Declaimer: I do not own any final fantasy characters or merchandises. All copyright belongs to Squaresoft.
Fallen angel
The spirit within.
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A gentle breeze blew along the seaside town. On a peaceful Balamb afternoon, an angel descended on the pebble pavement. With her flowing body, she flied toward the little house which she missed most.
She remembered the every moment she spent with her man. She remembered the way they kissed. His strong hold of her wrist with her arms over his back. The smell of him. His hyperactive attitude. His obsession of hotdog and combat fighting. He's always clean and tiny, in which gave her most comfort.
"Twenty years, what a long time." Danni sighed.
Just before she moved on any further, a little blond-haired boy ran into her. While Danni saw the child passed through her body, she murmured, "I guess that's it, angels have no contact with living beings."
"Yeeeeeee, let go of me." That little boy yelled. He was struggling to get out of another child's hands. "You such a bully!" Using the advantage of his long arm, he finally struggled through his capture.
"Never seen a coward like you! It's just skiing. How would you afraid and run away!" The girl scrod with arms folded.
"Geez, you are so bossy!!" The boy claimed.
Looking at the children, Danni felt that they were somebody she knew and close to her. They reminded her of someone. However, she could not put her fingers on a particular one.
"You are soooo sloppy, you will never be a knight!" The girl smiled evilly.
"And you will never be a queen! Or if you are, you can only be an evil one." Sticking his tongue out, the boy fraught back.
Then they began chasing around again.
Then, the main entrance of the Dicht house opened. A man in his late thirty walked out. He shouted at the children, "You two get over here now! Food is ready."
Danni stared at the man she believed she always knew, always understood. However, when she saw the kids, she totally lost. Bitter raised from the bottom of her broken heart. She felt stupid, she should know that one day Zell would move on. So, kids…… "From the day I died, I should have given up everything."
Before Zell closed the door behind him, he stared at the direction of Danni's. They were about five steps apart, face to face, standing.
"…………..May I help you?" Zell pushed out the first sentence to break the awful situation.
"Oh, Zell." Danni busted into tears. "You see me?" However, before Danni continued her fairy dreams, she heard a female voice, " I…….ar, am I in Balamb?"
When Danni turned around, she was shocked, "Selphie?" The owner of the voice was a woman in her early twenty, with all resemblance of all Selphie's features.
Zell, "I'm Zell Dicht, how about you?"
The girl hesitantly said, "Secci Telford. I'm a journalist."
"You from Timber?"
Secci shook her head, "Esther."
Zell scratched the back of his neck. "You looks like one of my friends. This town….. there is a Hotel down the street. It got a pretty good view of the shore. The majority of shops are on the other side, even through some are located down the dock front. And this is my house."
Secci looked around, "Thanks. But isn't your house once be a café?"
Zell threw back a question, "A café? I guessed you must mix up with other places. If you want any help, you know where to find me?!"
With that, Zell entered his home. Danni watched the journalist walked her way towards the dock.
Giving out a sigh, Danni flipped her wings, "I guess there is no point for me to stay here anymore."
When Danni flied up to the clouds, she was blocked by a powerful and aggressive GF, Bahamut. "Bahamut? What are you doing here?" Bahamut pointed to the Balamb town sat below them. "I don't understand."
"Go to his house and find out through your own eyes."
"What?" Danni asked.
"He needs you."
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In a dark, gloomy bedroom, with all the curtains pulled down; clothes were piled next to the walldrobe, shoes were lying in the same corner not in pairs. There was a person sitting on the single bed. One hand was holding a photo, a photo of Ma Dicht, Danni and him. The other was running through his hair with a cigarette.
"Zell?" Danni whispered. She could not believe that was her lover. He looked totally funk-up. She dropped her body next to him.
"Why you guys have to leave?" Zell whispered. He sucked another mouth of misty smoke.
"Don't!!" Danni tried to take that cigar away.
Then, there was a knot on the door. Zell squashed the flare in the astray. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Come in." It was those kids. "Yeek, it stinks." The girl complained. Little boy slightly hitted her back to give a warn. Zell frowned. "What's up?"
"Amm, uncle Zell. Can we borrow your T-board again? We are boreeeeed!!!" The girl pleaded.
"Yea, just go ahead." Zell thumb to the T-board.
"Thanks." The children hurried to outside after they got what they want.
Danni was so pleased when the children called 'uncle Zell'. She was jealous like nuts before. But, when she returned her look on Zell, she felt sorry for him.
"What can I do? I want to bring the old Zell back!" Danni tried to hug him. She transparent through him again and again, no-matter how many times she tried.
"Zell…"She sobbed. "I want to kiss you, hold you, just for once."
Then she heard Bahamut speaking in her brain, "There is a way you can to that."
Danni blanked. "You can process someone."
"But this is against the regulation."
"You love him, right?" Bahamut asked. "He is my best host, I want you to help him."
Danni nodded. "But who should I find?"
"You have already seen her."Bahamut hinted.
"The journalist this morning?"
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Ding!
Zell once again put down the flare, he walked downstairs. When he opened the front door, he saw Secci Telford.
