A/N: Will anyone mind if I get really romantic in this story, really
quickly? Please R/R, and tell me!
Chapter Six:Abandonment, and the Phone Call From Hell
Irvine awoke to the birds singing in the trees, the sun bright and warm on his face. It was morning. He yawned heartily, blinking the sleep out of his eyes, and held his arm around Laurena tighter. At least, he could've, if she were there. He glanced down. To his surprise she was gone. He looked around but couldn't see her anywhere. He got up from his post at the willow trunk and looked around the dirt path. It was intriguing that there were no sign of her footprints in the narrow dusty path. "Laurena?" he called out. Of course, she didn't answer. But this time he became panicked. Suddenly all he could think of was that Tryphaena or some other Dark Siren had come and snatched her from him during the night. Then he realized he didn't have his hat on. It laid on the ground. He picked it up, and he noticed it had something in it. A piece of paper. Irvine put on his hat and opened the note, reading Laurena's lovely handwriting:
::Irvine,::
::Thank you so much for staying with me last night. Thank you even more for comforting me when Tryphaena ripped my dream. You could never know how much that meant to me that you cared. But Tryphaena will continue to do this to me as long as she can, until I give in to her. I do not want you to be involved in this. It's so much more complicated than you could ever comprehend. I do not want you to be in danger. She is heartless. And thus I must leave Balamb. Don't ever return to this grove of willows. I will not be here. And do _not_ try and look for me. I am not sure what the gods will of me, but I know whatever I must do I must do alone. If fate should cross our paths again that is one thing, but otherwise we must never speak again. There is just too much danger involved and I don't want you to be hurt. I'm not worth your death. Good-bye, Irvine. We will always be great friends even if we are forever apart, and maybe someday I can see you again. But it will not be soon. I'm sorry if you cannot understand and I understand if you no longer want anything to do with me. It's all right. But you'll be so much safer this way. So good-bye. Love, Laurena::
Hot, burning tears tricKled down Irvine's cheeks as he read, as a tearing feeling deepened inside him. He couldn't believe what he was reading. He blinked hard but the words remained the same. His mind reeled and he felt light headed. ::I must leave Balamb:: The note fell from his hand. ::Do not try an look for me...we can never speak again:: It landed soundlessly onto the mossy earth. ::I do not want you to be hurt:: But of all the words that floated in his shell-shocked mind, three words burned into his heart. ::Good-bye. Love, Laurena::
Goodbye. Love. Laurena.
Love.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Irvine lay in his bed, feeling sick. Why would Laurena do this? His heart panged with sadness and worry. Where was she? Was she okay? ::Laurena, why? I promised I would protect you. I promised. How can I protect you if you aren't even here? I don't care about the danger involved. I'm a SeeD. I can handle anything. Why did you run away?:: ::Will you spend your whole life running? Hiding in the shadows where no one can see you? How can anyone be happy with that kind of life? You say you don't mind. But you must be lying. No, it's not all right for me to not understand or to hate you. I think I love you. But I'm not sure. I'm so confused.:: ::To hell with my safety. I can protect myself. You were afraid to step out of under the trees. How can I sleep at night not knowing if you are safe or not?:: ::How could you say goodbye? So suddenly, without warning?:: ::Do you love me too?:: Now he was back to where he started. Lonely. Alone. The fate of the sharpshooter is to always stand alone. Why couldn't he see that? No matter what happened, his fate would always intervene. She had written that they would only meet again if fate crossed their paths. Well, he knew what _his_ fate was. Did Laurena know hers? He was aroused from his depressive thoughts by a knocking at his door. "What?" he sighed loudly. "Irvine, it's me, Ellone. Please open the door." "You and who else?" he said harshly, rolling over. "No one. It's just me. Will you let me in?" Her voice was gentle, it always had been. "...Okay." He got up and opened the door for her. Elle walked in, concern tugging at her face. He closed the door. "You didn't come home last night. I was worried for you." "You didn't have to be worried." He sat down on the