I sat there by that pool for Hyne knows how long. The words that Lion had said to me kept rolling through my head over and over again.
What she ever saw in you, Hyne only knows
Saw in me? Dorothy must have been my lover. It was the only conclusion I could come up with. The familiar sent about her, and her touch like a lost memory. Indeed she was a lost memory to me, it was tearing me apart that I couldn't remember her. At the same time though, I wasn't even sure if I wanted to remember her.
"Scarecrow" her voice shook me from my thoughts. My eyes trailed up the shadow she cast across the ground. Up her lithe form that was wrapped in a heavy blue blanket.
"Dorothy" I said softly immediately looking back down into the glossy reflection of the water.
"Thank you, for pulling me out of the tool shed" she said sitting on a rock near by.
"Why didn't you tell me we were lovers? And where the hell did you get off shooting up that much ConMag?" I asked gruffly. I wanted answers, I was tired of not knowing and tired of half-truths.
"Scarecrow..." she said her voice trailing off. She tipped her fingers into the water tracing tiny patterns cross the surface.
Then the world exploded in gunshots and noise.
Glass came showing down around us as a great ape like creature dropped through the roof of the green house. Its powerful sinuous wings pumped up and down, as it splashed down into the pool of water. I rushed forward hurling Dorothy out of the way. I pulled my gunblade, turning to face the beast.
Its monkey face grinned at me and moved forward with its sweeping talons. I fought it off, slicing into its flesh. Then I heard Dorothy screaming behind me, and I turned to see her being hefted off the ground by none other then Rinoa.
"You wicked bitch, drop her" I growled moving forward ignoring the monkey as it climbed out of the water. Rinoa sneered at me and lowered her gun mounted on her arm to shoot. I moved forward diving under her, slamming hard into her legs. Rinoa went tumbling one way and I shot to my feet.
I grabbed Dorothy by the arm and headed off across the green house. He blanket flew from her arms and as it was falling through the air was riddled with bullets from Rinoa's arm gun.
Dorothy was running beside me, her hand clutching mine. Lion and Tin Man met us in the middle of the greenhouse their weapons at the ready. I looked around and noticed the ape creatures were moving in on us and Rinoa was heading dead for us.
"Protect Dorothy" Lion growled at me the glow of his blue gun blade reflecting on his pale face. I nodded sharing a look with Dorothy. She smiled softly at me and shrugged indicating she had no weapon. I turned and faced Rinoa who was trying to reload her arm canister. I had to get to her before she could get another shot off with that thing.
I dashed forward, ignoring the monkey that was closing in on the left. My gunblade reached out like an extension of my arm and sliced into her arm cannon. She yelped in pain glaring at me with her angry brown eyes. I smirked at her waiting for her next move, when a huge taloned hand suddenly grabbed me. The monkey lifted me off the ground, my Hyperion sliding uselessly to the ground.
"Degenerator!" I heard Dorothy yell as she flung her arms out. Yellow light surround the beast, flashing read and flickering magic. I blinked and was suddenly falling to the ground the creature gone.
"We gotta get outta here!" Tin man shouted pointing at the horde of monkey creatures that were skittering across the roof.
"Let's go" I said to Dorothy grabbing her hand. She nodded at me and glanced at Rinoa as Lion turned to look at the sorceress. I fled the building, the heavy pieces of the Cyber Emerald bumping against my leg tucked safely away inside my coat.
"Come on Lion!!" I heard Tin Man call as we rushed out into the field of poppies. Dorothy kept urging me forward, not to stop to go back for them
I realized why as the glass building behind us suddenly exploded outward in a roll of orange flames. Both of us fell forward into the dew-covered grass. Shard of glass rained down from the sky covering us both. She lay on the ground across from me her lips slightly open as she was panting for breath. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair a disheveled mess. But at that instant she had never looks more beautiful.
I couldn't stop myself but only watch as a passenger as I leaned forward and pressed my lips against hers. Her breath caught in the back of her throat, her surprise evident. Then she delved into my soul as she returned the kiss her hand reaching out to curl around my lapel.
