In case you didn't read this at the end of chapter four, I'll put this up
again. All Final Fantasy characters etc. Belong to Squaresoft and in case
my story resembles yours or another you've read, it is purely coincidental.
Thanks for reading!!
Chapter Four
Rinoa felt the layer of tiredness that had settled over her. She tried to shake it off her but she wasn't able to move.
Tired...so tired... were Rinoa's only thoughts, and she almost drifted back off to sleep. She smiled as felt her body relaxing, just like it had on the beach.
The beach! Rinoa's eyes instantly snapped open as the memory of what had happened earlier that day. She sat up trying to recognize her surroundings. She recognized the window over the bed, the white walls, and the softness of the bed. She was in the Infirmary.
"Dr. Kadowaki..." Rinoa called, still a little weak. She put a hand to her head, feeling slightly dizzy. All she could think about was Cid and Squall.
Where they okay? What happened out in the plains? How did she get here? Her mind kept filling her head with thoughts of Cid or Squall being devoured by the T-Rexaur. She shook those thoughts and called Dr. Kadowaki again.
"Oh, you're awake," Dr. Kadowaki's smile was a little reassuring, but Rinoa still wanted to make sure her husband and son were safe. "Oh, yes they're fine." Rinoa breathed a sigh of relief. It was then that Rinoa noticed that Dr. Kadowaki was not alone. The sight of the slightly frail and pale woman dressed all in black with flowing jet black hair surprised Rinoa. Seeing Edea again forced unwanted memories back into her head. Memories of Ultimecia, memories of what Edea was, memories of what Rinoa was...
"Hello, Edea." Rinoa gave a weak smile. The sorceress smiled back.
"Hello, Rinoa. Did you have a little problem on your way home today?"
"Yes, we were attacked by a T-Rexaur." Rinoa stated simply.
"Just one T-Rexaur?" Edea looked a little surprised, "Why didn't you use your powers?"
"I did." Rinoa was getting a little annoyed with Edea. She didn't like to be constantly reminded that she was different from everyone else.
"And it made you pass out?"
"I used Angel Wing."
"Was the T-Rexaur that strong? Usually a few spells can get rid of it."
"Well, you know as well as I do why I didn't use some spells." Rinoa slid her feet to the floor and stood up.
"You really should practice your spells." Edea lectured, "You should embrace your new powers. You and I have the ability to summon magic without the use of a GF."
"Maybe I don't want to embrace them." Rinoa retorted, "Maybe I don't even want them." Rinoa walked to the door and opened it up.
"When are you going to stop running away from what you are?" Edea's words echoed in Rinoa's ears as she closed the doors.
I don't want to be different... Rinoa couldn't believe that she was still struggling with the same problems as when Rinoa received her powers eight years ago. It didn't make her feel any better.
"When are you going to stop running away...?" Edea's words repeated in Rinoa's head. She shook them away and decided to take a little walk.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Before helping Squall later on that night, Zell decided to stop at his home in Balamb. He felt no shame in the fact that he still lived with his mother. With his father no longer around, he felt he had an obligation to be there to take care of her.
It was true that Zell had his home in Balamb, but he spent so much time at Balamb Garden and traveled with the it, he was also thought to have a dormitory there as well, which was false. But there was always a room set aside for him, in case he ever had to spend the night, like when Garden would have to spend more than a day at another location.
Zell smiled as a few Bite Bugs buzzed around him. He hadn't fought any monsters so far, and he didn't have a GF, but he wasn't about to run away. Zell raced forward throwing his usual one-two punch at a Bite Bug and it instantly fell to the ground and vanished. Two more buzzed around Zell and one tried to sting him, but Zell easily dodged it.
"Come on, give me a challenge!" Zell taunted the two remained Bite Bugs. He rushed up to another Bite Bug and gave it another one-two punch. It tumbled to the ground and disappeared, just like the first one had. The remaining Bite Bug flew away. Zell was tempted to chase after it, but he wanted to get home to check on his mother.
Zell could see Balamb in the distance and continued to walk towards it. When he finally arrived, the smell of the ocean greeted him. He walked to his house and opened the front door. The smell of cooked fish lofted through the house.
"Mom! I'm home!" he called into the house.
"I'm in the kitchen!" came the reply. He walked through the living room to the kitchen and saw his mother with his back to him. She was obviously cooking something. Ma Dincht turned around with two plates of food in her hands.
