(¯`'·
·'´¯)
All You Wanted
(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)
(¯`'·
·'´¯)
( I didn't
know that, )
( It was so cold and, )
( You
needed someone to show you the way.. )
(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)
Dear Miz, Nagumi no
Auraleigh and Michelle/Myst-Lady--
Thank you so much for pointing out things I need to clear up. I
just reread everything, and there are a few 'iffy' parts. I'm
fixing those up- thank you so much for reviewing!
-- *Chapter 3: Virus* --
"There wasn't a lot going on for me. I made friends- that was it. It was boring. Until 'it' happened."
"What was 'it'?"
"When Rei got sick. I think...I think that was the turning point."
-- ** --
Rei was tapping her pencil in class. Instructor Trepe was teaching a lesson on junctioning GFs, something she still didn't fully understand. She was sort of spacing out...she heard Quistis' voice, but it went in one ear and out the other. Her surroundings seemed faded and dull. At any moment, she expected to see Usagi bounding into class, late and dissheveled, just like she did back home.
Home.
It was gone now. More than a week had passed since they had started classes regularly at Balamb. Rei was neither catching on or fitting in. Minako had some ease making new friends, and Ami caught on quickly with the whole magic thing- learning was so easy for her. Rei was here, stuck in the middle. Junctioning...GFs...spells...Pheonix Downs- or was it Pheonix Ups? Why was it called a Pheonix Up (or Down) in the first place? And how on...Gaea?...did they expect her to memorize the thick bestiary she was provided with when she started classes? She let out a deep sigh. Rei looked down to her study panel, and she tapped a few keys on it.
A box popped up- the main menu she had seen many times before. Next to a box marked 'Garden Festival Committee' was a little picture that said 'New!'. Checking to make sure Instructor Trepe wasn't looking, Rei accessed that webpage. A colorful site popped up, showing details on a festival. Apparently, it took place once a year. The Chairman of the Garden Festival Committee, Selphie Tilmitt, was anxiously looking for new members to help her organize the thing. The sound of Instructor Trepe's boots coming down the aisle caused Rei to come out of her haze. She clicked away the box and took her pencil up in her hand. She looked down at the impossible test.
"Mmm...Rei," Quistis sighed. She looked over the work Rei had completed- not much any standards- and clucked. "You're having a hard time. Headmaster Cid informed me of your 'memory' problem. I can see that you've forgotten a lot more than I first guessed. I think you might need a tutor."
Rei nodded. "I...think so, too. This magic stuff is...tough, to say the least."
Quistis smiled sympathetically. "Mmhmm..." She sat down in the seat next to Rei. Suddenly, Rei felt like a kid in kindergarden again. She smiled at the memory of herself, barely two feet tall and snot-nosed. "What do you understand? What's coming easily for you?"
Rei scratched her head and gave Quistis a sheepish grin. "Umm...to be honest, nothing. It's all so confusing. These photos of the spells in action are so hazy, I can't tell them apart. And status effects- they're all the same in my head."
"Do you think you'd be able to get a better handle if you experienced them first hand?" Quistis asked.
The younger girl answered, "Experience them? Firsthand?"
"I'll cast attacks spells on monsters- not you. Status attacks...you can't really see them. It's best if you experience those, but they aren't painful. You'll also be able to feel the difference between status changes, so you'll know how to treat it. How's that?"
Rei nodded, with a small degree of uncertainty. Instuctor had proved herself to be a nice enough person and a great teacher, so Rei resolved in trusting her.
"What time is your study period?"
"9:30-10:30am, ma'am," Rei answered.
"Oooh, early. Ok, meet me at the Training Center during your study period. I'll go ahead and show you some of the basics. Hopefully we'll be able to get you caught up with the rest of the class."
"Hopefully," Rei repeated. Quistis smiled and gave her an encouraging pat on the back.
