Chapter 6: Bizarre Developments
Squall's jaw almost dropped open when he set eyes on the young owner of that huge war axe. He was tall - Squall estimated him about 1.86m - with blond hair, in a neat short cut, green eyes and a big grin. But the most amazing thing about him was his size. He had broad shoulders and big muscles sticking out of his arms, while his legs were as thick as logs. He wore jeans and a sleeveless soldier's vest. He reminded Squall of someone, but he couldn't recall whom. But, he sure was someone familiar…
Meanwhile the young chap had gotten near him and had a good look at Squall.
"Hey! You're Squall Leonhart, right? I heard Instructor Trepe talking about you the other day with the Headmaster. You're also Sir Laguna's son!"
"Yeah. You know Laguna?"
"Do I know President Laguna? Do I know President Laguna! I'm from Esthar! I transferred from Lunar Garden last month!" Lunar Garden was the Garden that was built in the area of Esthar. Recently, Laguna was making diplomatic maneuvers with the West, and Esthar stooped being that 'silent country' they used to be, and had a big success in the worldwide trade.
"Oh, I see…"
"Say, you know Ward Zaback, right? He's President Laguna's right-hand-man."
"Yeah, I know him…in a way."
"Well, I'm his son, Anthony…"
"!!! You're Ward's son?"
"Yup! When he was working with the Galbadians in the D-District Prison, down in Dingo Desert, he got married to my mom. I was born while he was back at Esthar fighting with Laguna. Later he brought us with him in Esthar." Anthony said pulling his huge axe from the head of the dead T-Rexuar.
"Wow. I can't believe it…Ward's son…"
"Hehehe…Yeah, Dad seldom mentions anything about me. He's one of the most important people around Esthar, and neither he nor I like the big time publicity stuff. Besides, training in Garden keeps me busy. I'm a SeeD now, and well, I'm thinking of returning home. With all this training I've endured, I should be able to get a good job as a biochemist and a neat position in the Esthar Army. Also, I prefer being alongside my old man than wandering around the world slaughtering beasts."
"Hehehe…I get your point Anthony. It's good to be around people and places you like."
"You get a lot around Esthar? You know, to see your dad…"
"Oh, sure. Every weekend. But sometimes I'm on a mission or Cid wants me to do something, or I'm away with the guys, and I can't go. But we often send letters to one another."
"I get it…Can I ask you a question? It's about your Lionheart. Is it true that the power form that Gunblade can wipe out an army?"
"Hahahaha…Not quite. Surely anyone can deliver a respectable amount of damage with this Gunblade, but definitely not wipe out an army. Well, maybe a Limit Break with the power of my Lionheart would deliver far more damage, but it still would need tremendous power to hit many targets at the same time. It's just not capable."
"Ah-huh…I see…Oh, I almost forgot. Please call me Ant, cause Anthony is a little embarrassing…"
"Ok…Ant."
"Back at Lunar Garden my buddies called me Axe, because of this here baby!" Ant said, showing off his war axe.
"Nice model…" Squall admitted. It was an indeed good model.
"Yeah…it's 'Double-edge Pelekis' Best model around Esthar."
"I see…" Suddenly, they both heard Rinoa's voice echoing through the Training Center.
"Squall! Squall, where are you!"
"Over here Rinoa! Come on! I want you to meet someone!" He shouted back. Rinoa appeared from among the bushes, followed by Caesar and Angelo.
"Hi there!" Rinoa greeted both.
"Hello Master Squall." Caesar said.
"Ant, this is Rinoa, and the dragon is a friend; his name's Caesar."
"Ah…Sorceress Rinoa! Pleasure to meet you!"
"Rinoa, this is Ant Zaback, he's Ward's son."
"Really!? Oh! Nice to meet you Ant!" Rinoa said happily.
"Hi…" Caesar said.
"Were you two in the middle of a conversation?"
"Nah…not really. Go ahead Rinoa…" Ant said.
"Thanks…Squall, the others have arranged on going on an excursion to Centra. Are we going too?"
"Of course. It's better that staying here and getting bored. Hey, Ant. Wanna come along?"
" I dunno…maybe your friends…"
"Hey, it's ok. I'm sure the others will be glad to have you too around. We all liked Ward. I'm sure we'll all like you too."
"Well, in that case…I'm fine!"
"Ok! We meet in two days at the Ragnarok at Balamb Airstation at 11:00 in the morning!"
"The Ragnarok!? Wow, are we actually gonna ride that thing?! Cool! My old man always said it was really cool. I've never seen the Ragnarok. And come to think it was our flagship… Well now! I'd better go take a shower, clean my Axe and pack up! See you later!" Ant said merely walking away and out of the Training Center with his huge Axe over his shoulder.
"Well, what do you think of him?" Squall asked Rinoa as they walked out of the Training Center with Angelo. Caesar stayed behind to take a quick nap at his favorite spot, near the pond.
"I don't know…But he seems like a good guy. Since he's Ward's son, I guess he must be ok…What do you think?"
"Hmm…I guess I like him. He seems really cool, even though he's a little talkative. He kind of reflects something from Ward." They kept on walking. Squall was as silent as ever, and Rinoa was sure he was thinking again. Squall was thinking a lot lately, so much Rinoa often got worried.
"Squall what are you thinking about?" She asked him.
"Hmm?…Oh, various things…Basically, I'm concerned about the future that will follow…"
"Oh, who cares about the future…"
"I know, but the idea that some gods may think of turning against the balance of the world is driving me nuts!"
"Squall, you worry too much. Anything that is to come let it come. Then is the time to sought it out." Squall's frown slowly left his face.
"I guess you're right…Let the future follow it's course…Ah, I just remembered. I didn't check my mail today. You mind if we stop by the classroom?"
"It's ok with me…" So Squall and Rinoa took the elevator to the second floor and headed to the classroom. Squall sat on his computer, and Rinoa sat next to him, playing with Angelo, swinging a rag over his nose, and Angelo moved his nose, following the rag's movement. If it got too close, Angelo tried to grab it, but Rinoa pulled it away and Angelo's jaws always snapped the air. He had two letters; one from Ellone and one from Laguna. Ellone lived in Winhill now, and owned Raine's Pub. She was very happy, and Laguna often visited her. Her letter said she was fine, the weather was warm, and that the local area had finally had a hospital. But the most surprising news was that she was thinking of getting married to a young doctor over there. Squall read that part with mixed feelings. He wrote an answer.
Dear Sis, he said,
I hope this letter reaches you well. I'm fine and things in Garden are going ok. It's a little boring, but we're all planning to go on a excursion to Centra this week, so on the way back we may stop by to see you. I'm not sure whether your decision of getting married is right, but I think the best that you can do is to do what your heart tells you to do. At least, that worked for me. Anyway, you have wishes from all, and Edea is sending you her regards.
Hoping to see you soon,
Yours, Squall.
The next letter was from Laguna. Squall formed a smile on his face as he read Laguna's letter.
Dear Squall,
I hope this letter finds you in one piece. Things in Esthar are going from good to better. Odine has finally decided to work on more peaceful and harmless inventions and researches. Ward told me his son Anthony who is in Garden has transferred to your Garden. Squall; keep an eye on Ant. He's a little crazy in battle, but he's a very good kid. I might be going over to Deling next week, for diplomatic business and other jobs, but that won't stop me from venturing around a little! I wonder, did you get any letters from Ellone? She wrote that she's thinking of getting married! I told her not to rush in such decisions, and I hope she listens to me. What do you think?
Hope to see you in Deling,
President Laguna Loire of Esthar…nah…
Your father.
Squall smiled. He kind of liked his father's attitude in writing. He started typing back an answer.
Dear Dad,
Everything's going fine here, and I got your letter, as well as a letter from Sis. Well, I'm glad to hear that Odine changed his subject of research. Perhaps he's gonna leave Rinoa alone now. Anyway, I met up with Ant, and I think he really seems like a good fellow. We even invited him to come on an excursion down to Centra. I hope that there we'll get to know him better. Are you really coming around to Deling? I'm happy to hear that; it's been long time no see. I hope I'll get to see you around then. Anyway, I got the letter from Ellone, and I have to admit I'm concerned as much as you are. But I think it'd be better off if we let her decide on her own. If we try to act for her, she'll only get disappointed.
Hope to hear from you soon,
Squall.
He sent the letters, as Rinoa leaned back on her seat.
"I'm glad to hear that that bloody Odine changed subject. I was getting tired of him."
"Oh, come on now, he's not all that bad. He just gets carried away a little."
"Yeah, right… OH! I almost forgot!" She said and pulled him to whisper to his ear.
"We have a Sorcery lesson now!"
"Oh, Rin, please…not today!"
"Squall! You have to practice your metamorphosis process! That's it! We're off to the forest! NOW!" Squall took an all miserable look.
"Ok…"
Meanwhile, Irvine and Selphie were in Irvine's room talking about the excursion.
"Irvy, it's gonna be so nice! We'll be so great all together! I spotted a wonderful camping area near the Centra Chocobo Forest and it's beautiful!" Selphie said happily.
"If you say so Selphie…" Someone knocked the door.
"Who is it?!" Irvine asked.
"It's Squall. Selphie, are you in? I need to tell you something…" Irvine opened the door.
"So, Wazzup Squall? Hey Rinoa!"
"Nothing special…"Squall replied entering followed by Rinoa.
"Guess who transferred from Lunar Garden last month…" he continued.
"Who?" Selphie replied puzzled.
"Ward's son, Anthony."
"Ward has a son?!" Irvine gasped. "And he transferred here!?"
"Yeah. But he said he won't be staying long. He's finished his studies here, and he's gonna go back to Esthar."
"Wow! Ward's son! We gotta meet him!" Selphie said.
"You'll have that chance. I invited him to come with us on the excursion. I hope no-one minds." Squall said.
"Mind? Not at all! The more the merrier! I'm sure no one will matter! We all liked Ward right? Well, we're all gonna like Anthony too!" Selphie said happily.
"Well, one more party member won't harm…" Irvine said.
"Wait till you see how much he looks like Ward. They have the same physique. He's tall and full of muscles!" Rinoa said with a giggle.
"Yeah, and that explains he's preference to BIG war axes, just like Ward had that Harpoon thing. His Axe is almost as big as Zell!" Squall agreed.
"Wow! Now I just want to meet him!" Selphie said.
"Well, I think you can find him if you wander around Garden a little." Rinoa said. "Come on now Squall! We have some work to do!" she continued.
"Ah! Rinoa, don't pull me!" Squall said out loud.
In the meantime, Quistis, Seifer and Glafky were talking about Anthony in the Cafeteria.
"You sure he's Ward's son?" Seifer said.
"Yes. How many Zabacks do you know? He even told me." Quistis replied.
"Zaback? I've seen him. He's that big, blond guy. We passed the same test I did I think. He must have been before me." Glafky added.
"Well, as far as I can tell, He's a great student, and I've had some talks with him, he's a very good person. He's also a pro in biochemistry. Too bad he's going back to Esthar now. He's going to work with Dr. Odine on medical researches." Quistis said.
"Don't you think it would be nice if we invited him to come with us?" Glafky suggested.
"Maybe…"
Far up high, in the world of gods, Athena, Sehmet and Bastet, the cat headed goddess of happiness and creator of mankind, were having a serious conversation in Athena's quarters.
"The area where our protégés are going to camp at in Centra is near one of your secret temples Bastet." Sehmet said.
"I don't mind if they find it, as long as they respect the treasures of the temple." Bastet replied.
"They'll respect them don't worry. Squall knows now what powers the gods have and will hold the rest. He can understand the warnings. Raspudin also transmitted his knowledge. He's wise enough to avoid such a danger." Sehmet said. Athena scolded the two sister goddesses.
"This is the least we should be discussing! We must help uncover the conspirators!" she said. The other two agreed. Just then, Ra and Sebeck came in.
"I'm afraid the conspirators have been uncovered…" Ra said.
"Who are they!?" The three goddesses asked eagerly.
"You were right Athena. It was Seth again. And this time he has pulled many gods with him. Ares the first, and Charon, Cybele, Erebus and the Erinyes to name a few. Horus is furious…" Sebeck said.
"Grrrr….That good for nothing brother of mine again! I knew this would happen!" Athena said sharply about Ares.
"Is that why that sly Charon attacked Garden?" Bastet asked.
"I suppose so. His goal must have been Squall's death."
"Ooh…I knew it! He's trying to get rid of Squall thinking that the others will collapse without him! He's wrong about that! Where are they?" Athena growled.
"I'm afraid that we cannot capture them where they are… In Erebus' palaces in Chaos…" Sebeck said sadly.
"Grrrrr….." Sehmet growled.
"Shouldn't we warn the young ones?" Bastet said.
"No, not yet. It's too early. Depending on what will come up we will act accordingly." Ra said.
