Mythology
Chapter Fifteen: Resurrection
By PasifiKStaR
Author's Note: Due to 's policy on how long author's notes can be, all my thanks will be on my LJ under the date of 7/18/04. It was a pleasure writing for you all!
All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I do not own Final Fantasy.
Zell was dragging Squall's body towards a safer part of the palace as Irvine and Seifer carried Selphie and Quistis in their arms. Laguna was beckoning them towards the exit. All around them, large chunks of the palace were falling. Pillars were tumbling down to their ruined states as Ultimecia's hold on them disappeared.
In Seifer's arms, Quistis let out a tired moan. "Rinoa..." she whispered. Her sapphire eyes opened tiredly and looked up at Seifer. "Seifer...where...?"
Seifer paused in mid step. He looked over at Irvine, who was glancing back over his shoulder consistently. Quistis narrowed her eyes and followed Seifer's gaze. She saw Irvine and Selphie, who was awake in his arms, looking back towards the ball room. Quistis' eyes went wide.
Rinoa's body floated high in room, almost touching the crumbling ceiling as she seemed to fight an internal battle with herself. Her head was tossing from side to side as her arms and legs dangled below her. They could barely make out how her chest was heaving unevenly as inaudible gasps escaped her opened mouth. Suddenly her body stopped and went limp. "Rinoa...!" Selphie whispered sharply.
"AHHH!!!" Rinoa's eyes flew open as white light burst from her body. Her scream echoed through the room as her body seemed to explode into a blinding white light.
"Let's go!" Kiros' voice could be heard through the destruction of the palace. With much trouble, they managed to tear their eyes away from the white light that had illuminated the entire ball room.
Quistis shielded her eyes weakly with her arm as Seifer ran out the doors. "It's falling apart!" Laguna shouted as Kiros ran over to Zell to help him carry Squall. "Let's get out of here!"
Behind them, Irvine carried Selphie, who was burying her face in his shoulder as she clung on to him. Dust and smoke from the falling rubble began to rise into the air, creating walls of clouds that cut off the visibility in front of them. Ahead of them, they heard Laguna and Kiros' voice tell them where to go.
Within seconds, they exited the crumbling palace, only to find that all around them the ruins had started to fall even more apart. "We have to get out of the ruins!" Seifer shouted.
Without pausing, he began to run towards the outer boundaries of the fallen city. The ground began to crack beneath them as he leapt over fallen pillars and walls that fell all around them. "Take the main road out!" Kiros ordered behind them.
"Squall!? Squall!?" Laguna shouted frantically as he and Zell ran across the breaking concrete walk ways with Squall's body hanging between them.
"We can wake him up when we're outside the city!" Zell assured him.
Laguna nodded worriedly as he looked ahead of them at the city. He felt something cold and wet hit his nose and he looked up quickly. "It's raining!" he shouted.
"Good!" Irvine said as they ran. He could feel Selphie's arms constricting around him tighter as she began to regain her lost strength. "It'll clear the dust out!"
"But it'll make the ground muddy!" Kiros added. "Watch where you step! Especially you, Laguna!" He added with a smirk.
Laguna frowned. "What are you implying!?" he shouted. "I am not a klutz-AH!"
"Sir, watch out!" Zell said as the older immortal nearly stumbled. Laguna let out a yelp as he quickly caught his balance and continued running.
"See!?" Kiros shouted.
Their foot steps were lost in the sounds of collapsing buildings as they saw the edge of the city ahead of them. "Seifer...go up to the camp..." Quistis breathed out tiredly.
"Huh? What? Why!?" Seifer asked as he carried her. He glanced down quickly and took note of the pained look on Quistis' tear streaked face.
"The city is bigger than just the ruins..." she whispered softly. "There's more buried in the sand."
Seifer mulled over it for a split second before nodding. "Head up to the camp!" he ordered. "Hurry! Before the rain makes it too difficult to climb up the hill!"
