*You can wake to my world now little one.* He whispered to her gently, Selphie didn't open her eyes, she didn't need to. The background faded in and she went to smile, only then realising that she didn't have a body let alone a mouth to smile with, she moved and felt her heart being projected from inside herself. She was light, touched with fire, she tried to take a breath... and then she remembered.
*Where am I?* She asked as she turned her... head? A giant sweeping light crossed her vision and began to hover in front of her. Parts of it disassociated and turned to nothingness, but it stayed constant, shining all colours and no colours. It was all shapes and no shapes. It was everything...
*I brought your senses to the elemental plane* The shining light told her. *I would not have you feeling the pain of your body right now*
*Bahumut?* She asked quietly and the dragon emanated warmth. *How, I don't understand? This isn't possible*
*Child... we generally do not like humans intruding on our realm but it is possible... For a short while at any rate. I am keeping your body breathing and your heart warm right now, for the time being you are safe here. I do not wish for you to hurt.* Selphie watched the creature, it cared about what happened to her.
*For that I thank you Bahumat... am I dying?* The light went black for a moment.
*Yes, your body is injured* The light shone again. *But you are being kept alive, you have other uses for them... But we need you too, the Guardian Forces need your help. But the Creatures that live on this plane are afraid, they will not help you in return. The true knight has more power over me than you do. But it is to you I have given myself, I pledge myself to your cause. I will help my fellow Guardian Forces even if they refuse to help themselves. Only we few that faced Ultimecia are willing to stand against our eventual destruction.*
*Destruction?* Selphie asked him.
*He manipulates our world, he can manipulate us. Even when we give ourselves to you humans, we retain our own free will. He has taken many Guardian Forces forcibly from this world, some have never experienced corporeal form before.* The big dragon sighed. *If he is not ended and his power ended, sooner or later all Guardian Forces will become slaves to his will. We would rather end our existence than live in the earthly world under someone elses rule.* Selphie was shocked.
*Suicide?* She asked him the light glowed blue breifly. *I can't do anything for you... I can't even walk in my physical body.* Selphie watched the dragon and pictured him in corporeal form, he was more impressive now than he had ever been then.
*We are forming a plan, but now I must send you back to your body, your heart and brain are failing without you there. We will be with you as much as we can.* Selphie was being pushed back along a silver thread, she was dumped unceremoniously into her own body, her eyes flew open but she only had to feel the raging pain in her stomach for a second before she fainted.
*
Zell's eyes were shifting from side to side, everywhere he went he could see smug, hostile faces, but none of them were the smug, hostile face he wanted. He didn't know what to do, Ifrit was rumbling in his head about Selphie, and Zell already had trouble thinking. Something wasn't quite right here, his heart thrummed with fear for her but he couldn't help feeling that this was more than what it seemed. He needed help. The only people who he could think of that would help him were miles away in opposite directions. Zell was on his own, for the first time in his life and he was terrified. He breathed deeply the only person he could think of going to for help was Delta, he turned towards her office and began to run.
*
Rathi stood in the training room pacing in front of hundreds of Trabia students and SeeDs. This was it, the time was now, the war for Trabia had begun. These people were to capture and subdue Trabia from the inside, on the outside the elite troops were to deal with any threats that came during the battle from an outside source. 'Badier has entrusted this work to us, we all know how he feels about the enslavement of Trabia to Balamb. Everybody, this is our Trabia and we are here to take it back. Take as many hostages as you can, kill anyone you cannot subdue.' He held out his own arm. 'We will all be wearing a red armband, try not to kill each other.' Everyone saluted in unison and began to file out.
Jillina began to breathe hard, it had taken every ounce of courage to stick around when everyone had started to file into the training room. She looked at the red armband she had been given, best to keep it on for safeteys sake. She had to tell someone, she began to run, pushing past everyone as they filed out. Several jokey comments were made about her eagerness, especially by people she classed as friends. How in all hell's could nearly all Trabia be joined in this. Jill had to find the headmaster and she had to find her now!
