FORGOTTEN MEMORIES
Chapter 6
"Me catch frogs! Me catch frogs!" Quina was hopping around the Alexandria river, looking for something tasty, as usual. "Nope, no frog here." S/he scurried down the river, hoping to find his/her favorite dish. "Frog?" S/he leaped into the water, making a gigantic splash. "Nope, no frog here. Me think there no frogs in Alexandria river. Me want to go home." S/he started walking along the shore in despair, when something caught his/her eye. "Frog!" S/he ran after it, as it hopped away as fast as it could. Quina leaped as far as s/he could and stretched his/her hands out. "I got you now frog!" Quina landed as a cloud of sand rose above him/her. "Frog taste funny. Frog very hard." As the smoke cleared Quina took the object out of his/her mouth to realize it wasn't a frog at all.
"I-is that Princess Garnet's pendant?"
Quina was now standing before King Steiner and Queen Beatrix.
"Me found on Alexandria shore. Can I eat it?"
"Let me look at that," Beatrix commanded Quina. Quina hesitantly handed Beatrix the pendant. "This is most definitely the Princess' pendant. But why would it be in the river?"
"This is the pendant that holds the Knights of the Round... it's best we put it in a safe place," Steiner added.
Beatrix held the pendant up to her eyes in amazement.
"This little pendant... is what causes so much destruction?" Her eyes seemed to melt as she stared deeper and deeper into the pendant. She could see the pressure and fury built up inside the pendant. "We must do something with it." Steiner grabbed the pendant from her hands, stood up, and walked out of the royal chamber. "Where are you going?" Beatrix asked.
"I'll keep it in Princess Garnet's room for now. As long as Kuja's gone, we have nothing to worry about."
"Even though Kuja no longer exists, there is still the threat that Knight's of the Round could eventually escape and-..."
"Not if no one knows about it. Besides, who besides Eiko knows how to summon Eidolons?"
Beatrix turned her head to the side as her eyes focused on the floor. Steiner turned his back and walked out of the room. Quina, perplexed, bowed his/her head and scurried out of the room.
"Me still hungry."
Quina now had nowhere to go, and had no frogs to eat. As s/he paced around Alexandria castle s/he longed for something tasty. As s/he passed one room a glimmer caught his/her eye. Quina poked her head through the door.
"Shiny thing... Quina like shiny things! Shiny things taste best!" Quina hopped into the room towards the glimmering object. It was Princess Garnet's pendant. "But Steiner say shiny thing very important... may cause destruction of town..." The pendant shined in his/her eyes. "Just one taste." Quina opened his/her gigantic mouth as she dropped the pendant inside, and slammed his/her mouth shut.
CRACK!
"Pendant too hard. Tastes bad too." S/he stuck his/her hands in his/her mouth and took out the pendant, only to find out that it had broken in two. "Uh-oh... this bad." Quina dropped the pieces on the floor. "Me leave now." And with that, Quina ran out of the room, and the castle. What Quina didn't know, was that by breaking the pendant in two, s/he unleashed all the pressure and fury that was built up inside of the pendant.
S/he unleashed Knight's of the Round.
"Great presentation, Daleck!"
Daleck focused his eyes on the classroom, as they all applauded for him. He was bewildered as to what they were clapping at. He looked down to see a half pendant, and a picture of the other half.
"Was everything... a dream?"
Daleck had realized that he already presented his project, and apparently the class and professor liked it. The bell had then rung, and the class proceeded through the doorway. His professor walked up to him.
"Fantastic job, Daleck. Who knows how you managed to retrieve part of the legendary pendant, but great presentation, nevertheless. Maybe you'll amount to something after all."
Daleck looked to his professor.
"Does this mean... I graduate?"
"I think so..."
A wide grin spread upon Daleck's face as he grabbed his things and ran for the door.
"One more thing, Daleck!" He turned to his professor, holding his items close to his body. "I wouldn't keep that stone for very long. Who knows what power it may unleash." Daleck looked at the half pendant, then looked back up. He nodded his head and ran out the door.
Graduation came and went, and Daleck would soon be off to the Alexandria military. As he was packing his things in a suitcase, he heard a knock on his bedroom door. It was Maranda.
"Hi Maranda, come on in."
She walked into his room shyly, and looked around. She then looked at Daleck, who was packing his things at a very fast pace.
"Getting ready for the military?" Maranda asked.
"Yup. And I'm guessing you already did?"
"Yeah... I'm leaving tomorrow. Maybe I'll see you there."
"Well, me, you and Jehuty are the only three people from our school going to the Alexandria military. I have a feeling we may see each other," he said in a sarcastic tone. He continued to pack, but didn't realize until a minute later that she was staring at him. "Do you want something?"
"Um..." he could tell she was very nervous. She approached him, and looked at her hands, as she continued to speak. "Me and you... we do everything together..." He looked at her with curious eyes. "Do you think that... Do you think that we could be more than just... friends?"
More than friends? What does she mean? I like being friends. Does she want to be my...
"...Girlfriend?" She nodded her head . Girlfriend... I like the sound of that. "Sure." She let a huge grin take over her face as she ran to him and hugged him as hard as she could.
This is what I always wanted.
"I gotta tell Jehuty the good news!" she squeaked.
"Jehuty? Why him?"
"Well he's the one that suggested it in the first place!" And she ran off.
Daleck was confused, but he continued to pack anyway. As he did so, he realized that he still had that shining stone... even after his professor told him to dispose of it. He grabbed it and stuffed it in his suitcase, and then shut it.
By the time the next morning came, Daleck was on his way to the Alexandria military. Upon arrival he brought his things into his room, and was told to change into uniform, for he would soon be going on his first mission. He dressed, then unpacked his suitcase. As he came upon the half pendant he stuck in there before, he placed it in his pocket. Once all was done, Daleck let out a big sigh of relief, and sat on his bed by the window.
"I'm finally here." He looked around his room. Dresser to his right, closet to his left, window behind him... He stood up and walked to the window to see what kind of view he had. He stared outside as he watched many teenagers in the same uniform walk by, socializing, having a good time.
"..."
Something seemed strange.
He heard someone approach his door and begin to talk.
"Come on! You're gonna be late for our first mission!" Jehuty stood in the door frame of Daleck's room. Daleck turned his eyes from the window to Jehuty, who was also in uniform. He stared at him with wide eyes. Daleck then realized that what he had experienced before was not another dimension... rather a viewing of the future.
"I'm... reliving this moment..."
To Be Continued...