THE definitive adaptation of the FF6 video game!=)  Celes has to deal with being trapped on the island.  And when Cid passes away, will she have the strength to go on?

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. 2—"To What Purpose?"

            Celes awoke to the pounding surf & sounds of noisy gulls.  She raises her head & works up some saliva for her dried mouth.  Stretching, she opens the door & deeply breathes in the stinky sea air.  She had missed the sunrise, but it was still very early in the morning.  The sky looked blue, like the way she remembered it.  The downside was that if she squinted, Celes could already see an orange tint at the edge of the clouds.

            That sight depressed her.  Turning her attention back, she moves to the bed.  Tenderly shaking him, Celes says, "C'mon Cid, time to rise & shine!"

            Weird.  As far back as she could remember, Cid was a heavy sleeper, but once he heard other people already up, he'd been known to jump.  Trying again, she coos, "Granddad, I caught a yummy fish yesterday.  Why don't we cook it?"

            Still no answer.  Suddenly, Celes felt strange.  It was like that time in Thamasa… almost prophetic.  Apprehensively, she leans closer, asking, "Grandfather, can you hear me?"

            First came realization.  His body wasn't moving with breath.  Second was the messenger of silence.  He wasn't snoring.  He always snored, damn it!

            Celes took a step back.  She could not believe it; she wouldn't!  She bravely swallowed the lump in her throat.  Bringing 2 shaking, clammy fingers to his neck, she tried to find his pulse.

            But she couldn't find it.

            Eyes wide with fear, Celes frantically turns him over.  His eyes stiffly stare at the ceiling.  Suddenly she was choking up, clutching her chest.  She couldn't breathe or think.  Her legs felt like rubber, but then she was moving.  It was a mad dash to the door, where she could get away.

____________           

            No matter how hard Celes tried, she could not stop crying.  Not even when she tried to hold it in.  Every time the memory of it came back along with the sorrow, her emotions would just kick in & she'd bawl harder than the last time.

            It wasn't like she had no reason to.  Everything was hopeless now.  As far as she knew, all her friends were gone, killed with countless others.  Maybe she could've dealt with that, but even Cid was dead now.  Why had Fate given them this time only to snatch him away into eternal sleep?  There was nothing left for her now.  Right now, she just wanted to join them.  She was scared, but Celes had ceased to care in a way…

            After awhile, her hicks subside, & her blurred vision blackens as she closes her eyes…

            Awareness rises to the surface & she stretches, waking her bones also.

            Celes groans as her muscles cry out & she turns from her side.  She sits up & finds the mountain under her.  She was at that spot again, without remembering why.  What drew her here?  She didn't want to know.  Her thoughts were… muddled.

            Disoriented, she stands up & looks to the sky.  It was almost sunset again.  It was turning darkish purple in the clouds.

            What was it about this place again?  Oh yes, Cid's words come back to her: "You know, before, when the others were feeling down, they'd take a dive to the beach down below.  'A leap of faith', they would call it.  Splashing into the cold water, actually doing something fun…  It perked them right up!"

            Celes smiled picturing that, but it was only reflex.  It turned into a grimace.  Looking down at the pounding surf, she really couldn't feel anything at all.  Her emotions were numb.  Celes had let everything submerge into her lower consciousness, where she wouldn't have to touch it.

            Suddenly an image of those people diving off of this high cliff came to her mind.  Imagine them lined up, headfirst & jumping head first 1 right after the other; an infinite number of bodies lined up, falling into the water, then materializing back on the mountain, only to leap again.

            In a stupor, thinking became doing, & she was a part of that group, lining up with them, walking to the edge of reality, & diving into the upside-down space where she could escape this world… where freedom felt as vast as the cosmos…

____________

            Struggling for consciousness was not a chore, rather strength-draining labor.  Celes slammed hard onto the beach, feeling her back snapping, bones breaking.  She blacked out then, several times waking only for her mind to suddenly shut down again.  How long for the haze to clear & her brain to think again?  Maybe she didn't wake up for days.

            When she did lift her head, it was to look around.  The sky, the sky…  It looked so alien, & so… wrong.  Grim realization sets in.  Maybe Shadow hadn't been so successful after all.  Thanks to Kefka, the Goddess Statues have doomed the planet.  Nothing was the same anymore.  The world was… dying.  Nature had turned upside-down.  Stability had been lost.  With an emotional huff, Celes realized this was no longer a proud world of balance.  Indeed, this was now a World of Ruin, brought about by a holocaust of untempered magic.

            With bloodshot eyes, Celes notices something.  Perplexed, she stares at her legs.  Try as she might, she couldn't feel them!

            Defiantly, she strained to move them.  Though it wasn't any use.  Then it comes back to her.  Celes must have broken her spine.  She was paralyzed!

            Celes screamed so loud that she became deafened to everything but the throbbing in her ears.