"Those two guys are getting to my nerves…" Sehmet said.
"Ah, Athena, I've been wanting to ask you. How is Squall going along with his Sorcerer powers?" Sebeck said.
"Pretty well. He is learning fast, and is very powerful. Let's take a look on him…"
Back on the mortal world, Squall was frowned. Unaware divine eyes watched him; he was staring up in the trees above him, looking for something.
"Rinoa, I'm tired of this game…Come out please…" No response.
"Rinoa, I'm tired of trying to guess where the hell you could be hiding. All I can see from here are branches and leaves. If you don't stop and come down, I'm going to leave!" He threatened. A white owl flittered from a tree to his feet.
"Rinoa, this is humiliating…" Squall said. The white owl flapped her wings and twittered softly. In a flash of yellow light, the cute white bird turned into Sorceress Rinoa. She giggled.
"Why are you tired? Can't find a white owl in the trees?" she said.
"No, I can't!" Squall replied.
"Oh come on now. You're just grumpy all over again. Why don't you try to morph into something? Come on! Turn into an animal!"
"And you want me to hide this time?"
"If you want to, I have no problem. Go ahead! Turn into something!" she said joyfully.
"I want to be sure you have no problems with morphing." Squall sighed lifting his sight and concentrated. In a golden flash he turned into a big, proud lion with blue eyes and a scar on its forehead.
"Not bad Squall…" Rinoa said. The lion answered with a roar. It moved towards Rinoa growling, threatening her.
"Squall! Back off!" she shouted with a giggle. The lion growled louder.
"Squall!" Rinoa said stepping backwards slowly.
"Squall, quit joking, this isn't funny!" The lion roared and moved towards her. Rinoa kept back stepping slowly.
"Whoa!" she tripped over a stone and fell on the ground on her butt.
"Ouch!" she exclaimed. The big lion went near her and licked her cheek with its tongue. Rinoa pushed its big head away.
"Squall! Cut it out!" She said a little frustrated. The lion left a soft growl and in a golden flash turned into the young man again. He was laughing out loud. Squall didn't laugh easily, but when he did, his laughter was strangely pleasant.
"Hahahahahah! Boy, if only you could see your face! 'Squall! Back off!'" he said imitating Rinoa's voice. "I'd say you've got some guts to speak like that to the king of beasts Rinoa!" He said as he helped her on her feet.
"That wasn't funny!" she said. "I got scared!"
"I didn't like it either when you sneaked into my room while I was sleeping in the form of a leopard!" he said.
"That was funny. You got scared."
"Of course I did. I don't wake up everyday and see a 60 kilo cat in my dorm!" Rinoa giggled and continued with a smile. "Why don't we try to turn into a non living form?"
"That's even more tiring…"
"Oh stop whining Squall! Look at me!" Rinoa turned into a fire that flickered spreading warmth.
"Ok, I'll try now…" Squall said. He closed his eyes and disappeared. A light gust of wind flew through the forest. Rinoa turned into a human again, and closed her eyes feeling the wind in her hair. In the form of wind, Squall could go anywhere, unleash the worst tornadoes and see anything, but the process was extremely tiring and he couldn't keep up for long. The wind dashed by Rinoa lifting a cloud of sand. Then, the wind and the sand formed a tiny whirlwind, which eventually turned into Squall.
"Man, this exhausts me…" he said.
"Ok Squall. I think you've had enough for today. I'm pretty tired too. Let's go back to Garden. I have to pack my bag…"
"After you, my Sorceress…" Squall said and Rinoa giggled as they started crossing the woods to head for Garden.
In the meantime, Ant was wandering around Garden. He had just had a chat with Seifer and Quistis, and Quistis sounded delighted he was going to join in the excursion. Seifer was…so-so. He had hung his Axe on his back with a leather belt, and the weight of that huge weapon was insignificant to him. "Hey, Ant!" someone called him. He turned around to see who it was. It was Zell.
"Hi Zell."
"Selphie told me you're comin' with us at Centra. I'm glad to hear that! You know at first I didn't believe Ward had a son!"
"Hehehehe…You must have been the one that interfered with his mind in the past…"
"Yeah, that's me."
"Say, I'm really glad you guys are taking me with you. It's kinda like an honor…"
"Hey! You're Ward's son, we know Ward, so what's stopping us from being friends?"
"Heh, you're right Zell. Sad is I'm not gonna stay long even if I do want to stay. I'm returning to Esthar. I'll get to work with Dr. Odine as a biochemist. It's my specialty."
"Wow. Biochemistry…You don't find that easily… No wonder you studied at Lunar Garden. They're specialized on sciences."
"Hehe…It's all in the talent…Say, can I ask you something Zell?"
"Shoot."
" Why does Seifer call you a 'Chicken-Wuss'?"
2 days later, Balamb Airstation, 10:45 in the morning.
"Tch…Caesar and Zell are late…Where are they?" Glafky said impatiently.
"What are they doing?!" Rinoa agreed.
"We'll wait until 11:00. Then we take off, and too bad for them…" Squall said a little frustrated. Just then, Zell appeared on the launch pad, with his backpack, running towards the Ragnarok. Caesar was flying after him. He seemed angry.
"HEY!!! WAIT FOR US!" Zell cried out as rushed to the others, followed by Caesar.
"Zell! What took you so long!? And you too Caesar!" Irvine said.
"Hey! Don't blame me! I couldn't get him off the Cafeteria table! He was devouring hot-dogs as usual! I almost blew flames on him to get him up and running!" Caesar said and snorted, releasing a ball of smoke out of his nostrils.
"Ok, ok everybody…calm down. Let's get in and get going… Caesar, no smoking in the ship…" Squall said, trying to calm everyone down. They all got in, put their packs, supplies and equipment in the cargo area, and went upstairs, making themselves comfortable in the seats, while Selphie took up the 'wheel'. Caesar felt uncomfortable being so big among the others in a rather small area, and he said it and suggested he went to the cargo area, but the others insisted he stayed there with them.
"Hey Ant, how about a card game?" Irvine told Ant.
"Hmmm…Why not? I've got a nice deck with me…" he said taking a deck out of his pocket. They started playing.
"Selphie, please don't fly too dangerously, ok? We've got quite a cargo and we're 10 people back here…" Rinoa said to Selphie.
"Don't worry. I won't. I'm still too sleepy to attempt it…" she replied with a yawn. Seifer and Squall had a little friendly squabble about where exactly they should camp.
" I say we camp right here, on the reefs of the beach." Seifer said.
"Go ahead if you want to he become prey for the mosquitoes. I'd say we camp on the nearby hills." Squall replied showing the spot on the map in front of him.
"No way! I want to swim in the sea first thing in the morning and sleep to the sound of the waves!" Seifer said.
"Seifer, look at the practical point of the area. There's no water on the beach, and plus, there are big venomous snakes on the beach this time of the year! Not to count the Fastitocalons and the Adamandoises! On the hill there's a pool of drinkable water and there are surely less monsters." Squall said calmly.
"Besides, the beach isn't all that far…"
"I don't care!…"
"Stop it you two!" Rinoa and Quistis shouted together. They were playing chess.
"Hah! I got your bishop!" Rinoa said joyfully. "Yeah, but I got your knight!" Quistis said with a smile.
"Oh, no!"
Zell was trying to fool Caesar.
"Ok, I have three cards here." He said showing Caesar three cards.
"I can see that." He replied.
"One Grat, one Red Bat and my card, the Zell Card. I'll place them face down…" Zell said doing so.
"Mix them up!" he continued shuffling the cards so quickly Glafky, who was watching, got dizzy.
"Ok, now find me the Zell Card!" Zell said. Glafky had the first go. She failed. She tried three times in a row, but always failed.
"Caesar's turn now!" Zell said shuffling the cards again. Caesar kept looking at Zell, bored.
"This is silly…"
"Oh, come on! You can't find it?" Caesar sighed and picked a card, turning it face up. It was the Zell Card.
"???"
"The eyes of a dragon are quicker than a man's hand…" Caesar said.
"…" Glafky had started reading a 'Timber Maniacs' issue and was murmuring in disappointment.
"Tch, tch, tch… factories of the Galbadian Army pollute the sea…"
"Why do YOU keep winning when I've got 1 character and two GF cards?" Irvine mourned as Ant took away his Shiva card. He had lost tree times in a row.
"It's all in technique. I can show you a trick or two if you'd like." Ant replied with a giggle. All of sudden, Ragnarok jolted violently and everyone fell out of their seats.
"Ahhh!"
"Ouch!"
"Whoa!"
"What's happening?!"
"Yikes!"
"Oh my goodness!" They cried out in surprise and pain as they slammed all about.
"Selphie! What's going on?!" Squall shouted when the Ragnarok flew straight again.
"It wasn't me! There are air disturbances!" Selphie shouted back. Squall got up and looked at the others.
"Everyone ok?"
"Depends on what is ok…" Ant groaned rubbing his head.
"Ouch…air travels are getting worse…" Zell commented, still dizzy.
"Now I know why I prefer to fly with my wings…" Caesar growled. Squall went over to Selphie to check things out.
"All systems ok?" he asked her.
"Yeah, she's fine. No damages." She replied.
"How long is it yet?"
"Pretty far. Plus, we have to make a circle to avoid crashing onto a cyclone."
"A cyclone?"
"Yeah, I contacted Balamb Airstation and they say it's cyclone Glory. It's a pretty bad one, and we ought to stay away from it. Its current location is north of Centra Crater."
"I see…Just be careful ok?"
"Hey! I know how to fly this thing!" Squall returned to his seat and started watching Rinoa and Quistis' chess match. Both had few pieces left on the board and the game had turned into a derby. Seifer had relaxed on his seat, listening to his favorite music from Prodigy in his Discman. He had the volume rather high and Squall could hear the music through the earphones.
"Squall…" Zell said to Squall.
"Yeah?"
"You think…something might…go wrong?"
"No, I don't think so Zell. This is only an excursion we are going to have fun. It's not a mission of some sort."
"Yeah, I know, but what if…?"
"Oh, come on Zell! Forget about the future! Just enjoy the ride!" Glafky said.
" I am enjoying the ride!" Zell replied and sat Glafky on his lap.
"Anybody want a drink?" Irvine asked them as he headed for the fridge on the floor below.
"Yeah! Get me a Fanta!" Rinoa said.
"I want a Coca-Cola!" Selphie said.
"Keep them comin'!" Ant said relaxing. Then Selphie froze on her seat.
"Squall! I think you'd better see this! Hurry!" she yelled. Squall ran up to the pilot's seat.
"What's up Selphie?"
"Squall, the cyclone! It's reacting strangely!" Squall looked ahead. He activated the zoom in utility and saw what was going on.
"Holy crap! It's moving towards us!" he said. "Selphie, try some maneuvers!"
"I already am! But it's following our every move!" Selphie said in panic.
"Darn! A god's making!" Squall said. "Selphie! I'll take over!" Squall sat on the pilot's seat as soon as Selphie pounced out of it.
"Guys! Put seat belts on! Irvine! Selphie! Go turn on the assistance engines! Now!" Squall tried to boost around the cyclone but it was no use. Cyclone Glory would just follow them. "Damn it!" Squall shouted. "There's no other way! We have to fly right through!" he said.
"What!?" The others shouted.
"Hang on to your butts everyone!" Ant said. Squall slightly decreased speed to balance the pressure outside just seconds before crashing through cyclone Glory. Ragnarok was jolting violently and Squall was afraid he'd lose control. He was sweating and ground his teeth together trying to maintain control.
"Ghahhhh!!!!" he groaned. Ragnarok dashed through the eye of the cyclone and then burst out of Glory with a violent jolt. Squall was afraid the ship wouldn't make it, but Ragnarok went just fine. Squall breathed deeply as the airship continued flying straight. He was exhausted.
"Shheez! What was that!?" Ant asked.
"A very big, bad cyclone. Hm? It evaporated!" Squall replied scanning the area around Ragnarok.
"Oh, we flew right through and destroyed it's air balance…It sucked itself…" he said after a little thought. Rinoa got up and went over to him.
"Better scan the ship for damages…Zell, go and see if Selphie and Irvine are ok…" she said. The computers of the Ragnarok scanned the ship, and gave the results.
"Damage: 0.5 % Minor."
"Good. She'll make it back to Balamb without a scratch." Seifer said.
"Better send a message to Balamb Airstation to let them know we're fine." Squall said.
"I'm on it…" Quistis said. She turned on the communication systems and adjusted the wavelength.
"This is Ragnarok, Balamb Airstation do you read?"
"Loud and clear Ragnarok! Are you guys ok?"
"We're fine."
"No damages?"
"No. Only slight ones. Hardly 1%."
"What!? Unbelievable! You guys went through cyclone Glory without a scratch! Unbelievable!"
