Ciopanna Chasers and Hyacinth Potpourri
---------------------------------------
Cid Kramer takes Seifer, Selphie, Fujin and Raijin to the darkened hallways of the Spratley Manor. A fearsome chill permeated Selphie's spine as the dimly lit portraits of previous owners and their families stare at her in a ghostly manner with their eyes wide open and their lips curving downwards. She held onto Seifer's stalwart arm and dug her head into his broad shoulders, hoping for a radiation of warmth to combat the coldness in her. The hallway ended with a dark door blended with the shadows, guarded by two huge suits of armour, waiting for the right time to strike their maces on unwary trespassers.
Cid opened the door gently but a screeching creak echoed loudly, revealing a bleak office littered with obsolete documents and rusty file cabinets. At the middle of the shadowy room was a white fluorescent bulb hanging by its long retractable cord from the ceiling. Below it was a barely lit round table with six chairs neatly positioned into the points of an equilateral hexagon.
"Please have a seat," Cid proffered affably. Everyone began to draw their seats quietly and sat down calmly. There was a look of terror but most of them were questioning about Cid's motive on bringing them to this nightly cellar.
Selphie examined the wooden table with edges chewed off by termites. "This place is cool for playing Ouija," she thought gleefully.
"Thank you for sparing some time with me," Cid started, signaling everyone to look at him in reverence. "This is going to be brief but it is of great importance.
Cid firstly turned to Raijin and Fujin who are sitting close to each other. His wrinkled complexion and worn-out brown eyes gave a serious look but nonchalant impression to the duo.
"Raijin and Fujin, since you two have been assaulted and injured by another team, you have been given 30 minutes plus an additional halved time difference between your team and the assailants of 15 minutes as extra time credit. Instead of 7.21 a.m., you'll be leaving at a new time 6.26 a.m., making you two the current leaders of the race."
"As for Seifer and Selphie," Cid started again, turning his attention to the couple much more seriously than he did on Seifer's posse members. Selphie slid her chair closer and closer to Seifer's, making irritable scratching noises, wanting the warmth to shield her from the haunting chill which made her heart palpitate madly. "As you two are the assailants, you have been given a penalty of one hour plus 30 minutes, which is the time difference between you two and Fujin and Raijin arriving at the pit stop. Your rest period has been extended and your new launch time is 8.21 a.m. The good news is you are still in the race."
***
Fujin and Raijin returned to their tent, tired but relieved after the meeting. Fujin crawled onto the bed and gently laid her head on the soft leathery pillow, soothing the wound on her forehead. She dimmed her flashlight until the tent was glowing warmly in orange from the outside. Raijin on the other hand busied himself by packing the luggage for the morning. He was so lazy that he stuffed a bunch of clothes at once into the bag, until pieces of clothing pricked out of the zip. Raijin took of his shirt and strew it onto a chair, revealing his dark reddish skin and washboard abdominal muscles. He sat down on the sleeping bag beside Fujin and then lowered his body gradually into sleeping position. He stretched his arms and placed his hands below his head, facing the roof as if he could penetrate the opaque fabric to view to starry night sky.
"This is not my favourite position ya know," he said sleepily.
"APOLOGY," Fujin replied, who turned her body to face Raijin. "Shall we switch places?"
"WHOA!" he yelped, while lifting half of his body abruptly as if thunder struck him. "You don't sound like who you are ya know."
"No, I am me," Fujin insisted, lifting her head and half of her body up to superimpose with Raijin's. Raijin could her mouth gradually squinching upwards.
"No way," he strongly denied, shaking his head wildly in disbelief. "What happened to that loud and boomin' voice of yours? What happened to that slappin' and kickin' you usually give me when I do or say somethin' stupid? What happened to that sinister side of you..."
Raijin's blabbering, full of concern, was interrupted when Fujin silenced him by touching his lips with her finger. Raijin tried to avoid from lip contact with Fujin when her face was getting closer to his. Finally, both lips met and Fujin wrapped her arms around Raijin's muscular shoulders. Raijin was scared, not knowing what her next move would be, but the sensation of feeling the sweet, fleshy lips of a woman on his was to be discerned as a long kiss, erotic and passionate.
"Oops I forgot," Fujin said backing away after a brief moment of submissiveness, whence Raijin was anticipating the next best thing to happen. She climbed down and moved away from the bed towards her backpack. She pulled up two small perfume bottles with one hand and the other pulling off her eye patch and placing it neatly on the sandy floor. Raijin's heart pounded madly as she slowly turned around, too afraid to behold the unveiling of her what-was-thought-to-be terrifying impairment. Instead of the dark and hollow wound he imagined inchoately, it was a perfectly healthy eye with a beautiful aquamarine iris, which matched the other.
"WHA..." Raijin became speechless as Fujin threw the two bottles, which bounced on the sand onto Raijin's blanket.
"Use that one to get rid of your sweaty body odor and that one to get rid of that garlicky breath." Fujin bent down and zipped open the secondary compartment of the backpack and calmly dug through the stuffing of clothes searching for something eagerly. Eventually, she had found what she wanted to wear for a long time: A long red silky bed garment with extra thin shoulder straps and a V-shaped opening from the shoulders to her chest which could partly reveal her breasts. The bottom part was as short as half of her thighs. Loose and exposing, it was the sexiest bedroom gown she bought secretly from a boutique in Balamb. She surfaced from the outside, completely attired with the flamingly arousing garment and immediately posed in front of Raijin.
Raijin sat on the leathery surface of the sleeping bag in meditating position. His mouth gaped widely as Fujin strutted back to him.
"Wow you sure are more beautiful than Quistis or Rinoa, ya know," he commented in total disbelief. Fujin giggled to herself and pinned Raijin on the bed with all fours around him.
***
"Do you know what?" Selphie said, turning towards Seifer along with her sleeping bag.
"You're annoying," he spat with a muffled voice through his blanket, covering his whole head.
"At the manor," she started. "I can feel a presence."
Seifer irritably took off his blanket. His eyes pointed sleepily at the roof while his lips started to mouth words.
"Look if you want to start a darned ghost story, tell it to the campfire kids outside."
"Nope I didn't say it was a ghost story," she said while getting herself up from her sleeping position. "I mean I don't believe in those crappy mumbo jumbo except Ouija."
"Then?"
"I have a theory," she started, looking at the roof absent-mindedly for awhile before she turned back to an irritated looking Seifer. "Maybe we're all going to be on TV."
"What..." choked Seifer, who soon lifted half his body up in interest.
"Isn't it cool that there are cameras taping our every move and airing it live on national TV? We're like characters in an ultra-real drama!" she said thoughtfully. Her face soon radiated in bright pink. "I hope the students back at Balamb won't see us together at that gondola."
"Impossible," Seifer said, turning his whole body to face Selphie's. "How can a filthy race like this worthy to be broadcast? Besides, I don't see cameras around the places we've been to."
"Well it'll be cool if it's real. You've seen how they taped Survivor by fixing micro-cameras around the place right?"
Seifer rubbed his chin with his eyes looking up, pausing temporary to consider the possibility. Selphie soon snapped up to another point.
"I thought of something. You know actors and actresses can get really famous if they act really well in a show. I have a feeling that we can have some publicity after the whole darn race is over."
"So how are we going to do that?" Seifer asked keenly.
"I don't know," Selphie said, looking at the ground mindlessly shaking her head. "Maybe we can have a nookie now?"
Selphie moved her finger back at forth in front of Seifer's vision. Seifer, who was dressed in his T-shirt and shorts, crawled away from his blanket and sneaked naughtily towards her pale thin lips.
"Careful, everybody is watching us now."
***
Raijin and Fujin felt refreshed as they walked up the steep steps of the manor after they had woke up at six in a morning. All they had for breakfast was a cup of warm weak coffee and nothing to eat, which would barely replenished all the energy that had been wasted. However, this time, a new alternative power was within them. A cowboy greeted, standing at the entrance of the manor waiting for their arrival, and the duo did not forget to reply in unison as usual.
"READ," Fujin instructed, passing the contents of the envelope to Raijin.
"Hey baby we're gonna fly to somewhere," he cheered energetically. Both of them immediately scaled down the stairs as Raijin continued. "Use the jeep that you have used in the last leg of the race and drive yourselves to Urban Desert Airport. Fly to Winhill and once you get there, find the Flower Restaurant and Bar and help yourselves to three glasses of Winhill's national drink to get the next clue."
***
"Mornin'" the cowboy said briefly as Squall and Rinoa climbed wearily to the top of the stairway. With her eyes half-open and blinking, Rinoa replied in a sleepy voice and grabbed the clue weakly from his hands.
"Squall we're going to paint the streets of Winhill red!" she cheered loudly, which boosted her energy to look positively into the race. Rinoa ran down the stairway to meet Selphie, who was waiting with a cup of coffee in her hands, while Squall was lagging behind her, lifting his feet one by one in slow rhythm to descend. Selphie then gave Rinoa a warm hug wishing her good luck.
"The Fast Forward's in the hyacinth potpourri at the perfume factory in Winhill," Rinoa whispered to her ears in return. She then turned around to see Squall already standing in front of her and signaled him to walk to the jeep.
"See you at the airport, Selphie."
"Okay," she said meekly, sipping the hot coffee which scalded her tongue.
***
"DIRECTION!" Fujin hissed as she stopped the jeep in front of a crossroad. Raijin scrolled through the map and then looked back at Fujin foolishly.
"Hey there's a ranch nearby. Maybe we can ask for directions."
Raijin opened the door and squeezed himself out of the jeep. He dashed across the street, dodging traffic, to get to a farmer who was tilling the soil as his daily errand. Raijin lifted his head until he could get a better look at the farm from the tall fence. After a few minutes, the red-skinned hunk climbed back to the passenger seat with the information the duo wanted.
"Go straight, and you'll find an airport sign that you won't miss."
"AFFIRMATIVE."
Squall soon met up with a road sign, alerting him that the airport would be fifteen miles away. The fifteen-mile drive soon ended and the view of an air terminal - with the airstrip, hangars and the control tower in view - arose from the haziness around the desert. The SeeD leader turned the vehicle into the building. There was a Galbadian soldier clad in beige and brown desert uniform guarding the entrance of the parking lot and the soldier approached the jeep.
"Mornin'" the soldier started, leaning onto the body of the jeep speaking to the driver. "I need your passport for ID verification."
"What's going on?" Rinoa asked as her head peeped out of the window to gain the soldier's attention.
"Oh sorry, Miss Caraway," he said apologetically and saluted at her in reverence. "There's been a jailbreak at the Desert Prison and we're tracking the prisoner."
***
Fujin and Raijin waited patiently for their 10.00 o'clock flight to Deling City Airport, and from there they would be connected on a flight to Winhill Airport. Soon, all the other teams arrived at the airport and purchased the same tickets, with the exception of Quistis and Xu, Selphie and Seifer and Zell and Irvine having connection tickets on a standby. Their hard-earned lead was entirely in smokes and the rest were happy to level with each other again.
"Have you heard about a jailbreak that happened yesterday?" Zell said speaking to Xu and Rachel. Rachel was busy brushing her hair and twirling it into a braid.
"I'm pretty surprised that a super-maximum security prison like that would have a jailbreak," Rachel commented, letting the braid tumble down back into her natural hairdo. "What do you think, Instructor Xu?"
"Well," she started with her arms folded. A slight trail of perspiration appeared on her philter.
"It has nothing to do with us so don't bother thinking about it," she stuttered, giving away a weak grin. "Hopefully he won't show up in the plane. Well we better not think about it too much or else we can't concentrate on the race."
Xu nervously rubbed her palms together, which were starting to sweat. She took a deep breath and blew her breath into between her palms and rubbed again.
"If you'd excuse me, I'm moving to a warmer place. Terrible air-conditioning."
Xu slowly moved herself away from the group and dashed swiftly to where Quistis was sitting. A suspicious aura remained leaving Zell and Rachel wondering keeping the silence intact.
"What's her problem?" Zell said casually, bending a knee outward with the feet clasped together while leaning by pressing one hand on a pillar.
Quistis sat in middle of the front row of seats at the departure hall, with her legs crossed and her mind in full concentration as she read through the witty and scandalous anecdotes in a Galbadian tabloid. She sensed a presence of a person sitting next to her through its irregular and heavy breathing. She peeked through the papers to see Xu huffing and puffing with beads of perspiration dotting her forehead. Her face was ghostly pale and her cheeks were soft and puffy.
"You don't look well Xu," Quistis said in concern as she placed the tabloid beside her.
"I'm fine," said Xu, gulping down the whole bottle of water.
"Let me take you somewhere to eat and buy you some pills," Quistis suggested, holding onto the back of her hand, which felt cold to the bone as she touched the skin. "Besides, we got an hour to spare, don't we."
