The Secret Garden
Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to my friends for allowing me to borrow your characters. If you wish to appear, please send me a message and we can work something out.
Notes: This is the sequel to Records of Keeper Canti. It's wibby-wobbly, timey-whimy in its execution. I care not. If you care, shut the fuck up and go away. If you don't like it, don't read it.
Warnings: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar
FIC START!
Chapter Sixteen
Canti pretended to be asleep for as long as it took for her papa to finally go to bed. She then found the flashlight in the nearby nightstand and reached up to grab the envelope that Hikari had brought for her. No one had ever written her a letter before, and boy, Canti was excited to read it. The envelope was purple, with a tiny little insignia of a darker purple rose in the lower right corner, and it smelled just like the rose Vivi had given her - which Cid decided to press so she could keep it forever. It smelled just like a combination of Mateus' normal scent, and Hikari's uniform pocket. A curious mix. Curled up with her plush of the Mysidian Rabbit, and under her fleece blanket that looked like the starry night sky, Canti opened the envelope to read the letter within.
The paper, which was a piece of lovely matching stationery, which read:
To my dear friend,
It made my heart ache to hear that you have become sick. Truthfully, I don't have many friends, and you had been making my days a little more joyful ever since I met you. I wanted to come see you, but I know that the Palamecian family and the Highwinds have never once meshed well. Forgive me if I come across too strongly, but I have a feeling our destinies are intertwined. At least, that is what I wish would come to pass. Be my friend forever, Cantirena. It would make me ever so happy. And I wish to do something for you that would make you happy. Anything at all. If it is in my power, I will make it happen.
All the best,
Mateus
Canti blushed brightly upon finishing reading the letter, which was written in a handwriting nicer than anything she'd ever seen before. She was confused about what this was making her feel. Of course she wanted to keep all her friends forever, she loved them all. As familiar as he felt, she didn't want to rush into something she didn't understand. And there was no way she could ever bring this kind of thing up to her Papa Cid, or even Kain. The letter was right on that point. She stood back up to put the letter away, tucking it in behind other things so Cid would not look at it by some passing glance. Then, she turned off the flashlight and decided it was time to sleep. She curled up and got comfy, eventually falling into a dreamless sleep as Minwu had promised just earlier. But the thoughts on her mind as she was drifting was simply imagining all the friends she had made, including Mateus, on a large picnic. Everyone talking and snacking, and having a reasonably good time doing so. If he could make that happen, that's what she'd ask for.
…
Leviathan sat at his desk, thumbing through applications and paperworks of all kinds, not really wanting to take care of any of it, but feeling as if he had no real choice in the matter. He sipped at his lukewarm coffee. The knock at the door caught his attention.
"Sir! Senate meeting coming up! Will you be present?" the voice asked on the other side of the door.
"Ah, right," Leviathan said, standing up. "Yes. I'll be there in just a moment." He put his mug down and flicked the fish scale-like hair out of the front of his face. He wasn't overly fond of his human form, but when overseeing such a massive project for the Heavenly Mother Cosmos, he wasn't exactly allowed to leave his realm or the humans within. Especially not these so-proclaimed governors of the country, his senate. He wondered why he allowed the people form their own government for the two seconds it took him to walk over to the door, and he flashed his secretary his dashing human smile when he pulled it open. "Better lead these elected officials properly, or they might cause trouble."
"Don't say that, sir, you know how there are some who are adamant to use all of your commentary against you," the secretary said, looking around to make sure no one else was listening. "There are some who believe you are not fit to lead as you do."
"Posh," Leviathan said, dismissing the idea. His secretary had no idea about the control he had over every human's memories within his land, and he certainly wasn't going to tell her that any rebellion could be quelled with the correct equipment. The moogles, the Sphere Grid that connected any and all places of work and residence… all were at his command. He was an Eidolon, not some mere human. "Come now, Betsy, you must not speak so fearfully. There is naught to be afraid of." He chuckled softly, turning to walk down a hall that connected his office within the Senate Building to the Gathering Place.