"Hehehe…We have a great pilot here"
"Who was it?"
"Squall Leonhart."
"Leonhart? Squall Leonhart?! WOW!"
"Quistis! Cut the bragging and just report!!" Squall shouted.
Finally, they arrived to Centra, near their camping spot. Squall was right. It was better to camp on the hills. They took the decision by vote and Squall's opinion won.
"Ok! We all got our stuff? There's a tent for each of us couples, and a single one for Ant…Caesar, you're sleeping in the wild, right?" Selphie said.
"Of course. Who do you expect is gonna watch guard!?" he replied.
"Come on everyone! Let's put up the tents!!" Selphie said. This was rather amusing for all, as everyone did something wrong. Finally they all had their tents up and their things unpacked.
"Now it's the BEACH PARTY!!!!" Selphie said. They all got into their swimming suits and ran to the beach teasing one another. Angelo ran into the water barking happily, and then ran out and rolled in the sand. Then he ran up to Rinoa, who knelt down to play with him, and the dog started licking her and throwing sand on her. Zell ran into the sea with his surfing board, while Quistis preferred to sit in the sun and work on her tan, reading a book. Squall just let himself lay in the water, but Seifer decided to ruin his tranquility. He went up to him and held him underwater. Squall fought back, but Seifer was stronger. He had to slip away from him. Zell was surfing, or at least he was trying to. He often fell and Glafky was laughing with him. Ant had dived in and was relaxing. Rinoa soon jumped into the cool waters of the evening sea, and swam up to Squall, splashing water at him. Squall answered to the 'gunfire', and soon everyone was into the fun. Caesar, who was on the beach with Angelo, was rolling on the sand, with tears in his eyes from laughing with the others. Selphie attempted to catch a little crab, but that one bit her finger with it's pincer.
"OUCH!" it took her a lot of effort to get it off her finger. After lots of fun, they went back to their camp, where Caesar lit a big bonfire and they started cooking hot-dogs and sandwiches.
"Eeewww! Zell's put a tone of ketchup on his!" Quistis said with disgust. She wasn't really fond of ketchup. After dinner, Zell picked up his guitar and started playing a tune, and they all had a neat conversation. They talked about different things, and time went by pleasantly till late, when they all went to sleep in their tents. Caesar was watching guard with Angelo. Caesar didn't need much sleep anyway.
For the next four days, the program of the team was the same. They got up in the morning, had their breakfast, and helped gather firewood for later. Then, they all went to the beach. When they returned, they had lunch and had a short midday 'catnap', or played cards in the shade or talked about things. In the evening they went to the beach again, and then there was dinner with a bonfire and guitar by Zell along with conversations and singing. They were having a good time.
On the fourth day, Irvine proposed to go on a small exploration of the area. It was a warm afternoon. The guys and Caesar agreed right away, but the girls were pretty bored and sleepy, so they refused.
"Guys, go without us…" Glafky said drowsily.
"Yeah, we don't need to baby-sit you…" Selphie said with a yawn.
"Maybe we'll take a nap…" Rinoa agreed.
"I'll watch over everything…" Quistis said.
"Go for a walk; we girls need some privacy anyway…"
"Why? Ya embarrassed to have a bath without your clothes on in front of us?" Irvine said teasing them, and then ducked to avoid the frying pan Quistis threw at him.
"Shut up!" Glafky said.
"Ah, come on guys. Let's beat it cause the ladies are getting angry!" Ant said as they all rushed off.
"Jeez! Irvine, you're so lame!" Zell told him. Irvine just smiled. So they went on their 'expedition' to explore the area. After some walking, they encountered some Jelleyes, but of course busted them. Seifer was ready to slash the last one, but Caesar was faster and trapped the monster in his huge jaws, swallowing it in one gulp.
"AH! Gross!" Seifer said.
"Hey! That's my natural diet!" Caesar said with a growl, releasing smoke out of his nostrils again.
"Man Caesar, you're growing way too fast. It's only been two months since you were smaller than Angelo!" Zell said.
"Well Holy Dragons DO grow rapidly. And I'm only in my adolescence…" he replied.
"Really Caesar, I haven't understood. What is a Holy Dragon?" Irvine asked Caesar. Caesar giggled.
"We're nothing but dragons with a little more brain in our heads!… Actually, we're a special race of dragons that have some sort of ruling over the elements of Fire, Ice, Thunder and Earth. Holy Magic does not harm us, because we are created by it. Our intelligence is higher that humans' -no offence please- and we have a speech ability that other dragons lack. Our kings are Bahamut and Divine Dragon."
"Who? Divine Dragon? Who's that?"
"No one can remember his actual name, because he's very, very old. 20 generations perhaps…that should be…2000 human years!"
"!?"
"He's my grandfather, just like Carnorium was my older brother…" he said remembering that huge dragon the guys had fought two months ago.
"What!? You're brother!? And you fought him!? We killed him!" Zell said.
"We did and I'm glad. He was more than mean. I'm sure that Divine Dragon will be happy to know he's dead."
"What a family…" Ant said.
"You can say that again…" Seifer replied. They were walking through a small canyon.
"Hey! Check this out!" Seifer said observing a stone structure on the side of the canyon.
"What the hell is that?!" Zell asked looking at it too. On the rock, someone had carved a door, which was closed, from the opening of a cave and had formed the face of a temple around it.
"It looks like, some sort of…temple?" Ant said, going a little closer. The whole structure was 10 meters high and 6-7 meters wide. It was decorated with carvings and glyphs, not to mention the symbols, mostly hieroglyphics and carvings of cats.
"A temple? In the middle of nowhere?" Irvine gasped.
"Whose god might it be?" Caesar wondered. They went close and examined the glyphs.
"It's temple honoring Bastet…" Squall said.
"Of who?" Seifer gasped.
"How do you know Squall?" Ant asked him.
"From the glyphs. The cat with the earring is her symbol. She's cat-headed herself. She's the goddess of happiness and creator of mankind." Squall said still examining the glyphs.
"Whoa! Where did you know about all that? And how do you know this language?" Zell asked him. Squall shook his shoulders.
" I read it in a book in the Library. I'm into these lately…I can even tell you what the glyphs say." he lied. The truth was, Raspudin had transmitted that knowledge to Squall. He could read many ancient languages.
"Why don't we go in to check it out?" Ant suggested.
"Nice idea. Com'on Squall, waddya say?" Zell said. Squall was skeptical.
"I don't know. It could be dangerous."
"Oh, come on now! Where's the spirit of the adventure?" Irvine said.
"You're not afraid, are you?" Seifer said sarcastically. Squall agreed in the end.
"Ok, let's do it." He said. All together they started examining the door. It was out of stiff stone, and surely very thick.
"So, how do we open this thing?" Zell asked. Squall read the glyphs around it.
"I know how. It says so here. Zell, give me a hand…" Squall said as he counted the stones around the door. There many round stones the size of a human palm, sticking out around the door.
"Ok, Zell. I want you to press this stone when I tell you." He said showing Zell a dark gray stone. He counted from the other side of the door, and placed his hand on another stone.
"Ready Zell? Now!" They pressed the stones on the same time. The stones went in the wall and then came out. After a few moments, a loud thud was heard and the stone door rose revealing an opening.
"Wow! How did that happen?" Irvine asked.
"They use water pressure techniques. They were wide spread among ancient civilizations." Ant said. They walked into the darkness. Caesar kept a flame going to light the area a little.
"I think we're in a big hall room or something…" Seifer said judging from the echo.
"Guys, I think I found a way to light this place up…" Squall said. A thin beam of light fell in, through a small opening in the ceiling. Squall walked over to the ray, and examined the small structure it was shining onto. He smiled.
"And then there was light!" he said as he flipped the mirror. The ray bounced off the mirror, and hit another mirror, and another one, and dozen more, lighting up the whole place. They were astonished from the chamber all around them. A big statue of Bastet was in the center, with an offering table in front of it. The walls were decorated with fabulous paintings and scripts in a hieroglyphic language. Vases and smaller statues from every kind of material, along with other things- offerings to Bastet- filled up every possible space.
"Wow! Check out these treasures!" Zell said.
"All these must cost billions of Gil!" Irvine cried out. They all started examining the treasures. Squall preferred to study the script on the statue's base before rushing to see the treasures. He read a warning he didn't like. 'He who will salvage my temple will suffer and with him many more will suffer. Should an offering leave the temple, a terrible punishment awaits the thief and his loved ones.' The warning said.
"Uh-oh…" he thought. If Squall hadn't experienced the gods' power before, he would have laughed. But Squall knew gods were for real and powerful, and he took it seriously. He stood up and turned to the others. Caesar was standing next to him all the time. Squall shook his head in disapproval.
"Guys! Don't take anything!" he said. Seifer looked at him strangely.
"And why not? You have any idea how much money we can get from these?" he said as he examined a silver platter.
"Guys, listen. All these are offerings to Bastet. I read a warning on the base of her statue. It said that should any gift be taken away from the temple, the thief shall be punished and many more people will suffer along with him. You might even get killed…" he said seriously. They all looked at him. He stood serious with his hands crossed over his chest.
"That's silly…" Seifer said.
"What?…Come on Squall, gods don't exist…" Ant said.
"I assure you Ant, that gods are very much alive, and they have power beyond our imagination. I've felt that power in many ways. I'm a Prophet and Apollo; the god of prophecy speaks to me when I use that power. And Anubis, the god of death, revived me not long ago, after Sehmet; the goddess of medication healed my severe injuries. And after all, Glafky was a goddess before she joined us, isn't that right?" he said The guys looked at each other. Ant didn't seem to find honesty in Squall's words. Zell first placed a golden vase back on its stand and walked near Squall.
" I think Squall's right." He said. The others did the same, leaving the treasures where they found them.
"Well, why don't we just check around the chambers? We might find a GF like the Brothers!" Irvine said.
"Yeah, and in case this temple has any monster pests we can do away with them!" Ant said. Squall giggled.
"Ok…Let's check them out…" he said. Soon they lit a couple of torches and ventured through the catacombs of the temple, killing any monster they encountered on their way. Most of the catacombs were ceremony halls, while others were tombs of mummified cats and priests as the hieroglyphics said. After a while, they returned to the main chamber where the statue was. As they were about to 'turn off the lights' and leave, a cat leaped onto the base of the statue, meowing. It was a pretty cat, white furred with green eyes.
"What's up kitty? You're lonely?" Zell said to the cat.
"Meeeeoooowww…" it replied. Suddenly a strange sound was heard from the temple door and as the guys turned to see what it was, a big figure covered the opening.
"Who's there?" Zell asked sharply.
"Who are you?" Ant asked puling his Axe.
"I'm…your…punisher…!" it said. The figure stepped in the temple.
"…The hell!?" Caesar said. It was a big human out of stiff, gray, granite stone. His hair were like stone spikes. His body was slightly deformed, like roughly carved stone. With four arms. He didn't appear to have the best intentions. He attacked Irvine, who stood near him, and luckily Irvine was able to dodge the stone punch that landed on the ground, cracking it. The stone man murmured some words and a blue light came from the ground and swirled around him. Instantly he gained 2 meters in height, and his stone muscles grew thicker.
"He's generating from the earth! Cast Float on him!" Seifer shouted.
"The problem is, we don't have Float!" Zell replied. He jumped back, dodging an attack. Irvine cast Scan on the stone human.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Antaeus Humanoid from stone, creation of gods. Sent to kill. Will not stop unless it destroys |
|its target. Regenerates from the earth. Physical attacks don't harm him. Weak vs. Water, Ice | |and Wind |
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"Shit! This guy is good!" Seifer said as he took a stone punch on the stomach. Suddenly and without warning, Antaeus attacked Squall. He slapped him, tossing him on a wall, and then grabbed him from the waist with two of his arms and tried to choke him. Squall was trying to escape, but was no use. Antaeus held him away from his body and Squall breathed with difficulty as Antaeus squeezed him. He couldn't do a thing. Squall would have suffocated and the story would have ended here, when Ant came along. He lifted his huge axe and cut off Antaeus' arms. Squall fell onto the ground with the hands of Antaeus still holding him tight.
"…can't… breath…" he whispered. Irvine and Caesar rushed up to him and started cracking the stone to free him. Ant's axe was destroyed. Antaeus was regenerating all the time, and grew his arms again.
"Now what do we do?" Seifer shouted.
"I got an idea!" Ant said. He rushed up to Antaeus and fell onto him. They both fell on the ground. Before Antaeus could react, Ant had lifted him over the ground. Ant was injured on the face. The left part of his face was covered in blood.
