THE definitive adaptation of the FF6 video game!=)  Ch. 1 begins with Celes Chere waking up on the island.  She finds out that the world is a very different place than she remembers…

Forever & Always

Author: Furysetzer

Disclaimer: We all know the drill.  I don't own the final fantasy characters.  I'm not making money off this.  Blah, blah, blah…
            Note:  I don't like how fanfiction.net loads their pages, especially stories with many chapters.  So what I'm going to do is post the newest chapters FIRST in the list, that way, all's you need is 1 click & then you're there!  I hope you enjoy my story.

Ch. 1—"Beginnings Newly Formed"

            The man was knelt by the shore, the perfect picture of miserable health if ever there was.  It was not merely the state of dishevelment, rather his air of downtroddenness that was destitute.  Not only were his actions halfhearted, his physical appearance was horrendous.  His dull yellow raincoat that he always wore had once been bright, though through continuous use is now worn through in spots.  His face & palms were continuously grimy, no matter how much he scrubbed.

            He went about his task in a mediocre fashion, filling the bucket with murky water.  Then he brought it to a boil in an old, dented pot.      

This finished, he gathers up his things & douses the campfire.  Starting to walk back, it wasn't long before he reaches a lone building.  It was small & simple; frankly, this hovel was a little run down.  The wood it was made from was rotting out in places.  Though despite its appearance, this place contained something that he couldn't leave.

He carefully opens the broken door.  He walks into the darkened room & lets the hinges squeak back into place.  With a fwoosh of sound & burst of orangish light, the torch is lit.

As he always does, he moves over to the only bed.  Seeing that things were undisturbed, he relaxes a little, but that still doesn't lift the oppression.

Sighing, he sits down at the desk situated at the opposite end of the cramped shelter.  After propping the torch into place, he takes his pen from a pocket.  There wasn't anything special about it, except that it was a relic from a long ago time.  That it was about his last tie to civilization and he couldn't possibly reclaim that world…

He also took out his last piece of blank paper.  He had been saving it.  The others had gone to the crude fireplace during the hard winter.  He knew what to write.  He had gone through the letter plenty of times in his mind.  Now it was just a matter of finalizing this.

He takes a deep breath & sits straight.  His raspy sigh turns into a throaty cough.  It was a strong 1, which made his throat & heart burn, until he shook violently, lastly gasping for air.  Okay, so he was losing it.  So it had gotten worse.  It would all be fine so long as he could just get this down.

He had written for perhaps only a few minutes.  He was on the last sentence when he suddenly halts the scripting.  The ink has blotted, though he scarcely notices.  Unbelievably, he thinks he actually heard a sound not of his own.  Automatically, his eyes shift toward the bed.  What he sees makes his heart literally drop.

The sound was made by its rusted springs.  It was caused by the beautiful lady sitting up, rubbing her eyes.

He swipes the utensils into the drawer & takes a step forward.  Disbelieving, he husks, "C… Celes…?"

His vision blurry, she tries to see.  "C… Cid…?" she returns.

He couldn't hold it in an instant longer.  Cid stumbles over & falls on his knees.  He manages to hug her around the waist, bawling, "Oh, Goddess, Celes-!

Finally!  You're awake!  I didn't think you'd ever come to—"

Quite confused, she firmly grasps his shoulders & forces Cid to look at her.  Blinking furiously, she asks, "What's going on; why are you crying?"

For her sake, he tries to pull himself together.  "Don't you… know?"  She shakes her head.  "Celes, you were… in a coma…"

____________           

In the moments that followed, Cid had gotten them each a cup of water, and then he had pulled up the chair.

Celes accepted the warm liquid & gulps it.  It went down kind of slimy, but she was too confused to care.

Cid sat down & just stared at her.  The water sloshed in her belly, making her feel really uncomfortable.  For confirmation, Celes asks, "You said… I was…"

Tears brimming, he nods, "In a coma."

"How long."

"As much as I can figure, about a year."

She slumps back against the wall.  "Where… are we?"

He says slowly, "We're on an island.  A… deserted 1.  When--er, after the world split open, I found myself here, along… with a few others.  They're gone now… but I hung in there.  For you…"

"What are you talking about 'split open'?"

Cid's fear about brain damage comes back clear to him.  "You gotta remember, Celes.  The airship, the floating continent, the cataclysm…"

The numbness she had suddenly felt was gone in another instant.  With realized horror, she finishes, "Our friends…"

She throws off the covers & stands.  The tail end of her long nightgown drops to the ground.  "My friends…"

With a shriek, she runs out of the shack, flinging open the door.  Not used to abuse, the hinges splinter & nearly break off.  Cid dashes after her.

After running forever, he finds Celes standing barefoot upon the northern cliff.  The dry wind is gusty, coming from somewhere out in the sickening, orange sunset.

Reaching her, Cid's tired body gives out & he falls down, a wheezy mess.  He hacks uncontrollably, trying to regain strength.

"The sea…" she remarks.  "It looks so dead…"

"Celes," he pleads, "please come back.  It isn't safe out here."

Lost in thought, she barely answers, "I'm not sure… if anyplace is…"

Celes continues.  "I remember what happened now.  The ship broke apart & everybody fell through the sky.  I kept my wits & was trying to cast slow-motion spells, as was Strago."  She manages a very weak smile.  "The way Cyan was clutching that feather, you'd think he was about to fall off the world.

"Then someone fell atop me.  I think it was Cid.  Then the island crashed.  All I saw then was whiteness all around."  Her tears were running freely now.  "But it's gone now.  They're all gone--!"  Hands to her face, she finally cries.

