Act I : Trial of A Man
Chapter XXIV - Just Visiting
~*~
Dedicated to 'Bilbo'.
~*~
I watch him, laying there, his eyes closed and his body still. We only got him into the infirmary a few hours ago, and after a quick try at healing him (it didn't work, somehow his body refused most of the magic) we bandaged him up and began to pray for the best. His face is horribly pale from blood loss, and despite cleaning him up, his hair still has a red tinge to it's golden blonde color.
He's bandaged up well, the cloth on his brunt arms is rather intact, while the cloth that wraps around his chest many times is plastered to his skin, and bloody again, already. I guess I'll have to inform Kadowaki that his bandages need changing again. . .
She might need assistance. . .
The very thought makes my cheeks glow.
Such a contrast I must be to the pale Elf on the bed. His skin has blanched completely, due to the lack of blood. He's a deathly white, and the whole eerie appearance is not helped by the harsh lights overhead. They give his skin somewhat of a glow, but it almost makes his skin look like it is a radiating white, like he himself is something. . .Divine. . .
His breath is shallow and slow, and I wonder vaguely if he's getting enough oxygen into his lungs. His chest is bare, mostly covered by his bandages and a thin but warm blanket that is pulled up just short of his collar. I reach to pull it higher, up to his neck, but I am interrupted by the sound of someone lightly clearing their throat at the entrance to this little room. I turn swiftly about, the look on my face and my position making me feel a lot like a deer caught in the headlights.
There stands Squall, in all his nonchalant glory. His arms crossed infront of him, his eyes angled down at me, he looks prepared for a fight, prepared to take it and overwhelm any arguments I have with his authority, his higher rank.
He won't be well enough prepared for this.
"What the hell is this?" I say, pointing at Link, "You sent him up against a Ruby Dragon, by himself, with no magic?"
"Do not blame me for everything," he counters, his voice missing the bitter tone mine has, "You were there too. I didn't see you trying to stop the fight."
"I. . .Because it's my place to NOT interfere. You ordered me not to before the battle even begun! I should have known that there was a reason you told me that!" I place a hand on my forehead, "I should have known. . ."
"I don't see why you're so upset," the 'Ice Prince' states, gesturing with his hand at the Elf laying on the bed, "He's alive. I don't see anything wrong with that. Besides, if he was smart he would have realized the usefulness of magic in that fight."
". . .Squall, his body REFUSED the healing magic. I don't know why, but I think his body has. . .I don't know. . .I don't he can use magic, or be affected by it." I shake my head, staring at the floor, "I guess I'll have Kadowaki do some tests, but still. . .I think he would have used magic at some point or another, if he could have. At least to heal himself, anyway."
I glance up, and I am just able to catch a bit of an uncertain, somewhat surprised look on Squall's face, but almost as soon as I see it, it's gone. I sigh inwardly, and Squall crosses his arms again. There's a bit of an awkward silence between us, until Squall finally speaks:
"Instructor, I do believe you have a class to attend to, do you not?"
I nod briefly, before walking out and down the hall. I force myself to maintain my cool, but I can't help feel that I'm acting in a huff, too agitated to even brush away the blonde bangs which hang in my face, annoying me. All I can do is think about how angry I am at Squall and wonder if I am being a bit childish. . .
But still. . .
I sigh. This is going to be a long day. . .maybe I can sneak back in to see Link again later. Kadowaki may need my help, afterall.
~*~
Red. . .Red eyes staring down upon me. . .Soulless. . .Empty, lacking pupils or humanity. . .Staring down. . .The form moving like water. . .fluid grace. . .I can't see. . .I can't anything but the eyes. . .
The red eyes are above me, somewhere above me in the darkness. . .I don't know how that's possible, maybe it's on the ceiling above me. . .?
Where am I? I can't remember. . .
The eyes move (crawl, fly, whatever. I can't even see myself in this darkness, just those eyes) directly above me, studying me intensely. I watch, as they suddenly rush down towards me, instantly closing the distance between us. I lift up my arms to block the orbs (they've lost most of their eye shape), but I'm too late. My sight is blocked out by a bright red haze.
Images of fire and destruction fade through into the haze, but I can't see them right. . .it's like there's a fog between them, and me. . .
People dying. . .I can see guards, or people at least dressed like them, coming up behind innocent civilians, and murdering them with swords or spears. . .Axes, knives, daggers, clubs. . .
