**The usual disclaimers apply**
~In the last chapter…
"SeeD library?" she echoed.
Squall smiled and chuckled a bit. "you're already a SeeD for a year and six months
but and you don't know about THAT library?"
Rinoa just shook her head.
"get your I.D. card and I'll show you the room." Squall said as he led the puzzled
Rinoa out of the Library.
Notes:
~*~ - dream state
*...*- thoughts
* * * - another place, time, space,...etc.
THE LEGEND OF ATLANTIS
By: Rhys Icewind
Chapter 19 - Disappearing Acts
[Saturday of the 1st week.]
"how are the trainees doing?" Cloud asked Presea, in the cafeteria, who was taking
a time-out.
Presea smiled at him. "they're doing perfectly fine, thank you."
Cloud sat across from her seat of the small table. He stared at her as she took a
sip from her iced-tea. *It's nice to see you again* he told her mentally.
Surprised, Presea looked at him and stared deeply into his eyes. *you too.*
*but how come you totally changed? I still feel Tifa in there but physically,
you two are not even close!* Cloud told her.
Presea chuckled and smiled. *OF COURSE! I'm in a different body, stupid! you're
still from the past, it you've forgotten already*
"but how come I was sent? was the pillar of earth sent wholly? unlike Hikaru and Fuu?"
he suddenly asked aloud, getting off their previous subject.
Presea looked at him with longing eyes. "he was sent as a whole. given a re-birth
that's why he's still a child now."
"I wish I could go back home."
*I'd miss you then* Presea returned to the confines of her thoughts.
Reading Presea's mind, Cloud answered, *you're still alive in the past, Tifa. And
I'll still be in this time, though a bit - no - WAY younger!* he gave a silent
laugh.
Presea laughed with him. Though Cloud was barely a mile a way, there were not
allowed to touch. Their senses were of a different time and their touch could
result the opening of a vortex, sucking everything in it's path.
Just then, Rinoa arrive, panting.
"sorry to disturb you guys but I need to get outta here!" she said.
Presea's brow furrowed and so did Cloud's. "what's the matter?"
"I need to go somewhere. The answer to defeating Galaxia may be found there!"
The two looked at each other in disbelief.
* * *
In the Infirmaty, Fuu was taking care of students and instructors alike - those
people who were foolish enough to go outside without informing Lantis or Yue who
was always in the quad-transformed spell room.
Instructor Quistis on the other hand, had gotten better. The other visited her
frequently and made sure that she was well-rested. She was sitting erect on her
bed, looking out the window, thinking deeply. Rinoa had come in two days before,
asking her about Guardian Forces. Quistis couldn't tell much but what she said
must have really excited her, since she kissed her suddenly after she finished,
thanking her for solving a puzzle. *she must have been aswering those crossword
puzzles* she thought, *but.... what she asked seems so odd...*
~FLASHBACK~
Quistis was reading a book when someone tapped her shoulder. Looking up, she
saw the smiling face of Rinoa. "what is it?" she asked.
"um, Quistis, sorry to bother you and all but...can I ask you something?"
Quistis gave a curt nod.
"can you tell me something about GFs?"
"GFs?" Quistis gave it a thought. "well, you know almost everything I know..."
"I do?" a wide-eyed Rinoa asked.
Quistis smiled at her reaction. "you know, GFs occupying a space in our memories,
making us forget old oned as their powers grew stronger. The rest are a complete
mystery. All that was taught to me before was that GFs were given to us, to be
used in dire situations and wipe out multiple targets, how to junction them, how
to junction elements to them to make us stronger, that some GFs represent a certain
element..."
"That's IT!" Rinoa cut her short.
"that's what?" the befuddled instructor asked.
Rinoa rose from her chair and suddenly kissed Quistis on the forehead. "Thanks!"
she said before she left, leaving a wide-eyed Quistis staring at the closing door.
~END~
"anything wrong?" Fuu's gentle voice cut through her thoughts.
Quistis looked at her with a smile. "nothing. I was just thinking."
"that's good....." Fuu paused.
Quistis' smile changed into a frown when she noticed Fuu's darkening face. Her
sixth sense warned her of a danger near. Chills ran down her spine as she saw
Fuu's - or if that was still Fuu - face. It was distorted and devoid of any
beauty or care that Fuu's face was full of. Quistis wanted to scream but her
voice was lost, stuck inside her throught.
She was silenced.
"you think I'd let you shout for help?" it spoke in a low, raspy tone; "of
course not! now, let's go..." it said as a chilling smile formed on its face.
*let's go?!?!* Quistis' thoughts screamed. Now, Quistis tried to move but
it became apparent that she was paralyzed as well. *FUU!! HIKARU!! UMI!!
GUYS!!!*
Fuu was outside the infirmary, with Hikaru and Umi, talking about some
matters when they all abruptly stopped.
"did you hear that?" Fuu said, worry lining her face.
"Quistis..." Hikaru said, looking at Fuu.
Umi nodded in agreement to the others. Looking ahead of their path, Umi
noticed the dark aura that now surrounded the Infirmary. "guys..." she
said, elbowing Hikaru at the waist. "...infirmary"
Looking towards the infirmary, the two saw what Umi was talking about.
Waisting no time, they ran on.
The thing held the paralyzed Quistis, sending a knifelike chill through her
skin. Quistis, paralyzed and silenced; face etched with panic and fear; tried
desperately to regain all her voice and control over her whole body but to
no avail. A black mist covered her, filling her with a cold feeling, and
suddenly...............
"QUISTIS!!!!" Fuu shouted.
The three stopped at their tracks.
They were too late.
