XIV: Once There Was A Way to Get Back Home
Beep-beep… Beep-beep…
"C'mon…" hissed Zell to himself. "Pick up the phone…"
Beep-beep… Beep-beep…
"Huh…" Zell sighed into the phone, and drummed his fingers on his desk to pass the time.
Beep-beep… Beep-beep…
"Jeez, what's going on over there?!" he whispered fiercely. "Are they spending 'quality time' together?" He growled, and the phone beeped one more time before a familiar voice picked up the line.
"Yeah?"
"Squall! Man, where've you been?" hissed Zell impatiently. "The phone must've been ringing forever!" A pause. A very audible groaning sound came from the other side.
"I was in the shower, okay?" replied Squall's voice. Zell made a face and apologized. "No… I was getting out anyway. Now what do you want?"
"Oh! Uh, is Rinoa there?" Another pause. Zell absolutely hated the way that Squall allowed these breaks in conversation to occur. Zell never knew what he had been thinking when he was still at Balamb, but now that he had moved away, things seemed even worse.
"…Yeah," came a reply after almost thirty seconds of silence. Zell blew out some steam, and remembered that it was Squall he was talking to.
"Listen, man, could you put her on the phone for me? I really need to talk to her!" Another one of Squall's infinitely long pauses filled the air, and Zell cursed. "Listen, man! This is a long distance call! I don't wanna run Balamb's phone bill up more than it already is!" Another irritating pause told Zell that he was addressing the phone in his hand and nothing else, and he nearly hung up in defeat.
"Zell?" The spiky-haired young man smiled with relief as the familiar voice of Rinoa piped up on the other end.
"Oh, man… Rinoa, am I glad to hear your voice again!"
"Zell, what's this about?" asked a considerably more-cordial Rinoa. Zell smiled and relayed the message to the dark-haired angel.
"Listen, Rin. Think back a long, long time ago. Do you remember me introducing you to a petite young lady with blue hair, named Amy Mizuno?" A pause, one filled with thought instead of annoying suspense, broke their speech.
"…I think so," replied Rinoa. "I really don't remember. It's been a good five or so months."
"Yeah, I know. Listen, Rinny," (Zell loved to give people strange pet names), "I don't have all the time in the world, so you're gonna have to listen and believe every word I say. This is important, now!"
"……Zell, what's the matter?" came Rinoa's concerned voice. "Is something wrong at Balamb?"
"No, everything's fine!" he assured her. "I just need you to listen, okay?" Another thoughtful pause broke their conversation, and Rinoa audibly let out some air.
"…All right. Tell me what you want."
"Cool! Okay, listen up! This is a long story, but I'll try keeping it short! Have you ever heard of a woman called 'The Ice Warrior'?"
"Can't say I have. Should I ask Squall if he's heard of her?"
"Nah, that's okay. Anyway, you remember that Amy Mizuno chick? Well, when she first came to Balamb, a lotta people thought she was the Ice Warrior, right? The resemblance was uncanny, Rinoa, just plain weird! Well, it turns out she's not the Ice Warrior--in fact, believe it or not, she's not even from this world!!"
"……You mean… she's an alien?" whispered Rinoa.
"No, no, no… I mean, she's not from this… uh, reality, I guess I should say. She came from a world very different, and yet very similar to our own. I know this sounds like BS, but you gotta trust me on this." Rinoa inhaled deeply, and despite having been forced to hear such unbelievable news, and subsequently having been forced to believe in it, she nodded her head and breathed out an acceptance.
"…All right, I'll trust you," she replied.
"Cool! Anyway, this Amy chick, well… She wants to get back home really badly, right? Now, I don't know how she got here, but I think I know of a way to get her back!"
"Really?" asked Rinoa. "How?"
"I was hoping you'd help me out with that," he grinned.
"Excuse me?"
"…I said I was hoping that you'd--"
"I heard you, Zell," sighed Rinoa. "I just don't understand what you mean. How can I help you? I mean, I will if you want me to but…"
"…Rinoa… you're still… uh, a sorceress, right?" muttered Zell weakly. A pause hung on the line, and Rinoa warily replied Yes. "Well… I was thinking… Maybe you could, uh… I dunno, send Amy back home with your magic?" Another pause hung in the air, one stuffed with disbelief and doubt. It was plain, even to Zell, that Rinoa was unsure of the idea.
"……It's not something I've ever tried before," she admitted softly. "I wouldn't know how to do something like that. I'm sure I could, but…"
"Will you at least try?" begged Zell. "Please? She really wants to go back home!" (Of course, Zell was not aware of Amy's reluctance to return to her own world, nor did he know how many friends she had acquired since her arrival.) The inevitable stop in conversation had Zell worried and Rinoa doubtful.
