Fantasy Thunder Chapter Twenty: Upsilon
[Part II]
By Blue Dragon
Red found Reeve straightening his tie and walking briskly as if in a hurry away from the quad.
"Reeve?" Red called him. Reeve stopped in his tracks.
"Hello there."
"Aren't you going to see if all of our hard work paid off?"
Reeve put a hand to his chin. It was about twenty-five minutes after his announcement.
"I saw 'em making out in a corner near the quad."
Red let out a sigh of relief.
"So this crazy mission is over. I still can not understand why you wanted to-"
"It's nothing! Believe me."
Red was now intrigued by Reeve's evasion of the topic.
"There has to be a reason, you can tell me."
"I thought I told you! This has nothing to do with the fact that I never had a date or girlfriend in high school and missed my prom and . . . damn, that's exactly why."
" . . . If it makes you feel any better, then I won't tell anyone. Surely you can find some nice lady."
Reeve laughed.
"I may be young, but I don't have much of a chance. All I really have to look forward to . . . is . . . I have nothing to look forward to."
"At least go to the quad and enjoy yourself. It's probably five years overdue."
" . . . I'll think about it. But I have to postpone my job interview."
"What are you talking about?"
"Come on, Red! You don't think I can stay a jobless bum forever, do you?"
" . . . "
"I'll just be on my way, using the wonders of the Internet." Reeve said as we walked off the other way.
Red realized that online communication was not intergalactic, just interplanetary.
"It seems that my own mission is not yet complete." Red said to himself.
***
Rikku waved her hand twice in front of Sephiroth who appeared to be staring into space, leaning on the railing of the balcony.
"You still alive?" she asked.
He just stared into the night sky.
"Come."
"Where are we going?"
He held her hand and levitated the both of them up past the balcony at a speed that was slow and fast at the same time. When they were a few dozen feet higher than the wonderful rotating rings of Esthar Garden, he gently dropped her onto a wide ledge built some meters over one of the glowing rings. He flew down to her.
"I can think better up here"
She was shaken by the flight.
"Think?"
"I killed a lot of people years ago. Then a little after that I tried something that would wipe out the population of the planet . . . I thought that the only way to get what I wanted would be to become a 'god', but that all seems so trivial now."
"Go on."
"Becoming a god, I now know, would have been absolutely impossible. I wouldn't have had any chance. And it is because no matter how much power I took, I would still be mortal. Mostly human, even. Now that I've been here . . . I realize that you can extract some of the greatest things in life in a short time. And they don't have to involve the suffering of another person. Something I could have only learned by not trying to destroy everyone and everything, for once. When you're dead for all that time with nothing at all to do, let me tell you, it really makes one crazy. I think it worked in reverse for me."
"Now that you have a second chance, maybe you can try to rectify what you did in the past."
"Second chance? I'm afraid I'm still dead."
"What!?"
"Everyone that Oren has brought from 'beyond' hang between life and death, possessing all characteristics of a living being. If he were to die, then everyone he's taken back here would be gone too-"
Rikku put a hand over his mouth.
"You DON'T want the wrong person to hear that! All our enemy would have to do is kill Oren and suddenly a whole lot of people will be missing!" she said, taking her hand off.
"Forgive me."
He held her more comfortably and flew back down to the balcony. This time, he made it so that the both of them landed silently and in unison, which was fairly difficult due to the darkness.
"You don't want to go to the party?"
" . . . Find something nice to put on and meet me here."
"You have something planned?"
He nodded, and Rikku smiled.
"I'll see you in a few minutes then." She said, leaving the balcony.
***
Squall and every other member of Garden's command had left quickly after the announcement was made. Nida had volunteered to stay behind and keep things running smoothly. He liked being alone in that place, the windows revealing the dark outside, the inside illuminated with lights from the monitors and controls. He felt for some reason like adding a romantic setting to the whole complex, so he used the "gray" switch as a means of locking down all doors that led outside (for safety) and piloted the garden over the Balamb sea. The ocean at the time was glimmering blue and the moon echoed off the line of it, something that he enjoyed watching from the pilots seat since childhood. He had wondered where Xu and Quistis were and was surprised to find that they hadn't even been on the planet until Oren brought them back some time ago. It made him feel strange that it had been something he did not know.
Nida was satisfied when he felt the slight vibration as the garden touched down on the surface of the water. He then sat back in his seat, sipped his coffee, and began whistling "Dance with the Balamb Fish".
***
Rikku returned sooner than expected, somehow getting hold of a striking compilation of fabric.
Balamb must have had access to some hell of a tailor, the outfit was absolutely stunning, transforming whoever was inside. The whole thing was laced through two paths of a golden silk, the body of the gown woven in a way so that it went smoothly around whoever wore it. The body was also made with some sort of silverfish fabric that glistened particularly in moonlight.
Just as Rikku stepped into Sephiroth's full view the garden groaned slightly and began moving forward and over the sea that it was previously bordering. Sephiroth then gave one of his mighty-rare, non-evil expressions presented in the form of an eyebrow raising. He didn't know what to say. The third time in his life, only.
Rikku moved her hand as if to ask why he was just standing there, and he took the hint and moved forward, gently grabbing her hand.
"I have learned something." He said.
He levitated over the balcony just as the garden settled on the sea, the moon making a sort of lit path along it.