Behind him, he heard grunts of agreement. He jumped over one final block of stone before heading on to the hard packed pathway. At the top of the hill, he saw two figures standing and pointing to the ruins. He was about to turn and look at what they were pointing at when Quistis tugged on his shirt. "No..." she said. "Just keep going...don't stop."
Seifer nodded and grinned slightly as he felt her arms go around his neck. "I knew I'd make you say those two words sooner or later," he said with a smirk. "I just didn't think it would be in this situation."
She shot him a glare and chided him for joking around during such a serious moment. They raced up the sandy path way, rain falling over in a full shower as they reached the camp level. Seifer was panting slightly as he stopped, Quistis still in his arms. He turned around just as Laguna and Zell passed him dragging Squall between them.
For a moment, the tall blond male lost his breath as he squinted and looked up at the ball of light that was overpowering the cloud hidden sun.
"What's this...?" She stopped and looked around. Her eyes squinted slightly as every where around her, she found herself staring directly into glowing white light. She lifted her hand to shield her face and stopped when she realized her body was glowing. Amazed, she held her hands in front of her and watched as the lights swirled around her body.
"Squall!?" she called out suddenly. Thoughts of a lost love flooded her as she turned around in search of him. She winced as the bright lights flooded her eyes once more. Her heart began to beat quickly as she felt the vacant feeling inside of her.
He was no longer there. She couldn't feel him anywhere near her and she was suddenly filled with fear and uncertainty. "Squall!?" she called out, more frantically this time. Her breathing became shallower as she turned in a circle, desperately calling his name. "Where are you!?"
Each step she took echoed in her ears as she tried to peer through the hazing whiteness in front of her. As she squinted, she began to make out a clearing and headed for it. As she concentrated through the confusion, she found herself looking down at a familiar group. Her eyes went wide as the tears that had been falling down her face like waterfalls stopped momentarily.
"Quistis! Selphie!" she cried out. They were staring at something, but she couldn't see what. Their eyes seemed completely immersed in whatever they were watching. Seifer was standing behind Quistis, holding on to her protectively as he watched the same thing she was watching. Irvine was next to Selphie as Zell stared, open mouthed, at whatever it was.
Her brown eyes immediately zeroed in the body laying on the ground. Laguna was kneeling next to it pensively and alternating from looking up to looking down at his son. "Squall..." she murmured softly. "Now I remember..."
She smiled softly as she reached her hand out and intently traced the outline of his face. "I took everything away once..." she whispered as she drew her hand back slowly. Her eyes contained a glint of sadness as she stepped back. "So now I'll bring everything back...Just wait."
Rinoa closed her eyes and felt the magic around her. She let herself fall and immerse into the power that she was sending out and controlling. As she fell backwards, she felt cold drops against her body and she smiled sadly. "The sky is crying again..." she said softly as her senses began to dull. She smiled softly. "This time, they're tears of joy..."
He could feel someone's soft hand gently caress his face. The feeling of the smooth finger tips against his face was familiar and he leaned his head towards the warmth. His lips parted and silently whispered her name.
"Squall!" a voice exclaimed to his righ. His entire body stiffened as the voice that shouted his name was not the voice he wanted to hear. Blue eyes opened and looked up into a blur of color above him. Hazy waves of brown and blue bunched together in his vision. "He's awake!"
Immediately, more people, whose faces were slowly clearing, appeared above him. He saw blonde, light brown, and more blond. "Ri..." he gasped out breathlessly. He took a deep breath and swallowed. "Rinoa...where is Rinoa?"
Above his laying position, Irvine looked over at Seifer and Zell unsurely. Without waiting for them to answer, the scarred brunette raised his arms and shooed them away. He struggled to sit and Irvine had to help him into a sitting position. Squall quickly shoved his arms away, wanting to show that he was not helpless.
"Squall, are you sure you're okay?" Zell asked, worriedly. "You were knocked out pretty good-"
"Rinoa!?" Squall shouted, cutting off the tattooed blond.
"Squall, she's not here." Laguna said sadly to his right. He was kneeling a few feet away from him. Squall narrowed his icy blue eyes and glared at the man for merely telling him the negative news. Laguna looked away immediately.