-- ** --
Rei rubbed her eyes groggily. She usually slept during her study period; it was optional, after all. Now she waited outside the Training Center for Instructor Trepe, who was supposed to have been there 20 minutes earlier. Rei looked at her watch and then at the menacing steel doors. She had seen the Training Center and heard the terrible sounds the creatures in it made, but Rei had never been in it, deciding it wasn't safe. Every now and then a strangled creature cry would echo through the doors. Rei shivered. At the end of the long hall, she spotted a figure walking toward her. A very bulky figure, decked in a white trench coat, blue vest and baggy black jeans. Not Instructor Trepe.
Ok...where is she? Waiting...waiting...
"You Rei?" asked the stranger.
"Who are you?" Rei asked.
The blonde rolled his deep green eyes. "I'm Seifer. Quis- Instructor Trepe sent me here to help you out."
"Oh." Rei tried to hide her dissappointment and fear. She didn't even know this guy. He could take her into that horrible place, rape and kill her. Or he could cast some terrible spell that turned her into a frog or something. She shuddered visibly.
"What? I'm not going kill you." Then he smirked and added, "As long as you're on my good side, anyway."
Rei ignored that. She said, "So.....Where do we start?"
"Exactly how much help do you need?" Seifer asked.
Rei replied, "All I can get. I know absolutely nothing about using magic or fighting monsters or anything..."
"This is great. She said you needed help, not a mommy." Rei glared at him.
Seifer gestured for her to follow him, and together they walked through the heavy metal doors. It was a dark place, lights flickering everywhere. Plants were overturned, and many things moved and made noises. She looked around and then at Seifer. That's when she noticed the shiny point just below the hem of his trench. He's got a sword?
"You have a sword?" Rei voiced.
"Huh?" Rei pointed to the sharp point.
"Oh, this." Seifer pulled his gunblade away from his belt. He held it up for her to see. "My gunblade, Hyperion." He smiled, and he rubbed a gloved hand over its blade. "It's killed a lot of monsters. Maybe you'll get to see it in action."
Rei snorted, "Oh joy." He ignored that and began searching the place for some kind of creature.
When he spotted one, he said, "Look, there. That's a Grat. Plant monster. It attacks with an attack called Gastric Juice, which has the potential to poison you, plus damage. It also carries Silence and Sleep. It's basic attack, though, is just whopping you with it's tentacles. Did you get all that?"
"Ok. Grat. Plant monster. Carries Silence and Sleep, could poison me with Gastric Juice. Likes to bang on people with tentacles," Rei repeated, quite satisfied with herself.
"Not so hopeless as I thought...Watch me take care of it," Seifer said, an arrogant smile on his lips. He was clearly going to impress. Rei watched him attract the Grat's attention. It turned on Seifer, and Rei wondered how on Earth he would beat such a hideous monster.
Seifer took Hyperion in his hands and swung it a few times in the air. Then, he lunged at the Grat, slashing the blade dramatically. At the moment the blade touched the Grat, and gunshot sounded. Wow, what a nifty little weapon, Rei thought. She watched the Grat wave one if its tentacles and get Seifer on the head. He rubbed the spot the Grat hit with an annoyed expression.
He called to Rei, "I'm going to cast Fira on it. Watch." Rei obeyed, and she watched in fascination as Seifer cast the Fira spell on the Grat. An ember rose up- it seemed to come from within the animal- and it burned it to a crisp. The Grat keeled over. And died. Rei was impressed, and she told him so. He smiled smugly.
"Nah, that was too easy. Grats are nothing. Look. Another one wants its ass kicked. Wanna try casting a spell on it?" Seifer asked.
Rei shook her head. "No, no, no. I don't even know how. I'm still trying to tell the difference between Silence and Esuna," Rei replied.
"Whatever. Stay back," Seifer advised, "this one's a big one." Rei took a step or two back.
