Last of the series....for now. Muahahaha. Anyways, standard credits here, same as always. You know it all, so why bother telling you what you already know? I'll tell you why, they'll sue my bum if I don't. The logic works. © all the guys that Square Enix owns to Square Enix. Duh. © Seig and Cassandra to me, Seig. Hah, more duh. Oh, and I took a bit 'o artistic license with LOTR, with part of a scene so...yeah. You understand.
White King
Volume III: Immortal Redemption
Twilight had fallen upon the White City...but Seig barely noticed the time of day. His mind was on the task ahead of him. Standing in the secret passage in to the castle was too much waiting for him. They had just been briefed on their mission less than 30 minutes ago, and yet Leon was going it over again. Seig barely paid attention to him, though what he had to say was probably vital. Rather, he was leaning against the stone wall, his hand running along the silver chain, and to the heart down at the bottom. He still felt bad for having to leave his three friends behind. Aleeshia was furious, Ban was silent and understanding and Cale complained, insisting he could help. They all knew, though. They knew that they would just get in the way. Seig would have loved to stay with them, but he had a job to do.
"Right..." Leon said, snapping Seig out of his non-attentive haze. Wrapping the loop in the chain around his wrist twice so it stayed on, he kissed the pendant for good luck, and seized his Keyblade. Taking a look back at everyone to make sure everyone was prepared; Leon slung his Gunblade over his shoulder and walked to the secret exit behind the statue.
"Let's go to work."
Seig and Cloud led the group down the barren hallways of the castle; both held their weapons at ready. Cloud's ridiculously large Buster Sword was held high, and Seig's Keyblade was positioned at his side. Weird...there's nothing here... And it was true. Not a Heartless could be seen, and in the brightly lit hallway, without a single crack to hide in, the Heartless would stand out like sore thumbs. Seig could have slept through their little trek if he had wanted to. Nobody wanted to voice their worries about it, for fear of being heard. Suddenly, the never-ending corridor halted, ending in a single, plain wooden door. It was the fact that it was so plain that freaked Seig out the most. Maybe some gigantic, magnificent doors would be a bit more appropriate...but just some plain old door...man. Creepy. Motioning for the rest of the group to wait, Seig took the handle, and jerked open the door.
Nothing. Again. I'm getting pretty freakin' sick of this... Slowly, the group entered a large, circular room, with just one door on the opposite side. Just as one of the men was about to walk towards the center, Cloud seized his collar and heaved him back. Seig silently agreed with the enigmatic man, it was probably a trap.
Then, as if right on cue, the familiar scene of darkness spilling from the cracks came back to Seig as he watched what seemed to be a miniature waterfall of midnight fall from the ceiling.
"All right, about time!" Seig said, drawing his Keyblade, as the other drew their miscellaneous weapons. Slowly, the Darkness took their forms, but not as some little Shadows...these things were bigger. About a man's height, each walked on two legs, and long claws extended from each spindly finger. Their heads closely resembled those of the shadows, only larger, pointer antennas extended from their foreheads.
Seig counted roughly fifty of them. Turning to Cloud he made a mock sigh.
"Wow, fifty to five. Those odds are pretty bad." Cloud glanced down at him before smiling.
"Yes, I almost feel sorry for them."
The battle with the Heartless raged on, with both Seig and Cloud bellowing out each time a Heartless was felled beneath their weapons.
"23....24...25..." Cloud shouted, and Seig retorted.
"25.....26...27..."
Apparently, there were more of the monsters than Seig originally counted, because he was now up to 46 and counting. Seig, Cloud and two other backed in to the wall slowly. One of their numbers had disappeared under a wave of monsters. Any more of this...and we'll be done too...
"This cannot go on much longer." Cloud said simply, and Seig mutter a reply.
"Yeah, no kidding good buddy..."
Looking down at the jingling necklace wrapped around his wrist, Seig realized that it couldn't end here...not now...he wasn't done. These...bastards were in his way. They won't stop me...They can't stop me...Advancing on the monster from the Dark, Seig felt something grow inside him...something big...something bright. Feeling no self restraint in the face of these creatures, he released it. Slashing sideways, the power emerged from his Keyblade in the form of an enormous, silvery-white arch, cleaving every single Heartless in half. As the arch evaporated, along with the random parts of the Heartless, the men let out sighs of relief. He turned to Cloud, smirking.
