DISCLAIMER: You know the story… not mine, all Square's… using them for entertainment purpose ONLY… so… DON'T SUE!

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Okay, so I'm not happy with this chapter, either! Really!!! I'm dying to start kicking in the REAL action!!!!! –_– Oh, well… Thanks for the support Sagara and Tears of Stardust!!! You know I love ya!!! ^_^

PART ONE: WITHIN THE MISTS CHAPTER FOUR: THE DAYBREAK OF THE SOUL

Measuring the pressure she applied in her every step almost automatically, Quistis moved to the large window oriented to the vastness of the sea and pulled the two panels apart from one another, the distance between them just enough for her body to access the coldness of the night.

Looking at the dark-blue waters before her, Quistis breathed the night's scent and rejoiced at the blissful sensation of the little rain against her bare skin, her blonde above-shoulder lengthened hair waving in the night's breeze in playful curls.

Searching in the Southeast distance sighs of the weather, the blonde girl acknowledged that the storm had since long moved on - bound to the will of the rebellious winds of the Centra Continent, no doubt - leaving behind the soft whisper of tiny droplets still falling from the indigo coloured sky and the memory of the terror it had cast upon the children who inhabited the Lighthouse.

The young girl supported her elbows on the cold window sill, gently resting her small blonde head on her delicate hands, the feeling of a link… a connection-- a chain almost – uniting her with every single little thing surrounding her lingering pleasantly over her every sense.

Here, in the rain, she really felt home…

Here, she felt one with her own…

It was as if an invisible contract stated that she belonged to the rain and the rain belonged to her…

"This feeling… it… it was never this strong before…"

Jumping at a slight shiver in her forehead, Quistis quickly pressed her fingers against the oversensitive skin, surprised at how touchy she was.

"Did I just felt… relieved?" She wondered.

She shuddered the thought, watching absent-mindedly as the dark-blue hues of the night quickly melted into the indigo and purples of a dawning day, the ache diminishing alongside the darkness.

"My Heart is waiting beyond the humming of the Nereids, where the gentle touch of the sea welcomes his spirit into part of this oblivion we are endlessly torn into… I hope the Fates will be kinder to us this Time, Fiery One…" The promised words floated in her mind – surely taken from one of Matron's stories – though, even as not said by her, to her – the feeling of longing they bid seemed all the more vivid in the girl's spirit. She felt, stronger than ever, the urge to get out of those stone grey walls and walk into the awaking atmosphere of dawn.

Playing the words in her mind again, Quistis couldn't help but let a subdued giggle escape her lips. "After all, what sense does it make?" She commented as she retreated from her little watching position and reached for the metal handles of the wooden framed window.

Filling her lungs one last time with cold fresh air, Quistis pulled the handles together and carefully closed the window, joking mentally. "Hey, wait for me Heart, I'm coming…… Nereids, watch out!"

Turning her back to the purples hues of the sky, careful not make a sound, Quistis' eyes travelled across the bedroom in which she had slept the last three years of her life, enjoying the seemingly frozen in time scene before her.

It was a tiny small room, that in which the girls slept, with its wall's light hues of green, its hand-woven soft carpet on the floor, its simple jars filled with beautiful flowers – all of the simplest and cosiest one could ask for: a poor – but nice – embodiment of the Centra good taste.

But it was on the three unusually pulled together low beds, made of a dark red wood, that Quistis' attention was gripped upon.

There, cuddled against each other, five forms could be guessed underneath the blankets, which protected them from the night's coldness.

On the faraway bed, Quistis could see a sleeping eleven-years-old girl, her short above-shoulder brown hair framing her beautiful face, her slender arms embracing loosely a younger boy of dishevelled darker-brown hair, who returned the hug and rested his head on her chest.

On the middle bed, a brown cowboy hat laid at the side of a small brown-haired girl and boy, that slept peacefully in each others arms, sharing their bodies warmth and comfort, a smile playing in both their content faces, the night's fears long since forgotten.

On the nearest bed, curled in a tight ball, was the sleeping figure of Zell, the young boy obliviously missing the warmth of her body heat – despite the extra-blankets she had placed over him.

Casting one last glance at the sleeping children, the little girl turned around quietly, pacing skilfully across the bedroom, her short-sleeved cotton night gown rustling loudly against her delicate skin when compared to her controlled breathing and careful steps, the light material reaching short past her knees, the pale blues fading into white in a beautiful dégradé that matched her eyes perfectly.

