and I will always reach too high...
The lower mechanism plummeted straight down with amazing speed. Seifer clutched the lever and took a deep breath as he felt painful impact on the ground and heat rise up all around him.
Quistis had ran out of Squall's office and now was currently running down the stairs at the landing of the elevator when Garden gave a terrifying lurch. She stumbled down the stair and caught her breath as many other SeeD's and students screamed and fell to the ground. She ran over to what would be the Garden entrance if they were on the ground, and looked outside. She saw a huge rusty-brown room falling towards the ground and her heart gave a leap. What the hell was going on?
Just then Garden gave another fearful lurch and she stumbled to the ground. She looked outside once more and noticed one of the Garden's rings was knocked off balance. Garden was going down, no doubt. She saw the clear blue of the ocean a few miles off, could they glide that far? Even if they could, upon impact of the water, Garden would start to sink. There was no life-rafts of any kind. Hopefully most could swim ashore.
Seifer coughed and opened his eyes. He arm throbbed with pain, and all his body felt very hot. He noticed the whole room was on fire. He was on the ground, and alive. He looked at his arm and noticed it was under a huge piece of rusted metal. The "mechanism" no longer looked like one piece, merely many broken pieces of huge rusted metal feet apart aflame. He pulled his arm out from under the metal, gritting his teeth with pain the whole time. He stood up shakily, holding his right arm, the hurt one, with his left.
He coughed again, breathing in the scent of gas. That was why this was all aflame. As he stumbled away from the fiery mess he saw Garden still miles above, but slowly losing its speed. He flinched as a ring knocked off balance and started hurtling towards the ground. Quistis was up there.
He sat on the grassy filed, his weak legs not being able to handle his weight anymore. His dirty, grease smudged face shown worry. He'd done everything he could to save Quistis's life. Now all he could rely upon was Hyne.
Quistis looked back into Garden where students and SeeD's ran this way and that in this time of chaos. She strained to listen through the static of the broken intercom as Squall announced something.
'Garden is going down. Please hurry to third floor as we might be hitting the ocean and lower floors will flood. Be ready to swim. Senior classmen and SeeD's are ordered to help junior classmen. Please try to stay calm, I'll do everything I can to prevent death.'
Quistis got up and ran for the elevator as she wiped a tear from her face. When she arrived quite the crowd was gathered about. She pushed through and stepped to the entrance of the elevator.
"Hey!! Calm down!! Junior classmen, please step forward. All junior classmen will ride up first!!" she shouted, taking charge. Some students around the age of ten to fifteen stepped up and she opened the elevator doors to let them in.
They packed in as much as they could. Three trips to the third floor were made before Quistis herself got on, with a few other SeeD's. When they reached the top she ran straight for Squall's office.
She burst through the door to find Squall, Rinoa, Zell, Irvine, and Selphie there.
"Quistis!" Selphie exclaimed and ran over to her.
"We thought we'd never see you again!" Rinoa said in a worried tone, shooting a hateful glance at Squall. Irvine grinned. Zell nudged Squall, who was standing back stubbornly. Squall just looked at Zell for a moment, then rolled his eyes.
"Has anyone seen Seifer?" Quistis asked frantically. Squall shook his head. The room went silent.
"A few SeeD's I sent down to release the lower mechanism have reported back to me. They said they saw him down there hiding, and he took it upon himself to finish their job." he said. Quistis tear streaked face turned white.
"He's...." she couldn't finish her sentence. She crumpled to the ground, too shocked to utter a word, too anguished to sob.
Selphie place a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.
Quistis buried her face in her hands. He was on that metal she'd seen hurtling down. He was the reason she was alive right now. If not for him, the whole of Garden would be burning.
They were all lost in thought when Garden hit the water. They all absorbed the impact as Garden slowly started sinking into the water. Irvine ran to the window and smashed Exeter into it. Squall ran into the corridor for help with students, as did Rinoa, Zell, and Selphie.
Quistis jumped out the window after Irvine. Irvine was going to assist junior classmen in swimming ashore.
Quistis swam to the nearest object she could hold onto, which happened to be the side of Garden, and gripped it tightly. She looked ashore and saw the wreckage of the mechanism...she had to get to it.
She judged the distance, it was about a mile swim. She didn't care what happened to Garden Her mind was flooded with one thought, Seifer. She had to get to Seifer.
She pushed through the water, her strokes were strong and sure...but gradually dwindled as she became weak pushing through the cold, crystal clear water. She was only about halfway and was getting tired, fast.
No matter what, she had to push ahead. She hadn't come this far in her lifetime to die swimming, half a mile from land. She scolded her weakness and bit her lip.
As she finally reached shore she stood up, then instantly crumpled back to the ground, her legs and arms weak. She mustered more strength and got on her knees.
"Seifer!!" she managed to call, even thought she was out of breath. She listened for an answer.
Seifer sat up from his laying position in the grass when he heard his name called. The voice sounded familiar...it was Quistis!
"Quistis!" he managed hoarsely. He was losing his voice due to the smoke around him.
Quistis heard a faint voice and crawled towards it. It had to be Seifer.
Seifer stood up shakily and stumbled over the grass. Quistis called his name again which only made him run faster.
When he reached the sand on the beach he saw Quistis about fifty feet away, on her knees in the sand. She looked up and her heart gave a leap as she saw Seifer.
"Seifer! You're alive!" she called, getting up and running to him. They embraced each other and fell to the sand, holding each other close, never wanting to be apart again.