There's one woman, with dark black hair, dressed in simple peasant clothes, running for her life. In her arms rests a screaming baby, wrapped in cloth. She runs, her hair and dress streaming behind her, but it's too late for her. A guard, dressed in silver armor, attacks her side, impaling her with his lance. She shrieks in agony before falling to the ground, limp and dead. The guard, cold malice in his eyes, walks over to her, rolling her over with a kick to the stomach.
Her child is uncovered, alive and crying. The guard takes one look down at the bloody corpse of the woman and the now screaming figure of the child, before jabbing his spear down, completely destroying the fragile skull of the child, a deadly smirk on his face.
I am horrified by the blood and gore and cruelty of what I have just seen (strange. . .It seems hazy still, as if unreal) but I can't move. I'm frozen to the spot.
There's the sound of feral laughter behind me, and somehow I find the strength to turn and face the noise. There's a guard there, behind me, his silver armor glinting in the orange of the fire, creating the image of him being in flames.
Maybe he is. . .
He raises the sword in his hand, far above his head, preparing to bring it down. The fire that surrounds him is so bright, so terribly bright, and I can't help but stare at it and loose myself in it's flickering light. Behind the guard, far brighter than the flames, appear two red eyes, soulless, pupiless, hungry. They narrow as if in anger-
No, not anger. Vengeance.
-Before suddenly fizzing out existence, and reappearing, no longer behind the guard, but in his own eye sockets. The guard seems not to notice, or care. He smiles wickedly, before bringing down his blade, down on to my head like-
The blow never lands, instead the weapon is thrown from the guards hands (the now surprised guard) far to my left. We both watch it land, some thirty feet away, and upon it's impact with the ground, it bursts into flames. I look back at the guard to see those red eyes still in place, slightly surprised but the look of gleeful murder is returning swiftly.
However, before the guard can do anything about his weapon, of his wants, the fire around him fades into a clear, cold blue, and surprise covers his face once more, accompanied by fear. The flames are doused by this new light, and the guard shivers, glancing about as if expecting attack.
No amount of preparation could have readied him for what would come.
The cold blue light brightens all around him, closing in on him, almost like it wants to crush him. It then lifts him up, high into the air before tossing him aside. He flies off with a scream, landing somewhere deep in the flames, instantly consumed. I stare at where he disappeared, unsure of what's happening. Should I be afraid, or should I be glad?
An icy cold hand lays itself on my shoulder, causing me to jump and whip about. My eyes widen, not in fear, but in surprise.
Before me stands the beauty that is Shiva, in all her glory as the Queen of Ice.
~*~
I sit on the chair beside Link's bed, my elbows propping me up on my knees, one hand gingerly rubbing the scar that covers my forehead. I find myself deep in thought, as usual, questioning my own actions during this whole ordeal.
Did I do the right thing. . .?
I shake my head lightly. Of course I did the right thing. If he couldn't defeat that Dragon, whether it meant his own death or not, then there would have been no reason whatsoever to trust him. He would have lied to me in the beginning, and I don't trust those who try to trick me. . .
But he did complete the test, which means that he wasn't lying to me. Or, he's at least strong enough to have done what he said. This whole thing about his inability to use magic has got me suspicious again. Link clearly told me that he learned magic on his quest, and for 'a simple commoner', he could use it rather well.
However, if he can't use magic, then he must have lied to me. . .
Right?
I don't know. I never know anything when I need to. . .
I sigh with frustration before getting up, and heading to the door of this little room. I glance at Link one last time, finding myself rather disturbed by the unearthly glow caused by the lights on his pale skin. It bothers me, highly, and I look away, finally heading out the door.
Kadowaki's office itself is noticeably darker than the room from which I just emerged, but the Doctor is nowhere in sight. I shrug, to myself before heading back out into the halls, away from the rooms of the sick. The natural light coming through the windows in the hall give me no solace, as I worry about my decision.
The hall is unusually quiet, I notice, still looking down at the floor as I walk. There's only the sound of my boots on the tiled flooring, no noise of people talking or laughing. I glance up briefly to confirm my suspicions. Just the dull sound of my boots echoing through the empty hall. . .
