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All You Wanted
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( So I
took your hand and, )
( We figured out that, )
( When the
tide comes I'll take you away.. )
(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)
To Makoto Almasy Don't worry, Makoto and Usagi will appear in this fic, but much later.
-- *Chapter 4: Character Ability* --
"I never felt like I fit in. It was always the three of us and no one else."
"When did you start to feel at home?"
"Well...there were a few moments that made me feel accepted. I owe them all to Selphie."
-- ** --
Ami and Minako anxiously waited outside the Infirmary for Rei. Minako waved to a few passerbyes, and Ami toyed with the hem of her uniform shirt. She felt so awkward all of a sudden- she didn't know why. Rei emerged in her uniform, a smile on her face. She ran to the two girls and embraced both of them in a big hug. For the three days Rei had been in the Infirmary, Ami and Minako had been with her every minute they could be. After Rei woke up, she was thankful, very thankful for the company. Every now and then, Seifer visited. Rei felt so bad for him- he clearly thought the incident was his fault.
"You look so much better," Minako commented, taking Rei's image in. "The splotches are gone- did Dr. Kadowaki ever tell you what they were?"
Rei shook her head. She replied, "Dr. K doesn't know exactly what they were, but she guessed they might be some...form of hives? She thinks I had an allergic reaction to the Poison. She ran a few tests on me and watched me 24/7. I know what it's like to be goldfish now!"
Ami laughed, "Well- you looked like a fish." Rei playfully punched Ami on the shoulder.
"So fill me in," Rei said, "on what's been happening. Have I missed anything?"
"Nothing," Minako sighed, "nothing at all! This place is boring. And there's not a movie theatre or theme park for miles. I wonder if they even have one-"
"Hi!" said someone they had not met before. She was a wiry brunette with a flipped out hairstyle, dressed in a loose fitting yellow jumper. "My name is Selphie Tilmitt!"
Rei recognized the name. She said, "Oh- you're the Chairman of the Garden Festival Committee, right?"
Selphie nodded her head. "Yes! As a matter of fact, I was wondering if you'd like to join the committee? We're a bit low on members. I would really appreciate the help."
Rei shrugged and gave questioning looks to her two friends. Minako shrugged also, and Ami said, "Well, it sounds like fun. I've heard about the Garden Festival...when's the next one scheduled?"
"In just a few months. The committee hasn't voted on a date yet, but we're going to today at the GFC meeting. So would you join? Pretty please?" Selphie begged. Her hands were clasped together.
Minako answered, "Why not? It sounds cool. What do you say?"
Rei nodded and Ami said, "Ok. What time is the meeting and where?"
"It's at 6:00pm in the Library! I'm so excited! I have to go update the member list!" Selphie chirped. She waved goodbye excitedly and sped off somewhere. Once she was out of sight, Minako laugh out loud.
"I think it's time for my next class," Ami commented, looking down at her watch. "I better run. We're going on some training field trip today, and I wouldn't want to miss the bus."
"Oh! Hey! Me too!" Minako exclaimed. "I forgot to tell you Rei, everyone in Mr. Hui's third period is supposed to go. That means you."
"I need to go get my stuff- do you think this field trip is going to be tough for us, being that we haven't selected a weapon yet?" asked Rei.
Ami shrugged. "I hope not. I'm not a second closer to deciding."
"You think they'd let me use a bow and arrow? I'm pretty good with one," Rei said.
Minako nodded. "I'm pretty sure they'll let you use whatever. I want to use a gunblade! I've seen Squall's and Seifer's- wow! Those things work."
Rei agreed, "They are nifty, aren't they? Seifer's is pretty kick-ass, if you ask me. Those Grats didn't stand a chance."
Minako snorted, "Obviously, they did. Look at what happened to you! That guy Seifer is bad news."
"Tell me about it..." Rei sighed, looking to the ground.