"Where is she!?" Squall demanded.
It was Selphie who replied from her spot standing in front of him with Quistis. The two girls were staring up into a brightly lit sky as rain fell around them, pasting their clothes against their tired bodies. She lifted up her slender arm and pointed to the growing chunk of land that was being gathered in the skies above where the ruins once stood.
Her answer was plain and to the point. "There."
Squall followed the direction she was pointing. His eyes grew large as he saw a floating island in the sky being held up by soft white clouds. Below it, chunks of earth were being carried into the air to support the island as slabs of stone and concrete were lifted from their burial places. White streaks of light swirled around it, as if fusing the once fallen city into place with power stronger than anything man could ever create.
Squall felt his heart beat in his chest as he slowly stood up. He kept his eyes pasted on the city that was being built before their very eyes. A silhouette of a long forgotten palace began to rise from it's ruined state as pillars of stone rose into the air, marking various points of the city. Magnificent hillsides were created, almost as a back drop of the massive city as streams of silver began to cut through certain hills and pillars.
The waterfalls and springs that once graced the floating immortal Centra reappeared as it slowly began to rise higher and higher into the blue sky. "I don't believe it..." Irvine mumbled numbly behind Squall as the brunette slowly walked forward.
He couldn't deny what he was feeling as he looked up. The clouds were clearing around the city as the ground below it settled into dust and sand. Swirls of white light flew around and within the city, forging it into one piece. He could feel her above them.
"She did it..." Quistis whispered as she stared in awe. "She resurrected the immortal city into the sky..."
The rain stopped and they watched as rainbows caressed across the expanse of blue, creating a paradise that they had once lost. Selphie began to sniffle as she rubbed her eyes. "Rinoa...what happened...?"
"It was too much for her..." Squall mumbled. "She must've taken Ultimecia's magic. But it's too strong, she couldn't handle it..."
Quistis bit her lower lip and closed her eyes tightly, immediately understand what Squall was saying. "So she got rid of the power by resurrecting the city..." she stated softly. She took a deep breath and wiped the corner of her eye.
Seifer's hand suddenly grabbed Quistis' and she turned to look at him, surprised. "Let's go." he told her sternly.
Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Go WHERE?" she asked.
Seifer sighed and rolled his eyes. With his free hand he pointed up at the floating city. "Home." he replied coolly. Quistis' blue eyes followed the length of his arm to look back at the city.
Her eyes quickly narrowed. "Are you insane!?" she growled as she tore her arm away from him. "How are we supposed to get THERE!?"
Behind her, a few males began to chuckle and she turned around. "Quistis, I thought you would've remembered by now," Irvine said as he began to unbutton the vest over his chest. "We ARE immortals."
"That's not true," Selphie piped. "Quistis and I are mortals."
"No," Zell said as he lifted his arms and tugged off his shirt to reveal a creamy pale and built upper body. "Immortal souls born into an immortal body make one immortal, right?"
"Don't tell me you never actually finished reading those tablets, Quisty!" Seifer said as he pulled his navy shirt over his body. Quistis found her eyes immediately pasted to Seifer's defined chest and arms.
She suddenly felt herself grow warm all over as she swallowed and turned her head away sharply. "In case you forgot, things happened that threw me off track." she spat out proudly.
"The end of the tablets said that Centra was destroyed and that the immortals left the city in a massive migration using-" Seifer began, but Squall cut him off.
"I'm going up there." Squall said as he lifted his white T-shirt over his head. Quistis and Selphie turned their heads to look at him just in time to see his muscles ripple with each movement of his arms. His chain fell over his perfectly defined bare upper body.
Wow... the two girls thought to themselves. Luckily, neither Irvine nor Seifer seemed to have noticed.
"Squall," Quistis said, shaking herself out of her awe. "How exactly are you getting up there?"
He held his leather jacket and shirt in his hands as he stretched his arms into the air. "The same way we used to get back and forth between the mortal earth and the immortal sky," he stated. "Fly."