"I made some food for you. Now sit down and eat. You're looking so thin!" Zell's stomach was still full of hot dogs, but he could never turn down a meal from his mother. "And while we eat," Ma Dincht continued, "We can practice your card playing skills." Zell knew this was coming, as his mother was a die-hard card player. He pulled out his deck he had in his pocket.
"You're going down!" Zell playfully teased.
"We'll see."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Rinoa smiled as Selphie poured herself out to her. Selphie had become the sister Rinoa had never had, and she hoped the feeling was mutual.
"I mean he's such an asshole!" Selphie continued, "How does he expect me to forgive him after all he put me through. Bed hopping all around the Garden and who knows how many others he's been with on all those missions he goes on."
"You know he's always been a womanizer, Selphie." Rinoa outputted.
"Does that give him the right to sleep with every person of the opposite sex?" Selphie was on the verge of tears.
"No, it doesn't." Rinoa wrapped Selphie in a hug as she began to cry. It was obvious that Selphie still loved Irvine, but she couldn't forgive him for what he did to her.
"Thanks, Rin." Selphie wiped her tears from her face, "You're always easy to talk to. So anyway, you had something you wanted to talk about too?"
"Yeah," Rinoa was sure how to start this so she just came right out and said it, "Edea is pushing me to develop my powers again."
"Really? Why? Shouldn't that be your decision?" Selphie asked.
"That's what I think." Rinoa agreed, "But she thinks I should 'embrace who I am'."
"Well, we really don't know what's going on inside Edea's head. With Headmaster Cid's death a few years ago..." Selphie's voice trailed off. It was obvious she didn't want to think of Headmaster Cid. She might start crying again. His death had been so sudden. A heart attack, and then he was gone.
With Headmaster Cid gone, Edea had chosen Nida to be the new Headmaster, as well as the Navigator. This meant that Nida would navigate the Garden and take care of all school-related activities. Squall, on the other hand, being the Commander, would be the head of the SeeDs, take control of Garden in case of attack, and would decide Garden destinations. It was a nice separation of power that had been developed. In fact, Quistis had developed the system. Quistis had been appointed as an instructor again, and so she had a place to stay at Balmab Garden. Selphie also had a place to stay there with her two daughters, as she was appointed to the head of the Garden Festival. Irvine had another dormitory to stay in after Selphie kicked him out. And then there was Squall and Rinoa who had access to Headmaster Cid's old room. It was quite spacious and there was even a room for Cid, all to himself.
"So what do you think?" Rinoa asked.
"Well, why not tell Edea to respect your decision not to develop your magical abilities?" Selphie suggested.
"I guess that would work." Rinoa thought about Selphie's remark. She wasn't really sure what type of answer she was looking for. Maybe all she wanted was to talk about her conversation with Edea, but Selphie's suggestion was as good as any.
"Thanks, Selphie." Rinoa stood, deciding to go look for Cid, "I can always talk to you."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Cid had decided to leave the Cafeteria, to get away from everyone. Cid just felt like being alone. The only place he knew that would be empty was the classroom. All classes had already ended, so they were most likely empty. Cid rode the elevator up to the second floor and exited it. He walked down the hall into the classroom, and as he'd hoped, it was empty.
Cid took a seat in the front row and began to think. Why was his daddy suddenly so interested in getting him into the Training Center? Was it because of what Seifer had said? Or maybe because it was due to the monster attack today? It wasn't his fault. Monsters scared him, they always had. But he didn't want to be a baby.
Emotions were racing around in his head. Braza's words also came to his mind.
"My dad says you're weak and never accomplish anything."
"My dad says that I'm way stronger than you and I always will."
"Aren't you ever gonna grow up?"
Cid felt tears come to his eyes again. NO! Cid thought, I'm not gonna cry! Only babies cry! Despite his efforts, the tears slowly streamed down his face.
"Huh?" Cid's head perked up and he instantly wiped away his tears.
"Who's there?" Cid looked around the classroom.
"Right where?" Cid still was unable to see anyone.
"Right next to me?" Cid stood and looked around for anything like a transmitter or a recorder.
"You're invisible?" Cid's eyes widened.
"And only I can hear you? Wow." Cid felt a feeling of pride. He was unique! He could do something no one else could!
"You're a sorcerer? Really? So is my mommy!" Cid smiled to empty space.
