Twisted Destinies: Part Eleven
.oO~*-*~Oo.
Irvine lifted his head from his folded arms. He felt Selphie stir against his back, getting up.
There had been about ten minutes of silence and Irvine was afraid to go and see what his
sister had done.
"Zell? Oh my god, Zell…" Tari's voice, gently talking to the boy, was the next thing Irvine
heard. It was a comfort to him, his ears had hurt with listening so hard. Getting up, and
helping Selphie up, he started around the parition.
Looking around the edge of the dividing wall. He glanced and stopped. Selphie bumped into
him from behind.
"What is it?" Selphie hissed.
Irvine held up a finger for silence. "Zell…is on the floor." He said gently.
Selphie looked over Irvine's shoulder as she stood on her tippy toes.
Tari was halfway bent over Zell, who lay on the ground, and yet was conscious. His eyes were
open and looking at Tari who was gently touching his left arm. Every time she did so, his teeth
visibly clenched and a slight hiss came from between them.
"Hold still." She cautioned gently.
Selphie and Irvine held their breath.
Lifting her hands, it looked as if she were trying to levitate something between them at chest
height on her body.
Irvine's eyes widened. Selphie came around and stood in front of him, very interested.
There was a reddish flicker from the medallion that rested on Zell's chest. He was still wearing
it around his neck.
Then, from the medallion, a smoky light began to eminate from it. There was a musical sound,
like bird, and the light formed into an arching wide winged bird. Then it twirled into a red ball,
floating between Tari's hands.
Tari lowered the red ball of light onto Zell's left arm, which, as Irvine and Selphie could now
see, was badly burned and an angry reddish purple in color.
Zell's eyes widened as a red light, like the one between her hands, flared in a circle over Tari's
heart as the healing red light engulfed his left arm.
Irvine saw it also.
Tari winced as again, some of her life force was drained from her body. 'Well, it IS for
someone I know and lov-' She stopped in her thought and then resumed with a slight shake of
her head. '-like and to give life and healing is also to lose it…'
Zell felt the burning sensation in his arm increase, then fade to nothing. As the light
faded, Tari's eyes widened and her body shook. She fell over onto his chest, out cold.
Irvine stepped forward, brushing past the stunned Selphie. He knelt next to Zell, who
smiled weakly, and they both glanced down at his left arm. Zell's eyes widened in
wonder.
"What is that?" Irvine touched the thin, curving black lines on Zell's arm, which looked
much like the tattoo on Zell's face.
"I don't know… It must've been burned into my arm." Zell began to roll up his sleeve as
much as he could, for he couldn't take off his jacket with Tari leaning on his chest.
As he rolled up the sleeve, the lines began to look like trailing feathers. As Zell reached a
point where it looked like there were two sets of small clutching claws, Irvine, impatient
to see what his sister had done, gently lifted Tari up into a sitting position, so Zell could
sit up and take off his jacket.
Doing so, Zell was in his sleeveless red shirt, and they all could see the new black tattoo
on his arm.
A bird. With trailing tail feathers and beautiful wings and an arching back. It was one of
the most beautiful tattoos anyone of them had seen. It was much like the bird of red light
Tari had used to heal the burning on Zell's arm.
"Zell…what does this mean?" Selphie neared the three. Zell sat upright and then took the
job of supporting Tari from Irvine.
"I've no clue. I think it's a phoenix." Zell said, then looked at the unconscious girl he
supported. Something seemed to change in his face as he watched her soft features.
Selphie knew that look. It was the look that Irvine sometimes gave her when they were
alone. Tugging on Irvine's arm, she motioned to go. "C'mon, I think we need to leave."
"Take care of my sister." Irvine said to Zell, a dark look coming over Irvine's face. Zell
didn't seem to hear.
"He will. I know it." Selphie said softly. Irvine looked at her, his face softening. Selphie
smiled and the two made their way out of the isolation chamber.
Zell watched them go, and turned back to Tari.
"Tari…I hope you'll be all right."
