Disclaimer: See 'Disclaimer' of chapter one.
Back in Time
Chapter 4 First Encounters
Squall pushed his feet into the soft sand, lifting them up and feeling the warm grains sift between his toes. Joy-filled cries from further down the beach drew his attention. He raised his eyes and watched as Selphie and Quistis carried a bucket of water up the beach to where Irvine was lying, his eyes closed, sunbathing, and tipped it over his chest.
Irvine jumped up, as the cold water hit him and then proceeded to chase Selphie along the beach. From next to him, Zell laughed out loud at the antics. Squall laughed too as Rinoa came up to him with another bucket.
Squall marvelled at how beautiful she looked in her blue and silver swimsuit. After years of training at Garden and their more recent adventures with Ultimecia, this was the first time Squall had had a real holiday. And there was no-one he would rather spend it with.
"Don't laugh too hard." Rinoa warned as she staggered towards him, water slopping over the edge of the bucket, "It's your turn next!"
Squall stood up and ran at Rinoa. She squealed with laughter and dropped the bucket, spilling the water in it all over the sand. Squall wrapped his arms around her for a moment, then bent down, picked her up and carried her down to the waters edge.
"No, don't drop me!" Rinoa pleaded, kicking and squirming in his arms as he strode into the small waves, and Squall laughed out loud again.
From further up on the beach, Zell shook his head at the couple. He looked along the beach, past where Irvine and Selphie were, to the lighthouse and the rocky pier where he could see two people walking holding hands.
It had been Cids idea to come back to the orphanage for a holiday. He had put Xu in charge of the Garden and practically ordered Squall and the rest of them to take a well deserved break at the ruins of their childhood home.
Inside the crumbling walls they had pitched tents but for the last two nights they had all slept out under the stars.
The sound of footsteps behind him made Zell turn and stand. Through the worn stone archway came two people, a boy and a girl. Zell walked up the beach to meet the newcomers and recognised them as he got closer.
"Well, well. If it isn't the chicken-wuss, here to welcome us." "Seifer." the girl said in a warning tone. "What are you two doing here?" Zell asked, trying to contain his excitement, "I thought they needed you on the white SeeD ship, Ellone." "They did," Ellone replied, smiling warmly at the Zell, "But Seifer turned up and told them that I was needed elsewhere." Zell looked at Seifer in disbelief. Seifer shrugged. "Seifer...I...don't know what to say." Zell said. "Who cares," Seifer replied casually, "I'm only here to see two ladies and you ain't one of them." He stepped past Zell and strode down to the beach. Zell turned to look at Ellone. She smiled at him and without a word he pulled her into a welcoming embrace. "I've missed you, Zell." she whispered. "I missed you too." he replied softly.
On the beach, Seifer stopped and looked around for the people he was there to see. His eyes passed the shape of a person swimming towards the lighthouse and hovered on it for a moment. Then he saw a couple walking along the rocks, so he continued along the beach to meet them.
A few minutes later the couple saw him and waved. He didn't wave back but smiled to himself at how happy everyone was. He passed Irvine trying to drag Selphie into the water.
"Hi Seifer!" Selphie yelled but he ignored her.
"Hello Seifer." Cid said. "What brings you here?" "I came here with Ellone." "That was kind of you." Edea smiled at the boy. "Well..." Seifer struggled, "Anyway, I just came here to apologise." "I thought you had." Edea said, still smiling, "But you have nothing to apologise for. Ultimecia made a lot of people do a lot of things that they are sorry about. No-one is to blame." Seifer looked at the ground and didn't say anything. "You're welcome to stay with us." Cid offered with a friendly smile. "Can't," Seifer said, "I have to go to Dollet." "Then why not stay for a few hours. I'm sure some people would like to see you." Cid reasoned. Seifer looked out to sea where the swimmer had turned around and was now heading the other way down the beach. "Yeah," he agreed, "Maybe I will."
"Why do you think Seifer's here?" Rinoa asked Squall. "I don't know." he replied, becoming thoughtful. He noticed something on the horizon coming closer. It looked like a boat. "I wonder if Quistis knows he's here..." Rinoa said, turning in Squalls arms to face out to sea, where Quistis was swimming. "What the..." Squall exclaimed.
The object on the horizon was coming closer and closer and looked like it was travelling fast. It was headed slightly to their left and after a moment it disappeared behind the cliffs.
I loud scratching noise echoed from one of the bays next to theirs. Squall backed out of the water and put Rinoa down. Then started walking towards the grassy raised peninsula which separated that bay from the next. Rinoa ran to catch up to Squall and together they climbed over the hill.
In the bay next to theirs they saw a ship which looked like the Ragnorok but smaller come to a stop on the grass next to the beach. It was perched on two large yellow inflatable tubes, one of which had burst and was lying, deflated, on the ground.
As the two young SeeDs made their way over to the ship, the second tube popped and what looked like three mechanical arms raised the ship above the ground. A hatch opened and a ramp was lowered to the ground.
Two young people, a boy and a girl who couldn't have been much older that Squall and Rinoa walked down the ramp and circled the craft, looking at the massive scratches down the side of it.
The boy and girl turned as they heard the footsteps of Squall and Rinoa approaching. The girl grinned at the boy and then turned to face them, her hand outstretched.
"Hi," she said in an unfamiliar accent, "I'm Kina and this is Talon." Squall hesitated for a moment and Rinoa pushed past him and shook the girls hand. "I'm Rinoa and this is Squall." she said politely.
So far, so good, Talon thought, Everything's going to plan. He walked out from where he was, smiling, to greet the two SeeDs whose history they were about to change.
