Where am I?
...Seems awfully quiet.
Hang on, is that a person? I think I hear...
Yes, it is! It's ... very ragged breathing...
Who is it?
Why can't I see anything?
...
Oh right, my eyes are closed. I thought they were open.
Mmm. Very, very blurred.
And my arm hurts.
The breathing's stopped.
Damn.
There it is again. Sounds better, by any rate.
"Relm! You're awake!!"
Sounds like an old man. Must be, I guess.
And who's Relm? Sheesh... I thought he was talking to me.
"Relm? Can you hear me?"
Ugh, he's shaking the arm that hurts. A lot.
Can't you see old guy, I'm not Relm... If you're talking to me, that is. I'm...?
...?
What is my name?
Oh no... I can't remember...
Anything.
"Relm?!"
"I'm awake, I'm awake..."
She draped her right arm over her forehead in a tired fashion. Her hazel-brown eyes were half closed as she stared at the ceiling listlessly. Strago looked at her worriedly, but inside, relief was flooding through him.
"Relm, thank goodness! I thought that maybe you could've... well, you know."
He gulped.
"Is that my name?"
Her voice was dry and cracked; she sounded tired. Puzzlement flickered on Strago's worried face. Relm winced as she turned her head towards him. Her eyes searched him, and she licked her lips nervously.
"What?"
Strago's voice sounded as tired as Relm's, although it was twinged with anxiety.
"I asked... is that my name. Relm."
It looked as though Relm had finally pulled herself together - physically, anyways. Her eyes focused. She turned her head towards the old man.
"I'm confused."
She whispered.
Five whole years had passed since the defeat of Kefka. The world was beginning to establish itself once more, and it appeared that the World of Ruin would soon return to its original state of Balance. Since then, two of the heroes that had fought so long ago had decided to settle down...
It was nearing autumn weather. That means, thought Celes Cole as she opened her front door, that Locke only has a few days on which he can have his favourite soup for dinner. Her garden grew such vegetables... and it was her job to water them every afternoon, just before the sun set. A smile brushed her lips as she walked around her home to go into her garden. Imagine, she mused, a woman who used to be a general for the Empire, a cold-blooded murderer, watering a garden in an apron.
As Celes approached her garden, she was surprised to see a snowy pigeon perched on her fence. She had just sent away her letter to Terra yesterday; surely pigeons couldn't deliver so quickly...? Well, she thought, I've got to water these properly, so...
Celes watered her vegetables hurriedly, pulled out a couple and put it into a wooden bowl. Then she reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a few bread-crumbs. She offered it to the pigeon with her left hand, distracting the pigeon's attention while deftly taking the message tied around its leg with her other hand. As Celes sprinkled the rest of the crumbs onto the grass, she noticed the pigeon's wings were perfectly white.
Owning carrier pigeons these days weren't strange; many people had one. Celes herself had one, and she'd named it 'Fleck' because the pigeon's wings were flecked with grey. Since she'd sent away the letter first, Terra would've sent her pigeon back. This pigeon wasn't hers. And I was hoping for an answer, Celes thought disappointedly, but she brushed her disappointment away. Any news was good, and with that thought in her head, she uncrumpled the note.
The letter's scrawl was Strago's, Celes recognised almost immediately. She eyes began to read it as she stepped into her home once more, carrying the wooden bowl.
Relm was in her room at home, her head in her hands as she thought and thought. Strago wasn't here at the moment...
'Thank goodness,'
Relm thought. He'd been pestering her about some wacko called Kefka and heroic fighters since the day she'd woken up. She couldn't really remember him. The name 'Relm' was familiar, so she allowed herself to believe that was her name. But Strago's stories...! Magic! The defeat of Kefka! She couldn't bring herself to believe it. All she could remember was that she was a fifteen-year old named Relm.
There was a tapping on her window, which broke Relm's train of thoughts. Turning, she stood up from her chair and saw a snow-white pigeon frantically flapping and tapping the window with its beak. She slid the window open and let the pigeon in. Then, noticing a bit of paper tied onto the pigeon's leg, Relm grabbed the pigeon's neck and plucked the paper off. The pigeon made strange noises once Relm let go, then gave her a haughty look before flying out the open window again.
She opened up the paper and saw a messily scrawn message printed across it. Her eyes began to scan it.
"Celes."
Relm felt something- a jolt- somewhere deep within. It was one of the names Strago had repeated to her whilst explaining the defeat of Kefka. Somehow, reading it to herself and hearing it had different effects. She continued to read it.
