As Pure As Snow , Part-One (An FF6 Fanfiction) By: Angela Simon
*3-31-02* On this date, the story was totally rearranged so that each chapter was no longer in a clump of 5 for the first half of the story! I also changed my email address in the author's note. Other then that, nothing else has changed! ~Celes
Author's Note: I do not own any of the characters or the towns of FF6! I'm not writing this for money or anything either. This is just purely to entertain the many fans of FF6! *hee-hee* And, just so ya know, Celes and Locke are my absolute fav chars in FF6, and I support their romance all the way! ^_^ But I love all the other chars just as much, so dont be mad if your favorite char isnt in here! *gets big anime eyes* I love getting story ideas, so if you have any, email them to me! I'm here 24 hours a day at: princess_13_jesse@yahoo.com ! This is my first FF fanfic, but not my first fanfic...you see, I also did alot of Pokemon work at Fanfic.net before it shut down. *hides from any anti-pokemon stone throwers??* Anyway, hope you enjoy! It's a long one!
Chapter 1- The Healing World
It was a hot and humid day in the city of Albrook. The air was filled with the scent of salt from the harbor, and with the excited chatter of the town's children who had just been released from school for the summer. Merchants were already flocking to town to sell heir must-have summer goods, and really, it was the most excited state Albrook had been in since Kefka's rule over the World of Ruin...which had ended for about exactly a month now.
The only calm part of the city was a tiny corner of the harbor, where many abandoned crates were laying, waiting for their return trip to their hometowns. Also sitting there was a young woman, in seemingly complete serenity and silence. Her long, white legs were dangled over the wooden dock, blue-ish brown water spalshing up against her blue boots in small waves.
Her elegant hands were rested in her lap, with blue braclets encircling each wrist. A white cape rested on her shoulders and fell over her small arms. The sunlight glistened on her golden locks that tumbled over her shoulders in soft waves, giving her a heavenly glow. Her pale face was set in an emotionless stare, her deep blue eyes not even blinking. She was a beautiful sight to all those around her, but to herself she was....
....nothing.
She looked at her reflection in the water and sighed. She did not know what she was feeling as of this very moment. She really didnt know how to feel at all.....ever since Kefka had...been taken care of, so to speak. She remembered how she felt when they did defeat him -they being her closest friends; Terra, Locke, Edgar, Sabin, Strago, Relm, Shadow, Gau, Setzer, Cyan, Mog, Gogo, and Umaro. There was overwhelming joy...relief...satisfaction that finally, she, Celes Chere, ex-General of the evil Empire, had made a positive mark on the world. She had helped save the world from total destruction! There was heroic pride there too...
And after they beat Kefka, when they were flying high on Setzer's airship, she felt a sense of freedom...like she could fly around the world and race the ship herself! At sunset, when they had landed for the night to rest and prepare for their seperation the next morning, Celes had fallen asleep beside Locke, while he whispered to her fantastic dreams he had for his future.
"Celes...after I return home...
......hope to settle down....
....find the girl I want to marry....
....start a family....Celes...I can't wait...Celes...."
And that was the most incredible feeling she ever felt, being right there beside him, hearing his voice whisper her name...something she would never ever forget.
And yet, the next morning, she had awoken, and looked at his still sleeping body...and decided that she could never try to be apart of his future. Locke's, or anyone elses she knew. Her soldier's pride had kicked in again.
I need to learn how to take care of myself. She thought to herself. I'm a woman now...on my own. I have to start my life over and make ammends with my past alone. I'm like this World of Ruin...I need to start anew...
She had needed to heal.
So, she took off to Albrook, and built a simple life there. She never revealed to the others where she had went, for fear they would try to stop her. She knew Locke would. And she would let him...
She got a job as a shopkeeper's assistant to support herself. It wasnt bad...she got paid to use her expertise on weapons and items for the travlers that passed through town. Sometimes, kids would come in, asking her for a story about one of her adventures, and she would always tell them with a smile, and with a look in her eyes then only appeared when she spoke of the past...
It was now a Friday, and she had left work early, having the intention of going home and resting. Instead, she found herself drawn to the harbor, and ended up staying there and gazing at the water to think. Think about feelings...about Locke...
I haven't changed at all. Celes thought cooly. I haven't learned a thing about myself while alone. In fact, I just feel emptier then ever. Maybe I just need people.