-- ** --
Instructor Hui took his class to the forest near Balamb. He wanted something a little more challenging for his class than Grats, so the Training Center wasn't ideal. The forest had a few beefy creatures the kids could overtake, so naturally that was the best place to teach the lesson. He also brought his three favorite students along with him, to use as examples and what not. Squall Leonhart, Zell Dincht and Seifer Almasy.
"I'm very disappointed with the results from the extra credit project. First of all, less than half the class did it. That's ok, it was only extra credit, but some of you dearly needed those extra points. Second of all, the grades were low. I would expect more from you guys. You're not junior classmen," Hui scolded. "Zell, when you are attacked from behind, what is the best thing to do?"
Zell smiled, stopped his shadowboxing and threw a knowing look to Ami. "You should run, sir."
"Exactly. I was extremely peeved to see someone mark the answer 'Try to negotiate'. Seifer, when under Silence, should you reverse the spell or attack with your weapon and why?"
Seifer answered, "You should cast Esuna or use an item to get rid of the status change. You might be able to get one hit off the other guy, but all he has to do is cast Blind, and you're done for. Unless you're extremely powerful like-"
"These are just two of the questions that you got wrong. So today, we're going to split up into groups of four and go fight. Put what you've learned into play. Hopefully, you'll learn something new. All right, get into groups and go!" Hui shouted.
Ami, Minako and Rei bunched together and began looking for another person to be in their group.
"This isn't cool," Minako panted. "Let's face it! We don't have any GFs junctioned, therefore magic is out. None of us have weapons. What if we're attacked?"
Rei pointed out, "We can transform. We'll just have to be sure that...no one sees us. We just won't have a fourth partner."
-- ** --
Sailor Mars, Mercury and Venus were walking through the woods. They had been aimlessly walking around for a while. Every now and then, they saw a student or two, but no one really noticed them. The trio desperately avoided creatures at any cost. They had run from every battle so far. The animals, for the most part, looked harmless, but Mars didn't want to take any chances. The days in the Infirmary, constantly scratching herself everywhere, were hell and she did not want to go back.
Tremors.
The earth beneath them shook a little, and they steadied themselves.
"Uh oh. There's another one?!" Sailor Mars exclaimed. That day they were attacked by the T-Rexaur, they had felt the tremors in the earth before they saw it. "There's another one! Another dinosaur!"
Sailor Mercury flipped on her visor. She searched everywhere, and suddenly she froze. "It's over there. You guys, there are kids over there! We have to help them!"
Venus and Mars were already running to the place Sailor Mercury was looking at when she flipped off her visor. She followed after them. Thank God they had transformed ahead of time. When the three arrived at the site, a huge dinosaur, just as they had thought, was closing in on a group of four kids. Mercury flipped her visor back on.
"It's got a weakness to water. It's really strong, you guys. We'll need to hit it with everything we've got!" she shouted.
Sailor Mars did not wait. She closed her eyes and concentrated a minute or two before screaming, "Burning Mandala!" A spiral of fire appeared around her. She directed it at the dinosaur. The big creature roared with fury and spun around to face the three girls. It lunged at Mars, but she managed to dodge the huge thing's claws. Meanwhile, Sailor Mercury was powering up for her attack.
"Mercury...Aqua...Rhapsody!" she shouted. A tunnel of water charged at the creature. It released another strangled cry. The power of the wave pushed it back a few feet, and the dinosaur was regaining it's bearings when Sailor Venus attacked it. The attack was strong, and it killed the T-Rexaur. It doubled over and fell, nearly crushing the four that the girls had run to save. But it hobbled over and the group of four had time to run before it came crashing down.
Packs of students were forming a circle around the dead T-Rexaur. Mercury stood staring at it for a second, but Sailor Mars tugged on her arm.
"We have to untransform," she said, "before someone starts asking questions." Mercury nodded and followed Mars and Venus away from the dead body.