That, however, soon changes. There's the sound of hurried rushing, and I look up to see a young cadet - Gerreck, I believe his name is - coming towards me, running. I watch with an eyebrow arched, amused at the sight. He looks like he's run the entire way from the bridge to here in only moments, making a part of me wonder vaguely at the importance of his message.
That's - of course - why he's here after all. There's no other reason someone like him would look for me. He was probably sent as a messenger boy. Nothing more.
"Commander Squall!" he shouts as he gets near, "Commander Squall!"
"Yes, yes," I reply, unable to keep the bitter tone out of my voice, "I can hear you. What is it?"
He skids to a stop in front of me. "Sir," he begins, "I was sent to tell you that there have been reports of an overly large population of Forbidden at the Centra Tower," he states, panting for breath, "Cid told me to come and tell you this, and give him your decision."
"My decision on what? Whether or not to send someone in there to exterminate them, or something?" Gerreck nods, and I sigh, rolling my eyes. This is really not a good day, it's really not. I raise a hand, rubbing my scar gently, my head bowed and my eyes shut as I think, "What threat do they pose?"
"Not much, to be truthful, Sir, but Cid fears for the safety of anyone living nearby, and also there's those plans of President Loire to start up a town there, sometime next year hopefully. To eliminate them beforehand would probably be to our advantage."
Our Advantage? "I suppose taking them out now while they're still few in number would be rather advantageous. . ." I state, thinking deeply, ". . .I want a team sent there, to wipe them out. Or close to, anyway. I want Seifer Almasy, Irvine Kinneas, Selphie Tilmitt, and. . .Just those three, they should do well." He nods curtly before walking away, confidently, and I call out quickly to him, "Tell them not to underestimate those creatures," he gives a brief wave to show me (in his own, unique way) that he got the last bit, and will remember to tell them. I sigh.
Now was THAT a good decision. . .?
They could get themselves killed - rather easily - if they get all cocky about the situation, and if I know Kinneas, then he will. And sending Selphie, who I suspect by the sudden appearance of new weight on her body, that she is pregnant, could set her in danger. She's not far yet (of course, I could be wrong about her even bearing a child at this time), but still. . .
A brief shake of my head temporarily relieves me of any doubts. They will be fine, they've fought a lot worse. Ultimecia, Guardian Forces, hell, almost everything we have ever come across we have beaten, and there's been things far more powerful than a few Forbiddens.
Of course, it mattered just how many Forbiddens there were involved with this. . .
~*~
". . .Shiva?" I manage to whisper, swallowing the lump in my throat. She smiles at me, sadly, before nodding slowly.
"I am she."
"What are you doing here? Where am I?" I ask almost frantically, looking about me now that I seem to have regained control of my body. She just watches and waits until I've calmed a little before speaking with her clear, cold voice.
"You are on the cusp of death," she gestured with a hand to everything around us, the burning destruction of this wasteland, the dead, broken bodies scattered about, "And this is what you most fear, isn't it?"
I arch an eyebrow, wondering what the Hell she meant by that. What I fear, what is she-
"You like Death, but only by your hand. These bodies here, does it help for you to know that they are not real? That they are but simple hallucinations of your feverish mind? Does that help, Hero?"
I nod slowly, a look of slight shock on my face, "I guess so. . ."
She faces me fully again, those eyes of hers freezing me in their grasp, "They are not real, and they never will be. This is a world of delusions. . ." She raises one hand to her chin, cupping it as she thinks. I watch her graceful form for a minute, before a question suddenly breaks through the haze in my mind:
"Are you real? I mean, are you really here, or just another illusion?"
She laughs, the sound reminding me of blizzard, for some strange reason, "I am real. I may be here, but I am real." She laughs again, briefer this Time.
"Then what-"
"What am I doing here? I, as all other Guardian Forces, can exist in almost all realms at once. Many higher beings can do that, just as Gods can exist in all realms simultaneously. This just happens to be one of my haunts," she states clearly, ending her words with a light giggle, as if this whole conversation amused her, nothing more.
"But I thought that you, you and the other Guardian Forces were Gods," I say, giving the back of my head a brief scratch as confusion begins to wash over me.
"No," Shiva states with a sigh, "The only Gods are those you know from your world. Din, Nayru, and Farore, you know, them. There are rumors of other Gods, farther off in some universal realm, but they come to us not, and none of us can seem to reach beyond the realms we know."
"Wha?" I mutter, trying to shake the mist from my mind, "What are you-?"
