Squall looked at everyone with wide eyes, a rare sight. "What do you mean, the Ragnorak's gone?" He instantly regretted saying that. What a stupid question, he thought to himself.
"We turned on the lights in the hangar and the plane wasn't there!," Selphie said in a panicky voice.
"Wait! I thought Quistis was allowed to take the Ragnarok. She said she was going away for a vacation." Xu spoke up. She looked at everyone, confused. Something was wrong here.
Rinoa looked at Irvine, Irvine looked at Selphie, Selphie looked at Adrian, Adrian looked at Zell, and Zell looked at Squall. "No one said she was to leave for vacation," Squall said through clenched teeth. He knew now what Quistis was planning. "Where's Seifer?"
"We just learned before we came here that Seifer didn't go to his club after all," Irvine answered. "Hey, wait a minute..."
"Quistis and Seifer took the Ragnarok to fight Celeste themselves," Rinoa finished.
Squall nodded. His teeth were still clenched and his hand opened and closed in a fist. I should've seen it coming, I should've seen it coming, he chastised himself. Hyne! I could be so stupid sometimes!
"So... what do we do now?," Selphie asked quietly.
"We have a tracing device on the Ragnarok. We'll use that to pinpoint their location."
Squall and the others learned that Quistis had known about the main tracking device and had dismantled it. What she didn't know about was the backup, which was hidden deep within the Ragnarok. With that, they were able to find that the ship was in Esthar.
Squall was seated in front of a computer, with Rinoa, Zell, Selphie, Irvine, and Adrian gathered around him. They saw the red dot flashing on the flat screen.
"The sorceress is in Esthar?," Adrian said, puzzled. "I thought Quistis said she lived in a secluded island."
"I think Quistis is getting supplies for the battle. We'll wait until she moves. Then, so will we."
Celeste saw her sister clearly in her memory. It was the same image she kept seeing. She couldn't get rid of it. She shook her head, but the memory stayed. Galena was burning in their home. In the home they grew up in, lived in all their lives.
Humans. Damn them, damn them all!, Celeste thought with malice. They all deserve to die.
She was in her spacious living room. The large window let in much light, and the glass surface of her table reflected the light. She liked her rooms bright.
She paced back and forth, back and forth, anger, rage, and sorrow causing her to become restless. Kiara watched from beneath the glimmering table. Her intense and intelligent eyes followed her distressed mistress. She knew from experience that it was best to leave her alone with her sorrow.
She continued to watch her mistress walking back and forth, back and forth, across the immaculate living room. She noticed water in her mistress's eyes, and she tilted her head quizzically. Celeste's eyes have indeed pooled with tears. Kiara had never seen her so distressed before, and padded up to her to offer her some solace. She rubbed her soft, furry head on her leg. Celeste bent down and scratched Kiara behind her large ears. She sniffed and laughed softly, yet bitterly.
"Sorry if I scared you there for a second," she said. "You're the only one who's ever seen me cry, did you know that? Besides my family of course."
Kiara licked Celeste's hand in response. She saw her mistress's cheeks wet with tears, and wiped them as gently as she could with her huge paws in an attempt to dry her tears. Celeste laughed at this gesture of kindness and hugged her only true friend. Kiara's fur gave off blue highlights where the sunlight hit. Celeste ran her slim fingers through the lush black coat. She finally pulled herself from the hug. Still holding Kiara's head in her cupped hands, Celeste kissed her pink nose. "Once we kill Quistis and her lover, we'll be able to destroy this world, and we'll be together forever in a place that is far more better than the one we're living in now."
Kiara looked at her mistress through her fiery emerald eyes. As usual, she knew.
Quistis woke up in her bed with a pounding headache. Her body felt feverish. Dammit, why on the day when we're supposed to leave to go to Celeste? Putting a hand on her forehead, she turned her head to the other side of the hotel room where Seifer slept. He was on his side, facing her, a look of contentment shown on his face. She wished then that she could be sleeping as fitfully as he. She turned her head to the other side, where the sun was shining through the curtains. Groaning, she raised herself up to sitting position. The room was spinning slightly. OK, no problem. Just a little dizziness, nothing I can't handle, Quistis thought. She was shivering now. Maybe a shower will bring me out of this, she thought to herself as she made her way to the bathroom.