-- ** --
"They looked like goddesses!" Koaka exclaimed. She was in the group of four that had been attacked by the T-Rexaur. Throughout the day, that group had been asked multiple times to retell the story over and over again. The three senshi had become superheroes around Garden. Just like home though, no one recognized them. "The first one sent a ball of fire! It was huge and roaring, just like a dragon!"
Several people in the crowd oohed and ahhed. Minako, Ami and Rei were sitting at lunch. They supressed the urge to giggle, hearing all the comments about themselves. One of the group had gone so far as to call the three girls beautiful. By the end of the day, they were being called angels sent down from heaven, and insanely exaggerated attacks were created.
-- ** --
At six o'clock, Ami, Rei and Minako shuffled into the library. They went into the back, and a table was set up there. Selphie was sitting there with Squall, who was looking very unhappy. Next to him was Zell, shadowboxing in the corner. He dropped his arms, and then he waved at Ami when he saw her.
"You're on the Garden Festival Committee, too?" he asked.
Ami nodded. "As of today."
"Oh!" Selphie exclaimed, having just noticed them. "Ok, now that everyone's here, we can begin the meeting!"
"This is it?" Minako asked, taking a seat in between Ami and Rei.
Selphie sighed, "Yes. No one wants to join! I had to beat these two into it. Why doesn't anyone want to join? Forget it- let's get going with the meeting. First on the agenda: the date of the next Garden Festival Committee. Any ideas?"
"Hmm...definitely in a few months. We can only do so much so quickly with this many members," Ami reasoned. "How long do you think it will take to get everything together?"
"We have to get a band together, and the stage still needs to be built. That's all there has been in the previous years, and that took about four months to organize," Selphie said. "Heeeey! In August, there's Sorceress' Knight Day!"
"Sorceress'...Knight...Day? What's that?" Rei asked.
"You don't know what SK Day is? Where have you been living all these years?!" Selphie exclaimed. "Sorceress' Knight Day- everyone calls it SK Day- is a sort of romantic holiday. You see, a Sorceress' Knight protects his Sorceress with his life, to show his love for her. SK Day is just a day for couples to celebrate their love for each other. It's such a romantic time! Anyway, I figured that we could hold the Garden Festival on SK Day, and have a lovey-dovey theme for it! With flowers and hearts, and all sorts of happy things like that!"
Oh. SK Day is equal to Valentine's Day. Who would have thought? Ami laughed, "That sounds like a good idea. How far away is SK Day?"
Selphie counted months on her calendar. "It's about four-and-a-half months away. We'll have plenty of time! This is so great! Ok, so the date is set for SK Day! Now, about bands. I have no clue who will perform."
"Since it's on S...K...Day, it should be a band that's got a few love songs to sing," Minako put in. "Who performed last year?"
"Child of Hyne. A rockband. They're way too hardcore for SK Day. And anyway, the lead singer transfered to Galbadia a few weeks after the festival. We'll have to look."
"I can print out some flyers," Ami suggested.
"I'll try to spread the word, too," Rei said. "I'm sure someone in this place has singing talent."
"And as a last resort, we'll get the old gang together and perform something," Selphie sighed.
"No way!" Zell exclaimed. "I'm not touching another instrument. Rinoa never let me live my guitar playing skills down."
"Haha," Selphie interjected suddenly. "Right. Ok Zell, you just won't participate."
"Thank you!" he exclaimed. "I swear...every five minues, Rinoa'd tell me 'Zell, please don't quit your day job.' or 'Zell, what did you do with the money your mother gave you for guitar lessons?' I'm telling you, I'm not-"
Squall stood up. He scratched the back of his ear and ruffled his hair a bit. "I'm going to the bathroom." On his way out, he bumped into Zell. He did not stop, only kept going until he was out of the library.
Zell sat down in a chair, crossing one ankle over his left knee. "Gee, what's his problem all of a sudden?"
Selphie looked at him with an incredulous expression. "Hello? Gaea to Zell! Hello?!" She waved her hands in front of him. "Rinoa, you idiot."
