Queen of Souls
By Soul Hunter
Chapter One
four months later
The myriad of eyes gawked at him as if he was the only reason this day was created. With that shining armor wrapped around his torso and the magnificent cape fluttering mightily from his back, he struck a majestic sight that took them with awe. And in a small village of simple farmers and housewives whose lives lacked the color of adventure, the presence of this man with the proud smile was already a spectacle for them. They sighed in admiration and swooned in fascination, wondering who this stranger was that chose to grace their little town with his resplendence.
His smile widened, as if basking in the pride of the moment. He wandered his eyes around and beheld the surroundings filled with men getting ready to take on the soil, women toiling after their hardworking husbands, and children squealing in delight at the start of another day of seemingly endless playtime. With a simple bow of his head, he made a young maiden blush in excitement. He walked up to her and gently pulled one blossom from the bouquet she held in her fragile hands. He smelled the flower and marveled at its fresh aroma, then caressed her face with its soft petals.
She was still gushing with the thrill of the moment when he turned his back at her. Training his eyes once more to the multitude, he waved at them like a sincere politician, and even bolstered that image with a hand gently landing on the head of a toddler who came close to him while towing his tin can car behind. He ruffled the child's blonde hair with his thick fingers, bringing the small one to a gurgling giggle.
The fingers then clamped down hard on the small head. Without much effort, the armored visitor flung the child against the wall of a decrepit house. With a loud crack, the young boy's head shattered in the impact, and his tender neck snapped like a twig.
The eyes of admiration were instantly replaced with eyes of horror. One woman's scream dominated the horrendous moment as the young mother of the child rushed to her son's side. It was all for naught. He was already dead.
And the visitor continued to smile.
"Do not fear." His deep voice bellowed. "I mean you no harm."
He raised both his hands in the air, as if in total surrender. And those same hands began to smolder.
"I mean you freedom from your miserable lives."
A sudden flash of white light burst out from the raised hands and instantly engulfed the small village with its blinding brilliance. The moment was bereft with sound, totally silent in its cruelty. He allowed no one the moment to let out a scream.
A fraction of a second later, the visitor stood in the midst of ashes and charred skeletons.
His revelry was short lived, however. Soon after the carnage, the still air became replete with metallic reverberations and howls of strained engines. He looked behind him, eyes gleaming with a red glow as it beheld the sight of a squadron of soldiers clad in shimmering silver, cyan and jade green.
For a moment, his face assumed a mild scowl, but it was instantly replaced by an entertained smirk. He watched nonchalantly as the squad of Estharian soldiers dismount their armored vehicles and surrounded him with their guns and swords. Behind the troops, a dozen hovering tanks aimed their humongous cannons toward him.
"Don't you blasted move!!!" Ordered the commander in a frantic shout. "One twitch of your fingers and we'll be forced to open fire!"
He simply waved his hand at the threat that he deemed empty.
"More warriors. More pretenders."
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Her face was a mixture of sadness and amusement as she watched the students gear up for the countdown. Quistis wondered about her decision, pondering intently at the prospect that she might just be proceeding hastily on this. She knew it was going to be a huge step, bigger than anything she had taken before. And as her eyes observed the Garden populace preparing for the final second of the year, she can't help but bite her lips slightly. She will definitely miss all of this.
A hollow nibble in her midsection ultimately told her that she had no other choice.
"My fault I have to live with it." She murmured to herself.
High above her, a silent shadow hung amidst the dark crevices of the Garden edifice. Momentarily checking the pressure gauge of his adhesion cups, the intruder then watched as Quistis was approached and then led away by another SeeD member whom he cross-checked to be the veteran mercenary, Xu Kirishima: senior SeeD cadet and the instructor's long time friend and field partner.
