"Where am I?"
Yeah, I was sort of scared. What happened? This place doesn't seem familiar. I don't recognize it. I can't remember anything. Where are the others? Maybe they went ahead, or so I told myself. It was a dock, you know, where there are ships and lots of seagulls. There were crowds around this giant building, shaped like a dragon. I was sorta curious, so I decided to head inside. Bad idea...Screaming, that's all I heard. Not the "AH!" screaming, more like, "Yay!" But what were they screaming about?
I headed toward the stage, there were guards, so I decided not to stay in view. Ahead of me, was this couple. They weren't the cutest, but they looked like they could help. The first person was a man, a little taller than me. He had bright red hair, which stood up straight. He spoke with a different accent. The person standing next to him, was a lady with long black hair. She didn't look too friendly. I headed toward them.
"What's going on here?" I sounded confused.
"You hit your head, ya? You gotta be crazy not to hear about this concert, right, Lu?" He laughed at me. Lu gave a slight sigh.
"Right. Now be quiet for a bit, the concert's starting." She turned around.
Concert? What concert? The only one I've ever seen was Nikki's and Miki's. Maybe it was them. Maybe they could tell me how to get home. Mind as well stick around for a bit....yet again....wrong idea.
On stage. there were three girls. only one seemed familiar. Two of them had blonde hair, while the other had dark, short, brown hair. The lead had long, blonde hair, which was very curly. The other girl had blonde hair, which was put up. There were many braids in her hair. She seemed the most familiar of them all.
Or so I thought. What happened next, brought back some old memories of mine.
They began to sing. The song sounded so familiar.
"You know, that girl in the back used to sing this song, ya? Many know her as the High Summoner. Not many people recognize her now. The other one in the back, is her cousin. She's an Al Bhed. The lead is a new songstress who came out of Nowhere."
High Summoner? Al Bhed? Songstress? I'm so confused. I just want to go home. Then...the song became even more familiar.
"Every now and then I don't know what to do,
and Still I,
can never go back.
All those things I've seen,
in those hazy dreams..."
Kid's favorite song....could this be it?
"An oh, I know the world of Real Emotion
has surrounded me,
and I won't give into it.
Now I know the road
is the only way my heart can go.
I hear you voice calling out to me,
you'll never be alone."
I listened to the song, It was the same one, except the voice was different, But still, it seemed familiar. "I can hear you" Right then, she pointed at me. Was it me she could hear? Or was it just random?
That one guy turned around to me.
"You seem new, ya? I'm Wakka and this is Lulu. We're guardians of the High Summoner."
"High Summoner? What's that?" I questioned before thinking. They stared blankly at me.
"Lu, you don't think?"
"No, it's impossible. We got rid of Sin. There's no way that could ever happen again." I stared at them.
What's impossible? What can't happen? Sin? Again? I felt stupid right then. I just wanted to find anyone who knew me.
"Look, we gotta go. The concert's over for now. We'll see you later, ya?" Wakka and Lulu ran off. I started to walk through one of the ports. I heard some light singing. Around the corner, was the lead singer dancing and singing.
She looked so....how do I put it? It's like I've seen her before. I guess she noticed I was there, because she stared right at me, with her big blue eyes.
"What do ya want?! I'm practicing, everyone knows not to come near here. This place is off limits."
"I'm sorry. I'm new around here, I've--"
"It's alright. I know what it feels like to be-"
"Zeal, is this guy buggin' ya?" A slightly taller man walked to her. He had blonde hair, he looked maybe a year or two older. and he also look familiar, somehow.
"No, he's fine."
"Look we gotta go, it's Yuna's turn for you know what." He turned.
"Well I'll see you around." She waved at me, and walked alongside the other guy.
I wanted to say, "See ya later, mate." Just like Kid, but something stopped me. Why did Zeal and that other guy seem so...familiar?
I turned around and headed back in. There was nothing here. I couldn't find anyone to help me. Out of the blue, came this girl. She bumped into me.
"Cunno! I'm so sorry. Are you all right?" She paused, "Have you seen Zeal or Yunie?" I blinked. I think she knew I was confused.
"I saw Zeal and some other guy go that way." I pointed to where I just came from.
"Was this guy blond, with blue eyes?" She gave me more of a description. He seemed even more familiar.
"Yeah, they both said something about Yuna's turn at you know what. I had no clue what was--"
"Come with me." She grabbed my wrist, only to find myself heading back the way I came, again. This time, we reached the end of the dock, where this large boat was. She pulled me aboard. "You wanna come with us? You seem new, you can get used to the land of Spira with us."
Spira? So I'm not in Zurvan anymore? Not even Tibia? Where was this Spira?
We headed farther onto the ship. She stopped and looked at me.
" Oh, I almost forgot to introduce myself, I'm Rikku, and you are?" It took me a minute to reply.
"I'm Serge. Where are we headed?"
"Serge, huh? Sure you aren't from around here? Your name sounds like something I've heard before. Well, better get you to know the crew." She pulled me to the bottom deck. Below, there was everyone, well, just the seven of us. Zeal was sitting next to the blond guy, while Lulu and Wakka were sitting near the brown haired girl. She got up and did some weird praise thing.
"My name is Yuna." She turned to the blond haired guy. He walked toward me a bit, and did the same thing Yuna did.
"My name's Strife, I'm Zeal's guardian."