No!
I was alone in the empire, and I was just fine!
But when I met Locke...I felt....better...safer...!
Celes was surprised when she felt a tear run down her cheek and fall into the water. She wiped her cheek quickly, and stood up.
Too late to turn back! She thought. You've started something here, and you have to live it out. Forget about Locke, and forget about the others. They've probably all moved on without you anyway!
Celes took off from the harbor, and ran back to her tiny house in town. Kids in the street jumped away from her so they didn't get plowed over. When Celes reached her door, she threw it open, and retreated inside, slamming it behind her. But before she could take another step further, she burst out into heaving sobs and leaned back against the door to steady herself. But slowly, she sunk lower and lower to the floor until she had collapsed completely.
"Locke....Locke...." Was all she could manage to murmur.
**********
The next morning, after a not-so-deep sleep, Celes woke up and got dressed for a new day. She had put her little crying incident in the back of her mind so that she wouldn't have to be reminded of it anymore. She had to make a trip to Tzen for her boss- the Tzen Weapon shop had a new shipment of weapons to deleiver to Albrook, and their chocobo was too ill to make the trip. Plus, Celes would get paid extra for making the deleivery, and extra money was always good in her book.
After tying her hair up in a green ribbon to match her outfit, Celes left the house and jogged over to the Chocobo Stable where her boss, Keith, was waiting.
"Hey Celes." Keith greeted her. He was a man in his late thirties, with messy brown hair and a beard that wasn't groomed much better. He was a little chubby, but in a jolly, cute way. He was one of Celes' first friends in Albrook, and pulled alot of strings for her to get her job. She held him in high regard, but also as a close friend.
"Morning." Celes said, and let out a yawn. Keith laughed.
"Lookin pretty as always!" Keith said cheerfully. "Hope my lil' Lila grows up to be as gorgeous as you!" Lila was Keith's 7 year old daughter. He always gave Celes a compliment to cheer her up.
"Thanks." Celes smiled.
"I'm jus' waitin' for the day when some man comes through here and sweeps 'ya off yer feet!" Keith said a little sadly. "Then I'll be givin' away my best employee."
"Oh Keith..." Celes smiled softly, and shook her head. "Don't worry. You won't be giving me up anytime soon."
"Heh, sure." Keith said, and winked. Suddenly, the owner of the chocobo stable came out with a bright yellow bird that could only be distinquished as a chocobo!
"Wark!" It squealed.
"Hello." Celes smiled.
"This is Audrey." The owner said. "She's a bit snotty, but she'll cooperate with you." Audrey let out another wark.
"Heh, I'm always up to a challenge." Celes smirked, and hopped on the bird. Audrey made a disgusted face.
"I think Audrey is the one with the challenge!" Keith said, and laughed out loud.
Celes gave a victory sign. "I'll see you all by tonight!"
"Take care of yourself!" Keith said.
"Take care of Audrey." The owner of Audrey grumbled.
With that, Celes kicked Audrey gently on the side, and the bird took off, leaving Albrook behind in minutes. Celes narrowed her eyes to keep the sun out of them as she cut through the slowly-developing green fields. Audrey seemed to know what she was doing on her own, so Celes didn't have to navigate much. She just relaxed her mind and held on as tightly as she could so she didnt fall off!
Near the afternoon, they reached Tzen. Celes parked Audrey at the entrance gate of the town and instructed for her to wait. With that, she went inside.
"Forget about the weapons." Celes muttered as she passed by the shop. "I'm starving!!"
She entered an inn and looked around for a food court, clutching her stomach, hoping to look a bit needy. She finally spotted an area full of tables and people, and ran over.
"Can, I, uh, help you?" A waiter asked that she nearly knocked down.
"Hmmm, yes, I would like a menu." Celes said, and laughed nervously. "Sorry about running into you...."
"......Right." He said. "Just have a seat." Celes sat down at an empty table for two, and the waiter graciously handed her a menu. After only scanning it for a few seconds, Celes pointed to the fish lunch special and the waiter nodded, taking her menu and walking away.
"Whew...." Celes thought, and rested her head in her hands. "Can't wait to eat..."
A few minutes later, she heard footsteps approaching her, and she lifted her head.
"Wow, that's some speedy service..." She was going to finish, but interrupted herself when she saw who was at her table. She blinked, and actually recoiled back a bit in shock.