*
Zell reached Delta's office in record time and opened the door without knocking, she looked up at him in surprise. 'Zell what on earth is the matter?' She asked him in her serious voice and it steadied him, at times she reminded him of Quistis, noticing that comparison made him feel less nervous.
'Selphie's gone, there's blood all over her room and Ifrit keeps on telling me she's dying. Something's wrong, seriously wrong, with Trabia.' He said in a quick voice.
'What do you mean?' She asked and they turned to a thundering hammer on the door and a high pitched quail of, 'Let me in. Let me in.' Zell opened the door and a slight black haired girl came barrelling through.
'Jill!' Delta exclaimed. 'What's the meaning of this?' The girl leaned forward over the woman's desk.
'They're going to kill people! Rathi said if they don't submit to kill them.' She blurted out and Delta stood up in surprise. Zell grabbed the girl by the shoulders and turned her to face him.
'What's the problem girl?' He asked and she blurted out the whole story, he looked up at Delta. 'Oh my god. Delta, don't you see what they've done. They're taking Trabia, by force.' He stood up and stared at her with a shocked look on his face. 'We have to get out of your office, it's the first place they'll look for you. Quickly, they'll be coming for you Delta, and Roo, and me. They seem to already have taken Selphie. Anybody even remotely connected to Balamb... wait. We have to warn everybody.' He clicked on the tannoy system and looked at Delta, she shook her head at him in shock. He looked at Jill, she stood to attention waiting for her orders.
'To every loyal student still left at Trabia, this is Zell Dicht. We are about to enter a battle situation, this is not a drill! Where ever you are go and get your weapons and form groups. The people that will attack you are wearing red armbands, they want to take over Trabia, to have it for themselves, this is not a drill, they outnumber us. You are fighting for your lives people.' Zell's heart was beating fast and Ifrit had just stopped screaming in his head. There was no way that the small number of students and SeeDs could hold off the group that Jill had described for long, he needed backup. 'Don't engage the enemy unless you have to, keep yourselves safe. Backup is on it's way, just defend youselves.' He turned to the girls behind him. Delta stood to attention now along with Jill, both adopting their SeeD training. 'We need to contact Squall. We need the backup of all Balamb garden. Where can I do that?' Delta pointed to her phone. 'No good, they know we are in your office Del, we need to get out and get help.'
'The cafeteria has computers with phone link ups.' Jill said to him and he stared down at the child, her crossbow was tied tight at her wrist and he nodded.
'Then that's where we go. Come on SeeDs, move... follow me.' He said, they followed him out of the door and down the corridor.
'Mr Dicht, I'm not a SeeD.' Jill whispered to him and he looked down at her and swore.
'You are now, I'll clear it with Squall at a later date, consider this your field exam, all you have to do is get out of it alive.' She stared at him with shining eyes and then raised her crossbow. He heard the shaft whistle by his ear and he froze. The scream that was uttered made him turn, a man with a red armband had his hand across a leg wound that was pumping blood. He nodded. 'Where there is one there will be others. We have to make contact with our backup.' He said and all three broke into a run.
*
Selphie swam through her muggy world to conciousness as someone let go a cure spell. It immediately replenished her energy enough to scream, her body tried to force her back into unconciousness. She had to know where she was, she had to. She struggled through the shattering pain that tried to rip her apart and opened her eyes. She knew this place, this was where she had fought Shiva. She tried not to laugh, Badier had cordoned off this area months ago, just so he would have some kind of secret base. Selphie had been curled up on her side in the foetal position and wrapped in her quilt and blankets.
