Chapter One – Meetings with Old Friends Pt.1
Let me see where to begin. Oh yes, this sounds about right. It has been about six years since we defeated the Sorceress, Ultimecia. Six years ago, since I became a SeeD at Balamb Garden. Let's start from the very beginning in a summary, so, those who have never heard, knows. I grew up in an Orphanage near the Centra Continent. A very kind woman named Edea Kramer, or as we called her, Matron took us in and took care of us. She ended up getting Sorceress powers from the future Sorceress, Ultimecia. She married Cid Kramer and they both established a thing called Garden to take children and teens from around the globe to train here. They trained to become a SeeD, which is a special force to destroy the Sorceress.
Years after the Garden began; the seven children went to different gardens. Selphie went to Trabia Garden, and then transferred to Balamb. Ellone, Squall, Quistis, Seifer, and myself, Zell, came to Balamb. Irvine went to Galbadia Garden and separately, we all trained to become better fighters except for Ellone. She wasn't truly at Garden to train, just a place to live. Anyway, all the orphans who came to Balamb except Ellone took their SeeD test and passed, except for Seifer. We all went on and went on a mission with a small Timber Resistance group, the Timber Owls and got our asset to our team, Rinoa. She was sweet and kind of whiney in the beginning. After that, we got Irvine and went against Sorceress Edea, our Matron. We went against her again after that, and she lost her powers, pouring them into our Rinoa.
We ended up getting our Matron back and had to head to Esthar, the High-Tech city and find out if we could help Rinoa in any way. Squall, Rinoa, and Quistis went up into the Lunar Base and Rinoa was possessed, and she went out into space and set the past Sorceress, Adel, free. Adel crashed to Earth and Squall went to go save Rinoa, get her back. The found a ship, the Ragnarok and went back to Earth, where they found out Rinoa had Sorceress powers and she was going to be taken and frozen, like the previous one, Adel. We stopped them and ended up fighting Adel. We destroyed her and Ellone, along with Ultimecia, compressed time, letting us be able to go and get Ultimecia. We stormed her castle, and ended up defeating her.
Six months after that, we all released our Guardian Forces and all of our magic, able to get on with our lives since the monsters became docile, except for the ones in the Gardens. About a year and a half later, new monsters appeared out of nowhere and were very dangerous, ten times than the ones usually near the town of Balamb. And they stormed the town, destroying everything there, including my parents. I was crushed to find out what had happened to them, but I moved on after I buried them, to train my hardest with no aid of a Guardian Force. Everyone went his or her separate way afterward.
Rinoa and Squall got married and moved to Winhill to get away from all complicated problems, and became part of that community. Selphie and Irvine hooked up and moved to Deiling City and they were close as ever. From what I found out, Irvine and Selphie were involved in a shootout at a local bar, and Irvine got hit, and didn't make it. Crushed, Selphie moved to Trabia Garden and moved in with her friend from there. Quistis stayed and ran Garden as a Headmistress and an Instructor. She trained students to protect themselves from monsters from the last Lunar Cry and the new ones near the old Balamb and trained them well. Cid and Edea moved back into the Orphanage and worked it up really nice, and they died there, no one knows why either. The Ex-SeeDs and Ellone left from the gang went back and buried them both near the lighthouse, so, even in death, they can remember the sounds of the ocean. Seifer, Raijin, and Fujin all moved and now work at the D-District Prison, head guards there. They are still friends and Seifer and Fujin seem to be a bit interested in each other as well. Ellone is still in Esthar with Laguna and his gang, running the presidency.
I am now and still training around the Centra Ruins on the Centra Continent. I live in Odin's tomb since it is abandoned; Seifer killed Odin. Life is great for me. I lived there for about three years until I heard that a Sorceress destroyed Balamb and Galbadia Gardens. Someone new had arisen and was being trained in Balamb. Quistis died, defending the Garden, and burned with it near the Island Closest to Hell. The Sorceress let lose all the monsters from there, dropping them on random continents.