bed, and she sat beside her. "What happened? Something is troubling you." Irvine tried not to make contact with her eyes. He knew what could happen when Ellone made eye contact. "I don't wanna talk about it..." Ellone reached forward with a sigh and grasped his chin, forcing his eyes to look into hers. He felt her searching him thoroughly, her expresion thoughtful. "There is a girl, like Zell said," she said slowly. "You care for her very much but have known her only a small time." She looked deeper. "But she is gone now. And you don't know where she has gone." "You're a psychic," he said sarcastically. But his expression was melancholic. "Sis...would you be able to tell me about her past? There's so many questions that haven't been answered..." "You know I can't, Irvine. Not unless it's someone I know. I'm sorry." She laid her hand on his shoulder. "We all missed you these past couple of days." "Really? Even after I blew you off?" She smiled playfully. "_Especially_ after you blew us off. Zell isn't such a moron after all, huh?" "I guess not. He was right on the money." Irvine sighed. "I was really getting to like her, too...and then she just disappeared during the night..." Ellone looked at him awkwardly and he frowned. "Oh, come on! We didn't _do_ anything!She was just afraid to be alone last night..." "Why?" "I can't tell you, she's sworn me to secrecy," he said sternly. "Her life depends on it." "Oh, well if it's her life...I really have to know. Irvine, if you don't tell me what is going on, something might happen." "I tell ya, it's a secret!" he resisted. Again she grabbed his face and searched even as he struggled to get away. But she saw it before he could. Her brown eyes went wide as she gasped. "She's running from something...a tall woman. A tall woman with...wings?" Ellone let go. "Irvine, what is going on?" "Her name's Tryphaena. She's here, in the Garden, and she wants to kill her." "Oh, my!" "Damn right. So now she's running for her life and I have no idea where she is. Sis, this is really important. You can't tell anyone. Not anyone. Not Laguna, not Squall, not anyone." "I promise, Irvine. No one will ever know. No one except you, me and this girl." She stroked his hand gently. "Are you coming with us to the Horizon tonight?" "...I guess. I don't know what the point is though. I'll just spend the entire time wondering where she is." "Oh, come on." She didn't say anything further. "I'll tell the others that you're back." And she left. ~~~~~~~~~
Irvine laid on his bed later on, watching TV and eating potato chips. It was one of those old cowboy movies that played in black and white. He had somewhat of a fetish for them, but instead of taking Laurena off his mind he was only reminded more. "Where are you going? When are you coming back?" the lady pleaded. "I'm not sure, little lady. But don' worry, I'll come back for you." "But when? I'll miss you so!" "Don't pine for me, Miss Lidia. I don't know when I'll be back. The road's gonna be long and dangerous, no place for a lady like you. But just trust me when I say this: when you look up into the sky at night and see our star...you just remember that I'm looking at that same star at the same moment. That way, we'll always be together." "Oh, Jack..." Irvine swallowed the potato chips hard, a tear trickling down his face as he watched the cowboy riding off into the sunset, the lady watching him leave with sorrow. These movies always made him feel all choked up. And the thing that really hurt was that this particular movie was his situation, only the roles were switched. Laurena had just up and left without a word, and he had no idea where she was going or when she would come back...if she ever did. Would she come back for him? Suddenly his door opened, and in walked a very unwelcome visitor. Tryphaena slinked in, closed the door and pointed her finger at the TV. Suddenly it shut off on its own. Then she climbed up onto his bed and on top of him, tossing the bag of potato chips onto the floor. Her gaze was deadly, but seductive. "You did not visit me last night. Where were you?" She wasted no time, nibbling at his neck. "Were you busy catching a sparrow?" "Stop it, Tryphaena." Irvine pushed her off him, sitting up. "I know who you are and I know what you are. And I'm not gonna fall under your spell. So you just leave me alone." Tryphaena laid on the end of the bed, her hair falling over her face. She brushed it back and he saw her face was contorted in quiet rage. "Leave...you...alone?" She lunged forward like a jaguar, grabbing his wrist and holding them up over his head. "Do you _realize_ who you're fooling with, cowboy?" She dug her sharp fingernails into his wrists, elicting a cry of pain from him. "Do you realize I can kiss you and kill you without drawing a breath in between?" she hissed into his lips. "You would do better to just cooperate. Contrary to what that little sparrow might have told you, I reward my helpers more than justly." The smirk returned to her lips, her eyes playing seductively with his. "So just tell me where she is, little cowboy. And you'll get your reward, if you catch what I'm saying." She lunged at his lips, capturing them again within her ruby ones. It took Irvine's total willpower not to submit to the Sirenspell. He pretended to respond, and when she pulled away and stared into his amethyst eyes he tried his best to look like he'd been entranced, seduced. She was satisfied and ran a purple fingernail gently across his cheek. "Well?" she cooed softly. "Oh...the willow groves," he moaned, rolling his eyes in feigned pleasure. "In the Balamb Forests. That's where I saw her last." "Perfect." She kissed him gently now. "See what happens when you cooperate, little Irvie? You live." She tapped his nose playfully. "And you'll get your reward...just as soon as I find what I'm looking for." She climbed off of him and the bed, making her way towards the door. She turned and blew him a kiss, then left, closing the door tight behind her. Irvine laid there minutes after she left, frozen. Then, he began to laugh with relief. ~~~~~~~~~~
Squall Leonhart and Headmaster Cid were in Cid's office, discussing the last two exams. "They were both successful missions, sir," Squall commented. "No one was hurt and mostly everyone passed, even Seifer Almasy." "Good, good. I think this party in the FH is just the reward for them all." He looked up from his papers. "How was the reunion at the orphanage, Squall? How's Edea?" "She is doing very well, sir. Just a couple more weeks and me and my men will have the orphanage up and running again." "Splendid. She must be very happy." Cid stood up and walked to his window, gazing outside. "Edea is a most wonderful woman, Squall. I love her, and she loves me in return. But I think that in her heart she will always love what she does best. Not that I'm complaining. I'm happy to see her smile. It's been a while since I've seen her smiling. But she just loves children." He sighed. "She was never able to have children. That's why she opened the orphanage. It was like having a large family." Cid looked at Squall and smiled. "You remember, don't you?" "Some things I remember, sir. But alot of my memory was erased, by the GFs." "Yes. I'm so glad we've forbidden GFs from the Garden. We've set them all free, to live where they belong. This way, our soldiers will not become mindless machines." Squall looked apprehensive. "I...I still have Shiva, sir." "I know. We've explained it, remember? I understand that she refuses to leave you. GFs have been known to become attached to their junctioners. That happened with Selphie, too. And Quistis...Zell...even Seifer. Rinoa, she never used them did she? Neither did that Irvine fellow." "Not until Ultimecia. We had no choice then. But though Rinoa's fine, Irvine's memory was damaged after the battle. He said he remembered us all. But now he says pieces are missing. But he is junctioned to no GFs now. Selphie has Quezacoatl. Zell, he has the Brothers. And Quistis has Leviathan. Seifer has Ifrit." "Hm. Excuse me for asking, but I cannot remember what happened to Siren and Diablos, and Griever. What happened to them?" "Well sir, Diablos was too dangerous to let loose, so we confined him back into his Genie Bottle. Griever was also confined, in a tomb deep below the earth. Siren...." Squall's mind traveled back to the day they had acquired Siren from the monster atop the Communication Tower. She was never the strongest, but she was a good ally against magical enmies. "We are not sure what happened to her. As soon as we set her free, she disappeared." "Ah.Well I'm sure Siren had her reasons." Cid's face was distant. "GFs are an advanced form of souls, do you know that?" "No." "They are taken from their living habitat by humans. When they agree to join a a human, they will come when they're needed. But once their work is finished, they return to the habitat in which they inhabit. That is probably where she went. To find her home." Cid smiled. "But ah, why are we being so glum? I really didn't want to talk about GFs. I wanted to discuss military matters." "Yes?" "It concerns a strange call I recieved this morning that I couldn't trace. It perturbed me somewhat and I think you might want to hear it. I recorded it, luckily. Listen." He pressed the play button on a recorder that sat on his desk. "Hello?" the phone Cid asked. There was raspy breathing on the other line. "Hello? This is Headmaster Cid Kramer speaking. Can I help you?" The raspy breathing erupted into a shrill scream of anger that sent chills down Squall's spine, and caused static on the tape. The voice was feminine. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!" "Madam, are you all right?!" "...." the screamed stopped, followed by more raspy breathing. Then the voice spoke, a voice that was not entirely human, nor entirely alive or that matter. "You have not won yet, _SeeeeeD_. Time is on _my_ side now. Haahaaha. That's right. KKKuuurrsed SEEEEEEDDDS!!! Haaahaaahhaa---" *Click* The tape ended. Squall's innards were frozen with fear that he hadn't felt since the battle at Ultimecia's Castle. "My God..." "Yes, exactly my reaction," Cid replied, a bit shaky. "Squall..." "No," he said abruptly. "It can't be her. This is just some sick joke. It's gotta be." Squall's face was white, he was sweating cold. "Yes, but Squall, we must think about this. It could happen. And as you could tell, that was the phone call from Hell." Cid looked at him. "I would just like you to keep an ear out for anything that might have linked to this call. Can I count on you?" "...As always, sir." Squall saluted, feeling faint. "Good. Now...go on, go get ready for the party. I hear it is supposed to be a fantastic event. Even our Garden Committee is helping out. Dismissed." "Thank you, sir." He turned to go, then looked back. "Sir...I must admit..." he shivered. "That sounded alot like Ultimecia to me too." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tryphaena and her three warriors barged into the willow grove that Irvine had indicated. "Search! She is probably hiding." The warriors held out their palms and cast Fire simultaneously, burning the lush green and bark off of the willows. She was not there. Tryphaena went off in one direction, Sorina and Trinitia two other ways. Sucrecia went off near the largest willow, now charred and half dead. Her sharp brown eyes caught something on the ground, a piece of parchment. She grabbed it off the ground before falling embers could destroy it. What she read amused her greatly. "Your Majesty?" she called, holding up the piece of paper. Tryphaena came over and grabbed the piece of paper from her, reading it. Her eyes widened. The two other warriors stepped back as they saw this reaction. They would go against an army of T-Rexaurs single handedly, but they feared the temper of their queen. Only Sucrecia stood her ground, unafraid of even Tryphaena, and much like her in many ways. But instead of bursting out in anger, Tryphaena laughed. "Oh, my. She's really got it badly for the little cowboy. Haha...ooh, she's got my number, I am pretty heartless, aren't I? Hmm...oh, how sweet. Love, Laurena." She sighed. "Well, she's not coming back here. We must look elsewhere. Come on." She ripped up the note and gestured them to follow her out of the forest. "Why isn't she angry?" Trinitia whispered fearingly to Sorina. "She's smiling. Has she gone mad?" "I don't know. Her Majesty is so unpredictable." Sorina looked over to Sucrecia and gave her a push forward. "You go talk to her. She likes you." Sucrecia scoffed. "Miserable cowards." she caught up to Tryphaena's quick stride. "Your Majesty, I do not understand. Isn't this a problem?" "Well, of course it's a problem, Sucrecia. She was right under our noses the entire time and she slipped away. But it is the fun of the chase. And don't you think this is getting ever so intriguing? It will make her capture and demise so much more enjoyable...for us, I mean. It's not easy to catch a sparrow, Sucrecia, that you must understand. But now we know her weakness and we can exploit it." "What is that?" Tryphaena's eyes glinted. "Why, Irvine Kinneas, of course." "So what do we do now, Majesty?" "We wait. Sucrecia, hunting is a waiting game. You wait in the shadows until your prey lets down its guard and walks out right in front of you, and once you see the whites of their eyes you attack!" Tryphaena smiled darkly at the savage eyed Sucrecia. "You are the best of my warriors. I will teach you all I know." "Thank you, your Majesty." "Good. Now come on. We have a party to prepare for."
A/N: WooOoooOoooh! You have not won yet, SeeeeeDs! Hahahaha! Hee hee...the phone call from hell...dunno, I just watched a scary movie. Gets really romantic in the next chapter, so please R/R!