Selphie raised an eyebrow and looked around. All the men, except Kiros, Laguna, and Ward, who were immersed in a conversation about who to call about this and how to spread the news that the immortal city had returned, had their shirts off. Even Fujin was stripped down to her pants and a black silk bra as she stretched her arms in the air.
She raised her arms back over her body as the sound of muscles and bone movement began to sound. Selphie and Quistis watched as two lumps formed over her shoulder blades. They were smooth at first and then from Fujin's flawless pearl skin, they exploded forward. Thick, rounded wings stretched out behind her.
"Been long..." she mumbled as she looked up at the sky intently.
"Too long, ya know." Raijin agreed.
A flurry of white feathers flew around her as Raijin stretched and allowed two larger, but narrower white wings to protrude from his back. "Holy..." Selphie gasped.
"Ready?" a voice asked to her left. She turned her head and felt a cowboy hat being placed on top of her head.
"Hey!" She put her hand on it and tilted it up above her eyes just as Irvine put his arms behind her and lifted her up. "Irvine!" She felt a gush of wind caress her face and saw the long white wings protruding from his back.
They began to flap slowly, picking up wind around them as he looked down at her and smiled. "Up we go!" Irvine seemed to jump a little as Selphie gasped and threw her arms around his neck. She let out a whimper as she closed her eyes.
Selphie felt wind rushing around her and that prompted her to open her eyes. Her emerald eyes went wide as she watched Quistis' surprised face look up at her as she flew away. "I'm flying!" she gasped.
"Hold on to the hat, Selphie," Irvine told her as he looked up ahead of them at the floating city. "It might fly off."
"Right!" Selphie said as she clamped it down securely on her head with one hand. Her head turned from side to side as she let out a squeal. "Booyaka! I'm actually FLYING!"
"Quistis?" a voice asked to her right. Quistis turned and saw Seifer extending his hand towards her. She looked around her and watched as Zell took off behind them. He let out a loud holler as he did a little loop in the sky before flying up after the others.
Raijin and Fujin were halfway to the palace and ahead of them was Squall. She turned her head back to Seifer and bit her bottom lip. Reluctantly, she took hold of his larger hand. He smiled and pulled her towards him. "Hey!"
"Hold on tight!" he shouted arrogantly as he picked her up in his arms. He crouched down and then jumped.
"SEIFER!!" she screamed.
"See...there you go again," he said as the wind flew past them, chilling their rain soaked skin. "Screaming out the right words, but at the WRONG moment!"
"UGH!!" She let out an exasperated growl as she held on to his neck tightly. She looked down hesitantly and stiffened as she saw the ground disappearing below them. "Oh Hyne...!" She turned her head and buried it against Seifer's chest.
"Quisty, please..." Seifer said mockingly. "Now is not the time."
"That's it!" she yelled. "Drop me! Drop me now! I don't care if I die!"
He merely laughed, his deep laughter stemming from deep within and vibrating in his chest. Quistis blushed as she felt his arms around her tighten. "I wouldn't let you get hurt if you held a knife to my neck." he whispered, almost intently.
She looked up at him reluctantly and saw the soft glint in his eye as they cut through a layer of clouds. Her arms tightened around him and she leaned her head against his chest. She looked up once more and noticed a slight bruise around his neck. "Seifer..." she whispered with a frown. "What happened to your neck?"
"Uh..."
"Here we are!" Irvine said as he placed Selphie carefully down on the sturdy ground of the city. They were at the very edge of Centra, before a massive gate that served as the welcome entry way into the city. It had no iron bars to keep immortals in or out, but rather, it was open.
Selphie looked around, her eyes wide with amazement. Up ahead of them, she saw Raijin and Fujin slowly walking into the city, as if taking it all in. Further ahead was Squall. She frowned slightly as she saw him walk in and look around almost earnestly.
"He's looking for her..." Selphie whispered sadly as Irvine's larger hand slipped over hers. She turned to look at him tearfully. "I feel her here, Irvy...do you?"
Irvine smiled as brightly as he could, but Selphie could see the sadness in his eyes. "Yeah...she's here..." He took a deep breath and looked through the gate. "Shall we?" he offered. Selphie smiled sadly and nodded.