.oO~*-*~Oo.
"…and then there was that tattoo on his arm. It was just weird, Squall. Something is
going to happen, and soon." Selphie finished telling Squall and Rinoa what had
happened, over lunch.
Squall folded his arms and a frown appeared on his brow. Rinoa's eyes quickly filled
with tears.
"What should we do? I don't want to lose my sister." Irvine put in, putting his cup on his
empty plate.
"Matron…gave me this. I'd broken the other bottle." Squall handed Irvine the vial of pale
violet liquid. Irvine took it and frowned slightly.
"What does it do?" Irvine asked, looking up at Squall.
"It isolates the host from the guardian force, yet allows the guardian force to be
controlled." Squall said. He hated what he was going to have to say next. "The only way
Rhapha can be killed is if her host is attacked and killed along with the guardian force."
"So no matter how I look at it, I lose my sister? What if I took on the guardian force?"
Irvine asked, his hands around the vial tightening.
"That's impossible. Rhapha turns her male hosts female." Squall said, his face still
expressionless.
Irvine hit the table with his fist with a bang. His vision blurred, and the vial was all he
could think about.
"Irvine…I've got a feeling…everything will be okay." Rinoa said, gently laying her hand
on his shoulder, a strange light to her eyes.
Selphie all of a sudden felt strange, as if she knew what Rinoa was saying. She felt as if
everything would be okay, someday.
"I think so too." Selphie encouraged her fiancee.
Irvine stood up. "I think I'll take this to her now. She might need it soon."
The rest of the teens at the table looked at Irvine as he walked away without his usual
spring in his step.
"I really hope you girls are right. I think he'd really go nuts if he lost his only family so
soon." Squall sighed and punched a hole in his paper plate with his fork. "I'm going to
see if I can get some sleep."
.oO~*-*~Oo.
A/N: Gee, lookit, I got another chapter out! I wasn't dead~ just grounded. Don't ask meh
what for. Going to finish this up and work on the sequel and stuff. Later! ~Tsutae~
.oO~*-*~Oo.
Irvine lifted his head from his folded arms. He felt Selphie stir against his back, getting up.
There had been about ten minutes of silence and Irvine was afraid to go and see what his
sister had done.
"Zell? Oh my god, Zell…" Tari's voice, gently talking to the boy, was the next thing Irvine
heard. It was a comfort to him, his ears had hurt with listening so hard. Getting up, and
helping Selphie up, he started around the parition.
Looking around the edge of the dividing wall. He glanced and stopped. Selphie bumped into
him from behind.
"What is it?" Selphie hissed.
Irvine held up a finger for silence. "Zell…is on the floor." He said gently.
Selphie looked over Irvine's shoulder as she stood on her tippy toes.
Tari was halfway bent over Zell, who lay on the ground, and yet was conscious. His eyes were
open and looking at Tari who was gently touching his left arm. Every time she did so, his teeth
visibly clenched and a slight hiss came from between them.
"Hold still." She cautioned gently.
Selphie and Irvine held their breath.
Lifting her hands, it looked as if she were trying to levitate something between them at chest
height on her body.
Irvine's eyes widened. Selphie came around and stood in front of him, very interested.
There was a reddish flicker from the medallion that rested on Zell's chest. He was still wearing
it around his neck.
Then, from the medallion, a smoky light began to eminate from it. There was a musical sound,
like bird, and the light formed into an arching wide winged bird. Then it twirled into a red ball,
floating between Tari's hands.
Tari lowered the red ball of light onto Zell's left arm, which, as Irvine and Selphie could now
see, was badly burned and an angry reddish purple in color.
Zell's eyes widened as a red light, like the one between her hands, flared in a circle over Tari's
heart as the healing red light engulfed his left arm.
Irvine saw it also.
Tari winced as again, some of her life force was drained from her body. 'Well, it IS for
someone I know and lov-' She stopped in her thought and then resumed with a slight shake of
her head. '-like and to give life and healing is also to lose it…'
Zell felt the burning sensation in his arm increase, then fade to nothing. As the light
faded, Tari's eyes widened and her body shook. She fell over onto his chest, out cold.