"What about Rin-" Zell started, but he stopped and clasped his hand over his mouth.
"What's...that matter?" Rei asked. Zell stood up and examined his feet nervously.
"I'm sorry. It's just that sometimes I forget she's...you know..." Zell sighed.
Selphie explained, "Rinoa was Squall's girlfriend. He really loved her, which is a lot for Squall. He wasn't much different then than his is now. She...she died."
"Oh," Minako said. "Is that way he refuses to speak to anyone?"
"I don't know. It's just that....he's got a lot of history," Selphie said. "You'll have to ask him yourself someday. I'm not really in the position to tell you all about Squall. Look, it's already seven o'clock. Better wrap up the meeting." Selphie closed a large planner she had. She gratefully thanked her three new members and let them go.
-- ** --
Minako, Rei and Ami were sitting in the 2F Classroom alone. Instructor Trepe had called the three of them up, saying that she had somethng to give them.
Rei pulled up the main menu on her study panel again, and then she looked at the Garden Festival website. She took a look at the member list and laughed aloud.
Members!
Selphie Tilmitt (Chairman, Active)
Squall Leonhart (Barely Active)
Zell Dincth (Kind of active)
Rei Hino (Active)
Minako Aino (Active)
Ami Mizuno (Active)
It was so pitiful! She closed the page when the elegant form of Instructor Trepe entered the room. Quistis typed in a few things at her main study panel, and then she walked to the center aisle.
"Ok girls. Instructor Hui took you out on a field trip a few days ago, correct?"
The girls nodded.
"It came to my attention that none of you have weapons or GFs, so you were pretty much helpless, huh?"
Rei said, "Well- yeah."
Quistis continued, "I can't get you girls weapons, but I do have some GFs you can junction. They're very, very strong. I really shouldn't give any of you a GF so strong, but I don't have a choice. You girls need some sort of protection. I'll have Seifer teach you how to use it on your study periods."
Rei sniffed. Not that guy again. I'm sure he's a rapist.
Quistis set to work at Rei's study panel first. "Put your thumb on the pad- right there. Ok..." She typed in a few things and entered a few passwords. Rei felt a tingling feeling spread from her arm to her brain. She giggled. "Hmm...It looks like you'll get along pretty well with Ruby Dragon. Its attack is called Bomb Threat. I'll get Seifer to meet you at the Training Center during your study period again, and he'll teach you how to use it." She moved onto to Ami, and she instructed her to do the same thing.
"Wow. Your compatibility with Krysta is really high. It attacks with Snow Flurry. Don't worry, the attack is much stronger than it sounds," Quistis laughed.
"That means you'll get Catoplebas- No you won't...That's strange. You're compatibility with Catoplebas is extremely low...It'll forever to summon it, if it even came in the first place. I don't have any other- well...." Quistis put her thumb on the pad, and the screen bleeped. Then she told Minako to put her thumb there, too. "Ok, I'll go head and let you have Siren. Your compatibilty with her is a lot more than Catoplebas. Geez, that's weird...Siren attacks with Silent Voice."
"Instructor Trepe, what are GFs, anyway?" Rei asked.
Quistis sat down in a seat. "It's kind of hard to explain...umm...Some creatures are born with the natural instinct to protect something. For instance, Rei, the Ruby Dragon you have was protecting another, more powerful GF. After my team and I defeated the Ruby Dragon, its master shunned it. Naturally, it looked for something to protect it. It found me, and I junctioned it. Siren was taken from a creature a long time ago, and Krysta was taken from a castle."
"A castle?" Ami laughed, "I have a royal GF!" The three other girls giggled with her. Quistis got everyone's study period times and instructed them to meet Seifer at the Training Center the next day.
-- ** --
Rei waited patiently outside of the Training Center doors. She had learned already that Seifer was not the punctual type. It was a while before she finally spotted him walking down the halls. His chin was in the air and that 'I'm-a-badass' grin was on his face. Rei rolled her eyes. He walked up to her.