About a year has passed sine then and she took Esthar. She turned it into her own twisted version of a palace. Ellone, Laguna, and Kiros escaped as she took over, Ward died defending Ellone, and they are now hiding somewhere I have no clue. I have a plan and it is to head out and search for every SeeD left from the ones who defeated Ultimecia. I need to hook up with Seifer as well, and Laguna and Kiros. My quest begins here…
The sun was bright and shining down on me as I walked slowly in the heat towards Winhill, my first stop. I had caught a boat from the Ruins to Timber and had to walk from there. It wasn't that bad, I just wasn't used to the heat. The Centra Ruins were always cooler than this, oh well. I had run into none of the creatures yet, which was a good sign.
Today, I am dressed in blue jeans with wide legs and they stopped a few inches about my ankle. A pair of red and black shoes covers my feet and is newer from the last pair I had. A blue tank top with a bit of padding stuffed into the front chest part and a silver necklace around my neck. The necklace is a locket with my parents picture is it, as a remembrance. I have the same blonde hair, except longer and in a tiny ponytail in the back. The black pattern tattoo on the left side of my face is still there and maybe just a little faded. The gloves with the metal knuckles are still there, my old friends. The same teal eyes bring out the kindness in my face when I don't look tired or depressed. I am a little taller than last time and my muscles have grown a lot since then.
I spot the small town ahead and grin widely, I was almost there, Lately, over the last few years, my loudness has calmed, as I've grown, I don't take things too seriously anymore, and my emotions are completely under control. I decide to get in a little exercise and jog the rest of the way to the town. When training, I built both, my arms and my legs exactly the same, so one isn't heavier or better muscled than the other. I could jog for miles and miles on; it was a nice thing for now.
As I enter the town, the first thing I spot in the Item Shop and I felt a smile play on my face as I look at it. It was always nice, being in a small town. I continue my jog, passed all of the people and towards the back of the town, the bar and the house back there. As I step into the square clearing, there was a loud shout from somewhere, "FIRE!" and a spray of bullets, arrows and blades fly at me. Tch, fine, I won't come here. I run and dive for the ditch near the bridge. I kick as fast as I can and hide under it, hearing arrows and seeing the blades get about halfway through. There was a command to hold fire and then a grunt; maybe he jumped out from somewhere. A very familiar voice shouts out at him, "Who are you and why have you come to Winhill?" It was Squall, good, that meant he was still alive. I grin and let out a breath I'd been holding. I crawl out slowly and jump up into the air doing a front flip and land, "Well, I dunno Squall, maybe an old friend and comrade."
Squall looked, well, umm, different. His left ear was pierced still, which was good. His hair was long, probably just above his shoulder blades. Eye still that blue/gray they always were. Same lion necklace he'd had six years ago. A white t-shirt played across his bigger chest. He'd gotten a lot more muscular than when I'd last seen him. A new black jacket, short-sleeved, a red outline of the lion from his necklace was sewn in on his left sleeve. Black pants with zippers running up each leg length and black boots with the same style. A black belt around his waist and the same two hanging around his waist and upper thigh length and a new one, a black one had been added. Black gloves on each hand and three tan leather straps on his left forearm. The same Gunblade as always, with the hint of Lionhart upgrade in it and the lion at the end of the revolver handle. And the scar he'd had since the day of his SeeD test, that Seifer had given him. It was still red as the day he got it, running from slightly above his right eye and sliding slanted to about just under his left eye.
"Zell, is that really you?" he asks and a small smile forms on his face as he walks forward and extends his hand. I give him mine and we shook hands firmly before letting go. "By the way, Squall, nice welcoming committee you have there, death by entrance," I said and brought another smile to his tired looking face. "Yeah, well, ever since the Sorceress took power in Esthar, Ellone came here with Laguna and Kiros, and they're inside with Rinoa," he says and looks back at the house, then back at me, "and ever since she came into power, Laguna, Kiros, and I have trained almost everyone in this town how to use a weapon and that we were to protect Ellone at all costs. This Sorceress wants her power, to try and compress time, to try and get herself, Adel, and Ultimecia together, and rule as one," he concludes and sighs lightly.