"Zell! Seifer! Finish him! I'll keep him over the ground! Don't worry about me!" he said. Zell cast Regen on Ant before starting the head on attack with Ice, Water and Wind spells. Seifer was doing the same, and periodically both healed Ant, so that he wouldn't collapse. Meanwhile, Caesar and Irvine had freed Squall from the grip of Antaeus' hands, but he couldn't fight. Squall estimated he had at least two broken ribs.
"Irvine…Go help them!" he told his buddy.
"Squall! I gotta heal you!" Irvine protested.
"I said go! It's an order! Caesar can heal me too." Irvine looked at Squall and then rushed to help Zell and Seifer. Antaeus was good; he was using healing spells and cast spells of different elements on the others. Ant was hanging on despite he was in pain. Caesar was trying to heal Squall, but unfortunately he had only low-leveled healing spells. Squall watched the struggle of the others and wished he could help them. Then, Ant couldn't hang on any longer. He collapsed and Antaeus' weight fell on him. Antaeus roared in triumph and prepared to thrash on the guys. Squall saw that and lifting his sight, murmured:
"Bastet…please…help them…" The white cat that was hiding somewhere all this time came out of its hideout and meowed loudly. It leaped in front of Antaeus and growled. Antaeus laughed out loud.
"GAHAHAHAHAH! YOU'RE GOING TO COUNT ON THIS LITTLE CAT TO SAVE YOU? GHAHAHAHAHAHA!" he said. At that very moment something incredible happened. Bastet's statue started glowing, and Antaeus turned his head to see what was going on.
"Intruder! You have dared to shed human blood in my temple! Bastet's temples are refuges for the innocent! These young ones have asked for refuge in my temple, and you have broken the law that says that the suppliants are protected! You shall be punished! Face the wrath of my servant!" A loud voice came from the statue. The little white cat started glowing and immediately transformed into a huge, glowing, monstrous cat.
The cat roared and attacked Antaeus with its claws. It ripped his chest, and then pounced on him plunging its teeth on his neck, growling. The guys had fallen down to their knees from the incredible sight, and were gasping, watching the battle. The great cat continued clawing and ripping Antaeus. Squall heard him saying something.
"Ares! Mercy me master!" he said. Squall could hear it thanks to the Sorcery powers of his. He was astonished to hear that Antaeus was under Ares service. But, who was Ares? After a last clawing by Bastet's cat, Antaeus cried out in pain as he crushed back to dust that flew in the air. Then, the huge cat turned into the little white kitty cat that meowed plaintively.
"Man! What was dat?" Ant said.
"Bastet helped us…" Squall replied weakly.
"Ok, let's use the medicine box…" Irvine said opening a small pack he had with him. After using healing spells and Potions and other remedies, they were ready to leave the temple. Squall was still a little dizzy, and Ant was in the worst condition. He had lost his left eye in the battle. A terrible scar was over his now empty socket. Ant was sad about that, but it couldn't be helped.
"Man, I can't believe what happened…" Seifer said as they left the temple and headed back to the camp. It was a late evening and the girls would have gotten worried. "…I guess this is my last adventure with you guys since I'm returning back to Esthar…" Ant said.
"Too bad. Hey, you'll always be welcome in Balamb. Ok? If you're in a mood for action, we're the guys to call!" Irvine said trying to cheer him up.
"Hehehe…I guess that's right. Let's keep in contact, ok? If you guys get into any adventures and want help, call me!" he said.
"Don't worry Ant. You'll always be more than welcome in our club…" Squall said. Ant smiled, and kind of forgot his lost eye. Once they reached the camp, the girls were surprised with what had happened. After a short explanation, the guys went down to the shore to wash up and the girls stayed at the camp to prepare dinner. Later, around the bonfire, they all talked about the situations at Bastet's temple. The guys told in detail the entire story. They were really surprised with all those weird events. And those exact events made them decide to return to Garden earlier than scheduled, to report to Cid. After dinner, and because it had gotten late and the guys were exhausted, they decided to go get some sleep. Caesar would once again watch guard with Angelo. They all went to their tents. Squall and Rinoa were still talking lowly in their tent.
"Squall, all these are getting me worried…" Rinoa said.
"Me too, Rinoa. Things ARE turning out strange lately. Fist my further past is revealed to me. Then I become a Prophet. I meet up with gods. Then I'm christened a Sorcerer. And today a stone killer attempts to kill me after an order by someone named Ares! What else could happen next!?" Squall said.
"I have no idea Squall, but it worries me too…" Rinoa replied staring at the ceiling of the tent.
"You are right to worry Rinoa…" a voice came from outside. Squall and Rinoa sat up and looked at each other. Then, they walked out. Caesar was snoring, fast asleep, and a strange figure was sitting by the bonfire.
"Bastet?" they both said when they saw the cat goddess.
"Yes, that's me. Sit please, I have something I wish to tell you…" Squall and Rinoa obeyed.
"We have found the gods that have been plotting against us rest gods. It is Seth, god of evil and Ares, god of war."
"What are they trying to achieve?" Squall asked Bastet.
"We don't know. We suspect that Seth's plan is to take Horus' place as King of Gods."
"Oh my…" Rinoa said.
"Another problem are their allies. They are many and powerful. Horus is furious with them, but as they are hiding in Chaos, it is impossible to catch them. Under Erebus' protection -god of Chaos- we can not harm them…"
"So, how can they be stopped?" Squall asked.
"The first step is to find allies of our own and destroy Seth's allies…" said another voice.
"Athena!" said Bastet rather surprised. "Why are you here?"
"I overheard your conversation, and it is most tempting to join in…" Athena replied as she sat with them around the bonfire. An owl that was escorting her landed on the ground and started walking all around them.
"Squall, you and your friends have been chosen by the Council of the Gods to serve as our champions. It is time that mortals and gods reunite to fight this conspiracy of evil."
"What must we do?"
"As I said, the first step is forge strong alliances. Then, our goal is to destroy Seth's allies and servants. Without them, they will be more vulnerable."
"How are we going to find them?" Rinoa asked.
"They will come to you. Seth wants your death Squall…" Bastet said.
"Why?"
"He has many reasons. The first one is that he thinks that the others will collapse without you, and because you are…"
"Andros' descendant. Isn't that it?" Squall said.
"Exactly."
"What happened with Andros? Who was he?"
"I'm afraid I'll disappoint you, but I know very little about him. I only know that he fought Seth long ago when he tried to displace Horus before. Andros won over Seth, and Seth was forced to admit his loss. He never forgave Andros, and helped Carnorium kill him later. I think that Andros was half god, but I'm not sure. Only Horus knows the whole story."
"I see…thank you Athena.
" So, how are we going to find out Seth's intentions?" Rinoa asked.
"We gods will handle that. We would appreciate it if you stepped back for now, and let us try to find them. We will let you know when the time comes for you to act. Till then, all we want you to do is try and get rid of as many of Seth's allies as you can. Just remember, let them come to you. But, there is one thing we are sure that Seth will do." Athena said.
" He will try to imprison us rest gods. There is only one place where he can imprison us all." She said as she handed Squall a rolled up scroll she had in her chiton.
"Don't open it… Sebeck, the god of scribes, made this. The Cave of Silence is the only place in the world that can sustain a god. Open the scroll when that happens…"
"How will I know?" Squall asked.
"You will understand…you always do…Now, get some sleep, you need it." Athena said.
"Goodnight!" Bastet said as the two goddess vanished.
"I don't really get the gods…" Rinoa said with a yawn as they returned to their tent. "But I kind of like Bastet."
"I don't understand their sayings sometimes…But who cares now…." Squall responded.
"You know what Squall? I haven't asked you…who was the first girl to ever kiss you?" Rinoa asked him.
"Oh, what are you asking now…" Squall groaned.
"Come on! Tell me!"
"Alright…It was…7 years ago…I was 10. Hmmm….Oh yeah. Her name was Janet…I can't remember her surname…Well, she was 13 and I think she had the hots about me. Of course, I didn't care much, I had other problems back then…"
"And what happened?"
"Well, one day, I was leaving the classroom, and she just stepped up to me and blew me a kiss and then ran off…"
"Oh, my goodness!"
"Yeah, and then, I can't remember seeing her again…I think she transferred to Trabia…"
"Whoa, that was sad…But I can't consider that a kiss. You both were too young…I mean a serious kiss."
" Oh…Well, it was another 2 situations I really find funny now, but back then, they were terrifying…"
"Tell me about them please!"
"Well, the first one was when I turned 14. From back then I had all the girls of Balamb running after me, and believe me I hated that…"
"I see…"
"Well, there was this girl in my class, Clare Flower, and she really liked a guy from an older class. He was a big bully, his name was Frank…Frank Caradine I think. He was big and mean, and all the kids avoided him. Well, he wasn't really interested in Clare, and she wanted to make him jealous. So one day, she just blew me a kiss right in front of him!"
"She did?!"
"Yeah! And oh brother, did he get pissed off… It appeared that Frank liked Clare too, and I was the victim of all that… Frank grabbed me from the collar and told me he'd kill me if I didn't leave Clare to him. I tried to explain him that I wasn't interested in Clare, but he just wouldn't listen. I was lucky Dr.Kadowaki broke us up, or I'd be in serious trouble… But the worst one was 2 years later…"
"Oh? What happened?"
" Well, it was during a black out at Garden. It was late and it was dark. I has heading back to my dorm when I stumbled on this girl, Elli Perez. She was waiting for her boyfriend there, and in the dark, took me for him."
"Ops!" "Well, before I could say a thing, she just blows me a juicy kiss and I…I just turn red. Well, then the lights come up and she realizes she's kissed the wrong guy, and goes red all over. She stammers a sorry and runs off like hell."
"Poor girl…"
"Yeah, and the other day she came over to me and apologized. I told her it was ok, and she told me something that I really liked…"
"What did she tell you?"
"That I was a hell of a kisser…"
"Get outta here! Did she actually say that?"
"Yeah!"
"Well, then she was right. You are a hell of a kisser."
"Oh, really Miss Wings?" Rinoa giggled.
"It's funny when you call me 'Miss Wings'."
"Why funny? Aren't you an angel?"
"I don't have wings."
"Yes you do. You're an angel."
"Ok. If you say so…"
"Now you tell me…"
"What?"
"About your first kiss."
"Oh…Well, I was first kissed by a boy when I was 5. There was this great boy, Paul Cinnabar. He was 16 and really gorgeous. I thought I was in love with him, but it wasn't that. He used to live next door, and my parents knew him. He would often come over o my house to play with me in the garden, or baby-sit me when my parents were away. One day, he told me he was going to move away, to Dollet. I got rally sad, and almost started crying, but he gave me a kiss and promised he'd write to me. He wrote me lots of letters, and I wrote back. Then one day, the letters stopped. He was killed by Esthar soldiers…"
"I see…"
"But, then when I was 14, I met this other guy, Price Devon. I really liked him, but he wasn't interested in me much. One day he gave me a seashell, and told me I could keep it. I was holding onto that sea shell, until I found out that Price turned out gay and went away with his best friend, Todd."
"Oh brother…"
"Of course I threw away that darn sea shell…and forgot him…"
"And then there was Seifer?"
"Yes. Seifer was… a summertime love…or so I thought…Seifer was just a good friend…we both thought it was love…But it wasn't. When summer was over and he returned to Garden, I forgot about him…"
"Hmmm…"
"Really, how did you feel when I said that I was with Seifer once?"
"Well, back then, I didn't really care…But inside me, I felt jealous. I guess he doesn't think of it now, and neither do I. Besides, I'm starting to not care about what happened in the past much. We've said this before; what matters is NOW, not back then." Squall said seriously.
"Well, that's what helps us move on with our lives…"
"Of course. If we looked back all the time, we'd still be stuck to the past. And that would be bad, because we'd never glance the present, or the future that is to come.
"Wise words from a young mouth!" Rinoa said teasing him.
"Really, I'm saying things like that lately. I guess it's because of the power Raspudin gave me. He must have been really educated." Squall said with a yawn and moved in his sleeping bag. Rinoa crept closer to him.
"It's kinda chilly, huh?" she said.
"Yeah…" Squall passed his arm under Rinoa's head as a pillow.
"Gimmie a hug…" she said. Squall giggled.
"Remember that first time we were alone on the Ragnarok? You said the same thing."
"Yeah, and you didn't give me a hug! You just stood there like a statue."
"I was embarrassed back then." Rinoa laughed.
"And what about now? Aren't you embarrassed to kiss me in front of everyone?"
"Now is now, then was then…" Squall said as he hugged her. Rinoa giggled softly.
"Now is better than then!" she said as Squall squeezed her softly. All is peaceful now. Night has put all living to sleep, but Horus. He is thinking of the future that is to come. The Superior Power said it will be dreadful…
Chapter done! Rinoa will have to find out what life without Squall is like when he gets killed(?) and finds his brother, the other son of Terra. Squall also meets Kalha again! Stay tuned for further Later Adventures!
