Chapter 11
'"… She will rise from a foreign race… On her shoulders will rest one salvation after another."
'Whenever I recall some of the lines in my favorite story, I always wind up asking myself if Mother knew of what was to happen to me later in life. Before going to bed when I was little, she would ask which story I wanted her to tell me. The story of the angelic princess was my favorite. I often asked her that. And she would deliver it beautifully, even if there was sadness in her eyes whenever she did…
'The story I had grown attached to was only part of my own. The angelic princess was a big fraction of the reasons why I existed. But out of fear, I defied a course made for me. I followed a path that was not meant for me to take. And it has cost me. I may be happy with my life now, but my poor Jinsei… I thought the mark had disappeared. Now, what was once mine is now borne by my own. Perhaps this is the consequence to my disobedience…
'Could this be how Mother felt? Maybe. Maybe much stronger than that. The duty was mine. Now, it is Jinsei's. Should I tell her the story just as my mother did? Should I prepare her just as so? Will she blame me? Will she turn from her fate just as I did? …'
The Headmaster turned to the next page --- blank. He turned to the next and the next after it --- still blank. 'Empty pages,' Headmaster Cid said to himself. He was still far from the end of Katsugu Anzen's diary, and he was told that the diary had been filled from cover to cover.
"If you see the blank pages, don't mind them."
Headmaster Cid nodded and closed the diary, locking and tossing it back before the President of Esthar. "How did you meet, Laguna?" he asked.
"It's a long story," Laguna answered, sighing.
"I'm up for one," the Headmaster teased.
Laguna chuckled.
"With the rest of the world bearing witness to our experiences, long stories never seemed as they used to," Headmaster Cid remarked and laughed along. Sighing as he stopped, he cleared his throat. "Come to think, you never told us about Professor Katsugu," he said, referring to Anzen.
"It… You see… How do I put it…? " Laguna fumbled as he began to explain. "Well, you see… I promised Anzen I wouldn't tell anyone… at least until the right time comes."
"So, you think this is the right time?"
Laguna nodded.
Headmaster Cid tilted his head and paused for a moment to think. The President of Esthar was not alone to think this was so; the headmaster thought of it the same way. However, knowing about another race, a winged, human-like race of immortals, which blended among his own, he began to question why they had to do so. Dr. Kadowaki's niece has had the blood running in her, but the doctor herself spoke not a word about it. Not even now. Why? Headmaster Cid doubted Dr. Kadowaki knew nothing about it. A secret? A string of secrets? If so, Dr. Kadowaki's actions were understandable. But he had to get her to talk. He felt she held some of the answers documents could not lead to.
"Rinoa… how is she?" Laguna suddenly asked. "Is she preparing?"
Headmaster Cid nodded. "Edea has told her already, that her assignment is no longer an assignment, but… something else. And other than that, she's been told all she needed to know at his point."
"At… this point…" Laguna stroked his chin and raised a brow.
"Things aren't supposed to be rushed, now, are they?"
"You're right," Laguna said. "About Jinsei?"
"Edea suggested that Rinoa should figure it out on her own," Headmaster Cid explained. "Since she knows better, why not?"
Laguna brought his elbows on the table, joining his hands and pressing his face against them. His expressive eyes reflected the journal, the gravity in them, evident.
"You don't seem pleased about it," Headmaster Cid remarked. "Is there something wrong?" He has not seen Laguna that serious since as far as he could remember. What could it be?
"I need to see both of them personally," The President of Esthar simply said, sighing and easing on his seat again. The usual expression on his face returned. "Well, I'm sure I will after the festivities end. But speaking of them," he began to ask. "Is there ---"
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Jinsei watched the line before the cafeteria's counter shorten by a couple before looking into her mug. She stirred a little, melting white pieces swirling and dissolving in a whirlpool of dark brown reflecting on her eyeglass, while the second hand of the timepiece around her left wrist ticked past eight. Exactly ten seconds of dwelling --- finally, she shook her head.
Zell dropped his jaw.
"What do you mean 'no'?" Xu asked with a slight hint of disbelief.
Jinsei lifted her head. "'No' means 'not yes'?" she answered nonchalantly, a silly smile expression sneaking on her face.
Zell's jaw dropped lower.
Side-glancing, Xu cupped Zell's chin to push his jaw back and sighed. "Nothing? None at all?"
Jinsei shook her head again. The smell of chocolate and the call of digestion prompted her to lift the mug. Xu's questions did not seem to affect her impulses, but they seemed to hit her within. Something? She has not asked herself about it. It simply never occurred to her. Why? Why not? The warmth she had taken in finally reached its destination, and it made her wonder even more. It could have been as simple as that, but it was not.