Rikku smiled as she was taken up again, and a worried expression crossed her face when he dropped down to the water. She somehow trusted him when he dropped her just a few feet over the surface.
Expecting to find herself submerged, she discovered she was standing on the water, and wasn't even wet. She and Sephiroth were on the sea as if it were solid. The water was a dark blue, and the two of them were in the middle of the bright path formed by the moon. To add to the wonderful scene, lights from garden filled the area behind them.
"You can walk on water?"
He laughed.
"As long as you're near me."
"?"
"Hojo told me long ago that I was injected with JENOVA cells. Such an injection combined with my human blood should have allowed me to do things like walk on water. But, you see, I couldn't until now. The first time I tried I fell right in. I asked him, a little before the time when I lost my mind. He told me that the only way those powers would truly be inaccessible to me is if my heart and mind were completely filled with hatred. I've hated so much . . . and never been able to access the full extent of my power. But now . . . I can walk on water. Not only that, but I can let other people near me walk on water. Thanks to you, I've found that you don't have to hurt others to be happy, and that finding life's purpose doesn't mean you need power."
"I taught you all that?"
He nodded.
"You gave me something only a total stranger could give."
***
Zidane sat down in the empty cafeteria, staring up at the ceiling, feeling tired and bored and tired and bored and also very tired. His minor wounds were nothing, but he of course felt emotionally distressed. There was the castle to worry about, of course. But on top of that he felt that soon he would be fighting for his life, and he hadn't even had much time to spend with the one she loved. Come to think of it, Dagger had been evading him every chance she got and he couldn't remember the last time he had seen her. Was this the way a lover should act towards the other lover?
He didn't notice Vivi sit down across form him and start on a milkshake with his seemingly invisible mouth.
"Hi Zidane."
"Vivi" Zidane responded staring up at the ceiling.
"You sad about somethin'?"
"Do you think she loves me?"
"Who, Dagger?"
"She's been avoiding me! Did she dump me again?"
" . . . She's never dumped you a first time."
" . . ."
"You have some kind of obsession with failure, I think."
"Since when did you start talking with bigger words?" Zidane asked, still staring up.
"Since I've had to educate my kids."
" . . . Speaking of which, how are the little tikes?"
" . . . Lili's taller than me, now."
"I always knew she'd be . . ."
"You know Zidane, she's on the second floor east balcony, waiting for you."
"You're kidding me."
"She wants to see you. Why don't you go to her?"
"And how do I know that she won't just avoid me again?"
" . . . "
" . . . "
"It isn't a very long walk. You'll be doing yourself good."
Zidane stood up.
"To tell you the truth, I've been dying to see her. Why not."
"That's the spirit!"
***
Oren watched the teaming masses of people from his position on the high rafters, at least ninety feet up. He sat down on the wooden beam sipping on some sake (pronounced saw key) from the bar and keeping a close watch that no trouble broke down. Being a Zatach and extremely wrestles, he decided to take advantage of his stealthy position and have a little fun for a change.
"How about position effect Fa?" he asked aloud. Small sparks of cold fire filled the air around him. Gathering in a sort of red cloud above the room. Then slowly they began to fall giving the place a beautiful setting as it began to hit the ground.
"Position effect Le" he said again. This time yellowish miniscule crystals giving off a golden light gathered around in a sort of cloud and fell out. He could hear sounds of wonder and appreciation from below.
"Strange, I was actually trying to make people run in terror . . . "
The rafter he was on broke in half and he had a delayed reflex to float and keep himself from falling.
"Uh oh . . . I have to watch my karma . . . oh no."
The broken rafter started to fall at increasing speed.
"Oops."
***
A guy named Jack was trying to impress some female SeeD when out of nowhere a large rafter destroyed part of the table, sending things flying and that area into temporary chaos.
***
" . . . " Oren commented.
He sat down on a steel beam this time, hoping that no one had looked up in the brief moment that he was out of the darkness.
He heard an announcement blared over the intercom:
"People of garden, we will now begin the music and shift the ceiling for the disco ball to take effect!"
Nida's voice was ridiculously loud and Oren clamped a hand over his mouth to stop himself from yelling in surprise.
" . . . Shifting the ceiling!?"
The rafters folded up into the top and took poor Oren into the ceiling, stuffed in the attic. His sake spilled and burned his face.
"Ahh! It burns!" He crawled through the attic, dodging rafters and coming to a dead end.
"Screw this."
He tore a hole through the top and went down a ladder.
***
Red stopped following Reeve when he picked up the pace and ran down the hall. He sighed and stopped at his own room, still unable to get inside.
"I curse you you accursed door! All you do is make life hard! With your fancy knobs and such, all you want to do is make life miserable!" He stood on his hind legs and beat his chest like King Kong.
A guy eating a sandwich walked by, and then opened the door.
Red turned around.
"I am grateful"
"You can talk!? Ahhh!" He dropped threw the sandwich up in the air and ran away, then ran back and grabbed his sandwich, and then ran around the corner, tripped, and crawled the rest of the way.
Red sighed again and went into his room, closing the door, realizing his mistake too late.
"Oh damn. Now how am I going to get out . . . ACCURSED DOOR!" He rammed his body on the door, knocking himself unconscious in the process.
