Chapter 2
Longings
(Wednesday, 9:00 AM)
I woke up the next morning with a horrible feeling in my heart and tear
strained eyes. I had ended up crying myself to sleep after returning to
the Villa about 2 hours after Sephiroth did. I put on my blue sleeveless
dragon shirt, my jeans, and my boots. I brushed out my hair and noticed
that my eyes were red and puffy from crying. There was nothing I could do
about it, so I went down to eat breakfast.
*****
Sephiroth felt bad as he brushed out his hair in the morning. He had
stayed awake watching me from the window of the Villa. He could tell I was
crying. He had heard my words last night. When I stood up, he quietly
went to his room and climbed into bed. He heard a door opening and
shutting across the hall. He could also hear me as I cried myself to
sleep. 'I bring pain to everyone...' he had thought as he dozed off. Now,
He just wanted to apologize. He continued getting ready as the smell of
breakfast wafted up the stairs...
*****
Tifa, Shera, and Yuffie were well into making breakfast for everyone as
Brandy set the large table. I came down the stairs and went to the
refirgerator. I poured myself a glass of orange juice. Tifa turned and
noticed my eyes. "Danielle, have you been crying?" she asked worridly. I
simply nodded as I finished my glass. "Brandy, take over for me." Brandy
moved to the stove as Tifa led me into the living room.
"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked. I simply shrugged. "Ahh...I
think I know what this is about...You're in love..aren't you?" "I'm not
completely sure of my feelings... There are two men I love very much....but
I've known one of them almost all my life and I thought I had lost the
other forever...." "Who are they?" I sighed. "Sephiroth and Zack."
"......" I could sense Tifa's amazement.
"I was kidnapped by Shinra when I was very young. I barely even remember
my mother... I grew up in Shinra HQ alone and scared. Hojo, the slimeball,
was putting me through all kinds of tests and stuff. It was a nightmare.
When I was 10, I heard Hojo mumbling about mating me with someone with
Jenova cells. As I wondered what the hell that ment, he asked me if I
would like a playmate. I figured,'why not?', and told him that I did.
That's when I first met Sephiroth. Hojo told me that he would be allowed
to play with me for one hour every day. After that, I was always good when
I needed to be tested. We became fast friends even though at first he was
cold and distant...much like he is now. He was two years older than me and
a third class SOLDIER in training. One day...he made a promise to me that
he would escape and he would take me with him. Well, 3 years later, we had
our chance. We managed to get to the first floor before Hojo caught up
with us. He drew his sword and prepared to fight. He told me to run, but
I wouldn't leave without him. He pushed me out the front door and I ran to
the sewers. I escaped Midgar and I lived in Kalm with a Soldier who had
escaped there. When I was 15, I went to Gongaga. Then I met Zack. I was
in love with him for a long time...then he left for Midgar and I never saw
him again. After that, I was captured again and injected with Jenova
cells. I escaped before the experiment was finished. I had heard that
Sephiroth had escaped as well and went off in search of him. Then I found
out what had happened to him.
Now, they're both back....I have feelings for both of them and I don't know what to do." "Here's a little advice," said Tifa,"Follow your heart. It will never lead you wrong." I nodded and we went back to the kitchen for breakfast. ****** (10 mins later)
Everyone had woken up to the smell of pancakes, eggs and bacon. "My favorite!" said Barret as he sat down at the table. Cloud sat on one end of the table with Tifa on his right and Zack on his left. After Tifa were; Cid, Shera, Vincent, and me. Brandy sat on the other end of the table. After Zack were; Aeris, Sephiroth, Nanaki, Yuffie, and Barret. As everyone ate, Zack and Sephiroth noticed that I wasn't talking to anyone. They also noticed my eyes, which were still red. Zack made a mental note to talk to me later and Sephiroth planned to apologize. Reeve suddenly appeared in the kitchen. "Where have you been?" asked Yuffie. "Working," he replied simply as he sat down. After everyone had eaten, Zack took me into the den to talk to me privately. "Danni, what's wrong? Please talk to me..." he said. "Zack... I know you still love me but.... I'm not sure of my feelings. I need some time. I need to sort out my thoughts and figure out what to do. I'm sorry..." I stood up from the couch and ran up to my room. Zack just stared after me. 'Sephiroth...' he thought bitterly. ****** (12:00 noon) 'What am I going to do now?' I thought to myself as I stared at the ceiling from my bed. A voice in my head said I should stick with Zack, since he was my boyfriend when I was younger, but my heart said Sephiroth because....well.... 