"What should I do? You're the only one I know who owns a carrier pigeon, so it's you who I'll ask for advice. Just a week ago, some thief broke into my home. This was while I wasn't in Thamasa, so I'll tell you my theory. She went into Relm's room, but Relm awoke and attempted to stop her. Probably, the freak threw her down the stairs. The clatter brought half of Thamasa to my home and they caught the thief. However, it appears Relm actually landed on her head while falling, thus falling into a coma. Then I came back. I waited for Relm to awake, and in about four days or so, she did. But she doesn't remember a thing. She doesn't remember me... or you, or anyone from our party for that matter. Absolutely nothing! What am I to do? Thamasa has very rebellious people in it; Relm could be thrown out if she's found without any memory of magic... (which is why I'm not asking any of them for help) How can I make her... remember?"
Relm frowned. Why did Strago send himself a letter?? Then she realised, as she turned the page over, that there was a much more neater and straighter piece of writing on the back. Relm began to read again.
"In my hurry to write back, I'm using your message paper. Strago, that's horrible! Relm forgot EVERYTHING? Well... this is just an idea, but if you really want to make her remember, why don't you let her meet us again? I'm sure that'll make her remember something. Have you tried saying familiar lines to her? Try bringing her to South Figaro so she can meet Terra, or Kolinghen to meet me and Locke, or to the Veldt so she can meet Gau, or even to Figaro castle where I think Edgar, Sabin and Cyan all are. I've given you the locations; Sabin and Terra have carrier pigeons, so you might want to ask them for help. Well, good luck... I'd love to see Relm, I haven't seen her in ages."
Relm's jaw slackened. Strago seemed like such an old guy, though... she didn't feel up to asking him to drag her around the world to meet up with old colleagues.
'Perhaps I should go alone... '
She appealed to the idea. Stashing the letter away, she pulled out a piece of her own paper and began to write.
After checking her supplies, Relm set foot as quickly she possibly could. The unfamilar - yet strangely very familiar - landscapes chilled her, and sudden winds whipped around her face and legs. But she stubbornly continued to plow through the dry weeds and grass which were cast with blood-red hues from the sky, wade in waist-deep creeks of brown and yellow water - occasionally she met clear blue water pools which she drank from gratefully - and often check the map she'd found under her bed. On the back of it, there was a message written 'Thanks to the Falcon!' and her name was signed on it.
What really confused Relm were the monsters. She had her daggers and rods prepared to make damage on any enemy, but the monsters either a)took one look at her and suddenly bolted the opposite direction b)were too busy to even notice her, or perhaps because c)were too tame and peace-wanting to attack innocent passer-bys. Some were so beautiful, or just so interesting, that when Relm stopped to take rests, she took from her bag a sketch-book from her room and sketched.
The sketch-book and pencil had a nice feel to it, and she found with delight that her ability to draw was more than she'd expected.
On one occasion where she'd sat down to sketch a Noh-rabbit, she tried flicking back to previous pages, where Relm found lots and lots of pictures. Their names were scribbled beneath in what Relm recognised to be her own writing.
On the first page she found that 'Terra', drawn in colour pencils, had pale-green hair that fell in waves. Her hair was tied up and tendrils of it framed her pale but pretty face. Her eyes looked loving and caring, her small lips curled in a soft smile. She was looking downwards, and several children had been drawn reaching up for Terra, their faces sweaty but excited and adoring. Relm felt a pang of happiness when she saw it.
In the next page, 'Celes' and 'Locke' had been drawn together with water-colours. Locke's arms were wrapped loosely around Celes' waist, his greyish-brown hair falling in a floppy manner over a navy blue bandanna. His face shape held a sharp angle, but his mouth was in a goofy grin and his eyes were twinkling in the sunlight Relm had drawn shafting in for effect. Celes had an extremely white complexion, her bare arms drawn to show a rather muscular, yet feminine figure. Her lips, though thin, were smiling widely, and longly-eyelashed eyes were closed. Her blond hair was tied in a loose fashion, and the sunlight cast on her hair, making it look white-blond and her skin milky. "I suppose they're married now." The thought filtered in and out so quickly that Relm didn't have time to register it.
Onto the next page; a handsome man with slick, tied back black hair and moustache was here. His double-chin stuck out stubbornly, a bit stubbly. She had drawn him with only pencil. However, from the black-and-white piece, she saw that she'd chosen to only colour his eyes. They were brown and drawn so clearly, and the man's expression showed gratitude and contentment. Below the piece, Relm found that she'd written 'Cyan'. Funnily enough, she knew how to pronounce it already.