"Do not worry about it, Hero," I hate that name, "That is of no importance now. The reason I'm here is something completely unrelated. I have to thank you."
"For what?" I murmur, rubbing some of the confusion out of my mind by massaging my temples.
"For saving Squall. He's of great importance yet, you know," she smiles, but her eyes don't quite show it, "In response, the other Guardians and I have agreed to assist you once, if your need is dire. We would help you, in every way we can."
"How would I-"
"You would just try to summon us. . .You'll know how, when the Time comes," she states, that smile now reaching her eyes, and shining brightly, "I hate to have to send you back to your dreams, but I cannot hold you here forever."
"What happened to me, anyway?" I ask, but it is more of a silence breaker than a curiosity quenching question. It's taking a moment (more like a century) for all of this to sink in, and I feel like I'm drowning in all this knowledge.
"You will find out once you awaken, but, that may not be for some Time, or ever," she looks sad now, I notice with a tinge of sorrow to my own being, "I am no seer, but I do wish you the best of luck. Farewell."
A blue light slowly eclipses her, and almost as soon as she had come, she was gone, and in her absence the raging fires again grew close.
~*~
"Isabel?" Kadowaki asked, surprising me, "You're here to see him as well?"
I jerk around, looking at her with shock on my face. It takes me a moment to wipe the look of my face and catch my fleeting breath, but as soon as I did I looked as casual as ever, "Y-yes, yes I am."
"Oh, I didn't expect to see you here, nor really anyone else, for that matter," she states, moving her neck about as if trying to remove pains there, "He wasn't very popular, at least, not until now. I guess the word about him taking out a Ruby Dragon on his own is something that the people around here respect. It must be hard to take out one of those things, especially on his own. I've seen what it did to him," she shakes her head, looking rather pale, "He's lucky that he's survived this far."
"Can he make it," I worry, clasping my hands together before me, pleading. To my great relief, she nods once.
"He may. I do hope he does."
I sigh, blowing the breath from my mouth in one brief gust, "Can I see him?"
"Of course. Right this way." Kadowaki leads me into the room, shutting the door quietly behind me. I hardly notice, however, as I stare at the pale form on the bed before me.
Blood stains the tips of his blonde hair, same as the bandages on his chest. They look as though they've been changed only recently, but still the crimson has managed to soak through. His chest is bare (a fact that I find has turned my cheeks somewhat red) of clothing, but very well wrapped. His face looks sallow and pale, and I know immediately that he's lost a lot of blood.
I saw him lose most of it, earlier, in the Training Center.
His eyes are closed tightly, as if in peaceful sleep, but I don't know. . .The aura I feel around him makes me think otherwise.
I sit beside him, on the chair next to the bed. His lack of movement disturbs me, and I worry that maybe he is dead, here and now, and that there is nothing I can do to save him.
But the heartrate monitors are still going, telling me that life still floods through his veins. Well, maybe trickles. I don't know. He doesn't look the least bit healthy. . .
When he first arrived he was rather skinny, looking like he was quite a few pounds underweight. That's one of the reasons that no one wanted to believe that he took down something that both SeeDs and Cadets couldn't. Alone, nonetheless. No one said anything about it to him, however, as either the people were too good to talk to him, or they just didn't want to be rude.
After a while, it appears that he is gaining some of that weight back, looking somewhat more healthy. He's only been in the Garden for a few days and I hear that he only eats after twelve o'clock, after everyone else has left, but he is looking better.
Then how often was he eating before he came here?
Now, he looks so frail. . .So hurt. Not broken, but damaged. . .
He looks like he could never be broken. Never.
The light hits his skin from the window, causing his form (the light shines off his hair, his chest) to almost glow. It's rather eerie, really.
Suddenly, I'm not sitting there with Link anymore.
there's the sound of a metal clang, and my vision comes back into focus. I'm standing in a hall, one of an older style, built entirely from stone. A castle, almost. I can really see much, as my sight is blurry, but there is one thing I do notice.
Link's body laying on the floor, pale and unmoving.
The real world comes rushing back to me, causing my head to swim. Link lays on the bed beside me still, cold, pale, and unmoving. Just like in my vision, or whatever. I find myself shaking, but somewhat secure in the fact that whatever happened to me ended rather well, however, there is one question that remains strongly in my mind. . .
What did I see? Was it the past or the future?