"Oh my God....." She whispered.
*3-31-02* On this date, the story was totally rearranged so that each chapter was no longer in a clump of 5 for the first half of the story! I also changed my email address in the author's note. Other then that, nothing else has changed! ~Celes
Author's Note: I do not own any of the characters or the towns of FF6! I'm not writing this for money or anything either. This is just purely to entertain the many fans of FF6! *hee-hee* And, just so ya know, Celes and Locke are my absolute fav chars in FF6, and I support their romance all the way! ^_^ But I love all the other chars just as much, so dont be mad if your favorite char isnt in here! *gets big anime eyes* I love getting story ideas, so if you have any, email them to me! I'm here 24 hours a day at: princess_13_jesse@yahoo.com ! This is my first FF fanfic, but not my first fanfic...you see, I also did alot of Pokemon work at Fanfic.net before it shut down. *hides from any anti-pokemon stone throwers??* Anyway, hope you enjoy! It's a long one!
Chapter 1- The Healing World
It was a hot and humid day in the city of Albrook. The air was filled with the scent of salt from the harbor, and with the excited chatter of the town's children who had just been released from school for the summer. Merchants were already flocking to town to sell heir must-have summer goods, and really, it was the most excited state Albrook had been in since Kefka's rule over the World of Ruin...which had ended for about exactly a month now.
The only calm part of the city was a tiny corner of the harbor, where many abandoned crates were laying, waiting for their return trip to their hometowns. Also sitting there was a young woman, in seemingly complete serenity and silence. Her long, white legs were dangled over the wooden dock, blue-ish brown water spalshing up against her blue boots in small waves.
Her elegant hands were rested in her lap, with blue braclets encircling each wrist. A white cape rested on her shoulders and fell over her small arms. The sunlight glistened on her golden locks that tumbled over her shoulders in soft waves, giving her a heavenly glow. Her pale face was set in an emotionless stare, her deep blue eyes not even blinking. She was a beautiful sight to all those around her, but to herself she was....
....nothing.
She looked at her reflection in the water and sighed. She did not know what she was feeling as of this very moment. She really didnt know how to feel at all.....ever since Kefka had...been taken care of, so to speak. She remembered how she felt when they did defeat him -they being her closest friends; Terra, Locke, Edgar, Sabin, Strago, Relm, Shadow, Gau, Setzer, Cyan, Mog, Gogo, and Umaro. There was overwhelming joy...relief...satisfaction that finally, she, Celes Chere, ex-General of the evil Empire, had made a positive mark on the world. She had helped save the world from total destruction! There was heroic pride there too...
And after they beat Kefka, when they were flying high on Setzer's airship, she felt a sense of freedom...like she could fly around the world and race the ship herself! At sunset, when they had landed for the night to rest and prepare for their seperation the next morning, Celes had fallen asleep beside Locke, while he whispered to her fantastic dreams he had for his future.
"Celes...after I return home...
......hope to settle down....
....find the girl I want to marry....
....start a family....Celes...I can't wait...Celes...."
And that was the most incredible feeling she ever felt, being right there beside him, hearing his voice whisper her name...something she would never ever forget.
And yet, the next morning, she had awoken, and looked at his still sleeping body...and decided that she could never try to be apart of his future. Locke's, or anyone elses she knew. Her soldier's pride had kicked in again.
I need to learn how to take care of myself. She thought to herself. I'm a woman now...on my own. I have to start my life over and make ammends with my past alone. I'm like this World of Ruin...I need to start anew...
She had needed to heal.
So, she took off to Albrook, and built a simple life there. She never revealed to the others where she had went, for fear they would try to stop her. She knew Locke would. And she would let him...
She got a job as a shopkeeper's assistant to support herself. It wasnt bad...she got paid to use her expertise on weapons and items for the travlers that passed through town. Sometimes, kids would come in, asking her for a story about one of her adventures, and she would always tell them with a smile, and with a look in her eyes then only appeared when she spoke of the past...
It was now a Friday, and she had left work early, having the intention of going home and resting. Instead, she found herself drawn to the harbor, and ended up staying there and gazing at the water to think. Think about feelings...about Locke...
I haven't changed at all. Celes thought cooly. I haven't learned a thing about myself while alone. In fact, I just feel emptier then ever. Maybe I just need people.
No!
I was alone in the empire, and I was just fine!