***
Jessica felt content being close to Seifer and staring up into the sky, which was now filled with bright stars. The noise from the quad set off the romantic setting a bit.
"Follow me." Jessica said quietly, floating up into the sky.
Seifer followed her and soon they were thirty feet over garden and climbing.
"How high are we going?" Seifer asked, coming up next to her.
"Above the clouds."
He whistled in disbelief.
Seifer's new and improved lungs proved useful, because he usually would have had difficulty breathing at forty thousand feet.
Jessica flew high and somersaulted, levitating in a way that made her look as if she were walking on the strange bed of clouds, her body illuminated in front of the moon.
"This setting is perfect." She said, breaking the absolute quiet.. Her voice sounded clearer, being so high.
The floated in silence for a while, and Seifer eventually broke it.
"So . . . have you ever had any boyfriends?" he asked out of the blue.
"No such thing where I'm from. Perfect matches for people are automatically picked out by special Zatach that know about love and that sort of thing."
"You're saying you're forced into a relationship?"
"Not really. They give us a choice, but people that tried to resist the system found that they would be deeply in love with whoever was picked for them. The pickings would be at age 18 to another person within three years of their own age, minus a few exceptions."
"So, you've never been kissed?"
She paused.
"Oren talked about it once, but he never told me what it was."
Seifer almost laughed.
"You've never heard of kissing!?"
"It's really not a Zatach thing. Humans, I find, are big on touch and closeness. If I'm within three inches of anyone it makes my instincts react wildly. While humans are social, the Zatach are often antisocial and withdrawn minus a few close family and friends."
"You all live alone, then?"
"Not really . . . It's complicated. Oren found out about 'kissing' through databases he uploaded from your planet two years into our trip, but he refused to let me see anything about it. He said he hoped I would be in a position to discover it myself."
" . . . Do you want me to show you?" Seifer asked shakily. He hadn't kissed anyone in three years.
"Sure." She floated towards him and faced him, waiting.
Seifer breathed a bit, came closer, and held her softly as she waited. He tilted his head and 'went in for the kill'.
Her lips were surprisingly soft. Jessica started unsure but then something inside her let the moment continue and soon she didn't want it to end. Seifer withdrew and let out a breath.
"Like that."
She laughed.
"Funny, I never expected something like . . . that. You really made my heart pound there, but I wasn't in any danger . . . "
It was Seifer's turn to laugh.
"I kinda feel sorry for you. It's like the mind of a Zatach is built around total combat and battle tactics."
"Well, was that a good feeling you gave me?"
"I either made you really scared or really excited."
"The latter." She said.
They kissed again.
***
The next song played in the quad was a slow dance, couples only. Cloud was having himself a time, holding Tifa the whole way through, his mind wandering to Aeris more than once. Soon he found that he could barely concentrate.
Tifa's head was against his chest so she could hear the quick heartbeat.
Cloud was staring up into the "sky", his mako eyes glowing eerily in the dark.
"Cloud." She said firmly, tugging at one of his hairs.
He looked down.
"Get it over with. I'll understand whatever you decide."
Cloud didn't need to ask. He softly kissed her.
"I love you." He whispered.
She nodded weakly and stood alone as he went out to the west balcony.
The temporarily unemployed mercenary was surprised to find Aeris floating two inches off of the ground, her hair out of its usual style and waving freely around her. Her whole body was glowing and pulsing a greenish shade as she hovered there.
She laughed for an unknown reason and then settled on the ground, the glow leaving her body and her hair falling back in place. She was surprised when she turned around.
"Cloud?"
"Aeris?"
"What were you doing?"
She shook her head vigorously.
"I'm worried."
"About what."
Aeris put the currently messy and misplaced hair behind her back.
"Pyros' ship isn't like normal spacecraft. It's like a piece of a planet . . . the Zatach planet destroyed years ago."
"You know about that?"
"The ship itself told me. Apparently the core of the ship is a living piece of the planet. Our planet was a child, this planet is like a comedian. But that one . . . very strange. The attitudes mirror the one's we've been fighting. I almost fear that the planet is controlling them."
"Why were you glowing?"
"Something about this planet is very strange and nice at the same time. It emits a stream into the universe that connects with other planets, as if in a song of lively chatter, really."
She gave one of those wonderful smiles.
"It sounds so nice . . . "
Cloud listened and couldn't hear a thing.
"I wish you could hear it." She told him. "It's such a wonderful sound."
"Aeris . . . there's a reason why I'm here."
"Yes?"
"Over the years, I've grown closer and closer to you. Everything about you makes everyone so happy; you shine light where there isn't any. You've been so close to me, even in death. Seeing you alive and well is one of the greatest things that's ever happened to me"
"Thank you." She said, giving another one of those wonderful smiles.
"What I'm trying to say is, Aeris, you're one of the most important people in the world to me, and I've finally decided that I love you."
The look on her face was just what Cloud expected.
"But I love Tifa, too. I really don't want to hurt any of you. But . . . "
"I understand. Go to her, I couldn't bear anything less than seeing the two of you happy for the rest of your lives."
Cloud smiled sadly.
"Do you really mean that? You're really too nice. That's one of the reasons I love you."
She would have responded, but for a split second she glowed black and let out the bloodcurdling scream, gasped deeply and sharply, and fell on the ground.
"Aeris!" Cloud rushed to her side, worried to death for the first three seconds that she didn't move.