Into the next page, she found a fully clothed figure swathed in colourful fabric. This piece was coloured effectively with collage. Its eyes were shadowed over, and long, slender fingers were spread infront of itself. 'Gogo' had been written in a scrawl next to the person's head. "Where is Gogo now anyway??" She thought. She blinked several times before deciding it was another memory pang.
On the next page she found 'Setzer' drawn in pen before being lightly air-brushed. The man had a long mane of grey hair that fell in sharp waves past his shoulders. His eyes had small irises, but the light-grey eyes were drawn very brightly. His skin looked extremely delicate and bore a strangely shock-white complexion. His lips were put in an arrogant smile, and a gloved left hand held up three or four trump cards. "I wonder if he's stopped gambling yet," was the first thing that came to mind for Relm when she saw it. She was starting to get used to her memory pangs.
She licked her index-finger and flicked to the next page of the sketchbook. A strange figure clothed in black; infact, completely covered, even with a mask; was sitting down. It had to be a man, since there were no feminine features of the figure. The build was more on the leaner side, and Relm recognised the man to be a ninja. Throwing stars and an unsheathed sword/dagger lay scattered at the ninja's side. The whole thing had been drawn with 7Bs and over; Relm could tell just by looking at it. There was a strange occurance; below the ninja her handwriting wrote 'Shadow', but then in another person's writing there was the name 'Clyde' just by it. She couldn't be stuffed to figure out the rest, so she ignored it.
'Umaro' and 'Mog' awaited her in the next page. It was drawn in pencil and smudged with white chalk powder. Relm had no idea what Umaro was, but Mog looked like a moogle. The moogle was sitting on Umaro's shoulder, and they were both waving and grinning (although Umaro stupidly) towards the artist. "And that moogle just loved dancing..." Relm's thoughts trailed off.
She was presented with two blonde men in the next page, drawn with rough detail with pastel coloured powder and lead. She studied it for quite a long time, the names below announcing them to be 'Edgar' and 'Sabin'. They were both laughing together. Edgar's build was sleeker than Sabin's muscly build. But she soon found resemblances between the two; like their sparkling brown eyes and sharp facial features. They were twins. Her mouth automatically curled into a smile when she glanced at the picture.
The page after showed a young boy. It was at an angled view, pencil drawn, and coloured lightly to shade areas of the youth. His build was tall and lanky, yet muscles were evident from the view she'd drawn at, even when she'd drawn his shoulders slack. The boys eyes were brown and glazed over with pale green. He was grinning eagerly at the artist. Green strands of hair formed bangs on his tanned face, and the rest was tied back with a long piece of string. She read the name as 'Gau'. "Must be lonely..." she thought. Then she realised that the first place she had been planning to visit was the Veldt. Gau was on the Veldt...
The last page from the pages on which she'd drawn her party members was Strago. He had a triumphant smile, and edges near his eyes were visibly crinkled with laughter lines. He was grinning a very toothy smile that stretched widely, and youth shone through the oil-painted picture. She'd felt something stab at her when she saw the picture, and she couldn't figure out why. Was it recognition...?
When she'd finished sketching, she extinguished the fire she'd built. It was too dark to carry on. She was next to a huge tree anyways, and felt reassured that she no enemy would attack her. Pulling out a quilt and folding it over herself, she wrapped her jacket around her bag and used it as a pillow. Resting her head on it, she closed her eyes and fell asleep without much thought.
...Relm, if you try to run before you can walk properly, you'll hurt yourself- RELM!! *sigh*...
...Relm, that HURTS, don't hit me on the head using a chair, I don't produce brain-cells anymore...
...Wow, you made these, Relm? ...you're better at drawing than cooking, though- OW!...
...No, Relm, I don't want you to practise drawing portraits using me as the guinea pig...
...Don't forget, Relm, I'm not going anywhere until I feel I can. And don't forget that I love you...
When Relm awoke the next morning, her jaw dropped open, she let out a cry of shock.
"Grandpa!"
All her dreams had been filled with images of him and memories were flooding back to her in tidal waves. She remembered him. Still feeling the shock, she pulled out from her bag a sandwich and began to chew vigorously. If she continued her journey, she'd really remember all of her memories. Then she could return home, into the welcoming arms of Thamasa and her old man. She grinned through a mouthful of toasted bread and tunafish when she thought about how far into her journey she'd gone; it was already her third day!
Pleased, she began to travel once more. To her utter surprise, it was only ten minutes until she reached the shore. She glanced the the map she held in her hand. Thamasa was on an island. Well, she thought, I was thinking of making a raft or something... she'd brought the necessary tools in her bag. Turning, she walked into a clump of trees and spent the rest of the day fixing up her raft. Her rope was thick enough, which Relm was relieved to see, and her saw was only having very little difficulty going through the wood. She was sanding it with glasspaper by the time the sun was setting. Having had plenty of breaks inbetween, Relm didn't feel too tired when she'd finally finished. She kicked the raft until it was just touching the waters.