Squall's jaw almost dropped open when he set eyes on the young owner of that huge war axe. He was tall - Squall estimated him about 1.86m - with blond hair, in a neat short cut, green eyes and a big grin. But the most amazing thing about him was his size. He had broad shoulders and big muscles sticking out of his arms, while his legs were as thick as logs. He wore jeans and a sleeveless soldier's vest. He reminded Squall of someone, but he couldn't recall whom. But, he sure was someone familiar…
Meanwhile the young chap had gotten near him and had a good look at Squall.
"Hey! You're Squall Leonhart, right? I heard Instructor Trepe talking about you the other day with the Headmaster. You're also Sir Laguna's son!"
"Yeah. You know Laguna?"
"Do I know President Laguna? Do I know President Laguna! I'm from Esthar! I transferred from Lunar Garden last month!" Lunar Garden was the Garden that was built in the area of Esthar. Recently, Laguna was making diplomatic maneuvers with the West, and Esthar stooped being that 'silent country' they used to be, and had a big success in the worldwide trade.
"Oh, I see…"
"Say, you know Ward Zaback, right? He's President Laguna's right-hand-man."
"Yeah, I know him…in a way."
"Well, I'm his son, Anthony…"
"!!! You're Ward's son?"
"Yup! When he was working with the Galbadians in the D-District Prison, down in Dingo Desert, he got married to my mom. I was born while he was back at Esthar fighting with Laguna. Later he brought us with him in Esthar." Anthony said pulling his huge axe from the head of the dead T-Rexuar.
"Wow. I can't believe it…Ward's son…"
"Hehehe…Yeah, Dad seldom mentions anything about me. He's one of the most important people around Esthar, and neither he nor I like the big time publicity stuff. Besides, training in Garden keeps me busy. I'm a SeeD now, and well, I'm thinking of returning home. With all this training I've endured, I should be able to get a good job as a biochemist and a neat position in the Esthar Army. Also, I prefer being alongside my old man than wandering around the world slaughtering beasts."
"Hehehe…I get your point Anthony. It's good to be around people and places you like."
"You get a lot around Esthar? You know, to see your dad…"
"Oh, sure. Every weekend. But sometimes I'm on a mission or Cid wants me to do something, or I'm away with the guys, and I can't go. But we often send letters to one another."
"I get it…Can I ask you a question? It's about your Lionheart. Is it true that the power form that Gunblade can wipe out an army?"
"Hahahaha…Not quite. Surely anyone can deliver a respectable amount of damage with this Gunblade, but definitely not wipe out an army. Well, maybe a Limit Break with the power of my Lionheart would deliver far more damage, but it still would need tremendous power to hit many targets at the same time. It's just not capable."
"Ah-huh…I see…Oh, I almost forgot. Please call me Ant, cause Anthony is a little embarrassing…"
"Ok…Ant."
"Back at Lunar Garden my buddies called me Axe, because of this here baby!" Ant said, showing off his war axe.
"Nice model…" Squall admitted. It was an indeed good model.
"Yeah…it's 'Double-edge Pelekis' Best model around Esthar."
"I see…" Suddenly, they both heard Rinoa's voice echoing through the Training Center.
"Squall! Squall, where are you!"
"Over here Rinoa! Come on! I want you to meet someone!" He shouted back. Rinoa appeared from among the bushes, followed by Caesar and Angelo.
"Hi there!" Rinoa greeted both.
"Hello Master Squall." Caesar said.
"Ant, this is Rinoa, and the dragon is a friend; his name's Caesar."
"Ah…Sorceress Rinoa! Pleasure to meet you!"
"Rinoa, this is Ant Zaback, he's Ward's son."
"Really!? Oh! Nice to meet you Ant!" Rinoa said happily.
"Hi…" Caesar said.
"Were you two in the middle of a conversation?"
"Nah…not really. Go ahead Rinoa…" Ant said.
"Thanks…Squall, the others have arranged on going on an excursion to Centra. Are we going too?"
"Of course. It's better that staying here and getting bored. Hey, Ant. Wanna come along?"
" I dunno…maybe your friends…"
"Hey, it's ok. I'm sure the others will be glad to have you too around. We all liked Ward. I'm sure we'll all like you too."
"Well, in that case…I'm fine!"
"Ok! We meet in two days at the Ragnarok at Balamb Airstation at 11:00 in the morning!"
"The Ragnarok!? Wow, are we actually gonna ride that thing?! Cool! My old man always said it was really cool. I've never seen the Ragnarok. And come to think it was our flagship… Well now! I'd better go take a shower, clean my Axe and pack up! See you later!" Ant said merely walking away and out of the Training Center with his huge Axe over his shoulder.
"Well, what do you think of him?" Squall asked Rinoa as they walked out of the Training Center with Angelo. Caesar stayed behind to take a quick nap at his favorite spot, near the pond.
"I don't know…But he seems like a good guy. Since he's Ward's son, I guess he must be ok…What do you think?"
"Hmm…I guess I like him. He seems really cool, even though he's a little talkative. He kind of reflects something from Ward." They kept on walking. Squall was as silent as ever, and Rinoa was sure he was thinking again. Squall was thinking a lot lately, so much Rinoa often got worried.
"Squall what are you thinking about?" She asked him.
"Hmm?…Oh, various things…Basically, I'm concerned about the future that will follow…"
"Oh, who cares about the future…"
"I know, but the idea that some gods may think of turning against the balance of the world is driving me nuts!"
"Squall, you worry too much. Anything that is to come let it come. Then is the time to sought it out." Squall's frown slowly left his face.
"I guess you're right…Let the future follow it's course…Ah, I just remembered. I didn't check my mail today. You mind if we stop by the classroom?"
"It's ok with me…" So Squall and Rinoa took the elevator to the second floor and headed to the classroom. Squall sat on his computer, and Rinoa sat next to him, playing with Angelo, swinging a rag over his nose, and Angelo moved his nose, following the rag's movement. If it got too close, Angelo tried to grab it, but Rinoa pulled it away and Angelo's jaws always snapped the air. He had two letters; one from Ellone and one from Laguna. Ellone lived in Winhill now, and owned Raine's Pub. She was very happy, and Laguna often visited her. Her letter said she was fine, the weather was warm, and that the local area had finally had a hospital. But the most surprising news was that she was thinking of getting married to a young doctor over there. Squall read that part with mixed feelings. He wrote an answer.
Dear Sis, he said,
I hope this letter reaches you well. I'm fine and things in Garden are going ok. It's a little boring, but we're all planning to go on a excursion to Centra this week, so on the way back we may stop by to see you. I'm not sure whether your decision of getting married is right, but I think the best that you can do is to do what your heart tells you to do. At least, that worked for me. Anyway, you have wishes from all, and Edea is sending you her regards.
Hoping to see you soon,
Yours, Squall.
The next letter was from Laguna. Squall formed a smile on his face as he read Laguna's letter.
Dear Squall,
I hope this letter finds you in one piece. Things in Esthar are going from good to better. Odine has finally decided to work on more peaceful and harmless inventions and researches. Ward told me his son Anthony who is in Garden has transferred to your Garden. Squall; keep an eye on Ant. He's a little crazy in battle, but he's a very good kid. I might be going over to Deling next week, for diplomatic business and other jobs, but that won't stop me from venturing around a little! I wonder, did you get any letters from Ellone? She wrote that she's thinking of getting married! I told her not to rush in such decisions, and I hope she listens to me. What do you think?
Hope to see you in Deling,
President Laguna Loire of Esthar…nah…
Your father.
Squall smiled. He kind of liked his father's attitude in writing. He started typing back an answer.
Dear Dad,
Everything's going fine here, and I got your letter, as well as a letter from Sis. Well, I'm glad to hear that Odine changed his subject of research. Perhaps he's gonna leave Rinoa alone now. Anyway, I met up with Ant, and I think he really seems like a good fellow. We even invited him to come on an excursion down to Centra. I hope that there we'll get to know him better. Are you really coming around to Deling? I'm happy to hear that; it's been long time no see. I hope I'll get to see you around then. Anyway, I got the letter from Ellone, and I have to admit I'm concerned as much as you are. But I think it'd be better off if we let her decide on her own. If we try to act for her, she'll only get disappointed.
Hope to hear from you soon,
Squall.
He sent the letters, as Rinoa leaned back on her seat.
"I'm glad to hear that that bloody Odine changed subject. I was getting tired of him."
"Oh, come on now, he's not all that bad. He just gets carried away a little."
"Yeah, right… OH! I almost forgot!" She said and pulled him to whisper to his ear.
"We have a Sorcery lesson now!"
"Oh, Rin, please…not today!"
"Squall! You have to practice your metamorphosis process! That's it! We're off to the forest! NOW!" Squall took an all miserable look.
"Ok…"
Meanwhile, Irvine and Selphie were in Irvine's room talking about the excursion.
"Irvy, it's gonna be so nice! We'll be so great all together! I spotted a wonderful camping area near the Centra Chocobo Forest and it's beautiful!" Selphie said happily.
"If you say so Selphie…" Someone knocked the door.
"Who is it?!" Irvine asked.
"It's Squall. Selphie, are you in? I need to tell you something…" Irvine opened the door.
"So, Wazzup Squall? Hey Rinoa!"
"Nothing special…"Squall replied entering followed by Rinoa.
"Guess who transferred from Lunar Garden last month…" he continued.
"Who?" Selphie replied puzzled.
"Ward's son, Anthony."
"Ward has a son?!" Irvine gasped. "And he transferred here!?"
"Yeah. But he said he won't be staying long. He's finished his studies here, and he's gonna go back to Esthar."
"Wow! Ward's son! We gotta meet him!" Selphie said.
"You'll have that chance. I invited him to come with us on the excursion. I hope no-one minds." Squall said.
"Mind? Not at all! The more the merrier! I'm sure no one will matter! We all liked Ward right? Well, we're all gonna like Anthony too!" Selphie said happily.
"Well, one more party member won't harm…" Irvine said.
"Wait till you see how much he looks like Ward. They have the same physique. He's tall and full of muscles!" Rinoa said with a giggle.
"Yeah, and that explains he's preference to BIG war axes, just like Ward had that Harpoon thing. His Axe is almost as big as Zell!" Squall agreed.
"Wow! Now I just want to meet him!" Selphie said.
"Well, I think you can find him if you wander around Garden a little." Rinoa said. "Come on now Squall! We have some work to do!" she continued.
"Ah! Rinoa, don't pull me!" Squall said out loud.
In the meantime, Quistis, Seifer and Glafky were talking about Anthony in the Cafeteria.
"You sure he's Ward's son?" Seifer said.
"Yes. How many Zabacks do you know? He even told me." Quistis replied.
"Zaback? I've seen him. He's that big, blond guy. We passed the same test I did I think. He must have been before me." Glafky added.
"Well, as far as I can tell, He's a great student, and I've had some talks with him, he's a very good person. He's also a pro in biochemistry. Too bad he's going back to Esthar now. He's going to work with Dr. Odine on medical researches." Quistis said.
"Don't you think it would be nice if we invited him to come with us?" Glafky suggested.
"Maybe…"
Far up high, in the world of gods, Athena, Sehmet and Bastet, the cat headed goddess of happiness and creator of mankind, were having a serious conversation in Athena's quarters.
"The area where our protégés are going to camp at in Centra is near one of your secret temples Bastet." Sehmet said.
"I don't mind if they find it, as long as they respect the treasures of the temple." Bastet replied.
"They'll respect them don't worry. Squall knows now what powers the gods have and will hold the rest. He can understand the warnings. Raspudin also transmitted his knowledge. He's wise enough to avoid such a danger." Sehmet said. Athena scolded the two sister goddesses.
"This is the least we should be discussing! We must help uncover the conspirators!" she said. The other two agreed. Just then, Ra and Sebeck came in.
"I'm afraid the conspirators have been uncovered…" Ra said.
"Who are they!?" The three goddesses asked eagerly.
"You were right Athena. It was Seth again. And this time he has pulled many gods with him. Ares the first, and Charon, Cybele, Erebus and the Erinyes to name a few. Horus is furious…" Sebeck said.
"Grrrr….That good for nothing brother of mine again! I knew this would happen!" Athena said sharply about Ares.
"Is that why that sly Charon attacked Garden?" Bastet asked.
"I suppose so. His goal must have been Squall's death."
"Ooh…I knew it! He's trying to get rid of Squall thinking that the others will collapse without him! He's wrong about that! Where are they?" Athena growled.
"I'm afraid that we cannot capture them where they are… In Erebus' palaces in Chaos…" Sebeck said sadly.
"Grrrrr….." Sehmet growled.
"Shouldn't we warn the young ones?" Bastet said.
"No, not yet. It's too early. Depending on what will come up we will act accordingly." Ra said.
