Heart of the Soul: Chapter IV

By: Eval Chylde

How can we all be sure of our own existence? Are we really our own selves, or just a spawn of that which has already lived? And what if we met the body which harvested our soul in a previous life, face to face? Would we handle the truth, or deny it with all our heart and mind?

That which was never meant to be forgotten, was lost.

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"Are you sure he's near here, my lord?"

Tristin gazed up at the moon, looming over head as he stepped out onto the train platform. Because this small town in the mountain relied so heavily on the imports that arrived on the trains, they ran them all through the day. The tenants and men unloading the merchandise watched him curiously; it was a rare event that a passenger came on the night train.

"I am certain," he replied, his native accent rolling with ease off his tongue. Men of his age rarely remembered their mother language, but he could like he had learned it yesterday. These young men gathering his things, of course, did not know that language.

He turned his attention to the working men, smiling warmly at them. His fair skin glowed with the moonlight, his sleek black hair kissed with silver. His green eyes gleamed softly, the dark pools unreadable and almost empty.

"Come; we will rest for now and begin our search when the sun begins to set again."

"Yes, my lord," the three men replied in unison. They gathered the luggage and followed after their master to the carriage that awaited them.

I will find him, my beloved.

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Quistis stood on the veranda of her room, looking out over the bright mountains. She squinted at the sky, sipping at her hot cocoa as she pushed her hair back.

"Why did you decide to tag along?" she asked softly, looking over her shoulder.

"I think you rookies could use my help," Seifer replied, pushing off the door. "And, you did ask me. Who am I to refuse the request of a lady?"

Quistis laughed softly, offering the ex-SeeD some of her cocoa. He took a tiny sip, smiling warmly at her. She found herself blushing and unable to tear her eyes away from her old student. Clearing her throat, she turned and led the way back into the room.

"I think you know a little more about these creatures that have been attacking us than you're letting on."

"Maybe I do," he chuckled, following her. "I guess you'll just have to wait and see, eh?"

There was a soft knock at her door, and Julian's voice spoke soft against the wood. "Miss Quistis; breakfast is ready."

"I'll be down in a moment; thank you, Julian." She turned to Seifer, gasping softly as he disappeared from view over the balcony. She went to the window, seeing him trudging through the snow toward his horse. Smiling softly, she shut the window and set down her mug. The blonde woman quickly dressed into warmer clothes, silently going downstairs to join the others.

In the kitchen, there was a small breakfast nook where everyone had seated themselves. They were already eating, Zell and Irvine teasing Squall already. Chuckling softly, Quistis sat down and smiled warmly at the two gentlemen she didn't recognize.

"Miss Quistis, this is Gabriel DeLumiar," Julian informed her as he gestured to one of the strange men at the table. He had pitch black hair cut short and casually spiked up. His icy blue eyes were small and piercing, but the slightest hint of amusement and friendliness shone through. He was incredibly pale, and his black hair had streaks of gray and white through it. Quistis began to wonder just how old this man was.

"And this is Ashe Kyper," he introduced. He had warm, amber eyes that shone like a wild animal's. His hair just touched his chin, the colour of the deepest ashes. It, too, had lighter streaks through it; it was almost like his hair was also turning white. Under the casual clothing he wore, she could tell there was a strong, athletic body.

Ashe stood, took her hand and bowed, smiling warmly before sitting down again. She smiled and bowed back, sitting next to Zell at the table. Her plate was already set; a pile of pancakes covered with strawberries and whipped crème greeted her, accompanied by a slice of toast, milk, and a steaming cup of coffee.

"I was not sure how you liked it, m'lady," Julian informed her, "so I let it be. Whatever you like, I'm sure we have."

"Just sugar will be fine, thank you," she replied, accepting the bowl from Ashe. He seemed to be watching her, but she could feel his gaze was going beyond her. What could Mr. Kyper possibly be looking at?

"So!" Zell asked, scooping up some pancakes. "How about answering my question?"