Relm set her bag down and covered herself with her quilt again on top of the raft, knowing that the raft wouldn't move without a sail and her weight was probably anchoring it down. She fell asleep quickly.
She was in for a surprise. The next morning, she woke up to be scared half to death. She was in a totally different area; she could see land a little far off, but it didn't look like Thamasa. Her raft must have been moving all night straight after she'd fallen asleep. The gentle bobbing of the water was making Relm feel a little shaky; she'd never used a raft before, she'd only seen Grandpa make one.
She reached over her bag and grabbed the make-shift paddle she'd taken the night before - a branch off a tree - and rowed the raft as well as she could over to the land visible. The landmass turned out to be huge, and Relm was panting by the time she reached the edge of it. She clambered onto land with her bag and paddle, and watched her raft drift away as she caught her breath up. Then Relm looked around.
There was long, dry grass covering everything she could see so far. Relm was thirsty, and she was soon moving to find water. She walked and walked, her throat parching, and Relm finally found a small creek. She followed it up to the main stream before drinking deeply from it.
Relm leant back after her drink, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Aside the stream, there was a pool of water, and Relm knew it was probably mostly rainwater. There were animals and monsters all over the place, and Relm expected to meet some in here, as it was the opening to a small, open forest. Suddenly, Relm heard a shout of laughter from the forest. Raising her eyebrows, Relm started to walk deeper into the forest. It was rather open, and Relm found that the laughter had come from the other end of the pool of rainwater. Relm hid behind the surrounding trees as she moved closer, trying to get a closer look at the person. Quite close up, Relm saw that it was a boy wearing jeans. He had no top on, and his green hair was tied back in a ponytail...
'He sure looks familiar,'
Relm thought, and suddenly realised who he was as he snapped his head back, the sea-animals he was playing with splashing water about.
It was Gau.
'But he looks so different...!'
Relm thought, craning her neck as much as possible to get a better look. Suddenly, a whole load of memories rushed into her...
...Oo? Me Gau, who you? What? You don't get Gau? Aaoo...
...Wah!! Gau sorry, Gau try to fix, Relm's dress okay? Wah!! Gau sorry...
...Gau thirteen, Relm how old? Ten? Aaooo, Relm so young - oww!...
...Aaooo, Relm very good at drawing, Relm draw Gau? Thank you Relm, drawing so good...
...Gau quite like Relm. Will Relm come see Gau sometimes? Aaoo?...
Relm's eyes snapped back to her gaze at the boy laughing and splashing about in the water. He had changed a lot, and now Relm realised that if she was fifteen, he was eighteen. His hair was much more groomed than last time, although it was still long, and his skin was slightly tanned. His dress-sense had changed too, Relm noticed; he wasn't wearing his old monster-hides. He was actually kinda cute now, Relm thought, his laugh quite boyish and pleasant to hear.
He then got out of the water and bid farewell to his friends. He made to get out of the forest. Relm knew that now that she remembered him, there was no need to stay. She turned to leave, when she heard the memory repeat itself in her mind again...
...Gau quite like Relm. Will Relm come see Gau sometimes? Aaoo?...
Relm thought for a moment before turning around again and moving through the trees once more. His back was to her when she emerged, a bit shy, and called out in a bit of a questioning tone,
"Gau?"
Gau turned around with an eyebrow raised. Then his eyes widened and his face split into a grin. He ran up to her and enveloped her in a hug.
"Relm! Hey, you came to visit!"
Relm was first shocked by the sudden hug, and secondly by his seemingly perfect English. She felt her face burn at the fact that he was shirtless. Relm pushed him away and gave him a smile.
"Hi Gau... uh, nice English."
Gau gave her a wide grin.
"Yeah, Gau learnt it from Sabin... I mean, I learnt it... phew, it's hard."
Relm smiled again, straining her memory for the familiar name of Sabin, and now remembered the point of her coming here. Gau looked about her, as though expecting someone else.
"Where's Strago?"
"Uh... well, Gau, to tell you the absolute truth..."
Relm explained her predicament of amnesia, and Gau listened intently and quietly. After she had finished, he nodded.
"I see. But how do you remember me?"
"I.. just remembered. When... I saw you playing with your friends."
Gau grinned, and Relm grinned embarrassedly back.
"I thought I saw someone in the trees."
"Sorry, I didn't have the guts to say hello. Until now, that is."