Once again, Seifer used his gunblade to strike at the Grat. With a fury, the Grat roared. Strange bubbles of juice floated up from its main body and squirted onto Seifer. He took a deep breath, and his complexion took a sickly green color. He looked at her, a somewhat pained expression on his face.
"That...was Gastric Juice," Seifer groaned. His speech was labored. "It poisoned me. To cure...myself, I'll use...Esuna."
Rei nodded, somewhat concerned for his health. She watched him as he prepped himself for another spell, and then he cast Esuna. It was pretty to look at, and Seifer's complexion returned to normal, as well as his breathing. She clapped. Suddenly, drops of heavy, thick liquid splashed onto Rei's head. She felt dizzy, and her vision was blurred. She saw Seifer running to her, but the Grat attacked with a tentacle from behind, and he tumbled forward. He turned around and cast something on it-
Fira. He just cast Fira on that Grat. Good for me. I'm learning...something...
She felt like she was running a 10K marathon and losing. Rei wanted to curl up and sleep, to get away from this feeling like her cells were throwing up. She felt like throwing up. Her legs wobbled like jelly, and her stomach turned over. Every two seconds, stabs of sick pain registered in her brain. She felt like she was drunk and suddenly very sleepy.
"Esuna," a voice whispered. What a nice...deep..voice. Rei willed her eyes open. She was losing her balance, and she collapsed into someone's arms. She looked up into the most dazzling green eyes she could ever recall seeing. What nice eyes. What nice hair. What a nice smile...mm...sleepy...sleep time...sleepy...what a nice...sleep...Then suddenly...
Ah.
Relief.
A warm tingling sensation consumed Rei. It spread to her limbs and gave Rei the urge to feel, to be felt. She opened her eyes and lights nearly blinded her. They ran together and made strange patterns. She began to laugh. Everything was just so colorful and vibrant. Look at the red lights. It feels so soft. It doesn't smell too great though. I wonder what it tastes like? A great...big...cherry. Now look at this guy, with green eyes. Green, green, nice color green. I bet it tastes like a grape! Wait, wait...I can't taste colors...What the heck is WRONG with me?
-- ** --
Seifer held the falling girl in his arms. She looked so helpless at the moment, all sleepy and weak. He wondered if he could recast Sleep on her for just a minute, to keep her in her drowsy state for a minute longer. She looked happy, with a smile on her face. When Rei regained her balance, she stumbled forward onto Seifer. She began to laugh- a true and genuine laugh that made her look absolutely stunning to Seifer. Rei's hand snaked up the wall of his chest and around his neck. Rei's other hand was on his hip on the inside of his trench. There was a devilish grin on her face. He put his hand over hers and gently pried it off his body. He took a step or two back but still held on to Rei to keep her standing. She blinked a few times, and that cloudy look disappeared from her face.
"Whoa!" she exclaimed. "What was that?!"
Seifer let go of her and ran a hand through his hair. He was sweating a little.
"A Grat got you with Gastric Juice," he explained, "and another came up from behind you and cast sleep on you."
"No, after that. Geez, I felt like I was on E."
Seifer chuckled. That explains the hands. He grinned. And that's when he decided he would have a little 'fun' with Rei.
-- ** --
"Ecstacy?" Seifer said. He chuckled again, and he moved towards her with a sexy, mischevious grin on his lips. Rei noticed the glint in his eye, and it made her a little nervous. He was up to something, and she knew it. Seifer asked, "Did you...hallucinate?"
Rei shook her head. "No. But the lights were making strange patterns. I- I thought I could smell the colors. I was wondering how your...your green eyes tasted." Rei lowered her gaze away from his eyes to his neck, an embarassed smile crossing her face. She blushed just a little. He came closer to her- so close that she could feel warmth emitting form his chest. It was thoroughly unnerving. She did not move though, something stopped her, kept her frozen in place.