Astramina
Back in Time
Chapter 4 First Encounters
Squall pushed his feet into the soft sand, lifting them up and feeling the warm grains sift between his toes. Joy-filled cries from further down the beach drew his attention. He raised his eyes and watched as Selphie and Quistis carried a bucket of water up the beach to where Irvine was lying, his eyes closed, sunbathing, and tipped it over his chest.
Irvine jumped up, as the cold water hit him and then proceeded to chase Selphie along the beach. From next to him, Zell laughed out loud at the antics. Squall laughed too as Rinoa came up to him with another bucket.
Squall marvelled at how beautiful she looked in her blue and silver swimsuit. After years of training at Garden and their more recent adventures with Ultimecia, this was the first time Squall had had a real holiday. And there was no-one he would rather spend it with.
"Don't laugh too hard." Rinoa warned as she staggered towards him, water slopping over the edge of the bucket, "It's your turn next!"
Squall stood up and ran at Rinoa. She squealed with laughter and dropped the bucket, spilling the water in it all over the sand. Squall wrapped his arms around her for a moment, then bent down, picked her up and carried her down to the waters edge.
"No, don't drop me!" Rinoa pleaded, kicking and squirming in his arms as he strode into the small waves, and Squall laughed out loud again.
From further up on the beach, Zell shook his head at the couple. He looked along the beach, past where Irvine and Selphie were, to the lighthouse and the rocky pier where he could see two people walking holding hands.
It had been Cids idea to come back to the orphanage for a holiday. He had put Xu in charge of the Garden and practically ordered Squall and the rest of them to take a well deserved break at the ruins of their childhood home.
Inside the crumbling walls they had pitched tents but for the last two nights they had all slept out under the stars.
The sound of footsteps behind him made Zell turn and stand. Through the worn stone archway came two people, a boy and a girl. Zell walked up the beach to meet the newcomers and recognised them as he got closer.
"Well, well. If it isn't the chicken-wuss, here to welcome us." "Seifer." the girl said in a warning tone. "What are you two doing here?" Zell asked, trying to contain his excitement, "I thought they needed you on the white SeeD ship, Ellone." "They did," Ellone replied, smiling warmly at the Zell, "But Seifer turned up and told them that I was needed elsewhere." Zell looked at Seifer in disbelief. Seifer shrugged. "Seifer...I...don't know what to say." Zell said. "Who cares," Seifer replied casually, "I'm only here to see two ladies and you ain't one of them." He stepped past Zell and strode down to the beach. Zell turned to look at Ellone. She smiled at him and without a word he pulled her into a welcoming embrace. "I've missed you, Zell." she whispered. "I missed you too." he replied softly.
On the beach, Seifer stopped and looked around for the people he was there to see. His eyes passed the shape of a person swimming towards the lighthouse and hovered on it for a moment. Then he saw a couple walking along the rocks, so he continued along the beach to meet them.
A few minutes later the couple saw him and waved. He didn't wave back but smiled to himself at how happy everyone was. He passed Irvine trying to drag Selphie into the water.
"Hi Seifer!" Selphie yelled but he ignored her.
"Hello Seifer." Cid said. "What brings you here?" "I came here with Ellone." "That was kind of you." Edea smiled at the boy. "Well..." Seifer struggled, "Anyway, I just came here to apologise." "I thought you had." Edea said, still smiling, "But you have nothing to apologise for. Ultimecia made a lot of people do a lot of things that they are sorry about. No-one is to blame." Seifer looked at the ground and didn't say anything. "You're welcome to stay with us." Cid offered with a friendly smile. "Can't," Seifer said, "I have to go to Dollet." "Then why not stay for a few hours. I'm sure some people would like to see you." Cid reasoned. Seifer looked out to sea where the swimmer had turned around and was now heading the other way down the beach. "Yeah," he agreed, "Maybe I will."
"Why do you think Seifer's here?" Rinoa asked Squall. "I don't know." he replied, becoming thoughtful. He noticed something on the horizon coming closer. It looked like a boat. "I wonder if Quistis knows he's here..." Rinoa said, turning in Squalls arms to face out to sea, where Quistis was swimming. "What the..." Squall exclaimed.
The object on the horizon was coming closer and closer and looked like it was travelling fast. It was headed slightly to their left and after a moment it disappeared behind the cliffs.
I loud scratching noise echoed from one of the bays next to theirs. Squall backed out of the water and put Rinoa down. Then started walking towards the grassy raised peninsula which separated that bay from the next. Rinoa ran to catch up to Squall and together they climbed over the hill.
In the bay next to theirs they saw a ship which looked like the Ragnorok but smaller come to a stop on the grass next to the beach. It was perched on two large yellow inflatable tubes, one of which had burst and was lying, deflated, on the ground.
As the two young SeeDs made their way over to the ship, the second tube popped and what looked like three mechanical arms raised the ship above the ground. A hatch opened and a ramp was lowered to the ground.
Two young people, a boy and a girl who couldn't have been much older that Squall and Rinoa walked down the ramp and circled the craft, looking at the massive scratches down the side of it.
The boy and girl turned as they heard the footsteps of Squall and Rinoa approaching. The girl grinned at the boy and then turned to face them, her hand outstretched.
"Hi," she said in an unfamiliar accent, "I'm Kina and this is Talon." Squall hesitated for a moment and Rinoa pushed past him and shook the girls hand. "I'm Rinoa and this is Squall." she said politely.
So far, so good, Talon thought, Everything's going to plan. He walked out from where he was, smiling, to greet the two SeeDs whose history they were about to change.
Astramina