Irvine stepped forward, brushing past the stunned Selphie. He knelt next to Zell, who
smiled weakly, and they both glanced down at his left arm. Zell's eyes widened in
wonder.
"What is that?" Irvine touched the thin, curving black lines on Zell's arm, which looked
much like the tattoo on Zell's face.
"I don't know… It must've been burned into my arm." Zell began to roll up his sleeve as
much as he could, for he couldn't take off his jacket with Tari leaning on his chest.
As he rolled up the sleeve, the lines began to look like trailing feathers. As Zell reached a
point where it looked like there were two sets of small clutching claws, Irvine, impatient
to see what his sister had done, gently lifted Tari up into a sitting position, so Zell could
sit up and take off his jacket.
Doing so, Zell was in his sleeveless red shirt, and they all could see the new black tattoo
on his arm.
A bird. With trailing tail feathers and beautiful wings and an arching back. It was one of
the most beautiful tattoos anyone of them had seen. It was much like the bird of red light
Tari had used to heal the burning on Zell's arm.
"Zell…what does this mean?" Selphie neared the three. Zell sat upright and then took the
job of supporting Tari from Irvine.
"I've no clue. I think it's a phoenix." Zell said, then looked at the unconscious girl he
supported. Something seemed to change in his face as he watched her soft features.
Selphie knew that look. It was the look that Irvine sometimes gave her when they were
alone. Tugging on Irvine's arm, she motioned to go. "C'mon, I think we need to leave."
"Take care of my sister." Irvine said to Zell, a dark look coming over Irvine's face. Zell
didn't seem to hear.
"He will. I know it." Selphie said softly. Irvine looked at her, his face softening. Selphie
smiled and the two made their way out of the isolation chamber.
Zell watched them go, and turned back to Tari.
"Tari…I hope you'll be all right."
.oO~*-*~Oo.
"…and then there was that tattoo on his arm. It was just weird, Squall. Something is
going to happen, and soon." Selphie finished telling Squall and Rinoa what had
happened, over lunch.
Squall folded his arms and a frown appeared on his brow. Rinoa's eyes quickly filled
with tears.
"What should we do? I don't want to lose my sister." Irvine put in, putting his cup on his
empty plate.
"Matron…gave me this. I'd broken the other bottle." Squall handed Irvine the vial of pale
violet liquid. Irvine took it and frowned slightly.
"What does it do?" Irvine asked, looking up at Squall.
"It isolates the host from the guardian force, yet allows the guardian force to be
controlled." Squall said. He hated what he was going to have to say next. "The only way
Rhapha can be killed is if her host is attacked and killed along with the guardian force."
"So no matter how I look at it, I lose my sister? What if I took on the guardian force?"
Irvine asked, his hands around the vial tightening.
"That's impossible. Rhapha turns her male hosts female." Squall said, his face still
expressionless.
Irvine hit the table with his fist with a bang. His vision blurred, and the vial was all he
could think about.
"Irvine…I've got a feeling…everything will be okay." Rinoa said, gently laying her hand
on his shoulder, a strange light to her eyes.
Selphie all of a sudden felt strange, as if she knew what Rinoa was saying. She felt as if
everything would be okay, someday.
"I think so too." Selphie encouraged her fiancee.
Irvine stood up. "I think I'll take this to her now. She might need it soon."
The rest of the teens at the table looked at Irvine as he walked away without his usual
spring in his step.
"I really hope you girls are right. I think he'd really go nuts if he lost his only family so
soon." Squall sighed and punched a hole in his paper plate with his fork. "I'm going to
see if I can get some sleep."
.oO~*-*~Oo.
A/N: Gee, lookit, I got another chapter out! I wasn't dead~ just grounded. Don't ask meh
what for. Going to finish this up and work on the sequel and stuff. Later! ~Tsutae~