Chapter 15: Love Grows
It had been a couple of days since Seifer had returned to the garden, bringing the remaining students of Trabia garden with him. Not only that, due to Quistis's decisions, Galbadia garden now had free-roaming Chocobo's racing around its main halls.
Quistis stood outside in an outer part of the garden that a basketball court occupied. She stood behind a metal fence, watching the players dribble and shoot hoops as she lost herself in the sound of the weather that was still raging on outside on the Trabia continent. The garden had not moved since setting down to investigate Trabia garden due to the blizzard and was looking like it was not leaving anytime soon.
Many issues were pondering her mind as she watched the ball bounce onto the court. Seifer had returned with an unknown woman he had described as a Guardian force's fatality, and Quistis never thought she would have felt anything for Seifer emotionally. Being able to interact with him has allowed her to see a different side that Quistis had not witnessed personally. Following on from the sorceress wars and Ultimecia's defeat, Quistis never thought she could forgive Seifer for his actions. But seeing him happy and accepting responsibility for the problems he caused gives her hope that even the biggest fool can redeem themselves.
Pushing herself from the fence, she turned to walk away, accidentally bumping into Seifer.
"Seifer, I'm so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going". Quistis said as her cheeks blushed a little red.
"Instructor. Have you heard anything yet about Dahlia's condition?". Seifer asked.
"Nothing has changed. What happened to this woman?". Quistis replied.
"Celsius damaged her physical body badly in the battle. The impact was that strong it knocked Lilith right out of her". Seifer said.
Quistis allowed Seifer to discuss the events in detail to understand what went on after leaving as the pair walked back to the Infirmary. Reaching the lobby, Seifer could hear Martine's voice over the PA.
DING DONG "This is Martine. Seifer, could you please come to the headmasters' office on the third floor". DING DONG
"Seifer, you go on ahead. He is probably waiting to hear your battle report. I will head back and check on Dahlia". Quistis said.
Seifer turned and walked back towards the second-floor stairs as he parted ways with Quistis. Quistis was now alone as she continued walking back to her destination, bumping into Fujin and Raijin along the way.
"Good morning, you two. You just missed Seifer". Quistis said.
"We heard the announcement. Is he okay?". Raijin asked.
"I think so. Seifer is just worried about this mysterious woman. He has many questions". Quistis continued.
"Seifer said this is the second time he has encountered this woman in battle. Is it safe to keep her here?" Raijin asked.
"SAFE?". Fujin questioned.
"I guess no one will know anything until she awakens. I worry about Seifer". Quistis expressed.
"That concludes my report, sir". Seifer finished.
Martine listened to the events that took place at Trabia Garden. He now had more responsibility, taking care of Trabia's students, temporarily taking refuge in the garden.
"This problem has grown out of hand. Not only do we have two brand new guardians running around out there but the garden is currently stuck thanks to this weather". Martine said.
"I think Celsius has something to do with the weather. The blizzard began when Dahlia, sorry Lilith woke her up". Seifer corrected himself for getting them mixed up.
"So this woman downstairs in the Infirmary, she is Dahlia?". Martine asked.
"Yes, Martine. I have learned that Lilith, the guardian of darkness, has been possessing Dahlia's body for her evil purposes. Using her body allows her to remain undetected". Seifer answered.
"We need to find out what her goal is. As it stands, she is a threat to the world. I must contact Squall and inform him of our findings". Martine replied.
"What do we do now?". Seifer asked again.
"For the meantime, we need to find a way to get off this continent and out of this storm". Martine said.
Seifer had finished his conversation with the headmaster and exited his office when he noticed Fujin and Raijin standing outside the elevator.
"Hey, guys. Were you waiting for me?". Seifer asked.
"Of course, Seifer. Fujin and I wanted to ask you to come and join us. We are going to see the people from Trabia Garden". Raijin replied.
"Sure, guys, let's go". Seifer responded.
The trio walked a small distance and entered the auditorium. The students of Trabia filled the space with sleeping bags and belongings spilt over the floor.
"Hey, Seifer. I haven't seen you in a while". Selphie said.
"How is everyone holding up?". Seifer asked
"They are alive, which makes me happy. Thank you for helping us". Selphie replied.
"Is that woman okay? Has she waken up yet?". Irvine queried.
"She is still unconscious. Quistis is with her. I hope she wakes up soon. I have many questions". Seifer expressed.
"Where are Lank and Port?". Seifer asked.
"Martine asked them to assist on the bridge with the controls. He was hoping they could offer some aid in getting the garden moving". Irvine explained.
"When is the garden going to leave? I'm ready to get back to the sun". Raijin declared.
"I bet it was that guardian force Celsius that started the storm. Where did she go to after the fight?". Selphie wondered.
"The last thing I saw was Celsius disappear. She could be anywhere". Seifer described.
The conversation came to a close when Seifer decided to leave and head back to the Infirmary, Raijin and Fujin staying to continue their banter with Selphie and Irvine. He entered Dahlia's room and sat beside Quistis, who had been there for some time. The room's atmosphere was quiet as the pair didn't know what to say to each other.
"Seifer, are you okay? I am sorry to be so hard on you". Quistis said, breaking the silence.
"I'm exhausted. This weather downs your spirit. You don't have to be sorry. I know you care, "Instructor". Seifer said as he smirked.
He placed his hand onto Quistis's. Quistis felt flushed and a little embarrassed. She jumped up from her seat and ran towards the door.
"I'm sorry, I must go. I forgot that I need to see Headmaster Martine". Quistis said as she stuttered and moved through the entryway.
Seifer was confused by her sudden departure but could see her face had turned red. He didn't make anything of her wild behaviour. He considered her a close friend.