"You know," Seifer said lowly, "I heard that ecstacy makes a person..." He places his hands on the back of Rei's forearms and gently pulled her closer to him. He was warm, and Rei wanted to back away. But she didn't. "...want to be...touched."
Rei stammered, "T-touched? Well, I d-didn't- I certainly d-don't-"
Seifer shook his head just a tad, then he leaned over her with that famous smirk of his on his face. His lips fell softly down on hers in a delightful little kiss. Rei was so startled that she almost let his tongue pass through her lips.
But she didn't, and she pushed his chest away with her right hand. She gave him an incredulous, expectant look.
"What?" he asked, grinning like an idiot.
Rei exclaimed, "What? What? What was that?!"
"A...kiss...?"
"Well- well, yeah. It was a kiss, but I'm not a tramp," Rei declared, "and you shouldn't do that! I don't even like you."
Seifer faked heartbreak. "Oh, Rei, you don't like me?" He laughed. "But you think I've got a nice...deep...voice. And nice eyes, and nice hair, and a nice smile. Gosh, I'm just an all around nice guy."
"Wh-what? D-did I say that?" Rei asked. Seifer nodded, smirking. "Well, I was under the influence of Poison and Sleep. And that Esuna spell makes me feel..." Suddenly, Rei took on a drowsy look, and she fell to the ground, unconscious.
-- ** --
Ami was in the library doing homework. Instructor Hui had assigned an extra credit project, and Ami thought it might help bring up her over all average. She was sitting in front of a few books. Instructor Hui taught Battle Tactics. Sure, Ami was great as Sailor Mercury, but using GFs and spells wasn't as easy for her as it should've been. Battle Tactics was a particularly tough subject for her. He had been pressing for her to choose her weapon, but she just couldn't get the hang of one. It was frustrating, and these formations and strategies were confusing her, too.
She closed the thick book and put her face into her hands. She let out a deep, sad, sigh.
"Hey," a familiar voice said.
Ami looked up and greeted, "Hi Zell!"
"What's goin' on, Ami?"
"Not much. Trying to do Hui's extra credit project. It's tougher than I thought it would be."
"You're kidding me? It's pretty easy. You just have to have an understanding of what it's like to be in battle. Being a SeeD n' all, I get a lot of practice. Need help?"
"Always," Ami accepted his offer. "I do have an under- just help."
"Ok, #4...'If attacked from behind, you should-"
"Turn around and fight it," Ami answered frustratedly. "Unfortunately, that's not one of the answers."
"When you're turned around, it's easier to run. You've got the attention of the animal, your back is to it- fuck fighting, haul ass out of there! This way, you can avoid getting hit if you're lucky," Zell explained.
Ami laughed. "Ever the noble SeeD, haha. Thank you, Zell. Thank you a lot."
-- ** --
Minako was sitting at lunch alone. Rei was no where to be found, and Ami was hidden behind stacks of books more serious than the guy sitting next to her. Minako had sat next to him because he was cute, quiet and mysterious. And he had also saved her life. She thought she might try to converse with him, but it didn't quite work out. It seemed his vocabulary consisted of only 'Yes,' 'No,' and 'Whatever'.
A friend she had made sat down in front of her. Her name was Megan.
"Hey Minako," Megan greeted, setting her tray down. She opened up a bag of chips and started munching. She offered some to Minako, who happily accepted.
The chubby brunette turned to Squall, "Hello, quiet boy."
He ignored Megan's greeting and kept eating, throwing her an icy glare.
Megan informed, "He doesn't say much. He's the Commander of Garden."
"Commander?" Minako repeated, quiet impressed. "So Commander, what's it like?"
"What's what like?" Squall asked, looking at Minako. There was a slight hint of annoyance on his face.
"You know, being Commander."
Squall shrugged. "Boring."
"You're very introverted, did you know that?"
"Whatever."
"Hey, ain't interruptin' anything, am I?" said a voice. Minako turned around and saw Seifer Almasy. She did not like him. Students called him a traitor, but no one ever told her why. At any rate, he was arrogant and pompous as hell. Minako smiled, despite her feelings toward him.
