**The usual disclaimers apply**
~In the last chapter…
"Galaxia, show yourself!!" Hikaru shouted.
And show herself she did. Galaxia appeared, glowing with power and electricity
flowing in her veins. Without a word and as fast as lighting, she drew her power
and formed a huge ball of enery and fired it at the small goup. The explosion
that occured afterwards filled the room with light and smoke.....
Notes:
~*~ - dream state
*...*- thoughts
* * * - another place, time, space,...etc.
THE LEGEND OF ATLANTIS
By: Yumemi
Chapter 26 - ...and the Key
Galaxia's laughter was heard echoing on the unseen walls of the dark space. No
other sound was to be heard. When all the light, smoke and the dust had subsided,
nine unmoving bodies were to be seen. Some were face-down, some sidewards and
some faced fownwards. Suddenly, among the still bodies, someone stirred.
Rinoa.
* * *
In her mind, Rinoa was battling with herself.
*what can I do?* she thought.
'you can tell them about the dream...' a voice answered.
*I can't do that!! I-I promised!*
'what IS the future if you can't save the present?' it said.
Rinoa could not reply. The voice was right, and she knew it. But what if they
were able to save the present and bring more danger to the future? What if those
magical creatures that lived in the future ran amock? What could she do then?
what if her descendant that could save the future was not to be born?
All the "what if"s in her mind confused her.
'it is now or never, Rinoa' the voice spoke up again but now, it was more
familiar to her.
*but....*
'don't be hard on yourself, Magical One, for you are only putting more burden
on yourself. You already bear much - you do not need to bear more.' the voice
said.
At that moment, she knew who was it that was talking to her. It was a voice,
soft and gentle and full of secrecy. *Hotaru...*
There was no reply.
Rinoa was filled with happiness knowing that her little friend was somewhere
in a happy place. She made her mind up. She pulled up strength from her
reserve.
*I will tell them....*
* * *
"So, amost the strong, the little one wakes." Rinoa heard Galaxia's voice.
Rinoa gently propped herself up on all fours and then, on her own legs. She
was horrified at what she saw: bodies of dear ones scattered on the floor,
pale, unmoving, still....
"no..." she muttered to herself. But it was so quiet that even her muttering
seemed like she had said it aloud.
Galaxia smiled. "yes, dear one, and you must accept it - they are dead! asleep
and beyond your hands reach for wakening. They are gone." she gave another laugh.
Rinoa's eyes filled with tears and her heart was filled with sorrow and grief.
She was too late. They were all dead and it was all her fault. She had been too
slow, so slow to act that she had put her friends - and the future - in great
peril.
"don't you ever think that!" another voice shouted out.
Rinoa jerked her face up and looked around. It was Umi... and others were still
getting up. Among them, Squall. His blood-stained face filled with the old looks.
Rinoa immediately stood up and ran to him and hugged him tightly.
"easy.." Squall told her softly, ".. my head still swirls a bit and we'd both
fall down if you're too figety."
Rinoa looked up at him. "I'm glad you're still here... and the others too! I..
I thought I was alone..." she buried herself in his chest.
A gentle hand laid upon her shoulder. Rinoa looked to see who it's owner was
anf found out that it was Quistis. "we can never leave someone like you alone
here you know, too risky!" she said with a wink.
Galaxia was surprised to see that everyone was still alive.... well, ALMOST
every one.
By a corner, not far from where Rinoa, Squall and Quistis were, Cloud loomed
over Presea's body.
"wake up....Tifa....Presea..." Cloud said, cradling her body in his arms.
All heard this and saw the saddening sight.
Hikaru walked up to the fellow pillar and put a hand on his shoulder. Cloud
looked up and Hikaru saw his tear-streaked, sad face. Her eyes overflowed with
tears that she tried to hold back. So did everyone. They knew deep within their
hearts that they owed their lives to Presea.
She saw the thing coming and had protected them with her power. But it was not
enough to save herself.
"she shall be avenged." Yue said, looking at Galaxia with disgust.
"we know now what you have dreamed, Rinoa, Saturn had told us in our dreams."
Fuu said.
Rinoa smiled. "I'm glad" she said.
At that moment, a doorway to nowhere opened and from it, out came the guardian
of time.
"I have come," she said, "..Yue, as you have called."
"what's the meaning of this??" Galxia said in an outraged voice. "there shall
only be eight within this hall!"
"yes," Yue replied. "eight. One of us had died and here is her replacement.
Quistis was here because of you. You did not say that we could not get a replacement."
"I did not say that you could get one either.... and for that, the replacement
shall have to pay with her life!" Galaxia said in a commaning voice.
Rinoa gasped. But then Pluto spoke up.
"do not be foolish, Galaxia, I am beyond your powers. I can hide where you cannot
and stop time if it pleases me. I could stop it right now and freeze you there
and strike you heart if I wish it but that is not my will. I am no coward and
I will fight you, power to power - hand to hand if it needed be."
At those words, Galaxia spitted on the floor. "so shall be it."
"No. that will not be it." Umi suddenly said.
All stared at her.
"I know now what riddles have played within Rinoa's mind. I know the answer.
It is Atlantis itself. She has fallen because of a power they tried to summon.
A power that was beyond their understanding." she paused for a breath, "that
power is the key. And I tell you this: it cannot be summoned with the use of
saturn's amulet alone and only The Queen Serenity can wield it."
At the mention of her name, Galaxia cringed with disgust. How she hated to
hear that name!
Rinoa's face lightened up. "you're the key! the four pillars are THE key!!"