He felt a struggle inside his mind. Having afforded himself some time to gather his thoughts, the caliginous observer realized it wasn't nearly enough to clear his head. As he peered at her graceful form from his telescopic visor, he remembered that same figure he laid eyes on a couple of months previous. That same body then bereft of the protection of clothes. His mind wandered back at the moment of aroused curiosity when he violated her privacy with his sinful eyes. He had wondered then how it would feel to have that body pressing against his own. What kind of ecstasy is offered anyone fortunate enough to lay claim to her capitulation?
If he can have it his way, he would have just opted to keep his distance from her. But recently transpired events demanded him to take action.
"Dammit!" He mumbled at himself as he exerted effort to regain his focus. Flexing the wiry muscles of his right arm to secure his dangling position, he used his left hand to reach into his utility belt and produced a miniature sound amplifier after making sure that his audio receptors are in place. The intruder then calibrated the instrument to a specific wave reading, making sure that it will only pick up the sounds he needed to hear. He then pointed the amplifier toward the direction where Quistis and Xu walked.
"Quisty, lighten up. We only have a minute to go so I suggest you leave behind whatever it is that's eating you."
"Nothing's 'eating' me, Xu. Do you always have to be so sensitive to my behavior?"
"Yeah, sure. Tell that to someone who didn't spend four hundred hours with you in field exercises. Chill, girl friend! And ready yourself because Selphie and Rinoa are not gonna give you an inch."
"Goodness why did I ever put up with that?"
What the hell were they talking about?
Why is he even bothering on the amplifiers? His mission didn't provide for related parameters. The dark figure sighed. He knew exactly why he was using the amplifiers.
He just wanted to hear her voice.
Not again
The reverberating sound of unified voices counting down with the clock suddenly brought him back to attention. He grew frantic. If he doesn't move fast, the light from the fireworks will banish the concealment of shadows he had and effectively expose his position. He had to go now before the clock ultimately strikes
"Three Two One HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!"
Jubilant howls and hoots rang out to complement the spectacular fireworks display banishing the night sky, as everyone congregated in the middle of the quad area to wish each other the best of the coming year. He watched the celebration, with a tinge of envy streaking down his chest. He didn't want to admit it but he missed the warmth of camaraderie. How long has it been since he last enjoyed the company of his friends?
His long gone friends
Clenching fists echoed crackling sounds as the incognito reaffirmed his vow for revenge.
His indignant eyes then turned back to Quistis, and softened their glare in the process. Again, he felt the ugly slice of jealously in his heart. Down below, a long line of wide-eyed gentlemen who at the moment had been relegated to mere boys were milling around the popular instructor to wait their turn at the customary New Year's kiss. How he wished he could just descend from his hidden perch and join them. Or better yet, he wished he could just make them all go away so he can have her to himself
What in the world was he thinking?
In spite of her hidden burden, Quistis can't help but smile at the proceedings. Everywhere she turned, there's always at least one male student waiting to get his share of her attention. Yes, it is age-old custom, and it was supposedly just a simple gesture of good cheer to convey the wish of a bright year ahead. But she knew that most of the guys think little of good cheer whenever they go after their female counterparts for that much coveted lip lock. She really can't say she blamed them. There was a time when she too had an ulterior motive for standing beside a former teacher of hers before the clock struck twelve at this very same day a couple of years ago.
"Instructor!"
Quistis turned, and was welcomed by the warm lips of a popular 1st Class MG. She didn't know what to think when his kiss lingered longer than usual.
"Jerico!" She gasped when the student finally let go of her. "Don't you think that's a tad overdoing it?"
"Heh! New Year comes only once a year, Miss Trepe. Might as well make the most of it!"
Quistis chuckled as she watched the aggressive lad walk toward Iris Deen. There's a guy who knew exactly what he wants and how to get it. In a way, she somewhat wished that she could have the same attitude. The instructor was pondering on these thoughts when somebody bumped her from behind. When Quistis turned around, she was dumbfounded at the sight of the SeeD commander.
"Squall"
"Q-Quisty" He muttered back.