...Seems awfully quiet.
Hang on, is that a person? I think I hear...
Yes, it is! It's ... very ragged breathing...
Who is it?
Why can't I see anything?
...
Oh right, my eyes are closed. I thought they were open.
Mmm. Very, very blurred.
And my arm hurts.
The breathing's stopped.
Damn.
There it is again. Sounds better, by any rate.
"Relm! You're awake!!"
Sounds like an old man. Must be, I guess.
And who's Relm? Sheesh... I thought he was talking to me.
"Relm? Can you hear me?"
Ugh, he's shaking the arm that hurts. A lot.
Can't you see old guy, I'm not Relm... If you're talking to me, that is. I'm...?
...?
What is my name?
Oh no... I can't remember...
Anything.
"Relm?!"
"I'm awake, I'm awake..."
She draped her right arm over her forehead in a tired fashion. Her hazel-brown eyes were half closed as she stared at the ceiling listlessly. Strago looked at her worriedly, but inside, relief was flooding through him.
"Relm, thank goodness! I thought that maybe you could've... well, you know."
He gulped.
"Is that my name?"
Her voice was dry and cracked; she sounded tired. Puzzlement flickered on Strago's worried face. Relm winced as she turned her head towards him. Her eyes searched him, and she licked her lips nervously.
"What?"
Strago's voice sounded as tired as Relm's, although it was twinged with anxiety.
"I asked... is that my name. Relm."
It looked as though Relm had finally pulled herself together - physically, anyways. Her eyes focused. She turned her head towards the old man.
"I'm confused."
She whispered.
Five whole years had passed since the defeat of Kefka. The world was beginning to establish itself once more, and it appeared that the World of Ruin would soon return to its original state of Balance. Since then, two of the heroes that had fought so long ago had decided to settle down...
It was nearing autumn weather. That means, thought Celes Cole as she opened her front door, that Locke only has a few days on which he can have his favourite soup for dinner. Her garden grew such vegetables... and it was her job to water them every afternoon, just before the sun set. A smile brushed her lips as she walked around her home to go into her garden. Imagine, she mused, a woman who used to be a general for the Empire, a cold-blooded murderer, watering a garden in an apron.
As Celes approached her garden, she was surprised to see a snowy pigeon perched on her fence. She had just sent away her letter to Terra yesterday; surely pigeons couldn't deliver so quickly...? Well, she thought, I've got to water these properly, so...
Celes watered her vegetables hurriedly, pulled out a couple and put it into a wooden bowl. Then she reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a few bread-crumbs. She offered it to the pigeon with her left hand, distracting the pigeon's attention while deftly taking the message tied around its leg with her other hand. As Celes sprinkled the rest of the crumbs onto the grass, she noticed the pigeon's wings were perfectly white.
Owning carrier pigeons these days weren't strange; many people had one. Celes herself had one, and she'd named it 'Fleck' because the pigeon's wings were flecked with grey. Since she'd sent away the letter first, Terra would've sent her pigeon back. This pigeon wasn't hers. And I was hoping for an answer, Celes thought disappointedly, but she brushed her disappointment away. Any news was good, and with that thought in her head, she uncrumpled the note.
The letter's scrawl was Strago's, Celes recognised almost immediately. She eyes began to read it as she stepped into her home once more, carrying the wooden bowl.
Relm was in her room at home, her head in her hands as she thought and thought. Strago wasn't here at the moment...
'Thank goodness,'
Relm thought. He'd been pestering her about some wacko called Kefka and heroic fighters since the day she'd woken up. She couldn't really remember him. The name 'Relm' was familiar, so she allowed herself to believe that was her name. But Strago's stories...! Magic! The defeat of Kefka! She couldn't bring herself to believe it. All she could remember was that she was a fifteen-year old named Relm.
There was a tapping on her window, which broke Relm's train of thoughts. Turning, she stood up from her chair and saw a snow-white pigeon frantically flapping and tapping the window with its beak. She slid the window open and let the pigeon in. Then, noticing a bit of paper tied onto the pigeon's leg, Relm grabbed the pigeon's neck and plucked the paper off. The pigeon made strange noises once Relm let go, then gave her a haughty look before flying out the open window again.
She opened up the paper and saw a messily scrawn message printed across it. Her eyes began to scan it.
"Celes."
Relm felt something- a jolt- somewhere deep within. It was one of the names Strago had repeated to her whilst explaining the defeat of Kefka. Somehow, reading it to herself and hearing it had different effects. She continued to read it.