She twitched and tried to sit up.
"Are you okay?"
"Th-That planet is corrupted."
"What happened!"
"Pain . . . that was a scream of pain. Th-the alien piece of the Zatach homeworld in Pyros' ship somehow hurt this planet. It was absolutely horrible. I didn't think it could suffer that much. I felt its pain, and the poor thing is shaking from it."
She began shaking slightly herself.
Cloud held her close.
"I'm here."
Tifa arrived a little in front of the entrance, close to the balcony, watching Cloud hold Aeris close.
" . . . I thought so." She said to herself.
Tears trailed down her eyes and she walked briskly across the wall and away from the crowd, and then out of the quad.
***
Zidane didn't hesitate to waltz straight through the crowds in his clothing, that of a king. He had managed to salvage the outfit for such an occasion. People would stare at his swishing tail and the gold daggers (even though gold would be far from the best material) as he strode through the quad to try to disguise how miserable.
In a few seconds he was away from most of the people and the desolated areas near the edge. He let out a gasp of relief when he saw a large wooden rafter sticking in one of the tables, as if it had fallen from the sky.
"Weird."
He tried to ignore it and walked right into the balcony, finding his wife staring across the sea in the most stunning queen's ensemble he had ever seen. Like her normal one, except a deep scarlet color. He laughed because he could never picture his beloved in red.
"Hey there, beautiful." He said, coming up beside her.
"Zidane . . . " Dagger looked at him, and Zidane was sure she would run away. So sure that he wasn't paying attention.
For a few long seconds, they just looked into each other's eyes. Finally she laughed.
"You know, you're making this harder than it should be."
"What?" Zidane asked, flabbergasted.
"So many girls dream of being a princess with a prince, buy here I am, a queen with a king. You come and you're supposed to melt me like butter with your amazing good-looks and wonderful blue eyes. And they we're supposed to kiss . . . "
Zidane was surprised.
"I'm surprised." He said.
"What?" It was her turn to say.
"Stunned, amazed, taken aback, flabbergasted, stupefied, bewildered-"
"Okay, okay, but why?" she asked.
"Haven't you been avoiding me?" Zidane asked slowly.
" . . . No?"
"I thought you had dumped me like last time."
"Last time? I never dumped you. I thought it was you that released me."
He burst out laughing.
"Come on, I find the hottest girl on Gaia, on top of that, she's a princess, and I dump her?"
"I find a caring, loving young man with a heart of gold and a funny smile, and I dump him?" she countered.
Zidane shook his head.
"I still think you're avoiding me."
She wrapped her arms around him, leaned up, and the two shared their third kiss. (The first after reunion in the castle, the second in marriage).
When she broke the kiss, Zidane raised an eyebrow.
"That was probably to get me off your back." He suggested.
"On the contrary." She kissed him longer this time and held him close to her.
"I want you to say close to me. Zidane Tribal, I fell in love with you long ago, and that will never change. Nothing in this world would make me want to avoid you under the circumstances." She said, holding him to the point that he was beginning to have difficulty breathing.
"Back at ya"
***
The festivities lasted for four more hours (partially due to the guest performance by Faye Wong) and cleanup was a cinch thanks to a certain Zatach sitting in the rafters.
Oren floated down to the floor and walked around, inspecting the now empty and lifeless quad. A few seconds later, Jessica teleported to the top of the stage, and sat down, laughing.
"Jessica." He said, as he flew over and sat beside her.
"Oren."
"I'm sure you had yourself a good time . . . ?"
"Oh yeah . . . " she was laughing again.
"You have stars in your eyes. Seifer, I presume?"
"Yes . . . "
"Tomorrow, I'm making use of the coordinates that Pi gave me. Pyros is ready to launch a full-scale attack any minute. Our lives will be in jeopardy, and some of us may not come back."
"Oren?"
"Yeah?"
"Please don't die. I couldn't bear life without you. And so many people's lives depend on your own."
(A shot of Cloud comforting Aeris.)
"A lot of people will be gone if you die, all of those that you brought from the dead." Jessica continued.
(A shot of Yuna finding Braska, bursting into tears of happiness and hugging him)
"People have been reunited with their friends and family because of that."
(A shot of Tidus patting Jecht on the back and high-fiving Auron)
"And even though some may be alone . . . "
(A shot of Seymour looking at a picture of his mother, tears flowing down his cheek)
"Some have made friends." Jessica reminded him.
(A shot of Kuja and Yuffie laughing maniacally at all the gil they made.)
"Some, even more than friends."
(Kiros laughing at one of Ultimecia's amazing stories over coffee in the lounge, And Sephiroth giving Rikku a grateful hug before parting when inside Esthar Garden)
"So when we go to fight Pyros, don't just stay alive for yourself and me, but for a lot of people."
Oren nodded.
"I understand."
________________________________________________________________________
AN: Final battles shall ensue. Final mysteries will be solved. Relationships will be tied. Who knows what's ahead? Thanks to the Zatach that have entered a realm that isn't their own, soon to leave reality like a dream . . . Oh! Sorry 'bout that. I just love that kind of stuff. Thanks for the reviews. (It's a good thing I made this chapter two parts.) This is still coming to and end, but there will be much more to come, though. (I recommend you read Final Fantasy High, and Final Fantasy University. You will LOVE it if you like this.)