"Sure."
"No, really," a voice said behind them as Seifer and Quistis arrived. "What happened to your neck?"
"I had a battle with the sorceress - REALLY." Seifer insisted as he landed. He was careful to place Quistis down and help her steady herself after the flight up.
Quistis was about to question him more when she looked up at the gates. Her eyes narrowed and she felt Seifer's arms wrap around her shoulders. "I...I can't believe it..." she gasped. "I always knew deep down that Centra was real...but...now that I'm here...I just can't believe it."
Seifer kissed the top of her head and leaned against her. "Welcome home, Quisty..." he told her softly.
Quistis' hands rose and held Seifer's as she stood there. "Can we go in?" she asked naively. Seifer let out a chuckle and nodded.
"This is OUR kingdom," Seifer told her as he took her hand and pulled away. He tugged on her arm gently and pulled her into the city. "Our home, Quistis...no one can ever deny you that."
She smiled and followed him without a word.
Inside the city, Squall wandered around, trying to sense Rinoa. However, she seemed to be everywhere. The entire city seemed to pulse with Rinoa's very heart beat. He finally stopped in the middle of the town square and looked around, as if lost.
I can feel you... Squall thought as he stood there. All around me... A cool wind blew through the empty, serene city, caressing Squall's bare body with a tender kiss. His eyes closed tightly as he felt his heart clench in his chest. His hands tightened at his sides as he felt the wind swirl around him, almost as if trying to comfort him. They carried a familiar scent in their midst and he felt his body relax. Rinoa...
"Squall!" a voice shouted. The brunette opened his eyes at the sound of his name being called. "Squall, come over here!"
He turned his head and saw Zell running towards him. The blond, who had put his clothes back on, waved for him to follow. Squall took a deep breath and followed reluctantly. As he reached Zell, he frowned. "I kind of want to be alone-"
"You have to see this!" Zell said as he turned his back to Squall and began to jog forward. "Remember how Irvine and Selphie went to the ruins to find something to help? And how Irvine was blabbering about those panels and that knight story?"
"What about them." Squall stated rather than asked. He felt slightly annoyed. He wanted nothing more at the moment than to just sit and think. And be alone with the feeling of Rinoa all around him.
"Well, one panel was missing, you have to check this out!" Zell said. They turned the corner and Squall saw their tomb awaiting them. He narrowed his eyes as the structure. It stood as perfect and sterile as the day they were entombed.
Zell carelessly ran in and Squall followed. Torches illuminated the room brightly as Selphie and Irvine stood within the inner sanctums. They heard his footsteps and beckoned him in. "Squall!" Selphie piped. "Look at this!"
The scarred brunette walked into the room and stood next to them. "What?" he demanded.
Selphie giggled and pointed to the panel above them. Squall lifted his gaze and looked at the fresco on the wall. His eyes widened slightly.
"Wonder what that means..." Irvine mumbled. "I don't get it."
The sorceress in the frescos was standing and holding something in her hands. It was a white ball, probably symbolizing magic. Behind her was a tall, shadowy figure. Their bodies were close and touching as his arms held hers in place as she held the white ball.
Squall's mind lapsed back to what seemed to happen just a split second ago.
"At least I got to hold you in my arms one last time..."
He could feel her heart beating against his chest as her hands held on to his arms tightly. Even as he was fading, he could feel the warm drops from her eyes sear the skin of his arms. "I love you..." she whispered.
He leaned forward and whispered the words he would grace her with. "I love you, Rinoa."
"Squall," Selphie's voice cut through his senses and he shook his head slightly. He turned to look at her, a slightly confused look on his face. Selphie sighed. "I was asking you what you thought...?" she restated.
Squall looked back up at the panel. He nodded and turned around. "That's where the sorceress and her knight become one."
Selphie took a step forward. "Squall!" she called out once more. The male stopped as he was about to exit, his hand on the door way. Selphie chewed on her bottom lip before continuing. "Do you..." she paused, making sure she would say what she wanted to say. "Do you feel her? Here?"
