Disclaimer: As the same with all the other chapters, I don't own anything I didn't come
up with. That belongs to Square. I do this for no profit. Blah, blah, blah.
Additional note: This chapter is dedicated to Nightstalker, since, hell, the guy did
create the new character Dorin Vachon and it was hella cool of him to let me use the character in
the story. Thanks, dude! :) I'll try to keep him the way you want him to be. :D
Chapter 8: Stranger In A Strange Land
Without needing to hear who graduated the exam, Vira headed over to the Infirmary to ask
Doctor Kadowaki about what had been happening to her. She needed to get it under control, there
was no doubt about that, the question was really how she would go about doing that. She wished
she really knew what it was that was going on inside of her. Why was a ghost of this woman
haunting her, triggering her most primeval forces within? A question without an answer at this
point.
-There must be some reason why she's appearing like this. Revenge? Warning? Something
must be going on here. Why do I keep remembering someone telling me I was a mistake? Was it my
mother? Or is Xana's ghost putting these memories into my head while I sleep? Listen to me,
talking about ghosts...it sounds silly. Maybe just the stress of moving to a new place, meeting
new people, and everything else that has happened has just made me crack.-
"Vira?" Quistis' caring voice came from behind Vira.
Spinning around, Vira could see Quistis looking at her with concern. She was still in her
SeeD uniform, as was Vira, but a sense of authority radiated from Quistis. The authority of a
teacher or perhaps an older sister. She could sense that Quistis was genuinely worried about her.
Maybe it was the way her deep blue eyes shined like sapphires in a compassionate way. For a
moment, Vira felt like telling Quistis everything about Xana's ghost. But, something held her
back. "Quistis? What?"
Quistis gestured with her hand down the path to the Infirmary. "Are you going to stand
here, thinking in your own little world, or are you going into the Infirmary?"
"Oh, right." Vira nodded. "I'm going."
"Mind if I tag along?" asked Quistis, already walking beside Vira.
Vira shrugged. "I guess not."
"What are you going to see Doctor Kadowaki about? The..." Quistis hesitated saying or
even thinking about it. "....incident?"
"Yeah. I think it might be related to stress." Vira replied.
Quistis seemed to ponder this suggestion throughoughly. "Perhaps. Maybe it would be
easier to tell what is going on if you told us what you've been seeing. You can't always keep
things to yourself. You gotta let people in once in a while."
"I would tell you what I saw, if I knew what it meant and what it was." Vira curtly
responded.
Quistis was taken aback by this and stopped in her tracks as Vira continued to the
Infirmary. "Oh.." She breathed.
Doctor Kadowaki sat at her desk, just waiting for someone to come in. Quietly, she went
over her collection of Triple Triad cards, though she hadn't really actively played matches of
it in years. It was still a large and well-rounded collection of cards. One that she was proud
of. When there were no students in the Infirmary, Doctor Kadowaki would sit at her desk and go
through her card collection; remembering each match as she picked up one of the aging cards in
her hand. As she carefully inspected a Tonberry King card and remembered the tough match she had
fought to win that card, Vira slowly walked into her office and stared at the doctor. Vira either
was not too keen on bringing up what her problem was, or she did not want to disturb the doctor.
Doctor Kadowaki's bet was on the first choice.
"What can I do for you, Vira? Your ribs hurting again?" She questioned in a friendly
manner.
Vira shifted her weight from one foot to another nervously. "I've been having some
problems with my sleeping, and I was wondering if there was a reason for it. And...I've been sort
of hallucinating." She finally admitted.
The doctor raised an eyebrow in bemusement. "Hallucinating? Of what?"
"A woman. And these pair of eyes." The young woman hesitantly answered.
"Hmm..." Doctor Kadowaki sounded. She raised herself to her feet and moved over to Vira,
inspecting the girl's body with great attention. "And you've been extremely tired lately, yes?"
"Yes." Vira quickly replied. "Is it beacuse I haven't had enough sleep?"
Doctor Kadowaki stopped for a moment and thought for a moment. She then quickly nodded.
"Yeah, that very well might be the case. I'll tell Headmaster Cid that any missions you go on
for a while should have a relatively low stress factor. Taking you completely out of the field
isn't good because it will disupt your normal sleeping habits. Just try to get a good night's
sleep and keep the stress to a minimum. If this happens again, or anything similar; come to me
right away. It could be something more."