'Why do I love Sephiroth? Is it just because he saved me from Shinra? Is that all there is?' I stood up and looked out my window at the beach and the ocean. Someone knocked on my door. "Come in." The door opened and shut. I turned and saw my worst nightmare: Hojo. "What the hell!? You're dead!" "This is my clone. Hope you like it." He jumped at me. As I wrestled him, I knocked over my table scattering my papers everywhere. He managed to get at a materia. "Sleepel." A purple star appeared over my head, bringing sleeping gas with it. As I fought the spell, I took a small pen from my item pouch and wrote on the paper closest to me; Help! Hojo clone! Kidnapping me and taking me to... Then, the spell took effect and I fell unconsious. He tied me up, slung me over his shoulder, and ran out of my room... ****** Hojo had put everyone under a Stop spell. When he left with me, it wore off. Sephiroth went up to my room and immediately knew something was wrong. He noticed the note, picked it up, read it, and shouted,"CLOUD!!!" Cloud came running up the stairs. "What the hell happened here!?" He grabbed Sephiroth by the shirt. "What have you done to her you murderer!?" Sephiroth glared back at him. "I did nothing to her," he said calmly, "but someone we know did... Look at this." Sephiroth broke free of Cloud's grip and handed him the note. Cloud read it. "Damn. Where did he take her and why?'' "I don't know where....but Aeris knows why."
Aeris had been at the beach with Zack just hanging out and talking about old times. When they returned, Zack cursed almost as bad as Cid and Aeris paled. "Aeris, why would Hojo take Danielle?" asked Cloud. "......She is my sister. When Hojo had my mother and I in captivity, she was pregnant again. She hadn't told my father yet...he never knew. She was born a year after me. When she escaped, she took Danielle and me with her. Then she was shot. I had hidden and the Soldiers took Danielle straight back to the HQ. Then Elmyra came up and took me home." "No wonder she looks so much like you!" exclaimed Zack. "We must rescue her. I know Hojo's plan and it's very bad," said Sephiroth quietly. Red came into the room. "I've got the scent!" he said sniffing the ground again to make sure. "Let's get the gold chocobos," said Cloud. Everyone saddled the golden birds and they were off. ****** (12:00, midnight.)
When I woke up, I immediately noticed that I was unarmed and in the cells of Hojo's lab in Junon. "So, you're awake Miss Cetra," he sneered coming up to the door. "The name is Danielle you jackass." "Very spirited...I like that in a lover." "WHAT!?" "You're going to be my mate and have a child. I can't wait to see what kind of powers it will possess!" "Like hell I am! When I get out of here..." "You will be my mate and like it or Sephiroth and Zack will die!" I gasped. "NO! Don't hurt them!" "Aha! If you don't do what I say, you'll never see them again." With tears in my eyes, I nodded silently. "Good, since it's late, we'll start tomorrow. Get a good rest. You're going to need it." He left me alone and I laid down on the bed and cried into my pillow... ****** (The next morning, 7:00 AM)
"They're somewhere on this continent. I've lost the scent," said Red as they got off the boat at Fort Condor. "Well, knowing that lunatic he could only be in two places,"said Cloud,"Tifa, Cid, Nanaki, Yuffie and I will go scout out Midgar. Zack, you take Barret, Sephiroth, Vincent, Brandy, and Reeve to check out Junon. Let's move out!" Sephiroth and team headed off to the west while Cloud's team headed north. 'Hold on, Danielle...I'm coming...' Sephiroth thought. Zack rode up next to him. "Can we go faster? I know you may not care about her safety but..." "Don't you DARE tell me I don't care about her!" replied Sephiroth angrily, his hand on the hilt of his sword. "You love her....don't you?" Zack asked with a fire burning in his eyes. Sephiroth just sat and stared at the oncoming town ignoring Zack. ******* (7:00 AM)
"Good morning, Miss Danielle," said Hojo smoothly as I woke up in the morning. "God, I thought this was a nightmare!" I replied in revulsion. "Don't forget, I have 10,000 Soldiers stationed here just waiting for the order to kill Sephiroth and Zack." "Very well...." I replied in defeat. "That's a good girl. I have to go into town to buy some of my chemicals. I'll be back soon. I want you dressed in this waiting for me when I return." He put a red silk nightgown into my cell. He left chuckling to himself. After the elevator went up, I changed and sat on my bed crying. ****** (1 hr. 30 mins. later)
"Hey Pricilla, have you seen Hojo come through here with a woman who looks like Aeris lately?" asked Barret. "Yup. I'm glad you came because I was going to call you. She was under a Sleep spell. He said something about a lab in the underwater reactor when he rode by me on his chocobo the other day," replied the little girl in relief. Barret thanked her and they all crammed into the elevator. "Sephiroth, take Vincent and Brandy to the underwater reactor to see if you can find Hojo. We'll check the town. Knowing that braindead idiot, he forgot to get his chemicals. He's probably buying them," commented Zack. Sephiroth, Brandy and Vincent nodded. Sephiroth and team headed for the other elevator which would lead down as Zack and his team began to search Upper Junon. ****** (8:45 AM) I heard the elevator coming and quickly dried my tears. A lesson from Sephiroth instantly coming to mind. 