"I felt it important for Miss Quistis to hear both the question and the answer, Zell," Julian replied.

"Why are you guys up here?" Irvine asked for the blonde, who was busy keeping the mass of hotcakes in his mouth.

"The same reason I am; investigating a rare animal never seen before by any man."

"We ourselves only have verbal accounts of their presence in these mountains, but we believe that they are the animals which attacked you last evening," Gabriel explained.

Ashe nodded and smiled softly. "We have been asked to gather the animals, bring them to our employers, and have them dealt with."

"'Dealt with?'" Quistis inquired. "It sounds almost like you're going to kill them."

Julian laughed softly, sipping at his coffee. "We certainly hope it won't ever come to that."

"But, they're a rare animal," she continued. "Wouldn't you want to try to keep as many alive as possible?"

"Of course, madam," Ashe replied. "But, if they are too dangerous for even us to handle then they must be dealt with."

"We will join you on your investigation of the murder of the wiseman of Yukino," Gabriel informed them. "We believe these beasts are linked with that murder."

"He was killed by human-made weapons, not torn apart by an animal."

Everyone looked over at Squall, who had been sitting silently at the bay window overlooking the valley since he had come downstairs.

Ashe lowered his head, his long bangs casting a deep shadow over his eyes. "These animals are much more intelligent than you may believe them to be. Think back to when you were attacked at the cave. Would a normal animal known that those old rocks could have crumbled with a good, hard blow? No; they would have stuck their muzzles in and snapped at you, eventually giving up and leaving."

"Especially since the cave is much larger than it used to be, and you could have easily stayed out of it's reach. Muzzle or paw."

"Now, how the hell do you know that, Zell?" Irvine asked after a long pause.

The blonde looked up from poking at his food and stared back at everyone. "I-I don't know. It just kind of popped out."

They sat in silence before Julian stood and gathered up his dishes. "Come; we'll rest for right now and gather supplies for the trip. We'll leave at dusk; they move under the cover of darkness and will be resting for the day."

Quistis began gathering her plate, but was shooed away by Julian. She wandered over to the window and sat down next to Squall, smiling softly at him.

She was about to ask him what he thought about this when he spoke up first.

"They're hiding something from us," he said.

"You don't think they're lying?" she asked taking a drink of milk.

"No," he snorted. "They're just leaving something out; some minor detail. They're not lying at all." He looked over at his past instructor, his eyes narrowing. "As are you."

Squall stood before she could argue the fact and turned his back on her. "He can't follow us forever, Quistis. And he cannot interfere with this mission; I won't be afraid to turn him in."

Quistis watched him go, smiling to herself. Squall had been rivals with Seifer their entire lives; it would take a little longer for him to accept the new Seifer. Maybe even longer than Zell would take warming up to the bully. She was sure Irvine had already begun to trust Seifer, like she did; he'd never had a problem with the hot-headed blonde.

Her tiny smile curled into a crooked grin, and she quickly hid it behind her cup. Seifer would continue to follow and help from a distance, no matter how much Squall threatened.

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The moonlight shone softly over the calm ocean waters, the darkness of the night just starting to settle in. Behind them, the sun began slipping behind the treetops and creeping out of view.

Nikalos sat on a beach towel, thumbing at the strings of his guitar. The three girls were running around, squealing their heads off as they splashed each other with the cooling water. He paused to watch them, smiling softly as Teresa knocked Selphie to the ground and started tickling her.

The young man was happy that the girls could enjoy themselves, playing like the children they really were. But, they still had a mission to do, and in some ways he felt Rinoa and Selphie had forgotten that. They couldn't exactly hunt Teresa's attacker down and throw them in jail; she never saw his face or any distinctive features. She did describe his ring on his pinky, but that had proved to be a dead-end. The family that ring belonged to died out nearly a hundred years ago.