"Hello Rei," he greeted. "Here we are again."
"Let's just get going."
Seifer opened the doors and held them for Rei. He waved his arms dramatically, gesturing for her to enter before him. Rei glared at him before going in. The steel doors slammed and startled Rei. She jumped and turned around, bumping into Seifer. She pushed him away with her hand.
"Hey!" she said. "Now listen, Seifer. You keep your hands off me, got it? I may be a girl, but I'm not nearly as helpless as I look."
Seifer laughed, "You're the one who's got your hands on me." He gestured to his chest, where Rei's hand was. She looked and hastily removed her hand, as if she just realized it was there in the first place. She crossed her arms, annoyed. He laughed again and gestured for her to follow him.
"Oh, look. Another Grat," he said lamely. "Are you ready to use your GF?"
Rei nodded somewhat uncertainly.
"Close your eyes," Seifer instructed, "and concentrate. Look for it with your mind. It's like trying to say a name that's on the tip of your tongue, but you just can't get it. It's like calling up a lost memory. I'll hold the Grat off while you call it up."
She closed her eyes. Blackness. Ok...this is weird. It's just...black. Umm...Ruby Dragon? Hello? Where are you? I'M SUMMONING YOU! HELLO?! Ruby Dragon...?
That's when she felt. It was distinct feeling that startled her at first, but she knew, she felt she was getting it right. It's hard to describe...Rei felt like she was trying to remember something she had forgotten, like a number...or a name...or a spell...something that she couldn't quite put her thumb on. Rei mentally called out 'Ruby Dragon' over and over until-
Bam. It hit her like a 10 pound anvil. The feeling like she wasn't herself anymore, she wasn't in control. Her eyes opened of their own accord, and her lips whispered on their own, "Bomb Threat." The world around her faded to blackness. She was seeing it through the eyes of something else, another creature. Not only was she not in control, she didn't even have her body anymore. Summoning GFs was an extremely strange and totally unnerving process. She was in something else's body! For a second, Rei wondered if that was supposed to be happening...
The creature she was in roared with a fury. Out of it's mouth flew fire so hot it burned white. A tunnel of flames hit the Grat and killed it instantly. The Training Center came back into view, and Rei stumbled backwards and fell on her bottom.
"Whoa!" she exclaimed.
"Yeah, whoa," Seifer said. He offered a hand and helped her up. "That was quick. Your compatibility with the Ruby Dragon is really, really high. It came quickly."
"No kidding. But it was all around scary. I wasn't in control at all. Is that supposed to happen? What if that thing I was in decides it wants to kill me?"
"No, no, no. You see, when they aren't being summoned, GFs take up a certain part of your memory. When they are summoned, the situation switches, and you become a part of their memory for a short while. That's why you felt like you weren't in control," Seifer explained.
"Oh. Can I do it again?" Rei asked.
Seifer laughed, "Yeah, sure."
-- ** --
Minako's study period was from 1:30-2:30, and Seifer was waiting at the Training Center for her when she arrived. She slowed her pace, just to aggravate him. When she actually got to him, he was smiling. He always smiled. She wondered when he didn't.
"Minako, right?"
"That's me!"
"All right, let's go!" he said. Seifer held open the doors for her and followed her in. They immediately found a Grat to dispose of, and Seifer walked her through the summoning process. It took a little less than a minute for her to call forth Siren, but Minako gradually began calling Siren faster after a few more Grats.
"How did Rei do?" Minako asked curiously.
A mischevious grin came to Seifer's face. "Rei did just fine."
"Why are you smiling like that?"
Seifer feigned innocence. "Can't a guy smile?"
"Not like that while he's talking about my best friend, no."
"Smiling like what?"
"Like that- eeew!" Minako exclaimed suddenly. She crossed her arms and began rubbing them, like something was covering her. Seifer ran to her, but there was nothing visibly wrong with her.
"What? What's wrong?"
"Scales. I'm all scaly! My skin...it's so rough!" she whimpered.