"…I can try," she offered him. "I don't like using my sorceress powers unless it's a really big emergency, but I can try if it's for a friend."
"Atta girl!" smiled Zell. "So, you're gonna help us out?"
"Yeah, or at least I'll try," she responded. "I mean… I guess it's the right thing to do, right?"
"I suppose. Anyway, I hate forcing you to use your powers, and I know this sounds kinda selfish…"
"No, it's okay," she replied happily. "You know I'll do almost anything for my friends, Zell."
"Great! Well, when can we expect you over?" Another pause in the conversation told Zell that Rinoa might not be coming over anytime soon, though perhaps it was just a thought of his.
"…Excuse me?"
"Well, unless you've gotten some super-cool powers that lets you send people to other realities from anywhere in the world, I think you're gonna have to come over here and perform the magic at, uh, close range. …Erm, sorry, that didn't make any sense." Rinoa's usual assurances did not follow Zell's apology; in fact, it was the last thing he wanted to hear that followed.
"……Zell, I can't come back to Balamb. Not for a long time, at least."
"Hey, if this is about Adel or anything…"
"No, it's not like that at all!" replied Rinoa. Her voice grew a little happier, just a little bit. "You know me, Zell. I'm stubborn as a mule. If I could, I'd come over and visit you even if I had released Adel voluntarily."
"So, like, what's the deal?" he asked. "Are you paralyzed, or sick?"
"…Sort of," she replied in an embarrassed voice. Zell, poor dear sweet Zell, was completely lost on the matter.
"Huh? What does that mean?" One of Rinoa's famous pauses hit the line, and she just barely whispered out her reasons.
"Zell… ah… well… I, ah… I'm going to be a mommy."
"Oh, well I guess that'd prevent you from--" Zell suddenly cut himself off, did a double-take, and nearly fainted and/or spat out his Adam's apple. "YOU WHAT?! RINOA, THAT'S TERRIFIC!!!!! YOU--WOW!!!!! I, I, THIS IS SUCH GREAT NEWS!!!!!"
"Yes, I know," giggled Rinoa bashfully. "Believe it or not, Squall smiled for three whole hours straight when I told him the news. He looked happier than I ever saw him in ages."
"OH, MAN!!!!" shouted Zell in the phone (thankfully, the loud boy was all by himself, or else he would have gotten many stares for his boisterous behavior). "THAT'S RADICAL!!" Rinoa laughed in the phone, and Zell blushed as he realized that he was shouting. He calmed down enough to resume his normal voice (which was loud enough on its own), and apologized.
"That's okay!" chuckled Rinoa. "I'm glad you're happy, too. I'm only about two months into it, but we can already tell. Unfortunately, I haven't been in the best health recently, so our doctor told us not to do any unnecessary traveling. Sorry, but it seems you'll have to make the trip up here."
"Aw, that's no problem at all!" exclaimed Zell happily. "I'm sure Amy won't mind if we take a trip up north! Besides, that might give us some quality time to--" Zell flinched, and suddenly covered his mouth as he realized what he almost said (he dropped the phone in the process).
"Quality time to what?" came the tinny voice of Rinoa. "…Zell? Zell, are you there?"
"Sorry," he said as he picked up the phone. "I guess I'm still a big-mouth. Don't worry about what I just said, okay?" Another suspicious pause in the conversation caused Zell to worry just slightly.
"…Zell, did you get a girlfriend while we were away?"
"No!" he insisted.
"Zell…" Rinoa's voice was already starting to sound like a mother's. "Tell me the truth, Zell!" He sighed, and shook his head in defeat.
"Eh… well, she's not officially my girlfriend… We're just good friends. Honest! That's all there is!"
"For now, at least!" replied Rinoa slyly. Zell grumbled incoherently.
"Yeah, yeah…"
"Heeheehee… Just lay out the old charm and she'll be all over you before you leave!"
"Hey, I'm not Irvine, here!" insisted Zell. Rinoa laughed out loud, and apologized before poor Zell could be further offended.
"In all seriousness," said Rinoa, catching her breath from the laugh she had, "I don't think you and… what was her name?"
"Amy Mizuno."
"Right. I don't think you and Miss Mizuno should have that kind of relationship. Don't let her get caught between choosing a life with you or going back home. That would just be too difficult on her."
"Yeah, I know," he replied sadly. "And in all truth, Rin, I'm really starting to like her more than a friend. It's a shame, too. She's a really great girl. But, I guess she needs to be back in her own world, eh?"