Strife....Strife....where have I heard that? Strife.....Cloud Strife?! No, it couldn't be.
"Cloud Strife?" I asked. He winced a bit but replied.
"Who is this Cloud Strife? My name's just Strife. Nothing more." He went back to Zeal. From over where some of the others were sitting,
"We met, ya? We never got your name."
"I'm Serge." Zeal stood up, looking slightly confused. She walked up to me.
"And we met once. I'm sure your remember me as Zeal, am I correct?" I nodded.
Zeal? What kind of name was that? I wanted to call her something else, but I couldn't put my finger on what I wanted to call her.
"Rikku, why is he here?" Strife asked her.
"I thought, since he's new, we could, maybe lighten him up, and show him around."
"That'd be great." Yuna softly laughed.
"Not another, 'We need to help this person out stuff,' Rikku. You remember last time, ya?" Rikku looked down.
"Oh yea... but still, can he come with us, please?" Lulu nodded. She whispered into Wakka's ear.
What was she saying to him? I wanted to know, but budding in would be rude.
Some guy from the top deck said the boat should be leaving soon. All of us walked to the top deck. Zeal was at the very front of the boat. I stood behind her, as I examined her. She was wearing a long blue dress, which had many slits at the legs. In the front, there was one large slit, which painted on her chest was a diamond. I walked up to her.
"How long have you been doing this?" I asked, resting my elbows onto the rope.
"Doing what?" She looked confused.
"Going around singing in this place?" She looked out to the sea.
"Ever since I got here, which I can't even remember. It must have a been a while ago. When the Calm came, I guess. That's when Yuna started to pick up singing. After then, I redid her songs, and then, here I am today." I blinked.
The Calm? What was this Calm? She doesn't remember why or how she got here...just like me...
She started moving closer to me. She stopped when our elbows touched.
"So how long have you been here? Not long it seems."
"Today for all I know." I looked down at her. I looked into those bright blue eyes.
Something seemed familiar about those eyes. All I know is, I wanted to stare into them forever.
"Zeal!" A shout came from behind. It was Strife. "Remember, its your turn try our new dresspheres. Yuna just had her turn, so go before I get impatient." Without hesitation, she walked down to the lower deck. Strife walked next to me and turned. His eyes seemed cold. "Stay away from my girl, you hear?" He whispered into my ear. He started to walk down where Zeal was.
"You're girl?" I wanted to scream. What does he mean, 'his girl?' She can be anyone's girl for all I care, not that I'm interested in her or anything. What are these dresspheres? Wow, this seems like I'm going to have a long journey.
From upper deck, I heard Rikku scream to me.
"Come here, Serge." She seemed serious. I walked to the very top deck, to find Rikku holding a glowing sphere. Inside it, was a rainbow of colors. "This is a dressphere. We use these to cast different spells and abilities."
"You mean, you don't use elements?"
"Elements? Those were used hundreds of years ago. Anyway, you can try one out. Here, this is a Black Mage dressphere. All you do is hold it, and feel like turning into a Black Mage, then Voila!" I grabbed the sphere.
How was I suppose to know what a Black Mage was? Elements were used, hundreds of years ago?! Man...looks like I'm in a tight spot.
I held it to my chest and thought, "Black Mage."
All of a sudden, everything went dark. I felt my clothes sort of coming off, but yet replacing itself with another set. I felt a bit dazed. Then, fire surrounded me. I held out my hand, and the fire disappeared.
"Nice job," Rikku smiled. "You are now a Black Mage." I looked at myself. I was dressed all dark, and I was even wearing a different bandana. "You were wearing your Warrior Dressphere, now you have become a Black Mage. You can now summon Fire, Water, Ice, and Thunder. Pretty cool, huh?" I nodded.
"Are there any other dresspheres?"
"Thousands, but we only have a few. I'm wearing Thief right now. Yuna has Gunner. Lulu is wearing Black Mage, like you, and Zeal is wearing Lady Luck. Strife has on Samurai, and Wakka always wears what he wears."
This was so confusing. Dresspheres? I sort of understood them. They were like elements, only they were costumes. Hm...
Rikku turned away. Zeal walked up the steps. She had on a new dressphere. It was all white. She wore a long overcoat, which covered part of her head. On her back, was a rod.
"Black Mage?" I questioned. Zeal shook her head.
"Close enough. It's a White Mage dressphere. I see Rikku snuck you Black Mage, I was looking for that." Rikku giggled.
"You want it back?"
"No, its okay. You can wear it for now. You'll change it when we start fighting anyway." Zeal turned around, to find the sound of Strife. "He says we'll be arriving shortly, the shore is over there. We're headed to Besaid first, is that okay?" Rikku nodded.
Besaid? Was that a new land? Seemed like it, since I saw the shoreline. Maybe someone here could help me. Hehe, and I was right on target...
We landed at the dock. Yuna, Wakka, and Lulu quickly ran off.
"They all used to live here." Rikku told me as the rest of us walked off. The villagers led us to a small village. A young boy, who looked like Wakka, ran up to Lulu.
"Mommy!" Lulu hugged him.
"It has been a while, hasn't it, Vidina?"
"That's Lulu's and Wakka's kid, Vidina." Rikku whispered. Strife walked past them.
"Like always?" Wakka nodded at Strife. Strife walked to a 'tent'. It was blue, and pretty large. Rikku poked me.