[Part II]
By Blue Dragon
Red found Reeve straightening his tie and walking briskly as if in a hurry away from the quad.
"Reeve?" Red called him. Reeve stopped in his tracks.
"Hello there."
"Aren't you going to see if all of our hard work paid off?"
Reeve put a hand to his chin. It was about twenty-five minutes after his announcement.
"I saw 'em making out in a corner near the quad."
Red let out a sigh of relief.
"So this crazy mission is over. I still can not understand why you wanted to-"
"It's nothing! Believe me."
Red was now intrigued by Reeve's evasion of the topic.
"There has to be a reason, you can tell me."
"I thought I told you! This has nothing to do with the fact that I never had a date or girlfriend in high school and missed my prom and . . . damn, that's exactly why."
" . . . If it makes you feel any better, then I won't tell anyone. Surely you can find some nice lady."
Reeve laughed.
"I may be young, but I don't have much of a chance. All I really have to look forward to . . . is . . . I have nothing to look forward to."
"At least go to the quad and enjoy yourself. It's probably five years overdue."
" . . . I'll think about it. But I have to postpone my job interview."
"What are you talking about?"
"Come on, Red! You don't think I can stay a jobless bum forever, do you?"
" . . . "
"I'll just be on my way, using the wonders of the Internet." Reeve said as we walked off the other way.
Red realized that online communication was not intergalactic, just interplanetary.
"It seems that my own mission is not yet complete." Red said to himself.
***
Rikku waved her hand twice in front of Sephiroth who appeared to be staring into space, leaning on the railing of the balcony.
"You still alive?" she asked.
He just stared into the night sky.
"Come."
"Where are we going?"
He held her hand and levitated the both of them up past the balcony at a speed that was slow and fast at the same time. When they were a few dozen feet higher than the wonderful rotating rings of Esthar Garden, he gently dropped her onto a wide ledge built some meters over one of the glowing rings. He flew down to her.
"I can think better up here"
She was shaken by the flight.
"Think?"
"I killed a lot of people years ago. Then a little after that I tried something that would wipe out the population of the planet . . . I thought that the only way to get what I wanted would be to become a 'god', but that all seems so trivial now."
"Go on."
"Becoming a god, I now know, would have been absolutely impossible. I wouldn't have had any chance. And it is because no matter how much power I took, I would still be mortal. Mostly human, even. Now that I've been here . . . I realize that you can extract some of the greatest things in life in a short time. And they don't have to involve the suffering of another person. Something I could have only learned by not trying to destroy everyone and everything, for once. When you're dead for all that time with nothing at all to do, let me tell you, it really makes one crazy. I think it worked in reverse for me."
"Now that you have a second chance, maybe you can try to rectify what you did in the past."
"Second chance? I'm afraid I'm still dead."
"What!?"
"Everyone that Oren has brought from 'beyond' hang between life and death, possessing all characteristics of a living being. If he were to die, then everyone he's taken back here would be gone too-"
Rikku put a hand over his mouth.
"You DON'T want the wrong person to hear that! All our enemy would have to do is kill Oren and suddenly a whole lot of people will be missing!" she said, taking her hand off.
"Forgive me."
He held her more comfortably and flew back down to the balcony. This time, he made it so that the both of them landed silently and in unison, which was fairly difficult due to the darkness.
"You don't want to go to the party?"
" . . . Find something nice to put on and meet me here."
"You have something planned?"
He nodded, and Rikku smiled.
"I'll see you in a few minutes then." She said, leaving the balcony.
***
Squall and every other member of Garden's command had left quickly after the announcement was made. Nida had volunteered to stay behind and keep things running smoothly. He liked being alone in that place, the windows revealing the dark outside, the inside illuminated with lights from the monitors and controls. He felt for some reason like adding a romantic setting to the whole complex, so he used the "gray" switch as a means of locking down all doors that led outside (for safety) and piloted the garden over the Balamb sea. The ocean at the time was glimmering blue and the moon echoed off the line of it, something that he enjoyed watching from the pilots seat since childhood. He had wondered where Xu and Quistis were and was surprised to find that they hadn't even been on the planet until Oren brought them back some time ago. It made him feel strange that it had been something he did not know.
Nida was satisfied when he felt the slight vibration as the garden touched down on the surface of the water. He then sat back in his seat, sipped his coffee, and began whistling "Dance with the Balamb Fish".
***
Rikku returned sooner than expected, somehow getting hold of a striking compilation of fabric.
Balamb must have had access to some hell of a tailor, the outfit was absolutely stunning, transforming whoever was inside. The whole thing was laced through two paths of a golden silk, the body of the gown woven in a way so that it went smoothly around whoever wore it. The body was also made with some sort of silverfish fabric that glistened particularly in moonlight.
Just as Rikku stepped into Sephiroth's full view the garden groaned slightly and began moving forward and over the sea that it was previously bordering. Sephiroth then gave one of his mighty-rare, non-evil expressions presented in the form of an eyebrow raising. He didn't know what to say. The third time in his life, only.
Rikku moved her hand as if to ask why he was just standing there, and he took the hint and moved forward, gently grabbing her hand.
"I have learned something." He said.
He levitated over the balcony just as the garden settled on the sea, the moon making a sort of lit path along it.
