The Life of Erin Tribal

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A/N: Part-update to fix chapter numbering. Will be revised at a later date. Dated: 2/3/07.

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Erin sighed as they waited for everyone else to arrive for the mission. As usual, Erin and Serenity were up early and were first out to wait for the others. Harry joined them soon after, followed by Relm and Selphie. Squall had just joined them, and the only one missing was Zell.

Zell decided to arrive in style, riding a hover board over to where they were waiting. The garden staff didn't think too highly of this though. "Hover boards are not allowed in the garden."

"I figured it would be helpful on some mission," Zell tried to explain.

"We'll be the judges of that," the robed man said. "Confiscate it." Another garden staff member went over to where Zell was and took the board from him. Zell seemed upset, but they didn't have time to dwell on it as the headmaster was walking out to them.

They saluted him as he stopped. "At ease," Cid told them. "We have received a request for a resistance group in Timber for some help. Normally, we wouldn't accept such small missions however..." The garden staff was glaring at the headmaster. "Never mind. You guys are to take the task of helping out the resistance group for their mission. You will leave from Balamb and take the train to Timber, where a member of the group will meet you there. When he says, 'The forests of Timber sure have changed' you are to reply with 'But the owls are still around'."

They all nodded in reply, and the Headmaster smiled. "Well, good luck then," he said, and then remembered something. "Oh yes, Squall, I have something for you."

"Yes?" Squall asked, looking at the headmaster.

"It is an old magical lamp, however, it's very dangerous. A great monster is said to live inside of it," Cid explained, handing Squall a lamp like object.

"Headmaster, if I may," Serenity said. "I've done a great deal of research on GF's and theses kinds of objects. It is said that a mythical GF lives inside that very lamp."

"Very good Miss Star," Cid nodded in approval. "Activate it if you wish." The headmaster and garden staff started heading back to the Garden, while the group headed off to Balamb.

"Hey Squall, let's open up the lamp," Zell suggested halfway down the path to Balamb.

"You sure Zell?" Serenity asked. "The monster inside of it is powerful, could easily kill us. Besides, that would basically be straying from our mission... And we don't want to miss that train."

"Oh come on, live a little!" Zell cried. "Let's do it Squall."

"Fine," Squall agreed, holding the lamp out at arms length.

"Guys..." Serenity moaned as the world around them suddenly turned dark. All they could see around them in this dark area was a glowing red floor.

"Who dares intrude my lair..." a voice said somewhere in the darkness. Erin looked around, trying to figure out who was speaking. Someone knew however.

"Diablos," Serenity whispered.

A large black and red creature crept out of the darkness. He had two large wings, and they all could have sword they were staring into the face of the devil by the way he looked.

"Do you wish to die?" Diablos said. "That is the fate for anyone who enters my lair."

"And what if we take you on and defeat you!?" Zell challenged.

"Then I will become your slave, become your guardian," Diablos told them. "However, the likely-hood of your victory is impossible!" Diablos flapped his giant wings, bringing him airborne.

Everyone reached for their weapon, preparing to fight. Diablos showed what appeared to be a smirk and lunged down at where Relm was standing. The girl dodged out of the way and the beast pulled himself back up above them. Diablos immediately started another attack, holding his hands together, casting a spell. "Demi," he mumbled, and they got hit with the dark spell. It drained what felt like most of their energy from them.

Going to attempt something, Erin pulled up her blade and went running at the beast. Reaching for the trigger, she slashed through it as best she could, pulling off one of the major attacks for a gunblade. The rest of the group followed up with pounding on Diablos, using everything they had, Selphie acting as the parties medic. After what felt like a good half hour fighting the large beast, he fell.

"I... cannot believe it... Mere mortals defeated me."

"Diablos," Squall said. "Time to fill your part of the agreement."

"Very well then, I will help you," Diablos agreed, and they were warped make to the regular dimension. Squall noted that they now had Diablos as a GF, and that the lamp they had been given was now dead. Deciding to head for the train station, they made their way to Balamb. Walking quietly through the peaceful town, the group payed for the train and boarded.

Several minutes after they got on, the train took off into the under-sea tunnel. Everyone decided to split up during the ride, so Erin went to one of two rooms specially reserved for SeeD members. 'Wow, talk about lush,' she noted as she walked into the room. Setting her blade down on the bed, she sat down on the couch. 'So much has happened in the past two days... I'm getting more and more confused about my home then I was before. Why does Harry want me to help him next year? What would mother say if I ran away...? No, there's no way I could...' Erin fell asleep there on the couch as she thought over everything that had happened in the past two days.

Erin stared ahead of her, wondering where she was. A faint blue light illuminated the room, and she realized very quickly realized where she was. 'It's that place from before...' she thought, and then realized someone was up ahead of her.

"Ugh..." the person said.

'Huh?' she thought, taking a few steps forward. The man was blonde, wearing clothes native to Gaia, and he also had... 'A tail?' she asked herself as another voice appeared from behind her.

"Zidane!" a girls voice yelled.

"Are you okay!?" a boys voice yelled that time.

'Zidane? Harry's brother...?'

"Relm! Erin! Harry!" the girls voice yelled that time, and Erin snapped to attention to see where the voice was coming from. A small girl, who appeared to be about 6, was standing behind some bars. Next to her was a what she guessed to be the boy from before, dressed in a blue cape and yellow hat. She then noticed, behind them a girl who was very familiar, yet she seemed different somehow.

Mysteriously, the bars opened and the three ran towards where this 'Zidane' was sitting. It was then she noticed three other figures laying around the chair, all with tails. The familiar girl was next to one of the figures on the ground, and the other two unknowns were trying to wake up Zidane.

"Erin, please, wake up," the familiar girl whispered.

"Oh man..." the girl on the ground, in front of where the real Erin was standing, mumbled. She pulled herself up and looked at the familiar girl. "Serenity?"

"Huh!?" Erin asked herself, waking up. She looked around the cabin and realized she was still alone. Closing her eyes, Erin tried to remember what this other 'Erin' girl looked like. The girl seemed almost like her, except she had much shorter hair. And that other girl, the girl this other 'Erin' had called Serenity... She seemed almost like the Serenity she knew, except that she wasn't a blonde. While the girl was thinking to herself, the door opened.

"You alright in here?" Serenity asked, peeking in. "Mind if I come in? All the 'adults' went into the other cabin."

"Yeah, go ahead..." Erin told her, watching her movements as Serenity went to sit down by her friend.

"Really, ARE you okay Erin?"

"I'm okay, really," Erin told her. "It's nothing, I promise."

"Yeah, whatever," Serenity yawned. "Man I'm beat, I'm going to get some rest, you mind?"

"Go ahead..." Erin told her, and grabbed her blade off the bed. She sighed, as the rest of the train ride stayed silent, wondering what to expect when they arrived in Timber.