"I'm trying to teach Squally-boy a new word. INTROVERT. I-N-T-R-O-V-"
"You're Minako, right?" Seifer asked.
Minako nodded, somewhat peeved that he had so rudely interrupted her. Seifer continued, "Something's wrong with Rei. She's in the Infirmary."
-- ** --
Zell elbowed Ami.
Ami elbowed Zell back.
And so began the cutest flirting game you will ever see. Ami giggled, and she elbowed Zell again. He laughed a little and elbowed her, accidentally knocking over a book. Ami bent over and picked it up. She elbowed Zell again. Zell thought, This is going no where...I wonder if she's ticklish..? He put his hand down on his chair beside him. Then, when he was sure she wasn't looking, he squeezed that area just above Ami's knee. She squealed loudly and nearly fell off of her chair.
"Ah! Don't do that!" she laughed. "I'm extremely ticklish."
"I noticed. Hehe," he chuckled devilishly. There was an unfamiliar look in his eye, and it made Ami laugh harder.
Suddenly, Minako burst into the library, screaming, "AMI! AMI-SAN!"
Ami stood up. "Mina, what's wrong?"
"It's Rei, there's something wrong with her. Come with me," Minako said.
-- ** --
Rei was sitting on an Infirmary bed. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was very shallow. She had greenish looking splotches all over her skin. Dr. Kadowaki was leaning over her, checking her pulse every now and then and recording it. Ami, Minako and Seifer were sitting in the Infirmary chairs, looking at Rei.
"So tell me again what happened, Seifer," Dr. Kadowaki ordered. Seifer nodded his head.
"Uh...she was Poisoned by Gastric Juice and a Grat cast Sleep on her. I cured her with Esuna. She seemed okay. She did tell me that it felt like she was on ecstacy though."
"Ecstacy? That's very, very strange. Esuna doesn't...are you sure?"
"Yeah. I asked her...what it was like, and she said the lights were making strange patterns- and she thought she could taste the colors. She seemed like she would be okay, and then she just fell. I ran to her, and she was unconscious. While I was carrying her over here, she was mumbling some names."
"Names?" Dr. Kadowaki asked. "What names?"
"I recognized Minako's and Ami's names- that's why I went to go get you two. She said two others...I could quite make 'em out though. Ula-chan-"
"Usa-chan," Ami interjected. "An old friend of ours. Did the other name sound like Makoto, or Mako-chan?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah! She kept saying 'I miss you Mako.' They must've been close," Seifer said.
Minako replied, "We all were." There was a note of sadness in her voice.
Dr. Kadowaki recorded some more things on her clipboard. She said finally, "Obviously, Rei has had some sort of allergic reaction to either Sleep, Gastric Juice or Esuna. I think either the Sleep or Gastric Juice caused the reaction. It was so strong, however, that Esuna couldn't stop it- it held it off for a short while, but it didn't quite work out. Has Rei ever had any problems with her immune system?"
Ami shook her head no. "I don't recall her ever having a serious medical problem like that."
-- ** --
Seifer looked at Minako and Ami hard. They were lying. Lying, lying, lying. They had supposedly lost their memories. Was it a mood thing? Maybe it was all in their heads, because they just clearly remembered two people from their pasts: Makoto and Usa-chan, whoever they were. Now they were testifying that Rei had never had medical problems? Seifer looked at Rei. She was a sickly, light greenish color. She looked thinner than she really was. Seifer cursed himself. He should've been more careful. He knew she was inexperienced- he was trying to show off, that's what he was doing. The moment she told him she was impressed, he felt like a king. Like a knight.
It's tough living in the shadow of someone else. Once you see the light, it's tough to go back. He had learned that the hard way.
(¯`'·
·'´¯)
| End of Chapter 3 |
(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)