Vira breathed out a sigh of a relief and nodded slowly. "Yes, ma'am. I'll remember to do
that. I'm sure I just need a good night's sleep." She then turned and left the Infirmary as if
she was being chased by the angel of Death itself. This left a slightly confused Doctor Kadowaki
standing in the middle of the room, wondering if Vira had been telling her all of what had been
happening to her.
Soft music floated across the room to the ears of every person in the ballroom. It
matched perfectly with the gentle yellow light that the ballroom featured, giving it the overall
feel of an era long past. A large glass skylight above the slick, marble dance floor, showcased
a plethora of twinkling stars. Diamonds in a black velvet sky. Everything seemed perfect,
everyone was in the highest of spirits and the dancing was some of the finest ever seen. All
people inside seemed to be having the time of their lives, especially the SeeD graduates. Yes,
Seifer had finally made it, his face positively beaming with happiness and pride. Never had he
felt so proud of himself and his self-control. With an aura of julbilant pride, Seifer stood in
his SeeD uniform at last, regaling his battle to Raijin and Fujin with glee and a small amount
of boastfullness. On the dance floor, Rinoa had convinced Squall to dance, reminding him that
this was how they met. Finally relenting, she pulled him onto the dance floor once again, ready
to dance the night away. Except that this time, both of them featured a SeeD uniform. Squall
lightly mentioned he thought Rinoa looked nice in it, to which she gushed and recalled that
Squall was the best looking guy at the last graduation and still was. Not surprisingly, the
couple were both dancing in the most divine way. There was no time where the two bumped into
another dancer or stumbled onto each other. Squall had learned that from the last time. So the
two were dancing quite happily, adding to the scene of joy that this ball was trying to
accomplish. Not far from them were Selphie and Irvine, also dancing their contented hearts out.
Both were dashing in their SeeD uniforms and seemed to look as excited as they felt. Although,
Irvine still managed to keep his cowboy hat on, which Selphie sometimes grabbed from his head to
place it on hers. On the sidelines stood Quistis talking to Headmaster Cid, and Edea, who had
managed to drop by for this occasion. She looked quite regal, dressed in her Matron garb. It
seemed to match and compliment her hair with a pleasing tone. All three seemed to be deep into
conversation as at a nearby table, Zell was stuffing his face with the food that the party goers
were being served. Once he had an adaquite supply of food, he bounded from the table and
appeared to be searching for someone.
A dark figure stood alone not far from the dance floor; it was Vira. In her SeeD uniform
still, she looked quite striking, but overall the darkness played against her face. A waitress
walked by, quickly handing Vira a drink and then walking off to the rest of the guests. Taking
small sips, Vira observed the happy dancers and jovial guests with a small amount of jealosy.
She had never really been able to connect with people ever since she was young. It was always
that she could take care of herself, she didn't need anyone. But sometimes, the pang of lonliness
and the dark stalking angel of Misery would knock at her heart's door, begging to come inside.
Most of the time she pushed it out of the way, leaving Misery out in the cold. However, sometimes
the green eyed monster of Jealousy was able to slip Misery a key, and both would briefly run
rampant in her heart. This was one of those times. Watching Squall and Rinoa look at each other
so blissfully left a bad taste in Vira's mouth. It wasn't that she had a thing for Squall. That
would be more like dating a brother. But, it was the love and bliss the two shared between each
other that was what Vira pined for. Finally, being able to open to someone and let the brick
walls down. Vira hissed at her own thoughts, reminding herself that it was too late. All too
late.
"Too late." She whispered to herself as she turned to walk out.
Something grasping to Vira's hand stopped her from leaving the ballroom. Turning her
head to look over her should she could see Zell and the wide grin on his face. Apathetically,
Vira glanced at his hand holding hers and back to his face. He was still grinning, as the
chesire cat would, which made Vira feel that he had something in mind he wanted her to do.
"Yo, Vira. Dance with me." Zell demanded, albeit kindly and friendly.
"No." Vira frowned at the very mention of dancing.
Zell still did not let go of her hand. "C'mon. Rinoa got Squall to dance and you seem to
know he's not the type to do that sorta thing. It'll be fun, I promise!"