Chapter Six:Abandonment, and the Phone Call From Hell
Irvine awoke to the birds singing in the trees, the sun bright and warm on his face. It was morning. He yawned heartily, blinking the sleep out of his eyes, and held his arm around Laurena tighter. At least, he could've, if she were there. He glanced down. To his surprise she was gone. He looked around but couldn't see her anywhere. He got up from his post at the willow trunk and looked around the dirt path. It was intriguing that there were no sign of her footprints in the narrow dusty path. "Laurena?" he called out. Of course, she didn't answer. But this time he became panicked. Suddenly all he could think of was that Tryphaena or some other Dark Siren had come and snatched her from him during the night. Then he realized he didn't have his hat on. It laid on the ground. He picked it up, and he noticed it had something in it. A piece of paper. Irvine put on his hat and opened the note, reading Laurena's lovely handwriting:
::Irvine,::
::Thank you so much for staying with me last night. Thank you even more for comforting me when Tryphaena ripped my dream. You could never know how much that meant to me that you cared. But Tryphaena will continue to do this to me as long as she can, until I give in to her. I do not want you to be involved in this. It's so much more complicated than you could ever comprehend. I do not want you to be in danger. She is heartless. And thus I must leave Balamb. Don't ever return to this grove of willows. I will not be here. And do _not_ try and look for me. I am not sure what the gods will of me, but I know whatever I must do I must do alone. If fate should cross our paths again that is one thing, but otherwise we must never speak again. There is just too much danger involved and I don't want you to be hurt. I'm not worth your death. Good-bye, Irvine. We will always be great friends even if we are forever apart, and maybe someday I can see you again. But it will not be soon. I'm sorry if you cannot understand and I understand if you no longer want anything to do with me. It's all right. But you'll be so much safer this way. So good-bye. Love, Laurena::
Hot, burning tears tricKled down Irvine's cheeks as he read, as a tearing feeling deepened inside him. He couldn't believe what he was reading. He blinked hard but the words remained the same. His mind reeled and he felt light headed. ::I must leave Balamb:: The note fell from his hand. ::Do not try an look for me...we can never speak again:: It landed soundlessly onto the mossy earth. ::I do not want you to be hurt:: But of all the words that floated in his shell-shocked mind, three words burned into his heart. ::Good-bye. Love, Laurena::
Goodbye. Love. Laurena.
Love.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Irvine lay in his bed, feeling sick. Why would Laurena do this? His heart panged with sadness and worry. Where was she? Was she okay? ::Laurena, why? I promised I would protect you. I promised. How can I protect you if you aren't even here? I don't care about the danger involved. I'm a SeeD. I can handle anything. Why did you run away?:: ::Will you spend your whole life running? Hiding in the shadows where no one can see you? How can anyone be happy with that kind of life? You say you don't mind. But you must be lying. No, it's not all right for me to not understand or to hate you. I think I love you. But I'm not sure. I'm so confused.:: ::To hell with my safety. I can protect myself. You were afraid to step out of under the trees. How can I sleep at night not knowing if you are safe or not?:: ::How could you say goodbye? So suddenly, without warning?:: ::Do you love me too?:: Now he was back to where he started. Lonely. Alone. The fate of the sharpshooter is to always stand alone. Why couldn't he see that? No matter what happened, his fate would always intervene. She had written that they would only meet again if fate crossed their paths. Well, he knew what _his_ fate was. Did Laurena know hers? He was aroused from his depressive thoughts by a knocking at his door. "What?" he sighed loudly. "Irvine, it's me, Ellone. Please open the door." "You and who else?" he said harshly, rolling over. "No one. It's just me. Will you let me in?" Her voice was gentle, it always had been. "...Okay." He got up and opened the door for her. Elle walked in, concern tugging at her face. He closed the door. "You didn't come home last night. I was worried for you." "You didn't have to be worried." He sat down on the bed, and she sat beside her. "What happened? Something is troubling you." Irvine