"No wonder, though." That the blue in her clothes could match so fairly the hues that her mesmerising orbs held. "After all, Matron made it for me."

The girl smiled serenely at the memory of her beloved Matron sitting beside a window, the cotton she now wore in her hands, a completely blank spotless white before her unique touch. She remembered her exasperated sight as she stared at the hopeless material, fingering it's soft surface with pity.

She had walked toward her, her ocean-like orbs inquiring the older woman the reason of her sadness. Then, one hand on the cotton, another caressing Quistis' face, Matron had proceeded to explain nothing was at matter, her face holding a lovingly smile as she looked at Quistis preoccupied blue eyes.

This had seemed to high the blonde girl's spirits up, but still, she had moved her gaze rather seriously to the material Matron was holding. Surprised, Matron glanced at her other hand and saw pale shades of ocean-blue flowing down her hand and into the fabric, colouring it beautifully. Eyes widening, the older woman had searched to look at the small child, worried for her reaction.

Smiling, Quistis had whispered to her, motioning to the fabric "It's beautiful."

The older woman had thanked her with a smile of her own and she had said, "I want you to have it."

Edging away from the girl's bedroom into the oh-so-familiar wooden hall that led to the stairs, Quistis moved as quietly as a shadow, passing the boy's bedroom as silently and carefully as if they were there.

Creeping down the carved in wood and stone steps, the young child reached the kitchen and glanced at the table where the children who lived in Edea's orphanage shared their meals.

Not wasting any more thoughts on her memories, young Quistis focused on the door that lead outside the Lighthouse, her heart beating with controlled anxiety.

Too slowly for her hysterical need of freedom, the blonde child closed the distance between her and the door, her diligence for not being detected by any of the house's inhabitants not faltering even when she turned the metal knob.

Quickly, the child pulled the door ajar, careful to not make it creak, and edged in a fluid feline movement through the opening, the large wooden frame soundlessly coming to shut itself behind her slim body.

Walking on the wet sand with bare feet had always made her feel extremely happy, and strolling around by the ocean at the sheer breaking of dawn was no exception.

She trilled each morning to share herself with the ocean and let it become one with her, she loved the feeling of belonging and freedom it provided and the sweet tunes it made her evident of…

Stretching her arms above her blonde little head, Quistis took the opportunity to let a longed-for yawn escape her rosy lips, her expression one of pure delight as her toes played with the wet sand at her bare feet.

The storm had truly cleared over now, leaving in the sky puffy white clouds that embroidered it with creamy formations.

…the calm after the storm as a relaxing therapy for two…

"Brrr…" She managed to mumble as the icy cold water touched and lingered on her sensitive skin, making the hair at the back of her neck stay pleasantly on end, the electricity of the ocean lighting up her mood.

Quistis allowed her blonde strands to be toyed gently by the ocean breeze, their silkiness caressing her soft cheeks as she danced and twirled in unison with the currents and the breeze, stepping gracefully on the water and causing it to spill onto her cheeks and gown, freshening them with the morning scent of the sea.

Giggling, Quistis brought her hands into the crystal liquid and threw a handful of it into the air, the brilliant teardrops causing her to laugh whole-heartily, as she gazed at the profusely mesmerising beauties surrounding her being, admiring the palette of blues and greens with awe…

…Blues and Greens…

"What the--" Quistis' mind called.

Narrowing her eyes to focus better, Quistis slowly moved her head to her right. "What?" Her mind questioned.

The blonde child began to pace quickly further away from the Lighthouse, sure that her sharp vision had caught the glimpse of something unusual against the peacefulness of the mirror-like surface some fifteen meters away from her.

Either stupidly, instinctively or bravely, she'd never know, but… if thought closely, one thing had obviously lead to another.

Dashing along the ocean line, Quistis ran smoothly but firmly some few meters from her target, diagnosing her route into the water. Hastily, she reached out for a golden mass of soaked hair, kicking a rotten wooden board on her way there.

Skilfully she dove her hands into the ocean and pulled a boy out of it.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Is it just me, or these chapters are really short…? Anyways, as always, I hope you enjoyed it!!! 'Till next time!!!! ^_^