**usual disclaimers apply**

legend:
(...) thoughts
*....* specific action while speaking
=== another place, dimension, time, group of people...etc.


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A MAGICIAN'S CURSE
by Rhys Icewind

~Chapter 15~

"she's gone!!" Ruriko suddenly shouted.

"who's gone?" a puzzled Quistis asked.

"Sakura!"

===

After 2 days of searching, they still couldn't find Sakura. Nobody
had seen her except for some students who said that they last saw
Sakura by the Quad. Searching in her room, ther were no fingerprints
nor signs of struggle.

A real mystery.

"another job for the Forensics, I guess." Zell said.

Selune was there in her office with Squall, Zell, Ruriko, Shun and
Yukino. To most of the people who knew Zell very well, it seemed like
he was the one who was devastated by her loss.

Selune looked at him. "Sounds like another head ache... we're still
not through the last case and here come another one..."

"you can leave that case to other investigators...can't you???" Ruriko
pleaded.

"NO! I'm gonna get the guy who shot me and who planned that stupid
assasination plan!!!" she shouted.

"take it easy, Selune..." Squall said.

Selune sighed and sat down her chair again. Most of them inside the room
already thought that it was hopeless. Except for Ruriko, Shun, Yukino and
Zell.

===

As he walked along the path towards the Quad, Zell thought that he heard
a shouting sound coming from somewhere. As he ran towards the Quad he saw
a bright light from behind a tree. Going behind it, he saw a woman in a
red and gold Chinese garb with long, black hair.

"w-who are you?!?!" Zell asked.

"no one you would know, I guess.." she smiled at him.

zell stanced himself and held his fists up in defense. "WHO ARE YOU?!?"

She looked at him with piercing violet eyes. "you do not need to know..
I know your delimma dear boy..."

Zell's eyes went wide in shock. "did you..... kidnap Sakura?!?!"

She suddenly chuckled. "no! .... I surely did not.... why should I?"

"how should I know that?"

The woman chuckled again. "do not worry.. I'll help you... under one
condition.."

"anything!!" he shouted.

the woman went closer to him and whispered something in his ear. Zell
was speechless.

"too much..." he mumbled.

==

In another void, another woman looking the same from head to toe saw
what had happened between the two. The staff that she held broke into
two in her anger. Suddenly, she raised a hand. On it, appeared a card
with a sword bounded in chains drawn on it. Suddenly, the card disappeared
and in her hand, she held a wicked looking sword.

"I'm not going to let you get away this time.."

And suddenly, she disappeared.


_________________________________________________________________


END

sorry for the _VERY_ short chapter. I was very busy with my cousins around.
I'll make it better next time. ... gomen ...