"We follow him." She led us to the small house. Inside were some local villagers, and one person whom I could recognize from anywhere.
"Orlha!" I screamed.
"Who is Orlha? My name is Tia." The young girl turned to me. I sighed and shook my head. Everyone else left, hearing that Wakka was back, and Strife and Rikku walked back outside. It was just me and that girl. I wasn't paying attention, when all of a sudden, she came up and hugged me.
"Serge, you're okay!"
"What?"
"Sorry about that, but ever since we all got disappeared, I had to go by another name, so call me Tia for now."
"Isn't Tia your-"
"Yeah, but they don't know that." Orlha winked.
"Do you know where Glenn's at?" She shook her head.
"Any luck on finding Kid?" I lowered my head.
"Well, let's just stick together for now. I'll ask the others if you can come along." Orlha smiled. I ran back outside.
Kid and Glenn were still missing. I wonder if we'll ever find them. I'm starting to miss our home. With the dog and Draggy....how did we ever get that dog?
Around a firepit, where I could tell that there was more than one fire burned, everyone was crowded. I tried to find Zeal, but I couldn't see her, so I went for Rikku. I asked her of Or...I mean Tia.
"The more the merrier!" She replied. Soon enough, it became night. Staying in the hut, was Rikku, Zeal, Strife and I. Only Zeal and Strife were missing. Rikku told me that Strife stays out really late at the shops to try to get us better prices on items.
Rikku was fast asleep. There was a small crack in the curtain, so I decided to look through. There was Zeal, standing by the fire. Her head was tilted to the side. She looked sad. I could tell she heard something, because she cocked her head straight up. Strife came from the other hut. He walked up behind her, putting his arms around her stomach. She rested her head on his.
Is this what he means by 'his girl?' Ha! She doesn't deserve him. I can tell he's cold. Why does she like him anyway? I wanted to go out there and tell her he wasn't the guy she thought he was, but then...I felt a soft, warm hand touch me.
"Don't interrupt them, Serge." It was Rikku. "Leave them for now, they were meant to be together. Just don't go and start liking her, ya hear? Cloud'll have your neck if you do." I turned back toward them.
They looked so...happy. How could she be happy with him? Wait...why am I saying these things? It's her life, not mine. Maybe...
Before I knew it, it was morning. I was awakened by Rikku, which she had a bell ringing in my face.
"C'mon, lazy! Time to go to the temple! We gotta get a new dressphere." She ran out. I walked out to find everyone surrounding a large temple. Zeal and Yuna were wearing weird outfits, doing that prayer thing. I caught up, and we headed inside. Sadly, Orlha couldn't come with us, since she was a villager, and she wasn't able to guard Yuna or Zeal for now.
Does that make me a guardian? If so, who am I guarding?
Before heading into another room, I examined this one. There were tons of people, singing and praying. It was dark. Yuna went ahead of us all and bowed to a man. He opened the door to let us through. I started to head in, but Strife stopped me.
"You aren't allowed in, punk."
"Why not?"
"You aren't a guardian, I'm sure we can get you through, but know only one thing."
"Which is....?" He slammed me against the wall.
"I'm the only one who guards Zeal, got it?" I slowly nodded and he let go of me. Running ahead, he put his arm around Zeal's shoulders. Wakka stopped.
"All the doors are opened. That means..."
"Strife, Rikku, and Me!" Zeal yelled as this huge monster approached. Strife slashed it with his huge sword.
"Zeal, turn into something else for now! It won't hurt us much for now." Rikku screamed. With a flick of her wrist, she was transforming. She held a huge weapon, which also looked....a swallow?!
Why does Zeal have a swallow?
She quickly ran up to the beast and slashed him. Rikku went and attacked it with her two blades. Strife turned around.
"Boy! Get in here! There's no time for me to change, hurry up and cast Fire on it!" Soon enough, I was in, charging up for a fire spell. The monster attacked Zeal, but it didn't damage her much. Finally my spell let go, and it slayed the monster. We all did some little victory dance, then we were back to our business. Finally, we reached a small room. It had many statues in it. Yuna and Zeal stood outside the small door, which looked like it was a shield.
"Why aren't they going inside?" I whispered to Rikku.
"It's closed. Someone else is in there." As soon as she finished, the door slowly opened. Everyone did that prayer thing, but me. Yuna spoke.
"Dona, what a pleasant surprise."
"Yuna, just because you beat Sin, and you've found a way to use Aeons as dresspheres, doesn't mean I have to be nice." She started to walk on.
Aeons? Yuna beat Sin? Oh boy...more confusing things. I wonder if Rikku's getting suspicious of my questions yet...
Yuna slowly walked inside.
"Zeal will be after me, okay?" Zeal nodded. Wakka headed toward a statue and stated praying. Lulu and Rikku were talking about some Aeon thing, while Strife was sitting on the ground, with Zeal at his side.
I felt like I didn't belong. Strife made sure of that. Rikku was the only one who actually made me feel alive. I want to go home...A couple of questions rang in my head. "What's in that room? What's Sin? What are Yuna and Zeal going to do in that room? Where am I?!"
I sat down, my back resting along the wall. Rikku ran over, her shadow casting over me.
"Still confused?" She giggled.
"Yea, a lot. But, why do you keep helping me? I thought all the people around Spira knew how to use dresspheres." Her eyes looked a bit worried.
"I'll explain later." She whispered into my ear, as she started to walk back to Lulu.