Rikku smiled as she was taken up again, and a worried expression crossed her face when he dropped down to the water. She somehow trusted him when he dropped her just a few feet over the surface.
Expecting to find herself submerged, she discovered she was standing on the water, and wasn't even wet. She and Sephiroth were on the sea as if it were solid. The water was a dark blue, and the two of them were in the middle of the bright path formed by the moon. To add to the wonderful scene, lights from garden filled the area behind them.
"You can walk on water?"
He laughed.
"As long as you're near me."
"?"
"Hojo told me long ago that I was injected with JENOVA cells. Such an injection combined with my human blood should have allowed me to do things like walk on water. But, you see, I couldn't until now. The first time I tried I fell right in. I asked him, a little before the time when I lost my mind. He told me that the only way those powers would truly be inaccessible to me is if my heart and mind were completely filled with hatred. I've hated so much . . . and never been able to access the full extent of my power. But now . . . I can walk on water. Not only that, but I can let other people near me walk on water. Thanks to you, I've found that you don't have to hurt others to be happy, and that finding life's purpose doesn't mean you need power."
"I taught you all that?"
He nodded.
"You gave me something only a total stranger could give."
***
Zidane sat down in the empty cafeteria, staring up at the ceiling, feeling tired and bored and tired and bored and also very tired. His minor wounds were nothing, but he of course felt emotionally distressed. There was the castle to worry about, of course. But on top of that he felt that soon he would be fighting for his life, and he hadn't even had much time to spend with the one she loved. Come to think of it, Dagger had been evading him every chance she got and he couldn't remember the last time he had seen her. Was this the way a lover should act towards the other lover?
He didn't notice Vivi sit down across form him and start on a milkshake with his seemingly invisible mouth.
"Hi Zidane."
"Vivi" Zidane responded staring up at the ceiling.
"You sad about somethin'?"
"Do you think she loves me?"
"Who, Dagger?"
"She's been avoiding me! Did she dump me again?"
" . . . She's never dumped you a first time."
" . . ."
"You have some kind of obsession with failure, I think."
"Since when did you start talking with bigger words?" Zidane asked, still staring up.
"Since I've had to educate my kids."
" . . . Speaking of which, how are the little tikes?"
" . . . Lili's taller than me, now."
"I always knew she'd be . . ."
"You know Zidane, she's on the second floor east balcony, waiting for you."
"You're kidding me."
"She wants to see you. Why don't you go to her?"
"And how do I know that she won't just avoid me again?"
" . . . "
" . . . "
"It isn't a very long walk. You'll be doing yourself good."
Zidane stood up.
"To tell you the truth, I've been dying to see her. Why not."
"That's the spirit!"
***
Oren watched the teaming masses of people from his position on the high rafters, at least ninety feet up. He sat down on the wooden beam sipping on some sake (pronounced saw key) from the bar and keeping a close watch that no trouble broke down. Being a Zatach and extremely wrestles, he decided to take advantage of his stealthy position and have a little fun for a change.
"How about position effect Fa?" he asked aloud. Small sparks of cold fire filled the air around him. Gathering in a sort of red cloud above the room. Then slowly they began to fall giving the place a beautiful setting as it began to hit the ground.
"Position effect Le" he said again. This time yellowish miniscule crystals giving off a golden light gathered around in a sort of cloud and fell out. He could hear sounds of wonder and appreciation from below.
"Strange, I was actually trying to make people run in terror . . . "
The rafter he was on broke in half and he had a delayed reflex to float and keep himself from falling.
"Uh oh . . . I have to watch my karma . . . oh no."
The broken rafter started to fall at increasing speed.
"Oops."
***
A guy named Jack was trying to impress some female SeeD when out of nowhere a large rafter destroyed part of the table, sending things flying and that area into temporary chaos.
***
" . . . " Oren commented.
He sat down on a steel beam this time, hoping that no one had looked up in the brief moment that he was out of the darkness.
He heard an announcement blared over the intercom:
"People of garden, we will now begin the music and shift the ceiling for the disco ball to take effect!"
Nida's voice was ridiculously loud and Oren clamped a hand over his mouth to stop himself from yelling in surprise.
" . . . Shifting the ceiling!?"
The rafters folded up into the top and took poor Oren into the ceiling, stuffed in the attic. His sake spilled and burned his face.
"Ahh! It burns!" He crawled through the attic, dodging rafters and coming to a dead end.
"Screw this."
He tore a hole through the top and went down a ladder.
***
Red stopped following Reeve when he picked up the pace and ran down the hall. He sighed and stopped at his own room, still unable to get inside.
"I curse you you accursed door! All you do is make life hard! With your fancy knobs and such, all you want to do is make life miserable!" He stood on his hind legs and beat his chest like King Kong.
A guy eating a sandwich walked by, and then opened the door.
Red turned around.
"I am grateful"
"You can talk!? Ahhh!" He dropped threw the sandwich up in the air and ran away, then ran back and grabbed his sandwich, and then ran around the corner, tripped, and crawled the rest of the way.
Red sighed again and went into his room, closing the door, realizing his mistake too late.
"Oh damn. Now how am I going to get out . . . ACCURSED DOOR!" He rammed his body on the door, knocking himself unconscious in the process.
***
Jessica felt content being close to Seifer and staring up into the sky, which was now filled with bright stars. The noise from the quad set off the romantic setting a bit.