"What are you talking about?" Seifer asked. There was clearly nothing wrong with her skin. He reached out and touched her arm, and she was calm.
"That was scary," Minako declared. "My skin was...it hurt, too. I thought I was turning into a fish or something."
"A fish?"
"No, now that I think of it. It felt hard...and leathery...and just gross!" There was a loud roar behind them, and Seifer turned.
"Damn it, a T-Rexaur. Let's get outta here."
Minako nodded, cowering backwards. Together, they turned and ran from the humongous thing.
-- ** --
Ami got to the Training Center a few minutes before she was supposed to, and she was surprised to find Seifer already there. From the way Instructors talked about him, he wasn't a model student, though very powerful. He sniffed when she walked up to him.
"You must be Ami," he deduced. Ami nodded. "Right this way, then." He opened the doors and followed her in.
Ami was quite taken aback by the Training Center. She had never been inside the Training Center before, and it was a very creepy place to her. She had stopped walking so she could take in the whole setting.
"Hey, hurry it up! I ain't got all day," Seifer said rudely. "Let's see..."
He looked around, beckoning for Ami to follow him everywhere. Seifer commented that there seemed to be a shortage of animals all of a sudden.
"That's really weird. We've been walking for nearly half an hour, and nothing," he said.
"Maybe they're afraid of us?" Ami suggested. This caused Seifer to laugh aloud.
"Yeah, I bet those T-Rexaur's are just terrified of one gunblade specialist and girl who can't summon."
"Well it was just a suggestion. You don't have to be so rude about it, Mr. Gunblade Specialist," Ami replied. She crossed her arms and started looking, too. She spotted something moving in a bush near by. Ami put her hand on Seifer's arm and silently gestured for him to look. He walked a little closer, but he shrugged.
"I can't see anything," he whispered.
Ami flipped on her visor without thinking. He had already seen it when she realized she shouldn't exactly be showing it off to everyone.
"What the heck is that?" Seifer asked, looking closer. "This isn't a place to wear sunglasses-"
"It's my visor," Ami replied honestly. "It works kind of like a Scan spell, only a bit more detailed than that."
"Really?" Seifer looked impressed.
"Yeah. It can sense heat and changes in the atmosphere- there's something over there. It's really, really hot."
"Must be fire elemental. That's odd...Got any Ice magic?" Seifer asked.
Ami nodded. "My GF uses an Ice based attack."
Seifer explained to her how to summon a GF. She flipped off her visor and concentrated, just like he told her to. It was only a matter of seconds before she was seeing things in the eyes of the Ice creature Krysta. It attacked with a force that surprised even Seifer. When the attack was over, Ami was breathing heavily.
"Wow. Instructor Trepe really hooked you three up," Seifer commented. "You OK?"
Ami placed her hand over her heart. "That was...whoa...Krysta is really strong. I'm surprised Instructor Trepe thought I could handle that."
"Can I see that visor of yours?" Seifer asked.
Ami hesitated before shaking her head. "No, I don't think it would fit you. It was custom made."
"Oh really?" Seifer quizzed. He was suspicious, very. "When?" He took a step closer to Ami.
Ami didn't answer. Instead, she changed subject. Glancing at her watch, she said, "I have to go. My study period is almost over, and I do need to study. Um, thanks, Seifer." With that, she waved and left the Training Center alone. She had forgotten that live creatures roamed through the whole thing, but Seifer was asking questions Ami wasn't sure she should answer. Once safely outside the Training Center, Ami recalled the strange feeling that overtook her when she summoned Krysta. She smiled complacently and left down the hall.
-- ** --
There they go again, running. From what?
Seifer went to inspect the dead thing. It was underneath a mass of bushes, and he pulled it out with his gloved hands, knowing very well that it could still be alive. But it wasn't, and Seifer examined it. It was a spiderlike thing he had never seen before. He decided to bring it up to Headmaster Cid later.
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| End of Chapter 4 |
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