***
The teams arrived at the small farming province of Winhill after a two-and-half-hour journey from Deling City Airport. Being on the front row, Fujin and Raijin stepped out of the plane first. The coolness and sweetness of the morning air around them was a far cry from the air in the Galbadia Desert. Fujin inhaled much of the wonderful fresh country air and felt more alive and game than before. Fujin and Raijin clasped their hands together and began to set out to the outside of the airport. Behind them were the other five teams, outrunning each other. The duo found a taxi waiting right in front of them at the exit and immediately grabbed it.
"FLOWER RESTAURANT," Fujin screeched as she unbuckled the strap of her backpack. "EMERGENCY!"
The taxi ride to town was a series of picturesque farmlands and vineyards. On the backdrop was a snowcapped mountain range, which divides Galbadia Continent into the chaotic and unruly Galbadian fascism and the peaceful and laid back Winhill country. After a brief period of time, the taxi arrived at the town, with the townscape dotted with parterres of sunflowers and bluebells and neat, newly painted buildings. Not to mention the quatrefoil flower mosaic on the cobblestones of the town square - a symbol significant to the culture and idyllic nature of the country. The taxi brought the duo to the northeastern part of the town square, where the next destination, the Flower Restaurant and Pub was located.
Fujin and Raijin gingerly entered the vicinity, which was teeming with people enjoying a simple lunch.
"DRINK," Fujin barked at the only bartender with her hands overlapping each other on the bar table.
"Umm... we want to drink the national drink," Raijin explained. A blast of laughter and giggles by the customers followed. "What's so funny?"
"WE'RE ON A RACE!" Fujin added.
"OK racers," the young smartly dressed bartender grinned from ear to ear, wiping of the moisture in the small glass with a white face cloth. The young man snapped out an unlabeled bottle filled with clear fluid from a rack of assorted wines and alcohol. He opens the cap and an unlikely aroma arose from the liquid. Raijin's face started to turn purple and his cheeks inflated after smelling something foul.
***
"According to this guide," Daniel started reading a Winhill tour guidebook. "The national drink is called a Ciopanna Chaser."
"Ciopina... whatever. Is it alcoholic?" Rachel asked. "You know I can't drink alcohol."
"Unfortunately yes, but its mild say about 0.5% alcohol content... The main thing about this drink is it's made of the extract of various edible wild flowers and has this powerful stench that smells like a trash can," Daniel explained. "The best part is it's usually served with a dose of..."
***
Rinoa gulped down the second serving of the chaser forcefully into her throat. The liquid burned and released a bitter and rotten sensation on her tongue, causing her cheeks to inflate like a balloon.
"God I hate this," Squall gulped down his second glass and tilted his head to pour the warm liquid into his throat. He closed and then opened his eyes to look at Rinoa, who was kneeling lowly with her hands covering her lips. "Honey are you alright?"
Rinoa exhaled briefly and rose up to match height with Fujin. Tears formed around her eyelids. "This is sickening."
After finishing the second round, the bartender applauded and smiled. "You've got one more chaser to go."
Presently, Zell and Irvine entered the pub and the bartender laid out four glasses of Ciopanna to Squall, Rinoa, Fujin and Raijin.
"But this time, as the real drinking tradition of Winhill, a dose of this will be added," the bartended shook a small elixir bottle and poured two to three drops of the clear viscous liquid into the glasses. A drop of the liquid landed on the bar table and immediately evaporated into white foamy steam.
"What are you adding?" Rinoa asked fearfully with her arms folded on her neck.
The bartender tabbed the small bottle on the table and turned it to reveal its label - 'CONC. SNAKE VENOM'.
Rinoa held the tiny glass in her hands. Her arms were shaking like leaves as she stared at the glass nervously.
"You can do it," Squall whispered, then spat in frustration, "Just drink it all down you bitch!"
Finally, Rinoa braved herself and neared the edge of the glass to her lips. She quickly widened her mouth and chucked the infernal liquid, which spread like a wildfire in her throat. Rinoa gasped and a slight headache followed after digesting the drink wholly.
"That sucks," she whined slamming the glass on the table while waving her hand diagonally. She snatched the clue from the table ungratefully.
"CLUE," Fujin said ordering Raijin to read the contents in the envelope.
"Bike yourselves to the Pennywort Perfume Farm and Factory at the Winhill Botanical Center," he read all at once.
Without further ado, the duo got into their taxi and ordered it to the said location. Squall and Rinoa soon came out of the pub and grabbed two bikes, which were parked outside the building, and started cycling.
***
"FAST FORWARD - Head to Warehouse 4 at the Winhill Botanical Dome. Further instructions will be given when you reach there."
"Well we're here," Selphie said thoughtfully, gazing at the white pineapple-shaped dome in the horizon from the taxi window. Around them were endless fields dedicated for growing various types of flowers to be produced into bouquets, perfumes and medicines - not to mention the insane Cioppana Chaser. This colourful area housing Winhill's number one export is known as the Winhill Botanical Center with the Winhill Botanical Dome as its headquarters and storage facility. After trudging through the fields, they have arrived at the foot of the dome and the largeness of the complex caught Selphie's curiosity. Soon, the taxi parked itself in front of the row of warehouses at the base of the dome.
"We're here, we're here!" Selphie shouted lively as she skipped down the pathway to the fourth warehouse from their point of view. A signboard with instructions appeared prior to starting the Fast Forward puzzle, but this did not stop Selphie from taking a peek at it.
"Oh Carbuncle..."
***
"Cheers."
Daniel and Rachel knocked the edge of their glasses to drink their third serving of the chaser beforehand. Daniel licked his lips sickeningly after a single gulp. "Delicious."
"At least I'm still here," Rachel joked back. While heading to the door, Rachel turned around and reached out her hand to take their clue eagerly.
"Xu, you're not even drinking a glass," Quistis said after finishing her second dose of Cioppana Chaser.
"I'm fine," Xu replied with her head hanging down to face the polished surface of the table. "I'm merely mentally-preparing myself."
Xu stretched her hand and slid the glass to her chest weakly. She shot the liquid into her mouth and then reached out for the next glass without hesitation.
"Xu, I don't think you should chuck it all down like that," Quistis advised. In reply Xu straightened her head and faced Quistis tardily with a ghastly stare. Dark circles formed around Xu's eyes and her skin was transparent and pale. Her hair was usually straight and combed neatly, but now it was in disorder and untidy and it added to that sense of tiredness in her.
"Stop jabbering you bitch," Xu choked with a sick husky voice and gulped down the liquid. She immediately reached her hand for the final glass added with concentrated snake venom. Xu slid the glass towards her and stared at the silky protein clouds from the venom in her drink for a brief moment.
"Don't!!" Quistis warned, shooting out her hand to knock the glass from her hand. However, the drink was already finished and the empty glass shattered into large shards. Quistis then stretched out her hands to grab onto Xu, who started losing consciousness after the drink.
"Come on girl, you can snap out of it... Oh no... Please someone call a doctor!"
***
Squall arduously cycled through the cobblestone roads of Winhill and trying to get as close as the taxi in front of him, which housed Raijin and Fujin. Restfully, they played a few rounds of thumb wrestling - with Fujin winning twenty to none in her favour. Raijin got fed up and turned to the rear windscreen to see Squall breezing down the gentle slopes on a bicycle.
"Is that Squall in a bike there?" he wondered, which caught Fujin's attention and she immediately looked out from her side window. The black hair jutting out of the rider's crash helmet and the apparel he was wearing were obviously Squall's.
"WHAT!?" Fujin felt enraged and confused. She snatched the clue from Raijin's pocket and reread it.
"IMBECILE!" she hissed, smacking her partner on the head with a think brochure.
"But it's too late to turn back now," Raijin reasoned. "If we can keep this a secret we won't be penalized. Besides Cid won't be around to inspect us right?"
Fujin considered for a while. She turned back again to see Squall and the others nearing their taxi.
"FASTER!!" she screeched, bribing the driver with another ten gil. The driver then switched gears to fourth and pressed the accelerator harder to give the car a boost. Soon, Squall was only a small dot struggling to keep pace, with the white dome representing the Winhill Botanical Center enlarging in the horizon.
Along the way, Fujin spotted two men walking with their mountain bikes at the roadside. She halted the taxi and alighted.
"Why are you stopping?" Raijin asked with his head peeping out the window to see Fujin opening the trunk.
"COME!" Fujin shouted. She then approached Raijin, holding both backpacks and pulled Raijin out of the taxi by his hair and paid the driver.
"Are you crazy?" Raijin exclaimed waving his arms to the taxi driving away from them. Fujin threw the backpacks to Raijin and walked casually to the two male bikers.
"STOP!" she greeted by partly raising her left arm. "BORROW BIKES!"
"Wow that's a new joke I never heard before," both men broke out into hysterical laughter.
"Huh?" Fujin jabbed one of the bikers in the stomach and the man blacked out. Then, she swiftly grappled the other biker and knocked him on the head with his own helmet until he was down cold. Fujin soon returned to Raijin with two bikes.
"ALIGHT!" she mounted her bike and pointed to the white dome far away. "PEDAL!! FASTER!!"
***
"No not in here," Selphie's voice quavered as she removed her hand from a barrel of watery and rotten residue of hyacinth perfume. She then dipped her hand into the next barrel and her hand swam around the murky, goopy and unbearably noisome residue, hopefully fishing out the clue. "Seifer, any lucky there?"
A white-gloved hand popped out from afar among the thousands of waste barrels, which pointed its thumb downwards. Selphie hung her head downward in disappointment. She pulled her sleeve towards the shoulder and dipped her arm wholly into another waste barrel.
***
"ARRIVED," Fujin cruised towards one of the many flower fields on the north side of the dome, where a clue box can be spotted among the rows of orchids. She slammed her bike on the marked farm gate and jogged to the box which was an inch away.
"RAIJIN!!" Fujin's voice stormed as she looked out from the farm gate to see Raijin pedaling sluggishly. The red envelope in one hand quivered furiously.
"I'm here honey," he said nonchalantly while piling his bike on top of Fujin's, and just the right time to receive another punishing smack on the head. Raijin retrieved the envelope from his head and tore it open to reveal its contents.
"DETOUR:
STOMP
Take yourselves to the Red Rose Nursery. Once there, extract 100 c.c. of rose oil by using the traditional method of crushing rose petals with your feet!
STAMP
Take one bouquet next to the clue box and send it to this ambiguous address.
[BLITZKRIEG! - IN THE NAME OF THY FATHER - I LIKE CHURROS - WINHILL TOWN]
Use your bikes to deliver it as fast as you can."
"DELIVER," Fujin picked up the giant rose and lily bouquet and carried it in her arms affectionately. The sweet refreshing scent of the flowers was rejuvenating. "SHIT."
"We got to figure out how to carry it on our bike, ya know," Raijin complained, walking in circle mindlessly.
"IDEA," Fujin pointed her finger upward with her eye shining brightly. She forced Raijin to sit on the bike and stuck the bouquet between his back and his backpack.
"Hey I'm not some human bouquet ya know," Raijin complained and shook his head, and to receive his third smack on the scalp for the day.
"MUSH!"
"I see our next destination!" Rinoa cried, pointing to the farm's logo, which was an image of certain flower, on a signboard erected among the rows of flowers. In front of her was Squall, cruising on his bike swiftly without turning around to give her a friendly wave of hand. Suddenly he turned into a junction, and Rinoa had to brake with her feet on the ground to make a U-turn and entered the junction. Fujin and Raijin were also seen coming out of the junction.
"Funny, where did Fujin and Raijin get their bikes from?" Rinoa turned around to look on and wondered.
"Their bikes have baskets, ya know," Raijin exclaimed, facing the humiliation and embarrassment aroused by motorists and passers-by laughing hysterically at the 'human bouquet'.
"Hey your skin matches the colour of your roses!" teased a male truck driver.
"I thought Winhill bumpkins are supposed to be friendly!" he exclaimed.
"Squall why did you rush into the junction like that?" Rinoa asked, approaching Squall who was leaning on the farm gate casually. "C'mon, no slacking..."
Rinoa stretched her arm to reach for the flap of the clue box.
"Detour," she said excitedly after pulling out two leaflets from the envelope. "Stomp or Stamp."
***
The doctor drew out a bottle of tablets from his medicine kit. He instructed Quistis to open Xu's mouth and the doctor mixed the soluble tablet into a small glass of water. He poured the mixture into the patient's mouth and within seconds, her eyelashes started to motion.
"Ohhh," Xu groaned as she struggled to lift her upper body after regaining consciousness. She shook her head to ease herself while covering her forehead with her hand. "What happened?"
"Oh, thank goodness!" Quistis said sighing in relief as she helped Xu to her feet. Xu felt a slight dizziness but it was gone after inhaling some fresh air outside the pub. Xu's eyes widened suddenly as she realised something.
"Oh no! The race!"