"That should only count as one." The man said simply, heading towards the opposite door.
"And so...the hero comes to defeat me...how very, very interesting..." The man mused silently, staring at the moving image of Seig.
"You're not in the least bit worried, Lord Ansem?" Axel asked, cold eyes locked on the image of Cloud, leading the group next to Seig. This one is indeed a warrior to be feared... The other man snorted, and brushed a piece of white hair from his blood-red eyes.
"Don't be ridiculous, my dead Axel. That last move was a fluke, nothing more. He doesn't even remotely begin to understand the powers of the Keyblade, and by time he reaches me...it will be too late..."
"What of this man, Cloud?" Axel asked, flexing his fingers. Ansem waved away the question impatiently.
"Oh, you can take care of him...that should not be a problem for you, am I correct?" Axel bowed. I shall relish the challenge.
"You are, my Lord. Shall I send more Shadows to slow them down?" Ansem seemed to ponder this, but then waved his hand.
"No, let them come to us. No amount of Shadows will be able to stop the boy at this moment, so let's give a false sense of security." He waved his hand. "You may go." Axel bowed, and left the chamber, as Ansem turned his attention back to the image before him.
"...Well, hero? What shall you do now?...ha ha ha..."
Leon and his team (Yuffie had stopped ranting about leadership some time ago) trekked along the corridors of the Castle in utter silence, everyone too afraid to say anything. Despite the few numbers of Shadows, Leon and Yuffie were luckily able to cleave them out of the way before anyone could even move a muscle. This was good, in a sense, because Leon was beginning that the group couldn't fight for shit. It was a little late to discover that, too. Slowly advancing along the torch-lit stone walls, Leon motioned for them to halt as he took out his map.
And, for the first time in his life, Leon had no idea where he was.
"Is there a problem, Leon?" Yuffie asked, approaching her male companion.
Leon stuffed the map in his pocket, and set off down the hall. "No, there's no problem...I know exactly where we are."
"Ansem has called off his Shadows...but the question is why?" Cloud asked, climbing the back stairs. Seig shook his head.
"It's probably a trap...you know, letting us thing we're alright, then POW, the get us when our guard is down, ya know?" Cloud nodded in agreement.
Reaching the top of the stairs, Seig took a deep breath, turned the handle, and silently prayed that all of their hard work was not in vain.
Leon was lost; there was no other explanation for it.
"We've passed this place twice already Leon!" Yuffie moaned, and Leon just kept on moving, but not before Yuffie hit him across the head.
"Leon you stupid prick, quit acting proud and admit we're lost!" Yuffie almost shouted. The brown-haired warrior whirled to face her, and breathed a sigh of defeat.
"All right, we're lost." He confessed, and everyone in the group groaned.
"Nice going Leon." One man said. Leon would have retorted, but he honestly thought he deserved it. Yuffie snatched the map from Leon's pocket, and held it out. After a few minutes, she pointed to the right.
"It's this way." She said, and everyone followed, along with a reluctant, scowling Leon.
As Seig and the team drew nearer and nearer to the 'Hall of the Worlds', Seig noticed that the detail put in to the surroundings became more and more impressive. Torches were placed in detailed, carved niches in the walls, the stone became less rough, and more shaped. One of the men behind Seig gave a low, impressed whistle. Seig nodded in silent consent.
"We are in the hall now." Cloud said, as they emerged in another large room. Two magnificently carved doors stood to their left, both made of white marble, with detailed drawings on them, telling some sort of story. The symbol of the Angels appeared quiet frequently.
"We meet again, hero." A cold voice said, and Seig turned to face Axel, leaning against the wall. Smiling malevolently, he advanced on the group.
"I must say, with your lack of skills, I'm surprised you managed to get this far. I observed your feat against the Shadows, and I must say I'm impressed. But, as the Master said, you do not know the Keyblade's full potential. Now, I do believe it is time for a fair fight....hmm, four to one...I hardly think THAT'S fair..." Flicking his wrist, two knives sailed from his sleeve, imbedding deep into the chests of the two men. They were dead before they hit the ground.
"Ah, much better." Axel said, and snapped his fingers. In an instant, a ring of fire appeared around the three, blocking the exits. Seig held up his Keyblade, ready for a fight, but Cloud held out an arm.