Both felt awkward in the midst of each other's presence. Both remembered the friction that went between them as a result of that hazy night in a hotel in Balamb two months ago[color=red]1[/color]. And both felt a sense of frightful thrill. If anything, this occasion has made it permissible for them to share an intimate moment.
But for some reason, fear dominated over thrill. Quistis and Squall hesitated, then kissed each other on the cheeks.
"Happy New Year" He whispered. "I wish all the best for you Instructor"
"Thanks" Was all she could manage to say. Hearing him call her 'Instructor' instead of the nickname that she had been accustomed to hearing from him hurt her. When he turned away, she lashed at herself for wanting something she could never get.
"Some things will never change" She muttered.
Quistis turned around as well, and then caught sight of Zell and Selphie as they unknowingly approached each other. As she stood in observation, she noted how surprised the two were when they faced one another. Much like she and Squall were. But unlike them, Selphie and Zell simply turned away from each other. The hurt in their faces was very evident. She twisted her head slightly and breathed a sigh of relief. Irvine and Iris were nowhere near them.
"Oh man" Quistis mumbled in frustration. Why is everything happening at the same time?
Selphie was still looking a bit bitter when she approached.
"So shall we?" The Trabian lass quipped, striving to change her facial cast.
Quistis smiled to pretend that she didn't know anything about them. "Yeah. Let's. Where's Rinny and Rowan?"
"We're here!" Echoed a young male voice. The pair turned to see a smirking Rinoa and a scowling Rowan King, the youngest 1st Class MG in Balamb Garden history. "Hurry up, I'm late for my card game with the guys."
"Well excuse me, Rowan." Rinoa countered. "How old are you?"
"I'll be fourteen in October."
"Don't you think you're a tad too young for Triple Triad?"
"But I wanna get my MiniMog card back!"
"Ah, never mind that." Quistis interrupted. "So what's the score, Rowan?"
"Hmm?" The boy dallied, as if teasing the three. "Ms. Trepe won."
"Ohh" Rinoa groaned. Selphie simply pouted. "By how many?"
"Miss Trepe got 36, and you two tied at 29." He quickly returned. "Can I go now?"
He didn't wait for the trio's approval and immediately ran off. Rinoa then pulled her two friends to an isolated corner.
"So who's the best kisser, you two?"
"What?" Quistis shot back.
"Who's the best kisser?"
"How about you?" Selphie said in tossing the question back to Rinoa. Her face reddened abruptly as she giggled like a schoolgirl.
"Aside from Squall? Well it's gotta be Daryll."
"For me it's Jojo." Selphie quipped. "How about you, Quisty?"
"Me? Oh" Quistis trailed off. "I'm I'm not telling."
The pair whined incessantly, frustrated at their friend's refusal to share her experience. "Oh come on, Quisty. Tell us!"
"No."
"Quistis!" Selphie blurted out. "We saw you smooching with most of the certified hunks in Garden. I mean, there were Parjay, Jerico, Sindai, Eliar, Archimedes, Xerxes, Red, Rifty, Fletcher, Barto, Raven, Leo, Therren, Milly, Blade, Larry, Gonzzie, Rellick, Foz, Ghaleon, Marcus, Sage I mean, practically everybody who's anybody in this school fell in line for you. And you're not going to tell us anything?"
"Nope."
"You are so unfair, Quisty." Rinoa furthered. "I'm gonna tell Xu on you"
"Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please."
Their playful argument was interrupted by the voice echoing from the intercom. Everyone in the party paused upon recognizing Cid Kramer's voice.
"I know you're all having a great time tonight, and I truly wish I could join you. But unfortunately, we still have a job to do. And some of you people need to report to my office right now."
"Wonder what it's about" The Galbadian princess murmured. Quistis and Selphie simply shrugged.
"The following please drop what you're doing and come up here at once: Leonhart, Trepe, Dincht, Heartilly, Tilmitt, Kinneas, and Almasy. That would be all. Everyone else, carry on please."
Quistis wandered her gaze around, and saw Seifer looking back at her as he began for the hallway.
End of Chapter One