The building the Senate met in was huge, filled with offices for every single representative. Most all of these people worked here during the day to take care of basic district business, but a few ran their own businesses for profit aside from being a Senator. Leviathan locked eyes with that of a Matteo Palamecia as he passed through to his podium in the center of the room, remembering the Palamecian Monster Ranch which was suspiciously close to the barrier which surrounded the entire realm and kept it safe from the Ardent. There was another senator he passed, who had much more of a benevolent personality about him named Braska. The two were discussing something very heated, but Leviathan did not lend them an ear as he passed through, considering he did not expect it to be much more than a simple quibble between two humans of opposing positions that discussed absolutely nothing important whatsoever. Leviathan noticed all the others, gathered in either party-bound cliques or seated off to themselves, either way preoccupied with one thing or another.
He reached his podium after a good ten minute walk and snapped his fingers once. The echo sounded throughout the entire auditorium-like Gathering Area. Everyone else in the room immediately turned to face him. Leviathan flashed his generic, congenial smile to all of them. Oh, these humans, he mused in thought. "Take your places," he said, waving his hand at all of them. "Quickly, please. We all do have important matters outside of here to address before morning."
All of the senators took their place. There was around twenty-five of them total, all for different districts around Leviathan's realm. Each of them were elected by the people to represent their needs and desires, but it was clear there were some who were not just bought and paid for, but those who acted for their own interests rather than those of the people. Leviathan was the only man in the room who wasn't elected, simply because if he was going to have ruling power in his own realm, he was going to have to make sure that he could not be ousted from his position, regardless what renegade members of the Senate spoke of behind closed doors.
"Good evening, Senators!" Leviathan's voice boomed across the hall, though he wasn't yelling. "May our Heavenly Mother guide us in all we plan to do this meeting."
"Praise Cosmos," the others all sounded off together respectfully.
"So, what have we all been gathered to decide upon this time?"
A senator in long yellow robes stood up, with his hand raised to catch Leviathan's attention. "Motion 34 has yet to be decided upon!" he screamed.
"Motion 34 is oppressive!" another senator yelled at him. "We cannot ratify it!"
Leviathan was laughing on the inside as he picked up a paper on his podium. "Motion 34 seeks to call all forms of masturbation illegal?" he asked as he read it. Oh, Mother… these humans will be the end of my sanity… Even though he had done his best to sound non-biased for years, this one always made the rounds from the extremely religious district, and every time he read all the laws included in it, he couldn't help but laugh. "How many times are we even going to discuss this? The vote last time was no, Senator Kinoc. Tell your Yevonite party that this simply is not going to pass. Not now, not ever."
"Says one with a filthy mind," Kinoc said. "Only a pervert would vote against this! We who have pure hearts to serve our Heavenly Mother know the dangers of allowing the people to play with themselves!"
Matteo giggled from his seat a bit childishly. "Right, because Kinoc knows purity. Of course."
Leviathan did his best to keep his 'oh snap' comment to himself. Other members of the senate laughed along with the blonde man known for being so made of money that the legends said his sweat took the form of gil coins and his hair were strands of solid gold. It was known, or rather, rumored through many circles of Dagurreo that Matteo Palamecia was a sexual deviant for all kinds of things unmentionable in pleasant company. But Leviathan didn't care. Sex lives weren't his jurisdiction, and he didn't care what anyone did with their private parts. The whole argument seemed downright silly to him.
"Those… comments aside," Braska said finally. "Can we not vote and get rid of his insipid bill once and for all, Leviathan? We all have families to get home to."
"Much agreed," Leviathan said with a nod. "All those in favor of Motion 34?"
Kinoc raised his hand.
"All against?"
Everyone else raised their hand.
Leviathan nodded again. "Right, okay, so Kinoc. You get to shut up for the rest of this entire meeting, and I swear if you even think about resubmitting this again, you will not be on the senate very much longer. You are wasting the system's time, you are wasting my time, and time that, like Braska said, could be spent on other things." He took the paper and wadded it up, kicking it into the nearby trash can. "Anything else? Don't tell me that was the only bill submitted for this!"
No one said anything to him, but there was a dull murmur around the room.
Leviathan put his hands on his hips. I hate all of you. Except you, Braska. You're all right.