Nikalos first played with the idea of the girl having dreamt the entire event; but, the bruises on her arms and scratches on her neck and chest where very real. Then he thought of a vampir; there was no concrete evidence to support his theory, however, so he kept it quiet.

Rinoa waved shyly to him as he looked around, and he waved back. She was a quiet, sweet young lady; every time their eyes met, she would blush and try to look away. Yet another young girl with a crush on him, who would soon discover it was only a crush.

"Better go tell them we should head home," he muttered, setting down his guitar and pushing himself to his feet. An overwhelming feeling suddenly clutched at his heart, and a vision crashed down on his mind. He saw a beautiful flower, glistening in the moonlight as the dew settled on it. An unseen hand let a tiny drop of amber liquid fall to the flower's petals. It instantly withered and collapsed to the ground, crumbling into dust.

"Nikalos?"

Rinoa's face broke through the darkness of his vision and he stared at her for a moment. She tilted her head, her brow furrowing with concern.

"We should leave," he whispered. "Right now."

"Why? What's up?" Selphie asked, jogging up to them.

"It's getting late," he replied as he gathered his things. He averted his eyes from everyone's gaze, trying desperately to interrupt the vision he'd just had.

He stood and turned to them, reaching out to take Teresa's hand and usher her to the car. He heard something whiz by him and make contact with the flesh of the young girl's arm. Her eyes widened and stared down at the small dart in her arm; Teresa's mouth opened to say something, but no words came out.

"Ow," she finally slurred, her eyes rolling back in her head as she fell forward. Nikalos dropped his things instantly, catching her before she could hit the ground. Snarling, he yanked the dart from her arm and tossed it to the ground.

"Rinoa, Selphie," he whispered, picking up the girl and turning for the car.

"Way ahead of you, buddy," Selphie replied, running into the woods that separated them from the parking lot.

Soft music filled his ears as the water rose and rolled onto the beach around them. Bright light illuminated the beach, and a sweet voice echoed off the darkness. He turned and saw a winged woman, walking softly over the surface of the water as the waves continued to flow onto the beach.

"It's been a while, Rinoa," the woman said without moving her lips, her voice echoing itself in their minds.

"Been a while since I really needed you, Siren. But, right now we need your speed and wings." She turned and pointed into the woods. "Someone shot a dart at this young lady; she was also attacked just a few days ago, and we think the two could be connected."

"Wait here; I'll search for them." In a flutter of rainbow-coloured feathers, she took off into the woods. The light faded from where they stood, and the water slowly began receding. Darkness again settled over them, and the sounds of the beach were all they heard.

"I'll get Teresa to the car before they decide to return for their prize," Nikalos whispered, trudging through the sand back to the parking lot. He was so distracted with where he was going, he didn't notice the blush beginning to grow along Teresa's cheeks.

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After what President Deling had done to Galbadia and their reputation, the people of Galbadia elected a new president and decided on a vice president to help keep things from getting out of hand. But, even in the greatest of men lies an undying greed. Having been handed one of the greatest governments in the world, both became easily corrupted.

Vice President Richard Green stumbled along drunkenly as he tried singing one of the songs he had heard at the bar. He was an elderly man, older than their new president by at least fifteen years. Even when the man wasn't drunk, he was sluggish.

Out of the darkness before him, forms rose from the ground and blocked the path in front of him. He turned his head, seeing the alleyway behind him was blocked by figures as well.

"You waste your time here, boys," he informed them with a slurred voice. "I've no money left, and kidnapping me will only lead to a war against you."

"Oh, we're hardly here to kidnap you, sir," a deep voice growled. The one who spoke stepped into the light, his green eyes glistening softly. "But, you will set a war into motion."

The other men pulled out weapons and began to advance. His eyes widened in fear, and his voice caught in his throat.

"Put this pathetic creature out of its misery," he ordered, stepping back into the darkness.

"No!" he managed to choke out before they flooded him, lashing out with all the hatred and disgust they held for his race as he fell to the ground. They stepped back, snarling at his lifeless carcass. The ginger-haired man who'd spoken to him grinned with satisfaction.