______________________________________________________________________________
END
~In the last chapter…
"Galaxia, show yourself!!" Hikaru shouted.
And show herself she did. Galaxia appeared, glowing with power and electricity
flowing in her veins. Without a word and as fast as lighting, she drew her power
and formed a huge ball of enery and fired it at the small goup. The explosion
that occured afterwards filled the room with light and smoke.....
Notes:
~*~ - dream state
*...*- thoughts
* * * - another place, time, space,...etc.
THE LEGEND OF ATLANTIS
By: Yumemi
Chapter 26 - ...and the Key
Galaxia's laughter was heard echoing on the unseen walls of the dark space. No
other sound was to be heard. When all the light, smoke and the dust had subsided,
nine unmoving bodies were to be seen. Some were face-down, some sidewards and
some faced fownwards. Suddenly, among the still bodies, someone stirred.
Rinoa.
* * *
In her mind, Rinoa was battling with herself.
*what can I do?* she thought.
'you can tell them about the dream...' a voice answered.
*I can't do that!! I-I promised!*
'what IS the future if you can't save the present?' it said.
Rinoa could not reply. The voice was right, and she knew it. But what if they
were able to save the present and bring more danger to the future? What if those
magical creatures that lived in the future ran amock? What could she do then?
what if her descendant that could save the future was not to be born?
All the "what if"s in her mind confused her.
'it is now or never, Rinoa' the voice spoke up again but now, it was more
familiar to her.
*but....*
'don't be hard on yourself, Magical One, for you are only putting more burden
on yourself. You already bear much - you do not need to bear more.' the voice
said.
At that moment, she knew who was it that was talking to her. It was a voice,
soft and gentle and full of secrecy. *Hotaru...*
There was no reply.
Rinoa was filled with happiness knowing that her little friend was somewhere
in a happy place. She made her mind up. She pulled up strength from her
reserve.
*I will tell them....*
* * *
"So, amost the strong, the little one wakes." Rinoa heard Galaxia's voice.
Rinoa gently propped herself up on all fours and then, on her own legs. She
was horrified at what she saw: bodies of dear ones scattered on the floor,
pale, unmoving, still....
"no..." she muttered to herself. But it was so quiet that even her muttering
seemed like she had said it aloud.
Galaxia smiled. "yes, dear one, and you must accept it - they are dead! asleep
and beyond your hands reach for wakening. They are gone." she gave another laugh.
Rinoa's eyes filled with tears and her heart was filled with sorrow and grief.
She was too late. They were all dead and it was all her fault. She had been too
slow, so slow to act that she had put her friends - and the future - in great
peril.
"don't you ever think that!" another voice shouted out.
Rinoa jerked her face up and looked around. It was Umi... and others were still
getting up. Among them, Squall. His blood-stained face filled with the old looks.
Rinoa immediately stood up and ran to him and hugged him tightly.
"easy.." Squall told her softly, ".. my head still swirls a bit and we'd both
fall down if you're too figety."
Rinoa looked up at him. "I'm glad you're still here... and the others too! I..
I thought I was alone..." she buried herself in his chest.
A gentle hand laid upon her shoulder. Rinoa looked to see who it's owner was
anf found out that it was Quistis. "we can never leave someone like you alone
here you know, too risky!" she said with a wink.
Galaxia was surprised to see that everyone was still alive.... well, ALMOST
every one.
By a corner, not far from where Rinoa, Squall and Quistis were, Cloud loomed
over Presea's body.
"wake up....Tifa....Presea..." Cloud said, cradling her body in his arms.
All heard this and saw the saddening sight.
Hikaru walked up to the fellow pillar and put a hand on his shoulder. Cloud
looked up and Hikaru saw his tear-streaked, sad face. Her eyes overflowed with
tears that she tried to hold back. So did everyone. They knew deep within their
hearts that they owed their lives to Presea.
She saw the thing coming and had protected them with her power. But it was not
enough to save herself.
"she shall be avenged." Yue said, looking at Galaxia with disgust.
"we know now what you have dreamed, Rinoa, Saturn had told us in our dreams."
Fuu said.
Rinoa smiled. "I'm glad" she said.
At that moment, a doorway to nowhere opened and from it, out came the guardian
of time.
"I have come," she said, "..Yue, as you have called."
"what's the meaning of this??" Galxia said in an outraged voice. "there shall
only be eight within this hall!"
"yes," Yue replied. "eight. One of us had died and here is her replacement.
Quistis was here because of you. You did not say that we could not get a replacement."
"I did not say that you could get one either.... and for that, the replacement
shall have to pay with her life!" Galaxia said in a commaning voice.
Rinoa gasped. But then Pluto spoke up.
"do not be foolish, Galaxia, I am beyond your powers. I can hide where you cannot
and stop time if it pleases me. I could stop it right now and freeze you there
and strike you heart if I wish it but that is not my will. I am no coward and
I will fight you, power to power - hand to hand if it needed be."
At those words, Galaxia spitted on the floor. "so shall be it."
"No. that will not be it." Umi suddenly said.
All stared at her.
"I know now what riddles have played within Rinoa's mind. I know the answer.
It is Atlantis itself. She has fallen because of a power they tried to summon.
A power that was beyond their understanding." she paused for a breath, "that
power is the key. And I tell you this: it cannot be summoned with the use of
saturn's amulet alone and only The Queen Serenity can wield it."
At the mention of her name, Galaxia cringed with disgust. How she hated to
hear that name!
Rinoa's face lightened up. "you're the key! the four pillars are THE key!!"
______________________________________________________________________________
END