"I'll dispose of him; you have a more important job to do. Go, Ansem is waiting." Seig didn't need an invitation, and hurriedly sped to the stairs, where the fire hissed menacingly. Shit... Seig thought, then back up down the stairs. Once again kissing the heart for luck, I'm gonna need it, he took a running leap across the flames...
And crashed headlong in to the doors. Groaning, Seig picked himself up from the most ungraceful heap he was in, massaging the developing bruise in his head. He snatched his Keyblade, which had clattered a few feet away from him. Casting one last look at Cloud, he took a deep breath.
"Good luck, mate." He said, before pushing open the doors.
Cloud and Axel stood feet apart, locked in death stares, neither of them moving an inch, neither blinking.
"How does it feel, knowing you just sentenced yourself, and the boy, to death?" Axel asked, but Cloud said nothing. Axel's grin faded slightly at Cloud's stony silence.
"Not much for talking, eh? Fine, we'll just cut to the chase." He said, and threw his arms to the sides, palms extended outward. Dark mist and flame slowly began to congregate into mass, and Axel grasped two circular, ruby-red disks. Each had eight lethal-looking barbs pointing outward. An insane grin passed over Axel's face. Cloud readied his sword.
"Come on." Cloud commanded, and Axel complied full-heartedly.
The Hall of the Worlds was huge, every square inch of it was put in the highest detail. The large dome ceiling was made of pure silver, and its highly polished surface reflected the light from the torches hanging in the pillars. In the center of the marble floor, the insignia on Seig's shoulder stood, plain and bare.
Then Seig noticed the doors.
Larger than the ones leading to the very room, these doors stood taller, and more magnificently than anything Seig had ever seem. Stained- glass panels larger then he was were woven in to their magnificent surface.
"Stunning, are they not?" A voice asked from Seig's right, and he spun to see who could only be one man: Ansem.
Taller than anyone Seig had ever seen, Ansem towered over the boy, silvery-white hair falling from his high, tanned forehead down to his waist. But neither his height, nor his blood-red eyes were his most distinguishing features...it was his right arm. Obviously cleaved from his body at one time, a crude replacement had been put in its position. But it was made of neither metal nor any other earthly object; it was made of pure darkness. It was no human arm, either. It looked as if someone had ripped the arm off one of the large shadows, and fused it with the man. Black flesh folded over bulging muscles, ending in the deadly claws of the monsters. Ansem followed Seig's eyes, and smiled.
"Ah, I see you have noticed my wound...a testament from your father, you know. He did not go down with out a fight."
"He should have gotten the rest of you as well." Seig spat, and Ansem looked down at the boy with a disapproving glare.
"Now now, Seig...must we be enemies?" He asked.
"You killed my family." The boy snarled.
"Ah yes," Ansem said slowly, as if he was remembering a fond memory. "There is that, isn't there?"
Seig held his Keyblade at ready, and Ansem sighed.
"Eager, aren't we?" He asked. Seig said nothing. "Very well, you did come for a fight." Removing something from his white jacket, he held it up for Seig to see.
"You know what this is, don't you?" He said, and opened the cork at the top. "This is your blood...I had Axel collect it for a reason, as I am undoubtedly sure you are not aware of. There is so very much to learn...you understand so little." Taking the vial in his shadow hand, he held out his left hand. Turning the vial upside-down, he shook it a few times, and a single drop fell in to his outstretched, gloved hand. Closing his fist over it, dark mist slowly began to form around his hand. A small light appeared from inside the glove, but then it was quickly smothered by the darkness, which was slowly taking the shape of something long and pointed. Ansem flashed Seig a sinister grin.
"Seig, meet the Oblivion." He said, just as the materialization of the menacing weapon completed. Seig paled at the look of it. "With this weapon, I will open the doors to the worlds, and rule all!" He roared, erupting in maniacal laughter. Seig planted his feet, and bared his teeth.
"Not if I can help it." He said, and Ansem lowered his gaze to the young man.
"Do you really hope to kill me? Think, boy...I've killed men far more experienced and far more dangerous than you."
The determination in Seig's eyes affirmed his question.
"Very well, prepare yourself!" He said, and raised the Oblivion in ready.