I knew they were talking about me. How they pointed, or glanced, it was all about me.
Without thinking, I yelled.
"How long will this take!?" Strife threw a mean look at me.
"Hold yer horses, ya? It'll be as long as it takes Yuna." I sighed.
I just wanted to get out of here. I wanted to go see Orlha. Couldn't I just leave? I wanted to venture off, with Orlha of course, to find the others....but something stopped me.
The door slowly creaked. Yuna slowly stepped out of it. She looked weak. Everyone rushed to her, but me again. Zeal sighed.
"I'm ready, but Yuna, which Aeon is it?"
"Valefor." She softly replied.
"Yuna, you need rest, ya? We get you back. Serge and Strife stay here with Zeal, just in case." Lulu, Wakka and Yuna left the room. Rikku trotted behind. Zeal walked to the door.
"I'm going in." She looked at both of us. Strife nodded. She slowly walked in, the door slowly closing behind her. I stared at the door. I could tell Strife was looking at me.
I wonder if it'll take her long to get that Aeon. All I know is, Strife better stop staring at me.
"What?!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.
"Shh! We must be in here." He softly spoke.
"Then why are you looking at me?"
"I was just seeing something...." He stood up and walked to the wooden door. He leaned against it.
"How long have you and Zeal been together?" I slowly asked. He gave a light laugh.
"Only a couple weeks, maybe even days." His eyes were closed.
"You guys seem very close."
"Closer than you'll ever be." He started heading out of the room. " I need some air."
What did he mean "closer than you'll ever be?" I won't be close to her as long as he's there.
The wooden door slowly creaked open. Zeal, dragging her feet against the ground, came out. She started to fall, but I caught her. Her eyes were shut.
"You're tired, aren't you?" Strife came through the other door. He shoved me.
"Zeal, you okay?" She slowly nodded. He turned to me. "Let's go." He grabbed Zeal in his arms and carried her out. We headed outside, where Wakka, Lulu and Rikku were. Lulu walked up to Strife, informing him to put Zeal in their house with Yuna. I went to the tent where Orlha was. She seemed busy.
"Tia, we'll be leaving tomorrow, so be ready then."
"Okie-day, Serge!" She quickly ran over to the men. They looked like they were from around here. Orlha looked at me. "Let's go!"
She looked troubled. I knew she missed Glenn, I could see it in her eyes. I know she also wanted to go home.
We walked outside. Everyone was around the firepit, again. Rikku ran up to Orlha.
"You must be the new girl! I'm Rikku." She introduced everyone.
"Why are we all out here?" I asked.
"We need to leave early." Strife looked away.
"Strife needs to go discuss something with the army at the Thunder Plains." Zeal informed.
"We're leaving now. We head to the beach." Strife started to walk, Zeal at his side. We slowly walked to the beach, making sure to dodge enemies. We boarded the boat again. Rikku put her hand on my shoulder.
"We need to sail out a little bit, then we go on the Celsius."
"Celsius?"
"Yeah, it's my brother's ship. You'll meet a couple of new people there." She walked away. Orlha and I headed to the front of the ship.
"Isn't this weird? Why can't we find our way home? How come no one remembers us?"
"Serge, we'll find Glenn and Kid, then we worry about getting home." I heard shuffling up the top of the deck. I could tell they were listening.
"Who's there?!" I screamed. A pair of green eyes were looking at me. It was Rikku.
"Come up here you two. I need to explain one more thing." Orlha and I walked up to where she was. Her back was to us. "I know you two aren't from this world. Something like this has happened before. I wasn't from your world for very long. You guys may not remember me, but you were my bodyguard, Serge. I was Marle. I haven't been able to track down anyone else, but I know where Glenn's at, I think." She turned to us. "He's where we're headed next. He enlisted in the army I bet. Roy's there too."
How did she know it was us? What...something like what's happening now has happened once before? Glenn....we need to find him.
"Roy?" Orlha asked.
"You know him as Crono." We gasped. "A guy you might meet someday...this has happened to him before." She shook her head. "Now, Orlha, I mean Tia, do you know about dresspheres?" Orlha nodded.
"Yeah, I'm wearing Thief right now." Rikku looked at me.
"You want to change yours now?" I shook my head.
"I'll change when I have to." Rikku turned to Orlha.
"Come with me, I'll show you where to sleep." I headed toward the mast's pole. I sat down, resting my back to it, lowering my head.
So much has happened. We'll find Glenn, but what about Kid? Will we ever find her?
I heard footsteps coming up.
"Who is it?" I saw that pair of blue eyes peeking at me. "Zeal." She was still wearing the Warrior dressphere. The swallow was strapped to her back. "How come you have a swallow, like me?" She started to walk, her back toward me.
"I guess a great warrior or two, used a swallow. These dresspheres were modeled off of many people. You know, I hope you find your way home. At least, you have a friend with you. I came to this world, alone. Then Strife found me." She looked down. I stood up, walking over to her.
"It's okay. I'm still looking for a couple of more friends. At least you have all these people here with you, including me." She leaned on me.
A warm feeling came over me. It was nice, and familiar. Well at least she knows I'm here for her.
Loud stomps came from behind. All I knew, was a large hand came from behind and threw me to the mast post. Dark, evil eyes stared at me.
"I told you to stay away from my girl. Better listen next time, or you will pay." Strife grabbed Zeal over her shoulders, and walked down the steps. I didn't move.