"Just one last problem to take care of," he said softly, more to himself than anyone else. They disappeared into the darkness again, the only evidence of their presence was a shattered Esthar rifle they tossed back into the alley.

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Seifer sat up on a tree branch, munching on some dried fruit as he watched the SeeD group trudging through the snow with their new found companions. He lowered his binoculars, shoveling a handful of the dried mix into his mouth. They would probably pass right under him within the hour; the only ones that would notice him would be those three strange researchers.

He replaced the bag into his pocket and pulled out an apple, biting into it and chewing thoughtfully. He had a feeling these men were more than just researchers hunting down a rare animal. Why would researchers want to kill what they were searching for? There had to be more to this story than that.

The east was already beginning to show signs of dawn's first light, creeping over the mountaintops. They had gone nearly two nights without a single event. They moved at night and slept during the day, since Julian and the others insisted their quarry only moved at night.

Seifer caught naps here and there so he could be awake most of the day just incase these creatures decided to attack during the day anyway. Animals were rarely that predictable. They were smart enough, however, to take turns keeping watch as the others slept.

He raised his binoculars again, seeing that they were already beginning to set up camp. Zell was down already, his backpack still on his shoulders. He chuckled softly as Ashe got the boy to his feet and dusted him off. He said something to Zell and reached down to put his gloved hand in the snow. Whatever he said certainly got Zell moving, and he instantly dropped his bag and began helping the others dig out a shelter.

"An amusing bunch of humans, are they not?" a cool, soft voice said beside him. He turned and stared in shock at the man sitting next to him. He looked just a bit older than Seifer, his black hair pushed back away from his face.

"You look so surprised to see me, boy," he chuckled. He turned at looked at Seifer, smiling softly. "You shouldn't be."

As soon as their eyes met, Seifer's vision went black. Flames rose up around him in the darkness, illuminating small buildings and people running all around him. He heard laughter ringing out, and metal scraping metal as armor clad arms were held out to the sky above him. Where was that laughing coming from? It was so close, so loud in his ears…

Like it was he who was laughing.

"Seifer?"

The vision faded as he slipped backwards, the trees again above him as he fell from his perch. He landed hard in the snow, flakes blurring his vision for a moment. When he blinked them away, the man was gone.

"Seifer?" Quistis' soft voice echoed through the trees as she came around a massive oak. She turned as saw him on the ground, laughing softly. "Taking a nap in the snow? Usually I find you asleep in a tree."

"No, I…" His voice trailed off and he sighed, letting her pull him to his feet. He looked down at her, smiling softly at her wide, crystal blue eyes. She seemed to be searching his face for something. What, he didn't know.

When he was her student, he had first noticed her beauty; as all who are in her class do. But, over time, she became just another obstacle to fulfilling his dream of becoming the sorceress' knight. Now that he wasn't blinded by foolishness and greed, he could again see the beauty in his tutor's eyes. He reached up and touched her jaw with his thumb, wishing he could feel her soft skin through this damn glove.

"We've, uh, set up camp," she informed him, not looking away. "I'm sure you know that, but I thought I'd say something anyway."

Seifer chuckled softly to himself. I've never, in all my years of knowing her, ever heard Quistis use the word 'uh.'

Clearing her throat she finally looked away, turning and heading back the way she had come. "I'd better get back to camp; they'll be wondering where I am."

"Squall probably knows where you are," Seifer said softly.

She paused and turned to look at him, smiling. "Ask me if I care," she shrugged, trudging through the snow on her trek back to their camp.

Seifer laughed softly, looking down and kicking at the snow. That woman was certainly full of surprises. Shaking his head, he gathered up his bags and went to find a tree to rest in that was a bit closer to them than he was. If he was needed, he hated to take too long getting to them just because of the damn snow.

Tristin gazed around the tree as he watched the boy go, smiling softly. Soon, beloved, we will be together.

[end part iv]