Chapter Eight
I awoke from a chilling darkness into the stormy air. I can't think of any other way to put it...but something in the air was simply, electrified. The kind of weather you know you don't need to be in...that was the case. Yet something about it was horribly familiar....
"Squall," a voice I recognized all too well called out to me. A voice that had occupied my mind for so many years....
"Quetzalcoatl?!" I stumbled, shocked, towards the source.
"Squall," Quetzalcoatl said simply, appearing within my view suddenly. In his current state, he wasn't quite the majestic thunderbird I'd remembered him being, but rather a diminished, weakened version of himself. He was still larger than me, but not by much. "I see you've learned much since our last encounter."
"Quetzalcoatl..." He wasn't just a GF, he was my friend... "What can I do to help you?"
"I don't need your help," he shook his head. "By all means...you've done quite enough as it is just by beridding this world once again of Griever."
"I want to help you. You're my friend, and you're hurt..."
"Not hurt, just...regressing, so to say," Quetzalcoatl shook his feathers, a few of them falling out. He almost looked a little disappointed, if possible.
"Why... am I here?" I looked around.
"We need to have...a discussion," Quetzalcoatl said simply. "About what is now and what is still to come...and how all of it involves you."
"Whatcha mean? Sayaki? The other GFs?"
"All of those. You and Sayaki have both done fine sealing away the evil which is us, but..."
"But?"
"But as soon as you are sealing us away...all of your hard work is being undone. We're being unsealed just as soon as you send us to that dimension of time compression."
"How can I stop it?"
"Squall, it's taking place at least five year from now, maybe less maybe more...in any case, it's not taking place right now. Someone is waiting for the opportune moment to strike...and wherever in time they're at, they've taken it. And when you reach that time...you'll see just how destructive they can be."
"Who is it? How can I stop it? Why is this happening?"
"The person will come to be an enemy of yours...if not already. Someone wants power...and we are obviously the ticket to get them there."
"Seifer?"
"I'm not sure who it is, to be quite honest with you," Quetzalcoatl said simply. "I know very few of your friends...only those you thought of a lot. And even of this...people change as they get older. I didn't recognize the person. Who knows...perhaps you would. There's no way to tell...I just felt you needed to be warned of your future...As of right now, there is nothing you can do about this matter, though," he shook his head. "Your only option is not to seal us...which would wish nothing but destruction upon this time. So there's no need to worry about that right now," he sighed. "However, a fight might soon commence between the two of us...I just wanted to make sure you were prepared."
"I don't want to fight you... isn't there any way...?!" I felt anguished, not wanting to fight one of my best friends. Quetzalcoatl and I had seen it all together.
"As a GF, I never learned the spells that you all use not only against us, but for us as well...I'm not the one to ask on an issue like this," Quetzalcoatl shook his head.
"I can't hurt you... it would be like hurting Zell or Selphie... I could never make myself do it."
"I see no way out of it," he shrugged. "It'll do no good to deny your job to me. I don't have an alternative for you."
"I'm so sorry..." I sighed. But deep down I knew I could never do it. Never.
"I'm not angry with you," he said, wrapping his wing around me. "I know this distresses you but there's nothing at the moment you can do about it. Don't worry about it."
It had been a long time since I had let Quetzalcoatl comfort me. It had been so long ago, in my childhood before I resented the world quite as much. It felt good not to be alone again. "...Thank you."
"You're welcome. I'll go easily for you, okay? If you don't find an alternative, there will be no need to fight me. I won't resist...I already see the damage we've done."
"I'm still sorry... if I must fight you, keep that in mind."
"I know you're not doing this because you want to," Quetzalcoatl shook his head. "I've occupied your mind long enough to know that."
"Thank you."
"...is there anything else you need before I go?"
"Just to have you back, my friend, and I can't do that yet." I smiled sadly.
"Perhaps someday that shall be," Quetzalcoatl nodded. "Will that be all, then?"
"I guess." I sighed. I didn't want to leave him. I had so much to tell him.
"I can stick around just a bit longer, if you have anything left you need to know or say," he said. "You'll just need to make it quick before my time is up..."
"I won't keep you. All I wanted was to talk, but it's not important. Just the fact that I asked Sayaki out." I quirked a smile. Quetzalcoatl was the only one I could really trust with these things.
"And what did she say?" Quetzalcoatl asked, sounding almost cheerful in spite of everything.
"Yes. She said yes." I beamed.
"I'm thrilled," Quetzalcoatl smiled sincerely. "She seems nice enough...I've met the GF she used the most...of course, they didn't work on a junction system, but I did learn a lot about her..." Quetzalcoatl smiled. "And I suppose, with the exception of the whole 'save the world' problem, that everything is going well for you then?"
"Yeah. Definitely. I can't wait till this is over and I can tell you more." I smiled.
He smiled sadly. "Yes, I can't wait for that time either..."
Don't leave me. The words rang through my head, my own thoughts and also my past feelings. Sis leaving. Don't leave me; I had thought so many times. I was gonna hafta leave Quetzalcoatl. I was about to tell him, but I started falling away from him. No! I didn't want to lose him....
"My time is up...another day, my friend," he said as everything faded into darkness and then into blinding light; light that was flowing from my open window...
I winced. 'Don't leave me'.... it was too late. I would've given anything to have my friend back. He wasn't like Zell or Selphie or the gang. He wasn't even like Sayaki. He was a part of me. I had a void in me, empty where that special friendship once was. I wanted a part of me back. Just a little part of me. There wasn't much of me left that I'd had all my life. I was constantly loosing and gaining myself, but few of my original pieces remained. He was one of them. And he was gone. I rolled out of bed and stretched, getting dressed and pulling out a pad of paper, writing a letter to Laguna.
A/n: Okay, chapter nine to come soon. I'll be gone on band trip for the next four days, so don't expect another chapter until at least Friday! Whoo, guys! I'll be having fun, and hope you all have a great week too!
Love and peace,
Xifa and Sefie Lynne