"Everything's fine now," Quistis assured rubbing her shoulders while taking her to sit on the bench. "Rest for a while. Here take the clue. I'll be back in a short while.
Quistis retraced her steps back into the restaurant. On the pub table sat the doctor talking to the bartender.
"Umm..." Quistis began. "Thanks for saving my friend's life. You have been very resourceful."
"Oh it's nothing," the middle-aged, male doctor replied. He then turned to his medicine bag and took out a packet of pills. "Take this for free. It's for your friend's stomach ulcer. It won't cure it but it can ease the pain."
"Thanks, doctor," Quistis said shyly as she retrieved the Ziploc bag containing orange pills.
"Is your friend outside?" the doctor asked holding his black bag with both hands. "I'll check on her for a while before you two depart."
"Wait!" Quistis called to the doctor as he was about to reach the door. "May I know your name?"
The doctor dipped the tip of his dark brown hat to one eye and smiled affably. "You can call me Dr. Massachusetts, if you want."
***
"I can feel something," Selphie muttered in uncertainty. She then pulled out her arm, which was coated with dark nauseous goo. "No, not here. Seifer got anything."
Seifer pulled his arm from the barrel in frustration. Goo started to drip from his glove as he glared at Selphie. "Just stop disturbing me you yakking bimbo girl. Are you listening to me!?"
Uninterrupted, Selphie continued on to inspect the next barrel. Her eyebrows started to arch upwards and her lips slowly curved into a smile. "I found something!" Selphie excited pulled out her arm from the waste barrel to reveal a laminated envelope covered in residue. She then stretched out both arms outwards and walked towards her partner happily. Seifer avoided the goo on her arms from staining his white T-shirt.
"Get off me!" Seifer spat in disgust. The words began to scratch Selphie's heart but she just smiled as if nothing hurt her.
"Okay we'll wash up."
"Oh thank goodness I'm out of the dump," Selphie muttered behind the towel covering her whole face. Seifer removed the plastic wrapping around the envelope and ripped it open for the contents. Selphie held onto Seifer's muscular arm as the two read the clue together.
"Congratulations, you have found the Fast Forward. Go directly to the pit stop; White River Lodge near the base of Bluff Falls."
***
"Excuse me, sweet old ladies," Raijin asked sheepishly to two elderly ladies walking their dogs as he walked with his bike. He took out a wrinkled piece of parchment which was written with the address puzzle. "Do you know what this address mean?"
The two ladies peered at the paper and thought with their heads in the air for a moment. After that, the woman on the right gaped suddenly and pointed her finger to the air and then turned and whispered to the other lady with one hand across to her shoulder.
"Please hurry. We're on a race. I just wanna know what CHURROS mean," Raijin pleaded with tears welling in his eyes like a devastated child.
"I think Churros is famous at err... Winhill Seafront?" the lady replied in a drawling slang, which was affirmed by the other lady with a nod.
"Okay thanks!" Raijin said briefly, hopped on his bike and pedaled away happily.
"Youngsters these days," the two ladies said shaking their heads.
"Honey..." Raijin cried excitedly as he spotted Fujin biking towards him. The two halted after they met at the middle of the road. "It's at Winhill Seafront."
"WHERE?" Fujin asked firmly crossing her arms.
"Uh," Raijin scratched his head with his eyes staring at the clouds. "I forgot ta ask, ya know."
"FOOL!" the austere woman reached out her leg from the pedal and stomped on Raijin's foot. "NO WORRIES. I KNOW WHERE."
Fujin slapped Raijin's back hardly like cracking a whip on a bull. A few petals from the dying bouquet fell lifelessly on the road. "NOW GO!"
***
"Wow this is fun," Rinoa commented lifting one foot and then the other alternately, crushing the slimy rose petals beneath her feet. "Okay I think I'm done. Help me honey."
Squall grabbed onto Rinoa's arm and shoulder and supported her as she stepped down from the platform slowly. A farmer took away the flat steel dish which contained the crushed rose petals from the platform and carefully transferred the oil into a bottle via a small spout sticking out from the dish.
"No way, that's all?" Squall gasped in disbelief as the transparent golden and unprocessed oil only filled only one third of the bottle.
"It's your turn honey," Rinoa said, pushing Squall to sit on the bench.
"I don't enjoy stepping on squishy stuff," he complained.
"Nah, don't worry," Rinoa assured as she forcefully removed Squall's moccasins, then his grey socks. "Ew... your feet stinks."
"I think I'm going to make the stinkiest perfume in the world," Squall joked sarcastically, which caused Rinoa to giggle hysterically.
Squall began to place both feet on the metal dish filled with freshly cut rose petals. The petals felt like a warm bedding of soft fabric with the tingly sensation of the thorns here and there as he crushed them by rapidly lifting one foot and then the other alternately as if he was walking. After a while, oil oozed out of the juicy petals and had a slimy and crude texture to it, which caused the stoic SeeD leader to feel uneasy.
"Are you going to use these for your perfume?" Squall asked jokingly.
"Don't worry sonny," the farmer said in his traditional Winhill slang. "Once the oil's refined all the bad smell will be gone."
"Oh it's that how you get the perfume from the oil?" Rinoa added.
"Whatever..." Squall motioned his lips to himself weakly as he paused his footing for the moment.
Squall's sat on the bench with his legs above the ground. His feet felt sore and tired with bits of petals and oil sticking onto the base of his feet. Rinoa and Squall studied the tiny bottle as the farmer cautiously filled it with the invaluable oil from the metal dish. The couple wailed in agony as the height of the oil was just below the red line marked on the bottle. Then an idea struck Rinoa. She took the bottle and placed it below Squall's feet. She scraped the leftover oil from Squall's feet with her hands into the bottle. Squall laughed a little as Rinoa's nails tickled his feet.
"There," Rinoa presented the fully filled bottle to the farmer with her sticky hands. "Can it be counted?"
"I'd be damned," the farmer took the bottle from Rinoa and placed it firmly on the dirt. He then dug his hand into his pocket for the envelope. Rinoa clapped her hands lightly and held onto the corner of the red envelope while shaking her other hand to rid the oil, then dropped it on Squall's lap.
"Leave your bikes and get to the route marker at the top of the tallest waterfall in the world," Squall read aloud. Eventually, Squall and Rinoa began giving each other a hug of joy.
***
The image of the azure waters of the sea separating Galbadia and Centra continent arose as Fujin and Raijin rode into the seaside area of town. Rocky beaches with violent waves crashing powerfully and noisily on the jagged rocks hugged the row of white buildings, which would display their golden complexion when the sun was going to sink into the ocean. An aromatic and greasy smell allured Raijin's senses, which came from the number of roadside stalls frying a batch of fresh Churros.
"I haven't had my lunch yet, ya know," Raijin complained as his stomach rumbled, which was angrily replied by a firm 'NO' answer. Fujin then spotted the 'Willingham Street' sign from afar and guided Raijin into the street.
"1019 WHERE?" Fujin yelled. The passerby pointed to the uphill section of the street. Fujin and Raijin vigorously pedaled up the steep road and then turned their bikes into the building with a large red signboard written 1019, which was unexpectedly a bouquet shop.
"BOUQUET, HERE!" Fujin plucked the bouquet from Raijin's back and dropped it recklessly on the cashier counter. The young female proprietor bowed in gratitude and then presented them a red envelope from the cash register.
"Now why don't we have a snack, like Churros, ya know," Raijin said in a happy dance, which turned into leaps of excruciation after receiving a painful kick on the heel.
"IMBECILE!" Fujin yelled and then turned to read the clue. "RUN!"
***
"Anyone knows where Blitzkrieg is?" Zell shouted as he pedaled around the Town Square, shooing away a few pigeons that were feeding on leftover breadcrumbs. "Anyone knows where Blitzkrieg is?"
"Hey lil' ladies," Irvine greeted as he dismounted from his bike like Prince Charming alighting from his horse. He then unfolded the clue and showed it to the two girls. "Can you help me on this?"
The two girls spoke to each other softly and then turned to Irvine, who dipped his hat down one eye to make himself presentable.
"The Father of Winhill is Walter Willingham and umm... you can get Churros at the seafront," the girl smiled as she paused before continuing. "But we have no idea what Blitzkrieg mean."
"Can it be a number or a name of a shop?" Irvine asked as he examined the town map.
"Oh yeah, it's the nickname of the Harvest Festival!" the girl cheered like a fresh idea struck her brain like thunder. "The date is October 19th."
"Well thanks girls," Irvine said shaking their hands. "You two have the most beautiful smile in the whole town... I mean the whole world. He he..."
"Anyone knows who the Father is?" Zell hollered at the edge of the square. Afar from Zell was a blue taxi speeding recklessly on the narrow road.
"FASTER!" Fujin ordered adding another 10 gil to the fare. The driver switched gears and pressed the accelerator. Not far from the taxi was an unwary biker with spiky hair, cycling along the roadside yelling around like a madman.
"Knock him down!" Raijin cheered, and then turned to face Fujin and snickered together in glee.
"What the fuck!" Zell turned his head to the front and spotted the mad taxi driver nearing him. He managed to lean his bike on the wall as the taxi headed to the town exit. He could see a two heads, one with silver hair and the other dark from behind the taxi. The silver-haired person gripped onto its hair angrily.
"Fujin and Raijin? I wonder if I follow them, I could foil they're crummy plans, and to unmask Seifer's true colours! And prove to Irvine that I'm not a sore loser!" Zell thought dreamily and immediately he picked up more speed by turning the pedals faster, trying to get as close as possible with the taxi yards away.
"IMPOSSIBLE!" Fujin hissed as she saw Zell tailing their taxi. Angrily, she turned to the driver with her hand pointing to the dashboard. "FASTER!"
"Our competitor is behind us ya know," Raijin explained.
"Tch, ya thought you guys can outrun the almighty Zell? I'll show you that even a horse can outrun a train!" Zell hastened his footwork and sparks started to fly from the chains on Zell's bike, boosting more speed. He could see the clear complexion of a pale skinned woman with an eye patch looking at him uneasily.
"TURN!" Fujin yelped suddenly after sinking her head in her arms for a while. Immediately, the taxi slowed down and burned rubber to make a sharp turn into the barley field, while Zell continued pedaling and went on straight instead.
"Huh? Where's the taxi?" Zell wondered. Suddenly, a foul stench drew nearer and nearer towards him. Zell yelled helplessly as he was unable to slow down since the brakes were not working, causing him to stumble into the pile of dried cow manure carried by a truck, which stopped suddenly in the middle of the road.
***
Towering cliffs can be seen jutting out of the fertile soil of the Winhill Bluffs. From the distance, a white foamy spectacle could be spotted, penciling down from the top of a precariously tall cliff. It was the magnificent sight of the tallest waterfall in the world - Bluff Falls. However, Seifer and Selphie were not gazing at the splendor of what was regard one of the natural wonders of the world. Winning the one and only Fast Forward pass of the leg meant that the couple had the privilege of reaching the pit stop without further tasks. And that was where they were heading - a wooden cabin situated beside the White River. Nesting in front of the lodge and beside the raging rapids were their coordinator, Cid Kramer and a farmer. Seifer and Selphie immediately alighted from their vehicle to meet their old and sapient principal.
"How are ya Headmaster Cid," Selphie cheered while wrapping her arm around Seifer. Without hesitation, the host started the verdict.
"Selphie and Seifer... you're the first team to arrive!"
Overjoyed, the couple jumped happily together and approached each other for a brief kiss, making a smile on Cid and the farmer's face.
"How does it feel to come this far?" Cid asked, which was casually replied with only one word that defined it all.
"Awesome."
Lagging a few minutes behind Seifer and Selphie were Squall and Rinoa. This time the taxi parked in front of a wooden building situated at the foot of the mountain where the waterfall was located.
"Ya have to pay to climb up there," the taxi driver said after receiving his pay.
Squall and Rinoa held hands to reach the front desk of the falls' entrance. Behind it was a set of stairs going straight up and disappeared into the clouds. The couple began walking meticulously up the steep steps. Struggle began when the air thinned as they got higher and higher.
"This sucks," Rinoa panted bending down to her knees on a small flat rocky clearing atop a cliff surrounded by cold white mist. Before her was the final set of stairs, which leads them to a cave. Squall followed to rest by squatting next to a pine tree. After a brief moment, the couple rose to continue their climb towards the cave, marked by a blue and yellow flag at the entrance. Inside the dimly lit cave was a river. As they followed the course of the river, the river grew into unrest and then panic. Light started to prick from afar as they walked nearer to the exit. At the exit, they knew what the river feared of - a thousand feet plunge down the cliff to form the tallest waterfall.
"Roadblock," Rinoa announced the clue in one of the envelopes in the clue box. "Who likes a quick dip."