Squall's hand gripped the doorway tighter, but Selphie and the others could not read his face. A cool wind blew into the now empty tomb, blowing Squall's bangs out of his eyes. His hand loosened it's hold. "I don't think..." Squall mumbled. "She ever left me."
"Bird watchers from all over Gaia have come to Centra to watch the migration of thought to be endangered snow white cranes fly over the area," the pretty young woman on the television reported happily. "This amazing occurrence is a natural phenomenon and scientists have yet to determine why exactly a massive migration of cranes is flying to Centra."
Squall lifted the porcelain mug of coffee to his lips and took an appreciative drink. He inhaled the scent as he moved the mug away. His eyes moved over to the clock on his kitchen wall before putting his drink down.
A smooth motion placed the mug on to a small plate as his other arm extended and picked up the remote from the table. Quietly, he turned off the television and stopped himself from scoffing at the new reporter's naivete. He stood up and pushed his chair underneath the table as he glanced down at the folded newspaper on the counter.
Centran Crane Myth: The Legend Behind the Cranes the headline read. Squall chuckled. The newspaper claimed that the old Centran story was created to explain the crane migration phenomenon that had happened many millennia ago by ancient Centrans. However, there was a logical reason that had yet to be discovered that would explain the migration.
According to the myth, there were once immortals who lived in a floating city. But their city was attacked and destroyed. The immortals turned into cranes and flew all over the world until a new city was created in the sky. Then, cranes from all over the world migrated for weeks to return to their 'home'.
Squall grabbed his car keys as he headed out the door. Little did the mortals know, the myth was far from fiction. What they thought were cranes were illusions. They were immortals. Immortals flying from all over the world to return home to the newly arisen Centra. For a year now, they had been arriving. A few at first, then large groups as it had been recently.
Squall stepped outside, tugging his leather jacket around himself as he looked around. He looked up at the blue, white cloud speckled sky, and saw the flocks of 'cranes' flying towards the immortal city hidden to the mortal eye. He walked down the steps of his home to his car.
After assisting reorganizing the immortal city, he had returned to his home atop the hill in mortal Centra. A strong part of him wished to search the world for Rinoa, but an even stronger part kept him where he was. The entire city beat with Rinoa's heart, but it wasn't enough for him.
Deep in his own heart, he just KNEW she was out there. He didn't know where, but knew that Rinoa was physically there...somewhere. But he didn't go search for her. She called to him at night, in his dreams. Telling him to wait for her. That she would be there if he just waited.
"How long...?" he murmured under his breath as he drove out of the gates of his house. "How long must I wait?"
Frustration brought him to the point where he had to leave the immortal city. He opted to live in his mortal abode, claiming to finish tying up 'loose ends'. The others bought it, having him take care of concealing what happened to them and more importantly where they went.
He fell into the roll of immigration services as he helped immortals close the chapter of their 'mortal' lives peacefully before disappearing back into Centra. Almost all the immortals that had left had returned, although he knew that some opted to stay with the lives they had created in the mortal world.
He looked at his watch. Ellone was supposed to arrive at the train station in town soon. The immortal prophet had been a messenger. She had traveled all over Gaia in the last year, spreading the word to other immortals that they once again had a sky city to call home. Now she arrived in an inconspicuous way.
Part of him believed that his sister just wanted to take a train ride. He smiled to himself as he drove through the city. It was packed with amateur and professional bird watchers, scientists, and nature documentary film makers. For the last few months, the crowds had not thinned out and the locales had started to become annoyed.
Even he was starting to consider moving back to immortal Centra. He had a home awaiting for him as well as his friends and even his father, who was at that moment earnestly waiting the arrival of Ellone to the immortal city.
Squall pulled into the parking lot of the train station and got out. He closed the door and walked towards the platform to wait for her. As he walked past the row of out door cafes and bistros that catered to the tourist the moment they got off the train, he heard a familiar voice.
"And your birthday?" a female voice asked.