"Those two guys are getting to my nerves…" Sehmet said.
"Ah, Athena, I've been wanting to ask you. How is Squall going along with his Sorcerer powers?" Sebeck said.
"Pretty well. He is learning fast, and is very powerful. Let's take a look on him…"
Back on the mortal world, Squall was frowned. Unaware divine eyes watched him; he was staring up in the trees above him, looking for something.
"Rinoa, I'm tired of this game…Come out please…" No response.
"Rinoa, I'm tired of trying to guess where the hell you could be hiding. All I can see from here are branches and leaves. If you don't stop and come down, I'm going to leave!" He threatened. A white owl flittered from a tree to his feet.
"Rinoa, this is humiliating…" Squall said. The white owl flapped her wings and twittered softly. In a flash of yellow light, the cute white bird turned into Sorceress Rinoa. She giggled.
"Why are you tired? Can't find a white owl in the trees?" she said.
"No, I can't!" Squall replied.
"Oh come on now. You're just grumpy all over again. Why don't you try to morph into something? Come on! Turn into an animal!"
"And you want me to hide this time?"
"If you want to, I have no problem. Go ahead! Turn into something!" she said joyfully.
"I want to be sure you have no problems with morphing." Squall sighed lifting his sight and concentrated. In a golden flash he turned into a big, proud lion with blue eyes and a scar on its forehead.
"Not bad Squall…" Rinoa said. The lion answered with a roar. It moved towards Rinoa growling, threatening her.
"Squall! Back off!" she shouted with a giggle. The lion growled louder.
"Squall!" Rinoa said stepping backwards slowly.
"Squall, quit joking, this isn't funny!" The lion roared and moved towards her. Rinoa kept back stepping slowly.
"Whoa!" she tripped over a stone and fell on the ground on her butt.
"Ouch!" she exclaimed. The big lion went near her and licked her cheek with its tongue. Rinoa pushed its big head away.
"Squall! Cut it out!" She said a little frustrated. The lion left a soft growl and in a golden flash turned into the young man again. He was laughing out loud. Squall didn't laugh easily, but when he did, his laughter was strangely pleasant.
"Hahahahahah! Boy, if only you could see your face! 'Squall! Back off!'" he said imitating Rinoa's voice. "I'd say you've got some guts to speak like that to the king of beasts Rinoa!" He said as he helped her on her feet.
"That wasn't funny!" she said. "I got scared!"
"I didn't like it either when you sneaked into my room while I was sleeping in the form of a leopard!" he said.
"That was funny. You got scared."
"Of course I did. I don't wake up everyday and see a 60 kilo cat in my dorm!" Rinoa giggled and continued with a smile. "Why don't we try to turn into a non living form?"
"That's even more tiring…"
"Oh stop whining Squall! Look at me!" Rinoa turned into a fire that flickered spreading warmth.
"Ok, I'll try now…" Squall said. He closed his eyes and disappeared. A light gust of wind flew through the forest. Rinoa turned into a human again, and closed her eyes feeling the wind in her hair. In the form of wind, Squall could go anywhere, unleash the worst tornadoes and see anything, but the process was extremely tiring and he couldn't keep up for long. The wind dashed by Rinoa lifting a cloud of sand. Then, the wind and the sand formed a tiny whirlwind, which eventually turned into Squall.
"Man, this exhausts me…" he said.
"Ok Squall. I think you've had enough for today. I'm pretty tired too. Let's go back to Garden. I have to pack my bag…"
"After you, my Sorceress…" Squall said and Rinoa giggled as they started crossing the woods to head for Garden.
In the meantime, Ant was wandering around Garden. He had just had a chat with Seifer and Quistis, and Quistis sounded delighted he was going to join in the excursion. Seifer was…so-so. He had hung his Axe on his back with a leather belt, and the weight of that huge weapon was insignificant to him. "Hey, Ant!" someone called him. He turned around to see who it was. It was Zell.
"Hi Zell."
"Selphie told me you're comin' with us at Centra. I'm glad to hear that! You know at first I didn't believe Ward had a son!"
"Hehehehe…You must have been the one that interfered with his mind in the past…"
"Yeah, that's me."
"Say, I'm really glad you guys are taking me with you. It's kinda like an honor…"
"Hey! You're Ward's son, we know Ward, so what's stopping us from being friends?"
"Heh, you're right Zell. Sad is I'm not gonna stay long even if I do want to stay. I'm returning to Esthar. I'll get to work with Dr. Odine as a biochemist. It's my specialty."
"Wow. Biochemistry…You don't find that easily… No wonder you studied at Lunar Garden. They're specialized on sciences."
"Hehe…It's all in the talent…Say, can I ask you something Zell?"
"Shoot."
" Why does Seifer call you a 'Chicken-Wuss'?"
2 days later, Balamb Airstation, 10:45 in the morning.
"Tch…Caesar and Zell are late…Where are they?" Glafky said impatiently.
"What are they doing?!" Rinoa agreed.
"We'll wait until 11:00. Then we take off, and too bad for them…" Squall said a little frustrated. Just then, Zell appeared on the launch pad, with his backpack, running towards the Ragnarok. Caesar was flying after him. He seemed angry.
"HEY!!! WAIT FOR US!" Zell cried out as rushed to the others, followed by Caesar.
"Zell! What took you so long!? And you too Caesar!" Irvine said.
"Hey! Don't blame me! I couldn't get him off the Cafeteria table! He was devouring hot-dogs as usual! I almost blew flames on him to get him up and running!" Caesar said and snorted, releasing a ball of smoke out of his nostrils.
"Ok, ok everybody…calm down. Let's get in and get going… Caesar, no smoking in the ship…" Squall said, trying to calm everyone down. They all got in, put their packs, supplies and equipment in the cargo area, and went upstairs, making themselves comfortable in the seats, while Selphie took up the 'wheel'. Caesar felt uncomfortable being so big among the others in a rather small area, and he said it and suggested he went to the cargo area, but the others insisted he stayed there with them.
"Hey Ant, how about a card game?" Irvine told Ant.
"Hmmm…Why not? I've got a nice deck with me…" he said taking a deck out of his pocket. They started playing.
"Selphie, please don't fly too dangerously, ok? We've got quite a cargo and we're 10 people back here…" Rinoa said to Selphie.
"Don't worry. I won't. I'm still too sleepy to attempt it…" she replied with a yawn. Seifer and Squall had a little friendly squabble about where exactly they should camp.
" I say we camp right here, on the reefs of the beach." Seifer said.
"Go ahead if you want to he become prey for the mosquitoes. I'd say we camp on the nearby hills." Squall replied showing the spot on the map in front of him.
"No way! I want to swim in the sea first thing in the morning and sleep to the sound of the waves!" Seifer said.
"Seifer, look at the practical point of the area. There's no water on the beach, and plus, there are big venomous snakes on the beach this time of the year! Not to count the Fastitocalons and the Adamandoises! On the hill there's a pool of drinkable water and there are surely less monsters." Squall said calmly.
"Besides, the beach isn't all that far…"
"I don't care!…"
"Stop it you two!" Rinoa and Quistis shouted together. They were playing chess.
"Hah! I got your bishop!" Rinoa said joyfully. "Yeah, but I got your knight!" Quistis said with a smile.
"Oh, no!"
Zell was trying to fool Caesar.
"Ok, I have three cards here." He said showing Caesar three cards.
"I can see that." He replied.
"One Grat, one Red Bat and my card, the Zell Card. I'll place them face down…" Zell said doing so.
"Mix them up!" he continued shuffling the cards so quickly Glafky, who was watching, got dizzy.
"Ok, now find me the Zell Card!" Zell said. Glafky had the first go. She failed. She tried three times in a row, but always failed.
"Caesar's turn now!" Zell said shuffling the cards again. Caesar kept looking at Zell, bored.
"This is silly…"
"Oh, come on! You can't find it?" Caesar sighed and picked a card, turning it face up. It was the Zell Card.
"???"
"The eyes of a dragon are quicker than a man's hand…" Caesar said.
"…" Glafky had started reading a 'Timber Maniacs' issue and was murmuring in disappointment.
"Tch, tch, tch… factories of the Galbadian Army pollute the sea…"
"Why do YOU keep winning when I've got 1 character and two GF cards?" Irvine mourned as Ant took away his Shiva card. He had lost tree times in a row.
"It's all in technique. I can show you a trick or two if you'd like." Ant replied with a giggle. All of sudden, Ragnarok jolted violently and everyone fell out of their seats.
"Ahhh!"
"Ouch!"
"Whoa!"
"What's happening?!"
"Yikes!"
"Oh my goodness!" They cried out in surprise and pain as they slammed all about.
"Selphie! What's going on?!" Squall shouted when the Ragnarok flew straight again.
"It wasn't me! There are air disturbances!" Selphie shouted back. Squall got up and looked at the others.
"Everyone ok?"
"Depends on what is ok…" Ant groaned rubbing his head.
"Ouch…air travels are getting worse…" Zell commented, still dizzy.
"Now I know why I prefer to fly with my wings…" Caesar growled. Squall went over to Selphie to check things out.
"All systems ok?" he asked her.
"Yeah, she's fine. No damages." She replied.
"How long is it yet?"
"Pretty far. Plus, we have to make a circle to avoid crashing onto a cyclone."
"A cyclone?"
"Yeah, I contacted Balamb Airstation and they say it's cyclone Glory. It's a pretty bad one, and we ought to stay away from it. Its current location is north of Centra Crater."
"I see…Just be careful ok?"
"Hey! I know how to fly this thing!" Squall returned to his seat and started watching Rinoa and Quistis' chess match. Both had few pieces left on the board and the game had turned into a derby. Seifer had relaxed on his seat, listening to his favorite music from Prodigy in his Discman. He had the volume rather high and Squall could hear the music through the earphones.
"Squall…" Zell said to Squall.
"Yeah?"
"You think…something might…go wrong?"
"No, I don't think so Zell. This is only an excursion we are going to have fun. It's not a mission of some sort."
"Yeah, I know, but what if…?"
"Oh, come on Zell! Forget about the future! Just enjoy the ride!" Glafky said.
" I am enjoying the ride!" Zell replied and sat Glafky on his lap.
"Anybody want a drink?" Irvine asked them as he headed for the fridge on the floor below.
"Yeah! Get me a Fanta!" Rinoa said.
"I want a Coca-Cola!" Selphie said.
"Keep them comin'!" Ant said relaxing. Then Selphie froze on her seat.
"Squall! I think you'd better see this! Hurry!" she yelled. Squall ran up to the pilot's seat.
"What's up Selphie?"
"Squall, the cyclone! It's reacting strangely!" Squall looked ahead. He activated the zoom in utility and saw what was going on.
"Holy crap! It's moving towards us!" he said. "Selphie, try some maneuvers!"
"I already am! But it's following our every move!" Selphie said in panic.
"Darn! A god's making!" Squall said. "Selphie! I'll take over!" Squall sat on the pilot's seat as soon as Selphie pounced out of it.
"Guys! Put seat belts on! Irvine! Selphie! Go turn on the assistance engines! Now!" Squall tried to boost around the cyclone but it was no use. Cyclone Glory would just follow them. "Damn it!" Squall shouted. "There's no other way! We have to fly right through!" he said.
"What!?" The others shouted.
"Hang on to your butts everyone!" Ant said. Squall slightly decreased speed to balance the pressure outside just seconds before crashing through cyclone Glory. Ragnarok was jolting violently and Squall was afraid he'd lose control. He was sweating and ground his teeth together trying to maintain control.
"Ghahhhh!!!!" he groaned. Ragnarok dashed through the eye of the cyclone and then burst out of Glory with a violent jolt. Squall was afraid the ship wouldn't make it, but Ragnarok went just fine. Squall breathed deeply as the airship continued flying straight. He was exhausted.
"Shheez! What was that!?" Ant asked.
"A very big, bad cyclone. Hm? It evaporated!" Squall replied scanning the area around Ragnarok.
"Oh, we flew right through and destroyed it's air balance…It sucked itself…" he said after a little thought. Rinoa got up and went over to him.
"Better scan the ship for damages…Zell, go and see if Selphie and Irvine are ok…" she said. The computers of the Ragnarok scanned the ship, and gave the results.
"Damage: 0.5 % Minor."
"Good. She'll make it back to Balamb without a scratch." Seifer said.
"Better send a message to Balamb Airstation to let them know we're fine." Squall said.
"I'm on it…" Quistis said. She turned on the communication systems and adjusted the wavelength.
"This is Ragnarok, Balamb Airstation do you read?"
"Loud and clear Ragnarok! Are you guys ok?"
"We're fine."
"No damages?"
"No. Only slight ones. Hardly 1%."
"What!? Unbelievable! You guys went through cyclone Glory without a scratch! Unbelievable!"