After taking a quick peek at the waterfall from above, Squall raised his hand and Rinoa immediately peeled off the leaflet.
"Ha ha. You'll have to be dangled on a rope Squally," Rinoa jeered playfully.
Squall fitted a blue crash helmet on his head while the operators tied a cable around him. He took another look at the waterfall, where he could only see a white mist forming at the base.
"I must be crazy," Squall cursed after he found himself standing backwards at the edge of a rock that looked like a springboard jutting out of the face of the cliff, while gripping on the cable tied in front of him. He then jumped backwards and allowed himself to be lowered gracefully down the cliff as he dangled at the edge of the cable. He could see the mist clearing as he descended nearer towards the base to reveal a rapid with sharp rocks. Squall splashed gently into a pool formed by the waterfall. He felt cold and frigid as the water soaked into his shoes and jeans. Squall unbuckled the cable around him and scrambled towards the bank.
"Where's the clue?" Squall thought.
"Squall!" Squall could barely hear Rinoa's voice as the noise of the waterfall dampened her hollering. He turned with water splashing onto his back and hair to see Rinoa running along the bank with her hand shaped like a megaphone. "The clue is on the rocks!"
Squall quickly turned around to find a laminated red envelope on a rock beating to the rapids. Squall fought the current towards the rock and reached out his arm to grab the clue. Squall then headed back to the bank and climbed up into Rinoa's arms.
"It is going to be the end of the fifth leg and give yourself a pat on the back for reaching this far," Rinoa read the clue jubilantly to Squall, who was sitting on the grass wringing his socks dry. "Before you depart from Galbadia Continent, stop by at the final pit stop. Follow the marked path ahead of you and walk yourselves to the White Water Lodge.
Squall rose to his feet and slung his backpack, while holding his wet shoes and socks in one hand. The couple soon arrived at an old building made of oak with a rustic river setting. On that setting was Cid Kramer who had already predicted their arrival. Squall stepped on the world map mat on his bare feet with bits of grass and mud, followed by Rinoa to secure their position.
"Squall and Rinoa," Cid began as the couple paid their fullest attention to the verdict. "You're the second team to arrive."
"Give me a big hug Squally!" Rinoa cooed spreading out her arms to wound around her boyfriend. "Oof, we forgot to bring our bags along."
"Don't worry, we'll retrieve your bags from the front desk," Cid assured, patting on Squall's shoulder. "Now you may go in and rest up for a long day tomorrow."
***
"There you are Zell," Irvine said casually in his cowboy slang as he walked towards Zell. "I've been looking for you for ages, man."
"Guess what," Zell replied. "I followed Fujin and Raijin's taxi, and guess where they go?"
Irvine and Zell started staring at each other in silence. Irvine then repositioned his hat. "So what happened next?"
"The taxi suddenly disappeared into thin air and I lost their track. But at least I knew they're up to no good."
"So what's their plan?"
"Beats me," Zell answered half-heartedly.
"Man you wasted a good deal of time just chasing Mrs. Long John Silver without avail?" Irvine cried with fidgeting to express his dissatisfaction. Then he lifted his hand to his nose and waved it back and forth. "And dude you smell like a landfill."
"God, how on earth he knew about it? At least I did something better than womanising around town," Zell thought. "So you know where is our next destination."
"Yup, thanks to two hot chicks. And I forgot to thank you for you to show up this late so I can spend my time with the chicks. Ya know Winhill lasses ain't that bad after all!"
"Just as I thought," Zell muttered and grinned to himself.
***
"It's the moment of truth!" Quistis exclaimed jokingly. The two girls held each other's hand as they watched the bottle slowly filling up with fresh rose oil. The female instructors broke into an uproar as they finally completed their task.
"Get yourselves to the top of the world's tallest waterfall," Xu read in exhilaration as the both of them dashed to exit the nursery.
"Now where to get a cab?" Quistis questioned to herself with her hands on her waist as she arrived at the dome.
"TAXI!!" Xu yelled as she scrambled around the front of the dome. She finally stopped and bent down with her hands on her knees gasping for breath.
"Excuse me," Quistis said running to a woman who dressed like a scientist heading towards a door with an 'Authorized Personnel' sign. "Can you help us to get a cab?"
"Why no problem," the woman took out her hand-phone and began speaking to the taxi headquarters. Within twenty minutes, a blue taxi arrived at the front entrance of the dome, where Quistis was walking in a circular pattern drinking her coke with a lot of things in her mind, while Xu slumped on the bench reading a work of her favourite author.
"To the waterfalls!" Quistis cheered.
***
Rachel screamed as loud as the waterfall as she dangled at the end of the cable, which descends her to the base of the waterfall. She reached out her hand and dipped it into the waterfall. The water felt cold and she could feel the tremendous and exhilarating power generated from it. At last, she could see Daniel waving at her at the riverbank as the mist thinned out. The girl splashed into the frigid water followed by an uproar. She stood up to find the water reaching her hips, and followed the current to a nearby rock where a red envelope was pinned.
Rachel and Daniel stepped onto the mat in front of Cid Kramer. Rachel shivered a little as her red tank top and black shorts were dripping wet.
"Daniel and Rachel you're team number four!" Cid announced. Daniel and Rachel immediately exchanged hugs and gave themselves a high-five.
***
"How long are we going to reach the top?" Irvine complained, plopping himself at the middle of the stairway panting hardly for breath.
"Beats me," Zell answered. "I'm gonna leave ya. Bye."
Irvine quickly stood up to his feet as Zell disappeared into the thick mist above the stairs. The two boys found themselves in front of a cave with the blue and yellow flag marked on it. The twosome followed an arrow pointing to the direction of the river, and eventually led them to a spectacular sight they had never witnessed before.
"YOU ALL SUCK!" Zell hollered out loud, wishing for an echo to return. "SEIFER IS AN ASSHOLE!"
"Oh quit the profanity," Irvine said waving the Roadblock clue to him from inside the cave. "Why don't you do something useful like jumping down the cliff?"
"No way," Zell cried. He gagged as he looked down at the foamy base of the waterfall, which was like water running from the tap and splashing into a pool of water, causing a bubbly effect in his bathtub.
"Would you like to be called a chicken-wuss for the rest of your life?" Irvine grinned from ear to ear as Zell's face began to distort. Irvine expected Zell to squinch his eyebrows upward, but instead he grinned back more meekly.
"I'll hunt you down for the rest of your life!" Irvine yelled to Zell who was pouting at him from above as he dangled at the end of the cable. Presently, two women emerged out of the cave and fiddled with the clue box.
"Thank goodness there are two cables!" Xu said jostling to the operators handling the second cable.
"Well, well," Quistis chuckled as she approached Zell running towards her. "How are you doing Zell?"
"There's no time instructor Trepe," Zell said briefly and continued running.
"Wait for me!" Quistis shouted back. She turned around to give her partner a thumb up and followed Zell's footsteps.
Irvine finally landed at the base of the waterfall with a splash. The sound generated from the puissance of the water crashing down deafened his senses.
"Zell where are ya?" Irvine said in his mind as he paddled around the pool with his sight blinded by the sprinkles of water leaping out of the pool in abundance.
"Irvine!" Zell yelled at the man wearing a cowboy hat paddling behind the waterfall aimlessly. "Over here!"
Xu was soon found splashing gently into the river. She then followed the direction of the water, grabbing onto some vines to prevent from being washed away by the powerful current.
"Xu, here!" Quistis screamed as loud as she could at her.
"Where?" Xu replied. Presently, Irvine emerged from the thick mist and held onto the vines at the bank, shivering and gasping for breath.
"Over here! Over here!" Zell wailed jumping up and down with his finger pointing to a rock near him. Irvine then traversed to the rock while grabbing onto the vines. He reached out his hand to snatch the wet clue from the rock. Irvine smiled to himself and dipped the envelope into the water. Ironically, he could feel the slippery plastic in his hand dying away as the envelope slipped out of his grip. Zell looked helpless at their clue being washed away by the current and disappeared into a small vortex in an instant.
"Irvine you klutz!" Zell fumed, wanting to pull his rock solid hair from the roots to release his tantrum.
Irvine, for the first time, felt devastated as he lost in the battlefield. He could not help but to knock his forehead on the rock a few times. Suddenly, a glimmer of hope shone as he spotted another rock with an untouched envelope at the middle of the pond. Irvine dived into the water heroically and paddled to the rock while fighting the current. Xu wound her arms around a large rock and snapped off the envelope pinned on it. Now another problem arose - how was she going to get to the other side of the river where Quistis was without getting washed away. Xu paddled to a nearby rock and grabbed on it. Then she reached out for the adjacent rock and hugged it immediately. Then she traversed to another rock and then held on a sturdy branch jutting out of the bank. Quistis immediately pulled Xu up to dry land and gleefully snatched the clue from her as she rolled on the grass in relief.
Irvine finally grabbed their second ticket and waved it at Zell, who did not seem to be happy as Quistis and Xu were on their way to the pit stop. With all his might, Irvine paddled to the bank and climbed up to meet Zell. Without hesitation, Irvine convinced Zell and the two were well on their way to turn the tables.
The river grew restless as tension started to build between the last two teams, trying to oust each other to secure their place in the race. The forest was thick with bushes and pine trees, making it hard to see the road ahead. Despite having to lose their direction a few times, Quistis and Xu broke out from the forest where the lodge can be seen. The two girls dashed madly towards the mat of the world map and braked in front of Cid with their arms around their shoulders. Tears can be seen formed around Quistis' eyes while Xu was shivering as her clothes were wet and covered with grass and pine needles. Anxiety evolved from the tension as the female instructors await their verdict.
"Quistis and Xu," Cid's eyes started to flare up. "You're team number five!"
Cid smiled at his two favourite teachers as the both of the hugged and patted each other's back. He then shook hands with the two women and congratulated them for a job well done.
Irvine and Zell surfaced from the woods just after Quistis and Xu were ushered into the lodge. Cid shook his head lightly as he saw Zell pushing Irvine to the edge of the riverbank irately, probably putting the blame on Irvine since he was certain about losing the race. Irvine and Zell stepped in front of Cid with their heads spiritlessly hanging downwards.
"Irvine and Zell," Cid announced. "I know this is unbearable but you've finished last in this leg of the race, and we'll have to send you two home."
Cid let out a sigh as a dark cloud started to rain above the two, figuring a few words to liven up their spirits before he leaves the two alone. "Remember there are no losers in this race. You two should praise yourselves for coming this far."
Zell lifted his head with beads of tears on his cheek. The two guys reached out their arms and embraced each other emotionally.
"It's my fault!" Zell cried, bursting into tears. "If I wasn't a bossy son-of-a-bitch..."
"No Zell, put the blame on me," Irvine insisted poking his cheek with his finger. "Give me a nice smack on the face and you'll feel better. Cut the cryin' already!"
In a flash, a swift blow hit Irvine on the cheek he just marked. Stars started to dance around his eyes and his vision slowly faded as he fell on the grass with a soft thud. Zell did not imagine hitting his partner would make him feel a little spirited but it did as usual. He heard a person applauding behind him and he turned around to see Seifer, Fujin and Raijin sneering at him from the balcony.
"What a show," Seifer said movingly while he lightly clapped his hands. "And I suppose its time to pack your bags, is it not chicken-wuss?"
"Uh, Seifer?" Raijin asked tapping onto Seifer's shoulder. "Will the others hear about this?"
"Don't worry Raijin," Seifer said in an assuring tone while patting on his firm shoulders. "I asked Selphie to do the dirty work for me."
"Cool I wonder what it is," he wondered.
"Seifer I knew you're up to no good," Zell said in a challenging voice pointing his finger at Seifer's chest. "All that camaraderie stuff are all crap and I can say it was poor acting you guys."
"RAGE!" Fujin flared, wanting to jump down the porch and clobber Zell, but was halted by Seifer.
"Whatever you say chicken-wuss," Seifer replied as he curved his lips into its most sinister and undesirable form. Then he turned around with his arms wrapping around Fujin and Raijin. "Oh by the way, thanks for the comment. I look forward to polish my acting. Bon voyage!"
"Hey come back!" Zell cried as Seifer disappeared into the cabin. He then squatted down and sat on Irvine's body with his fists touching his chin and his elbows on his lap. "Why does Seifer want the money so badly?"
***
Squall, Rinoa, Quistis and Xu huddled together on a four seated lounge sofa beside the electric heater, while listening to Selphie singing to a jazzy oldie.
"Cuz you don't deserve... ME!" Selphie ended her song with in a short, high pitch. The four applauded as Selphie turned around to bow with the microphone in one hand. A soft clapping was soon heard somewhere.
"That was sensational," Seifer commented as he revealed himself from a dark corner. Selphie dropped the microphone on the carpet and excitedly wound her arms around her partner.
"Now we'll see whether I'm the man who deserves to be with you!" Seifer murmured to himself as the both of them made their first public kiss.