"Why not?" Zell asked.
And there it went. Jinsei shrugged. 'Why not', indeed.
"But Rinoa's important to you, isn't she?" Xu asked before taking her tea.
Jinsei looked into her mug. They were no longer there, but white surfaced over what was once dark. Her feelings. To her, she did not know what they are, but they seemed so similar with the white morsels she had dissolved in her cup: seemingly pure and sweet, somewhat vulnerable; floating in the dark, bitter sea. Yet, they have relieved the bitterness and darkness of life. They may seem to have gone. Changed. Perhaps, vanished. But they never have.
"I take that as a 'yes'?" Xu said.
Seven words made a question. To answer it requires one word. But Jinsei simply took a sip from her mug.
Zell put down his glass. "You know," he said. "It's pretty obvious."
Xu nodded.
"We have our own responsibilities, Xu, Zell," Jinsei explained briefly. "Her highness has an important role to take on."
"Can't deny you're right," Zell agreed. "I've known Rinoa for years. She keeps saying she's herself…" Zell paused and inhaled. "But I don't think so."
"Rinoa will say or do as she pleases, regardless," Xu remarked. "What'd happened once upon a time may have changed her, but that free spirit remains intact."
"Hey!" someone suddenly shouted from behind Zell.
Zell turned his head while the two ladies lifted their heads. It was Selphie, standing a distance from where Xu, Jinsei, and he were sitting. He waved back and watched as she approached their direction.
"I think she's finally done," Jinsei said.
"Ah," Xu nodded and took a sip from her cup.
"Coffee break," Selphie remarked childishly and smiled at the three. Then, she sat beside Zell.
"Joining us today?" Zell asked.
Selphie shook her head. "I took my break earlier with Seifer and Irvy," she said.
"Where are they?" Xu asked.
"I don't know where exactly Seifer is," Selphie answered. "But I left Irvy in the lounge. He fell asleep while waiting for me to finish."
"You're not done, yet?" Zell asked.
"We're done for today," Selphie answered. "Just a little more and everything's all set."
"I wonder how you got Seifer to cooperate," Zell said. "He's too difficult."
"Right," Xu agreed.
"I…" Selphie rolled her eyes. "… sorta convinced him." She winked.
"Not bad," Zell remarked. "Not bad at all."
"How'd you do it?" Xu asked.
Selphie shrugged. "Well, he just… I don't know. He just did."
Jinsei tilted her head and wondered in her silence. She could not tell as to how the playful lady did it, but Selphie's expressive, emerald eyes seemed to tell her something. Her mind made its path into Selphie's own flow of thought. Then, she stared back into her almost empty mug as phrases from the other end floated back to her head.
'I want a happy ending.'
'Who doesn't?'
'I want Rinoa to find one, you see.'
'You can't find one on your own. That's all I know…'
'Then… you'll help us?'
'Help… you?'
'Uh-huh!'
'If we think the same… maybe I can consider.'
Jinsei emptied her mug and put it down. Still, she kept quiet. With her wings or otherwise, she wanted a happy ending for Rinoa. But somehow, her mind could not come up with one. It seemed to stop right there. And if it did try, it only wandered in darkness.
"Engine Team, assembly in ten!"
The loudspeakers. Jinsei lifted her head. She looked at the time as the voice over the loudspeakers repeated.
"Engine Team, assembly in ten! Report to the main room immediately!"
"Looks like you're wanted already," Zell said.
"Ah," Jinsei stood from her seat and slung the bag on her shoulder. "Looks like it. I'd better go."
"Well, take care then," Xu said. "We'll see you later."
Selphie grabbed hold of Jinsei's sleeve and pulled to catch her attention.
Jinsei turned to Selphie.
Selphie looked into Jinsei's eyes and nodded.
Jinsei stared at Selphie. She wondered why and what Selphie wanted to tell her but did not say a word. She did not bother look further. Somehow, the gesture itself had meant more than the words apt to describe it.
The playfulness quickly returned to Selphie's face. Then, releasing Jinsei's sleeve, she giggled and winked.
Jinsei laughed a little and shrugged as she turned to the path out.
"I take that as a 'yes'?" Selphie suddenly asked.
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"No. Maybe. I don't know," Rinoa answered, looking at the sky above Quistis and her as they walked back to the Garden. There seemed to be a strong degree of hesitation in her voice.
"No. Maybe. I don't know," Quistis echoed. "Perhaps 'I guess' is next?"
Rinoa giggled. Then, she tilted her head and sighed.