"Not a chance, Zell. I don't dance. Ever." She replied, stone coldly.
The boy did not give up. "It'll be fun, though!"
"I don't like fun."
"Everyone likes fun. What's the problem?" Zell asked.
For a moment, Vira didn't answer. She just stood staring at Zell, who was still holding
her hand firmly. Finally she whispered. "I...can't dance. At all. So I don't."
"That didn't stop Rinoa from teaching Squall. C'mon!" Already Zell was pulling a
reluctant Vira onto the large ballroom dancing floor. Without being able to resist in time, she
was stuck with Zell in the middle of a dance. He pulled one of her hands to his shoulder and
grasped the other one in his. A bit hesitantly, he placed his other hand near Vira's hip.
"Hey, watch it." She hissed back at him.
"Sorry. Look, just follow what I do and you'll be fine." He apologized.
Slowly Zell began to take the lead, taking steps forward and backward. Vira attempted to
keep up, but was stepping on Zell's feet as a result every few seconds. He would wince every time
but refused to give up on Vira. The two tried another move which landed them into another dancing
couple. Vira looked apologetically to the other couple, while Zell told them that Vira was new
to dancing. Scoffing them off slightly, the other couple went back to their dance. Vira tried
one more time to do this, she followed a sliding move that would end in her spinning into Zell.
The move stared out all right, but the finish was a disaster. Vira spun too much, knocking Zell
over and landing on the ground. Furious and embarrassed, Vira stormed off the dance floor, Zell
following her closely.
"Vira, wait! We can do this!" He yelled to her.
Slight tremors and explosions could be heard above; the fireworks were going off to
celebrate the graduates. Now accompaning the diamonds in the velet sky were bright sparkles of
loud color, accentuating the heavenly spendor of the night sky and this auspicious occasion. It
did not help things with Zell and Vira much, though. She continued to storm out of the ballroom,
sounding a string of curse words along the way.
"Zell, go back to the party! I am going to bed! No more!" Vira demanded furiously.
When Vira had reached the exit to the grand ballroom, Zell stopped. He realized that his
perfect idea to brining himself closer to Vira had turned sour. Silently he chided himself for
not listening to her proclimations of not being able to dance. There could have been other things
for the two of them to do, like sitting and talking. There was so much about this beautiful girl
he wanted to know. Just once, Zell would have liked to see Vira smile. Really smile. He figured
that if he could see her beauty under the stone cold mask she almost always wore, than in a good
mood, her beauty would be unimaginable. But, there was no way for him to see that tonight. Zell
had messed up with Vira, and hoped that the next day he would be able to apologize for such an
autrocity.
"I'm sorry...Vira. I just wanted...to make you happy." Zell whispered to himself, turning
morosely back to the ball.
Vira had left the party behind, the Waltz of the Moon dancing song they were playing and
the sounds of celebration dying the farther she got away from it. Soon she stepped off the
elevator, the sounds of celebration totally silent to her. Never had she been so embarrassed in
her life. What had happened had made her look totally unprofessional; something that should never
happen in front of the lower ranking students. Vira hung her head down in shame as she slowly
decended the stairs. It had been terrible; falling over herself, stepping on feet, bumping into
others. All she had wanted at that time was just to be left alone. She had no one, nothing like
what Squall had with Rinoa, and she figured she never would. It was too late for her to try to
become anything she wasn't.
-Why kid yourself? You can never find anyone with the way you've been. Never talk to
anyone unless you have to...never friendly. It's driven everyone away. Why not? They'll never
stay. No one ever does. They'll just leave you in the end. Happens to everyone. No reason to get
attached...still...you can't help but feel a little jealous, can you? Forget it. It's too late
to change now. Just keep thinking that. I just wish Zell would leave me alone. He doesn't make it
any easier...and he just had to embarrass me like that...oooh, it's gonna take me a while to get
over this one, that's for sure...-
All these thoughts rushed through Vira's mind while she walked slowly down the stairs.
Vira began to figure it was her own damn fault for being so distant and cold to others, but it
was the only way she could keep her insecurities and lonliness in check. If she got too close, it
could prove fatal for her. Or at least that is what she thought. At any rate, it was too late
for her to change her ways. Always too late. Always...
"It's always too damn late." She whispered to herself. It seemed to be the phrase of the
night for her. The one sentence repeating itself as a broken record would over and over again.