"What should I do? You're the only one I know who owns a carrier pigeon, so it's you who I'll ask for advice. Just a week ago, some thief broke into my home. This was while I wasn't in Thamasa, so I'll tell you my theory. She went into Relm's room, but Relm awoke and attempted to stop her. Probably, the freak threw her down the stairs. The clatter brought half of Thamasa to my home and they caught the thief. However, it appears Relm actually landed on her head while falling, thus falling into a coma. Then I came back. I waited for Relm to awake, and in about four days or so, she did. But she doesn't remember a thing. She doesn't remember me... or you, or anyone from our party for that matter. Absolutely nothing! What am I to do? Thamasa has very rebellious people in it; Relm could be thrown out if she's found without any memory of magic... (which is why I'm not asking any of them for help) How can I make her... remember?"
Relm frowned. Why did Strago send himself a letter?? Then she realised, as she turned the page over, that there was a much more neater and straighter piece of writing on the back. Relm began to read again.
"In my hurry to write back, I'm using your message paper. Strago, that's horrible! Relm forgot EVERYTHING? Well... this is just an idea, but if you really want to make her remember, why don't you let her meet us again? I'm sure that'll make her remember something. Have you tried saying familiar lines to her? Try bringing her to South Figaro so she can meet Terra, or Kolinghen to meet me and Locke, or to the Veldt so she can meet Gau, or even to Figaro castle where I think Edgar, Sabin and Cyan all are. I've given you the locations; Sabin and Terra have carrier pigeons, so you might want to ask them for help. Well, good luck... I'd love to see Relm, I haven't seen her in ages."
Relm's jaw slackened. Strago seemed like such an old guy, though... she didn't feel up to asking him to drag her around the world to meet up with old colleagues.
'Perhaps I should go alone... '
She appealed to the idea. Stashing the letter away, she pulled out a piece of her own paper and began to write.
After checking her supplies, Relm set foot as quickly she possibly could. The unfamilar - yet strangely very familiar - landscapes chilled her, and sudden winds whipped around her face and legs. But she stubbornly continued to plow through the dry weeds and grass which were cast with blood-red hues from the sky, wade in waist-deep creeks of brown and yellow water - occasionally she met clear blue water pools which she drank from gratefully - and often check the map she'd found under her bed. On the back of it, there was a message written 'Thanks to the Falcon!' and her name was signed on it.
What really confused Relm were the monsters. She had her daggers and rods prepared to make damage on any enemy, but the monsters either a)took one look at her and suddenly bolted the opposite direction b)were too busy to even notice her, or perhaps because c)were too tame and peace-wanting to attack innocent passer-bys. Some were so beautiful, or just so interesting, that when Relm stopped to take rests, she took from her bag a sketch-book from her room and sketched.
The sketch-book and pencil had a nice feel to it, and she found with delight that her ability to draw was more than she'd expected.
On one occasion where she'd sat down to sketch a Noh-rabbit, she tried flicking back to previous pages, where Relm found lots and lots of pictures. Their names were scribbled beneath in what Relm recognised to be her own writing.
On the first page she found that 'Terra', drawn in colour pencils, had pale-green hair that fell in waves. Her hair was tied up and tendrils of it framed her pale but pretty face. Her eyes looked loving and caring, her small lips curled in a soft smile. She was looking downwards, and several children had been drawn reaching up for Terra, their faces sweaty but excited and adoring. Relm felt a pang of happiness when she saw it.
In the next page, 'Celes' and 'Locke' had been drawn together with water-colours. Locke's arms were wrapped loosely around Celes' waist, his greyish-brown hair falling in a floppy manner over a navy blue bandanna. His face shape held a sharp angle, but his mouth was in a goofy grin and his eyes were twinkling in the sunlight Relm had drawn shafting in for effect. Celes had an extremely white complexion, her bare arms drawn to show a rather muscular, yet feminine figure. Her lips, though thin, were smiling widely, and longly-eyelashed eyes were closed. Her blond hair was tied in a loose fashion, and the sunlight cast on her hair, making it look white-blond and her skin milky. "I suppose they're married now." The thought filtered in and out so quickly that Relm didn't have time to register it.
Onto the next page; a handsome man with slick, tied back black hair and moustache was here. His double-chin stuck out stubbornly, a bit stubbly. She had drawn him with only pencil. However, from the black-and-white piece, she saw that she'd chosen to only colour his eyes. They were brown and drawn so clearly, and the man's expression showed gratitude and contentment. Below the piece, Relm found that she'd written 'Cyan'. Funnily enough, she knew how to pronounce it already.