As the cold water ran down her hair, her face, and her body, Quistis thought back to the past five days. They had managed to get enough energy crystals and other items to refine their weapons. The Dragonslayer and the North Star were truly a beauty, she had to admit to herself. She thought that although the regal, translucent golden color of the blade of the Dragonslayer didn't quite suit Seifer, she still thought that the sight of the two together was certainly impressive. Seifer, as usual, handled the gunblade with practiced expertise. She felt a smile pull at her lips at the thought of him, then realized what she was doing and stopped herself. Distract yourself, she thought, and began to lather her hair with shampoo. She washed up quickly and proceeded to dry herself with a plush white towel. After putting on her clothes, she wrapped her hair in the towel and exited the bathroom. She saw Seifer sitting by the edge of the bed, rubbing his eyes. His hair was mussed up from sleep and his bangs fell over his eyes in disaray. She couldn't help but smile. She was already feeling much better.
"Hey there. Hurry up and get ready. We have to leave pretty soon."
Seifer stretched, though carefully. "Man, aren't you sore from all the monsters you had to fight during all these days? I can't even stretch without hurting myself."
"No, not sore. I think I caught a cold or something for being out in the cold air all day though," Quistis admitted.
"Anyway, I can't wait to get back to Garden after we kick Celeste's ass. Dammit, she's so much trouble," he said on his way to the bathroom.
Quistis laughed as the door to the bathroom closed. She suddenly felt light headed, so she stopped. The sickness was coming over her again, and she sat down on the chair by the table next to the large window. Trying to keep her mind preoccupied, she picked up her new weapon and began to clean it with a soft cloth. Like the Dragonslayer, the North Star too was translucent, but it gleamed a silvery white color in the sun. She thought of the poisoned tip and heard herself snickering. She clapped a hand over her mouth. What's wrong with me today?, she wondered. It must be the illness. Feeling restless, she cast aside her weapon and decided to pack their stuff.
"Hey Quistis, you don't look too good," Seifer comment rather worriedly when he noticed her ghostly pale complexion.
"Hm, what? Oh, no, I'm OK. Just a little tired," she lied. They had already checked out of the hotel and were now on their way to where the Ragnarok was.
In the cockpit, they put their belongings in the passenger seats.
"Quistis, are you sure you want to leave today? You seem really sick, and that's not gonna do you any good." Seifer frowned. He'd never seen Quistis, who was strong and healthy, so sick before. It worried him. A lot.
"No, I just need to sleep a little... bit... more." She collapsed onto the copilot's seat, and instantly fell asleep.
Seifer put a hand on her forehead. Hm, a slight fever. He made a mental note to himself to stop on the way the Celeste's island if Quistis's condition didn't seem to improve. He started up the Ragnarok.
Someone had to monitor the computer screen for any changes in the position of the Ragnarok, and that someone happened to be Irvine. He had fallen asleep during his post. His cowboy hat hung at an angle on the corner of the computer screen, and his head was buried in the crook of his arm. His dream of being surrounded by beautiful, gorgeous women was interrupted by the beeping of the computer. Irvine awoke with a start. He looked around, then realized where the beeps were coming from. "Aw man, I was having such a nice dream and all of a sudden... Hey! The Ragnarok's finally moving!" His speech was slurred from sleep as though he was drunk. With a groan, he lifted himself up from the chair to tell the commander and the others that the Ragnarok was finally on the move.
Three hours into the flight, Seifer rolled his eyes sleepily to where Quistis lay. He turned his attention back to flying, then did a double take as he realized how much Quistis's health deteriorated. Fully alert now, he reached over to shake Quistis.
"Hey, Quistis. Quistis!"
She didn't budge. Her eyebrows were furrowed together, her skin was deathly pale, and her hair was matted to her forehead from sweat. Seifer noticed she was shivering also.
"Oh shit. Come on, Quistis. Hang on," he pleaded to her. He saw a small town up ahead and prepared to descend. Come on Quistis, he thought. Don't die. Don't die, don't die, don't die.