"Yeah…" One final pause wedged in between their conversations, and Rinoa asked how everyone else was, as per usual. Zell affirmed her that everyone was okay (he didn't mention Seifer), and that both Rinoa and Squall were missed. They ended up saying goodbye to each other for half a minute, wherein Zell promised to meet up with Rinoa in a month's time, at the most.
"Oh," muttered Rinoa before she hung up, "you wanna talk to Squall?"
"I guess," shrugged Zell. A tiny silence hovered on the line, and the familiar curt voice of Squall popped up on the phone.
"Yeah?"
"How's it hangin' daddy-o?" Squall let out a grunt, and Zell could already see him holding his temples in irritation.
"Rinoa…"
"What? He deserved to know as much as you did!"
"………Sorry," came Squall's hushed voice. "…Uh, I guess everything's going okay, Zell. Uh, I guess we'll see you in a month. Bye now."
"Hey, Squall, give Rinoa a kiss for me." No answer. Zell grinned as he tried to imagine what sort of face Squall had on now, and a dead dial tone told him that his withdrawn friend had hung up on him. Cackling gently, Zell rubbed his hands and left the phone booth. He had some news to give to Amy.
Amy, Fujin, Nida, Raijin, and Seifer were all gathered together in the same cozy room, most of them wearing smiles of happiness or contentment. Even though most of the group looked unruly and strange upon first sight, they were in fact among the greatest and most loyal friends Amy had ever known. She had privately learned about Seifer's dark past, and took every word with an open mind and a few grains of salt. The amnesia, she noted, seemed to be the best thing that had happened to him since… well, maybe ever.
As for Raijin, he continued to play the role of Amy's "big brother", saving her spots in the lunch line, shooing off potential boyfriends, joking around as always, and basically being the stupid but harmless young man he always was. Nida and Amy hit it off immediately; the two were very good friends at worst, and at best, were on the same thought frequencies as the other. Almost every time something happened, the two would look at each other and silently convey their thoughts.
Fujin was both the most unlikely and most beloved friend Amy had had, all at once. Her physical appearance was even more frightening than gentle-giant Raijin's, what with her pale skin, silvery hair, and single red-hot eye. Yet beneath the haunting and rough exterior laid a gentle heart, and a caring soul that never really revealed itself unless in the company of intimate friends.
Seifer was snoring rather loudly.
"I have a question, Fujin," said Amy gently, for she did not want to disturb her blonde friend's rest. "If it doesn't offend you, why do you talk the way you do?" Fujin gave her friend an inquisitive look.
"IMPORTANT?"
"No, I'm just curious," said Amy. Fujin shrugged, gazed at Nida with her single eye, and nodded her head. The average young man understood, and distanced himself from his enigmatic girlfriend. Fujin stood out of her chair, walked across the room, and sat down next to Amy.
"SECRET," she said, and Amy smiled lightly. The look on Fujin's dead-serious face killed the smile immediately.
"Is it… personal?" whispered Amy. Fujin nodded her head.
"CLOSE FRIENDS ONLY," she said, pointing to her ear. Amy understood, but had to wonder why Nida of all people was excluded. From what she could tell, the two of them were exceptionally close. Whatever the reasons were, they must have been so private that only the posse could know about it. Gently, Fujin leaned in very close, and what she said surprised Amy.
"This is my real voice," she said gently, and the softness and quiet of the sound surprised Amy. This surprise was visible enough for Fujin to smile at. "It's no wonder you're surprised," said the woman softly. "Only the posse, Squall, Rinoa, and one other person knows of my 'true identity'."
"But, I still don't know why you…"
"…It's really personal," said Fujin in her soft voice. "…Back when I was growing up… you and Raijin were my only defense. I was… weak, scrawny, unhealthy, sickly. I… well, I was not even a 98-pound weakling; I was worse. When I spoke, like this, people laughed at me, and I was ridiculed because of the way I was…… well, born."
"…Oh." Amy sadly gazed at her friend, a look of deep compassion on her face. She could already tell that this was going to be even more personal, and she (as the "false" Amy Mizuno) had no real right to hear it. She even felt terrible listening, and wanted to say something about it, but it would have crushed Fujin to learn that all this time, her friend was a mere impostor.
Besides, Amy could empathize, in a way. Because of her study habits, she was something of a hermit, and up until the day she became a Sailor Scout, she had been looked at as a snob, or else a very quiet and unsociable girl. Amy could feel what her friend had went through, so as a friend would, she heard Fujin out until the very end.