'Never show any weakness. There's a way out for everything. The trick is to find it.' I laid down on the bed trying not to throw up. I heard the door open and soft steps came out of it. 'More than one person?' I thought to myself as I analyzed the sounds. "Search the lab. I'll find Danielle," came the soft order. I knew that voice. I immediately forgot what I was wearing and went to the door of my cell. "Sephiroth!" I said loudly,"Over here!" He quickly hurried over. "Is Hojo in here?" he asked quietly. I shook my head. "He forgot to buy the chemicals he needed," I replied. Sephiroth smiled and quickly opened the door. I rushed into his embrace. It startled him for a moment but then he ran a gloved hand through my hair as he hugged me tightly. His emotions were getting the better of him again. It was here that I began to cry again. "Shh....it's alright, Danni, it's alright.." he whispered trying to comfort me. "He....he said...he'd kill you...and Zack...if I didn't cooperate..." I sobbed. As I cried on his shoulder, a look of hate and anger at Hojo and Zack passed over his face. "Did he do anything to you..?" he asked quietly. "No....but he was going to...when he returned...He was going to force me to give birth to his child just so he could create a Super Soldier...." I sobbed. He gently dried my tears with his thumb and smiled as he cupped my face. He kissed me gently.
"I will NOT have my mate kissing another man!" roared Hojo as the elevator door opened. Vincent and Brandy came to our side ready to defend me. Hojo psychically knocked them out. "I'm not your mate!" I shouted. It was here I realized what I was wearing. As I began to get even madder, Hojo psychically tied me to a chair so I couldn't channel my energies. I struggled against my bonds as Sephiroth and Hojo unsheathed their swords, tensed and charged. The swords crashed high and low, sending sparks into the air. I watched as Sephiroth moved with a grace I, myself, didn't even possess. As Hojo began to get even wilder in his attacks, Sephiroth blocked easily and countered making numerous wounds appear on him. "You..have improved..much, my son," panted Hojo. "I'm not your son. You gave up all rights to me the day you injected my mother with Jenova cells. Since Cloud took the honor of killing you the first time, I'll have to settle for your clone," Sephiroth replied, his eyes blazing with an intensity I had never seen before. "Take your best shot. I'll kill you, and then the girl will be mine....for my own pleasureable purposes." I felt like I was going to barf thinking about what he had planned for me if he won. He looked at me and smiled evily when he noticed how low the neckline of the nightgown was. "Go to Hell, you pervert," I retorted. As he was occupied, Sephiroth ran up and stabbed him. "Remember, you said to take my best shot. Enjoy hell." As Sephiroth pulled the blade from Hojo's body, the evil man gurgled blood and slumped to the floor. Sephiroth cut my bonds and I jumped out of the chair. Sephiroth cleaned his sword and sheathed it. I hugged him again and Sephiroth was about to kiss me when Brandy moaned and Vincent began to get up. We quickly separated. I could see a hint of amusment in Vincent's normally unreadable eyes as Brandy snickered and said,"Nice outfit, Danni." "That is not funny, Brandy," I retorted,"Can I borrow your Fire materia?" She pulled it from the handle of her whip and tossed it to me. I concentrated and Hojo's body burst into flames. As Sephiroth raised a silver eyebrow, I smiled and replied,"Just in case." He smirked and we left to regroup with the others. On the way out, Sephiroth gave me his cape to put on over the nightgown. ******* (3 hrs. later. Costa del Sol)
"Now, where were we?" I asked when we returned to the villa. He let go of me and pulled out of my embrace, his eyes cold and emotionless. "Too far," he replied,"I can't build a romantic relationship with you...I'm not the guy for you...Go back to Zack... I don't experience emotions of Love and kindness." He quietly left my room and entered his own across the hall. When he shut the door, he looked at a picture of me he had taken when we were 15 and whispered,"I'm sorry, Danni..." while a tear slipped down his face. ******* I fell onto my bed, tears welling up in my eyes over his rejection. 'Do you even know what you want anymore..?' asked that annoying voice in my head. 'Planet...you're supposed to help me.' I replied angrily. 'There's nothing I can do. He controls his own destiny just as you control yours.' Tears slipped down my face. I wiped them away in anger. 'No more! I can't control him or his actions. I'm not going to be weak anymore. I'm not going to cry. If Sephiroth can harden his heart and show no emotion, then so can I!' I grabbed my pack from in my closet and filled it with my clothes, supplies, other items, and my tent. I strapped my sword into place at my hip and wrote a letter to Avalanche:
My dearest friends,
I'm sorry. I'm afraid I'm not fit to fight on such a good team. I pray you will continue on without me and that we'll meet again someday. I plan to go home for a while then I'm going to travel the world. I'm going to try to find a place where I belong. Please take care of Brandy and my sister. I will miss you all and pray the fates will be kind to you in your lives.