The end of Cloud's fight was nowhere in sight. Axel was a terribly powerful fighter, and the weapons he wielded were quite dangerous if Cloud got too near to them. He had the cuts to prove it. Axel was pretty scratched up too, a long streak running across his chest where Cloud left his mark. The red-haired man hissed as Cloud swung downwards on him. He barely had enough time to raise his wheels to block the attack, but he was nonetheless driven backwards by the sheer force of the onslaught. Seizing his chance, Cloud swung wide at Axel's side. The fiery-haired man, however, was too fast for the wide arch made by the overlarge blade, and dodged nimbly out of the way, charging back at Cloud for another assault. And this was how the battle went on, one narrow miss after another...
Seig wasn't as lucky as Cloud was in his fight, never even getting on the offensive. True, his battle was made of narrow misses, but they were all given by Ansem, and Seig was the one dodging. Ansem just laughed as he swung his Oblivion, leaving a trail of dark energy behind.
"Come on, boy! Give me some form of challenge!" He roared. This is insane! Seig thought, dodging another swing of the Keyblade. Then he saw the opening...it was small, but it was there. Taking his chances, Seig sprinted forward, and made a swipe at Ansem's stomach.
Ansem gave a small cry of surprise as he felt the swish of the Keyblade near his chest. Looking down, he openly laughed as Seig faded back. All I did was cut his shirt! Seig thought in wonder.
A punch from the man knocked Seig backwards, making him skid across the polished floor. He just lay there on the ground; sure his jaw was shattered from the blow. The click of boots on marble made Seig sit up, just in enough time to have Ansem lift him up by his neck.
"Tell me, boy: how does it feel to know that you are going to die? To know that you will perish in the moment of truth? To know that all your puny efforts were for naught? Tell me, boy..." In that moment, as the breath slowly escaped from him, Seig realized he was going to die. "I could have had the Heartless finish you off, but I kept them at bay...why? I wanted to kill you personally. I wanted to completely obliterate the Light from existence, starting with the Angels."
Colors started forming in front of Seig's eyes, and they were soon replaced by dark blotches. It couldn't end like this, after everything...Seig was going to fail, just like Ansem said.
"...I believe that the Light in you will triumph over him."
"You see?" Ansem continued. "Darkness is power. Darkness conquers over everything, Darkness IS the only choi-."
"Y-you're wrong." Seig hissed, and the triumphant smile on the man's face vanished.
"What did you say?"
"I said that you're wrong!" Seig shouted, rage overfilling him. Ansem released him, as if he was something hot, and he had burned his Shadow-like hand. Summoning his Keyblade to his hand, he faced the Master of the Darkness.
"You say Darkness is stronger than the Light, let's put that to the test." He shouted, white light emitting from his Keyblade, slowly trailing up his arm. As it enveloped his body, Seig felt his wounds healing; he was no longer tired, no longer afraid of the Darkness. Something was growing from his back and he turned his head to see flesh and bone turn to feather. Sprouting from his shoulders were two giant, pure-white wings. Ansem stared at him.
"So...you really think you can win?" He asked, as if the idea was impossible.
Seig didn't know.
But he was gonna try.
Axel, just in mid-swing, turned towards the doors of the Hall.
"That power...incredible!" He murmured under his breath. Cloud couldn't feel a thing, but he knew what Axel spoke of.
"Seig..." He said silently, and lunged at the unprepared Axel. It only took a few swings of the mighty Buster Sword before Axel's wheels were knocked from his hands. With one swift, decisive motion, Cloud impaled Axel on his sword. A mixture of surprise and fear crossed the man's face, as blood, dark as night, flowed openly from his body.
"H-how...?" He asked, as the buster sword was torn from his body. His only answer was the silence of death.
Seig couldn't believe his own strength. His moves were faster, he felt lighter, and adrenaline pumped vigorously through his veins. Once he got used to the added flexibility of his new found wings, he was able to almost fly...or at least jump high.
Releasing a chain of blows to Ansem's front, Seig leapt back, panting. Lowering his arms, Ansem looked at him. Wrong move. Seig rushed at his face making a swipe at his shadow-arm.
Ansem screamed, and looked down at his arm. A tear, like in cloth, appeared. Wheeling on Seig, fury blazed in his eyes.
"You insolent little whelp!" He roared, charging at the Angel. Seig dodged to the side, his wings beating furiously. Retaliating full force, Seig returned his attacks, the clashing from the metals of the Keyblades echoing all across the chamber. The weapons of opposite forces locked, their wielders facing each other.
"Give in, boy...you know you cannot defeat me!" Ansem hissed through clenched teeth. He was having more trouble keeping Seig at bay than he anticipated.
