward. Seeing the other's surprised stares, Selphie smiled. "Well," she said, fingering her yellow dress absently, her bright green eyes looking at the ground. "If all we have to do, is prove our worth as humans...don't you think that our desire to save those we care about prove that...?" She looked up at them all and smiled slightly.
Without another word, she walked past Cid, and into the room, and the faint silver light coming from it.
One by one, the others followed.
Cliffhanger!
Well, like I said, you hopefully won't have to wait for long. And the next chapter should be longer as well.
REVIEWS!!!
DONT USE UNLESS CYLONS ATTACK - Thank you for the review. I agree, many AU stories are rather weird. And thank you for the input on Twilight, though I don't agree with you about the couples. I'm glad to know that you really like this! But a word of advice- if you review, I would really appreciate it if you didn't shorten the words like with text messages. It's something that sort of bugs me, and to be honest, I have no idea what they mean half the time.
Xergen -LIGHT- -Thank you! -the emoticon which showers you with flowers- Yeah, I think in Squall and Rinoa's relationship, they really have to take it slow, so having them needing and wanting to depend on each other helps. I'll have to check out your Kingdom Hearts fic- and why were you in the hospital?
Roses and Wine- Thank you! And yes, it's supposed to be cute and sweet. I love the part with them as children too.
Jayliyah- Thank you. Yeah, this story started out on a whim, and look what it has grown into! Yep, Squall has a 'thing' for her- he just doesn't realize it. This will go through the whole game, with more stuff added in, and some stuff sort of glazed over. But I plan for this to be pretty long, as well as with a sequel called 'Wedding Bells and the Wrath of Hell'.
Freyjadour- Yeah. They will be in the next chapter more, and they will answer some of those questions. And they are really becoming closer. I PROMISE to get the next chapter up faster. Thanks for reviewing!
Rinny87- thank you very much. Sometimes I am over-critical of my own work. I've read the chapter over and I like it more after reading it a few times. You got to Ansem? I didn't get even halfway. I got lost in the vines at Tarzan's jungle. But I've gotten a good amount in KH2. The only reason I really want to beat the first one is to see Cloud and Aerith reunite in the credits... Thank you for the great reviews!
rinnyheartillyizawesome- I already responded to your review, but I want to thank you for the song. I give you full credit for the fact that it will appear in this story!
Azarethian Titan- This chapter's not much longer- but the next one will be! I'm glad you thought that the message was sweet! ) thanks for the review, as always!
Whew! That's it!
Also, what disc and what time do the characters meet up with NORG? I don't know if it has already happened in this story or if I need to put it in. I don't have time to play the game and find out. Does anyone remember?
Thank you! Please Review!
Next Chapter Preview:
An Answer: Squall finds himself taking a trip down memory lane and thinking of a certain letter, sent by a certain girl...and comes to a few realizations in the process. Meanwhile, Quistis and the others are told a shocking story of a powerful being and the strange GF forever bound to him- and the fate of any that wander into his forest... Knowing that their friends are in danger, they vow to do anything to get them back. But in order for them to return, something of equal value must be given...