"We turned on the lights in the hangar and the plane wasn't there!," Selphie said in a panicky voice.
"Wait! I thought Quistis was allowed to take the Ragnarok. She said she was going away for a vacation." Xu spoke up. She looked at everyone, confused. Something was wrong here.
Rinoa looked at Irvine, Irvine looked at Selphie, Selphie looked at Adrian, Adrian looked at Zell, and Zell looked at Squall. "No one said she was to leave for vacation," Squall said through clenched teeth. He knew now what Quistis was planning. "Where's Seifer?"
"We just learned before we came here that Seifer didn't go to his club after all," Irvine answered. "Hey, wait a minute..."
"Quistis and Seifer took the Ragnarok to fight Celeste themselves," Rinoa finished.
Squall nodded. His teeth were still clenched and his hand opened and closed in a fist. I should've seen it coming, I should've seen it coming, he chastised himself. Hyne! I could be so stupid sometimes!
"So... what do we do now?," Selphie asked quietly.
"We have a tracing device on the Ragnarok. We'll use that to pinpoint their location."
Squall and the others learned that Quistis had known about the main tracking device and had dismantled it. What she didn't know about was the backup, which was hidden deep within the Ragnarok. With that, they were able to find that the ship was in Esthar.
Squall was seated in front of a computer, with Rinoa, Zell, Selphie, Irvine, and Adrian gathered around him. They saw the red dot flashing on the flat screen.
"The sorceress is in Esthar?," Adrian said, puzzled. "I thought Quistis said she lived in a secluded island."
"I think Quistis is getting supplies for the battle. We'll wait until she moves. Then, so will we."
Celeste saw her sister clearly in her memory. It was the same image she kept seeing. She couldn't get rid of it. She shook her head, but the memory stayed. Galena was burning in their home. In the home they grew up in, lived in all their lives.
Humans. Damn them, damn them all!, Celeste thought with malice. They all deserve to die.
She was in her spacious living room. The large window let in much light, and the glass surface of her table reflected the light. She liked her rooms bright.
She paced back and forth, back and forth, anger, rage, and sorrow causing her to become restless. Kiara watched from beneath the glimmering table. Her intense and intelligent eyes followed her distressed mistress. She knew from experience that it was best to leave her alone with her sorrow.
She continued to watch her mistress walking back and forth, back and forth, across the immaculate living room. She noticed water in her mistress's eyes, and she tilted her head quizzically. Celeste's eyes have indeed pooled with tears. Kiara had never seen her so distressed before, and padded up to her to offer her some solace. She rubbed her soft, furry head on her leg. Celeste bent down and scratched Kiara behind her large ears. She sniffed and laughed softly, yet bitterly.
"Sorry if I scared you there for a second," she said. "You're the only one who's ever seen me cry, did you know that? Besides my family of course."
Kiara licked Celeste's hand in response. She saw her mistress's cheeks wet with tears, and wiped them as gently as she could with her huge paws in an attempt to dry her tears. Celeste laughed at this gesture of kindness and hugged her only true friend. Kiara's fur gave off blue highlights where the sunlight hit. Celeste ran her slim fingers through the lush black coat. She finally pulled herself from the hug. Still holding Kiara's head in her cupped hands, Celeste kissed her pink nose. "Once we kill Quistis and her lover, we'll be able to destroy this world, and we'll be together forever in a place that is far more better than the one we're living in now."
Kiara looked at her mistress through her fiery emerald eyes. As usual, she knew.
Quistis woke up in her bed with a pounding headache. Her body felt feverish. Dammit, why on the day when we're supposed to leave to go to Celeste? Putting a hand on her forehead, she turned her head to the other side of the hotel room where Seifer slept. He was on his side, facing her, a look of contentment shown on his face. She wished then that she could be sleeping as fitfully as he. She turned her head to the other side, where the sun was shining through the curtains. Groaning, she raised herself up to sitting position. The room was spinning slightly. OK, no problem. Just a little dizziness, nothing I can't handle, Quistis thought. She was shivering now. Maybe a shower will bring me out of this, she thought to herself as she made her way to the bathroom.
