THE unofficial adaptation of the FF6 video game!=) Sabin & Celes travel to the town of Mobliz, where they find more devastation. Though they find something there that is more shocking…
Forever & Always
Author: Furysetzer
Disclaimer: Steps to disclaim a copyrighted story: 1) "I don't own the Final Fantasy characters." 2) "I am making no money off this. It's just for fun." 3) Make stupid joke.
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. 7—"To the Northern Continent"
Celes & Sabin huddled in the bushes, trying to be absolutely still. They watched the yellow ostrich-birds graze in the clearing. On this world, a Chocobo Forest is ultra-rare, indeed. Most were tamed, although these were wild.
Also carrying a lasso, Sabin smiled at her. He had shown her how to use the rope, after running across this place. She was still inexperienced with it. His smile broadened at that memory.
Her eyes glared at him in anticipation. She nodded. Celes was ready.
Together, they jumped out. The animals squawked in surprise. Sabin cried, "Yaahooooo!!!"
Before any of them could scramble away, he had already snagged it over 1 of their necks. Sabin pulled the creature down, & he fell upon it.
Celes, however, couldn't hurl the thing over her shoulder. Her feet got tangled in it, & she tripped. She reached out blindly for yellow feathers, & managed to wrap them around something. Suddenly, Celes was off the ground. The rope discarded, she rode around the clearing bumping up & down.
By now, Sabin had subdued the chocobo & stood with it in the center of the clearing. For a moment, he watched her hanging upside down from its neck, the bird squawking in panic.
He at last reached out for the trotting animal, patting its head & saying soothing words. It stopped, & Celes dropped.
The other birds were gone now, but would return soon if they left soon.
She picked herself up. "Don't say anything." Saying only those words, she retrieved the rope. Celes carefully slipped it over the bird's neck. Undignified, she led it out of the clearing.
Eyebrows raised, Sabin turned to the chocobo. It was staring at him first. Certainly, he was obligated. Though he didn't want to sound crass. In this case, the odds were not in favor of civility.
Sabin clutched his iron-board stomach & whooped in laughter.
Celes dropped her clothes to the ground & stepped into the hot spring. She emersed herself into the steamy water & sighed. Letting her mind drift, she thought over the last few weeks.
In the time they had been traveling, hunting had been bad. Also, because of crossing this great distance, they were getting dirty & clothes smelly. Sabin was used to roughing it, but she was having a tough time. The journey had gotten to her & fouled her usually high spirits.
It wasn't until they had found this glade that it had gotten better. At first, Sabin was wary of finding these forests & deserts on the Serpent Trench. After all, the land bridge hadn't been surfaced even a year. Celes guessed anything could've happened, due to the wild magic.
Now, as she let the heat sap away the achiness, she listened to the birds. Their warbled chirps conveyed happiness, even in the desolate climate.
After awhile, she scrubbed herself clean with the sand. She even wrung it into her hair & got the griminess out of it. When finished, she felt squeaky clean.
She turned her attention to the birds again, but she couldn't hear them. Celes was gentle with animals. They wouldn't feel threatened with her, unless…
"Who's there?" she demanded, lowering herself into the water.
Okay, so it wasn't gourmet beef. When in the wilderness, you have to scrounge up whatever was available.
He came into the clearing & wrapped it in a strip of leather. He then checked on the chocobos they'd caught earlier in the week. They were contently grazing on the remaining grass. Celes was nowhere in sight.
Wondering where she was, he wanders off. Sabin didn't want her to accidentally fall off a cliff or something. Searching for her, he saw her through the underbrush a few meters away.
Sabin's breath caught in his throat, seeing her. He didn't mean to see her like this, but here she was, taking a bath. Torn between a moment of morality or indecency, he couldn't pull away. He'd never seen a woman unclothed before, beautiful nonetheless.
Unbidden, an image came to mind. He was in there with her, nude also, kissing her hotly.
At first, he was appalled of these thoughts. Certainly these weren't his normal thoughts. After all, he had never "gotten any", as his brother used to say. Besides, his training required strict discipline. On the other hand… why not at least pursue her? Sabin had felt particularly close to her since finding each other again. She was a bright person, in more that 1 sense. Surely she felt something also.
He wasn't paying attention, & the next thing he knew, she'd realized someone was watching. Red in the face, Sabin immediately stepped out, stammering, "I—uh… didn't mean to see—"
Flabbergasted, she backed up. "Sabin, you were watching me--?"
He was going to explain, but his tongue was tied. The words just couldn't come out.
Celes finally grabbed her clothes & ran deep into the woods.
Sabin's stomach was tied in knots. He didn't want it to be like this. She probably thought of him as a pervert, & he felt guilty.
At last she turned her head back & said to him, "Come & sit with me."
He went over & she made room. They sat in silence for a moment, just listening to the running water.
"Do you know why the stream runs downhill?" she asks him.
That seemed like such an obvious question. He replies, "I guess it's because that's the way the bank runs."
She shakes her head no. "What makes it go down is gravity. You see, without it, the water would go all over the place. It keeps it down. It holds everything down."
Sabin wasn't following. "What are you trying to say, Celes?"
She continues, "Well, it's an invisible force, yet it's 1 of the most powerful things. Not everything is physical, you know."