"I'll give in when you're dead, and the worlds are safe!" Seig growled back, shoving Ansem back with all of his inhuman strength. The man staggered back, but regained his balance in enough time to meet Seig blow- for-blow.
"Hey! Cloud!" Yuffie called, finally emerging in the hall. Cloud turned to the group, and nodded in greeting. Leon looked down at the body of Axel, and then at the doors to the Hall.
"Is Seig...?" He started, and Cloud nodded again.
"He's alive...and fighting bravely."
The group all looked towards the vast doors of the Hall, each praying, and hoping that Seig would emerge once again.
Ansem was back on the offensive, making Seig back up, almost reaching the pillars. Making a move for Seig's head, the boy ducked, and Ansem collided with solid marble pillar. Rolling away from Ansem, Seig readied himself again.
Yanking his Keyblade from the marble, Ansem slowly advanced on Seig. Bringing the Keyblade to the right, Seig went left. But Ansem was ready, whirling around and driving the weapon hard in to Seig's shoulder.
As the teeth of the Keyblade imbedded themselves in Seig's shoulder blade, the Angel fell to the ground. Ansem smiled cruelly, and wrenched his weapon from Seig's shoulder, causing the boy to shout in more pain.
"So...this is how it is going to end, Seig...your little speech about the Light being superior was for nothing...you see now, don't you? You, the Angels, the Light, even, they are nothing more than bugs underneath my boot- WHA?!" He shouted in surprise.
As Seig lost blood, as the world faded before him, he noticed the post peculiar spectacle he had ever witnessed. His own blood, that drenched the Oblivion, was now eating through it like white acid, creeping up the handle.
"Wha-what is happening?" Screeched Ansem, as the blood ate away at his gloved hand and arm. Making a desperate attempt to wipe it off with his shadow-hand, he only succeeded in burning holes strait through the demon- like appendage.
Seig watched in wonder as Ansem, King of Darkness, fell to the ground, slowly becoming a withering mass of shimmering, shifting, silvery- white blood. As the last of the Angel's vision faded in to black, the blood disappeared in to thin air, leaving nothing but the shining marble floor in the Hall of the Worlds. With that in the last of his vision, Seig subsided in to a world of nothing.
"Am...am I dead?" The question was the first thing that popped in to his head. He received no answer.
"Where do I go from here?"
Silence.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"
"It's a miracle that he's recovered." How many times was it that Seig had this happen to him? Three? Four, maybe?
'It was indeed. I think you will find that Angels are capable of performing the most extraordinary things, and miracles are no exceptions." So I'm not dead...well, at least that's some good news.
"Do you have any idea what could have happened to Ansem's body? Do you know if Seig even killed him?" There was silence from the other party. Of course I killed him, Seig thought angrily, I just don't have a goddamn clue how.
"I do not know, Leon, but I hope that when the boy comes around, he will be able to shed some light on the subject."
Seig now decided to make himself noticeable, so he opened his eyes, only to meet a burst of sunlight from a window. Squinting, he tried to adjust to his surroundings. He was lying prone in a bed, in a rather small circular room.
"Behold, for our hero awakens." A voice said from a chair to Seig's right. The boy could only smile.
"Nice to see you too, you stupid old fogey." He said wryly, and turned his head to meet the old mans gaze. Merlin just chuckled from his chair.
"I did kill him, you know." Seig said suddenly. "Only, I have no idea just how the hell I did it." He added as an afterthought. The robed old wise man steepled his fingers, and stared at Seig.
"Pray tell how, then." He said politely.
"...So," Seig said, after relating his story to Merlin. "Your theories are usually right. Why do you think my blood did that to him?"
Merlin was quiet for a few minutes, staring past Seig and outside the window.
"I do believe," He said slowly, as if not entirely sure himself. "That your blood, in such a quantity as it was, may have been too pure for Ansem, in his current state. You see, when Ansem took over the castle back when your father was King, he was not as corrupted with the Darkness as he is now. Now, his blood is, or rather was, nothing but pure Darkness. The pure essence of Light that was within your blood was too overpowering for him. The same idea applies for his Keyblade, this so-called Oblivion. True" He said, interrupting Seig from his question, "The Oblivion was made from a drop of your blood, but it was infused with enough Darkness to make it whole."
'All in all," Said Merlin, a smile playing across his lips, the twinkle in his eye returning. "I think it was just a bit too much of a good thing."