The door opens at the far left corner and a woman steps out. She was a little taller than the last time I saw her and hair a bit shorter, but it was Rinoa. She spots me and her face lights up a little and she jogs over to us. She looked taller, a bit stronger since our last meeting. She has the same smile and chocolate brown eyes. Her hair is still the same black with the honey locks near the front, but her hair was neck length. She was wearing the necklace with the two rings, one of them being Squall's. She was dressed in tight black pants and a black tank top. A black band tied around her right arm. Black boots, with the zipper moving from sole, all the way up the middle to just above the ankle. Her Blaster Edge is on her left arm with the bright blue blade, she looked ready for a battle. She walks up and gives me a quick hug and backs up a little, only to lean on Squall a bit.
"Listen, should we go inside and talk a bit, catch up and everything," Squall suggests slightly and heads for the house. He seemed a bit colder than last time, what was wrong? I pull Rinoa back a bit and ask her, "Hey, what's wrong with Squall, he seems, colder than the last time, what happened?" and when she answered, with a saddened and enraged face, I wished I hadn't asked her. "Our two kids were playing in the Item shop with our friends while Squall and I went to go and check on our Chocobo nest we had. When we came back, a few soldiers had come here on order of the Sorceress and were searching for Ellone, but it was before her and Laguna had come here. The two soldiers had our two children by the necks and Squall was getting ready to charge, the soldiers said that if he moved, they'd kill them. So, as they left, they," she stopped and a few tears leaked out, but she continued, "those evil, son of a… They shot both of them, and they were only three, and those monstrous humans killed them!" she says the anger rising in her voice. "They ran as Squall ran after them, pure rage leading him on and he butchered their bodies. There was so much blood that day. We Buried their bodies near Raine's grave and Laguna asked who the two additions were when he got here," she says and wipes the tears away. "We don't talk about it much, so please don't ask Squall about it or even approach him about it, okay?" she asks and hurries inside.
I sighed softly and headed in after her. When inside, the first person I spot is Ellone. She is in the same thing she wore when we were with her during the Sorceress battles, except she had waist length light brown hair. She has on an ankle length white skirt, a light blue button up, and sleeveless shirt. A silver necklace around her neck, and the same sweet, big sister smile that she always had. She walks over and gave me a tight hug and asks me how I was. I replied that I was fine and doing well, she replied with the same answer.
Laguna walks up next and gives me the same tight grip Squall gave me and he smiles. He looked older, had age wrinkles a little, but he looked good. He still had his long hair and brown eyes. He was dressed in his presidential clothes we met him in, when he was in Esthar. Kiros looked the same from Esthar as well; guess they didn't change often or something.
We all sat around the wooden table and started talking about old times and what we've been doing with our lives. They were amazed at the fact that I lived in the Centra Ruins and in Odin's Tomb. We started talking about the new Sorceress and what we should do and that was when I stood up. "Well, what I was thinking about was that we fight back. I mean, she has hurt us all in some way," Rinoa and Squall look down for a second and then back up, "and she killed Quistis, and let the monsters off of Island Closest to Hell. We can't just stand here and wait for her to come to us. We should go after her," I concluded and waited to see what someone would say.
Squall looks to me and says, "Ok Zell, we'll just pack up the amateurs here and head for her front step for a slaughter house," he says and waits. The air seemed thick with tension and I reply to him, "Well, what I was thinking was assemble the old team somewhat. I cam here to get you and Rinoa, and then we head over to the D-District Prison, grab Seifer and his gang, and then get Selphie, and go after this new threat to humanity." I conclude once again and wait for the no, and we're not leaving here.
Rinoa jumps up before Squall can reply and says, "Yeah Zell, we should do that, it… it might work. I mean, SeeD trained us all, except for me, but I did fine on my own. And we can go after her and end it, right here and now, or something like that!" She smiles and looks down at Squall. I grin and he nods slightly, not exactly one hundred percent sure and then he stands, "Sure, we'll do it, but why Seifer? He's just going to be a pain, and everything." "Well, I would say six years have changed him, like they changed me, you, Rinoa, Ellone, and most likely Selphie," I say and look around. Squall nods and says, "Ok, it's a plan then, we go. We get Seifer first, right? He's closer," he looks around and nods again at me. Yay, we were going to get together like last time, and beat this threat.
End Chapter One – Meetings with Old Friends Pt.1