She sighed and began to turn towards her dorm room, tired and hurting from her dance encounter,
when she heard the front gates open and close. Immediately, her years of training kicked in. The
Garden was never open this late to anyone. Unless they were SeeDs...
-Or an assassin. If it's not one thing, it's another.-
Vira's mind then darted to her kamagunblades, lying next to her bed in her dorm room.
Silently, she cursed herself for leaving them behind and now sorely wished they were with her.
Whoever this person was, she would have to fight them with just her fighting skills and magic,
if needed. Quietly, she edged towards the front entrance, sticking to the shadows.
As the steps drew closer, Vira saw a tall man clad in all black, with a large bag slung
over one of his shoulders, walking across the center of the main hall. Still, Vira stayed in the
shadows, wary of the man. His height was at least 6 feet, with all black fatigues, vest and
boots. The uniform itself reflected military lineage, or at the least, many years of service. On
his right breast pocket were tiny crimson bands, probably to show his rank. A black riding glove
covered hand reached up to take off the black with red stripes military hat on his head. He also
wore a long black trench coat, and Vira could just make out a sword sheathed on his back. His
blonde hair was cut in a military cut, adding to the whole feeling of something official about
him, and his eyes were piercing ice blue. He could not have been much older than Vira, maybe two
years at the most. And yet, he carried himself with a poise that came from maturity, or at least
a large amount of time training. Those pierceing ice blue eyes calmly looked around the Garden's
massive first floor.
"Are you a SeeD?" He suddenly asked, with a clear, calm voice. There was a touch of an
aristocratic tone to it as well. Vira cautiously stepped out from the shadows and looked at the
man; ready if he was to try anything.
"Yes," She eventually responded, still quite suspicious. "And who are you?"
"My name is Dorin Vachon." He announced. "I must speak with Headmaster Cid. Immediately."
He said nothing else, an expression that was totally unreadable crossed his face. Vira relaxed,
but only slightly. This stranger, Dorin, intrigued her, but she was still uneasy.
-Man, and I thought I never showed much emotion...-
"He's at the SeeD graduation, in the ballroom. That's where everyone is." She finally
answered.
"Graduation?" He asked. "So you are a new SeeD?"
Vira was quick to respond to this. "No. But everyone has to be there." Even though it
should not have bothered her, Vira was a little angry at the accusation of being a new SeeD.
"But you aren't." Dorin observed, then adding, "If Headmaster Cid is there, then I must
see him. It is important."
This was not enough for Vira. She could not just show some strange man into the ball
without a real reason first. She had to ask this mysterious stranger what he needed Headmaster
Cid for. It was not only good protocol, she was also genuinely curious. "Why do you need to see
Headmaster Cid?"
Dorin remained silent for a moment. Then slowly answered, "That is his business."
"I have to know to tell him why you're here." Vira told him, sticking to her position.
He sighed. "Very well. I am here from Draconia with an urgent message. We are told from
our neighboring county, Galbadia, that their ruler will set up her operations in our conutry
to bring peace to both contries. Galbadia and Draconia have had several battles in the past and
do not get along. That is why we cut off all ties with other counties many years ago." Dorin
explained, although he sounded like he did not want to even say that much to her.
"Draconia? Didn't know that place was still around." Vira commented.
"It is. I need to see Headmaster Cid to discuss with him how to get the Galbadian ruler
out of our country. Galbadia's ruler does not belong in Draconia. Even to bring peace." Dorin
added. "Now, show me to Headmaster Cid."
Relenting, Vira pointed to the stairs up to the elevator and slowly trudged up them
again. "Follow me. I'll show you to him." She ordered.
Vira made sure to let Dorin stay a few steps ahead of her as they walked up the stairs.