---------------------------------------
Cid Kramer takes Seifer, Selphie, Fujin and Raijin to the darkened hallways of the Spratley Manor. A fearsome chill permeated Selphie's spine as the dimly lit portraits of previous owners and their families stare at her in a ghostly manner with their eyes wide open and their lips curving downwards. She held onto Seifer's stalwart arm and dug her head into his broad shoulders, hoping for a radiation of warmth to combat the coldness in her. The hallway ended with a dark door blended with the shadows, guarded by two huge suits of armour, waiting for the right time to strike their maces on unwary trespassers.
Cid opened the door gently but a screeching creak echoed loudly, revealing a bleak office littered with obsolete documents and rusty file cabinets. At the middle of the shadowy room was a white fluorescent bulb hanging by its long retractable cord from the ceiling. Below it was a barely lit round table with six chairs neatly positioned into the points of an equilateral hexagon.
"Please have a seat," Cid proffered affably. Everyone began to draw their seats quietly and sat down calmly. There was a look of terror but most of them were questioning about Cid's motive on bringing them to this nightly cellar.
Selphie examined the wooden table with edges chewed off by termites. "This place is cool for playing Ouija," she thought gleefully.
"Thank you for sparing some time with me," Cid started, signaling everyone to look at him in reverence. "This is going to be brief but it is of great importance.
Cid firstly turned to Raijin and Fujin who are sitting close to each other. His wrinkled complexion and worn-out brown eyes gave a serious look but nonchalant impression to the duo.
"Raijin and Fujin, since you two have been assaulted and injured by another team, you have been given 30 minutes plus an additional halved time difference between your team and the assailants of 15 minutes as extra time credit. Instead of 7.21 a.m., you'll be leaving at a new time 6.26 a.m., making you two the current leaders of the race."
"As for Seifer and Selphie," Cid started again, turning his attention to the couple much more seriously than he did on Seifer's posse members. Selphie slid her chair closer and closer to Seifer's, making irritable scratching noises, wanting the warmth to shield her from the haunting chill which made her heart palpitate madly. "As you two are the assailants, you have been given a penalty of one hour plus 30 minutes, which is the time difference between you two and Fujin and Raijin arriving at the pit stop. Your rest period has been extended and your new launch time is 8.21 a.m. The good news is you are still in the race."
***
Fujin and Raijin returned to their tent, tired but relieved after the meeting. Fujin crawled onto the bed and gently laid her head on the soft leathery pillow, soothing the wound on her forehead. She dimmed her flashlight until the tent was glowing warmly in orange from the outside. Raijin on the other hand busied himself by packing the luggage for the morning. He was so lazy that he stuffed a bunch of clothes at once into the bag, until pieces of clothing pricked out of the zip. Raijin took of his shirt and strew it onto a chair, revealing his dark reddish skin and washboard abdominal muscles. He sat down on the sleeping bag beside Fujin and then lowered his body gradually into sleeping position. He stretched his arms and placed his hands below his head, facing the roof as if he could penetrate the opaque fabric to view to starry night sky.
"This is not my favourite position ya know," he said sleepily.
"APOLOGY," Fujin replied, who turned her body to face Raijin. "Shall we switch places?"
"WHOA!" he yelped, while lifting half of his body abruptly as if thunder struck him. "You don't sound like who you are ya know."
"No, I am me," Fujin insisted, lifting her head and half of her body up to superimpose with Raijin's. Raijin could her mouth gradually squinching upwards.
"No way," he strongly denied, shaking his head wildly in disbelief. "What happened to that loud and boomin' voice of yours? What happened to that slappin' and kickin' you usually give me when I do or say somethin' stupid? What happened to that sinister side of you..."
Raijin's blabbering, full of concern, was interrupted when Fujin silenced him by touching his lips with her finger. Raijin tried to avoid from lip contact with Fujin when her face was getting closer to his. Finally, both lips met and Fujin wrapped her arms around Raijin's muscular shoulders. Raijin was scared, not knowing what her next move would be, but the sensation of feeling the sweet, fleshy lips of a woman on his was to be discerned as a long kiss, erotic and passionate.
"Oops I forgot," Fujin said backing away after a brief moment of submissiveness, whence Raijin was anticipating the next best thing to happen. She climbed down and moved away from the bed towards her backpack. She pulled up two small perfume bottles with one hand and the other pulling off her eye patch and placing it neatly on the sandy floor. Raijin's heart pounded madly as she slowly turned around, too afraid to behold the unveiling of her what-was-thought-to-be terrifying impairment. Instead of the dark and hollow wound he imagined inchoately, it was a perfectly healthy eye with a beautiful aquamarine iris, which matched the other.
"WHA..." Raijin became speechless as Fujin threw the two bottles, which bounced on the sand onto Raijin's blanket.
"Use that one to get rid of your sweaty body odor and that one to get rid of that garlicky breath." Fujin bent down and zipped open the secondary compartment of the backpack and calmly dug through the stuffing of clothes searching for something eagerly. Eventually, she had found what she wanted to wear for a long time: A long red silky bed garment with extra thin shoulder straps and a V-shaped opening from the shoulders to her chest which could partly reveal her breasts. The bottom part was as short as half of her thighs. Loose and exposing, it was the sexiest bedroom gown she bought secretly from a boutique in Balamb. She surfaced from the outside, completely attired with the flamingly arousing garment and immediately posed in front of Raijin.
Raijin sat on the leathery surface of the sleeping bag in meditating position. His mouth gaped widely as Fujin strutted back to him.
"Wow you sure are more beautiful than Quistis or Rinoa, ya know," he commented in total disbelief. Fujin giggled to herself and pinned Raijin on the bed with all fours around him.
***
"Do you know what?" Selphie said, turning towards Seifer along with her sleeping bag.
"You're annoying," he spat with a muffled voice through his blanket, covering his whole head.
"At the manor," she started. "I can feel a presence."
Seifer irritably took off his blanket. His eyes pointed sleepily at the roof while his lips started to mouth words.
"Look if you want to start a darned ghost story, tell it to the campfire kids outside."
"Nope I didn't say it was a ghost story," she said while getting herself up from her sleeping position. "I mean I don't believe in those crappy mumbo jumbo except Ouija."
"Then?"
"I have a theory," she started, looking at the roof absent-mindedly for awhile before she turned back to an irritated looking Seifer. "Maybe we're all going to be on TV."
"What..." choked Seifer, who soon lifted half his body up in interest.
"Isn't it cool that there are cameras taping our every move and airing it live on national TV? We're like characters in an ultra-real drama!" she said thoughtfully. Her face soon radiated in bright pink. "I hope the students back at Balamb won't see us together at that gondola."
"Impossible," Seifer said, turning his whole body to face Selphie's. "How can a filthy race like this worthy to be broadcast? Besides, I don't see cameras around the places we've been to."
"Well it'll be cool if it's real. You've seen how they taped Survivor by fixing micro-cameras around the place right?"
Seifer rubbed his chin with his eyes looking up, pausing temporary to consider the possibility. Selphie soon snapped up to another point.
"I thought of something. You know actors and actresses can get really famous if they act really well in a show. I have a feeling that we can have some publicity after the whole darn race is over."
"So how are we going to do that?" Seifer asked keenly.
"I don't know," Selphie said, looking at the ground mindlessly shaking her head. "Maybe we can have a nookie now?"
Selphie moved her finger back at forth in front of Seifer's vision. Seifer, who was dressed in his T-shirt and shorts, crawled away from his blanket and sneaked naughtily towards her pale thin lips.
"Careful, everybody is watching us now."
***
Raijin and Fujin felt refreshed as they walked up the steep steps of the manor after they had woke up at six in a morning. All they had for breakfast was a cup of warm weak coffee and nothing to eat, which would barely replenished all the energy that had been wasted. However, this time, a new alternative power was within them. A cowboy greeted, standing at the entrance of the manor waiting for their arrival, and the duo did not forget to reply in unison as usual.
"READ," Fujin instructed, passing the contents of the envelope to Raijin.
"Hey baby we're gonna fly to somewhere," he cheered energetically. Both of them immediately scaled down the stairs as Raijin continued. "Use the jeep that you have used in the last leg of the race and drive yourselves to Urban Desert Airport. Fly to Winhill and once you get there, find the Flower Restaurant and Bar and help yourselves to three glasses of Winhill's national drink to get the next clue."
***
"Mornin'" the cowboy said briefly as Squall and Rinoa climbed wearily to the top of the stairway. With her eyes half-open and blinking, Rinoa replied in a sleepy voice and grabbed the clue weakly from his hands.
"Squall we're going to paint the streets of Winhill red!" she cheered loudly, which boosted her energy to look positively into the race. Rinoa ran down the stairway to meet Selphie, who was waiting with a cup of coffee in her hands, while Squall was lagging behind her, lifting his feet one by one in slow rhythm to descend. Selphie then gave Rinoa a warm hug wishing her good luck.
"The Fast Forward's in the hyacinth potpourri at the perfume factory in Winhill," Rinoa whispered to her ears in return. She then turned around to see Squall already standing in front of her and signaled him to walk to the jeep.
"See you at the airport, Selphie."
"Okay," she said meekly, sipping the hot coffee which scalded her tongue.
***
"DIRECTION!" Fujin hissed as she stopped the jeep in front of a crossroad. Raijin scrolled through the map and then looked back at Fujin foolishly.
"Hey there's a ranch nearby. Maybe we can ask for directions."
Raijin opened the door and squeezed himself out of the jeep. He dashed across the street, dodging traffic, to get to a farmer who was tilling the soil as his daily errand. Raijin lifted his head until he could get a better look at the farm from the tall fence. After a few minutes, the red-skinned hunk climbed back to the passenger seat with the information the duo wanted.
"Go straight, and you'll find an airport sign that you won't miss."
"AFFIRMATIVE."
Squall soon met up with a road sign, alerting him that the airport would be fifteen miles away. The fifteen-mile drive soon ended and the view of an air terminal - with the airstrip, hangars and the control tower in view - arose from the haziness around the desert. The SeeD leader turned the vehicle into the building. There was a Galbadian soldier clad in beige and brown desert uniform guarding the entrance of the parking lot and the soldier approached the jeep.
"Mornin'" the soldier started, leaning onto the body of the jeep speaking to the driver. "I need your passport for ID verification."
"What's going on?" Rinoa asked as her head peeped out of the window to gain the soldier's attention.
"Oh sorry, Miss Caraway," he said apologetically and saluted at her in reverence. "There's been a jailbreak at the Desert Prison and we're tracking the prisoner."
***
Fujin and Raijin waited patiently for their 10.00 o'clock flight to Deling City Airport, and from there they would be connected on a flight to Winhill Airport. Soon, all the other teams arrived at the airport and purchased the same tickets, with the exception of Quistis and Xu, Selphie and Seifer and Zell and Irvine having connection tickets on a standby. Their hard-earned lead was entirely in smokes and the rest were happy to level with each other again.
"Have you heard about a jailbreak that happened yesterday?" Zell said speaking to Xu and Rachel. Rachel was busy brushing her hair and twirling it into a braid.
"I'm pretty surprised that a super-maximum security prison like that would have a jailbreak," Rachel commented, letting the braid tumble down back into her natural hairdo. "What do you think, Instructor Xu?"
"Well," she started with her arms folded. A slight trail of perspiration appeared on her philter.
"It has nothing to do with us so don't bother thinking about it," she stuttered, giving away a weak grin. "Hopefully he won't show up in the plane. Well we better not think about it too much or else we can't concentrate on the race."
Xu nervously rubbed her palms together, which were starting to sweat. She took a deep breath and blew her breath into between her palms and rubbed again.
"If you'd excuse me, I'm moving to a warmer place. Terrible air-conditioning."
Xu slowly moved herself away from the group and dashed swiftly to where Quistis was sitting. A suspicious aura remained leaving Zell and Rachel wondering keeping the silence intact.
"What's her problem?" Zell said casually, bending a knee outward with the feet clasped together while leaning by pressing one hand on a pillar.
Quistis sat in middle of the front row of seats at the departure hall, with her legs crossed and her mind in full concentration as she read through the witty and scandalous anecdotes in a Galbadian tabloid. She sensed a presence of a person sitting next to her through its irregular and heavy breathing. She peeked through the papers to see Xu huffing and puffing with beads of perspiration dotting her forehead. Her face was ghostly pale and her cheeks were soft and puffy.
"You don't look well Xu," Quistis said in concern as she placed the tabloid beside her.
"I'm fine," said Xu, gulping down the whole bottle of water.
"Let me take you somewhere to eat and buy you some pills," Quistis suggested, holding onto the back of her hand, which felt cold to the bone as she touched the skin. "Besides, we got an hour to spare, don't we."
