Chapter 4
'It's weird.' Khain thought.
'What?' Her other self replied.
'I don't know you, and yet I trust you.' The other voice chuckled.
'You know exactly who I am.'
'But what's your name?' Silence.
'You already know.' It finally answered. Khain growled. 'I am you, and you are me, we are one and the same.'
'Look, I've been shot for the second time in two days, cut the poetry crap, I'm not in the mood for it. What the hell is your freaking name?' The voice laughed.
'Call me Kay if you want. Though you know my true name, or should I say, yours?'
'Don't make me hurt you.' Khain growled out. Kay laughed.
'Very well, see you soon.' She said and her presence vanished. Khain sighed, wait a sec, she had said 'SEE you soon' How was that possible? Khain knew very well Kay had said that on purpose, she didn't let little things like that slip, so how-?
"OWWW!!" She suddenly yelled out, as the doctor gave a final tug and yanked the bullet out. Looking at her arm she swore.
"Dammit doc, couldn't you have given me some morphine or something?!" The doctor laughed softly.
"I could've, but then you'd be sick for ages. I checked your allergy symptoms." Khain swore. Hiro walked up carrying a tray.
"Language." He said teasingly. She gave him the finger. He gave a mock sniff.
"Now that's mean." He said sadly while fighting the urge to grin. She growled.
"Screw off Hiro." He chuckled, walked out, then she heard soft laughter from the hallway. Just as the doctor finished the wrapping on her arm, Zell stepped in. Khain looked at him.
"So." He said firmly. Khain raised an eyebrow.
"So what?" Zell shook his head.
"Never mind. How's your arm?" Khain blinked in surprise, then shrugged.
"Better, but I'll be unable to use it for a while." Zell chuckled.
"You're having a bad month with your limbs." He commented.
"I'd agree." Selphie commented entering. Squall, Quistis and Irvine behind her. Selphie sat on the bed gently and put her hand on Khain's ankle.
"You okay?" Khain stayed silent. She knew why they were here.
"What happened?" Squall asked getting straight to the point. Khain sighed.
"As I said, I was in the hospital ward at the time the fight had already started. When I got out onto the battlefield, the Verneries were forcing us back, had anyone not panicked, they would have done just as I did."
"Not likely. She gave Elite level orders!" Mat called from an adjacent bed. He had been injured by a soldier, a chest wound given by a fire spell.
"Here, here!" Coroura called from the other side.
"You save us all Khain." Yumae said smiling as she carried a tray to Akemi's bed, he had a head injury, got bashed over the head with the butt of a gun. Yumae set down the tray as Akemi smiled.
"They're right, we would've died if you hadn't shown up." Khain looked down as Squall watched her from the corner of his eye. He smiled.
"Selphie, Quistis, Zell, we need to talk. Irvine, I need you to check Ragnorak." Irvine nodded as the others followed Squall out of the ward. Khain sighed. That was before the doctor went over to Mat's bed with the antiseptic. He poured it onto a cotton ball and began to dab it over the burn streak on Mat's chest. The inevitable happened.
"OW!! BLOODY F*CKING HELL!!!"
~~~
"Hey guys, how'd it go?" Seifer asked as Squall and friends stepped off the boat. Then he looked at Khain and his eyes widened.
"Khain? What the hell happened to you?" He asked laughing as the girl limped off the boat. She scowled.
"Shut up Seifer." She growled out. Squall raised an eyebrow.
"You know each other?" He asked.
"Yeah." Seifer replied. "We're sparring partners, she taught me hand-to- hand combat. Since chickenwuss over there wouldn't." Zell growled. Khain shrugged.
"Whatever." She shrugged and turned away. "I really need a hair cut." She murmured, tugging one of her locks of hair. Seifer sighed.
"How many times do I have to tell you Khain? You should really let your hair grow out."
"It gets in the way of my fighting."
"And you look like a boy."
"Point?"
"When are you going to get a boyfriend?"
"Never. And don't even think of asking Seifer. You're married."
"I'm crushed." He said playfully. Khain groaned, but smiled slightly. Zell noticed this with wry amusement.
"Why Seifer! I'm shocked!" Zell said teasingly. "You're two-timing Quistis!" He cried out in fake awe. "I'll have to tell her of course." He said mockingly. Seifer scowled.
"Lay off chickenwuss." Khain ignored them, and instead, chose to walk home. Mat stared after her.
"Khain-? HEY! KHAIN?! WAIT UP!" Too late, she was gone. Selphie sighed.
"We have got to do something about that girl." Irvine said tilting his hat up a bit. Squall simply crossed his arms over his chest and walked towards the car.
"Whatever."
~~~
"It's been so long . . ." Khain murmured. Walking into the cave she walked along the fiery path, the monsters looked at her as she passed, but ignored her. In fact, they seemed to accept her, one bat even landed on her shirt and hung upside down. She carefully raised a hand to stroke it's fur, to anyone else, it would have been burning hot, but to her, it was just politely warm. Buels squeaked at her and she waved in reply, reaching the fire pit she stopped a few inches away from the lava pool.
"This is where it all started. Do you remember?" Her other self asked as it appeared next to her in a transparent form.
"Yeah. I remember it all too well." Khain replied bitterly.
"Well, you know the saying, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Kay replied mockingly.
"Yeah, but what happened here . . . . it really did kill me." She replied softly. Kay snorted.
"Right. Well, hurry up then." Khain shifted, then brought something from her pocket, a tiny flower, slightly crushed, a rose. She tossed it into the pit, watched the petals sink and fall, then she turned around and walked away as the rose gurgled before sinking beneath the surface.
"Nice to see you again Karou." She murmured.
Disclaimer: Not mine. I own plot and my own made up characters. Yada, yada.