tried not to make contact with her eyes. He knew what could happen when Ellone made eye contact. "I don't wanna talk about it..." Ellone reached forward with a sigh and grasped his chin, forcing his eyes to look into hers. He felt her searching him thoroughly, her expresion thoughtful. "There is a girl, like Zell said," she said slowly. "You care for her very much but have known her only a small time." She looked deeper. "But she is gone now. And you don't know where she has gone." "You're a psychic," he said sarcastically. But his expression was melancholic. "Sis...would you be able to tell me about her past? There's so many questions that haven't been answered..." "You know I can't, Irvine. Not unless it's someone I know. I'm sorry." She laid her hand on his shoulder. "We all missed you these past couple of days." "Really? Even after I blew you off?" She smiled playfully. "_Especially_ after you blew us off. Zell isn't such a moron after all, huh?" "I guess not. He was right on the money." Irvine sighed. "I was really getting to like her, too...and then she just disappeared during the night..." Ellone looked at him awkwardly and he frowned. "Oh, come on! We didn't _do_ anything!She was just afraid to be alone last night..." "Why?" "I can't tell you, she's sworn me to secrecy," he said sternly. "Her life depends on it." "Oh, well if it's her life...I really have to know. Irvine, if you don't tell me what is going on, something might happen." "I tell ya, it's a secret!" he resisted. Again she grabbed his face and searched even as he struggled to get away. But she saw it before he could. Her brown eyes went wide as she gasped. "She's running from something...a tall woman. A tall woman with...wings?" Ellone let go. "Irvine, what is going on?" "Her name's Tryphaena. She's here, in the Garden, and she wants to kill her." "Oh, my!" "Damn right. So now she's running for her life and I have no idea where she is. Sis, this is really important. You can't tell anyone. Not anyone. Not Laguna, not Squall, not anyone." "I promise, Irvine. No one will ever know. No one except you, me and this girl." She stroked his hand gently. "Are you coming with us to the Horizon tonight?" "...I guess. I don't know what the point is though. I'll just spend the entire time wondering where she is." "Oh, come on." She didn't say anything further. "I'll tell the others that you're back." And she left. ~~~~~~~~~
Irvine laid on his bed later on, watching TV and eating potato chips. It was one of those old cowboy movies that played in black and white. He had somewhat of a fetish for them, but instead of taking Laurena off his mind he was only reminded more. "Where are you going? When are you coming back?" the lady pleaded. "I'm not sure, little lady. But don' worry, I'll come back for you." "But when? I'll miss you so!" "Don't pine for me, Miss Lidia. I don't know when I'll be back. The road's gonna be long and dangerous, no place for a lady like you. But just trust me when I say this: when you look up into the sky at night and see our star...you just remember that I'm looking at that same star at the same moment. That way, we'll always be together." "Oh, Jack..." Irvine swallowed the potato chips hard, a tear trickling down his face as he watched the cowboy riding off into the sunset, the lady watching him leave with sorrow. These movies always made him feel all choked up. And the thing that really hurt was that this particular movie was his situation, only the roles were switched. Laurena had just up and left without a word, and he had no idea where she was going or when she would come back...if she ever did. Would she come back for him? Suddenly his door opened, and in walked a very unwelcome visitor. Tryphaena slinked in, closed the door and pointed her finger at the TV. Suddenly it shut off on its own. Then she climbed up onto his bed and on top of him, tossing the bag of potato chips onto the floor. Her gaze was deadly, but seductive. "You did not visit me last night. Where were you?" She wasted no time, nibbling at his neck. "Were you busy catching a sparrow?" "Stop it, Tryphaena." Irvine pushed her off him, sitting up. "I know who you are and I know what you are. And I'm not gonna fall under your spell. So you just leave me alone." Tryphaena laid on the end of the bed, her hair falling over her face. She brushed it back and he saw her face was contorted in quiet rage. "Leave...you...alone?" She lunged forward like a jaguar, grabbing his wrist and holding them up over his head. "Do you _realize_ who you're fooling with, cowboy?" She dug