'Back in the world of the living again are you?' She heard Badier's voice ask her, she flicked her eyes up to him in defiance. 'Well don't get to used to it you won't be here for long.' She couldn't talk so she merely stared at him. 'I'm surprised that you managed to save the world if all you can do is glare at me. But then, you know what I am don't you?' Again silence from her, she really didn't have much choice in the matter, if she tried to breathe deep enough to talk the pain was excruciating... mind you, it was excruciating anyway. 'I'd tell you my plans but your reputation is legendary and I've seen too many movies. As far as you're concerned, I'm using you as a hostage.' Selphie resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his melodrama. 'Right now, you're only here to make sure other people aren't.' Then she knew, she saw it in his eyes, he was keeping Rinoa away, he could fight anyone, but not a soceress. She couldn't keep the pained smile that spread across her face to herself, Badier frowned at her and that was the image she took with her as she fell into oblivion.
*
Zell shifted his movements into immediate stillness when he saw the three figures down the hallway. They saw him at the same time and froze into a fighting stance, two held shinobu's slightly less modified than Selphie's, and one held a shotgun. None wore the red armbands, but now he had let all of Trabia know about them, he still couldn't be sure if they had taken them off. Jill and Delta saw him pause and immediately took up positions behind him, at the sight of their headmaster the three immediately relaxed. They had just had to fight their way out of the pool room just off the dorms, they told them in obvious relief. They had been trying to make their way to the quad and get out of Trabia, Delta shook her head and groaned. 'Oh no, I forgot that people would try and leave. If I know Badier he has people posted out there to make sure they don't leave or that this operation isn't interferred with. You three follow me, we'll gather up as many loyal students and SeeDs on the way and try and stop people leaving into a massacre, Zell this is all up to you now, get us all help. You save my garden for me.' She stretched her fingers. 'It's time for me to give up my desk job, Trabia is yours.'
'What?' He exclaimed.
'I quit... don't worry being a headmaster isn't that hard.' She ran off down to the main gates and away from his protests with glee. He turned to look at Jill.
'I guess it's up to us then kid.' He told her, she grinned with bright eyes and saluted. They headed for the cafeteria, it was slow going. Zell knocked out several kids wearing red armbands, Jill shot even more, they picked up about ten more strays as they made their way across the campus. The fighting was intense in every quarter, SeeDs matched up to SeeDs, the amount of blood being shed made him think that Trabia would never be clean again. His mind kept going back to Selphie, was she dead? What had happened to her? God, he prayed silently, if you have to take one of us, please make it me. I don't want to live if she doesn't. It was then he admitted to himself that neither of them may make it out alive, perhaps she was already gone. He shut his eyes briefly and then looked around at the kids following him, only one of them was a SeeD, most were younger than thirteen and Jill was the only one who wasn't terrified and that included him. These kids he would get out, they, at least, would get out of this battle alive, he swore it.
They heard the cafeteria before they saw it, it was a aural barrage of screams, shrieks and yelling. He swallowed when he saw it, nearly thirty people in red armbands tried to cram through the small corridor and reach a yelling mob on the other side. Those still loyal had barricaded themselved into the cafeteria and someone who had a pistol was taking potshots at their attackers from behind it. He ordered the people with long range weapons in their group, of which there were four, to start disabling them. He shut his eyes as he gave them the order to shoot and only opened them as they began to scream, he'd expected the kids to kill somebody by accident. But they were surprisingly good, when the red bands realised they were being shot at from both sides they began to run, dragging their injured companions with them. He turned to them triumphant and signalled them to run towards the cafeteria which had just started to lift its baricade for them. He turned to Jill and the grin fell off his face, her eyes were brimming with unshed tears. 'Hey what's wrong?' He asked and she shook her head before telling him.
'I just shot my room mate, she's my best friend. How is that right?' She asked and Zell put his arm around her.
'As a SeeD, all I can tell you is that hurting a friend is the worse thing you can be asked to do. I had to fight Rinoa once when she was junctioned to Adel. But be thankful, your room mate will survive and you know it.' He moved her quickly across the hall past the blood that she had been guilty of spilling and into the cafeteria.