Sephiroth,
I hope you find what you're looking for in life and I hope you find happiness. May the fates be kind to you in your life. I hope we meet again someday on better terms. Please don't follow me. Farewell my friends.
Your teammate and friend,
Danielle Gast
I snuck out of the Villa and retrieved my gold chocobo, Princess, and set off for my father's house in Icicle Village.
Now, they're both back....I have feelings for both of them and I don't know what to do." "Here's a little advice," said Tifa,"Follow your heart. It will never lead you wrong." I nodded and we went back to the kitchen for breakfast. ****** (10 mins later)
Everyone had woken up to the smell of pancakes, eggs and bacon. "My favorite!" said Barret as he sat down at the table. Cloud sat on one end of the table with Tifa on his right and Zack on his left. After Tifa were; Cid, Shera, Vincent, and me. Brandy sat on the other end of the table. After Zack were; Aeris, Sephiroth, Nanaki, Yuffie, and Barret. As everyone ate, Zack and Sephiroth noticed that I wasn't talking to anyone. They also noticed my eyes, which were still red. Zack made a mental note to talk to me later and Sephiroth planned to apologize. Reeve suddenly appeared in the kitchen. "Where have you been?" asked Yuffie. "Working," he replied simply as he sat down. After everyone had eaten, Zack took me into the den to talk to me privately. "Danni, what's wrong? Please talk to me..." he said. "Zack... I know you still love me but.... I'm not sure of my feelings. I need some time. I need to sort out my thoughts and figure out what to do. I'm sorry..." I stood up from the couch and ran up to my room. Zack just stared after me. 'Sephiroth...' he thought bitterly. ****** (12:00 noon) 'What am I going to do now?' I thought to myself as I stared at the ceiling from my bed. A voice in my head said I should stick with Zack, since he was my boyfriend when I was younger, but my heart said Sephiroth because....well.... 'Why do I love Sephiroth? Is it just because he saved me from Shinra? Is that all there is?' I stood up and looked out my window at the beach and the ocean. Someone knocked on my door. "Come in." The door opened and shut. I turned and saw my worst nightmare: Hojo. "What the hell!? You're dead!" "This is my clone. Hope you like it." He jumped at me. As I wrestled him, I knocked over my table scattering my papers everywhere. He managed to get at a materia. "Sleepel." A purple star appeared over my head, bringing sleeping gas with it. As I fought the spell, I took a small pen from my item pouch and wrote on the paper closest to me; Help! Hojo clone! Kidnapping me and taking me to... Then, the spell took effect and I fell unconsious. He tied me up, slung me over his shoulder, and ran out of my room... ****** Hojo had put everyone under a Stop spell. When he left with me, it wore off. Sephiroth went up to my room and immediately knew something was wrong. He noticed the note, picked it up, read it, and shouted,"CLOUD!!!" Cloud came running up the stairs. "What the hell happened here!?" He grabbed Sephiroth by the shirt. "What have you done to her you murderer!?" Sephiroth glared back at him. "I did nothing to her," he said calmly, "but someone we know did... Look at this." Sephiroth broke free of Cloud's grip and handed him the note. Cloud read it. "Damn. Where did he take her and why?'' "I don't know where....but Aeris knows why."