"Yeah, she is! You want something to eat? No? You're tired? Okay, then let's go to my room. You can get some rest there." Cid smiled wider and walked out of the classroom.
Chapter Four
Rinoa felt the layer of tiredness that had settled over her. She tried to shake it off her but she wasn't able to move.
Tired...so tired... were Rinoa's only thoughts, and she almost drifted back off to sleep. She smiled as felt her body relaxing, just like it had on the beach.
The beach! Rinoa's eyes instantly snapped open as the memory of what had happened earlier that day. She sat up trying to recognize her surroundings. She recognized the window over the bed, the white walls, and the softness of the bed. She was in the Infirmary.
"Dr. Kadowaki..." Rinoa called, still a little weak. She put a hand to her head, feeling slightly dizzy. All she could think about was Cid and Squall.
Where they okay? What happened out in the plains? How did she get here? Her mind kept filling her head with thoughts of Cid or Squall being devoured by the T-Rexaur. She shook those thoughts and called Dr. Kadowaki again.
"Oh, you're awake," Dr. Kadowaki's smile was a little reassuring, but Rinoa still wanted to make sure her husband and son were safe. "Oh, yes they're fine." Rinoa breathed a sigh of relief. It was then that Rinoa noticed that Dr. Kadowaki was not alone. The sight of the slightly frail and pale woman dressed all in black with flowing jet black hair surprised Rinoa. Seeing Edea again forced unwanted memories back into her head. Memories of Ultimecia, memories of what Edea was, memories of what Rinoa was...
"Hello, Edea." Rinoa gave a weak smile. The sorceress smiled back.
"Hello, Rinoa. Did you have a little problem on your way home today?"
"Yes, we were attacked by a T-Rexaur." Rinoa stated simply.
"Just one T-Rexaur?" Edea looked a little surprised, "Why didn't you use your powers?"
"I did." Rinoa was getting a little annoyed with Edea. She didn't like to be constantly reminded that she was different from everyone else.
"And it made you pass out?"
"I used Angel Wing."
"Was the T-Rexaur that strong? Usually a few spells can get rid of it."
"Well, you know as well as I do why I didn't use some spells." Rinoa slid her feet to the floor and stood up.
"You really should practice your spells." Edea lectured, "You should embrace your new powers. You and I have the ability to summon magic without the use of a GF."
"Maybe I don't want to embrace them." Rinoa retorted, "Maybe I don't even want them." Rinoa walked to the door and opened it up.
"When are you going to stop running away from what you are?" Edea's words echoed in Rinoa's ears as she closed the doors.
I don't want to be different... Rinoa couldn't believe that she was still struggling with the same problems as when Rinoa received her powers eight years ago. It didn't make her feel any better.
"When are you going to stop running away...?" Edea's words repeated in Rinoa's head. She shook them away and decided to take a little walk.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Before helping Squall later on that night, Zell decided to stop at his home in Balamb. He felt no shame in the fact that he still lived with his mother. With his father no longer around, he felt he had an obligation to be there to take care of her.
It was true that Zell had his home in Balamb, but he spent so much time at Balamb Garden and traveled with the it, he was also thought to have a dormitory there as well, which was false. But there was always a room set aside for him, in case he ever had to spend the night, like when Garden would have to spend more than a day at another location.
Zell smiled as a few Bite Bugs buzzed around him. He hadn't fought any monsters so far, and he didn't have a GF, but he wasn't about to run away. Zell raced forward throwing his usual one-two punch at a Bite Bug and it instantly fell to the ground and vanished. Two more buzzed around Zell and one tried to sting him, but Zell easily dodged it.
"Come on, give me a challenge!" Zell taunted the two remained Bite Bugs. He rushed up to another Bite Bug and gave it another one-two punch. It tumbled to the ground and disappeared, just like the first one had. The remaining Bite Bug flew away. Zell was tempted to chase after it, but he wanted to get home to check on his mother.
Zell could see Balamb in the distance and continued to walk towards it. When he finally arrived, the smell of the ocean greeted him. He walked to his house and opened the front door. The smell of cooked fish lofted through the house.
"Mom! I'm home!" he called into the house.
"I'm in the kitchen!" came the reply. He walked through the living room to the kitchen and saw his mother with his back to him. She was obviously cooking something. Ma Dincht turned around with two plates of food in her hands.