______________________________________________________________________________
END
~In the last chapter…
"SeeD library?" she echoed.
Squall smiled and chuckled a bit. "you're already a SeeD for a year and six months
but and you don't know about THAT library?"
Rinoa just shook her head.
"get your I.D. card and I'll show you the room." Squall said as he led the puzzled
Rinoa out of the Library.
Notes:
~*~ - dream state
*...*- thoughts
* * * - another place, time, space,...etc.
THE LEGEND OF ATLANTIS
By: Rhys Icewind
Chapter 19 - Disappearing Acts
[Saturday of the 1st week.]
"how are the trainees doing?" Cloud asked Presea, in the cafeteria, who was taking
a time-out.
Presea smiled at him. "they're doing perfectly fine, thank you."
Cloud sat across from her seat of the small table. He stared at her as she took a
sip from her iced-tea. *It's nice to see you again* he told her mentally.
Surprised, Presea looked at him and stared deeply into his eyes. *you too.*
*but how come you totally changed? I still feel Tifa in there but physically,
you two are not even close!* Cloud told her.
Presea chuckled and smiled. *OF COURSE! I'm in a different body, stupid! you're
still from the past, it you've forgotten already*
"but how come I was sent? was the pillar of earth sent wholly? unlike Hikaru and Fuu?"
he suddenly asked aloud, getting off their previous subject.
Presea looked at him with longing eyes. "he was sent as a whole. given a re-birth
that's why he's still a child now."
"I wish I could go back home."
*I'd miss you then* Presea returned to the confines of her thoughts.
Reading Presea's mind, Cloud answered, *you're still alive in the past, Tifa. And
I'll still be in this time, though a bit - no - WAY younger!* he gave a silent
laugh.
Presea laughed with him. Though Cloud was barely a mile a way, there were not
allowed to touch. Their senses were of a different time and their touch could
result the opening of a vortex, sucking everything in it's path.
Just then, Rinoa arrive, panting.
"sorry to disturb you guys but I need to get outta here!" she said.
Presea's brow furrowed and so did Cloud's. "what's the matter?"
"I need to go somewhere. The answer to defeating Galaxia may be found there!"
The two looked at each other in disbelief.
* * *
In the Infirmaty, Fuu was taking care of students and instructors alike - those
people who were foolish enough to go outside without informing Lantis or Yue who
was always in the quad-transformed spell room.
Instructor Quistis on the other hand, had gotten better. The other visited her
frequently and made sure that she was well-rested. She was sitting erect on her
bed, looking out the window, thinking deeply. Rinoa had come in two days before,
asking her about Guardian Forces. Quistis couldn't tell much but what she said
must have really excited her, since she kissed her suddenly after she finished,
thanking her for solving a puzzle. *she must have been aswering those crossword
puzzles* she thought, *but.... what she asked seems so odd...*
~FLASHBACK~
Quistis was reading a book when someone tapped her shoulder. Looking up, she
saw the smiling face of Rinoa. "what is it?" she asked.
"um, Quistis, sorry to bother you and all but...can I ask you something?"
Quistis gave a curt nod.
"can you tell me something about GFs?"
"GFs?" Quistis gave it a thought. "well, you know almost everything I know..."
"I do?" a wide-eyed Rinoa asked.
Quistis smiled at her reaction. "you know, GFs occupying a space in our memories,
making us forget old oned as their powers grew stronger. The rest are a complete
mystery. All that was taught to me before was that GFs were given to us, to be
used in dire situations and wipe out multiple targets, how to junction them, how
to junction elements to them to make us stronger, that some GFs represent a certain
element..."
"That's IT!" Rinoa cut her short.
"that's what?" the befuddled instructor asked.
Rinoa rose from her chair and suddenly kissed Quistis on the forehead. "Thanks!"
she said before she left, leaving a wide-eyed Quistis staring at the closing door.
~END~
"anything wrong?" Fuu's gentle voice cut through her thoughts.
Quistis looked at her with a smile. "nothing. I was just thinking."
"that's good....." Fuu paused.
Quistis' smile changed into a frown when she noticed Fuu's darkening face. Her
sixth sense warned her of a danger near. Chills ran down her spine as she saw
Fuu's - or if that was still Fuu - face. It was distorted and devoid of any
beauty or care that Fuu's face was full of. Quistis wanted to scream but her
voice was lost, stuck inside her throught.
She was silenced.
"you think I'd let you shout for help?" it spoke in a low, raspy tone; "of
course not! now, let's go..." it said as a chilling smile formed on its face.
*let's go?!?!* Quistis' thoughts screamed. Now, Quistis tried to move but
it became apparent that she was paralyzed as well. *FUU!! HIKARU!! UMI!!
GUYS!!!*
Fuu was outside the infirmary, with Hikaru and Umi, talking about some
matters when they all abruptly stopped.
"did you hear that?" Fuu said, worry lining her face.
"Quistis..." Hikaru said, looking at Fuu.
Umi nodded in agreement to the others. Looking ahead of their path, Umi
noticed the dark aura that now surrounded the Infirmary. "guys..." she
said, elbowing Hikaru at the waist. "...infirmary"
Looking towards the infirmary, the two saw what Umi was talking about.
Waisting no time, they ran on.
The thing held the paralyzed Quistis, sending a knifelike chill through her
skin. Quistis, paralyzed and silenced; face etched with panic and fear; tried
desperately to regain all her voice and control over her whole body but to
no avail. A black mist covered her, filling her with a cold feeling, and
suddenly...............
"QUISTIS!!!!" Fuu shouted.
The three stopped at their tracks.
They were too late.
______________________________________________________________________________
END