Aeris had been at the beach with Zack just hanging out and talking about old times. When they returned, Zack cursed almost as bad as Cid and Aeris paled. "Aeris, why would Hojo take Danielle?" asked Cloud. "......She is my sister. When Hojo had my mother and I in captivity, she was pregnant again. She hadn't told my father yet...he never knew. She was born a year after me. When she escaped, she took Danielle and me with her. Then she was shot. I had hidden and the Soldiers took Danielle straight back to the HQ. Then Elmyra came up and took me home." "No wonder she looks so much like you!" exclaimed Zack. "We must rescue her. I know Hojo's plan and it's very bad," said Sephiroth quietly. Red came into the room. "I've got the scent!" he said sniffing the ground again to make sure. "Let's get the gold chocobos," said Cloud. Everyone saddled the golden birds and they were off. ****** (12:00, midnight.)
When I woke up, I immediately noticed that I was unarmed and in the cells of Hojo's lab in Junon. "So, you're awake Miss Cetra," he sneered coming up to the door. "The name is Danielle you jackass." "Very spirited...I like that in a lover." "WHAT!?" "You're going to be my mate and have a child. I can't wait to see what kind of powers it will possess!" "Like hell I am! When I get out of here..." "You will be my mate and like it or Sephiroth and Zack will die!" I gasped. "NO! Don't hurt them!" "Aha! If you don't do what I say, you'll never see them again." With tears in my eyes, I nodded silently. "Good, since it's late, we'll start tomorrow. Get a good rest. You're going to need it." He left me alone and I laid down on the bed and cried into my pillow... ****** (The next morning, 7:00 AM)
"They're somewhere on this continent. I've lost the scent," said Red as they got off the boat at Fort Condor. "Well, knowing that lunatic he could only be in two places,"said Cloud,"Tifa, Cid, Nanaki, Yuffie and I will go scout out Midgar. Zack, you take Barret, Sephiroth, Vincent, Brandy, and Reeve to check out Junon. Let's move out!" Sephiroth and team headed off to the west while Cloud's team headed north. 'Hold on, Danielle...I'm coming...' Sephiroth thought. Zack rode up next to him. "Can we go faster? I know you may not care about her safety but..." "Don't you DARE tell me I don't care about her!" replied Sephiroth angrily, his hand on the hilt of his sword. "You love her....don't you?" Zack asked with a fire burning in his eyes. Sephiroth just sat and stared at the oncoming town ignoring Zack. ******* (7:00 AM)
"Good morning, Miss Danielle," said Hojo smoothly as I woke up in the morning. "God, I thought this was a nightmare!" I replied in revulsion. "Don't forget, I have 10,000 Soldiers stationed here just waiting for the order to kill Sephiroth and Zack." "Very well...." I replied in defeat. "That's a good girl. I have to go into town to buy some of my chemicals. I'll be back soon. I want you dressed in this waiting for me when I return." He put a red silk nightgown into my cell. He left chuckling to himself. After the elevator went up, I changed and sat on my bed crying. ****** (1 hr. 30 mins. later)
"Hey Pricilla, have you seen Hojo come through here with a woman who looks like Aeris lately?" asked Barret. "Yup. I'm glad you came because I was going to call you. She was under a Sleep spell. He said something about a lab in the underwater reactor when he rode by me on his chocobo the other day," replied the little girl in relief. Barret thanked her and they all crammed into the elevator. "Sephiroth, take Vincent and Brandy to the underwater reactor to see if you can find Hojo. We'll check the town. Knowing that braindead idiot, he forgot to get his chemicals. He's probably buying them," commented Zack. Sephiroth, Brandy and Vincent nodded. Sephiroth and team headed for the other elevator which would lead down as Zack and his team began to search Upper Junon. ****** (8:45 AM) I heard the elevator coming and quickly dried my tears. A lesson from Sephiroth instantly coming to mind. 'Never show any weakness. There's a way out for everything. The trick is to find it.' I laid down on the bed trying not to throw up. I heard the door open and soft steps came out of it. 'More than one person?' I thought to myself as I analyzed the sounds. "Search the lab. I'll find Danielle," came the soft order. I knew that voice. I immediately forgot what I was wearing and went to the door of my cell. "Sephiroth!" I said loudly,"Over here!" He quickly hurried over. "Is Hojo in here?" he asked quietly. I shook my head. "He forgot to buy the chemicals he needed," I replied. Sephiroth smiled and quickly opened the door. I rushed into his embrace. It startled him for a moment but then he ran a gloved hand through my hair as he hugged me tightly. His emotions were getting the better of him again. It was here that I began to cry again. "Shh....it's alright, Danni, it's alright.." he whispered trying to comfort me. "He....he said...he'd kill you...and Zack...if I didn't cooperate..." I sobbed. As I cried on his shoulder, a look of hate and anger at Hojo and Zack passed over his face. "Did he do anything to you..?" he asked quietly. "No....but he was going to...when he returned...He was going to force me to give birth to his child just so he could create a Super Soldier...." I sobbed. He gently dried my tears with his thumb and smiled as he cupped my face. He kissed me gently.