"I made some food for you. Now sit down and eat. You're looking so thin!" Zell's stomach was still full of hot dogs, but he could never turn down a meal from his mother. "And while we eat," Ma Dincht continued, "We can practice your card playing skills." Zell knew this was coming, as his mother was a die-hard card player. He pulled out his deck he had in his pocket.
"You're going down!" Zell playfully teased.
"We'll see."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Rinoa smiled as Selphie poured herself out to her. Selphie had become the sister Rinoa had never had, and she hoped the feeling was mutual.
"I mean he's such an asshole!" Selphie continued, "How does he expect me to forgive him after all he put me through. Bed hopping all around the Garden and who knows how many others he's been with on all those missions he goes on."
"You know he's always been a womanizer, Selphie." Rinoa outputted.
"Does that give him the right to sleep with every person of the opposite sex?" Selphie was on the verge of tears.
"No, it doesn't." Rinoa wrapped Selphie in a hug as she began to cry. It was obvious that Selphie still loved Irvine, but she couldn't forgive him for what he did to her.
"Thanks, Rin." Selphie wiped her tears from her face, "You're always easy to talk to. So anyway, you had something you wanted to talk about too?"
"Yeah," Rinoa was sure how to start this so she just came right out and said it, "Edea is pushing me to develop my powers again."
"Really? Why? Shouldn't that be your decision?" Selphie asked.
"That's what I think." Rinoa agreed, "But she thinks I should 'embrace who I am'."
"Well, we really don't know what's going on inside Edea's head. With Headmaster Cid's death a few years ago..." Selphie's voice trailed off. It was obvious she didn't want to think of Headmaster Cid. She might start crying again. His death had been so sudden. A heart attack, and then he was gone.
With Headmaster Cid gone, Edea had chosen Nida to be the new Headmaster, as well as the Navigator. This meant that Nida would navigate the Garden and take care of all school-related activities. Squall, on the other hand, being the Commander, would be the head of the SeeDs, take control of Garden in case of attack, and would decide Garden destinations. It was a nice separation of power that had been developed. In fact, Quistis had developed the system. Quistis had been appointed as an instructor again, and so she had a place to stay at Balmab Garden. Selphie also had a place to stay there with her two daughters, as she was appointed to the head of the Garden Festival. Irvine had another dormitory to stay in after Selphie kicked him out. And then there was Squall and Rinoa who had access to Headmaster Cid's old room. It was quite spacious and there was even a room for Cid, all to himself.
"So what do you think?" Rinoa asked.
"Well, why not tell Edea to respect your decision not to develop your magical abilities?" Selphie suggested.
"I guess that would work." Rinoa thought about Selphie's remark. She wasn't really sure what type of answer she was looking for. Maybe all she wanted was to talk about her conversation with Edea, but Selphie's suggestion was as good as any.
"Thanks, Selphie." Rinoa stood, deciding to go look for Cid, "I can always talk to you."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Cid had decided to leave the Cafeteria, to get away from everyone. Cid just felt like being alone. The only place he knew that would be empty was the classroom. All classes had already ended, so they were most likely empty. Cid rode the elevator up to the second floor and exited it. He walked down the hall into the classroom, and as he'd hoped, it was empty.
Cid took a seat in the front row and began to think. Why was his daddy suddenly so interested in getting him into the Training Center? Was it because of what Seifer had said? Or maybe because it was due to the monster attack today? It wasn't his fault. Monsters scared him, they always had. But he didn't want to be a baby.
Emotions were racing around in his head. Braza's words also came to his mind.
"My dad says you're weak and never accomplish anything."
"My dad says that I'm way stronger than you and I always will."
"Aren't you ever gonna grow up?"
Cid felt tears come to his eyes again. NO! Cid thought, I'm not gonna cry! Only babies cry! Despite his efforts, the tears slowly streamed down his face.
"Huh?" Cid's head perked up and he instantly wiped away his tears.
"Who's there?" Cid looked around the classroom.
"Right where?" Cid still was unable to see anyone.
"Right next to me?" Cid stood and looked around for anything like a transmitter or a recorder.
"You're invisible?" Cid's eyes widened.
"And only I can hear you? Wow." Cid felt a feeling of pride. He was unique! He could do something no one else could!
"You're a sorcerer? Really? So is my mommy!" Cid smiled to empty space.
"Yeah, she is! You want something to eat? No? You're tired? Okay, then let's go to my room. You can get some rest there." Cid smiled wider and walked out of the classroom.