Quistis looked at Rinoa. There was reluctance. There was sadness. And there were a number of other emotions mixed in Rinoa, at least as far as Quistis could tell. Perhaps the question she had asked earlier might have hit the raven-haired lady in some way. Maybe she should not have asked. "I'm sorry," she then said.
Rinoa shook her head and smiled at Quistis. "Hey, you wanted me to be tough, remember?" she said.
Quistis turned from Rinoa and spoke not a word. Yes, she wanted Rinoa to be stronger and more independent and not to be too reliant of her gift. Discipline. Grounds. Limit. Difficulty. To Rinoa, these were part of cruelty, but to Quistis, these were part of turning her student into a more formidable SeeD Officer than she already was. But was that her only intention? Was it? Or was she doing all these only for her own sake?
"I get upset, mad or throw my temper," Rinoa said. "But I never forgot that it was all for me."
Quistis shook her head. "Sometimes, I overdo it. You don't see, but…" she paused and exhaled. "… I do."
"That's okay… I understand."
Quistis said nothing and simply focused on the road ahead. 'You don't understand, Rinoa,' she thought. 'You don't know.' She wanted to tell Rinoa how she felt and what she thought, about what was then, what is now, and what will be. But of all things she could do, even what seemed almost impossible, this just had to be the most difficult.
"Hey…"
"There will be a special event in Balamb Town next week," Quistis said after a quick thought to change the mood.
"I know. They told me," Rinoa said.
"Are you going with someone?" Quistis asked, suddenly having the urge to look up. Something seemed to be brewing off Balamb Coast. A dark cloud suddenly burst toward the sky. Black. Grey. Then, red began to set. 'Not again,' Quistis thought. She turned to Rinoa and grabbed hold of her arm.
"Well, I --- hey!"
"We have to get back, fast!" Quistis exclaimed as they began to rush back to the Garden.
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Blood trickled on the floor as Kingen pulled the piece of broken glass from her arm. The train had gone off-track during a sudden explosion, and she did not see any forewarning of it. None. A string of flashing events later, she found herself waking with a headache and piece of glass pierced into her arm. Kingen held to press the wound on her arm and looked about, stepping on broken pieces of glass and searching for casualties or fatalities.
"Are you all right?"
Kingen turned around as Ceres, unscathed but covered with dirt, approached her. "Just a scratch," she answered.
Ceres took her scarf off. "I saw you," she said, wrapping the scarf around Kingen's arm.
Kingen looked through the hole above her. The sky was dark with a strong tint of red. 'It's happened again,' she said, frowning. The sky has turned bloody red again, but aside from it and the possible danger that lay ahead, Kingen sensed something else. The longer she held her stare toward the sky, the more she felt it, the more the hurt in her head worsened.
"We were the only ones left in this car before the train was knocked off its track," Ceres said, neatly tying the scarf in place. "This should hold it until we get to the closest town." She lifted her head and saw the seriousness in Kingen's face. "Kingen?"
Kingen reached for her head and fell to her knees. Drops of sweat fell on the floor. The worsening pain in her head was now accompanied by the warning on her back as well. She reached for her collar.
Ceres lowered to Kingen and stopped her from reaching the blue and black band around her neck. "What are you doing?" she exclaimed while placing both hands on Kingen's shoulders.
Despite Ceres' action, Kingen reached for her collar's switch to turn it off. "We… have to get to Balamb… before the danger extends there…" she said. "They have come…"
"What?" Ceres asked. "Who?"
"Stay back," Kingen said and tilted her head. Her fists formed, pushing them against the floor. Her body was shaking. She closed her eyes tightly and gasped.
Ceres took another step back and turned her back.
The wind howled and faded out quickly. The car rocked a little as the roof sounded. Ceres lifted her head. There seemed to be someone standing on the roof.
"Stay there," Kingen blocked Ceres' way with her sword. "Show yourself!"
A brawny man with spiked brown and red-highlighted hair leaped into the hole, the solidness of his weight and the heaviness of his boots shaking the car a little. He wore a brown coat, with a patch on the pocket, over his dirty white undershirt. The left leg of his faded jeans has been ripped from the knee down. On one hand was an oversized hatchet. He pointed toward Kingen. "Meet your end," he said in a gruff voice and lifted his weapon.
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NOTES: One bad result, four weeks, twelve Kannazuki no Miko episodes, and twenty-six Princess Tutu episodes later, I finally came up with this chapter. I made two versions of it, being the indecisive person I am. While conceptualizing, a few things came into my head. New ideas for my next fics… possibly, a site to contain them, since I still need to decide whether I should officially post them or not. Well, anyway, it'll take a long while before I start any of them, so 'til next time!