Cid had sat up & stares fixedly at the unnatural bleeding sun.  Celes sinks to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.  All he could do… was hold her.

____________           

A little while later, they were making their way back to the house.  Celes was more or less supporting Cid.  The run had cost him dearly & he huffed along continuously seized by fits of cough.  He tries to say, "Celes, I… cough!  I don't know what to say to make it seem better…"

She quiets him with, "Don't try.  I know how bad it is…"

Cid suddenly trips & falls.  Knocking the wind out of him, it flares up worse than ever.  He doubles over, clutching his heart.  Celes helps him up.

"We've got to get you into bed," she adamantly says.  "This won't possibly do."

"Celes, I…"

"Hush, conserve your strength."

"That might not matter, anyway," he tells her.  After a long pause, "I think I have pneumonia."

Celes laughs & cries at the same time.  "Is that all?!  I thought you had heartbreak!"

He smiles & shakes his head.  "Not anymore.  I had about… given up before you awoke.  But now, maybe we can handle this together."

She smiles tenderly.  "I'd like that."

Celes pulls the door open & they step inside.  The torch was still burning; besides that, everything looked still.

Cid kicks off his boots & she helps him under the covers.  His coughing has subsided a little bit, so he just clears his throat & settles in.  Chin resting in her hands, Celes smiles & stares at him admiringly.  Returning her look, Cid crinkles his eyebrows & asks, "What?"

"You've been so great, looking after me."

Understandingly, he grins, embarrassed.

"It's not only that," she goes on.  "You've been like a grandfather, taking care of me my whole life.  You brought me up, Cid.  You even let me go…"

She didn't have to say anything past that.  They both knew that they grew kind of "out of touch" after Celes had joined the army.

Cid takes her hand & tenderly stroked her cornflower hair.  "And here we are again."

"Can we stay like this?" she pleads.  "Can we live in peace, here, & not have to worry of such things again?"

He yawns, suddenly tired.  "I'd like to try…"

With a sudden idea, she asks, "Can I officialize it?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Will you be my granddad?"

At a loss of what to say, he kisses her cheek.  "I'm really honored…"

She smoothes back his greasy red hair.  "That's great…" Celes stands up, fisting her hands.  "What say I get us something to eat?  I think I saw some fish by the shore."

Cid didn't have the heart to tell her that was all there was on this blasted isle.  Instead, he just weakly nods.  After he lay on his side, & only after he closed his eyes, Celes left the cabin.

            Standing on the beach, Celes had a twinge of pain in her heart.  It was about her magic…  Curiously, she balls her fist.  Trying to summon it inside, she finds out that she can't.  Surprisingly, there wasn't an ounce of magic inside of her!  She is shocked. 

The Esper's spirit inside her had seemed concentrated on Effect magic—the balance of gray.  Black & White magic; Elemental & Healing magic… they both gave a piece of themselves, according to legend.  What happened to it?  Yet, she still felt its presence…  Something felt different.  The channeling wasn't working the same anymore.

Who cares?  Celes didn't need it anyway.  She would simply battle his condition with old-fashioned hard work.  Tying the nightgown she wore into a knot up to her waist, she splashes into the water.

A couple fish curiously approach her.  With a clumsy quickness, she lunges for 1 of them.  Of course, she misses, & hits the water.  Sitting up, Celes sputters up the water in her nose & mouth.  Defiantly, she pounds the water's surface & says, "I'm not giving up!"

Next, she tries waiting longer.  But of course, those dumb fish already knew of her intentions & they kept their distance.  Eventually, she stood like a post for so long that her feet were wrinkled by the time they even came close.

Like a bear, she tries scooping 1 up, swiping at it.  It wiggles & flops with amazing strength in her arms.  Celes couldn't keep control of it, & it jumps out.  She drops to her kneels & tries to grab it again, but a cloud was raised, & she couldn't see through the water.  It swims away.  She wipes away tears, moaning, "Aaauugh!  This isn't fair!"

Celes breathes heavily for a moment, staring up at the darkening sky.  She notices a seagull circling above.  Celes stare at it, strangely thinking that it was studying her for some reason.

As she watches, it begins to descend.  The gull flies down to the waterside.  Celes gives an incredulous look while it opens its mouth & hooks a fish with its beak.  Standing on the shore, it eats its newfound meal without concern, as if mocking her.

Mouth agape, Celes stared.  How dare that mindless animal outdo her?  With a mad growl, she marches up to a dead tree, & grabs a long, sharp stick from the ground.  Fuming, she marches right back.  Stomping through the water, she raises it high up.  With a short yell, Celes takes the spear & drives it down.

She brings it out & holds her prize up high.  At the point end was the wiggling fish, at the last moment of its life.

____________                       

With everything that went on, Celes hadn't noticed it was now nighttime.  The stars shone through the clouds, looking sort of greenish.  Strange how the whole day had looked like a sunset.  The burning orange sky…  She is overcome with a sense of wrongness.  Though she couldn't place it.

Celes went back to the home.  Cid was still in the bed, snoring very loudly.  Funny how at least some things stay the same, she thinks philosophically.  At least the torch hadn't burnt out.  She had no idea how to light it up again!

Celes put the dead fish in the pot of water on the makeshift stove.  There wasn't any point in eating it now.  She would save it for tomorrow morning, when they could both enjoy it (not to mention he could cook it!).

Though for now, Celes sits in the chair & rests her head in her arms.  She let the tension ease out of her, & soon, she drifts into the comforting numbness of sleep.