VII: Another Sky
Amy let out a sigh as the water gently picked at her body. She had defeated the dinosaur with almost no problem at all, but she had also received quite an unruly amount of sweat in the process. This was thankfully remedied by taking a trip to the dorm's shower. Amy was thankful for the device, and the fact that she would have privacy. Most high school shower rooms were much more… open.
As she allowed the water to fall on her head, Amy opened her mind into thought. She contemplated about many things: her parents, her school, her friends, fighting evil by the light of the moon, her first serious boyfriend, the battle with the Void Droid… Garden… Sighing, she soaped her hair and body, washed herself clean for the morrow, and stepped out with a towel around her body and head. Selphie, who was in her nightie, greeted her.
"Hey, girl. You ready for class tomorrow?" Amy nodded her head, and Selphie gave her default sunny smile. "You're either really brave or really smart or really confident. I know I'd be scared stiff if I had to attend Instructor Grate's class. But that's me right? Oh, say! Did you hear the rumor from Zell?"
"Rumor?" Amy had not heard anything since her fight with the Rex. "What rumor?"
"The rumor about the Ice Warrior returning! You know!" Amy stared down at Selphie in confusion, then in horror. Had somebody seen her transform? Was this "somebody" Zell? Was he telling the whole school about her secret?
"…No, I don't," replied Amy slowly. "Who is this Ice Warrior?"
"Aw, c'mon, don't tell me…" Selphie sighed, and moaned out in protest as she realized her mistake. "Right, right, you've got amnesia. Dopey me. Anyway, I guess I'd better tell you about the Ice Warrior, because believe it or not, some people think that you are her!!" Amy's stomach performed a backflip as she heard the news, and it took a lot of effort to remain calm and civil as Selphie began her tale.
Okay, listen up. A long time ago--well, before I arrived at Balamb, at least, there was this one girl that lived here in the Garden. Like so many of us, she was an orphan, a result of the Sorceress War. Anyway, she grew up in Balamb for most of her life, until her examination for SeeD candidacy took place. Her job was to go to Trabia and rendezvous with Instructor Smythe. Once there, she was to find and defeat the Guardian Force Shiva.
However, Shiva sensed something special in the girl, something that she had never sensed anywhere else. Shiva allowed herself to junction with the girl, and the two almost literally merged as one. To put things simply, it was like the two were almost made for each other.
In time, the girl and Shiva bonded in mind and body. Some people could not tell the difference between the girl and the GF, so they just called her "the Ice Warrior". Now the girl never actually became a SeeD, because she, well… disappeared on her field test in Trabia. The only remnant of the girl was the GF Shiva, but since then, Shiva has never been quite as compatible with anyone else as she had been with this girl. The girl's name--get this now--the girl's name… was Amy Mizuno.
"You're kidding!!!"
"No!" insisted Selphie. "Pretty creep-y, huh? That you and her have the same name?! It's even spelled the same! And, uh, I've never seen a picture of the Ice Warrior, but there are a lot of people who are saying that you look just like her!!" Amy could only stare at Selphie as the news seeped into her mind. The story she told suddenly explained so many things: why Cid, Kadowaki, and Edea were acting strange around her, why so many people knew her name, and so forth.
Amy found it very hard to believe that there was another "her" out there. Of course, it might have been a wild coincidence that the girl shared her name, and her looks, and her innate abilities with ice, and her genius… Yes, a strange coincidence indeed…
"So you think that I'm this Ice Warrior, correct?"
"Hon, I don't know what to think," shrugged Selphie. "I mean, it's possible. She had been missing for a year by the time I came to Balamb, so if she were to return, I'd guess that yes, she would have amnesia. Of course, it could be a wild coincidence, but I've never seen or heard of another Selphie Tilmitt." Amy paused, and nodded her head slowly.
"I see," she whispered. "Well, thank you, Selphie. Ice Warrior or not, I'm thankful for such wonderful friends such as yourself."
"Awwww!!!" Selphie squealed in delight, and stood to give Amy a hug. The other girl smiled weakly, and wished her friend good-night as she dressed for bed.
Amy, dressed in the proper uniform of a student at Garden, sat up straight and attentive as the clock struck eight. The students immediately silenced their chatter and stood out of their chairs to greet the Instructor, and Amy followed suit. From the door came a woman in her early forties, although she looked much younger than that.