~*~
Chapter XXIV - Just Visiting
~*~
Dedicated to 'Bilbo'.
~*~
I watch him, laying there, his eyes closed and his body still. We only got him into the infirmary a few hours ago, and after a quick try at healing him (it didn't work, somehow his body refused most of the magic) we bandaged him up and began to pray for the best. His face is horribly pale from blood loss, and despite cleaning him up, his hair still has a red tinge to it's golden blonde color.
He's bandaged up well, the cloth on his brunt arms is rather intact, while the cloth that wraps around his chest many times is plastered to his skin, and bloody again, already. I guess I'll have to inform Kadowaki that his bandages need changing again. . .
She might need assistance. . .
The very thought makes my cheeks glow.
Such a contrast I must be to the pale Elf on the bed. His skin has blanched completely, due to the lack of blood. He's a deathly white, and the whole eerie appearance is not helped by the harsh lights overhead. They give his skin somewhat of a glow, but it almost makes his skin look like it is a radiating white, like he himself is something. . .Divine. . .
His breath is shallow and slow, and I wonder vaguely if he's getting enough oxygen into his lungs. His chest is bare, mostly covered by his bandages and a thin but warm blanket that is pulled up just short of his collar. I reach to pull it higher, up to his neck, but I am interrupted by the sound of someone lightly clearing their throat at the entrance to this little room. I turn swiftly about, the look on my face and my position making me feel a lot like a deer caught in the headlights.
There stands Squall, in all his nonchalant glory. His arms crossed infront of him, his eyes angled down at me, he looks prepared for a fight, prepared to take it and overwhelm any arguments I have with his authority, his higher rank.
He won't be well enough prepared for this.
"What the hell is this?" I say, pointing at Link, "You sent him up against a Ruby Dragon, by himself, with no magic?"
"Do not blame me for everything," he counters, his voice missing the bitter tone mine has, "You were there too. I didn't see you trying to stop the fight."
"I. . .Because it's my place to NOT interfere. You ordered me not to before the battle even begun! I should have known that there was a reason you told me that!" I place a hand on my forehead, "I should have known. . ."
"I don't see why you're so upset," the 'Ice Prince' states, gesturing with his hand at the Elf laying on the bed, "He's alive. I don't see anything wrong with that. Besides, if he was smart he would have realized the usefulness of magic in that fight."
". . .Squall, his body REFUSED the healing magic. I don't know why, but I think his body has. . .I don't know. . .I don't he can use magic, or be affected by it." I shake my head, staring at the floor, "I guess I'll have Kadowaki do some tests, but still. . .I think he would have used magic at some point or another, if he could have. At least to heal himself, anyway."
I glance up, and I am just able to catch a bit of an uncertain, somewhat surprised look on Squall's face, but almost as soon as I see it, it's gone. I sigh inwardly, and Squall crosses his arms again. There's a bit of an awkward silence between us, until Squall finally speaks:
"Instructor, I do believe you have a class to attend to, do you not?"
I nod briefly, before walking out and down the hall. I force myself to maintain my cool, but I can't help feel that I'm acting in a huff, too agitated to even brush away the blonde bangs which hang in my face, annoying me. All I can do is think about how angry I am at Squall and wonder if I am being a bit childish. . .
But still. . .
I sigh. This is going to be a long day. . .maybe I can sneak back in to see Link again later. Kadowaki may need my help, afterall.
~*~
Red. . .Red eyes staring down upon me. . .Soulless. . .Empty, lacking pupils or humanity. . .Staring down. . .The form moving like water. . .fluid grace. . .I can't see. . .I can't anything but the eyes. . .
The red eyes are above me, somewhere above me in the darkness. . .I don't know how that's possible, maybe it's on the ceiling above me. . .?
Where am I? I can't remember. . .
The eyes move (crawl, fly, whatever. I can't even see myself in this darkness, just those eyes) directly above me, studying me intensely. I watch, as they suddenly rush down towards me, instantly closing the distance between us. I lift up my arms to block the orbs (they've lost most of their eye shape), but I'm too late. My sight is blocked out by a bright red haze.
Images of fire and destruction fade through into the haze, but I can't see them right. . .it's like there's a fog between them, and me. . .
People dying. . .I can see guards, or people at least dressed like them, coming up behind innocent civilians, and murdering them with swords or spears. . .Axes, knives, daggers, clubs. . .
