Chapter Six

Back in Balamb Garden, in Cid's office, Cid and Edea are staring at Laguna in horror and disbelief, Dr. Kadowaki in anxiety.

Cid: (agitated) What do you mean she sent them to another dimension?!

Laguna: (shrugs) I'm not entirely sure, Headmaster. Ellone said that she lost control of where she had sent them. Apparently she had a brief moment of contact with them once she dropped them in another time, long enough for her to see that they were in their own bodies and that they weren't in the right place, then she lost them. Right before she passed out she said something about, "breaking the barriers of the dimensions". So I'm assuming, headmaster, that the kids are lost in another dimension.

Edea: (horrified) So even you don't know what's going on?

Laguna: No, but I think Ellone would, if she would just wake up…

Dr. K: (stands up) I know what's going on.

Laguna, Edea, and Cid stare at her in surprise.

Cid: Then please tell us what has happened, Dr. Kadowaki.

Dr. K: As you know, I am a GF, sort of, and we GF have certain knowledge that others, even sorceresses, don't have. This knowledge is that there are other dimensions besides the one that we all live in.

Laguna: (to himself) So Ellone was right…. (to Dr. K) But how could Ellone actually send them to another dimension. Are their consciousnesses just floating around over there or what?

Dr. K: Ellone has sent their minds there, but in the other dimension they can still be in their own bodies, even if their bodies are here. That is the interesting thing about dimension travel, the consciousness can only be in one place at once, but the body can be in all dimensions at the same time.

Edea: (confused) Interesting, but that still does not explain how Ellone got them there, or how she can bring them back.

Dr. K: I'm not done yet. Ellone's powers send people to the past. Well, dimensions occur one after the other, one successes over another, making it possible for Ellone to send Squall and his friends to the dimension behind us. We GFs are powerful enough on our own to travel between the dimensions, I have been to the one occurring before ours many times, and so have other GFs such as Shiva, Ifrit, Leviathan, and Bahamut. But Squall and his friends are only humans, and once trapped in one dimension, they can't get out on their own. Ellone might be able to bring them back but…. (lowers her eyes) It will be difficult. (she looks up to see three very confused persons staring at her)

Laguna: (befuddled) Uh, perhaps you could explain that again, for those of us who can't understand such big concepts.

Dr. K: Are you sure? The simpler version isn't very pretty. (the others nod enthusiastically) Okay. I warned you. (takes a deep breath) A long time ago, in a land known as Japan, a company called Squaresoft invented a role playing video game called, "Final Fantasy". (they all nod) This game was so popular that Squaresoft made a sequel, and another, and another, until there were eight of these games, with a ninth one on the way. These games were not continuations of one another, each had it's own original plot but all had the common theme of saving the world.

Cid: And the point is?

Dr. K: We are living in one of these games.

The room is silent.

Dr. K: It's true! We are in what is known as "Final Fantasy 8" We are all characters in this game. Even though the game has ended, our lives still go on. What I believe has happened is that Ellone has sent Squall to the game occurring before ours, Final Fantasy 7. How she did this, I don't really know. She's not a GF, but her powers are strong. I believe that with my guidance she can find Squall and his friends in the world of Final Fantasy 7. But Squall and the others must know what is going on. If they have no idea that they are in a different game, they will not know when they are being pulled out. And to pull a character out of a game successfully, they must be willing for it to happen. In short, a crossover has occurred, and we must reverse it. Now do you understand?

Cid: (aghast) Uh…..huh.

Edea: Oh dear.

Laguna: (smiles) Hey, that's pretty cool!

In the world of FF7…….

Squall, Zell, Quistis, Selphie, and Irvine trudge up the street towards the very large building. Squall looks nearly dead, Quistis looks scared out of her mind, Zell looks hungry, Selphie looks bored, and Irvine looks at Selphie with lingering eyes.

Zell: (tired) Are we there yet?

Squall: (thinks) Hopefully…

Irvine: We're almost there, Zell. Hang in there!

Zell: I'm…..so…..hungry.

Quistis: Think of something besides food for a change!

Zell: Oh….shut…..up.

Selphie: (starts to run ahead) C'mon! Just one more stairwell to go!

All: *groan*

The gang climbs a very steep stairwell and then find themselves at the base of the large building. Selphie looks up to read the now legible sign.

Selphie: Shinra Electrical Power Company.

Quistis: (disappointed) It's not a Garden…

Squall: It's in the center of the city. It's probably an important building. We can see if they have any information in there pertaining to where we are.

Zell: (to himself) And see if they have some food….

They walk into the main lobby, and oggle at all of the weird stuff displayed about them. There is a car and a motorcycle displayed at the back of the room. A young secretary notices them and calls meekly to them.

Secretary: Um, excuse me, c-can I help you?

Irvine: (smiles) Let me handle this. (saunters over to the secretary as Selphie's face goes red)

Irvine converses with the secretary for a few minutes. Each passing minute her face gets redder and redder. Finally, something Irvine says send her over the edge, and she violently throws a bunch of brochures at him and hides behind the counter.

Zell: (snickers) Way to go, ladies man.

Squall: (as Irvine walks back) What did you say to her?

Irvine: (slightly embarrassed) Er, nothing.

Selphie blushes and turns away from him.

Quistis: Did you find out anything?

Irvine: Well, (holds up brochures) these may be of some use.

Irvine hands them to Squall, who glances over at some security guards staring over at them.

Squall: I think we should go read these outside.

Selphie: Right! Let's go! (runs out of the building)

Zell: She alright? She almost seemed too eager to leave.

Irvine: (looks worredly after her, a hint of longing in his eyes) I hope she's okay. She seems pretty scared right now. I'll go talk to her. (follows Selphie out the door)

Squall: (thinking) The way her looks at her…..they way she looks at him….Irvine, Selphie, I know what you two are going through……..Rinoa… (out loud) Let's go.

Squall, Zell, and Quistis walk in silence out of the building. They find Irvine and Selphie together on a park bench outside. Irvine has his arm around Selphie's shoulders, Selphie is staring at her feet.

Squall: Is everything alright?

Selphie: (quietly) Yeah….fine…let's find out where we are!

Squall: Alright (sits on the bench beside Irvine as Zell and Quistis sit on the ground before them) Let's see… (he picks a brochure and starts to read outloud from it) Welcome to Midgar….

Will Squall and the gang ever find out what's going on? Will Laguna get them back to the right dimension? Is Rinoa alright? Will the plotline improve? Find out next time on Succession of the Fantasies!