***
The teams arrived at the small farming province of Winhill after a two-and-half-hour journey from Deling City Airport. Being on the front row, Fujin and Raijin stepped out of the plane first. The coolness and sweetness of the morning air around them was a far cry from the air in the Galbadia Desert. Fujin inhaled much of the wonderful fresh country air and felt more alive and game than before. Fujin and Raijin clasped their hands together and began to set out to the outside of the airport. Behind them were the other five teams, outrunning each other. The duo found a taxi waiting right in front of them at the exit and immediately grabbed it.
"FLOWER RESTAURANT," Fujin screeched as she unbuckled the strap of her backpack. "EMERGENCY!"
The taxi ride to town was a series of picturesque farmlands and vineyards. On the backdrop was a snowcapped mountain range, which divides Galbadia Continent into the chaotic and unruly Galbadian fascism and the peaceful and laid back Winhill country. After a brief period of time, the taxi arrived at the town, with the townscape dotted with parterres of sunflowers and bluebells and neat, newly painted buildings. Not to mention the quatrefoil flower mosaic on the cobblestones of the town square - a symbol significant to the culture and idyllic nature of the country. The taxi brought the duo to the northeastern part of the town square, where the next destination, the Flower Restaurant and Pub was located.
Fujin and Raijin gingerly entered the vicinity, which was teeming with people enjoying a simple lunch.
"DRINK," Fujin barked at the only bartender with her hands overlapping each other on the bar table.
"Umm... we want to drink the national drink," Raijin explained. A blast of laughter and giggles by the customers followed. "What's so funny?"
"WE'RE ON A RACE!" Fujin added.
"OK racers," the young smartly dressed bartender grinned from ear to ear, wiping of the moisture in the small glass with a white face cloth. The young man snapped out an unlabeled bottle filled with clear fluid from a rack of assorted wines and alcohol. He opens the cap and an unlikely aroma arose from the liquid. Raijin's face started to turn purple and his cheeks inflated after smelling something foul.
***
"According to this guide," Daniel started reading a Winhill tour guidebook. "The national drink is called a Ciopanna Chaser."
"Ciopina... whatever. Is it alcoholic?" Rachel asked. "You know I can't drink alcohol."
"Unfortunately yes, but its mild say about 0.5% alcohol content... The main thing about this drink is it's made of the extract of various edible wild flowers and has this powerful stench that smells like a trash can," Daniel explained. "The best part is it's usually served with a dose of..."
***
Rinoa gulped down the second serving of the chaser forcefully into her throat. The liquid burned and released a bitter and rotten sensation on her tongue, causing her cheeks to inflate like a balloon.
"God I hate this," Squall gulped down his second glass and tilted his head to pour the warm liquid into his throat. He closed and then opened his eyes to look at Rinoa, who was kneeling lowly with her hands covering her lips. "Honey are you alright?"
Rinoa exhaled briefly and rose up to match height with Fujin. Tears formed around her eyelids. "This is sickening."
After finishing the second round, the bartender applauded and smiled. "You've got one more chaser to go."
Presently, Zell and Irvine entered the pub and the bartender laid out four glasses of Ciopanna to Squall, Rinoa, Fujin and Raijin.
"But this time, as the real drinking tradition of Winhill, a dose of this will be added," the bartended shook a small elixir bottle and poured two to three drops of the clear viscous liquid into the glasses. A drop of the liquid landed on the bar table and immediately evaporated into white foamy steam.
"What are you adding?" Rinoa asked fearfully with her arms folded on her neck.
The bartender tabbed the small bottle on the table and turned it to reveal its label - 'CONC. SNAKE VENOM'.
Rinoa held the tiny glass in her hands. Her arms were shaking like leaves as she stared at the glass nervously.
"You can do it," Squall whispered, then spat in frustration, "Just drink it all down you bitch!"
Finally, Rinoa braved herself and neared the edge of the glass to her lips. She quickly widened her mouth and chucked the infernal liquid, which spread like a wildfire in her throat. Rinoa gasped and a slight headache followed after digesting the drink wholly.
"That sucks," she whined slamming the glass on the table while waving her hand diagonally. She snatched the clue from the table ungratefully.
"CLUE," Fujin said ordering Raijin to read the contents in the envelope.
"Bike yourselves to the Pennywort Perfume Farm and Factory at the Winhill Botanical Center," he read all at once.
Without further ado, the duo got into their taxi and ordered it to the said location. Squall and Rinoa soon came out of the pub and grabbed two bikes, which were parked outside the building, and started cycling.
***
"FAST FORWARD - Head to Warehouse 4 at the Winhill Botanical Dome. Further instructions will be given when you reach there."
"Well we're here," Selphie said thoughtfully, gazing at the white pineapple-shaped dome in the horizon from the taxi window. Around them were endless fields dedicated for growing various types of flowers to be produced into bouquets, perfumes and medicines - not to mention the insane Cioppana Chaser. This colourful area housing Winhill's number one export is known as the Winhill Botanical Center with the Winhill Botanical Dome as its headquarters and storage facility. After trudging through the fields, they have arrived at the foot of the dome and the largeness of the complex caught Selphie's curiosity. Soon, the taxi parked itself in front of the row of warehouses at the base of the dome.
"We're here, we're here!" Selphie shouted lively as she skipped down the pathway to the fourth warehouse from their point of view. A signboard with instructions appeared prior to starting the Fast Forward puzzle, but this did not stop Selphie from taking a peek at it.
"Oh Carbuncle..."
***
"Cheers."
Daniel and Rachel knocked the edge of their glasses to drink their third serving of the chaser beforehand. Daniel licked his lips sickeningly after a single gulp. "Delicious."
"At least I'm still here," Rachel joked back. While heading to the door, Rachel turned around and reached out her hand to take their clue eagerly.
"Xu, you're not even drinking a glass," Quistis said after finishing her second dose of Cioppana Chaser.
"I'm fine," Xu replied with her head hanging down to face the polished surface of the table. "I'm merely mentally-preparing myself."
Xu stretched her hand and slid the glass to her chest weakly. She shot the liquid into her mouth and then reached out for the next glass without hesitation.
"Xu, I don't think you should chuck it all down like that," Quistis advised. In reply Xu straightened her head and faced Quistis tardily with a ghastly stare. Dark circles formed around Xu's eyes and her skin was transparent and pale. Her hair was usually straight and combed neatly, but now it was in disorder and untidy and it added to that sense of tiredness in her.
"Stop jabbering you bitch," Xu choked with a sick husky voice and gulped down the liquid. She immediately reached her hand for the final glass added with concentrated snake venom. Xu slid the glass towards her and stared at the silky protein clouds from the venom in her drink for a brief moment.
"Don't!!" Quistis warned, shooting out her hand to knock the glass from her hand. However, the drink was already finished and the empty glass shattered into large shards. Quistis then stretched out her hands to grab onto Xu, who started losing consciousness after the drink.
"Come on girl, you can snap out of it... Oh no... Please someone call a doctor!"
***
Squall arduously cycled through the cobblestone roads of Winhill and trying to get as close as the taxi in front of him, which housed Raijin and Fujin. Restfully, they played a few rounds of thumb wrestling - with Fujin winning twenty to none in her favour. Raijin got fed up and turned to the rear windscreen to see Squall breezing down the gentle slopes on a bicycle.
"Is that Squall in a bike there?" he wondered, which caught Fujin's attention and she immediately looked out from her side window. The black hair jutting out of the rider's crash helmet and the apparel he was wearing were obviously Squall's.
"WHAT!?" Fujin felt enraged and confused. She snatched the clue from Raijin's pocket and reread it.
"IMBECILE!" she hissed, smacking her partner on the head with a think brochure.
"But it's too late to turn back now," Raijin reasoned. "If we can keep this a secret we won't be penalized. Besides Cid won't be around to inspect us right?"
Fujin considered for a while. She turned back again to see Squall and the others nearing their taxi.
"FASTER!!" she screeched, bribing the driver with another ten gil. The driver then switched gears to fourth and pressed the accelerator harder to give the car a boost. Soon, Squall was only a small dot struggling to keep pace, with the white dome representing the Winhill Botanical Center enlarging in the horizon.
Along the way, Fujin spotted two men walking with their mountain bikes at the roadside. She halted the taxi and alighted.
"Why are you stopping?" Raijin asked with his head peeping out the window to see Fujin opening the trunk.
"COME!" Fujin shouted. She then approached Raijin, holding both backpacks and pulled Raijin out of the taxi by his hair and paid the driver.
"Are you crazy?" Raijin exclaimed waving his arms to the taxi driving away from them. Fujin threw the backpacks to Raijin and walked casually to the two male bikers.
"STOP!" she greeted by partly raising her left arm. "BORROW BIKES!"
"Wow that's a new joke I never heard before," both men broke out into hysterical laughter.
"Huh?" Fujin jabbed one of the bikers in the stomach and the man blacked out. Then, she swiftly grappled the other biker and knocked him on the head with his own helmet until he was down cold. Fujin soon returned to Raijin with two bikes.
"ALIGHT!" she mounted her bike and pointed to the white dome far away. "PEDAL!! FASTER!!"
***
"No not in here," Selphie's voice quavered as she removed her hand from a barrel of watery and rotten residue of hyacinth perfume. She then dipped her hand into the next barrel and her hand swam around the murky, goopy and unbearably noisome residue, hopefully fishing out the clue. "Seifer, any lucky there?"
A white-gloved hand popped out from afar among the thousands of waste barrels, which pointed its thumb downwards. Selphie hung her head downward in disappointment. She pulled her sleeve towards the shoulder and dipped her arm wholly into another waste barrel.
***
"ARRIVED," Fujin cruised towards one of the many flower fields on the north side of the dome, where a clue box can be spotted among the rows of orchids. She slammed her bike on the marked farm gate and jogged to the box which was an inch away.
"RAIJIN!!" Fujin's voice stormed as she looked out from the farm gate to see Raijin pedaling sluggishly. The red envelope in one hand quivered furiously.
"I'm here honey," he said nonchalantly while piling his bike on top of Fujin's, and just the right time to receive another punishing smack on the head. Raijin retrieved the envelope from his head and tore it open to reveal its contents.
"DETOUR:
STOMP
Take yourselves to the Red Rose Nursery. Once there, extract 100 c.c. of rose oil by using the traditional method of crushing rose petals with your feet!
STAMP
Take one bouquet next to the clue box and send it to this ambiguous address.
[BLITZKRIEG! - IN THE NAME OF THY FATHER - I LIKE CHURROS - WINHILL TOWN]
Use your bikes to deliver it as fast as you can."
"DELIVER," Fujin picked up the giant rose and lily bouquet and carried it in her arms affectionately. The sweet refreshing scent of the flowers was rejuvenating. "SHIT."
"We got to figure out how to carry it on our bike, ya know," Raijin complained, walking in circle mindlessly.
"IDEA," Fujin pointed her finger upward with her eye shining brightly. She forced Raijin to sit on the bike and stuck the bouquet between his back and his backpack.
"Hey I'm not some human bouquet ya know," Raijin complained and shook his head, and to receive his third smack on the scalp for the day.
"MUSH!"
"I see our next destination!" Rinoa cried, pointing to the farm's logo, which was an image of certain flower, on a signboard erected among the rows of flowers. In front of her was Squall, cruising on his bike swiftly without turning around to give her a friendly wave of hand. Suddenly he turned into a junction, and Rinoa had to brake with her feet on the ground to make a U-turn and entered the junction. Fujin and Raijin were also seen coming out of the junction.
"Funny, where did Fujin and Raijin get their bikes from?" Rinoa turned around to look on and wondered.
"Their bikes have baskets, ya know," Raijin exclaimed, facing the humiliation and embarrassment aroused by motorists and passers-by laughing hysterically at the 'human bouquet'.
"Hey your skin matches the colour of your roses!" teased a male truck driver.
"I thought Winhill bumpkins are supposed to be friendly!" he exclaimed.
"Squall why did you rush into the junction like that?" Rinoa asked, approaching Squall who was leaning on the farm gate casually. "C'mon, no slacking..."
Rinoa stretched her arm to reach for the flap of the clue box.
"Detour," she said excitedly after pulling out two leaflets from the envelope. "Stomp or Stamp."
***
The doctor drew out a bottle of tablets from his medicine kit. He instructed Quistis to open Xu's mouth and the doctor mixed the soluble tablet into a small glass of water. He poured the mixture into the patient's mouth and within seconds, her eyelashes started to motion.
"Ohhh," Xu groaned as she struggled to lift her upper body after regaining consciousness. She shook her head to ease herself while covering her forehead with her hand. "What happened?"
"Oh, thank goodness!" Quistis said sighing in relief as she helped Xu to her feet. Xu felt a slight dizziness but it was gone after inhaling some fresh air outside the pub. Xu's eyes widened suddenly as she realised something.
"Oh no! The race!"