"Hehehe…We have a great pilot here"
"Who was it?"
"Squall Leonhart."
"Leonhart? Squall Leonhart?! WOW!"
"Quistis! Cut the bragging and just report!!" Squall shouted.
Finally, they arrived to Centra, near their camping spot. Squall was right. It was better to camp on the hills. They took the decision by vote and Squall's opinion won.
"Ok! We all got our stuff? There's a tent for each of us couples, and a single one for Ant…Caesar, you're sleeping in the wild, right?" Selphie said.
"Of course. Who do you expect is gonna watch guard!?" he replied.
"Come on everyone! Let's put up the tents!!" Selphie said. This was rather amusing for all, as everyone did something wrong. Finally they all had their tents up and their things unpacked.
"Now it's the BEACH PARTY!!!!" Selphie said. They all got into their swimming suits and ran to the beach teasing one another. Angelo ran into the water barking happily, and then ran out and rolled in the sand. Then he ran up to Rinoa, who knelt down to play with him, and the dog started licking her and throwing sand on her. Zell ran into the sea with his surfing board, while Quistis preferred to sit in the sun and work on her tan, reading a book. Squall just let himself lay in the water, but Seifer decided to ruin his tranquility. He went up to him and held him underwater. Squall fought back, but Seifer was stronger. He had to slip away from him. Zell was surfing, or at least he was trying to. He often fell and Glafky was laughing with him. Ant had dived in and was relaxing. Rinoa soon jumped into the cool waters of the evening sea, and swam up to Squall, splashing water at him. Squall answered to the 'gunfire', and soon everyone was into the fun. Caesar, who was on the beach with Angelo, was rolling on the sand, with tears in his eyes from laughing with the others. Selphie attempted to catch a little crab, but that one bit her finger with it's pincer.
"OUCH!" it took her a lot of effort to get it off her finger. After lots of fun, they went back to their camp, where Caesar lit a big bonfire and they started cooking hot-dogs and sandwiches.
"Eeewww! Zell's put a tone of ketchup on his!" Quistis said with disgust. She wasn't really fond of ketchup. After dinner, Zell picked up his guitar and started playing a tune, and they all had a neat conversation. They talked about different things, and time went by pleasantly till late, when they all went to sleep in their tents. Caesar was watching guard with Angelo. Caesar didn't need much sleep anyway.
For the next four days, the program of the team was the same. They got up in the morning, had their breakfast, and helped gather firewood for later. Then, they all went to the beach. When they returned, they had lunch and had a short midday 'catnap', or played cards in the shade or talked about things. In the evening they went to the beach again, and then there was dinner with a bonfire and guitar by Zell along with conversations and singing. They were having a good time.
On the fourth day, Irvine proposed to go on a small exploration of the area. It was a warm afternoon. The guys and Caesar agreed right away, but the girls were pretty bored and sleepy, so they refused.
"Guys, go without us…" Glafky said drowsily.
"Yeah, we don't need to baby-sit you…" Selphie said with a yawn.
"Maybe we'll take a nap…" Rinoa agreed.
"I'll watch over everything…" Quistis said.
"Go for a walk; we girls need some privacy anyway…"
"Why? Ya embarrassed to have a bath without your clothes on in front of us?" Irvine said teasing them, and then ducked to avoid the frying pan Quistis threw at him.
"Shut up!" Glafky said.
"Ah, come on guys. Let's beat it cause the ladies are getting angry!" Ant said as they all rushed off.
"Jeez! Irvine, you're so lame!" Zell told him. Irvine just smiled. So they went on their 'expedition' to explore the area. After some walking, they encountered some Jelleyes, but of course busted them. Seifer was ready to slash the last one, but Caesar was faster and trapped the monster in his huge jaws, swallowing it in one gulp.
"AH! Gross!" Seifer said.
"Hey! That's my natural diet!" Caesar said with a growl, releasing smoke out of his nostrils again.
"Man Caesar, you're growing way too fast. It's only been two months since you were smaller than Angelo!" Zell said.
"Well Holy Dragons DO grow rapidly. And I'm only in my adolescence…" he replied.
"Really Caesar, I haven't understood. What is a Holy Dragon?" Irvine asked Caesar. Caesar giggled.
"We're nothing but dragons with a little more brain in our heads!… Actually, we're a special race of dragons that have some sort of ruling over the elements of Fire, Ice, Thunder and Earth. Holy Magic does not harm us, because we are created by it. Our intelligence is higher that humans' -no offence please- and we have a speech ability that other dragons lack. Our kings are Bahamut and Divine Dragon."
"Who? Divine Dragon? Who's that?"
"No one can remember his actual name, because he's very, very old. 20 generations perhaps…that should be…2000 human years!"
"!?"
"He's my grandfather, just like Carnorium was my older brother…" he said remembering that huge dragon the guys had fought two months ago.
"What!? You're brother!? And you fought him!? We killed him!" Zell said.
"We did and I'm glad. He was more than mean. I'm sure that Divine Dragon will be happy to know he's dead."
"What a family…" Ant said.
"You can say that again…" Seifer replied. They were walking through a small canyon.
"Hey! Check this out!" Seifer said observing a stone structure on the side of the canyon.
"What the hell is that?!" Zell asked looking at it too. On the rock, someone had carved a door, which was closed, from the opening of a cave and had formed the face of a temple around it.
"It looks like, some sort of…temple?" Ant said, going a little closer. The whole structure was 10 meters high and 6-7 meters wide. It was decorated with carvings and glyphs, not to mention the symbols, mostly hieroglyphics and carvings of cats.
"A temple? In the middle of nowhere?" Irvine gasped.
"Whose god might it be?" Caesar wondered. They went close and examined the glyphs.
"It's temple honoring Bastet…" Squall said.
"Of who?" Seifer gasped.
"How do you know Squall?" Ant asked him.
"From the glyphs. The cat with the earring is her symbol. She's cat-headed herself. She's the goddess of happiness and creator of mankind." Squall said still examining the glyphs.
"Whoa! Where did you know about all that? And how do you know this language?" Zell asked him. Squall shook his shoulders.
" I read it in a book in the Library. I'm into these lately…I can even tell you what the glyphs say." he lied. The truth was, Raspudin had transmitted that knowledge to Squall. He could read many ancient languages.
"Why don't we go in to check it out?" Ant suggested.
"Nice idea. Com'on Squall, waddya say?" Zell said. Squall was skeptical.
"I don't know. It could be dangerous."
"Oh, come on now! Where's the spirit of the adventure?" Irvine said.
"You're not afraid, are you?" Seifer said sarcastically. Squall agreed in the end.
"Ok, let's do it." He said. All together they started examining the door. It was out of stiff stone, and surely very thick.
"So, how do we open this thing?" Zell asked. Squall read the glyphs around it.
"I know how. It says so here. Zell, give me a hand…" Squall said as he counted the stones around the door. There many round stones the size of a human palm, sticking out around the door.
"Ok, Zell. I want you to press this stone when I tell you." He said showing Zell a dark gray stone. He counted from the other side of the door, and placed his hand on another stone.
"Ready Zell? Now!" They pressed the stones on the same time. The stones went in the wall and then came out. After a few moments, a loud thud was heard and the stone door rose revealing an opening.
"Wow! How did that happen?" Irvine asked.
"They use water pressure techniques. They were wide spread among ancient civilizations." Ant said. They walked into the darkness. Caesar kept a flame going to light the area a little.
"I think we're in a big hall room or something…" Seifer said judging from the echo.
"Guys, I think I found a way to light this place up…" Squall said. A thin beam of light fell in, through a small opening in the ceiling. Squall walked over to the ray, and examined the small structure it was shining onto. He smiled.
"And then there was light!" he said as he flipped the mirror. The ray bounced off the mirror, and hit another mirror, and another one, and dozen more, lighting up the whole place. They were astonished from the chamber all around them. A big statue of Bastet was in the center, with an offering table in front of it. The walls were decorated with fabulous paintings and scripts in a hieroglyphic language. Vases and smaller statues from every kind of material, along with other things- offerings to Bastet- filled up every possible space.
"Wow! Check out these treasures!" Zell said.
"All these must cost billions of Gil!" Irvine cried out. They all started examining the treasures. Squall preferred to study the script on the statue's base before rushing to see the treasures. He read a warning he didn't like. 'He who will salvage my temple will suffer and with him many more will suffer. Should an offering leave the temple, a terrible punishment awaits the thief and his loved ones.' The warning said.
"Uh-oh…" he thought. If Squall hadn't experienced the gods' power before, he would have laughed. But Squall knew gods were for real and powerful, and he took it seriously. He stood up and turned to the others. Caesar was standing next to him all the time. Squall shook his head in disapproval.
"Guys! Don't take anything!" he said. Seifer looked at him strangely.
"And why not? You have any idea how much money we can get from these?" he said as he examined a silver platter.
"Guys, listen. All these are offerings to Bastet. I read a warning on the base of her statue. It said that should any gift be taken away from the temple, the thief shall be punished and many more people will suffer along with him. You might even get killed…" he said seriously. They all looked at him. He stood serious with his hands crossed over his chest.
"That's silly…" Seifer said.
"What?…Come on Squall, gods don't exist…" Ant said.
"I assure you Ant, that gods are very much alive, and they have power beyond our imagination. I've felt that power in many ways. I'm a Prophet and Apollo; the god of prophecy speaks to me when I use that power. And Anubis, the god of death, revived me not long ago, after Sehmet; the goddess of medication healed my severe injuries. And after all, Glafky was a goddess before she joined us, isn't that right?" he said The guys looked at each other. Ant didn't seem to find honesty in Squall's words. Zell first placed a golden vase back on its stand and walked near Squall.
" I think Squall's right." He said. The others did the same, leaving the treasures where they found them.
"Well, why don't we just check around the chambers? We might find a GF like the Brothers!" Irvine said.
"Yeah, and in case this temple has any monster pests we can do away with them!" Ant said. Squall giggled.
"Ok…Let's check them out…" he said. Soon they lit a couple of torches and ventured through the catacombs of the temple, killing any monster they encountered on their way. Most of the catacombs were ceremony halls, while others were tombs of mummified cats and priests as the hieroglyphics said. After a while, they returned to the main chamber where the statue was. As they were about to 'turn off the lights' and leave, a cat leaped onto the base of the statue, meowing. It was a pretty cat, white furred with green eyes.
"What's up kitty? You're lonely?" Zell said to the cat.
"Meeeeoooowww…" it replied. Suddenly a strange sound was heard from the temple door and as the guys turned to see what it was, a big figure covered the opening.
"Who's there?" Zell asked sharply.
"Who are you?" Ant asked puling his Axe.
"I'm…your…punisher…!" it said. The figure stepped in the temple.
"…The hell!?" Caesar said. It was a big human out of stiff, gray, granite stone. His hair were like stone spikes. His body was slightly deformed, like roughly carved stone. With four arms. He didn't appear to have the best intentions. He attacked Irvine, who stood near him, and luckily Irvine was able to dodge the stone punch that landed on the ground, cracking it. The stone man murmured some words and a blue light came from the ground and swirled around him. Instantly he gained 2 meters in height, and his stone muscles grew thicker.
"He's generating from the earth! Cast Float on him!" Seifer shouted.
"The problem is, we don't have Float!" Zell replied. He jumped back, dodging an attack. Irvine cast Scan on the stone human.
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| Antaeus Humanoid from stone, creation of gods. Sent to kill. Will not stop unless it destroys |
|its target. Regenerates from the earth. Physical attacks don't harm him. Weak vs. Water, Ice | |and Wind |
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"Shit! This guy is good!" Seifer said as he took a stone punch on the stomach. Suddenly and without warning, Antaeus attacked Squall. He slapped him, tossing him on a wall, and then grabbed him from the waist with two of his arms and tried to choke him. Squall was trying to escape, but was no use. Antaeus held him away from his body and Squall breathed with difficulty as Antaeus squeezed him. He couldn't do a thing. Squall would have suffocated and the story would have ended here, when Ant came along. He lifted his huge axe and cut off Antaeus' arms. Squall fell onto the ground with the hands of Antaeus still holding him tight.
"…can't… breath…" he whispered. Irvine and Caesar rushed up to him and started cracking the stone to free him. Ant's axe was destroyed. Antaeus was regenerating all the time, and grew his arms again.
"Now what do we do?" Seifer shouted.
"I got an idea!" Ant said. He rushed up to Antaeus and fell onto him. They both fell on the ground. Before Antaeus could react, Ant had lifted him over the ground. Ant was injured on the face. The left part of his face was covered in blood.