"I know that," he says defensively.
"I know you do. I also know enough about you to figure out that it was an accident. Right?"
Sabin didn't know what to say. How could he tell her that he was unbelievably attracted to her? How could he say he wanted her to be his? He could only nod.
Celes sighed & leaned against him. "I forgive you. Just promise it won't come between us. We need each other…"
They watched the water run downstream. The small forest continued it's gentle unspoken song throughout the day long into the night.
The 6-foot, 2-inch man walked out of the inn & into the port. He upturned his long nose & breathed in the salty air. Feeling refreshed, his attention is grabbed by the market. He starts for the throng of people.
His walk was that of an arrogant man, or an august 1. He was preferably dressed in regal armor & brown clothes, which billowed about him from the breeze. He purposefully strode up to a merchant & engaged in conversation.
A few minutes into the bartering was when he saw them. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted them cautiously approach the town from the prairie. He immediately ends the discussion with a lame excuse & backs away. Hiding behind a building, he watches them through the crowds.
The 2 newcomers stop at the sign, taking in the whole scene. The man then takes her hand, suddenly leading her into the town.
"This is great!" he laughs in a baritone voice. "I can't remember when I had as much fun in a city!"
The woman protests, "Sabin, you mean you've been in this Nikeah before?"
He explains in an off-handed sort of way, "Cyan & Gau & I had to pass through here on the way to Narshe to meet you guys."
"What's so great about this place?" she inquires.
Reaching the market, Sabin stops & anxiously looks about. "Celes, I can't believe you're asking me that. Just take a gander. You can buy almost anything here! Why, do you know how much an imp robot goes for?!"
Celes just takes a large exhale, & leans on the handle of her sword sticking out from the ground. She didn't understand his fascination of overcrowded, open markets. They only reminded her of Vector, with its littered streets & smelly smokestacks. But that was gone now. In its place, the evil tower loomed. She wondered how long this city would remain free from Kefka's demented will.
A merchant scouring the customers takes notice of them. The old man beckons them over, & Sabin obliges, grinning all the way. After a moment, Celes follows.
The man in the shadows gazes at them, fretting. Why now, of all days! They were going to ruin his plan, big time. To make matters worse, 1 of his gang members had just came out of the café, looking for him. He cursed their stupidity.
This was unavoidable. He had to go over there while those 2 were distracted. Trying to become inconspicuous, he takes out a plumed hat from his long cape, puts it on, & shuffles into the market head down.
Bleary-eyed, Celes looked to the ground, not really interested in listening to them bargain. The salty man's voice grated on her ears, & she just couldn't shake her sleepiness. When the tall man stomped past her, Celes briefly glanced up & said sluggishly, "Hi, Edgar…"
The man stops 2 paces from her. He shifts his eyes in her direction, seeing her staring at the ground blankly. Perturbed, he forces his feet to move again.
Celes realizes her lack of wit. She squeezes her eyes shut, & vigorously shakes her head. She looks to the man's retreating form. Before she knew it, Celes had stridden up to him. She put her hand on his hat & took it off. Pulling him around, she says, "Excuse me, aren't you--?"
Celes saw that he had long, gray hair tied in that trademark, intricate braid. However, when he turned around, she saw his face as different. For 1 thing, his face was rough & hard, not at all like she remembered. His brow line was lower, in a suspicious stare. The eyebrows thick & black, instead of light blonde. He no longer had a glass jaw. It was square & bristly. Lastly, he looked like a different person with that visible scar running from the bridge of his nose to the middle of his cheek. If she saw him from across the street, Celes would hardly recognize him.
He snatches the hat. In a heavy accent, he says, "What in bloomin' blaizes 're ya doin', laidy?!"
Celes jumps in surprise. "Er… I'm sorry! For a second, you looked just like King Edgar--!"
They were starting to cause a commotion. Not because of their raised voices, for the harbor had its fair share of booths calling for attention. The reason was the mention of a King Edgar. One whispered to someone-else who snickered to another about the king of Figaro Kingdom. Celes didn't know what it was, but something had transpired between these countries.
Sabin managed to wedge himself out of the smelly-merchant's grasp, saying, "I'm sure a gas-powered can-opener sounds great, but I'm more of a kill-my-own-dinner kind of guy myself."
The consort from the café spotted him & came running up. "Duh, boss! Good news!"
Sabin comes up to Celes. He drops his bag upon seeing him. "Brother!" he exclaims, about ready to embrace him.
A bead of sweat on his forehead, he denies, "Who 're ya 2?! I'm not a king—I don't 'ave a brotha!"
Ignoring the 2 strangers, the other guy says, "Dhe boys 're all ready. When're we leavin, boss??"
"Now!" he says, pushing him back the way he came. "Go'aawn! Pile into tha boat!"
The dimwit runs back, intent on getting the others.
"If you're not King Edgar," challenges Celes, "who are you?"
He frantically looks about, expecting to be arrested at any second. "I don't 'ave time fer this," he hurriedly tells. From his sleeve, a card is whipped out. He hands it to them. "Naim's Gerad. 'Ere's meh card."
HELLO,
my name is
_____Gerad_____.
Just ask for the leader of the
Crimson Robbers!
Professional robberer,
thief, & hitman.
At your service.