Because his only injury was to his shoulder, Seig was able to walk around the castle, which was now apparently his. It certainly seemed a lot friendlier, now that Ansem was gone and the Heartless were vanquished back to the Darkness with their master. Once you took the time to look at it, the castle really was a wonder to behold. If you didn't have a map, you could easily get lost, but you would always end up where you wanted to go eventually.
But, despite the castles beauty, and the now friendly people of the White City, Seig still felt at unrest in his new home. The truth was, he missed the Destiny Islands. He missed the sun, the sand, the school, the quaint way of living, his friends...hell, he missed everything.
"Somethin' up, Seig?" Yuffie asked, approaching him on the balcony. Seig just sighed, and looked up at the stars.
"Yeah, there is," He said. "I don't want to stay here." Yuffie looked at him as if he was insane.
"You're kidding, right?" She asked. "Why in God's name would you WANT to leave here? You have everything here!" She spread her arms as wide as they would go for emphasis.
"It's not a simple as that, Yuf." Seig said, looking down at the glowing streets of Città degli angeli. A city-wide party had been going on for several days now, since the defeat of Ansem. Seig didn't attend, he didn't want to. "I don't care about all this, I never did. I don't want the power, I don't want the attention...my whole life, I've been different, and now I've got the chance to just be a normal guy. I think I'd really like to take that chance." Seig shivered in the night breeze. His coat lay back in his room, two big holes in the back, ripped from where his wings grew. He rubbed his shoulders, lightly brushing his left. The scar from his wound now completely destroyed the tattoo of the Angels.
"Well, you could always give the city to me..." Yuffie said, acting like she really didn't care. It was Seig's turn to stare at her, like SHE was crazy. Putting the city in the hands of Yuffie could only end in mass panic.
The Resistance, what was left of it, was standing at the brick wall of the secret door, all of them waiting to bid farewell to Seig. The Angel took turns with each of them, shaking their hands. He came to Leon.
"Leon, you've led the Resistance well. So, I'm hoping you can lead the city just as well. What do ya say?" Leon stood in shock, and then bowed deeply.
"Thank you, my liege." He said. Seig waved off the compliment.
"Oh please...liege? Not me, I'm just a kid who accidentally saved the world. I'm not cut out for ruling people, it's not my thing. You, on the other hand, can lead these people strongly, and I want that for them." Clapping the man on the back, he moved on to Yuffie.
"Yuffie, erm...thanks." He said, not entirely sure what to say to the egomaniac. She gave a goofy smile, and bowed. Seig moved on to Cloud, silent as ever.
"Cloud, I hope you're up to starting an army of your own. You know, in case we ever needed one." Cloud nodded, and held out a gloved hand.
"It was an honor fighting with you." He said simply. Seig figured this was the biggest compliment he had ever given someone, so he took it, and the hand, graciously. The last in the group was Merlin.
"Merlin, you taught me a lot about myself. I mean, if it wasn't for your long, tiring speeches, I wouldn't know who I am. Help this city when knowledge is needed, 'k?" Merlin smiled down at him.
"I will. But it is not you who should be thanking us; it is us who should be thanking you. You have saved the worlds from the eternal shadow of Darkness. Whether you want the throne or not, you will be our King." And slowly, Merlin got down on one knee, closely followed by the others. Seig looked at one person to the other. Woah...
"Oh, stop it you guys, you're making me blush!" He said, pretending to be embarrassed. Flinging his torn jacket over his shoulder, now healed almost completely, he turned to everyone.
"I'll come visit every once and a while to check up on you, make sure you're not screwing up my kingdom too badly." He said, grinning. With that, he placed his hand against the door, and felt himself being pulled back home.
Seig barely noticed the Darkness in the world between the worlds, he wasn't scared of it any more. His thoughts were focused on the Destiny Islands.
Emerging from the door in the Secret Spot, Seig had to blink a few times to adjust to the major change in lighting. Nobody was there, Oh, big surprise there...Seig thought sarcastically. Jogging up the dirt slope, Seig emerged on the first island. The same sunshine, same waterfall, same beach...
"Seig!" Ah, same friends.
"'Ey, Seig!" Wakka called from the beach, his Blitzball falling forgotten next to him. Seig waved merrily.
"Hey guys, what's up?" He asked, jogging down to the beach. Tidus, Selphie and Wakka crowded around him.