Into the next page, she found a fully clothed figure swathed in colourful fabric. This piece was coloured effectively with collage. Its eyes were shadowed over, and long, slender fingers were spread infront of itself. 'Gogo' had been written in a scrawl next to the person's head. "Where is Gogo now anyway??" She thought. She blinked several times before deciding it was another memory pang.
On the next page she found 'Setzer' drawn in pen before being lightly air-brushed. The man had a long mane of grey hair that fell in sharp waves past his shoulders. His eyes had small irises, but the light-grey eyes were drawn very brightly. His skin looked extremely delicate and bore a strangely shock-white complexion. His lips were put in an arrogant smile, and a gloved left hand held up three or four trump cards. "I wonder if he's stopped gambling yet," was the first thing that came to mind for Relm when she saw it. She was starting to get used to her memory pangs.
She licked her index-finger and flicked to the next page of the sketchbook. A strange figure clothed in black; infact, completely covered, even with a mask; was sitting down. It had to be a man, since there were no feminine features of the figure. The build was more on the leaner side, and Relm recognised the man to be a ninja. Throwing stars and an unsheathed sword/dagger lay scattered at the ninja's side. The whole thing had been drawn with 7Bs and over; Relm could tell just by looking at it. There was a strange occurance; below the ninja her handwriting wrote 'Shadow', but then in another person's writing there was the name 'Clyde' just by it. She couldn't be stuffed to figure out the rest, so she ignored it.
'Umaro' and 'Mog' awaited her in the next page. It was drawn in pencil and smudged with white chalk powder. Relm had no idea what Umaro was, but Mog looked like a moogle. The moogle was sitting on Umaro's shoulder, and they were both waving and grinning (although Umaro stupidly) towards the artist. "And that moogle just loved dancing..." Relm's thoughts trailed off.
She was presented with two blonde men in the next page, drawn with rough detail with pastel coloured powder and lead. She studied it for quite a long time, the names below announcing them to be 'Edgar' and 'Sabin'. They were both laughing together. Edgar's build was sleeker than Sabin's muscly build. But she soon found resemblances between the two; like their sparkling brown eyes and sharp facial features. They were twins. Her mouth automatically curled into a smile when she glanced at the picture.
The page after showed a young boy. It was at an angled view, pencil drawn, and coloured lightly to shade areas of the youth. His build was tall and lanky, yet muscles were evident from the view she'd drawn at, even when she'd drawn his shoulders slack. The boys eyes were brown and glazed over with pale green. He was grinning eagerly at the artist. Green strands of hair formed bangs on his tanned face, and the rest was tied back with a long piece of string. She read the name as 'Gau'. "Must be lonely..." she thought. Then she realised that the first place she had been planning to visit was the Veldt. Gau was on the Veldt...
The last page from the pages on which she'd drawn her party members was Strago. He had a triumphant smile, and edges near his eyes were visibly crinkled with laughter lines. He was grinning a very toothy smile that stretched widely, and youth shone through the oil-painted picture. She'd felt something stab at her when she saw the picture, and she couldn't figure out why. Was it recognition...?
When she'd finished sketching, she extinguished the fire she'd built. It was too dark to carry on. She was next to a huge tree anyways, and felt reassured that she no enemy would attack her. Pulling out a quilt and folding it over herself, she wrapped her jacket around her bag and used it as a pillow. Resting her head on it, she closed her eyes and fell asleep without much thought.
...Relm, if you try to run before you can walk properly, you'll hurt yourself- RELM!! *sigh*...
...Relm, that HURTS, don't hit me on the head using a chair, I don't produce brain-cells anymore...
...Wow, you made these, Relm? ...you're better at drawing than cooking, though- OW!...
...No, Relm, I don't want you to practise drawing portraits using me as the guinea pig...
...Don't forget, Relm, I'm not going anywhere until I feel I can. And don't forget that I love you...
When Relm awoke the next morning, her jaw dropped open, she let out a cry of shock.
"Grandpa!"
All her dreams had been filled with images of him and memories were flooding back to her in tidal waves. She remembered him. Still feeling the shock, she pulled out from her bag a sandwich and began to chew vigorously. If she continued her journey, she'd really remember all of her memories. Then she could return home, into the welcoming arms of Thamasa and her old man. She grinned through a mouthful of toasted bread and tunafish when she thought about how far into her journey she'd gone; it was already her third day!
Pleased, she began to travel once more. To her utter surprise, it was only ten minutes until she reached the shore. She glanced the the map she held in her hand. Thamasa was on an island. Well, she thought, I was thinking of making a raft or something... she'd brought the necessary tools in her bag. Turning, she walked into a clump of trees and spent the rest of the day fixing up her raft. Her rope was thick enough, which Relm was relieved to see, and her saw was only having very little difficulty going through the wood. She was sanding it with glasspaper by the time the sun was setting. Having had plenty of breaks inbetween, Relm didn't feel too tired when she'd finally finished. She kicked the raft until it was just touching the waters.