There's one woman, with dark black hair, dressed in simple peasant clothes, running for her life. In her arms rests a screaming baby, wrapped in cloth. She runs, her hair and dress streaming behind her, but it's too late for her. A guard, dressed in silver armor, attacks her side, impaling her with his lance. She shrieks in agony before falling to the ground, limp and dead. The guard, cold malice in his eyes, walks over to her, rolling her over with a kick to the stomach.
Her child is uncovered, alive and crying. The guard takes one look down at the bloody corpse of the woman and the now screaming figure of the child, before jabbing his spear down, completely destroying the fragile skull of the child, a deadly smirk on his face.
I am horrified by the blood and gore and cruelty of what I have just seen (strange. . .It seems hazy still, as if unreal) but I can't move. I'm frozen to the spot.
There's the sound of feral laughter behind me, and somehow I find the strength to turn and face the noise. There's a guard there, behind me, his silver armor glinting in the orange of the fire, creating the image of him being in flames.
Maybe he is. . .
He raises the sword in his hand, far above his head, preparing to bring it down. The fire that surrounds him is so bright, so terribly bright, and I can't help but stare at it and loose myself in it's flickering light. Behind the guard, far brighter than the flames, appear two red eyes, soulless, pupiless, hungry. They narrow as if in anger-
No, not anger. Vengeance.
-Before suddenly fizzing out existence, and reappearing, no longer behind the guard, but in his own eye sockets. The guard seems not to notice, or care. He smiles wickedly, before bringing down his blade, down on to my head like-
The blow never lands, instead the weapon is thrown from the guards hands (the now surprised guard) far to my left. We both watch it land, some thirty feet away, and upon it's impact with the ground, it bursts into flames. I look back at the guard to see those red eyes still in place, slightly surprised but the look of gleeful murder is returning swiftly.
However, before the guard can do anything about his weapon, of his wants, the fire around him fades into a clear, cold blue, and surprise covers his face once more, accompanied by fear. The flames are doused by this new light, and the guard shivers, glancing about as if expecting attack.
No amount of preparation could have readied him for what would come.
The cold blue light brightens all around him, closing in on him, almost like it wants to crush him. It then lifts him up, high into the air before tossing him aside. He flies off with a scream, landing somewhere deep in the flames, instantly consumed. I stare at where he disappeared, unsure of what's happening. Should I be afraid, or should I be glad?
An icy cold hand lays itself on my shoulder, causing me to jump and whip about. My eyes widen, not in fear, but in surprise.
Before me stands the beauty that is Shiva, in all her glory as the Queen of Ice.
~*~
I sit on the chair beside Link's bed, my elbows propping me up on my knees, one hand gingerly rubbing the scar that covers my forehead. I find myself deep in thought, as usual, questioning my own actions during this whole ordeal.
Did I do the right thing. . .?
I shake my head lightly. Of course I did the right thing. If he couldn't defeat that Dragon, whether it meant his own death or not, then there would have been no reason whatsoever to trust him. He would have lied to me in the beginning, and I don't trust those who try to trick me. . .
But he did complete the test, which means that he wasn't lying to me. Or, he's at least strong enough to have done what he said. This whole thing about his inability to use magic has got me suspicious again. Link clearly told me that he learned magic on his quest, and for 'a simple commoner', he could use it rather well.
However, if he can't use magic, then he must have lied to me. . .
Right?
I don't know. I never know anything when I need to. . .
I sigh with frustration before getting up, and heading to the door of this little room. I glance at Link one last time, finding myself rather disturbed by the unearthly glow caused by the lights on his pale skin. It bothers me, highly, and I look away, finally heading out the door.
Kadowaki's office itself is noticeably darker than the room from which I just emerged, but the Doctor is nowhere in sight. I shrug, to myself before heading back out into the halls, away from the rooms of the sick. The natural light coming through the windows in the hall give me no solace, as I worry about my decision.
The hall is unusually quiet, I notice, still looking down at the floor as I walk. There's only the sound of my boots on the tiled flooring, no noise of people talking or laughing. I glance up briefly to confirm my suspicions. Just the dull sound of my boots echoing through the empty hall. . .
That, however, soon changes. There's the sound of hurried rushing, and I look up to see a young cadet - Gerreck, I believe his name is - coming towards me, running. I watch with an eyebrow arched, amused at the sight. He looks like he's run the entire way from the bridge to here in only moments, making a part of me wonder vaguely at the importance of his message.