"Is it true what Sora and the others say?" Tidus asked, and Seig shrugged.
"I guess it depends on what they're saying." He said lightly.
"They be sayin' you some kinda Angel or somethin'...I say they crazy, ya?" Wakka said, laughing. Seig chuckled appreciatively, and shook his head.
"No, no, no...they're not crazy. For the most part, they're right." He said, and the three exchanged looks.
"So, you're an Angel...?" Selphie asked, and Seig nodded. The three just stared at him.
"Now, do you know where everyone else is?" He asked, and they pointed towards the second island.
"School just got out, and they all went to your house. Riku said they were gonna wait for you to come back from saving the world or something." Seig snickered at the expression of bewilderment on Tidus' face.
"Well, I'm done saving the worlds now, so I think I'll go home. Later guys!" He called, heading towards the boats.
"I knew they were all on weed, ya?" Wakka whispered once Seig was out of earshot.
Tying the boat to the post, Seig started jogging towards his house. As he grew nearer and nearer, he began to run faster and faster. Hopping over his steps completely, Seig threw open his door.
Five days after Seig had come back to the Destiny Islands, and Seig still wasn't used to going back to school. It just felt weird after saving the world. Of course, Zell now completely avoided him, so that was just a perk he got after all he went through.
Despite the awkwardness of going back to the normal routine of life, Seig was enjoying every minute of it. For once, he wasn't considered more important than everyone else, and he liked the normality of it all.
"Can you believe the amount of homework we're getting?" Sora complained loudly as the group walked home. Riku's head bobbed up and down in agreement, and Seig smiled slightly to himself. Just a week ago, he was worried about all the worlds' problems, and now he was agonizing about homework.
"And just what's so funny, Mister Angel?" Cassie asked, spying the goofy smile plastered on his face. Seig shrugged.
"Nothing, I'm just enjoying myself." He said. Riku gave him a look.
"How can you be enjoying yourself when there's so much we've gotta get done?"
"I'm just glad that that's all I've got to worry about, that's all." He replied, and Sora laughed.
"Oh yeah, this must be a lot better than saving the worlds."
Seig pretended to think about it, and then shrugged lightly. "I dunno, it comes pretty close in the terror department."
Waving goodbye to the laughing group, Seig entered his house. Throwing his books and shoes somewhere, not caring where they landed, he grabbed a pop- tart from the box, and jumped on to his couch. Flipping on his TV, he found a show about people doing incredibly stupid stunts.
"Knock, knock." A sweet voice said from Seig's open doorway. There was no reason to close it; nobody robbed your house in broad daylight. Seig smiled.
"Make yourself at home." He said, sitting up and looking back at her. "Take off your shoes, take a nap, eat my food, run around naked, do whatever." Sighing at his sarcasm, Cassie shed her shoes, and sat down next to Seig on the couch. He noticed that she still had her bag for school.
"What's with the backpack?" He inquired. "Don't tell me you want to do homework together." Rolling her eyes, Cassie picked it up off the floor.
"Of course not, I would never DREAM of asking you to do homework." She retorted sarcastically, and pulled out something black from her bag.
"I stole this from your house a few days ago, and fixed it up for you." Holding it out for Seig to see, he could se it was-
"My jacket!" He exclaimed. Sitting bolt upright, he grabbed it from her hands. Turning it over, he saw the back was fixed, and that two white angel wings had been stitched in to it. Staring in disbelief at it, he turned to her.
"You-you did this?" He asked, and she nodded eagerly. Standing up, he pulled it on.
"Wow, I feel like a new man." He said, and she laughed. Flopping back down on the couch, he grinned at her.
"I can't thank you enough..." Seig said. "You're too good for me." Cassie punched him lightly on the arm.
"Well, duh. Yet, I'll somehow find a way to put up with you."
Seig placed a hand over his heart, and pretended to be offended. "You cut me deep there, Cassandra, you cut me REAL deep." The girl just stuck her tongue out in his direction, and curled up next to him, watching a man in a kayak jump off a diving board on the television.
"So, Seig, what do you have planned for the rest of the day?" Asked Cassie. "Any more whirlwind adventures planned, perhaps?" Seig chuckled.
"You know what? I dunno where I'm going from here..." He said, looking out his window, out to the shores of the Destiny Islands, and smiled fondly.
"...And I kinda like it that way."