"Everything's fine now," Quistis assured rubbing her shoulders while taking her to sit on the bench. "Rest for a while. Here take the clue. I'll be back in a short while.
Quistis retraced her steps back into the restaurant. On the pub table sat the doctor talking to the bartender.
"Umm..." Quistis began. "Thanks for saving my friend's life. You have been very resourceful."
"Oh it's nothing," the middle-aged, male doctor replied. He then turned to his medicine bag and took out a packet of pills. "Take this for free. It's for your friend's stomach ulcer. It won't cure it but it can ease the pain."
"Thanks, doctor," Quistis said shyly as she retrieved the Ziploc bag containing orange pills.
"Is your friend outside?" the doctor asked holding his black bag with both hands. "I'll check on her for a while before you two depart."
"Wait!" Quistis called to the doctor as he was about to reach the door. "May I know your name?"
The doctor dipped the tip of his dark brown hat to one eye and smiled affably. "You can call me Dr. Massachusetts, if you want."
***
"I can feel something," Selphie muttered in uncertainty. She then pulled out her arm, which was coated with dark nauseous goo. "No, not here. Seifer got anything."
Seifer pulled his arm from the barrel in frustration. Goo started to drip from his glove as he glared at Selphie. "Just stop disturbing me you yakking bimbo girl. Are you listening to me!?"
Uninterrupted, Selphie continued on to inspect the next barrel. Her eyebrows started to arch upwards and her lips slowly curved into a smile. "I found something!" Selphie excited pulled out her arm from the waste barrel to reveal a laminated envelope covered in residue. She then stretched out both arms outwards and walked towards her partner happily. Seifer avoided the goo on her arms from staining his white T-shirt.
"Get off me!" Seifer spat in disgust. The words began to scratch Selphie's heart but she just smiled as if nothing hurt her.
"Okay we'll wash up."
"Oh thank goodness I'm out of the dump," Selphie muttered behind the towel covering her whole face. Seifer removed the plastic wrapping around the envelope and ripped it open for the contents. Selphie held onto Seifer's muscular arm as the two read the clue together.
"Congratulations, you have found the Fast Forward. Go directly to the pit stop; White River Lodge near the base of Bluff Falls."
***
"Excuse me, sweet old ladies," Raijin asked sheepishly to two elderly ladies walking their dogs as he walked with his bike. He took out a wrinkled piece of parchment which was written with the address puzzle. "Do you know what this address mean?"
The two ladies peered at the paper and thought with their heads in the air for a moment. After that, the woman on the right gaped suddenly and pointed her finger to the air and then turned and whispered to the other lady with one hand across to her shoulder.
"Please hurry. We're on a race. I just wanna know what CHURROS mean," Raijin pleaded with tears welling in his eyes like a devastated child.
"I think Churros is famous at err... Winhill Seafront?" the lady replied in a drawling slang, which was affirmed by the other lady with a nod.
"Okay thanks!" Raijin said briefly, hopped on his bike and pedaled away happily.
"Youngsters these days," the two ladies said shaking their heads.
"Honey..." Raijin cried excitedly as he spotted Fujin biking towards him. The two halted after they met at the middle of the road. "It's at Winhill Seafront."
"WHERE?" Fujin asked firmly crossing her arms.
"Uh," Raijin scratched his head with his eyes staring at the clouds. "I forgot ta ask, ya know."
"FOOL!" the austere woman reached out her leg from the pedal and stomped on Raijin's foot. "NO WORRIES. I KNOW WHERE."
Fujin slapped Raijin's back hardly like cracking a whip on a bull. A few petals from the dying bouquet fell lifelessly on the road. "NOW GO!"
***
"Wow this is fun," Rinoa commented lifting one foot and then the other alternately, crushing the slimy rose petals beneath her feet. "Okay I think I'm done. Help me honey."
Squall grabbed onto Rinoa's arm and shoulder and supported her as she stepped down from the platform slowly. A farmer took away the flat steel dish which contained the crushed rose petals from the platform and carefully transferred the oil into a bottle via a small spout sticking out from the dish.
"No way, that's all?" Squall gasped in disbelief as the transparent golden and unprocessed oil only filled only one third of the bottle.
"It's your turn honey," Rinoa said, pushing Squall to sit on the bench.
"I don't enjoy stepping on squishy stuff," he complained.
"Nah, don't worry," Rinoa assured as she forcefully removed Squall's moccasins, then his grey socks. "Ew... your feet stinks."
"I think I'm going to make the stinkiest perfume in the world," Squall joked sarcastically, which caused Rinoa to giggle hysterically.
Squall began to place both feet on the metal dish filled with freshly cut rose petals. The petals felt like a warm bedding of soft fabric with the tingly sensation of the thorns here and there as he crushed them by rapidly lifting one foot and then the other alternately as if he was walking. After a while, oil oozed out of the juicy petals and had a slimy and crude texture to it, which caused the stoic SeeD leader to feel uneasy.
"Are you going to use these for your perfume?" Squall asked jokingly.
"Don't worry sonny," the farmer said in his traditional Winhill slang. "Once the oil's refined all the bad smell will be gone."
"Oh it's that how you get the perfume from the oil?" Rinoa added.
"Whatever..." Squall motioned his lips to himself weakly as he paused his footing for the moment.
Squall's sat on the bench with his legs above the ground. His feet felt sore and tired with bits of petals and oil sticking onto the base of his feet. Rinoa and Squall studied the tiny bottle as the farmer cautiously filled it with the invaluable oil from the metal dish. The couple wailed in agony as the height of the oil was just below the red line marked on the bottle. Then an idea struck Rinoa. She took the bottle and placed it below Squall's feet. She scraped the leftover oil from Squall's feet with her hands into the bottle. Squall laughed a little as Rinoa's nails tickled his feet.
"There," Rinoa presented the fully filled bottle to the farmer with her sticky hands. "Can it be counted?"
"I'd be damned," the farmer took the bottle from Rinoa and placed it firmly on the dirt. He then dug his hand into his pocket for the envelope. Rinoa clapped her hands lightly and held onto the corner of the red envelope while shaking her other hand to rid the oil, then dropped it on Squall's lap.
"Leave your bikes and get to the route marker at the top of the tallest waterfall in the world," Squall read aloud. Eventually, Squall and Rinoa began giving each other a hug of joy.
***
The image of the azure waters of the sea separating Galbadia and Centra continent arose as Fujin and Raijin rode into the seaside area of town. Rocky beaches with violent waves crashing powerfully and noisily on the jagged rocks hugged the row of white buildings, which would display their golden complexion when the sun was going to sink into the ocean. An aromatic and greasy smell allured Raijin's senses, which came from the number of roadside stalls frying a batch of fresh Churros.
"I haven't had my lunch yet, ya know," Raijin complained as his stomach rumbled, which was angrily replied by a firm 'NO' answer. Fujin then spotted the 'Willingham Street' sign from afar and guided Raijin into the street.
"1019 WHERE?" Fujin yelled. The passerby pointed to the uphill section of the street. Fujin and Raijin vigorously pedaled up the steep road and then turned their bikes into the building with a large red signboard written 1019, which was unexpectedly a bouquet shop.
"BOUQUET, HERE!" Fujin plucked the bouquet from Raijin's back and dropped it recklessly on the cashier counter. The young female proprietor bowed in gratitude and then presented them a red envelope from the cash register.
"Now why don't we have a snack, like Churros, ya know," Raijin said in a happy dance, which turned into leaps of excruciation after receiving a painful kick on the heel.
"IMBECILE!" Fujin yelled and then turned to read the clue. "RUN!"
***
"Anyone knows where Blitzkrieg is?" Zell shouted as he pedaled around the Town Square, shooing away a few pigeons that were feeding on leftover breadcrumbs. "Anyone knows where Blitzkrieg is?"
"Hey lil' ladies," Irvine greeted as he dismounted from his bike like Prince Charming alighting from his horse. He then unfolded the clue and showed it to the two girls. "Can you help me on this?"
The two girls spoke to each other softly and then turned to Irvine, who dipped his hat down one eye to make himself presentable.
"The Father of Winhill is Walter Willingham and umm... you can get Churros at the seafront," the girl smiled as she paused before continuing. "But we have no idea what Blitzkrieg mean."
"Can it be a number or a name of a shop?" Irvine asked as he examined the town map.
"Oh yeah, it's the nickname of the Harvest Festival!" the girl cheered like a fresh idea struck her brain like thunder. "The date is October 19th."
"Well thanks girls," Irvine said shaking their hands. "You two have the most beautiful smile in the whole town... I mean the whole world. He he..."
"Anyone knows who the Father is?" Zell hollered at the edge of the square. Afar from Zell was a blue taxi speeding recklessly on the narrow road.
"FASTER!" Fujin ordered adding another 10 gil to the fare. The driver switched gears and pressed the accelerator. Not far from the taxi was an unwary biker with spiky hair, cycling along the roadside yelling around like a madman.
"Knock him down!" Raijin cheered, and then turned to face Fujin and snickered together in glee.
"What the fuck!" Zell turned his head to the front and spotted the mad taxi driver nearing him. He managed to lean his bike on the wall as the taxi headed to the town exit. He could see a two heads, one with silver hair and the other dark from behind the taxi. The silver-haired person gripped onto its hair angrily.
"Fujin and Raijin? I wonder if I follow them, I could foil they're crummy plans, and to unmask Seifer's true colours! And prove to Irvine that I'm not a sore loser!" Zell thought dreamily and immediately he picked up more speed by turning the pedals faster, trying to get as close as possible with the taxi yards away.
"IMPOSSIBLE!" Fujin hissed as she saw Zell tailing their taxi. Angrily, she turned to the driver with her hand pointing to the dashboard. "FASTER!"
"Our competitor is behind us ya know," Raijin explained.
"Tch, ya thought you guys can outrun the almighty Zell? I'll show you that even a horse can outrun a train!" Zell hastened his footwork and sparks started to fly from the chains on Zell's bike, boosting more speed. He could see the clear complexion of a pale skinned woman with an eye patch looking at him uneasily.
"TURN!" Fujin yelped suddenly after sinking her head in her arms for a while. Immediately, the taxi slowed down and burned rubber to make a sharp turn into the barley field, while Zell continued pedaling and went on straight instead.
"Huh? Where's the taxi?" Zell wondered. Suddenly, a foul stench drew nearer and nearer towards him. Zell yelled helplessly as he was unable to slow down since the brakes were not working, causing him to stumble into the pile of dried cow manure carried by a truck, which stopped suddenly in the middle of the road.
***
Towering cliffs can be seen jutting out of the fertile soil of the Winhill Bluffs. From the distance, a white foamy spectacle could be spotted, penciling down from the top of a precariously tall cliff. It was the magnificent sight of the tallest waterfall in the world - Bluff Falls. However, Seifer and Selphie were not gazing at the splendor of what was regard one of the natural wonders of the world. Winning the one and only Fast Forward pass of the leg meant that the couple had the privilege of reaching the pit stop without further tasks. And that was where they were heading - a wooden cabin situated beside the White River. Nesting in front of the lodge and beside the raging rapids were their coordinator, Cid Kramer and a farmer. Seifer and Selphie immediately alighted from their vehicle to meet their old and sapient principal.
"How are ya Headmaster Cid," Selphie cheered while wrapping her arm around Seifer. Without hesitation, the host started the verdict.
"Selphie and Seifer... you're the first team to arrive!"
Overjoyed, the couple jumped happily together and approached each other for a brief kiss, making a smile on Cid and the farmer's face.
"How does it feel to come this far?" Cid asked, which was casually replied with only one word that defined it all.
"Awesome."
Lagging a few minutes behind Seifer and Selphie were Squall and Rinoa. This time the taxi parked in front of a wooden building situated at the foot of the mountain where the waterfall was located.
"Ya have to pay to climb up there," the taxi driver said after receiving his pay.
Squall and Rinoa held hands to reach the front desk of the falls' entrance. Behind it was a set of stairs going straight up and disappeared into the clouds. The couple began walking meticulously up the steep steps. Struggle began when the air thinned as they got higher and higher.
"This sucks," Rinoa panted bending down to her knees on a small flat rocky clearing atop a cliff surrounded by cold white mist. Before her was the final set of stairs, which leads them to a cave. Squall followed to rest by squatting next to a pine tree. After a brief moment, the couple rose to continue their climb towards the cave, marked by a blue and yellow flag at the entrance. Inside the dimly lit cave was a river. As they followed the course of the river, the river grew into unrest and then panic. Light started to prick from afar as they walked nearer to the exit. At the exit, they knew what the river feared of - a thousand feet plunge down the cliff to form the tallest waterfall.
"Roadblock," Rinoa announced the clue in one of the envelopes in the clue box. "Who likes a quick dip."
After taking a quick peek at the waterfall from above, Squall raised his hand and Rinoa immediately peeled off the leaflet.