That's - of course - why he's here after all. There's no other reason someone like him would look for me. He was probably sent as a messenger boy. Nothing more.
"Commander Squall!" he shouts as he gets near, "Commander Squall!"
"Yes, yes," I reply, unable to keep the bitter tone out of my voice, "I can hear you. What is it?"
He skids to a stop in front of me. "Sir," he begins, "I was sent to tell you that there have been reports of an overly large population of Forbidden at the Centra Tower," he states, panting for breath, "Cid told me to come and tell you this, and give him your decision."
"My decision on what? Whether or not to send someone in there to exterminate them, or something?" Gerreck nods, and I sigh, rolling my eyes. This is really not a good day, it's really not. I raise a hand, rubbing my scar gently, my head bowed and my eyes shut as I think, "What threat do they pose?"
"Not much, to be truthful, Sir, but Cid fears for the safety of anyone living nearby, and also there's those plans of President Loire to start up a town there, sometime next year hopefully. To eliminate them beforehand would probably be to our advantage."
Our Advantage? "I suppose taking them out now while they're still few in number would be rather advantageous. . ." I state, thinking deeply, ". . .I want a team sent there, to wipe them out. Or close to, anyway. I want Seifer Almasy, Irvine Kinneas, Selphie Tilmitt, and. . .Just those three, they should do well." He nods curtly before walking away, confidently, and I call out quickly to him, "Tell them not to underestimate those creatures," he gives a brief wave to show me (in his own, unique way) that he got the last bit, and will remember to tell them. I sigh.
Now was THAT a good decision. . .?
They could get themselves killed - rather easily - if they get all cocky about the situation, and if I know Kinneas, then he will. And sending Selphie, who I suspect by the sudden appearance of new weight on her body, that she is pregnant, could set her in danger. She's not far yet (of course, I could be wrong about her even bearing a child at this time), but still. . .
A brief shake of my head temporarily relieves me of any doubts. They will be fine, they've fought a lot worse. Ultimecia, Guardian Forces, hell, almost everything we have ever come across we have beaten, and there's been things far more powerful than a few Forbiddens.
Of course, it mattered just how many Forbiddens there were involved with this. . .
~*~
". . .Shiva?" I manage to whisper, swallowing the lump in my throat. She smiles at me, sadly, before nodding slowly.
"I am she."
"What are you doing here? Where am I?" I ask almost frantically, looking about me now that I seem to have regained control of my body. She just watches and waits until I've calmed a little before speaking with her clear, cold voice.
"You are on the cusp of death," she gestured with a hand to everything around us, the burning destruction of this wasteland, the dead, broken bodies scattered about, "And this is what you most fear, isn't it?"
I arch an eyebrow, wondering what the Hell she meant by that. What I fear, what is she-
"You like Death, but only by your hand. These bodies here, does it help for you to know that they are not real? That they are but simple hallucinations of your feverish mind? Does that help, Hero?"
I nod slowly, a look of slight shock on my face, "I guess so. . ."
She faces me fully again, those eyes of hers freezing me in their grasp, "They are not real, and they never will be. This is a world of delusions. . ." She raises one hand to her chin, cupping it as she thinks. I watch her graceful form for a minute, before a question suddenly breaks through the haze in my mind:
"Are you real? I mean, are you really here, or just another illusion?"
She laughs, the sound reminding me of blizzard, for some strange reason, "I am real. I may be here, but I am real." She laughs again, briefer this Time.
"Then what-"
"What am I doing here? I, as all other Guardian Forces, can exist in almost all realms at once. Many higher beings can do that, just as Gods can exist in all realms simultaneously. This just happens to be one of my haunts," she states clearly, ending her words with a light giggle, as if this whole conversation amused her, nothing more.
"But I thought that you, you and the other Guardian Forces were Gods," I say, giving the back of my head a brief scratch as confusion begins to wash over me.
"No," Shiva states with a sigh, "The only Gods are those you know from your world. Din, Nayru, and Farore, you know, them. There are rumors of other Gods, farther off in some universal realm, but they come to us not, and none of us can seem to reach beyond the realms we know."
"Wha?" I mutter, trying to shake the mist from my mind, "What are you-?"
