From the Author:

A few of my friends kept pronouncing Sifan in all sorts of ways. This is the right way. SIFAN. The 'Si' as 'See'. The 'fa' like the 'fa' in the word 'far'. And of course, 'n' as 'n'. So it's basically See-fa-n...

Keiara is pronounced like this. The 'kei' as 'key'. And the 'ara' like 'aura' without pronouncing the 'u' in 'aura'. So it's basically pronounced as Key-ara.

Oh well...On with the story then...

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Chapter 12

"It's a gun..."

"Uh-uh. It's a sword..."

"It's a gun, you idiot! Can't you see the trigger?"

"It's a sword, you dumbo! Can't you see the blade?"

"Well, then it's a gunsword."

"No, It's a swordgun."

[Ugh...It's morning?]

"Hey, look! Uncle Sifan is waking up..."

"No, he's not. Uncle Sifan is still asleep."

[UNCLE Sifan? How old am I?]

"He is, you idiot! Can't you see he's moving?"

"He's not, you dumbo! Can't you see his eyes are closed?"

Sifan gradually opened his eyes, as the morning light trickled in through window. A couple of children were near his bed. One of them looked like she was six years old and the other was her brother, a year older. The girl smiled to see Sifan's eyes open.

"See...I told ya...He IS awake. And I bet that's a swordgun." She said pointing to Sifan's gunblade resting against the wall.

"Is NOT!" The boy retorted, sticking his tongue out at the girl.

The door creaked open as Phillona Strife walked in to the room to find the two children quarrelling with each other, near Sifan's bed. Sifan Leonhart was wide-awake now.

Phillona sighed, "I thought I told you two to be quiet."

The girl pointed an accusing finger at her brother, "HE started it."

The boy could see Phillona was not pleased. Quickly he said, "Last one out is a icky-wicky SPIDER"

He hurried out, followed by his sister who didn't want to be the 'Icky- wicky spider' either.

Sifan yawned, "Those two make great human alarm-clocks..."

"They wanted to see you." Phillona said walking to his bed.

[Yeesh, gimme a break. What am I? Some sort of a tourist attraction? Step right up, people. The 18-year old boy, warped from another planet. Only on display at Mideel.]

She sat down near him, and began to loosen the bandage, which was stained with dry blood, "How are you feeling?"

"Fine."

"You slept well, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Didn't wake up in the middle, right?"

"No."

"Master of the monosyllables, huh?

"Yes."

She smiled as she removed the last winding of the bandage. There was nothing on the skin except a scar. She placed her hand on his neck. Sensing no heat, she said, "Yeah...you're ok. Your hand should feel numb and hurt a little. But it'll be better once you start using it..."

Sifan got up and swung his arm around. He felt no sensation at first but soon warmth started to surface on his arm. Sifan was a little amazed. He had seen Dr. Kodawaki take care of a lot of students with all sorts of wounds, but he had never seen her treat a gunshot overnight.

"Surprised?" Phillona said, "The medicine was.......... uh..........the Certunian bat's....... you know..."

[Don't tell me........]

Avatar walked in, a huge grin appeared on his face when he saw Sifan on his feet, "Hey WOW! The bat crap worked!"

Phillona smiled sheepishly, "Hey, he's a huge guy and he's tough to beat, ok? Besides, his.........uh........ Stuff is really effective."

Avatar came over and slapped Sifan's arm hard. The numbness disappeared and Sifan felt his arm hurt from Avatar's slap.

"Hey..." Sifan said, "I think you did it buddy. It feels prefect now...."

He removed the gunblade from its sheath and swung it with his left arm. It was in perfect form. He sheathed his gunblade after binding its holder to his side.

"Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes." Phillona said walking to the door, "Just come over to the cottage near the water tower."

"You got it, gorgeous..." Avatar said, as Phillona left the room.

"So........" Avatar said turning to Sifan, "how did pretty boy sleep last night...?"

[If I tell him about the voice, he'll probably make a joke out of that too...]

"Yeah. I slept well." He said washing his face in the sink. He looked up at the mirror. Sifan Leonhart never took even a minute to look at his face. That day however, he just stood there looking. If he had a lighter shade of brown hair, a bead on his ear, steel blue eyes, and a scar stretching down from his brow between his eyes, the mirror would show Squall Leonhart. He sighed, turning away from the mirror.

[I wonder what they think happened to me.]

Avatar looked at him, "Boy, you need a haircut..."

"Don't even THINK about it." Sifan replied at once.

He remembered the episode clearly. Eight years ago, a few weeks after Avatar had come to live with the Leonharts; Avatar had said that Sifan needed a haircut. Sifan had naively replied that he definitely needed one. That night, Avatar sneaked into Rinoa's room and had taken her dressing scissors. The next morning Sifan had found his hair snipped and sheared into a mess that looked like a Marlboro's tentacles.