As the cold water ran down her hair, her face, and her body, Quistis thought back to the past five days. They had managed to get enough energy crystals and other items to refine their weapons. The Dragonslayer and the North Star were truly a beauty, she had to admit to herself. She thought that although the regal, translucent golden color of the blade of the Dragonslayer didn't quite suit Seifer, she still thought that the sight of the two together was certainly impressive. Seifer, as usual, handled the gunblade with practiced expertise. She felt a smile pull at her lips at the thought of him, then realized what she was doing and stopped herself. Distract yourself, she thought, and began to lather her hair with shampoo. She washed up quickly and proceeded to dry herself with a plush white towel. After putting on her clothes, she wrapped her hair in the towel and exited the bathroom. She saw Seifer sitting by the edge of the bed, rubbing his eyes. His hair was mussed up from sleep and his bangs fell over his eyes in disaray. She couldn't help but smile. She was already feeling much better.
"Hey there. Hurry up and get ready. We have to leave pretty soon."
Seifer stretched, though carefully. "Man, aren't you sore from all the monsters you had to fight during all these days? I can't even stretch without hurting myself."
"No, not sore. I think I caught a cold or something for being out in the cold air all day though," Quistis admitted.
"Anyway, I can't wait to get back to Garden after we kick Celeste's ass. Dammit, she's so much trouble," he said on his way to the bathroom.
Quistis laughed as the door to the bathroom closed. She suddenly felt light headed, so she stopped. The sickness was coming over her again, and she sat down on the chair by the table next to the large window. Trying to keep her mind preoccupied, she picked up her new weapon and began to clean it with a soft cloth. Like the Dragonslayer, the North Star too was translucent, but it gleamed a silvery white color in the sun. She thought of the poisoned tip and heard herself snickering. She clapped a hand over her mouth. What's wrong with me today?, she wondered. It must be the illness. Feeling restless, she cast aside her weapon and decided to pack their stuff.
"Hey Quistis, you don't look too good," Seifer comment rather worriedly when he noticed her ghostly pale complexion.
"Hm, what? Oh, no, I'm OK. Just a little tired," she lied. They had already checked out of the hotel and were now on their way to where the Ragnarok was.
In the cockpit, they put their belongings in the passenger seats.
"Quistis, are you sure you want to leave today? You seem really sick, and that's not gonna do you any good." Seifer frowned. He'd never seen Quistis, who was strong and healthy, so sick before. It worried him. A lot.
"No, I just need to sleep a little... bit... more." She collapsed onto the copilot's seat, and instantly fell asleep.
Seifer put a hand on her forehead. Hm, a slight fever. He made a mental note to himself to stop on the way the Celeste's island if Quistis's condition didn't seem to improve. He started up the Ragnarok.
Someone had to monitor the computer screen for any changes in the position of the Ragnarok, and that someone happened to be Irvine. He had fallen asleep during his post. His cowboy hat hung at an angle on the corner of the computer screen, and his head was buried in the crook of his arm. His dream of being surrounded by beautiful, gorgeous women was interrupted by the beeping of the computer. Irvine awoke with a start. He looked around, then realized where the beeps were coming from. "Aw man, I was having such a nice dream and all of a sudden... Hey! The Ragnarok's finally moving!" His speech was slurred from sleep as though he was drunk. With a groan, he lifted himself up from the chair to tell the commander and the others that the Ragnarok was finally on the move.
Three hours into the flight, Seifer rolled his eyes sleepily to where Quistis lay. He turned his attention back to flying, then did a double take as he realized how much Quistis's health deteriorated. Fully alert now, he reached over to shake Quistis.
"Hey, Quistis. Quistis!"
She didn't budge. Her eyebrows were furrowed together, her skin was deathly pale, and her hair was matted to her forehead from sweat. Seifer noticed she was shivering also.
"Oh shit. Come on, Quistis. Hang on," he pleaded to her. He saw a small town up ahead and prepared to descend. Come on Quistis, he thought. Don't die. Don't die, don't die, don't die.