"Do not worry about it, Hero," I hate that name, "That is of no importance now. The reason I'm here is something completely unrelated. I have to thank you."
"For what?" I murmur, rubbing some of the confusion out of my mind by massaging my temples.
"For saving Squall. He's of great importance yet, you know," she smiles, but her eyes don't quite show it, "In response, the other Guardians and I have agreed to assist you once, if your need is dire. We would help you, in every way we can."
"How would I-"
"You would just try to summon us. . .You'll know how, when the Time comes," she states, that smile now reaching her eyes, and shining brightly, "I hate to have to send you back to your dreams, but I cannot hold you here forever."
"What happened to me, anyway?" I ask, but it is more of a silence breaker than a curiosity quenching question. It's taking a moment (more like a century) for all of this to sink in, and I feel like I'm drowning in all this knowledge.
"You will find out once you awaken, but, that may not be for some Time, or ever," she looks sad now, I notice with a tinge of sorrow to my own being, "I am no seer, but I do wish you the best of luck. Farewell."
A blue light slowly eclipses her, and almost as soon as she had come, she was gone, and in her absence the raging fires again grew close.
~*~
"Isabel?" Kadowaki asked, surprising me, "You're here to see him as well?"
I jerk around, looking at her with shock on my face. It takes me a moment to wipe the look of my face and catch my fleeting breath, but as soon as I did I looked as casual as ever, "Y-yes, yes I am."
"Oh, I didn't expect to see you here, nor really anyone else, for that matter," she states, moving her neck about as if trying to remove pains there, "He wasn't very popular, at least, not until now. I guess the word about him taking out a Ruby Dragon on his own is something that the people around here respect. It must be hard to take out one of those things, especially on his own. I've seen what it did to him," she shakes her head, looking rather pale, "He's lucky that he's survived this far."
"Can he make it," I worry, clasping my hands together before me, pleading. To my great relief, she nods once.
"He may. I do hope he does."
I sigh, blowing the breath from my mouth in one brief gust, "Can I see him?"
"Of course. Right this way." Kadowaki leads me into the room, shutting the door quietly behind me. I hardly notice, however, as I stare at the pale form on the bed before me.
Blood stains the tips of his blonde hair, same as the bandages on his chest. They look as though they've been changed only recently, but still the crimson has managed to soak through. His chest is bare (a fact that I find has turned my cheeks somewhat red) of clothing, but very well wrapped. His face looks sallow and pale, and I know immediately that he's lost a lot of blood.
I saw him lose most of it, earlier, in the Training Center.
His eyes are closed tightly, as if in peaceful sleep, but I don't know. . .The aura I feel around him makes me think otherwise.
I sit beside him, on the chair next to the bed. His lack of movement disturbs me, and I worry that maybe he is dead, here and now, and that there is nothing I can do to save him.
But the heartrate monitors are still going, telling me that life still floods through his veins. Well, maybe trickles. I don't know. He doesn't look the least bit healthy. . .
When he first arrived he was rather skinny, looking like he was quite a few pounds underweight. That's one of the reasons that no one wanted to believe that he took down something that both SeeDs and Cadets couldn't. Alone, nonetheless. No one said anything about it to him, however, as either the people were too good to talk to him, or they just didn't want to be rude.
After a while, it appears that he is gaining some of that weight back, looking somewhat more healthy. He's only been in the Garden for a few days and I hear that he only eats after twelve o'clock, after everyone else has left, but he is looking better.
Then how often was he eating before he came here?
Now, he looks so frail. . .So hurt. Not broken, but damaged. . .
He looks like he could never be broken. Never.
The light hits his skin from the window, causing his form (the light shines off his hair, his chest) to almost glow. It's rather eerie, really.
Suddenly, I'm not sitting there with Link anymore.
there's the sound of a metal clang, and my vision comes back into focus. I'm standing in a hall, one of an older style, built entirely from stone. A castle, almost. I can really see much, as my sight is blurry, but there is one thing I do notice.
Link's body laying on the floor, pale and unmoving.
The real world comes rushing back to me, causing my head to swim. Link lays on the bed beside me still, cold, pale, and unmoving. Just like in my vision, or whatever. I find myself shaking, but somewhat secure in the fact that whatever happened to me ended rather well, however, there is one question that remains strongly in my mind. . .
What did I see? Was it the past or the future?
~*~