I was better off staying there. I might have gotten in even more trouble. I knew that I couldn't move my neck. I wanted to tell him I didn't make a move at all.
Just before sundown, a large airship came overhead.
"Yuna! Rikku." A man's voice was heard.
"Awe man..." Rikku was heard. I slowly got up, looking down the front of the dock. Everyone was there, even Strife with 'his girl.'
"Serge, get down here!" I heard Orlha scream. I jumped down, and the ship came closer. A large dock came down, and everyone got on it. We headed onto the ship's main area. Two guys, a cat thing, and a lady were on it. Rikku ran ahead to a small ship looking thing. It looked like a control panel. Yuna went up to the cat thing and hugged it.
"I missed you, Kimahri" He nodded. Zeal walked over to me. "The guy in the middle over there is Rikku's brother, Brother. The guy to the left is Buddy. The small kid is Shinra, he's a genius. The Ronso over there is Kimahri, and the girl over there is Paine, don't mess with her."
Ronso? Was it a type of Demi-human? Man...things are getting even more confusing.
"We're close to the Thunder Plains." Buddy yelled. He was not much taller than me. He had dark skin, and light hair. Brother had tattoos all over his body, and also had light hair. Shinra was short, and that's all I could make of him. He was wearing an Alchemist testing uniform. I heard Rikku yell.
"Shinra's the one who designed the dresspheres we are wearing now." I looked amazed.
"This little kid?" I asked. Strife shook his head.
"He's weak, but his mind could surpass anyone's any day." I walked out of the room. I could tell Orlha followed me.
I needed some air. I felt too crowded, in a crowd I didn't even belong to.
We headed to the top deck, where we could see the whole ocean. I could see thunderbolts in the background.
"That's the Thunder Plains. It always storms there." Orlha looked to me. "Make sure you change dresspheres. Rikku said she'd be Black Mage for a while. You better be something good like Warrior or Samurai. As for me, I'll change into Warrior."
"You seem to know a lot about dresspheres, Orlha." She giggled.
"Guess I do." The sky went dark. I could tell we were in the Thunder Plains. Orlha dragged me back inside the ship. Rikku hopped out of her controls.
"Okay, who's coming?" Rikku, Strife, Zeal, Orlha, Paine and I all raised our hands. Yuna said she'd wait with Kimahri at the Inn.
"I need some good exercise." Paine boldly stated.
"Just know, I get the first move on the bad guys." Strife smirked. Paine smiled back. Slowly, the ship lowered. Everyone ran out.
"Yunie! Remember when you had the concert here?! It was so cool!" A strange woman came up from behind us.
"Miss Yuna! It has been a while. How are you?"
"Shelinda, its a surprise. I'm fine. We're just headed here for something we needed to discuss with the army generals. Where are they?"
"In the cave up ahead." She pointed to a crack in the rocks. Thunderstrikes kept shocking the rod towers. We slowly walked on.
"Be on your toes, guys. We never know when a strike could miss the tower." Zeal informed.
"Keep on your toes, mates." Kid used to always say that when we'd almost get into some kind of trouble. Something just doesn't seem right...
A little ways up ahead was the cave. It looked like something just threw the rock from the walls. We walked on. Warriors and soldiers lined the walls. Strife was ahead, asking where the general was. One of them led us to a dark, dusty section of the cave. This was where the higher rank soldiers and leaders were kept.
"I remember when we fought that terrible monster here." Rikku looked scared.
"Yeah, but we beat it too easily." Paine smirked. Strife found the one he was looking for. They were chatting about "Destroying the Trigger." I looked at each of the soldiers. They all looked dirty and wet, like the cave. Then I noticed, these bright blue eyes looking at us. They seemed soft and kind, not like a blood-thirsty soldier's would look. I grabbed Orlha's arm.
"Look over there." I pointed to the soldier, who seemed to pretend not to notice us. Orlha's eyes lit up.
"Glenn!" She ran over to him, hugging and kissing him a couple of times.
"Been a while, huh bud?" Glenn laughed.
"Too long." Orlha sighed.
"Any luck on Kid?" Glenn asked.
"Nothing yet, I'm afraid." Orlha pouted. I turned around.
I know Kid's out there somewhere, causing some kind of trouble. I need to save her. I'll never let her be alone, again.
"Glenn, how are we gonna get you out of the army?" Orlha whispered.
"Good question. If your friend over there can get me out, I'm all good." He pointed to Strife. Orlha trotted over to Zeal, since she'd be the one to talk him into it. We stood there, waiting Strife's persuasion. The leader nodded. Orlha sprang to Glenn's arms.
Yes! Now we need to find 'her.' I miss her so much. I'd do anything to see her face again.
Strife signaled us to get out of the cave, and head back to the ship. Rikku told us we'd better get a little rest for now. Orlha, Glenn and I headed down to the Cabin where we saw the Barkeep. Yuna called him a Hypello, which had no name, so they call him Barkeep. We headed up the steps, where we found three beds. Each of us lay on one. Glenn was the first one to fall asleep, Orlha soon after.