The lower mechanism plummeted straight down with amazing speed. Seifer clutched the lever and took a deep breath as he felt painful impact on the ground and heat rise up all around him.
Quistis had ran out of Squall's office and now was currently running down the stairs at the landing of the elevator when Garden gave a terrifying lurch. She stumbled down the stair and caught her breath as many other SeeD's and students screamed and fell to the ground. She ran over to what would be the Garden entrance if they were on the ground, and looked outside. She saw a huge rusty-brown room falling towards the ground and her heart gave a leap. What the hell was going on?
Just then Garden gave another fearful lurch and she stumbled to the ground. She looked outside once more and noticed one of the Garden's rings was knocked off balance. Garden was going down, no doubt. She saw the clear blue of the ocean a few miles off, could they glide that far? Even if they could, upon impact of the water, Garden would start to sink. There was no life-rafts of any kind. Hopefully most could swim ashore.
Seifer coughed and opened his eyes. He arm throbbed with pain, and all his body felt very hot. He noticed the whole room was on fire. He was on the ground, and alive. He looked at his arm and noticed it was under a huge piece of rusted metal. The "mechanism" no longer looked like one piece, merely many broken pieces of huge rusted metal feet apart aflame. He pulled his arm out from under the metal, gritting his teeth with pain the whole time. He stood up shakily, holding his right arm, the hurt one, with his left.
He coughed again, breathing in the scent of gas. That was why this was all aflame. As he stumbled away from the fiery mess he saw Garden still miles above, but slowly losing its speed. He flinched as a ring knocked off balance and started hurtling towards the ground. Quistis was up there.
He sat on the grassy filed, his weak legs not being able to handle his weight anymore. His dirty, grease smudged face shown worry. He'd done everything he could to save Quistis's life. Now all he could rely upon was Hyne.
Quistis looked back into Garden where students and SeeD's ran this way and that in this time of chaos. She strained to listen through the static of the broken intercom as Squall announced something.
'Garden is going down. Please hurry to third floor as we might be hitting the ocean and lower floors will flood. Be ready to swim. Senior classmen and SeeD's are ordered to help junior classmen. Please try to stay calm, I'll do everything I can to prevent death.'
Quistis got up and ran for the elevator as she wiped a tear from her face. When she arrived quite the crowd was gathered about. She pushed through and stepped to the entrance of the elevator.
"Hey!! Calm down!! Junior classmen, please step forward. All junior classmen will ride up first!!" she shouted, taking charge. Some students around the age of ten to fifteen stepped up and she opened the elevator doors to let them in.
They packed in as much as they could. Three trips to the third floor were made before Quistis herself got on, with a few other SeeD's. When they reached the top she ran straight for Squall's office.
She burst through the door to find Squall, Rinoa, Zell, Irvine, and Selphie there.
"Quistis!" Selphie exclaimed and ran over to her.
"We thought we'd never see you again!" Rinoa said in a worried tone, shooting a hateful glance at Squall. Irvine grinned. Zell nudged Squall, who was standing back stubbornly. Squall just looked at Zell for a moment, then rolled his eyes.
"Has anyone seen Seifer?" Quistis asked frantically. Squall shook his head. The room went silent.
"A few SeeD's I sent down to release the lower mechanism have reported back to me. They said they saw him down there hiding, and he took it upon himself to finish their job." he said. Quistis tear streaked face turned white.
"He's...." she couldn't finish her sentence. She crumpled to the ground, too shocked to utter a word, too anguished to sob.
Selphie place a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.
Quistis buried her face in her hands. He was on that metal she'd seen hurtling down. He was the reason she was alive right now. If not for him, the whole of Garden would be burning.
They were all lost in thought when Garden hit the water. They all absorbed the impact as Garden slowly started sinking into the water. Irvine ran to the window and smashed Exeter into it. Squall ran into the corridor for help with students, as did Rinoa, Zell, and Selphie.
Quistis jumped out the window after Irvine. Irvine was going to assist junior classmen in swimming ashore.
Quistis swam to the nearest object she could hold onto, which happened to be the side of Garden, and gripped it tightly. She looked ashore and saw the wreckage of the mechanism...she had to get to it.
She judged the distance, it was about a mile swim. She didn't care what happened to Garden Her mind was flooded with one thought, Seifer. She had to get to Seifer.
She pushed through the water, her strokes were strong and sure...but gradually dwindled as she became weak pushing through the cold, crystal clear water. She was only about halfway and was getting tired, fast.
No matter what, she had to push ahead. She hadn't come this far in her lifetime to die swimming, half a mile from land. She scolded her weakness and bit her lip.
As she finally reached shore she stood up, then instantly crumpled back to the ground, her legs and arms weak. She mustered more strength and got on her knees.
"Seifer!!" she managed to call, even thought she was out of breath. She listened for an answer.
Seifer sat up from his laying position in the grass when he heard his name called. The voice sounded familiar...it was Quistis!
"Quistis!" he managed hoarsely. He was losing his voice due to the smoke around him.
Quistis heard a faint voice and crawled towards it. It had to be Seifer.
Seifer stood up shakily and stumbled over the grass. Quistis called his name again which only made him run faster.
When he reached the sand on the beach he saw Quistis about fifty feet away, on her knees in the sand. She looked up and her heart gave a leap as she saw Seifer.
"Seifer! You're alive!" she called, getting up and running to him. They embraced each other and fell to the sand, holding each other close, never wanting to be apart again.