"Follow me." Jessica said quietly, floating up into the sky.
Seifer followed her and soon they were thirty feet over garden and climbing.
"How high are we going?" Seifer asked, coming up next to her.
"Above the clouds."
He whistled in disbelief.
Seifer's new and improved lungs proved useful, because he usually would have had difficulty breathing at forty thousand feet.
Jessica flew high and somersaulted, levitating in a way that made her look as if she were walking on the strange bed of clouds, her body illuminated in front of the moon.
"This setting is perfect." She said, breaking the absolute quiet.. Her voice sounded clearer, being so high.
The floated in silence for a while, and Seifer eventually broke it.
"So . . . have you ever had any boyfriends?" he asked out of the blue.
"No such thing where I'm from. Perfect matches for people are automatically picked out by special Zatach that know about love and that sort of thing."
"You're saying you're forced into a relationship?"
"Not really. They give us a choice, but people that tried to resist the system found that they would be deeply in love with whoever was picked for them. The pickings would be at age 18 to another person within three years of their own age, minus a few exceptions."
"So, you've never been kissed?"
She paused.
"Oren talked about it once, but he never told me what it was."
Seifer almost laughed.
"You've never heard of kissing!?"
"It's really not a Zatach thing. Humans, I find, are big on touch and closeness. If I'm within three inches of anyone it makes my instincts react wildly. While humans are social, the Zatach are often antisocial and withdrawn minus a few close family and friends."
"You all live alone, then?"
"Not really . . . It's complicated. Oren found out about 'kissing' through databases he uploaded from your planet two years into our trip, but he refused to let me see anything about it. He said he hoped I would be in a position to discover it myself."
" . . . Do you want me to show you?" Seifer asked shakily. He hadn't kissed anyone in three years.
"Sure." She floated towards him and faced him, waiting.
Seifer breathed a bit, came closer, and held her softly as she waited. He tilted his head and 'went in for the kill'.
Her lips were surprisingly soft. Jessica started unsure but then something inside her let the moment continue and soon she didn't want it to end. Seifer withdrew and let out a breath.
"Like that."
She laughed.
"Funny, I never expected something like . . . that. You really made my heart pound there, but I wasn't in any danger . . . "
It was Seifer's turn to laugh.
"I kinda feel sorry for you. It's like the mind of a Zatach is built around total combat and battle tactics."
"Well, was that a good feeling you gave me?"
"I either made you really scared or really excited."
"The latter." She said.
They kissed again.
***
The next song played in the quad was a slow dance, couples only. Cloud was having himself a time, holding Tifa the whole way through, his mind wandering to Aeris more than once. Soon he found that he could barely concentrate.
Tifa's head was against his chest so she could hear the quick heartbeat.
Cloud was staring up into the "sky", his mako eyes glowing eerily in the dark.
"Cloud." She said firmly, tugging at one of his hairs.
He looked down.
"Get it over with. I'll understand whatever you decide."
Cloud didn't need to ask. He softly kissed her.
"I love you." He whispered.
She nodded weakly and stood alone as he went out to the west balcony.
The temporarily unemployed mercenary was surprised to find Aeris floating two inches off of the ground, her hair out of its usual style and waving freely around her. Her whole body was glowing and pulsing a greenish shade as she hovered there.
She laughed for an unknown reason and then settled on the ground, the glow leaving her body and her hair falling back in place. She was surprised when she turned around.
"Cloud?"
"Aeris?"
"What were you doing?"
She shook her head vigorously.
"I'm worried."
"About what."
Aeris put the currently messy and misplaced hair behind her back.
"Pyros' ship isn't like normal spacecraft. It's like a piece of a planet . . . the Zatach planet destroyed years ago."
"You know about that?"
"The ship itself told me. Apparently the core of the ship is a living piece of the planet. Our planet was a child, this planet is like a comedian. But that one . . . very strange. The attitudes mirror the one's we've been fighting. I almost fear that the planet is controlling them."
"Why were you glowing?"
"Something about this planet is very strange and nice at the same time. It emits a stream into the universe that connects with other planets, as if in a song of lively chatter, really."
She gave one of those wonderful smiles.
"It sounds so nice . . . "
Cloud listened and couldn't hear a thing.
"I wish you could hear it." She told him. "It's such a wonderful sound."
"Aeris . . . there's a reason why I'm here."
"Yes?"
"Over the years, I've grown closer and closer to you. Everything about you makes everyone so happy; you shine light where there isn't any. You've been so close to me, even in death. Seeing you alive and well is one of the greatest things that's ever happened to me"
"Thank you." She said, giving another one of those wonderful smiles.
"What I'm trying to say is, Aeris, you're one of the most important people in the world to me, and I've finally decided that I love you."
The look on her face was just what Cloud expected.
"But I love Tifa, too. I really don't want to hurt any of you. But . . . "
"I understand. Go to her, I couldn't bear anything less than seeing the two of you happy for the rest of your lives."
Cloud smiled sadly.
"Do you really mean that? You're really too nice. That's one of the reasons I love you."
She would have responded, but for a split second she glowed black and let out the bloodcurdling scream, gasped deeply and sharply, and fell on the ground.
"Aeris!" Cloud rushed to her side, worried to death for the first three seconds that she didn't move.