'God Zell, you took your bloody time!' Roo yelled at him in relief. He smiled at her and she looked into his eyes. The smile slid off her face. 'Where's Selphie?' He silently shook his head.
'Later, right now, I need to contact Squall.' He strode over to the console in the corner of the room, he couldn't help noticing how many SeeDs and students were in this room, they moved in pairs or on their own, their faces were etched in terror. They seemed to be shadows of what they normally were. He swallowed as he punched in the number to Squall's office. His irritated face clicked up in seconds. Behind him Xu and Rinoa were sat with lesson plans strewn across the table, he'd interrupted their staff meeting.
'Zell, is this important?' He asked impatiently. Zell began to laugh, he could hear the near hysteria in it and hated himself for it.
'It depends... Is Trabia rebelling against Balamb and students killing each other in the halls important? Oh yeah and I nearly forgot, Selphie's dying too, so Ifrit tells me and her room is covered in blood... should I come back at a better time?' Zell shut his eyes and breathed deeply, his legs shaking. He rubbed his face and swept his hands through his blonde hair. When he looked back at the screen Xu and Rinoa were staring at him in alarm. Squall cleared his throat.
'What?' He asked. Zell began to tell them the story. He just got to where Delta had run off when Roo yelled at him.
'Zell, they're trying to get back in!' Zell turned and started barking orders, without realising where they come from.
'The youngest kids get back, short range weapons in the front, long range at the back, fire over the short range squads' heads, try to deter them, young kids start grabbing things to support the barricade, now!' It was short and bloody, but only a few managed to leap over the barricade where the first squad dealt with them efficiently. He turned to the screen, Squall was still there, he could wait for the moment. 'Get some tables down to hide behind and all of you can bloody well stay down unless you are doing something specific, they ain't gonna get us that easy.' Roo started doing as he said and he marched back to the screen. 'Squall I can't do this on my own, I need help.' Squall nodded, Rinoa stood by his side, leaning down looking into the screen.
'Are you okay?' She asked him and he stared at her.
'Please tell me that wasn't a serious question?' She blushed faintly. 'Nah, Rinoa I'm about ready to fly apart, I'm not a leader, I'm a SeeD, I take orders.' He tried to calm his breathing. 'Please, something is going on with the GF's, as well, Ifrit knows Selphie is in pain, he... he says she's dying. I need some kind of backup here.' He stared at his friends pleadingly.
'Is this soceress's true knight involved with this?' Squall asked him reluctantly and Zell saw Rinoa's eyes widen slightly, he hadn't told her about that. 'This Rathi character?'
'It isn't Rathi man. I mean, yes he's involved but the knight isn't him, it's Badier, Rathi takes orders from him.' Jill came up next to him and looked at him mutely. He glanced at her and the sadness on her face, he realised that she was pitying him right now. He muttered something, he had to be strong, these kids would get out alive, he reminded himself. 'Squall, all I have to say is that I need reinforcements, we can't get out as Badier has us surrounded, the halls are crawling with those under his influence and I have to save these kids... Selphie may die but at least I can save these kids, but only if you help me with some outside assistance.'
'Don't use Selphie aginst me Zell, we know what she means to you.' Rinoa glanced at him with a frown, she didn't think he had taken that in when she told him. 'The point being how the hell are we to get reinforcements to you, it would take days we don't have the Ragnorak, you do.'
'Squall, you know that big building you are sitting in... it moves, so does Galbadia. I need another garden and I need it an hour ago.' Squall frowned and nodded with a sigh, he turned to Xu.
'Start making preperations to remove the young kids please Xu, Balamb is going to war again. Zell hold on for two hours, we're coming for you.' Then he signed off, Zell turned and looked at the children huddling down behind overturned tables and wondered if he could hold on for an hour, let alone two. His thoughts turned to Selphie as he took Jill and sat down behind a table, at least if he died in the next fight, he would die with a picture of the woman he loved in his mind.