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Lead me to the Light
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The Author says: This is the third sequel to The Angel with a Broken Wing - the first being Return to Me, the second being Peach Battle Gear and a Greyish-White Coat. It would be highly advisable to read those before this, unless you like being confused by events you don't know.
The main characters in this fic would be Zell and his girl, Celestine, plus Seifer and Quistis. Damien would appear at times too… It also would involve most of the gang. This is my first attempt at something this big… (Cos usually I'm kinda zoomed-in onto the main characters…) I hope it isn't too ambitious for the likes of me… I'm not sure if I want this to be a first-person or third-person story. I've started with the latter first… but it looks kinda rusty…
Before we begin, I would like to thank the following people for their kind reviews, without which I would have burnt my manuscript to ashes and scattered it out in the wind, thereby polluting the air:
In no order of preference or merit (cos I value all reviews a lot!):
Prodigy
Quistis88
Zells Gaurdian Angelle a.k.a. Emily Strange
Shootinstar
Star112
Silver Author
Quistis Almasy
tigerlilyevans
13lack Widow
Soul of Flame
And any others I might have missed out. This includes anyone who reads but doesn't review… I understand… cos not everyone has the time to do it.
Not to forget, the mandatory but much hated disclaimer: All characters and cast and ideas remotely connected to Final Fantasy VIII belongs to Squaresoft Inc. and not me. I will never own them unless I can become its president, or one of the major shareholders, which doesn't look possible within the time period of fifty years… the only characters I own are Celestine, Damien, the Great Lord, and all others in Angel Land… thank you very much.
Waterlily Spirit (yeah, I changed it.)
Prologue
This is a story that deals with long distances.
And how strong the feelings between two people can be, even as formidable forces attempts to keep them apart.
How one girl finds it impossible to forget, even though she struggles to remain impassive and resorts to drastic measures.
How will the SeeDs we have come to know and love dearly stand in the face of adversity?
How far will they go to protect and stand up for their loved ones, their friends, and the only home they ever knew?
(This is also a story with many "How's?"…)
We shall see…
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The longhaired girl and the spiky-haired boy stroll along the white-sanded beach with their hands linked and fingers entwined. Not a word was passed between them, for neither had wanted the serenity and blissfulness that enveloped them to be disrupted by unnecessary dialogue. Indeed, their relationship was such a close one that at times, just a glance, a touch, or a change of expression was enough to convey a thought from one to the other.
However, it was not meant to be lasted, for the girl had hidden a lingering thought at the back of her mind… one that refuses to go away no matter how she tries to chase it out.
"Zell…" She starts, but stops again, unsure if she should say out what was hanging on her mind. A small line creases her otherwise impossibly smooth forehead, but doesn't take the fairness of her face away. Instead, it only adds depth to the graceful demeanour.
The boy looks up at her with an expectant expression on his face, and waited for her to continue.
"It's nothing…" She shakes her head, and smiles widely at him, hoping that he would leave it at that.
But she knew that he would not, for he was the persistent kind, especially when it came to matters concerning her.
"No… please continue. However small it may be, I still want to know whatever is on your mind…" The boy was not fooled at all by her smile. He knew that there was something troubling his girl, for her eyes had dimmed considerably, a stark contrast from the brightness she usually exhibits.
She looks towards the distance, appearing to admire the clouds that were dyed with an orangey-red by the setting sun… but in reality, her mind was miles away in distraction.
"…I was only thinking…where would I be without you?" She says softly, but immediately regretted the words that had just been spoken.
"What made you say that? You know that I would never leave you! Is that what's bugging you so much?" He was anxious in his eagerness to convince her of his faithfulness to her.
"No… I was just wondering; that's all. It sure was nice to hear you say that, though!" She turned to look at him with a moved expression, but bowed her head immediately so that he couldn't see her eyes misting over.
"What's wrong, Celestine? I know you're upset… you can't hide it from me cos I'm sensing it myself… I won't be able to sleep at night if you don't tell me what's on your mind!"
"Nothing's wrong… well maybe there is… cos Quisty's missing, Seifer's all wrung up with worry… and I can't help thinking about how futile life is… and how one day you or I might end up being separated like them…" She falls onto her knees on the ground, not caring that the sand was scraping against the delicate skin.
He was silent for a moment. He did not know how to allay her fears, when he was not certain if his friend could be coming back anytime soon… and he did not want to make empty promises that she would.
"Celestine…" He knelt down in front of her and held her tightly in his arms. "I cannot promise that we will never be separated… for circumstances beyond our control may force us apart. But I do promise that no matter what happens, I will come and find you, and bring you back safely in my arms again."
Upon hearing his words, the restraint she had been placing on her emotions was dissolved into the air.
With a stifled sob, she put her arms around him as well, snuggling her face against his neck while he strokes her back gently, as if to assure her that everything was all right.
And she feels that she could believe his reassurance… if only because it was he was her Zell…
A/N: There you have it… some titbit for you to munch on before the main stuff comes. Actually, I'm going a bit slow here because I need to think over the story first. I've already written it down, but it's all in first-person… which makes the piece really confusing since there are FOUR different main characters in this story… so I was thinking maybe a narrative piece would be better. But you know… it is pretty hard to convert from one to the other. For one thing… I can't use some of the casual language anymore… damn.
And anyway… I'm suffering from burnout, writer's block, itchifingersitis, and mosquito bites all rolled into one… so I'm apologising beforehand if this turns out bad… *weep* I suppose this isn't my creative month… Please read and review… and I promise to be good and churn those chapters out as fast as my mind allows… thank you very much….