"Be seated," she said in a firm voice, and all bottoms found a chair. Several of the boys in the classroom began sighing dreamily, and Amy truly couldn't blame them. Instructor Grate, though easily twice their age, was a stunning lady to behold. Her golden-auburn locks fell all the way down to her shoulders, where a sensible red dress covered almost all her body. Muscular arms and legs supported her firm body, and spectacles covered her dark eyes. For a woman in her early forties, Instructor Grate was quite beautiful.
"First, let me dispel some rumors before they fester into facts," said the Instructor. "One, I am a happily-married woman with a beautiful son and a gorgeous daughter, so you can throw out any romantic notions you may have." Amy smiled lightly, but she couldn't help but perspire at the cold seriousness of Grate's face.
"Second, yes I was a member of the Savage Six, and yes I did battle Adel's forces eighteen years ago. I was born and raised in Balamb Town, and I earned my sword fighting degree as a SeeD. Third, yes I was a General in those days, but I have since retired from my duties and dedicated my life to teaching future soldiers.
"Fourth, I have no favorites. You will all be judged fairly and reasonably, with equality for everyone. That means that all efforts to be a 'teacher's pet' will be wasted time. Fifth, I do not fear discipline. You should. Sixth, yes I will tell stories about the war and my five comrades, but only as history lessons. I will not divulge personal experiences to you as if you were friends.
"Seventh, if you wish to be my friend outside of class, make sure it stays outside of class. Eighth, I will answer any question any number of times, as long as it is relevant to the topic, so don't be afraid to ask me several times. After all, I am paid to make sure that everyone understands the topic. Ninth, treat any substitute teachers as if they were me, and not a naïve replacement. Tenth, and finally, I expect you to treat me with the respect I deserve. Obey the rules of my class and you will do fine; disobey, and you will be disciplined. These go without exception, do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Instructor Grate!!!"
"Good." She smiled politely, and sat behind her desk. "Now that we have that out of the way, I will take silent roll. You have been seated alphabetically, so if you are not in your proper seat, you will be counted absent." Silently, Instructor Grate took the time to go over the names. She checked some off and made obvious "X" marks, but paused briefly as she came to one name.
"This can't be right," she muttered. "It says here that we have an 'Amy Mizuno' in the class." Amy raised her hand, and Grate adjusted her glasses carefully as she gazed at the girl. "Son of a gun!" she hissed. "Don't tell me you're…?"
"It's just a coincidence, ma'am," replied Amy. "Yes, I am Amy Mizuno, but I can assure you that I'm not the Ice Warrior!" The class chuckled politely, and Grate had to smile a little herself.
"All right. I guess I'm not the only one who has rumors to dispel." Amy smiled, and without any further interruption, the Instructor continued her class.
Sighing with relief, Amy strolled away from Instructor Grate's class. She had just submitted herself to a bombardment of strange and foreign concepts, such as the Guardian Forces, Sorceresses, the war with Adel, magic, and other alien ideals. She had suffered through her first day fairly well, but by this time, Amy was beat.
Deciding to return to the library, Amy took the elevator down to the first floor, and smiled as she saw Quistis speaking with the man called Seifer. Amy wanted to befriend the boy--after all, he was an amnesiac like her, and he wasn't too unattractive, either. Unfortunately, there were more people present other than the former instructor and the forgetful Jones. There was also the large dark-skinned man hanging around, and the ghoulish albino with them.
The latter, the pale-skinned woman, suddenly snapped to attention as the elevator spat Amy out. She did a double-take, and her single eye flew open in astonishment. The woman trembled, and her mouth hung open in awe. The dark-skinned man noticed this and scratched his head.
"Hey, Fujin, you seein' somethin' strange?" For awhile, silence.
"LIES…" muttered the woman. She shook her head fiercely, and growled out in horror. "LIES!!" Carefully, the pale woman approached Amy, her eye still wide open and her mouth still hanging. Amy began to perspire, and couldn't help but stare at the razor-tipped pinwheel she was holding.
"Uh… c-can I h-help you?" she muttered. The woman quivered, and whispered out a non sequitur.
"NAME?"
"Huh?" The woman grunted, and elaborated.
"WHO ARE YOU?"
"Uh, A-Amy M-Mizuno, m-ma'am…" The other woman quivered frantically, and a single sacrilegious tear fell out of her good eye.
"NO…" she muttered, "NOT TRUE… LIES!!" Her face contorted in pain, and a squeaky growl came from her throat as she extended her hand. Amy flinched as the ghostly fingers brushed up against her cheek, but could only gaze back at the other woman. She, however, was in a different shock, and truly looked like she had seen a ghost.