"Ha ha. You'll have to be dangled on a rope Squally," Rinoa jeered playfully.
Squall fitted a blue crash helmet on his head while the operators tied a cable around him. He took another look at the waterfall, where he could only see a white mist forming at the base.
"I must be crazy," Squall cursed after he found himself standing backwards at the edge of a rock that looked like a springboard jutting out of the face of the cliff, while gripping on the cable tied in front of him. He then jumped backwards and allowed himself to be lowered gracefully down the cliff as he dangled at the edge of the cable. He could see the mist clearing as he descended nearer towards the base to reveal a rapid with sharp rocks. Squall splashed gently into a pool formed by the waterfall. He felt cold and frigid as the water soaked into his shoes and jeans. Squall unbuckled the cable around him and scrambled towards the bank.
"Where's the clue?" Squall thought.
"Squall!" Squall could barely hear Rinoa's voice as the noise of the waterfall dampened her hollering. He turned with water splashing onto his back and hair to see Rinoa running along the bank with her hand shaped like a megaphone. "The clue is on the rocks!"
Squall quickly turned around to find a laminated red envelope on a rock beating to the rapids. Squall fought the current towards the rock and reached out his arm to grab the clue. Squall then headed back to the bank and climbed up into Rinoa's arms.
"It is going to be the end of the fifth leg and give yourself a pat on the back for reaching this far," Rinoa read the clue jubilantly to Squall, who was sitting on the grass wringing his socks dry. "Before you depart from Galbadia Continent, stop by at the final pit stop. Follow the marked path ahead of you and walk yourselves to the White Water Lodge.
Squall rose to his feet and slung his backpack, while holding his wet shoes and socks in one hand. The couple soon arrived at an old building made of oak with a rustic river setting. On that setting was Cid Kramer who had already predicted their arrival. Squall stepped on the world map mat on his bare feet with bits of grass and mud, followed by Rinoa to secure their position.
"Squall and Rinoa," Cid began as the couple paid their fullest attention to the verdict. "You're the second team to arrive."
"Give me a big hug Squally!" Rinoa cooed spreading out her arms to wound around her boyfriend. "Oof, we forgot to bring our bags along."
"Don't worry, we'll retrieve your bags from the front desk," Cid assured, patting on Squall's shoulder. "Now you may go in and rest up for a long day tomorrow."
***
"There you are Zell," Irvine said casually in his cowboy slang as he walked towards Zell. "I've been looking for you for ages, man."
"Guess what," Zell replied. "I followed Fujin and Raijin's taxi, and guess where they go?"
Irvine and Zell started staring at each other in silence. Irvine then repositioned his hat. "So what happened next?"
"The taxi suddenly disappeared into thin air and I lost their track. But at least I knew they're up to no good."
"So what's their plan?"
"Beats me," Zell answered half-heartedly.
"Man you wasted a good deal of time just chasing Mrs. Long John Silver without avail?" Irvine cried with fidgeting to express his dissatisfaction. Then he lifted his hand to his nose and waved it back and forth. "And dude you smell like a landfill."
"God, how on earth he knew about it? At least I did something better than womanising around town," Zell thought. "So you know where is our next destination."
"Yup, thanks to two hot chicks. And I forgot to thank you for you to show up this late so I can spend my time with the chicks. Ya know Winhill lasses ain't that bad after all!"
"Just as I thought," Zell muttered and grinned to himself.
***
"It's the moment of truth!" Quistis exclaimed jokingly. The two girls held each other's hand as they watched the bottle slowly filling up with fresh rose oil. The female instructors broke into an uproar as they finally completed their task.
"Get yourselves to the top of the world's tallest waterfall," Xu read in exhilaration as the both of them dashed to exit the nursery.
"Now where to get a cab?" Quistis questioned to herself with her hands on her waist as she arrived at the dome.
"TAXI!!" Xu yelled as she scrambled around the front of the dome. She finally stopped and bent down with her hands on her knees gasping for breath.
"Excuse me," Quistis said running to a woman who dressed like a scientist heading towards a door with an 'Authorized Personnel' sign. "Can you help us to get a cab?"
"Why no problem," the woman took out her hand-phone and began speaking to the taxi headquarters. Within twenty minutes, a blue taxi arrived at the front entrance of the dome, where Quistis was walking in a circular pattern drinking her coke with a lot of things in her mind, while Xu slumped on the bench reading a work of her favourite author.
"To the waterfalls!" Quistis cheered.
***
Rachel screamed as loud as the waterfall as she dangled at the end of the cable, which descends her to the base of the waterfall. She reached out her hand and dipped it into the waterfall. The water felt cold and she could feel the tremendous and exhilarating power generated from it. At last, she could see Daniel waving at her at the riverbank as the mist thinned out. The girl splashed into the frigid water followed by an uproar. She stood up to find the water reaching her hips, and followed the current to a nearby rock where a red envelope was pinned.
Rachel and Daniel stepped onto the mat in front of Cid Kramer. Rachel shivered a little as her red tank top and black shorts were dripping wet.
"Daniel and Rachel you're team number four!" Cid announced. Daniel and Rachel immediately exchanged hugs and gave themselves a high-five.
***
"How long are we going to reach the top?" Irvine complained, plopping himself at the middle of the stairway panting hardly for breath.
"Beats me," Zell answered. "I'm gonna leave ya. Bye."
Irvine quickly stood up to his feet as Zell disappeared into the thick mist above the stairs. The two boys found themselves in front of a cave with the blue and yellow flag marked on it. The twosome followed an arrow pointing to the direction of the river, and eventually led them to a spectacular sight they had never witnessed before.
"YOU ALL SUCK!" Zell hollered out loud, wishing for an echo to return. "SEIFER IS AN ASSHOLE!"
"Oh quit the profanity," Irvine said waving the Roadblock clue to him from inside the cave. "Why don't you do something useful like jumping down the cliff?"
"No way," Zell cried. He gagged as he looked down at the foamy base of the waterfall, which was like water running from the tap and splashing into a pool of water, causing a bubbly effect in his bathtub.
"Would you like to be called a chicken-wuss for the rest of your life?" Irvine grinned from ear to ear as Zell's face began to distort. Irvine expected Zell to squinch his eyebrows upward, but instead he grinned back more meekly.
"I'll hunt you down for the rest of your life!" Irvine yelled to Zell who was pouting at him from above as he dangled at the end of the cable. Presently, two women emerged out of the cave and fiddled with the clue box.
"Thank goodness there are two cables!" Xu said jostling to the operators handling the second cable.
"Well, well," Quistis chuckled as she approached Zell running towards her. "How are you doing Zell?"
"There's no time instructor Trepe," Zell said briefly and continued running.
"Wait for me!" Quistis shouted back. She turned around to give her partner a thumb up and followed Zell's footsteps.
Irvine finally landed at the base of the waterfall with a splash. The sound generated from the puissance of the water crashing down deafened his senses.
"Zell where are ya?" Irvine said in his mind as he paddled around the pool with his sight blinded by the sprinkles of water leaping out of the pool in abundance.
"Irvine!" Zell yelled at the man wearing a cowboy hat paddling behind the waterfall aimlessly. "Over here!"
Xu was soon found splashing gently into the river. She then followed the direction of the water, grabbing onto some vines to prevent from being washed away by the powerful current.
"Xu, here!" Quistis screamed as loud as she could at her.
"Where?" Xu replied. Presently, Irvine emerged from the thick mist and held onto the vines at the bank, shivering and gasping for breath.
"Over here! Over here!" Zell wailed jumping up and down with his finger pointing to a rock near him. Irvine then traversed to the rock while grabbing onto the vines. He reached out his hand to snatch the wet clue from the rock. Irvine smiled to himself and dipped the envelope into the water. Ironically, he could feel the slippery plastic in his hand dying away as the envelope slipped out of his grip. Zell looked helpless at their clue being washed away by the current and disappeared into a small vortex in an instant.
"Irvine you klutz!" Zell fumed, wanting to pull his rock solid hair from the roots to release his tantrum.
Irvine, for the first time, felt devastated as he lost in the battlefield. He could not help but to knock his forehead on the rock a few times. Suddenly, a glimmer of hope shone as he spotted another rock with an untouched envelope at the middle of the pond. Irvine dived into the water heroically and paddled to the rock while fighting the current. Xu wound her arms around a large rock and snapped off the envelope pinned on it. Now another problem arose - how was she going to get to the other side of the river where Quistis was without getting washed away. Xu paddled to a nearby rock and grabbed on it. Then she reached out for the adjacent rock and hugged it immediately. Then she traversed to another rock and then held on a sturdy branch jutting out of the bank. Quistis immediately pulled Xu up to dry land and gleefully snatched the clue from her as she rolled on the grass in relief.
Irvine finally grabbed their second ticket and waved it at Zell, who did not seem to be happy as Quistis and Xu were on their way to the pit stop. With all his might, Irvine paddled to the bank and climbed up to meet Zell. Without hesitation, Irvine convinced Zell and the two were well on their way to turn the tables.
The river grew restless as tension started to build between the last two teams, trying to oust each other to secure their place in the race. The forest was thick with bushes and pine trees, making it hard to see the road ahead. Despite having to lose their direction a few times, Quistis and Xu broke out from the forest where the lodge can be seen. The two girls dashed madly towards the mat of the world map and braked in front of Cid with their arms around their shoulders. Tears can be seen formed around Quistis' eyes while Xu was shivering as her clothes were wet and covered with grass and pine needles. Anxiety evolved from the tension as the female instructors await their verdict.
"Quistis and Xu," Cid's eyes started to flare up. "You're team number five!"
Cid smiled at his two favourite teachers as the both of the hugged and patted each other's back. He then shook hands with the two women and congratulated them for a job well done.
Irvine and Zell surfaced from the woods just after Quistis and Xu were ushered into the lodge. Cid shook his head lightly as he saw Zell pushing Irvine to the edge of the riverbank irately, probably putting the blame on Irvine since he was certain about losing the race. Irvine and Zell stepped in front of Cid with their heads spiritlessly hanging downwards.
"Irvine and Zell," Cid announced. "I know this is unbearable but you've finished last in this leg of the race, and we'll have to send you two home."
Cid let out a sigh as a dark cloud started to rain above the two, figuring a few words to liven up their spirits before he leaves the two alone. "Remember there are no losers in this race. You two should praise yourselves for coming this far."
Zell lifted his head with beads of tears on his cheek. The two guys reached out their arms and embraced each other emotionally.
"It's my fault!" Zell cried, bursting into tears. "If I wasn't a bossy son-of-a-bitch..."
"No Zell, put the blame on me," Irvine insisted poking his cheek with his finger. "Give me a nice smack on the face and you'll feel better. Cut the cryin' already!"
In a flash, a swift blow hit Irvine on the cheek he just marked. Stars started to dance around his eyes and his vision slowly faded as he fell on the grass with a soft thud. Zell did not imagine hitting his partner would make him feel a little spirited but it did as usual. He heard a person applauding behind him and he turned around to see Seifer, Fujin and Raijin sneering at him from the balcony.
"What a show," Seifer said movingly while he lightly clapped his hands. "And I suppose its time to pack your bags, is it not chicken-wuss?"
"Uh, Seifer?" Raijin asked tapping onto Seifer's shoulder. "Will the others hear about this?"
"Don't worry Raijin," Seifer said in an assuring tone while patting on his firm shoulders. "I asked Selphie to do the dirty work for me."
"Cool I wonder what it is," he wondered.
"Seifer I knew you're up to no good," Zell said in a challenging voice pointing his finger at Seifer's chest. "All that camaraderie stuff are all crap and I can say it was poor acting you guys."
"RAGE!" Fujin flared, wanting to jump down the porch and clobber Zell, but was halted by Seifer.
"Whatever you say chicken-wuss," Seifer replied as he curved his lips into its most sinister and undesirable form. Then he turned around with his arms wrapping around Fujin and Raijin. "Oh by the way, thanks for the comment. I look forward to polish my acting. Bon voyage!"
"Hey come back!" Zell cried as Seifer disappeared into the cabin. He then squatted down and sat on Irvine's body with his fists touching his chin and his elbows on his lap. "Why does Seifer want the money so badly?"
***
Squall, Rinoa, Quistis and Xu huddled together on a four seated lounge sofa beside the electric heater, while listening to Selphie singing to a jazzy oldie.
"Cuz you don't deserve... ME!" Selphie ended her song with in a short, high pitch. The four applauded as Selphie turned around to bow with the microphone in one hand. A soft clapping was soon heard somewhere.
"That was sensational," Seifer commented as he revealed himself from a dark corner. Selphie dropped the microphone on the carpet and excitedly wound her arms around her partner.
"Now we'll see whether I'm the man who deserves to be with you!" Seifer murmured to himself as the both of them made their first public kiss.