'It's weird.' Khain thought.
'What?' Her other self replied.
'I don't know you, and yet I trust you.' The other voice chuckled.
'You know exactly who I am.'
'But what's your name?' Silence.
'You already know.' It finally answered. Khain growled. 'I am you, and you are me, we are one and the same.'
'Look, I've been shot for the second time in two days, cut the poetry crap, I'm not in the mood for it. What the hell is your freaking name?' The voice laughed.
'Call me Kay if you want. Though you know my true name, or should I say, yours?'
'Don't make me hurt you.' Khain growled out. Kay laughed.
'Very well, see you soon.' She said and her presence vanished. Khain sighed, wait a sec, she had said 'SEE you soon' How was that possible? Khain knew very well Kay had said that on purpose, she didn't let little things like that slip, so how-?
"OWWW!!" She suddenly yelled out, as the doctor gave a final tug and yanked the bullet out. Looking at her arm she swore.
"Dammit doc, couldn't you have given me some morphine or something?!" The doctor laughed softly.
"I could've, but then you'd be sick for ages. I checked your allergy symptoms." Khain swore. Hiro walked up carrying a tray.
"Language." He said teasingly. She gave him the finger. He gave a mock sniff.
"Now that's mean." He said sadly while fighting the urge to grin. She growled.
"Screw off Hiro." He chuckled, walked out, then she heard soft laughter from the hallway. Just as the doctor finished the wrapping on her arm, Zell stepped in. Khain looked at him.
"So." He said firmly. Khain raised an eyebrow.
"So what?" Zell shook his head.
"Never mind. How's your arm?" Khain blinked in surprise, then shrugged.
"Better, but I'll be unable to use it for a while." Zell chuckled.
"You're having a bad month with your limbs." He commented.
"I'd agree." Selphie commented entering. Squall, Quistis and Irvine behind her. Selphie sat on the bed gently and put her hand on Khain's ankle.
"You okay?" Khain stayed silent. She knew why they were here.
"What happened?" Squall asked getting straight to the point. Khain sighed.
"As I said, I was in the hospital ward at the time the fight had already started. When I got out onto the battlefield, the Verneries were forcing us back, had anyone not panicked, they would have done just as I did."
"Not likely. She gave Elite level orders!" Mat called from an adjacent bed. He had been injured by a soldier, a chest wound given by a fire spell.
"Here, here!" Coroura called from the other side.
"You save us all Khain." Yumae said smiling as she carried a tray to Akemi's bed, he had a head injury, got bashed over the head with the butt of a gun. Yumae set down the tray as Akemi smiled.
"They're right, we would've died if you hadn't shown up." Khain looked down as Squall watched her from the corner of his eye. He smiled.
"Selphie, Quistis, Zell, we need to talk. Irvine, I need you to check Ragnorak." Irvine nodded as the others followed Squall out of the ward. Khain sighed. That was before the doctor went over to Mat's bed with the antiseptic. He poured it onto a cotton ball and began to dab it over the burn streak on Mat's chest. The inevitable happened.
"OW!! BLOODY F*CKING HELL!!!"
~~~
"Hey guys, how'd it go?" Seifer asked as Squall and friends stepped off the boat. Then he looked at Khain and his eyes widened.
"Khain? What the hell happened to you?" He asked laughing as the girl limped off the boat. She scowled.
"Shut up Seifer." She growled out. Squall raised an eyebrow.
"You know each other?" He asked.
"Yeah." Seifer replied. "We're sparring partners, she taught me hand-to- hand combat. Since chickenwuss over there wouldn't." Zell growled. Khain shrugged.
"Whatever." She shrugged and turned away. "I really need a hair cut." She murmured, tugging one of her locks of hair. Seifer sighed.
"How many times do I have to tell you Khain? You should really let your hair grow out."
"It gets in the way of my fighting."
"And you look like a boy."
"Point?"
"When are you going to get a boyfriend?"
"Never. And don't even think of asking Seifer. You're married."
"I'm crushed." He said playfully. Khain groaned, but smiled slightly. Zell noticed this with wry amusement.
"Why Seifer! I'm shocked!" Zell said teasingly. "You're two-timing Quistis!" He cried out in fake awe. "I'll have to tell her of course." He said mockingly. Seifer scowled.
"Lay off chickenwuss." Khain ignored them, and instead, chose to walk home. Mat stared after her.
"Khain-? HEY! KHAIN?! WAIT UP!" Too late, she was gone. Selphie sighed.
"We have got to do something about that girl." Irvine said tilting his hat up a bit. Squall simply crossed his arms over his chest and walked towards the car.
"Whatever."
~~~
"It's been so long . . ." Khain murmured. Walking into the cave she walked along the fiery path, the monsters looked at her as she passed, but ignored her. In fact, they seemed to accept her, one bat even landed on her shirt and hung upside down. She carefully raised a hand to stroke it's fur, to anyone else, it would have been burning hot, but to her, it was just politely warm. Buels squeaked at her and she waved in reply, reaching the fire pit she stopped a few inches away from the lava pool.
"This is where it all started. Do you remember?" Her other self asked as it appeared next to her in a transparent form.
"Yeah. I remember it all too well." Khain replied bitterly.
"Well, you know the saying, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Kay replied mockingly.
"Yeah, but what happened here . . . . it really did kill me." She replied softly. Kay snorted.
"Right. Well, hurry up then." Khain shifted, then brought something from her pocket, a tiny flower, slightly crushed, a rose. She tossed it into the pit, watched the petals sink and fall, then she turned around and walked away as the rose gurgled before sinking beneath the surface.
"Nice to see you again Karou." She murmured.
Disclaimer: Not mine. I own plot and my own made up characters. Yada, yada.