"Hey, Fujin! What's up?" called the dark man. The woman--Fujin, Amy assumed--sighed sadly, and closed her eye.
"…UNSURE," she said. Amy choked on her own nervousness as she heard a sniffle come from the woman, and her surprise increased as she saw Fujin gaze into her eyes again. The ghostly woman smiled weakly, and quivered as she brought Amy's face closer. Amy's heart nearly exploded out of fear, but was somewhat pacified as her icy-blue eyes gazed into Fujin's fiery-red one.
"AMY?" whispered Fujin. Amy gulped down her nervousness, and managed to nod her head.
"…Y-yes…" Fujin quivered, and smiled sadly. Suddenly, the ghostly woman lurched forward, and folded her arms around Amy's shoulders. Amy could only stand there in a stupor as Fujin began sobbing.
"AMY… I… MISSED YOU…" Amy's eye opened wide in shock, and pushed Fujin away.
"Hey, Fujin, you're not thinking that--" blurted the dark one. Fujin scowled and sneered back at him.
"YES!! HER!! TRUTH!! SEE?" She pointed to Amy, and the dark man jumped back in amazement.
"WHOA!! Yeah, it looks just like her, ya know?" The big guy lumbered forward, and without warning, slapped Amy on the shoulders proudly. "Man!! We thought you were dead, ya know? Why didn't you say anything to us, huh? Had us worried, ya know?"
"Hey… guys…" The thoughtful voice of Quistis cracked through Amy's confusion, and the thin lady stood to break them apart. "Guys… Amy here… is just like Seifer. She doesn't remember anything… at all…"
"Whoa…" The big dark guy jumped back in shock, and covered his face with his hand. "Man… what a bad blow, ya know?"
"NO…" whispered Fujin. "AMY, KNOW ME?"
"Huh?" Fujin made a face, and elaborated.
"REMEMBER ME?"
"…Sorry," sighed Mizuno, "but I don't know who any of you are."
"Aw, bull!" blurted the dark one. "That's…… that's terrible, ya know? Amy, how can you not recognize us, ya know? We're like, your family, ya know?"
"Family?" Is this the "other" Amy's brother and sister? Amy shook her head, too confused to even speak. Reliable Quistis touched Amy's shoulder gently.
"Amy… I, that is, there was a student here with your name," she said softly. "And… while she was here, this student… well, was best friends with Fujin and Raijin."
"So… they think that…" Quistis quietly nodded her head, and Amy suddenly realized why the two had been acting so strangely. She smiled weakly, and gazed at the dark and light ones.
"You are Fujin," she pointed, "and you are Raijin, correct?"
"Yeah," sniffled Raijin, "she's gettin' her memory back real quick, ya know?" Fujin nodded her head, and smiled warmly as she took Amy's hands.
"MISSED YOU," she whispered. Amy smiled lightly. For the time being, she would just have to play along.
"Admit it!" squealed the girl. "You like her!!"
"I… don't know what you're talking about!" blurted Zell. "She's… well, she's like a friend to me."
"Suuuuuuuure!" sang Selphie. "A 'friend'. I getcha!"
"Hey, it's n-not like that!" he muttered. "Yeah, I like her, but… well, you know!" Selphie smiled, and ruffled Zell's hair playfully.
"You're so cute when you try to be romantic!"
"Hey, s-stop that!"
"Oooh, are you blushing??"
"NOOOO!!!!" Selphie giggled, and raised her hands to defend herself.
"Eek, sorry!" She kept her smile, and nibbled at her pizza before speaking again. "Hey, like, I know you like her, Zell. I mean, you discovered her, right? And she's got amnesia, so maybe it'll be like a doctor-patient kinda thing!"
"You're crazy!" he barked. "You're absolutely out of your mind! No way a girl like her would be interested in me!"
"So you DO like her!! HA!!"
"HEY, I never said that!!" yelled Zell. "I mean… uh, I mean…"
"Ask her out!" sang Selphie. "Give her some flowers! I can probably hook you up with something; I mean, I am her roommate!"
"Aw, just forget it!" blurted Zell. "It's not worth arguing over."
"Okaaaaay! But just remember, I'll be around if you need me!!" Selphie smiled that same cute and slightly annoying smile, and Zell was left to munch on his spaghetti. Things were definitely getting interesting in Balamb Garden.
