Rinoa wondered if they purposely built the Gardens with the intent of getting people lost. She stumbled around, asking annoyed students if they'd seen a guy in black running around. No one had. Rinoa had given up by the time she made it to a rather pleasant garden. Ooo! A garden inside a Garden, the thought made her giggle, helping her to shed her somber mood. It had lovely tree covered walkways that winded through the well-kept hedges and beds. Deciding that if she couldn't find Squall, at least she'd have a nice walk, Rinoa strolled lazily through the garden. Occasionally she'd stop to look at one of the tiny placards that were placed in front of various specimen of flora. She laughed at some of the funny scientific names given to common plants...it made them seem so much more than they really were. She kept walking, taking in the sights of the tranquil garden within a Garden. Feeling much better now that she was away from everyone else for a bit. Sometimes being alone left to hear the music of your own thoughts was a good thing. She looked around and in the afternoon sun and noticed a slumped figure in black sitting on a small hill. Squall...
She walked up to him, "Funny how when you're not looking for something you find it...Let's go...I'm sure everybody's worried about you, and that guy Moby was real keen on us leaving and all...."
His face was covered by his hands; slowly he removed them and looked up at her. Storm clouded eyes stared back at her, ringed in red. Had he been crying?? She thought, shaking it away, maybe he did, maybe he didn't. That wasn't the point. He needed a real friend and she sensed that, as nice as the others were, they weren't exactly pillars of sensitivity. Not like I am either, but you gotta take what you can get....She wasn't sure what the relationship between Squall and Seifer had been. Squall's reaction to Seifer's name hadn't been exactly sunny. Yet what she saw here was genuine grief...Maybe he sees a little bit of himself in Seifer. Like if given the chance, Squall might be in Seifer's position..... They sat together silently, while Squall got himself under control.
"Ready?" Rinoa asked, looking at him with a mixture of compassion and concern.
He nodded and then paused, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at her, "Why are you being so nice? I didn't ask for your concern.... why do you think I want it?"
She smiled and as she got up, "Number one...it's called common courtesy.... Number two...I'm just a messenger...so don't go getting the wrong idea. We should go."
He looked at her with confusion, I don't get you, that's what he wanted to say but he held it back. He didn't want to admit that somehow she knew him better than he knew her. Yet again, she won...even if they weren't arguing. Rinoa moved off, glancing back to make sure that he was following as she headed inside the building.
The door to the conference room swished open on their friends, all a little astonished at who Squall showed up with. Quistis had about a hundred questions to ask Squall...but they all left her mind as she watched Rinoa and Squall enter the meeting room. She'd never noticed it before, but they ...they clicked...they looked so good...so right. Like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, fitted perfectly together. Quistis suddenly felt very angry and jealous. There were four of them looking for Squall...how was it that she was the one to find him? It wasn't fair. Dammit, it wasn't fair at all. So many years she'd pined, hoped, dreamt of a moment like that with him. Why her of all people? It was the last straw, Rinoa was nice and sweet but she was so naive. Like a child, she walked through life with no plan, never seeing danger until it bit her on the ass. How was it she could worm her way into his heart? What magical power did Rinoa have that she lacked? She hated the way he looked at Rinoa.... mooning over her like some lovesick dog. Her ride was over; Quistis wouldn't let her competition get any further. This new mission was a perfect excuse, as a civilian Rinoa couldn't accompany them. I'm doing this because she'd get in the way.... not because I'm jealous. Quistis tried to tell herself, but even she didn't really believe it.
"Where have you two been? We've been waiting here forever!!"
"I just found him..." Rinoa answered firmly, narrowing her eyes. Sensing the edge of anger in Quistis's demeanor.
"Really..." Quistis replied, her lips pursed, "Squall....could you wait here with Selphie and Zell...I need to talk with Rinoa a minute."
"That's alright.... Anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of everyone.... I don't mind." Rinoa said, taking Quistis's challenge head on. She knew what Quistis was doing.... She wants to cut me out. Quistis was going to try and leave her behind. And she couldn't help but feel that there was also some kind of ulterior motive behind Quistis's actions.
"It'd be more appropriate if we speak in private..." Quistis said, stalking away from the group, with Rinoa trailing behind her.
Quistis lead her into a small, unoccupied classroom, banks of computers and desks surrounding them.
"What's this all about?"
"I've appreciated what you've done for us...however, I have to give you some bad news.... You won't be coming with us to Deling City. Our upcoming mission doesn't concern you and I've been told to insist that you stay here. Transport has been arranged..."