All I could do was stare at the ceiling. I wanted to sleep. I was exhausted, but something held me from falling asleep. My mind shifted over to Kid. I wonder where she's at. Maybe she's somewhere safe and near. I know when I see her I'll...well I'll think of it when the time comes. I remember my eyes started to flutter shut. I can remember the visions of Kid in my mind. I can still remember some of the faint visions of my dream. I saw us, Kid and I, we were standing there, hugging one another. A dark figure stood in front of us, pointing and giving off an devilish snicker. We stared into each other's eyes. Kid had the brightest blue eyes, full of sparkles. It looked like her eyes were the night sky. Kid was so beautiful, she was wearing a long-blue skirt, with a diamond painted on the front, with many slits down the sides, her hair was up in her ponytail. How come this sounds so familiar? That outfit reminds me of...
"Zeal!" I screamed on top of my lungs. Orlha and Glenn stared at me.
"Serge, what's wrong?" Orlha asked.
"Nothing..." I mumbled, shaking my head.
No it couldn't be. There's no way Zeal could be Kid.
I stood up. We walked to the bridge, to find everyone at the front, watching the ground moving.
"Where we headed?" Glenn asked.
"Seems like the Zanarkand Ruins." Buddy announced. Yuna seemed happier than usual. Rikku told us to settle down for a while, since it'd be a while until we get there. I saw Glenn and Orlha walk out. I followed. I saw Glenn take out a glowing sphere, as they headed onto the top deck. He made us form a circle, with the sphere in the middle.
"Glenn, what's on it?" Orlha asked.
"I'm not sure. The army just gave it to me. They said it was important." He put his hand over it, and a picture formed. Glenn's eyes started to water. "Dario..." A man with bright, light hair was laughing with a young lady, who had long black hair. There appeared a small young boy who had a blue-purple flower in his hand. "This sphere is of Miss Riddel, Dario, and I..." The sphere quickly turned off. "I wish to see the rest of this alone for now." A loud noise came over the speaker system.
"Rana fa yna, Zanarkand!" It was Brother.
"Drao lyh'd ihtancdyht oui!" Rikku argued. They spoke in their native tongue, which none of us three understood. Zeal eventually came onto the speaker.
"They mean we're very close to Zanarkand now, get onto the bridge." Suddenly, the ship started to rock. We saw a few men and machines jump off the other flying ships. Zeal and Rikku ran on board.
"Zeal, Orlha we fight!" Rikku shouted. "Use steal on the machina, while the boys take care of the soldiers. Serge, turn into a Samurai, Zeal and I will turn into thieves for now. Let's go!" I thought of being a Samurai and instantly turned into one. I had a gigantic sword, and a large, silver plate on my head. Glenn and I attacked the men, and killed them with ease. I turned my head to the girls and I couldn't believe what I saw next.
Rikku and Zeal were turning into thieves. Zeal's hair sprang up into a ponytail, with a large braid. She spread out her arms, and fire splashed everywhere. She was wearing a short, red mini skirt, and a white shirt, with a red overcoat. In her hand appeared a dagger, and white stripes were on her face and arms. Kid...?!
She quickly casted a spell called Pilfer, which Kid also had. I dropped to my knees.
"It is her...." Glenn rushed to me, making sure I was okay. The girls destroyed the machina, but the giant ship was still there. It launched missiles, which made the ship rock and eventually break.
Our ship was going down. We were going to die here and now...BAM!
We landed in a nice, cool place. A lake was nearby, which had a large tree in the middle. Rikku and Brother were beating on each other to get the ship fixed.
"We should get it working soon, if these two stop fighting." Shinra remarked. Everyone sat down.
"What was that?" I asked.
"Probably an army against sphere hunters." Strife answered. Zeal walked toward the lake. I wanted to follow, but Strife wouldn't let me. "Let her be. She's got a lot on her mind." Strife stood up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a nap." He headed in the other direction. I stood up too.
"You think Zeal would mind if I go see what's the matter?" Lulu said she'd probably would like the company. I walked over, to find her dancing in the water.
You'd think it would be beautiful. The elegant dance, the beautiful dancer, but in fact, it was horrifying. She had a long frown on her face. She didn't look too happy.
"What's the matter?" She stopped.
"Yuna once fell in love here, with a man she'd never see again. I'm respecting that. I'm hoping of these days, something like that would happen to me." I started to walk into the water. As I got closer to her, I heard her humming. I placed my hand on her shoulder, her hand meeting mine. Her eyes turned to me, looking down. I could tell she as crying. A tear dripped down her cheek, which my hand wiped away.
"Zeal..." Her eyes looked up at me. "You said you came here, but didn't know why. I think the same thing happened to you, as it happened to me." She looked confused. "I think, you're Kid, the girl I care about most." Her eyes began to water. "Zeal, why are you crying?"
"I-I...I just want to live a life without confusion. I wanted to have a happy family with no worrying. But, how do you know that I might be this, Kid?"
"Because when I saw you in that Thief dressphere, I knew it right then. I also had a dream, of you, but you were her, it was so-" Right then, she placed her hand on my cheek.
I sensation came over me. It was warm, and comfortable. I knew she was Kid. The same warm feeling, the same look in her eyes, it was Kid. I had found her at last. We moved closer to one another. I had one thing in mind...
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Meanwhile, Rikku told me this afterward, Strife had stomped back out to the company.
"I couldn't sleep. Where's Zeal? I need to ask her something."
"She's over at the pond, with Serge." Lulu replied.
"With Serge?!" Rikku told me he stomped off with the meanest face on. He turned around the corner and couldn't believe his eyes. 'His girl' kissing another guy. She told me he froze like a statue. Strife stormed back to everyone and paced back and forth.