            Her muscles were aching & her head was pounding.  Still, things couldn't end up like this.  Celes would not have gone through a coma for a year for everything to be finished here.  She was almost beyond despair.  Celes felt herself slipping away…

            With what happened in the next few minutes, Celes would learn that sometimes, willpower alone isn't enough.  Even the most proud person needs help at some point.

            At that moment, Celes thought she saw the setting sky somehow reverse itself.  It became lighter & brighter all around with no apparent reason at all.  Celes just couldn't figure out what was going on, so she turns over & leans on her elbow.  She madly looks all around & drops her jaw at what greets her.

            It was something descending.  It flies toward her fast.  Its movement is so fluid as the form flaps its wings.  Even from that distance, she could tell that they were huge; each 1 looked about as large as its breast.

            As the source of the dazzling light gently touches down on the sand, Celes knew it was a kind of giant bird.  It was even taller than her, if she could stand.  Close up, its white light not merely sparkled with every color of the rainbow, but gave off an almost… amorous quality.  Celes stare at it with mouth wide open.

            Amazingly, it spoke to her in a human voice.  "Greetings, human.  I bring you good tidings."

            Its voice was even more beautiful than its proud body.  Melodious, enchanting, the only thing that came close was Shiva…  "Are you… an Esper?" she dares.

            The being lowers its head, its thin beak an inch from her face.  Celes could see its eyes beyond the elongated bill.  They seemed to look beyond, into her soul.  "To answer, yes, however, more importantly, are you the 1 I seek?"

            Celes flops on her back & covers her hands over her face.  "I'm going insane," she berates.  "This can't be happening."

            The being angrily beats the air with her wings.  After that display, she shuffles & stands over Celes.  "It is time," the Esper authoritively states.  "For too long has the wild magic been decimating our world.  Things must now be set in motion.  You have been chosen to fulfill this role."

            "What are you talking about?" Celes bleakly asks.  "Everyone's gone.  Besides, I thought there were no Espers left.  You're just a hallucination, that's what."

            She returns, "True, I am 1 of the last still upon this plane…  Though I tell you, I have traveled far upon this World of Ruin.  I can tell you, humans still populate the shores.  The chosen ones are under protection; you must be the harbinger."

            Celes resigns herself with, "Okay, let's assume I'm not crazy.  Well then, now what do you want me to do?  I can't even move.  I'm… paralyzed."

            The giant bird continues with, "There was a saying among my people.  'The 1 to save the balance shall be neither human nor Esper alone.  Only through a combination may we all stand a chance'."

            "I've heard all this before.  You're looking for Terra, & I don't know what happened to her."

The Esper presses on.  "Ah, but you share the Generation Link with her.  You see, she has her own trial.  Although you are just as worthy of the legend."   Celes was silent after being told this, unconsciously letting it all sink in.

            "Now I must tell you.  This is the end of my journey.  My life force is nearly depleted.  My essence will restore you.  Finally, I must ask you.  Reach toward me.  Arise up to grasp the heart of my warm light.  Be not afraid.  Think not of the consequence.  Do not be dissuaded…"

            With each coaxing, with each persuasion, every word, Celes seemed to be reacting.  She sat up effortlessly.  The next thing she knew, Celes was on her knees.  Everything shimmers in front of her eyes as she reaches into the being's image.  The brilliance all around became concentrated into the Esper's center, which made everything else disappear.

            All that was left in the entire galaxy was that tiny point of brilliance.  Everything that she perceived was the joining of the rainbow-colored light into her being.  Celes shudders as the light melts into her, restoring feeling, actually mending her broken body.  With a last act of metamorphosis, the light floods her mind.  Nothing else had ever felt so… fulfilled.  It was like a tidlewave, washing away all doubts, confusion… thoughts.

____________           

            Celes jerks in startlement, instantly opening her eyes.  She lifts her head from the sand.  Celes saw she was on the beach.  Looking up at the sky, she could see a few stars.  The orange was gone… replaced by grayness.  It wasn't exactly bright, though she could still see.  With a sigh, Celes puts her head in her arms, to get her bearings.

            In a numbed condition, she recalls idiotically jumping from the cliffs up above, then… fuzziness.  Was she injured?  No, it didn't appear so.  The aches were still there.  She just couldn't shake the feeling of dread.

            It was then she noticed the creature off to the side of her.  With an eerie realization, it had snuck up to her.  A sudden gasp, but then a sigh as Celes realized it was just a small pigeon.  Strangely, she then says, "Why'd you save me, huh, you stupid bird?  I was better off—"

            What had spooked her so much was not why she said it.  It had to deal with what she just saw.  She stared strangely at it for a moment & still couldn't believe.  She didn't have time to ask why it was here, because the answer stared her straight in the face.

            Around its neck was tied a red ribbon.  It looked like any other, except that she had a premonition about it.  Why would it have any clothing in the first place?  Unless…

            She makes a grab for the bird, but with a chirp, it takes off.  It flies past the mountain cliff, out of sight.  Celes was left with a fistful of feathers, & the ribbon.