The flames roared into the starry sky behind us, and I couldn't bring myself to care. Her touch, her fire was consuming me as I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her across the grass to me. The glass was biting into my skin, tiny pinpricks of pain melding with the pleasure.
She broke the kiss her wide eyes staring into mine. I couldn't help but stare back into her light blue. Then across her I was appalled when I saw a tiny azure line flit across her iris. I lurched back a moment, shock registering across my face.
"You have the Azure Plague" I whispered my voice cutting through the night. She opened her mouth to speak when I heard footsteps on the grass heading for us. I jumped to my feet, leaving her lying amongst the orange poppies. Tin Man was running towards us, helping a limping Lion along. I couldn't help but notice my black Hyperion in Tin Man's cyber hand.
"You made it out" I said in awe to the two men taking my blade from Tin Man.
"I had the bomb timed just right, I knew when it would go off" Tin man responded with a suave smile. I rolled my eyes and scanned over Lion's wounds. None looked too bad, but I was beginning to think his wounds weren't just physical.
"Have we got all the pieces of the Emerald?" Dorothy asked sitting up from her lying position.
"All of them except the one our Wizard has" Tin Man responded helping her to her feet.
"What is up with that Rinoa chick?" I asked brushing glass shards from my long trench coat.
"She is my wife" Lion said his back straightening. With those words he stalked off into the night. I blinked looking over to Dorothy for an explanation.
"She's been hired by SeeD to take us all out, no matter what the cost" Dorothy responded shaking her head softly. Glass fell like a waterfall from her blond hair.
"We need to get on the Yellow Road and get to the Wizard, as soon as possible" Tin Man said smiling at Dorothy and plucking a poppy that was mashed into her blond. She smiled and nodded, turning to walk after Lion.
"Was she a SeeD too?" I asked walking along side Tin Man inspecting the blade on my Hyperion.
"Rinoa? Nah, but she was Squall's wife when he was Seed. Didn't matter to him that she was a witch he still loved her. When we left SeeD and she didn't was when he started taking ConMag" Tin Man said his voice slightly sad. Suddenly a loud screech was sounded through the night sky. Across the moon flew the shadow of two monkeys, carrying an injured looking woman between then.
"I knew she would get out" Tin Man muttered almost bitterly under his breath.
"Why did you leave SeeD" I asked watching Dorothy walk with Lion, placing a friendly hand on his shoulder. I couldn't squash the feeling of jealousy that was welling in me. Dorothy has said we were rivals, the rivalry must have run very deep.
"You'll find all of that out when we get to the Wizard" Tin Man responded with a cryptic answer. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. I fought the urge to throw my arms up in the air and stop around like a twelve-year-old.
"Figured" I grunted shortly.
"She can give you back your memory, you know" Tin Man said softly. My head whipped around of its own volition as I glared at him.
"Full restoration?" I asked.
"She's the best Cyber doc out there, her healing powers are amazing" Tin man retorted almost like he was bragging. I thought about it for a long moment. My memories, then I could remember.. Quistis. It felt so strange to call her by her real name even in my head. There was too much emotion in this job.
"My when we get all this stuff taken care of, I'll think about it. Right now I just got to protect Dorothy" I said nodding my head firmly.
"Thanks for getting her out of Dollet" He said as we caught up with the other two who were standing beside one of the huge metal poles that held up the Yellow Road. An elevator waited open for us, to lift everyone up to the road to await the next train. I stepped in behind Dorothy, breathing in her wafting sent.
"So are you sure this Wizard can put your Cyber Emerald back together?" I asked the three of them as the elevator started to move up.
"Of course, She was the one who built it" Tin Man answered as the elevator dinged and the metal doors open. The warmth of the Yellow Road platform washed over me as we stepped out onto it. They were no other passengers waiting for the train, so it was just the four of us. We stood in silence listening as the train rolled up, screeching along the rails.
We boarded claiming a cabin all to ourselves and Dorothy instantly claimed the shower to wash up. I nodded and couldn't help but notice the azure line that once again ran across her irises. I grit my teeth vowing to talk to her more about it the next time I had her alone. I sighed looking out the window of the train at the speeding countryside.
"So I guess we are off to see the Wizard" I whispered.