"You remember, dontcha?" Avatar said putting his arm around Sifan's neck, "I always wanted to be a hair-dresser...your head of course, was my training ground."

"You did the same thing the next year, didn't you?" Sifan said recalling his past.

Avatar beamed, "Yup.... Boy, was that fun! Just as much fun as my life in Fishermen's horizon."

"Avatar was once an orphan who had lived in a place called Fisherman's Horizon. Strangely, he doesn't seem to remember anything about his past before Fisherman's horizon. Anyway, Avatar Fenis, as early as ten, made a living by working for a gang of thieves in Fishermen's Horizon. They fed him and gave him a place to live. Avatar's talent at jumping across rooftops, trees, and ships with tremendous agility boosted his chances at thievery. He used to pilfer food, money and valuables from shopkeepers, travelers, citizens, passers-by, merchants and everyone else who walked the streets of Fisherman's horizon. Before they could blink an eye, Avatar was already off on a far-away tree or a roof. One day, however, even with all his expertise, Avatar was caught. He tried to make off with some money from a man who was paying a shopkeeper. He swung down from a rooftop with a rope, grabbed the money and tried to run for it. But the man behind him had cast a float spell on him, leaving him helplessly bobbing in the air. The law authorities in Fisherman's Horizon had wanted to get their hands on Avatar, but the man didn't turn him in. Instead, he took Avatar home and enrolled him in a military academy know as balamb garden. This man's name was Squall Leonhart, Sifan Leonhart's father. So I guess both Sifan and Avatar are more or less like brothers. Both of them trained in this 'garden' till now and after passing a field examination, they had become SeeDs, mercenaries trained in all forms of combat. When they were returning from a party on their graduation night, the entire incident of the airship and the turbo-wrap thing happened as he told me last night. I don't know if I buy the story Avatar told me last night about the inter-dimensional warp. But I have read about such things in a few science magazines Ricardo used to read."

Phillona stretched her arm, the pen between her fingers. No matter what happened, the first person Phillona told everything to, was her diary. Avatar had told his entire story the previous night. She had hardly seemed to ask but Avatar's talkative nature seemed to be at its crest.

Marlene's voice soon called from outside, "Phillona! Food's ready. Get the boys in here will you? The two new ones also..."

"They'll be here soon." She shouted a reply, "I heard Avatar's stomach rumble..."

Sifan and Avatar walked out of the medical room, both their stomachs grunting and growling. The sun was already up and though the sky was cloudy, Mideel looked bright and bustling with activity; contrary to what they had seen the previous night.

Avatar's eyes fell on the well, "Hey, Sifan. You know what's in that well?"

"No..." Sifan said, "The last time I tried to look, I had a sniper rifle aimed at my chest, remember?"

"It's life stream." Avatar said.

Sifan looked inside. There was a radiant liquid, which constantly changed its shade from one bright color to another. Sifan's eyes tickled as it shimmered brightly making the walls of the well look like a kaleidoscope.

The previous night, Phillona had told Avatar about the life stream and the reasons why Shin-Ra were after it. Avatar passed the information to Sifan as both of them walked towards the water tower from the well.

"So...these Shin-Ra guys are operating underground, constructing all sorts of armors and weapons.... And they need this mako or whatever energy from the life stream for their purpose................" Sifan said, "I don't know about you, buddy, but I don't think we got warped to the land of milk and honey..."

"Well, I still can't believe we are out of our world." Avatar said waving to Trex at the other end of the village.

"Neither can I..." Sifan said as Avatar opened the door of the cottage where breakfast was being served.

"Burp..." came the sound from Avatar's mouth, as he exclaimed "the food here is just outta this world!"

[Geez. Somehow... 'Out of this world' doesn't sound so soothing.']

Trex grinned, "Marlene's cooking's the best...most of the time, at least..."

Ricardo snickered, "Yeah. Once when she tried this new dish-"

A glare from Marlene silenced him.

"Uh. Pass the ketchup, please..." He said, forgetting what he wanted to say.

"Hey, where's Phillona?" Avatar said stuffing the last sandwich into his mouth, "ishnt fhe hungwy?"

Sifan sighed.

[Leave it to Avatar to make a fool of himself.]

"Hey, Fheefaan, thi stuph iph goodh." Avatar said, the sandwich still ballooned in his mouth.

Ricardo remembered Trex had promised to show him how to ride a chocobo. He hurried outside after excusing himself, almost bumping into Phillona on his way out.

Phillona walked into the room and took a chair near Sifan quietly, after smiling at him as usual.

[Why can't she sit somewhere else? And does she ALWAYS have to smile like that?]