Dorin said nothing else to her after that, leaving her with still more questions. Draconia was a
country that was not even shown on the maps these days. Years ago, it cut off contacts will all
other countries, and since then grew into just a myth. People did not know where this mysterious
Draconia was located, it later falling from the maps completely, and only heard stories of huge
dragon-like Guardian Forces there revered as Gods. It had been said that the people there each
had one that they would pray to. Legends of their swords and fighting style had also been told
as stories from one generation to another. It had been said they had a very fuedal system of
government, with houses of lords and surfs. Such government had been abandoned decades ago by
all other countries. It was no wonder that Draconia had been shrouded in mystery and legend. It
had dropped off the map in the days of the one surpreme ruler, a woman named Anarix. Long before
sorceresses like Adel and Edea came along. There was no one alive to that day who knew the
location of the country, save the enigma standing in front of Vira. Now they had come back,
breaking the legends into glass shards on the ground. Vira was still very curious as to how the
ruler of Galbadia knew the location of this fabled country...and since when was the ruler of
Galbadia a female? These questions would have to be put on hold as the two swiftly rode up the
elevator to the ballroom.
"C'mon, Zell, it can't be that bad." Rinoa said, trying to cheer the boy up. He had been
in terrible spirits since Vira had walked out not too long ago. Sulkingly, he headed to a table
and slumped into a chair nearby. Once the dance had been over, Squall and Rinoa had walked over
to see what he had been up to. Seeing him in such a bad mood made the two wonder how bad his
dance with Vira had been and how much he really felt for the girl.
"You didn't see it, Rinoa. She...fell on the floor, after bumping into a lot of people,
knocking me over, stepping on feet. She didn't have the patience to stick around to get good at
it." Zell put his head between his hands, speaking in a low voice.
Rinoa frowned with sadness, turning to Squall. Confused, Squall shrugged his shoulders.
"Squall, talk to him." She ordered.
Squall sighed and looked down at the slumping Zell. "It really isn't that bad, Zell.
She'll come back. She has to eventually. You can apologize in the morning. I'm sure she's
forgotten all about it. Just...don't ask her to dance again. Okay?"
"Squall!" Rinoa responded, shocked. Slightly angry, she punched him lightly in the
shoulder.
"What? I'm helping, aren't I?" Squall defended himself.
Rinoa rolled her eyes a bit. "You still have a little ways to go." She remarked.
"...whatever." Squall answered, retreating into his thoughts. He turned his gaze from the
gloomy Zell to the dance floor, where Irvine and Selphie were still dancing the night away. It
seemed like the two had nearly boundless energy when it came to things like that. Shifting his
eyes to the front of the ballroom, he spotted Vira entering again. Without seeing who was next to
her, he turned back to Zell. "Hey, Zell. Vira came back, like I said. You can go apologize to her
now."
Zell fell even further into his hands. "I doubt she'll even let me speak to her."
Having enough of this moping attitude, Squall got up from his chair and picked up Zell.
Disoriented by this, Zell squirmed around, but wasn't strong enough to break free from Squall.
The young man pushed Zell in the direction of Vira, calling after him. "Just tell her you're
sorry already." After saying that to Zell, Squall sat back down in his chair, Rinoa shaking her
head as a small smile played across her lips.
"You definitely have a little ways to go." She said.
"That's what you're here for." Squall answered, kissing Rinoa lightly on the cheek.
Mumbling morosely to himself, Zell manuvered around the rest of the guests in the party
towards Vira. He kept up this pace and finally caught up to her, just to be ignore completely as
she walked by, a tall blonde man following her. It was as if she had not even seen Zell at all,
which deep down, hurt him a bit. He wanted her to notice him, to see that he was there for her.
But all she did was quickly walk past him, as if he did not exist at all. Zell turned and
followed, breathlessly saying, "Yo, Vira. I'm really sorry about earlier. I can give ya dance
lessons privately if ya want for the next graduation. Or, I'll just never ask you to dance at all
ever. Forgive me. Please?"
Highly distracted, Vira waved a hand at Zell. "Mmmh, okay, Zell. Have you seen Headmaster
Cid? I need to talk to him."
"Sure." Zell pointed to Quistis, who was standing in front of Headmaster Cid, blocking
him from view. "He's over there talking to Quistis. What you ya need to talk to him about?"
Already walking towards Cid, Vira jutted her thumb back to the blonde man following her.
"Don't have time to explain. You'll find out later."
Zell stopped walking aside her and watched the two purposefully walk over to Cid. Still
quite confused about all of this, especially this military looking man, Zell scratched his head
and stared at them. "Okay..." He trailed off.
Quistis turned around when Vira had tapped her, feeling the urgency in her movement.
"Vira? What is it?"
"I need to talk to Headmaster Cid, now. Can you move out of the way, please?" She asked.