Seifer was left to ponder his thoughts as the day quickly turned into night. He tossed and turned in his bed as he struggled to fall asleep. He shared a bunk bed with Raijin as the garden was short of dormitories. The room was tiny, filled with bunks and two computers across from the bed.
Seifer felt his body roll as he awoke from his sleep, hearing loud digital noises. He opened his eyes and yawned as the Pupu, and its little spaceship came into view. Seifer cracked his knuckles and got up to greet the little alien once again.
"Hi, Seifer. Welcome back". The Pupu said.
"Welcome back? I still don't know where here is." Seifer expressed.
The Pupu jumped out of the ship and approached Seifer with an oversized antenna.
"I found this while you were gone. Will you help me attach it back to the roof?" Pupu kindly asked.
Seifer looked at the object, surprised by the size.
"So where are you going when your spacecraft is all fixed and can fly again?". Seifer asked.
"With the ship functional again, I can finally rejoin my race. There are many Pupu out there in space". The alien responded.
Seifer climbed the small ship and tightened the antenna back onto the roof. Pupu restarted the internal computers, and they lit up with various sounds.
"Hey, it's working again! Thank you, Seifer". The Pupu said.
Seifer slid down from the roof of the ship, noticing a shadow in the distance running closer. Seifer walked towards it as the shadow started to take shape.
"Dahlia, is that you?". Seifer asked.
The ships antenna lit up the area's surroundings showing a figure walking into the light. The shadowy figure showed itself to be Lilith, the guardian of the darkness.
"You cannot escape your darkness. Let it consume you and give you the power you crave!". Lilith whispered from a distance.
Seifer stood stunned as the antennas light went out for a brief moment. Blinking back to life, Lilith stood right in front of him with her nasty smile as she lunged forward. Seifer screamed, using his arms to cover his face when he suddenly opened his eyes and awoke from his deep dream.
A knock at the door turned Seifer's attention as he lay in his bed, breathing heavily from his bad dream. It was still very early as he looked over at the clock sitting on the table. Answering the door, he noticed Quistis standing outside.
"Seifer, sorry to bother you so early, but Dahlia is missing from the Infirmary!". Quistis announced.
"What! Where is she?". Seifer replied.
"I'm not sure. Please get dressed and join our search party. Raijin and Fujin are already searching on the first floor". Quistis replied.
Seifer got changed rather quickly while Quistis stood in the doorway, patiently waiting for him.
"Where should we look first?". Quistis asked.
"Let us head for the lobby. That way, we can check the central location and decide from there." Seifer replied.
Quistis followed Seifer down the hall and into the lobby as they spotted Raijin and Fujin coming from the opposite side.
"Did you find anything?". Quistis asked.
"NEGATIVE". Fujin announced.
"Nothing on the first floor. Everyone is still sleeping, ya know". Raijin responded.
Selphie and Irvine came running down the second-floor stairs and greeted them in the centre of the lobby.
"Nothing upstairs. Everything is peaceful". Selphie spoke.
"How do you lose a sleeping girl?". Irvine asked.
The cold breeze from the blizzard outside blew in through the front gates catching Seifer's attention as he shivered. Quistis looked in his direction.
"You don't think she could have gone outside?" Quistis asked.
Seifer ran for the front entrance, with the rest of the party following behind. He jumped the entry gates to see Dahlia standing idle in the distance. Seifer approached cautiously, signalling to the others to stay a safe distance away.
"Dahlia. Is that your name? Are you okay?". Seifer shouted. His words getting lost in the wind.
Dahlia turned around to face Seifer with a saddened look on her face.
"Yes, that's me. Where am I? The last thing I remember was buying flowers in Winhill". Dahlia replied.
"Lilith abandoned you, Dahlia, after Celsius, another Guardian Force, injured you in battle. So we brought you back to Galbadia garden to help you heal". Seifer explained.
"Where is Lilith? You are in danger as long as I am around!". Dahlia expressed.
"She's gone. We defeated her in battle, but she escaped". Seifer yelled.
"As long as she is still alive, I will always be hers to control". Dahlia yelled back.
Dahlia broke down in tears, kneeling in the snow as the blizzard outside began to rage hard. Seifer ran in her direction, screaming her name as Quistis and Raijin screamed out his name. Spiritual energy rose into the sky, revealing Celsius floating around.
"What is it with you humans and needing to be saved all the time". Celsius yelled.
Celsius used her magic to calm the storm that was blanketing the Trabia continent, rescuing Seifer and Dahlia from the cold elements. Dahlia was once again unconscious from the blizzard as Seifer ran to her side and picking her up.
"Celsius, why did you save us?". Seifer called out.
"Human! I am a guardian of the world. We are here to keep balance and protect it from any harm. After seeing you battle the corrupt guardian Lilith, I can see you have the strength inside to protect what is important to you. I will be watching you". Celsius says.
Celsius disappears into spiritual energy as the weather outside calmed down and returned to normal. Seifer, with Dahlia in his arms, rushes her back inside to the Infirmary.
Seifer sat beside her for most of the day, awaiting her to awake. Raijin and Fujin checked up on him multiple times, checking to make sure he was okay.
"Have you seen Quistis today?". Seifer asked.
"I haven't seen her since this morning. She could be busy". Raijin replied.
"WHY?". Fujin added.
"She acted weird yesterday, and I didn't get a chance to speak to her". Seifer said.
As the posse exchanged friendly banter, Fujin and Raijin left Seifer alone as they headed off to visit Selphie and Irvine. To Seifer's surprise, Dahlia finally woke up and spoke.
"Where am I? Who are you?".