"…This went on for… quite some time," continued Fujin. "I was always the butt of every joke, being tormented and laughed at and picked on. It was not a good life, and even though you and Raijin stuck up for me when you could, I still got pointed out as 'the different one'.
"One day, a very long time ago, I finally snapped. I don't know how it happened myself, but my mind just had enough of that life. When I got insulted, I lashed out at anyone who spoke ill of me. I… well, used my… 'other voice'. This… well, scared them away.
"Using my 'other' voice gave me a sense of power and control, so I just kept on using it until I formed a habit. Nowadays, it takes a lot of effort to use this gentle voice of mine, and I only use it in the company of intimate friends. Of course, there was this one time where I was forced to talk this way. Remember the episode I told you about in Lunatic Pandora? Well, I figured that using my 'real' voice was the only way to get Seifer back to us. I failed… or, maybe I didn't, but anyway, that's my story." Fujin smiled eerily, and reached for a glass of water to clear her throat. Amy, needless to say, was amazed.
"…Incredible," she whispered. "…And, you trust me with this secret?"
"Of course I do," smiled Fujin warmly. "You've been my closest friend since time began. We were a few weddings away from being sisters, if you know what I mean. My grandfather and your grandfather were best friends, so I guess the link has been strong ever since. I trust you more than anyone in the world." Amy smiled, but it wasn't exactly a happy smile. It was quite hollow, for deep in her heart, she knew that she had done something very wicked by pretending to be the friend that Fujin trusted so.
It was true that Amy liked Fujin very much, as well as the rest of the posse, and Nida and Selphie and everyone else (and Zell). She had grown to love them all, and parts of her preferred staying in the Garden over going home. She knew she would break many hearts if she left, or revealed her true identity, or both. Perhaps it would have been better for everyone else if Zell had not found her……
Sighing, she tried not to punish herself too much. The damage she had done was irreversible, so hopefully, she wouldn't have to do anything too terribly bad for the rest of her stay. Of course, the problems would be there wherever she went. Amy was now and forever caught between the proverbial Rock and Hard Place. If she stayed behind, she would worry her friends to death and the world would be 20% more dangerous with the absence of a Sailor Scout (she remembered how close her friends came to defeat when she considered moving to Germany).
But if she left, she would have to break many hearts, and shatter many hopes, and see many friends grow sad and maybe even angry. She would have to leave the posse behind, and dear sweet Selphie, and flirtatious Irvine and level-headed Quistis. No longer could she learn from Dr. Kadowaki, or from Edea or Cid or Xu. And, perhaps most sad of all, she would leave behind somebody whom she was having very affectionate feelings for……
"Amy? Amy?" The blue-haired genius snapped out of her trance, seeing a concerned Fujin before her. "…Amy, are you all right? You seemed to have blanked out for awhile."
"Oh, uh…… ahhh, sorry, Fujin. I just got lost in thought, that's all." Fujin grew a smile, and ruffled Amy's icy hair with a white hand.
"AS USUAL," she said in her "normal" voice. Amy smiled, and gave her new best friend a very tight hug. Fujin didn't dare question why Amy did such things; all signs of affection were accepted without hesitation.
"Amy! Amy!!" The tender moment was abruptly ruined as an overzealous blonde young man blasted his way in the room, his face contorted with the usual excitement. Everyone except Seifer (who had somehow slept through it all) groaned out loud.
"Hello, Zell," said Amy with a measure of friendliness. "Why all the excitement?"
"I think I finally found a way for you to get back to your own world!!!" he shouted. For the briefest of seconds, Amy's face gazed back at the young man in puzzlement, then in disbelief, then in horror. Fujin, Raijin, Nida, and now a very-awake Seifer all gave her inquisitive glances as they heard Zell's news.
"Amy, what does he mean, 'your own world'?" asked Nida. Fearfully, Amy shook her head, her worst nightmares coming to reality at last as her friends stared at her. Whether he had meant to or not, Zell had foolishly revealed Amy's secret, and now a thick cloud of confusion and betrayal fell on the room.
"Oh, I guess they don't know yet," muttered Zell casually. Suddenly, he realized the gravity of his error, but the damage was done and there was nothing anybody could do about it.
"AMY…?" Fujin's face, more than anybody's, was filled with confusion and dread and questions and perhaps a glint of betrayal. Her single red eye stared hard into Amy's twin blue eyes, and for the rest of her life, Amy would never forget that horrible, betrayed look.
Zell hissed fearfully, and said only one thing.
"…Ohhhhhhh, crap."