But when I met Locke...I felt....better...safer...!
Celes was surprised when she felt a tear run down her cheek and fall into the water. She wiped her cheek quickly, and stood up.
Too late to turn back! She thought. You've started something here, and you have to live it out. Forget about Locke, and forget about the others. They've probably all moved on without you anyway!
Celes took off from the harbor, and ran back to her tiny house in town. Kids in the street jumped away from her so they didn't get plowed over. When Celes reached her door, she threw it open, and retreated inside, slamming it behind her. But before she could take another step further, she burst out into heaving sobs and leaned back against the door to steady herself. But slowly, she sunk lower and lower to the floor until she had collapsed completely.
"Locke....Locke...." Was all she could manage to murmur.
**********
The next morning, after a not-so-deep sleep, Celes woke up and got dressed for a new day. She had put her little crying incident in the back of her mind so that she wouldn't have to be reminded of it anymore. She had to make a trip to Tzen for her boss- the Tzen Weapon shop had a new shipment of weapons to deleiver to Albrook, and their chocobo was too ill to make the trip. Plus, Celes would get paid extra for making the deleivery, and extra money was always good in her book.
After tying her hair up in a green ribbon to match her outfit, Celes left the house and jogged over to the Chocobo Stable where her boss, Keith, was waiting.
"Hey Celes." Keith greeted her. He was a man in his late thirties, with messy brown hair and a beard that wasn't groomed much better. He was a little chubby, but in a jolly, cute way. He was one of Celes' first friends in Albrook, and pulled alot of strings for her to get her job. She held him in high regard, but also as a close friend.
"Morning." Celes said, and let out a yawn. Keith laughed.
"Lookin pretty as always!" Keith said cheerfully. "Hope my lil' Lila grows up to be as gorgeous as you!" Lila was Keith's 7 year old daughter. He always gave Celes a compliment to cheer her up.
"Thanks." Celes smiled.
"I'm jus' waitin' for the day when some man comes through here and sweeps 'ya off yer feet!" Keith said a little sadly. "Then I'll be givin' away my best employee."
"Oh Keith..." Celes smiled softly, and shook her head. "Don't worry. You won't be giving me up anytime soon."
"Heh, sure." Keith said, and winked. Suddenly, the owner of the chocobo stable came out with a bright yellow bird that could only be distinquished as a chocobo!
"Wark!" It squealed.
"Hello." Celes smiled.
"This is Audrey." The owner said. "She's a bit snotty, but she'll cooperate with you." Audrey let out another wark.
"Heh, I'm always up to a challenge." Celes smirked, and hopped on the bird. Audrey made a disgusted face.
"I think Audrey is the one with the challenge!" Keith said, and laughed out loud.
Celes gave a victory sign. "I'll see you all by tonight!"
"Take care of yourself!" Keith said.
"Take care of Audrey." The owner of Audrey grumbled.
With that, Celes kicked Audrey gently on the side, and the bird took off, leaving Albrook behind in minutes. Celes narrowed her eyes to keep the sun out of them as she cut through the slowly-developing green fields. Audrey seemed to know what she was doing on her own, so Celes didn't have to navigate much. She just relaxed her mind and held on as tightly as she could so she didnt fall off!
Near the afternoon, they reached Tzen. Celes parked Audrey at the entrance gate of the town and instructed for her to wait. With that, she went inside.
"Forget about the weapons." Celes muttered as she passed by the shop. "I'm starving!!"
She entered an inn and looked around for a food court, clutching her stomach, hoping to look a bit needy. She finally spotted an area full of tables and people, and ran over.
"Can, I, uh, help you?" A waiter asked that she nearly knocked down.
"Hmmm, yes, I would like a menu." Celes said, and laughed nervously. "Sorry about running into you...."
"......Right." He said. "Just have a seat." Celes sat down at an empty table for two, and the waiter graciously handed her a menu. After only scanning it for a few seconds, Celes pointed to the fish lunch special and the waiter nodded, taking her menu and walking away.
"Whew...." Celes thought, and rested her head in her hands. "Can't wait to eat..."
A few minutes later, she heard footsteps approaching her, and she lifted her head.
"Wow, that's some speedy service..." She was going to finish, but interrupted herself when she saw who was at her table. She blinked, and actually recoiled back a bit in shock.
"Oh my God....." She whispered.