"Zell! Seifer! Finish him! I'll keep him over the ground! Don't worry about me!" he said. Zell cast Regen on Ant before starting the head on attack with Ice, Water and Wind spells. Seifer was doing the same, and periodically both healed Ant, so that he wouldn't collapse. Meanwhile, Caesar and Irvine had freed Squall from the grip of Antaeus' hands, but he couldn't fight. Squall estimated he had at least two broken ribs.
"Irvine…Go help them!" he told his buddy.
"Squall! I gotta heal you!" Irvine protested.
"I said go! It's an order! Caesar can heal me too." Irvine looked at Squall and then rushed to help Zell and Seifer. Antaeus was good; he was using healing spells and cast spells of different elements on the others. Ant was hanging on despite he was in pain. Caesar was trying to heal Squall, but unfortunately he had only low-leveled healing spells. Squall watched the struggle of the others and wished he could help them. Then, Ant couldn't hang on any longer. He collapsed and Antaeus' weight fell on him. Antaeus roared in triumph and prepared to thrash on the guys. Squall saw that and lifting his sight, murmured:
"Bastet…please…help them…" The white cat that was hiding somewhere all this time came out of its hideout and meowed loudly. It leaped in front of Antaeus and growled. Antaeus laughed out loud.
"GAHAHAHAHAH! YOU'RE GOING TO COUNT ON THIS LITTLE CAT TO SAVE YOU? GHAHAHAHAHAHA!" he said. At that very moment something incredible happened. Bastet's statue started glowing, and Antaeus turned his head to see what was going on.
"Intruder! You have dared to shed human blood in my temple! Bastet's temples are refuges for the innocent! These young ones have asked for refuge in my temple, and you have broken the law that says that the suppliants are protected! You shall be punished! Face the wrath of my servant!" A loud voice came from the statue. The little white cat started glowing and immediately transformed into a huge, glowing, monstrous cat.
The cat roared and attacked Antaeus with its claws. It ripped his chest, and then pounced on him plunging its teeth on his neck, growling. The guys had fallen down to their knees from the incredible sight, and were gasping, watching the battle. The great cat continued clawing and ripping Antaeus. Squall heard him saying something.
"Ares! Mercy me master!" he said. Squall could hear it thanks to the Sorcery powers of his. He was astonished to hear that Antaeus was under Ares service. But, who was Ares? After a last clawing by Bastet's cat, Antaeus cried out in pain as he crushed back to dust that flew in the air. Then, the huge cat turned into the little white kitty cat that meowed plaintively.
"Man! What was dat?" Ant said.
"Bastet helped us…" Squall replied weakly.
"Ok, let's use the medicine box…" Irvine said opening a small pack he had with him. After using healing spells and Potions and other remedies, they were ready to leave the temple. Squall was still a little dizzy, and Ant was in the worst condition. He had lost his left eye in the battle. A terrible scar was over his now empty socket. Ant was sad about that, but it couldn't be helped.
"Man, I can't believe what happened…" Seifer said as they left the temple and headed back to the camp. It was a late evening and the girls would have gotten worried. "…I guess this is my last adventure with you guys since I'm returning back to Esthar…" Ant said.
"Too bad. Hey, you'll always be welcome in Balamb. Ok? If you're in a mood for action, we're the guys to call!" Irvine said trying to cheer him up.
"Hehehe…I guess that's right. Let's keep in contact, ok? If you guys get into any adventures and want help, call me!" he said.
"Don't worry Ant. You'll always be more than welcome in our club…" Squall said. Ant smiled, and kind of forgot his lost eye. Once they reached the camp, the girls were surprised with what had happened. After a short explanation, the guys went down to the shore to wash up and the girls stayed at the camp to prepare dinner. Later, around the bonfire, they all talked about the situations at Bastet's temple. The guys told in detail the entire story. They were really surprised with all those weird events. And those exact events made them decide to return to Garden earlier than scheduled, to report to Cid. After dinner, and because it had gotten late and the guys were exhausted, they decided to go get some sleep. Caesar would once again watch guard with Angelo. They all went to their tents. Squall and Rinoa were still talking lowly in their tent.
"Squall, all these are getting me worried…" Rinoa said.
"Me too, Rinoa. Things ARE turning out strange lately. Fist my further past is revealed to me. Then I become a Prophet. I meet up with gods. Then I'm christened a Sorcerer. And today a stone killer attempts to kill me after an order by someone named Ares! What else could happen next!?" Squall said.
"I have no idea Squall, but it worries me too…" Rinoa replied staring at the ceiling of the tent.
"You are right to worry Rinoa…" a voice came from outside. Squall and Rinoa sat up and looked at each other. Then, they walked out. Caesar was snoring, fast asleep, and a strange figure was sitting by the bonfire.
"Bastet?" they both said when they saw the cat goddess.
"Yes, that's me. Sit please, I have something I wish to tell you…" Squall and Rinoa obeyed.
"We have found the gods that have been plotting against us rest gods. It is Seth, god of evil and Ares, god of war."
"What are they trying to achieve?" Squall asked Bastet.
"We don't know. We suspect that Seth's plan is to take Horus' place as King of Gods."
"Oh my…" Rinoa said.
"Another problem are their allies. They are many and powerful. Horus is furious with them, but as they are hiding in Chaos, it is impossible to catch them. Under Erebus' protection -god of Chaos- we can not harm them…"
"So, how can they be stopped?" Squall asked.
"The first step is to find allies of our own and destroy Seth's allies…" said another voice.
"Athena!" said Bastet rather surprised. "Why are you here?"
"I overheard your conversation, and it is most tempting to join in…" Athena replied as she sat with them around the bonfire. An owl that was escorting her landed on the ground and started walking all around them.
"Squall, you and your friends have been chosen by the Council of the Gods to serve as our champions. It is time that mortals and gods reunite to fight this conspiracy of evil."
"What must we do?"
"As I said, the first step is forge strong alliances. Then, our goal is to destroy Seth's allies and servants. Without them, they will be more vulnerable."
"How are we going to find them?" Rinoa asked.
"They will come to you. Seth wants your death Squall…" Bastet said.
"Why?"
"He has many reasons. The first one is that he thinks that the others will collapse without you, and because you are…"
"Andros' descendant. Isn't that it?" Squall said.
"Exactly."
"What happened with Andros? Who was he?"
"I'm afraid I'll disappoint you, but I know very little about him. I only know that he fought Seth long ago when he tried to displace Horus before. Andros won over Seth, and Seth was forced to admit his loss. He never forgave Andros, and helped Carnorium kill him later. I think that Andros was half god, but I'm not sure. Only Horus knows the whole story."
"I see…thank you Athena.
" So, how are we going to find out Seth's intentions?" Rinoa asked.
"We gods will handle that. We would appreciate it if you stepped back for now, and let us try to find them. We will let you know when the time comes for you to act. Till then, all we want you to do is try and get rid of as many of Seth's allies as you can. Just remember, let them come to you. But, there is one thing we are sure that Seth will do." Athena said.
" He will try to imprison us rest gods. There is only one place where he can imprison us all." She said as she handed Squall a rolled up scroll she had in her chiton.
"Don't open it… Sebeck, the god of scribes, made this. The Cave of Silence is the only place in the world that can sustain a god. Open the scroll when that happens…"
"How will I know?" Squall asked.
"You will understand…you always do…Now, get some sleep, you need it." Athena said.
"Goodnight!" Bastet said as the two goddess vanished.
"I don't really get the gods…" Rinoa said with a yawn as they returned to their tent. "But I kind of like Bastet."
"I don't understand their sayings sometimes…But who cares now…." Squall responded.
"You know what Squall? I haven't asked you…who was the first girl to ever kiss you?" Rinoa asked him.
"Oh, what are you asking now…" Squall groaned.
"Come on! Tell me!"
"Alright…It was…7 years ago…I was 10. Hmmm….Oh yeah. Her name was Janet…I can't remember her surname…Well, she was 13 and I think she had the hots about me. Of course, I didn't care much, I had other problems back then…"
"And what happened?"
"Well, one day, I was leaving the classroom, and she just stepped up to me and blew me a kiss and then ran off…"
"Oh, my goodness!"
"Yeah, and then, I can't remember seeing her again…I think she transferred to Trabia…"
"Whoa, that was sad…But I can't consider that a kiss. You both were too young…I mean a serious kiss."
" Oh…Well, it was another 2 situations I really find funny now, but back then, they were terrifying…"
"Tell me about them please!"
"Well, the first one was when I turned 14. From back then I had all the girls of Balamb running after me, and believe me I hated that…"
"I see…"
"Well, there was this girl in my class, Clare Flower, and she really liked a guy from an older class. He was a big bully, his name was Frank…Frank Caradine I think. He was big and mean, and all the kids avoided him. Well, he wasn't really interested in Clare, and she wanted to make him jealous. So one day, she just blew me a kiss right in front of him!"
"She did?!"
"Yeah! And oh brother, did he get pissed off… It appeared that Frank liked Clare too, and I was the victim of all that… Frank grabbed me from the collar and told me he'd kill me if I didn't leave Clare to him. I tried to explain him that I wasn't interested in Clare, but he just wouldn't listen. I was lucky Dr.Kadowaki broke us up, or I'd be in serious trouble… But the worst one was 2 years later…"
"Oh? What happened?"
" Well, it was during a black out at Garden. It was late and it was dark. I has heading back to my dorm when I stumbled on this girl, Elli Perez. She was waiting for her boyfriend there, and in the dark, took me for him."
"Ops!" "Well, before I could say a thing, she just blows me a juicy kiss and I…I just turn red. Well, then the lights come up and she realizes she's kissed the wrong guy, and goes red all over. She stammers a sorry and runs off like hell."
"Poor girl…"
"Yeah, and the other day she came over to me and apologized. I told her it was ok, and she told me something that I really liked…"
"What did she tell you?"
"That I was a hell of a kisser…"
"Get outta here! Did she actually say that?"
"Yeah!"
"Well, then she was right. You are a hell of a kisser."
"Oh, really Miss Wings?" Rinoa giggled.
"It's funny when you call me 'Miss Wings'."
"Why funny? Aren't you an angel?"
"I don't have wings."
"Yes you do. You're an angel."
"Ok. If you say so…"
"Now you tell me…"
"What?"
"About your first kiss."
"Oh…Well, I was first kissed by a boy when I was 5. There was this great boy, Paul Cinnabar. He was 16 and really gorgeous. I thought I was in love with him, but it wasn't that. He used to live next door, and my parents knew him. He would often come over o my house to play with me in the garden, or baby-sit me when my parents were away. One day, he told me he was going to move away, to Dollet. I got rally sad, and almost started crying, but he gave me a kiss and promised he'd write to me. He wrote me lots of letters, and I wrote back. Then one day, the letters stopped. He was killed by Esthar soldiers…"
"I see…"
"But, then when I was 14, I met this other guy, Price Devon. I really liked him, but he wasn't interested in me much. One day he gave me a seashell, and told me I could keep it. I was holding onto that sea shell, until I found out that Price turned out gay and went away with his best friend, Todd."
"Oh brother…"
"Of course I threw away that darn sea shell…and forgot him…"
"And then there was Seifer?"
"Yes. Seifer was… a summertime love…or so I thought…Seifer was just a good friend…we both thought it was love…But it wasn't. When summer was over and he returned to Garden, I forgot about him…"
"Hmmm…"
"Really, how did you feel when I said that I was with Seifer once?"
"Well, back then, I didn't really care…But inside me, I felt jealous. I guess he doesn't think of it now, and neither do I. Besides, I'm starting to not care about what happened in the past much. We've said this before; what matters is NOW, not back then." Squall said seriously.
"Well, that's what helps us move on with our lives…"
"Of course. If we looked back all the time, we'd still be stuck to the past. And that would be bad, because we'd never glance the present, or the future that is to come.
"Wise words from a young mouth!" Rinoa said teasing him.
"Really, I'm saying things like that lately. I guess it's because of the power Raspudin gave me. He must have been really educated." Squall said with a yawn and moved in his sleeping bag. Rinoa crept closer to him.
"It's kinda chilly, huh?" she said.
"Yeah…" Squall passed his arm under Rinoa's head as a pillow.
"Gimmie a hug…" she said. Squall giggled.
"Remember that first time we were alone on the Ragnarok? You said the same thing."
"Yeah, and you didn't give me a hug! You just stood there like a statue."
"I was embarrassed back then." Rinoa laughed.
"And what about now? Aren't you embarrassed to kiss me in front of everyone?"
"Now is now, then was then…" Squall said as he hugged her. Rinoa giggled softly.
"Now is better than then!" she said as Squall squeezed her softly. All is peaceful now. Night has put all living to sleep, but Horus. He is thinking of the future that is to come. The Superior Power said it will be dreadful…
Chapter done! Rinoa will have to find out what life without Squall is like when he gets killed(?) and finds his brother, the other son of Terra. Squall also meets Kalha again! Stay tuned for further Later Adventures!