"What's the matter, boy?" Wakka asked. He didn't reply.
"I'm going to-" Orlha stood up.
"Don't." Strife interrupted. She told me that he walked down the dark path that lay ahead, to let off steam. Orlha and Glenn snuck to peek on what was going on.
"I guess he found her." Glenn said.
"I guess so." Orlha giggled.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
...but I couldn't figure out what it was. I might have been cheating with 'Strife's girl,' but she was mine to begin with.
After all that, we sat at the shoreline, my arm around her.
"Kid, its been so long...I promise never to lose you again...but you didn't remember a thing when you appeared in this world?"
"No...I don't remember anything that happened before. I guess something happened that I couldn't remember anything. You know my mind gets. I don't even have my accent." I laughed. "I'll work on it though."
It sounded different with her speaking normal. I was so used to that 'rough English' accent.
"You don't have to if you don't want to." She smiled at me.
What was she smiling about? We were all confused. The four of us, trapped in this unknown world. We had no place to go and she was smiling.
We heard loud footsteps from behind, but we didn't pay attention. The cold touch of a glove was around my neck. It threw me against the ground.
"What did I tell you, pest?!" She's mine, not yours, got it?!" Strife kicked me, plunging me into the water. I swam up to find him charging up an electric spell. I heard Kid yelling in the back, but I couldn't hear her over the shocks of thunder.
Everything went black....well for a minute or two...
I awoke, finding myself lying on the ground, Yuna and Rikku at my sides. Strife and Kid were standing there yelling at each other. Well....Strife was yelling, anyway. Out of anger, he came up with a forceful punch to her face. She fell to the ground.
I wanted to help her, but the girls wouldn't let me. Strife doesn't do something like that to a girl, especially one I care about.
She was on her knees, holding her face. Strife's face was blank. Realizing what he had done, he quickly dropped to Kid and held her. He slowly took her back to camp. Yuna and Rikku helped me up. I made a fist.
He's going to pay for what he did to her.
Orlha came up to me.
"Looks like they're leaving now. Let's go so we can home. Brother, Barkeep, Buddy, Shinra, and Paine are all staying here to get the ship fixed." We trotted down the long, dark path. It was a wide spread land, which Yuna called the Calm Lands. She told us that her father once defeated Sin here with the Final Aeon. We reached a small, narrow bridge. We walked across it, and a few other bridges. After a while, it started to snow and eventually we got covered in it.
We have to cross this giant mountain, which lies ahead. Why should we go to Zanarkand? Will our questions be answered there?
We saw a small village, where those Ronso's live. They seemed peaceful, because they let us through without question. They kept calling Kimahri, 'Elder'. We walked up the snowy trail. We crossed many ice bridges, and we were almost to the other side with no problem. Eventually, the snow lightened up. That meant we were just coming into the city. We stopped to overlook the city.
It looked like someone came and threw bombs all over. It was a mess.
We walked to a small firepit. Yuna paused.
"Remember this, Rikku? It was so long ago." Rikku nodded.
"Ya, great times." Wakka laughed. Nudging us foreword, was Strife. There was a huge tower, where it looked like it used to be a stadium. We walked all the way up, to find ourselves at a large door.
"Prepare yourselves." We opened the door to find two paths. "Lulu, Wakka, Yuna, Kimahri, and I will take the left, while Zeal, Tia, Glenn, and Serge take the right, got it?" We nodded.
Why did Strife let Kid come with us? Usually he'd yell about her being his girl. Something's up...
We headed down the long, cold hallway. It was mostly white. It reminded me of Chronopolis for an odd reason, but I knew it wasn't it. We reached a room with many tubes, used for preserving bodies.
It was scary. A few bodies were already in them, but what I saw next was even worse.
A little further down, on a platform, were seven tubes. They each had little plaques on them. The first two said "Orlha" and "Glenn" on them. The next row, there was already one body in one. Kid stood behind me.
"Lynx is here?! What the heck. What's goin' on?" The tube next to Lynx had my name on it.
This is getting too weird.
The next two tubes were also empty. The one to the left said "Harle" and the one on the right had "Kid" written on the plaque. There was one more in the center. There was a lady, with long blue hair and a purple dress. The plaque read "Princess Schala Zeal." We could hear Orlha talking in the back.
"Kid, this girl looks like you." Orlha pointed to a blonde girl.
"What ya talkin' abou-" Kid paused. Her eyes were opened wide, looking like they were going to water. She ran down to a tube, which had a girl with funny looking glasses. She had short, purple hair and she held a gun and a hammer. Kid placed her hands on the tube.
"Lucca..." She softly cried. I ran over to her, placed my arms around her. She slowly leaned on me. "I thought Lucca was going to be somewhere safe, and not in a place like this. I was hoping, that I'd find her building another one of her stupid machines, or creating something new. She'd be laughing, and she'd turn to me and say something like 'I told you to stop actin' like a tomboy.' or 'Look at what I just made.' and start talking all smart."
"Sh...Come on, Kid. Let's get out of here." I softly whispered into her ear. She turned and pointed to many of the other tubes.
"That's Robo....and there's Marle and Crono. That's Frog and Ayla there. I'm not sure who the others are..."
"Come on, Kid." I pulled her to a doorway. Glenn and Orlha were already in it.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Orlha proposed.