Avatar leaned back on his chair, "SO...where are your parents living...?"

The air suddenly went mute. Phillona didn't look up from her plate as Marlene's smile faded away.

"Um...Something I said...?" Avatar said, feeling his question didn't quite strike a cheerful note.

"They're dead..." Marlene said, a restrained look on her face.

"I-I am sorry..." Avatar said, "I really am...."

"It's ok...." Marlene replied, "You didn't know..."

"Ok. Then who was that spiky-headed dude back in that photo in the medical room?"

Sifan felt like knocking Avatar's head off. Earlier, Avatar himself had looked at the picture and had said, "They must be Phillona's parents."

Avatar realized it a second too late. He scratched his head, "Uh. I'll get some fresh air..." Avatar disappeared in a jiffy, through the door. Marlene excused herself and went away to wash the dishes. Phillona sat on her chair, still not looking away from the plate. She was quite troubled by Avatar's first question about her parents. To top it, he had followed it with another inappropriate one.

Sifan unexpectedly found himself under the obligation of apologizing on behalf of Avatar.

Sifan cleared his throat, "Ahem.... Avatar speaks his head off without thinking a lot of times...I apologize if he hurt you..."

[That was rather blunt, but hey...I don't do stuff like this.]

To his amazement, Phillona looked up and smiled, "You know, you were talking to me in monosyllables some time back in the medical room. Now, you actually spoke a whole sentence. You really don't talk unless you have to, do you?"

[Very funny.]

"Warbling unnecessary stuff at the unnecessary time is Avatar's line of work, not mine."

"You're cute.........." she said standing up, "Catch you later..." She cleared the table and went away to help Marlene with the dishes.

[C-Cute? I am trying to be a gentleman and she calls me, 'cute'...]

Sifan walked out of the door to see Avatar standing against the wall, his arms folded.

"Warbling unnecessary stuff at the unnecessary time is Avatar's line of work, not mine." He said in a sneering tone, "What are you trying to do, impress her?"

"Oh please, that's your line of work too." Sifan said.

"Wise guy, ain't ya?" He said punching him playfully, "So...are we gonna sit around all day or are we going to get our asses back to balamb?"

"Aren't we forgetting something...?"

"Relafen?"

"Yup. I wonder where he is...?"

"Probably in a nearby town or village bullying some kids..." Avatar said.

"We better go exploring..."

"Actually..." Avatar said, "Phillona said a friend of her father lives in some place called Costa-de-sol. Some scientist. She says he used to do experiments on time-travel and you know, all that crap..."

"Well, how do we go there?"

"Ship..."

"Where's the port?"

"Phillona will take us..." Avatar said as he and Sifan walked to an item shop near the medical room.

"Why her...?" Sifan said, after asking the shopkeeper for a few potions, some phoenix downs and a remedy, "Can't she just give us directions?"

"Why?" Avatar said puzzled as Sifan paid the shopkeeper, "I know you have a problem with girls and all that. But Phillona's different from the rest of them."

"They're all the same, Avatar."

"Oh yeah, the junction system aint gonna work. Take a look at your spells."

"What!?" Sifan asked, finding no magic spells junctioned to him, "What happened to all our spells?"

"It worked last night, but that's about it...." Avatar said, "Disappeared this morning. I can't draw or junction anything from anyone. Bottom line is............. no junction system in this world."

"Great. That means we..." Sifan sighed.

"That means we need Phillona to teach us materia magic. We studied all about it last year. But we're still gonna need some assistance if we wanna survive out there..."

"Your items, sir?" The boy at the counter said.

"Thanks." Sifan said and kept the items in his pocket. His coat was battered and full of Scratches from the previous night.

Avatar looked at Sifan and nodded his head, "We better find you a change of outfit once we get to Costa-de-sol."

Sifan agreed, "Yeah but Can't Trex come with us instead of Phillona? Or Marlene..."

Avatar was annoyed with Sifan's aversion to Phillona, "You're irritating me. I am going to go meet her and also get my sword. We'll leave in ten minutes. You better be out of your Phillona-Phobia by then."

Sifan placed his hand on his head, as he leaned against the wall near the shadows of the item shop's roof. He watched his friend head towards Phillona's Cabin.

He heaved a sigh. Once, again the same voice that had talked to him the previous night rose in his head.

{You want to murder the part of you that's starting to like Phillona, don't you?}

[W-What? I-I am going bananas...that voice again...]

{Sigh, That's the problem with you, you don't accept things as they are. Like the way, your father right now is not accepting his son died from the Ragnarok accident...}

[M-My father? H-Hey............H-How did you...............Who the hell are you?]

{............................}

[Answer me, Dammit!]

The screeching of eagles circling high in the air was the only response Sifan Leonhart received.