"I will NOT have my mate kissing another man!" roared Hojo as the elevator door opened. Vincent and Brandy came to our side ready to defend me. Hojo psychically knocked them out. "I'm not your mate!" I shouted. It was here I realized what I was wearing. As I began to get even madder, Hojo psychically tied me to a chair so I couldn't channel my energies. I struggled against my bonds as Sephiroth and Hojo unsheathed their swords, tensed and charged. The swords crashed high and low, sending sparks into the air. I watched as Sephiroth moved with a grace I, myself, didn't even possess. As Hojo began to get even wilder in his attacks, Sephiroth blocked easily and countered making numerous wounds appear on him. "You..have improved..much, my son," panted Hojo. "I'm not your son. You gave up all rights to me the day you injected my mother with Jenova cells. Since Cloud took the honor of killing you the first time, I'll have to settle for your clone," Sephiroth replied, his eyes blazing with an intensity I had never seen before. "Take your best shot. I'll kill you, and then the girl will be mine....for my own pleasureable purposes." I felt like I was going to barf thinking about what he had planned for me if he won. He looked at me and smiled evily when he noticed how low the neckline of the nightgown was. "Go to Hell, you pervert," I retorted. As he was occupied, Sephiroth ran up and stabbed him. "Remember, you said to take my best shot. Enjoy hell." As Sephiroth pulled the blade from Hojo's body, the evil man gurgled blood and slumped to the floor. Sephiroth cut my bonds and I jumped out of the chair. Sephiroth cleaned his sword and sheathed it. I hugged him again and Sephiroth was about to kiss me when Brandy moaned and Vincent began to get up. We quickly separated. I could see a hint of amusment in Vincent's normally unreadable eyes as Brandy snickered and said,"Nice outfit, Danni." "That is not funny, Brandy," I retorted,"Can I borrow your Fire materia?" She pulled it from the handle of her whip and tossed it to me. I concentrated and Hojo's body burst into flames. As Sephiroth raised a silver eyebrow, I smiled and replied,"Just in case." He smirked and we left to regroup with the others. On the way out, Sephiroth gave me his cape to put on over the nightgown. ******* (3 hrs. later. Costa del Sol)
"Now, where were we?" I asked when we returned to the villa. He let go of me and pulled out of my embrace, his eyes cold and emotionless. "Too far," he replied,"I can't build a romantic relationship with you...I'm not the guy for you...Go back to Zack... I don't experience emotions of Love and kindness." He quietly left my room and entered his own across the hall. When he shut the door, he looked at a picture of me he had taken when we were 15 and whispered,"I'm sorry, Danni..." while a tear slipped down his face. ******* I fell onto my bed, tears welling up in my eyes over his rejection. 'Do you even know what you want anymore..?' asked that annoying voice in my head. 'Planet...you're supposed to help me.' I replied angrily. 'There's nothing I can do. He controls his own destiny just as you control yours.' Tears slipped down my face. I wiped them away in anger. 'No more! I can't control him or his actions. I'm not going to be weak anymore. I'm not going to cry. If Sephiroth can harden his heart and show no emotion, then so can I!' I grabbed my pack from in my closet and filled it with my clothes, supplies, other items, and my tent. I strapped my sword into place at my hip and wrote a letter to Avalanche:
My dearest friends,
I'm sorry. I'm afraid I'm not fit to fight on such a good team. I pray you will continue on without me and that we'll meet again someday. I plan to go home for a while then I'm going to travel the world. I'm going to try to find a place where I belong. Please take care of Brandy and my sister. I will miss you all and pray the fates will be kind to you in your lives.
Sephiroth,
I hope you find what you're looking for in life and I hope you find happiness. May the fates be kind to you in your life. I hope we meet again someday on better terms. Please don't follow me. Farewell my friends.
Your teammate and friend,
Danielle Gast
I snuck out of the Villa and retrieved my gold chocobo, Princess, and set off for my father's house in Icicle Village.