her sharp fingernails into his wrists, elicting a cry of pain from him. "Do you realize I can kiss you and kill you without drawing a breath in between?" she hissed into his lips. "You would do better to just cooperate. Contrary to what that little sparrow might have told you, I reward my helpers more than justly." The smirk returned to her lips, her eyes playing seductively with his. "So just tell me where she is, little cowboy. And you'll get your reward, if you catch what I'm saying." She lunged at his lips, capturing them again within her ruby ones. It took Irvine's total willpower not to submit to the Sirenspell. He pretended to respond, and when she pulled away and stared into his amethyst eyes he tried his best to look like he'd been entranced, seduced. She was satisfied and ran a purple fingernail gently across his cheek. "Well?" she cooed softly. "Oh...the willow groves," he moaned, rolling his eyes in feigned pleasure. "In the Balamb Forests. That's where I saw her last." "Perfect." She kissed him gently now. "See what happens when you cooperate, little Irvie? You live." She tapped his nose playfully. "And you'll get your reward...just as soon as I find what I'm looking for." She climbed off of him and the bed, making her way towards the door. She turned and blew him a kiss, then left, closing the door tight behind her. Irvine laid there minutes after she left, frozen. Then, he began to laugh with relief. ~~~~~~~~~~
Squall Leonhart and Headmaster Cid were in Cid's office, discussing the last two exams. "They were both successful missions, sir," Squall commented. "No one was hurt and mostly everyone passed, even Seifer Almasy." "Good, good. I think this party in the FH is just the reward for them all." He looked up from his papers. "How was the reunion at the orphanage, Squall? How's Edea?" "She is doing very well, sir. Just a couple more weeks and me and my men will have the orphanage up and running again." "Splendid. She must be very happy." Cid stood up and walked to his window, gazing outside. "Edea is a most wonderful woman, Squall. I love her, and she loves me in return. But I think that in her heart she will always love what she does best. Not that I'm complaining. I'm happy to see her smile. It's been a while since I've seen her smiling. But she just loves children." He sighed. "She was never able to have children. That's why she opened the orphanage. It was like having a large family." Cid looked at Squall and smiled. "You remember, don't you?" "Some things I remember, sir. But alot of my memory was erased, by the GFs." "Yes. I'm so glad we've forbidden GFs from the Garden. We've set them all free, to live where they belong. This way, our soldiers will not become mindless machines." Squall looked apprehensive. "I...I still have Shiva, sir." "I know. We've explained it, remember? I understand that she refuses to leave you. GFs have been known to become attached to their junctioners. That happened with Selphie, too. And Quistis...Zell...even Seifer. Rinoa, she never used them did she? Neither did that Irvine fellow." "Not until Ultimecia. We had no choice then. But though Rinoa's fine, Irvine's memory was damaged after the battle. He said he remembered us all. But now he says pieces are missing. But he is junctioned to no GFs now. Selphie has Quezacoatl. Zell, he has the Brothers. And Quistis has Leviathan. Seifer has Ifrit." "Hm. Excuse me for asking, but I cannot remember what happened to Siren and Diablos, and Griever. What happened to them?" "Well sir, Diablos was too dangerous to let loose, so we confined him back into his Genie Bottle. Griever was also confined, in a tomb deep below the earth. Siren...." Squall's mind traveled back to the day they had acquired Siren from the monster atop the Communication Tower. She was never the strongest, but she was a good ally against magical enmies. "We are not sure what happened to her. As soon as we set her free, she disappeared." "Ah.Well I'm sure Siren had her reasons." Cid's face was distant. "GFs are an advanced form of souls, do you know that?" "No." "They are taken from their living habitat by humans. When they agree to join a a human, they will come when they're needed. But once their work is finished, they return to the habitat in which they inhabit. That is probably where she went. To find her home." Cid smiled. "But ah, why are we being so glum? I really didn't want to talk about GFs. I wanted to discuss military matters." "Yes?" "It concerns a strange call I recieved this morning that I couldn't trace. It perturbed me somewhat and I think you might want to hear it. I recorded it, luckily. Listen." He pressed the play button on a recorder that sat on his desk. "Hello?" the phone Cid asked. There was raspy breathing on the other line. "Hello? This is Headmaster Cid Kramer speaking. Can I help you?" The raspy breathing erupted into a shrill scream of anger that sent chills down Squall's spine, and caused static on the tape. The voice was feminine. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!" "Madam, are you all right?!" "...." the screamed stopped, followed by more raspy breathing. Then the voice spoke, a voice that was not entirely human, nor entirely alive or that matter. "You have not won yet, _SeeeeeD_. Time is on _my_ side now. Haahaaha. That's right. KKKuuurrsed SEEEEEEDDDS!!! Haaahaaahhaa---" *Click* The tape ended. Squall's innards were frozen with fear that he hadn't felt since the battle at Ultimecia's Castle. "My God..." "Yes, exactly my reaction," Cid replied, a bit shaky. "Squall..." "No," he said abruptly. "It can't be her. This is just some sick joke. It's gotta be." Squall's face was white, he was sweating cold. "Yes, but Squall, we must think about this. It could happen. And as you could tell, that was the phone call from Hell." Cid looked at him. "I would just like you to keep an ear out for anything that might have linked to this call. Can I count on you?" "...As always, sir." Squall saluted, feeling faint. "Good. Now...go on, go get ready for the party. I hear it is supposed to be a fantastic event. Even our Garden Committee is helping out. Dismissed." "Thank you, sir." He turned to go, then looked back. "Sir...I must admit..." he shivered. "That sounded alot like Ultimecia to me too." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tryphaena and her three warriors barged into the willow grove that Irvine had indicated. "Search! She is probably hiding." The warriors held out their palms and cast Fire simultaneously, burning the lush green and bark off of the willows. She was not there. Tryphaena went off in one direction, Sorina and Trinitia two other ways. Sucrecia went off near the largest willow, now charred and half dead. Her sharp brown eyes caught something on the ground, a piece of parchment. She grabbed it off the ground before falling embers could destroy it. What she read amused her greatly. "Your Majesty?" she called, holding up the piece of paper. Tryphaena came over and grabbed the piece of paper from her, reading it. Her eyes widened. The two other warriors stepped back as they saw this reaction. They would go against an army of T-Rexaurs single handedly, but they feared the temper of their queen. Only Sucrecia stood her ground, unafraid of even Tryphaena, and much like her in many ways. But instead of bursting out in anger, Tryphaena laughed. "Oh, my. She's really got it badly for the little cowboy. Haha...ooh, she's got my number, I am pretty heartless, aren't I? Hmm...oh, how sweet. Love, Laurena." She sighed. "Well, she's not coming back here. We must look elsewhere. Come on." She ripped up the note and gestured them to follow her out of the forest. "Why isn't she angry?" Trinitia whispered fearingly to Sorina. "She's smiling. Has she gone mad?" "I don't know. Her Majesty is so unpredictable." Sorina looked over to Sucrecia and gave her a push forward. "You go talk to her. She likes you." Sucrecia scoffed. "Miserable cowards." she caught up to Tryphaena's quick stride. "Your Majesty, I do not understand. Isn't this a problem?" "Well, of course it's a problem, Sucrecia. She was right under our noses the entire time and she slipped away. But it is the fun of the chase. And don't you think this is getting ever so intriguing? It will make her capture and demise so much more enjoyable...for us, I mean. It's not easy to catch a sparrow, Sucrecia, that you must understand. But now we know her weakness and we can exploit it." "What is that?" Tryphaena's eyes glinted. "Why, Irvine Kinneas, of course." "So what do we do now, Majesty?" "We wait. Sucrecia, hunting is a waiting game. You wait in the shadows until your prey lets down its guard and walks out right in front of you, and once you see the whites of their eyes you attack!" Tryphaena smiled darkly at the savage eyed Sucrecia. "You are the best of my warriors. I will teach you all I know." "Thank you, your Majesty." "Good. Now come on. We have a party to prepare for."
A/N: WooOoooOoooh! You have not won yet, SeeeeeDs! Hahahaha! Hee hee...the phone call from hell...dunno, I just watched a scary movie. Gets really romantic in the next chapter, so please R/R!