"Hey, everything's alright?" Zell asked.
Secci nodded and then shook her head. Tears were running through her eyes.
"What's wrong? May be you should come in, first." Zell leaded her to the dining room.
Secci looked the decoration around, "I am sorry to bothering you."
Zell bought a pot of coffee from the kitchen. "Coffee?!"
Secci nodded. And she thought 'So, Zell is still the easy-going and warm-hearted."
"So, what's up?"
Secci, "Nothing, I…just want someone to talk to."
Zell nearly spilt the coffee, "Oh!"
"Where's your children?" Secci asked.
"They are not mine…. (cough) they went out playing somewhere. Kids nowadays don't like staying at home."
Secci smiled.
Zell saw her passionate facial expression, he immediately changed the subject, "I know it is hard for a girl to travel alone in a foreign country. So, what are you apparently working on?"
"What am I working on? ………… An article about ….ar….Commander Leonhart."
"That's great. Are you going to have an interview with him before his retirement?"
"Oh, he is retiring?!"
"What?! You mean you don't know? He is giving his place to his son, Javire." Zell stared at Secci, "Are you really a journalist?"
"I ….. know his is letting his place to ……his son, but I just, arrrr don't think he would really let go the whole control."
Zell nodded.
"So, how is everyone?" Secci asked.
"Everyone?" Zell frowned.
"I mean………….the heroes. Well, I may want to write something about the Life after all." Secci carefully said.
"I…see." Zell nodded. "I can't tell you a lot. I haven't contact with them for ages, besides they are personal stuff, ya know. So, I guess you may better ask them if you want the detail."
Secci nodded and stared at Zell with sparkling eyes.
"Amm, the commander and his two children will stay at Balamb garden, probably till they die. Irvine………..Let's not talk about him. Almasy got marry to Quisty, after giving birth to those two monkeys you met this morning. Well, they are on honeymoon at the moment, so I have to look after the kiddo. And I am afraid that's it."
"How about you?"
"Me?! As you see. Still in one piece."
Secci sighed, "doesn't sound very good."
There was a long dead air.
"Let me clear up the cups." Zell began to stand up , but he cram. "Och…"
Secci moved beside him and gave him a hand. "Are you hurt?"
"It's just an old injury and brings out the pain once in a while. Nothing serious."
"Let me have a look." Secci began to up-fold Zell's trousers.
"Hey, I am fine now! There is no need………….." Zell tried to stop her. But when he nearly touched her hands, he did not want to go any further.
Looking at a long scar on Zell's left leg, she remembered the accident in Esther. That day, she had a hair cut and facial. They prepared for their wedding. Then, the civil war broke out. Deling attacked Esther. "It won't go away?!"
Zell frowned, "The scar you mean? Nar, it has been stuck here for twenty years."
Twenty years. Yes, I had dead for nearly twenty years by now. Secci began to use spell on Zell. A white light released from her right palm shot onto Zell's leg.
"What are you doing?"
"Healing your pain."
"But I…."
"Shhhhh…"
Zell felt the warmth running through his body. He felt the most comfort in the past ten years. The scar was vanishing.
"Secci?!! What kind of spell was that? How come you can use spells?"
Because I am an angel.
"You don't have to know, I just want to help you. You should move on…."
Zell gestured her words. He looked into her pale green eyes. "You…"
"It is time to forget the past, right?" Secci bit her lips.
"Danni?!"
Secci nodded with tears running down her cheeks. "You can't change the past but you can look forward for the future. Zell, I will wait you in the heaven. So, don't be silly anymore. Sucking those goddamn cigar is not good for you………"
"Are you really Danni? Oh, my god!!!!!! Please, stay. Don't leave me again."
Danni shook her head. "I can't." She kissed him, running her hands over his back. They both recognized their way of kissing. They enjoyed the passionate moment. Zell kissed back, on her neck. Danni murmured, "I want you to live on, my dear……….Promise?" "Yea…" Then Danni left Secci's body and flied towards the sky under the gorgeous sunset.
"Arrr,…" Secci who saw the angel left, screamed and pushed Zell on the floor.
"Danni?!" Zell asked in pain.
Secci constantly shook her head, "No, I am Secci." Her heart was pounding very fast. Her face was blushed, absolutely as red as an apple.
Zell pulled down his forehead. "How?! Why?! …………..You were processed?"
Secci nodded. Zell looked at her with a pair of red eyes, losing his temper, "So, she left me again?"
"She want you to move on. She loves you. She's an angel, she can't stay here." Zell looked up at Secci. Zell was shocked by what he saw.
"Secci, are you alright?"
"Why?" Secci became paler and paler. She looked transparent. "Oh my god!! My hands are vanishing?!"
Within a minute, Secci vanished in the air. Zell was the only one left in the dinning room. He wasn't quite sure on the whole phenomenon. He wasn't sure whether it was a dream or realistic. Instead, he recalled the last precious phases from Danni and Secci. Which would last in his heart forever.
"I want you to live on, my dear. I love you."
"Thank you for everything. Your coffee, it is the best I ever had. Remember to move on!"
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