"March eight." a cheerful female voice giggled. Squall froze as his blood ran cold in his veins.
"And the year?" the first female asked. There was a pause.
"Oh, I'm old..." the second female groaned. "Come closer..." Squall turned his head and saw his sister sitting on one of the outdoor tables with another person. They were both off their chairs and leaning forward.
Ellone listened as the girl she was reading a fortune to told her the year. "Oh...that's not old!" Ellone laughed as they sat back down.
"Well...yeah...but..." the other girl trailed off. Ellone looked over the scroll she had unraveled. Squall recognized her voice. He KNEW her voice. "Well?"
"You were born under a lucky star," Ellone explained as she pointed it out on the scroll. The other girl leaned over and looked over the table. "You'll live a happy life." she assured her.
The other girl smiled and let out a heavy breath. "Finally..." she whispered softly. Ellone smiled warmly and looked up. She saw Squall standing there, an unreadable expression on his face.
"Ah! My brother is here!" Ellone said as she stood up. The other girl stood up as well, her short creme colored dress resting at her thighs. Dark strands of hair were layered around her head, caressing the smooth skin of her strapless shoulders and back as Ellone waved Squall over.
His feet suddenly felt like cement as he took a step forward. He swallowed as his palms felt damp at his sides. Ellone put money on the table to pay for their drinks. Squall approached reluctantly. Silently, he prayed that he wasn't dreaming. He prayed that it wasn't an illusion put forth by his lonely heart.
She turned around, highlighted bangs swinging in the golden sun as she smiled towards him. His face immediately softened as he saw her. Her arms were outstretched as she ran into him and threw her arms around his neck. "Squall...!" she said as he breathed in his comforting scent. She closed her eyes tightly as her fingers dung into the soft white material around the collar of his jacket.
Shaking arms went around her body as he pulled her close to him. His eyes closed slightly as he caressed her hair softly. "I waited..." he told her softly as his arms tightened around her, as if trying to assure himself that she was real.
She smiled as her head buried itself against his strong chest. "I'm sorry I was late..." she murmured weakly as he felt his shirt grow damp from her joyful tears. She looked up at him and smiled. "I'm ready to go home now."
"And the sorceress lifted her hands and cupped her handsome knight's face as she pulled him down. She placed a warm, loving kiss on his lips and then together, they flew up to Centra..." the woman said as she sat on the edge of the children's bed.
's bed.
Several pairs of sleepy eyes looked up at her. A pair of large emerald eyes blinked. "Matron..."
she said with a yawn. "Do they live happily ever after?"
"Yes, Selphie...they do." Matron said as she stood up and walked over to the shelf. She pushed the book
into it's place on the book shelf.
"When I grow up, I want to be a knight!" a little blond boy said as he pulled his blankets up higher
and smiled arrogantly. "I bet I can be the BEST!"
"I'm sure you will be, Seifer," Matron said as she walked over to the door way. "Good night, children."
"G'night, Matron..." the children chorused. She flicked off the lights and closed the door.
"Seifer...you really going to be a knight?" Irvine asked, unsurely from his bed. Zell was snoring
in the bed next to him, sprawled out in a weird angle after having knocked out half way through the story.
"Psh...of course!" Seifer said. "Better than you...and chicken-wuss...and HIM." He turned his head
and glared at the little brown haired, blue eyed boy already asleep in the bed next to him.
"Stop it and go to sleep!" Quistis' stern childish voice rang out from the other end of the room.
"And don't be naive, Seifer! It's only a story!"
Seifer snorted and closed his eyes. "Just you wait, Quisty!" he added.
Ellone sighed from her larger bed at the end of the room. "You never know, Quistis," Ellone yawned as a
knowing smile caressed her sleepy face. "Myths always have a basis in reality..."
THE END
Completed notes and thank yous at my LJ under the date of 7/18/04.
GENERAL THANK YOU - to everyone who took time to read this story. I hope it entertained you even
just a little. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to email me! I'm always glad to answer
them. Thank so much for your support and reviews and especially your interest and time.
Much Love Always,
- PasifiKStaR