"Guys look out!" Glenn yelled as he stroked the soldier behind us. Orlha got into a fighting stance and stroke the other soldier. "Serge, get Kid out of here. We'll be fine for now!" In that instant, I grabbed Kid's hand and we ran down the hall. I could hear a few soldiers coming after us.
"Serge! Where we goin'!?"
I wish I could tell her where we were going. I just ran.
We headed down many halls. Left, right, each way I went looked the same. Finally, we came to a dead end. We ran into the middle of the room. We stood there, staring at one another.
Is this it? Why were they after us? Were we intruding? If we were...then why did Strife lead us here in the first place?
I held Kid close to me. Nothing was going to stop us. We were going to get out alive, I knew it. Five soldiers walked through the doorway, behind them was a darker figure, which had 'glowing eyes.'
"Very good, Chrono Trigger. You managed to figure out things very well." The figure came into the light.
"Strife!" I yelled.
"You were right. I am Cloud. I'm so proud that you figured it out, even when I tried erasing your memory of me."
"What are ya bloody talkin' about?!" Kid screamed.
"Before I could send you to this world, I had to erase your memories. Each of you four, remember yourselves, most impressive. Rikku and Roy even remember you, even though they shouldn't, but I didn't bother with them."
"So you erased our minds...but why did you send us here?!" I yelled.
"To kill you." He snickered. "I'd be killed myself if I killed you back in El Nido, so I sent you here."
"To kill us?! That means..." I gasped.
"Yes, Orlha and Glenn are gone. So is everyone else that you knew."
"Why you!" Kid tried running to him, but I held her back.
"Vouz are quite, as you say, brilliante." A voice from above was heard. Cloud laughed.
"Seems the other princess is here."
"Other princess?" Kid yelled. From above, a woman jumped down. She had long, blonde hair. We couldn't see her face, because she faced Cloud. She had her arms spread out, as if protecting us.
"I will not let you hurt zis femme or Monsieur Serge!"
"H-H-Harle!?" I could hear Kid yell. The woman turned her head toward us. She looked exactly like Kid, except she had a painted tear under her eye.
It was Harle. Everything was so messed up. Why was she trying to help us?
Cloud was still laughing.
"Boys!" The soldiers held up their guns. He pointed to Harle. "Nice knowing you." He jerked his hand down, and guns shots were heard. Kid and I dug our heads into each other. When we looked up, there was Harle, lying on the floor, and two soldiers dragging her out of the room.
"You-" Kid was interrupted.
"Don't think you're leaving here alive."
"Cloud!" I screamed. "Why don't you fight me like a real man?!" He stood there, snickering.
"This is more fun. A game of cat and mouse. Even though, I'd find it challenging to beat you in battle, its fun to pick each and everyone of you down one by one."
"Bloody! You'll be reckonin'!" He held out his hand, sticking his index finger up.
"You have one minute to say your goodbyes." I looked at Kid with fear.
He was really going to kill us, isn't he? I bet Kid's thinking the same thing.
I held Kid as tight as I could.
That's all I could do. I couldn't say all I wanted to say. I just couldn't put it into words. I could hear her whisper, but I couldn't make the words out. I looked to her. Kid's eyes were filled with tears. She knew we weren't going to make it out. She gave me a weak smile. I looked shocked, then slowly smiled back.
"Adieu." He gave a signal for the men to shoot. The men held up the guns straight at us. Kid finally grasped me as tight as she could.
This is it. We were going to die.
The guns fired. One...two...three...four...five...each of the bullets hit us. We fell to the floor. We were facing one another, taking the last breaths we could. She was crying, holding out her hand for me to grasp it. Slowly, I reached for hers, but hers dropped to the floor. My eyes widened. I could see her lips moving, as if she were trying to talk. Then, they just stopped.
What are you trying to tell me? Kid…Kid!! She's…dead!
I could feel Cloud's shadow over me, but I couldn't move. I was slowly dying. There was nothing I could do. All I could hear was Cloud's laugh. Soon after, everything went dark...
"And oh, I know the world of real Emotion
has surrounded me
I won't give into it.
Now I know
the road is the only way my heart can go,
I hear your voice calling out to me.
You'll never be alone."
I found myself lying in my bedroom. The same walls, the same floor...I was home.
But, what was that music? The voice sounded like...
I instantly sprang up out of my bed. I ran out into Orlha and Glenn's room to find Kid with a microphone in her hand. Glenn and Orlha were sitting on their bed, holding spheres.
Uh-oh...was I still in Spira?
"Serge! What ya doin' interruptin' me while I'm singin'?!"
"Yea...and without any pants." Orlha and Kid giggled. I looked down and blushed. I ran into my room, and soon enough, returned . They were still laughing at me. I took a place next to Glenn.
"My turn, Kid!" Orlha hopped up. "What should I sing?"
"Just sing Real Emotion for now." Glenn replied. Orlha began to sing into the microphone. Kid stood up in the middle of the song. She began to dance with Orlha.
The same dance Zeal, Rikku and Yuna did...
Glenn got up and started to dance with Orlha. Kid came over to me.
"C'mon Serge! Let's dance!" She grabbed my hand and pulled me up.
This seems like the Kid I know...but I didn't know for sure....
I smiled and kissed her. She smacked me.
"What ya doin'?!" She looked angry, yet embarrassed.
Yep...that was her...now I'm going to hear it...