She twitched and tried to sit up.
"Are you okay?"
"Th-That planet is corrupted."
"What happened!"
"Pain . . . that was a scream of pain. Th-the alien piece of the Zatach homeworld in Pyros' ship somehow hurt this planet. It was absolutely horrible. I didn't think it could suffer that much. I felt its pain, and the poor thing is shaking from it."
She began shaking slightly herself.
Cloud held her close.
"I'm here."
Tifa arrived a little in front of the entrance, close to the balcony, watching Cloud hold Aeris close.
" . . . I thought so." She said to herself.
Tears trailed down her eyes and she walked briskly across the wall and away from the crowd, and then out of the quad.
***
Zidane didn't hesitate to waltz straight through the crowds in his clothing, that of a king. He had managed to salvage the outfit for such an occasion. People would stare at his swishing tail and the gold daggers (even though gold would be far from the best material) as he strode through the quad to try to disguise how miserable.
In a few seconds he was away from most of the people and the desolated areas near the edge. He let out a gasp of relief when he saw a large wooden rafter sticking in one of the tables, as if it had fallen from the sky.
"Weird."
He tried to ignore it and walked right into the balcony, finding his wife staring across the sea in the most stunning queen's ensemble he had ever seen. Like her normal one, except a deep scarlet color. He laughed because he could never picture his beloved in red.
"Hey there, beautiful." He said, coming up beside her.
"Zidane . . . " Dagger looked at him, and Zidane was sure she would run away. So sure that he wasn't paying attention.
For a few long seconds, they just looked into each other's eyes. Finally she laughed.
"You know, you're making this harder than it should be."
"What?" Zidane asked, flabbergasted.
"So many girls dream of being a princess with a prince, buy here I am, a queen with a king. You come and you're supposed to melt me like butter with your amazing good-looks and wonderful blue eyes. And they we're supposed to kiss . . . "
Zidane was surprised.
"I'm surprised." He said.
"What?" It was her turn to say.
"Stunned, amazed, taken aback, flabbergasted, stupefied, bewildered-"
"Okay, okay, but why?" she asked.
"Haven't you been avoiding me?" Zidane asked slowly.
" . . . No?"
"I thought you had dumped me like last time."
"Last time? I never dumped you. I thought it was you that released me."
He burst out laughing.
"Come on, I find the hottest girl on Gaia, on top of that, she's a princess, and I dump her?"
"I find a caring, loving young man with a heart of gold and a funny smile, and I dump him?" she countered.
Zidane shook his head.
"I still think you're avoiding me."
She wrapped her arms around him, leaned up, and the two shared their third kiss. (The first after reunion in the castle, the second in marriage).
When she broke the kiss, Zidane raised an eyebrow.
"That was probably to get me off your back." He suggested.
"On the contrary." She kissed him longer this time and held him close to her.
"I want you to say close to me. Zidane Tribal, I fell in love with you long ago, and that will never change. Nothing in this world would make me want to avoid you under the circumstances." She said, holding him to the point that he was beginning to have difficulty breathing.
"Back at ya"
***
The festivities lasted for four more hours (partially due to the guest performance by Faye Wong) and cleanup was a cinch thanks to a certain Zatach sitting in the rafters.
Oren floated down to the floor and walked around, inspecting the now empty and lifeless quad. A few seconds later, Jessica teleported to the top of the stage, and sat down, laughing.
"Jessica." He said, as he flew over and sat beside her.
"Oren."
"I'm sure you had yourself a good time . . . ?"
"Oh yeah . . . " she was laughing again.
"You have stars in your eyes. Seifer, I presume?"
"Yes . . . "
"Tomorrow, I'm making use of the coordinates that Pi gave me. Pyros is ready to launch a full-scale attack any minute. Our lives will be in jeopardy, and some of us may not come back."
"Oren?"
"Yeah?"
"Please don't die. I couldn't bear life without you. And so many people's lives depend on your own."
(A shot of Cloud comforting Aeris.)
"A lot of people will be gone if you die, all of those that you brought from the dead." Jessica continued.
(A shot of Yuna finding Braska, bursting into tears of happiness and hugging him)
"People have been reunited with their friends and family because of that."
(A shot of Tidus patting Jecht on the back and high-fiving Auron)
"And even though some may be alone . . . "
(A shot of Seymour looking at a picture of his mother, tears flowing down his cheek)
"Some have made friends." Jessica reminded him.
(A shot of Kuja and Yuffie laughing maniacally at all the gil they made.)
"Some, even more than friends."
(Kiros laughing at one of Ultimecia's amazing stories over coffee in the lounge, And Sephiroth giving Rikku a grateful hug before parting when inside Esthar Garden)
"So when we go to fight Pyros, don't just stay alive for yourself and me, but for a lot of people."
Oren nodded.
"I understand."
________________________________________________________________________
AN: Final battles shall ensue. Final mysteries will be solved. Relationships will be tied. Who knows what's ahead? Thanks to the Zatach that have entered a realm that isn't their own, soon to leave reality like a dream . . . Oh! Sorry 'bout that. I just love that kind of stuff. Thanks for the reviews. (It's a good thing I made this chapter two parts.) This is still coming to and end, but there will be much more to come, though. (I recommend you read Final Fantasy High, and Final Fantasy University. You will LOVE it if you like this.)