            Sitting eagerly & inspecting it, she searched for the writing she somehow knew was there.  Sure enough, it stared back at her.  Severely faded, it read, "Good luck!  Just remember to do you're best!  Even if you do sound lousy—"

            Celes looked toward where the bird had disappeared, & tears instantly sprang to her eyes.  With a choke in her voice, Celes whispers, "Locke, you're still alive…"

____________           

The door to the dead house creaked open ever so slowly, as if to push it inward faster would cause it worse pain.  In stepped the slim figure of a night-gowned female, the likes of which would cause most men to stir.  However, her thoughts were of only 1 person.

            Obviously, he had survived.  She prayed that the others also might have.  Still, it didn't make any sense.  Thousands must have perished caught in the magical detonation at ground zero.  Though if she survived, & Cid survived, why couldn't the others have?  What he had once said to her kept repeating itself: you gotta have trust, you just gotta.  Just those simple words have given her the elation she needed to… do what?

            Her thoughts were interrupted by more immediate concerns.  The shock that had finally sunk in told her that Cid had left her.  He was dead now, & like it or not, she had to go on without him.  Mourning him, & 1 last task remained to honor his memory.

            The smell of decay was awful in the shack, but even so, she wraps him up tenderly in the blanket.  She was also a little thankful that he wore no pockets to go through, as was customary in a loved ones death.  First you would catalog their belongings in a letter of dearest departure, putting everything back along with it.  The idea was so that they could prepare themselves for the afterdeath aboard the Phantom Train.

            Later, as she was filling up the pit in the pouring rain, Celes had a lot of time to think while she worked.  What was she going to do now?  After this was done, what did she have left?  She didn't have a home here anymore.  The last lead left seemed only a faint echo.  That hardly seemed enough to look forward to.

            A few pounds on the muddy ground with the shovel, & it was over.  Celes sat down on her knees & wished Cid was finally at peace.  A terrible bout of depression overcame her, & at last, she cried for her departed granddad.

____________           

            After entering the small house again, Celes stripped out of her soiled clothes.  They had gotten unbelievably dirty since waking up.  Celes was hardly concerned about her modesty.  Right now, it was difficult to care about much of anything.

            Truthfully, the only reason she does this is to retrieve her old clothes from the desk.  Cid had said that he cleaned them & put them safely in there.  Right now, she just needed something dry to wear form being severely chilled in the rain.

            Celes opens the single drawer & absent-mindedly scoops up the dark leather top, 3-piece mithril vest, trousers, ankle-high boots, & white cape.

            She turns to sit down, & something unusual happens.  Something flat & white falls to the floor.  She stoops to pick it up.  Looking at it back & front, Celes recognizes it as a plain piece of paper folded up.  It looked a little brown around the edges as if it had been exposed to the elements.  Curious, she sets it on the desk & quickly throws her clothes on.  Curioser, she then unfolds it.

            What she read she could not believe.  However, here it was in front of her own eyes.  In retrospect, it seemed only proper that he had left it for her.  Even years from now, what was in this letter she could never forget.

My dearest Celes;

If you are reading this, then it means that I've died.  I have tried to last as long as I could on this horrible island, but if I have succumbed, then I leave this place with few regrets.  I only wish for you to be safe so you can carry on your life if you ever wake up from this magical sleep…

            As I write this, I see you still in your coma, and it breaks my heart.  It has now been 1 year since finding myself here with you & a few other strangers.  I am the last 1 left, & I fear for you, because my health is failing.  The only thing I can do is trust the Fates to give you safe passage.

            But it doesn't mean that an old codger like me can't help, too!  Listen to this carefully.  Behind the stove is a secret room.  In there is something you should have.  It is small, & can only hold 1 person, though I know it is seaworthy.  I think you know what I want you to do with it.  I hope to see you again~* in the next life, my wonderful granddaughter.

Forever and always,

Cid Carpel

____________

            The waves of the sea rolled forever onward, some finishing their never-ending journey upon the beach of the Solitary Island.  From the dead sand upon this place, the woman searched outward.  She looked to the sky, figuring out where the currents went, determining where it would send her.  Inevitably, she gave up.  It didn't matter, so long as it would carry her far away.

            Standing in the water, it occurred to her that she should say something before she departed.  The influx of things that had happened must have meant something.  Though as hard as she tried, nothing came to mind.

            Turning back around from staring at the vacant building, she steps on something under the water.  She reaches in & picks it up to see a small gemstone.  Suffice to say, she knew what it was in an instant.  It seemed only… fitting to find it like this.

            She held it close to her heart.  She sighed warmly as Palidor's memories came to her.  They gave her peace, something she desperately needed to succeed.

            With nothing more to be done here, Celes boards the raft.  She uses a long branch to push herself away.  The raft & its occupant joined the waves, & never returned.