Relm set her bag down and covered herself with her quilt again on top of the raft, knowing that the raft wouldn't move without a sail and her weight was probably anchoring it down. She fell asleep quickly.
She was in for a surprise. The next morning, she woke up to be scared half to death. She was in a totally different area; she could see land a little far off, but it didn't look like Thamasa. Her raft must have been moving all night straight after she'd fallen asleep. The gentle bobbing of the water was making Relm feel a little shaky; she'd never used a raft before, she'd only seen Grandpa make one.
She reached over her bag and grabbed the make-shift paddle she'd taken the night before - a branch off a tree - and rowed the raft as well as she could over to the land visible. The landmass turned out to be huge, and Relm was panting by the time she reached the edge of it. She clambered onto land with her bag and paddle, and watched her raft drift away as she caught her breath up. Then Relm looked around.
There was long, dry grass covering everything she could see so far. Relm was thirsty, and she was soon moving to find water. She walked and walked, her throat parching, and Relm finally found a small creek. She followed it up to the main stream before drinking deeply from it.
Relm leant back after her drink, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Aside the stream, there was a pool of water, and Relm knew it was probably mostly rainwater. There were animals and monsters all over the place, and Relm expected to meet some in here, as it was the opening to a small, open forest. Suddenly, Relm heard a shout of laughter from the forest. Raising her eyebrows, Relm started to walk deeper into the forest. It was rather open, and Relm found that the laughter had come from the other end of the pool of rainwater. Relm hid behind the surrounding trees as she moved closer, trying to get a closer look at the person. Quite close up, Relm saw that it was a boy wearing jeans. He had no top on, and his green hair was tied back in a ponytail...
'He sure looks familiar,'
Relm thought, and suddenly realised who he was as he snapped his head back, the sea-animals he was playing with splashing water about.
It was Gau.
'But he looks so different...!'
Relm thought, craning her neck as much as possible to get a better look. Suddenly, a whole load of memories rushed into her...
...Oo? Me Gau, who you? What? You don't get Gau? Aaoo...
...Wah!! Gau sorry, Gau try to fix, Relm's dress okay? Wah!! Gau sorry...
...Gau thirteen, Relm how old? Ten? Aaooo, Relm so young - oww!...
...Aaooo, Relm very good at drawing, Relm draw Gau? Thank you Relm, drawing so good...
...Gau quite like Relm. Will Relm come see Gau sometimes? Aaoo?...
Relm's eyes snapped back to her gaze at the boy laughing and splashing about in the water. He had changed a lot, and now Relm realised that if she was fifteen, he was eighteen. His hair was much more groomed than last time, although it was still long, and his skin was slightly tanned. His dress-sense had changed too, Relm noticed; he wasn't wearing his old monster-hides. He was actually kinda cute now, Relm thought, his laugh quite boyish and pleasant to hear.
He then got out of the water and bid farewell to his friends. He made to get out of the forest. Relm knew that now that she remembered him, there was no need to stay. She turned to leave, when she heard the memory repeat itself in her mind again...
...Gau quite like Relm. Will Relm come see Gau sometimes? Aaoo?...
Relm thought for a moment before turning around again and moving through the trees once more. His back was to her when she emerged, a bit shy, and called out in a bit of a questioning tone,
"Gau?"
Gau turned around with an eyebrow raised. Then his eyes widened and his face split into a grin. He ran up to her and enveloped her in a hug.
"Relm! Hey, you came to visit!"
Relm was first shocked by the sudden hug, and secondly by his seemingly perfect English. She felt her face burn at the fact that he was shirtless. Relm pushed him away and gave him a smile.
"Hi Gau... uh, nice English."
Gau gave her a wide grin.
"Yeah, Gau learnt it from Sabin... I mean, I learnt it... phew, it's hard."
Relm smiled again, straining her memory for the familiar name of Sabin, and now remembered the point of her coming here. Gau looked about her, as though expecting someone else.
"Where's Strago?"
"Uh... well, Gau, to tell you the absolute truth..."
Relm explained her predicament of amnesia, and Gau listened intently and quietly. After she had finished, he nodded.
"I see. But how do you remember me?"
"I.. just remembered. When... I saw you playing with your friends."
Gau grinned, and Relm grinned embarrassedly back.
"I thought I saw someone in the trees."
"Sorry, I didn't have the guts to say hello. Until now, that is."