Quistis all at once took in the tall blonde man standing behind Vira. His face remained
unreadable, no emotion being showed at all. His icy blue eyes gazed around the room slowly, as
if the man had never seen a ball before. Bemused, Quistis stepped aside, mumbling, "Yeah..."
Vira rushed a thank you and saluted before Headmaster Cid, and Edea standing next to him.
He too looked quite confused with what was going on, but seemed to be ready for Vira to explain
her actions. He nodded for her to be at ease. "What is it, Vira?"
Again, she jutted her thumb back to Dorin and explained quickly, "This man says his name
is Dorin Vachon from Draconia and has come to talk to you about the ruler of Galbadia setting
up their base in his country. They don't want that and need Garden to help them negociate or
something. It seems like he hasn't been out of his country in a real long time, if ever. I
wouldn't doubt that they also want him to learn our customs or something like that."
Edea glanced at Dorin, saying, "Draconia had fallen off the map years ago. I didn't even
know it still existed."
"Appearantly the ruler of Galbadia knows." Vira remarked.
Cid put up a hand to silence Vira. "Okay, I'll see him. Just tell him I can't do it now.
I'll see him in my office in the morning at 8. Until then..." Cid stopped to think for a moment
but then added, "You can give him the choice to just go to sleep in one of the empty dorm rooms
or join the party. Either way, he'll be staying the night."
"Yes, sir." Vira saluted once again and turned to Dorin. He looked at her with his icy
stare, looking displeased with all that was around him. Trying to shrug it off for the moment,
Vira said, "Headmaster Cid can't see you tonight because of the graduation, but he will see you
tomorrow at 8. You can leave your stuff in one of the empty dorm rooms and sleep there. He also
said that, if you wish, you can joing the festivities."
"Did you tell him it was urgent?" Dorin asked, emotionless.
Vira sighed, frustrated. "Yes, I did. But he said he can't see you until tomorrow."
Not ready to believe her, Dorin turned to Cid and Edea. He did a small bow, then asking,
"Headmaster Cid, is it true that I am unable to see you until tomorrow morning?"
Cid nodded. "Yes. I really have to be here for the graduation tonight. Believe me, I'll be
all ears tomorrow morning. Now, please, partake of the festivities. I'm sure you'll find them
very entertaining."
"My journey here has been a long and hard one. I think the best thing for me right now is
to get some sleep. May I be shown to one of the rooms?" Dorin said, now rising from his bow. His
voice's aristocratic tone really came through at that moment. A somewhat sharp ringing bell,
different from all other voices in the room. The cadence was completely different from anything
that the group had heard before.
"Yes, yes. Of course." Cid returned, then turning to Vira. "Vira, show him to one of the
empty dorm rooms."
Vira sighed again, but tried to keep it discreet. "Yes, sir." She turned towards the exit,
motioning with her hand for Dorin to follow. "Come with me. I'll show you to a room where you
can stay."
"Very well." Dorin responded, then fell silent for the duration of his trip to the dorms.
Cid stood watching the man leave, more than a little puzzled by this new turn in events.
His wife could sense this, as most wives could always sense something wrong with their
husbdands. She looked at him with empathetic eyes and asked, "What do you think is going on?"
Shaking his head slowly, Cid answered, "I really have no idea. But whatever it is, it's
big. I guess we'll find out in the morning."
All the guests went on dancing, drinking and eating; enjoying the ball with such joy and
exuberence. Waltz for the Moon played softly in the back, the notes of the beautiful song
floating high into the air before dissapating. As if they were trying to reach the black velet
diamond covered heavens but fell short. Everything was happy and joyful; nothing to foreshadow
the events to come.
Author's comments: This took me a while to write. Sorry. :( My hands have been hurting a
little bit so it's been harder to type this stuff out. That, and it was my birthday on Friday.
I'll try to pick up the pace a bit if I can. The next chapter will be more of our new character,
Dorin, and his interaction with these foreigners to him. We will learn a little bit more about
what is happening to the mysterious land of Draconia. And teams will also be split up to deal
with the TV Station mission. Sorry for any improper grammar or spelling, but I'm writing this
quite late at night so mistakes are bound to happen.What did you think of this latest
installment? Please R&R to let me know. :) Stay tuned for more. :D