"Wait...just hold on one second." Rinoa interrupted, " Listen...I don't know who lit the fuse on your tampon, but cut the crap. We had a deal. You said I could come with...So what's the story?"
Quistis stared at Rinoa, her eyes narrowing in contempt, "This mission is very important and as a Garden representative I can't have you getting in our way. You're just a civilian...and you'd be nothing but a burden to us...."
"You can't do that. I have a contract..."
Quistis cursed, she'd forgotten the contract, but she never let it show, "This isn't a stupid game...People are going to get hurt..."
"You think I don't know that...I've seen more human suffering than you or any of your SeeDs EVER have...You people breeze in and then walk out when the job is done or the money runs out...I've been there to pick up the pieces afterwards..." Rinoa shouted, shaking with emotion, "I don't have to sit here and listen to this BULLSHIT.........."
With that, she turned tail and began to stalk away. Rage, pure and deep...was all the young girl felt as Quistis grabbed her slim wrist from behind. The minute flesh touched flesh; Quistis felt a surge of electricity auger from Rinoa to her arm and through her body. Blue eyes widened, every muscle in her body twitching with unbearable pain. Rinoa turned around slowly, her eyes glazed over, no longer their normal dark brown, but milky white... the eyes of a blind man, unseeing... Invisible hands shoved Quistis back, throwing her to the floor roughly. Every computer screen flickered on for a moment, glowing bright white before they exploded.
Quistis screamed, covering her head, waiting as wisps of smoke belched from the ruined computers. She opened one eye, then the other, looking around cautiously. Nothing happened. Getting up slowly, she checked herself. Nothing was out of place, though her arm pricked with pain. Quistis rolled up her sleeve; the skin was pink and raw. It wasn't serious, nothing a good moisturizer and some bandages couldn't fix. For that, she knew she was lucky.
Rolling down her sleeve, she noticed the rumpled figure prone on the floor. Rinoa... The young woman lay there as if dead, her eyes closed, face ashen. Quistis bent down carefully, using every ounce of courage to examine her. God knows she didn't want to illicit another attack, her luck wasn't that good. Pressing a newly gloved hand Rinoa's neck, Quistis assessed her condition with trepidation. Her vitals were fine, but a thought and a worry nagged in Quistis's mind. Brushing dark hair from Rinoa's eyes, pity and guilt overtook Quistis.
"What are you?"
The clock on the wall ticked by ever so slowly, each hand seeming to linger on every new number longer. The room was silent; no one seemed to know what to talk about. It had been a pretty crappy day, all in all. What was there worth talking about? Even the thought of practicing his katas seemed unappealing. Zell sat on the overstuffed couch inside the lounge. Waiting for the sharpshooter, waiting for Quistis and Rinoa to get done with their "meeting". Waiting.....Waiting....Waiting. God how he loathed it. Some had suggested he had A.D.D., and perhaps he ought to be medicated. That was grounds for an automatic flip of the bird in Zell's book. Just because he didn't like to sit around with his thumbs up his arse, didn't mean he needed to be doped up. So there he sat, head in hand.... staring at the clock, just daring it to go faster. The doors whooshed open, and Zell's heart leapt. Finally an end to the waiting. His heart sunk, there stood Quistis, Rinoa in her arms, looking very sickly and pale.
"Zell.... could you help me please?" Quistis asked, annoyed.
He rushed over, helping Quistis bear her over to one of the couches. Zell looked down at his friend with concern. His mood lightening as she opened her dark eyes. She looked around groggily, her vision was fuzzy, and she felt so tired. Her lips moved, trying to ask what had happened to her. Zell quieted her immediately.
"What happened?" he asked, brow furrowed.
Quistis looked down, liding her eyes, "She.... fainted. Her dog was hit by a car. Watts called earlier......he's..... fine, but in the animal hospital. I didn't get a chance to tell her.....She heard he was hit and...." She gestured to Rinoa resting on the couch.
"Hmmm....."
Zell nodded, looking at Quistis, wondering if he should believe such a ridiculous story. He knew from past experience that it was better not to pry.
Quistis stood, turning her back to Zell, "We should get going.....has the sharpshooter arrived?"
"No. He's late....."
"We can't wait for him. We'll just have to hook up in Deling...... Squall, you're the strongest, take Rinoa.....let's go."
Without further word, Quistis strode out of the conference room, her mind troubled. Squall picked up Rinoa's limp form gently, his face stony and unreadable. He was just as suspicious of Quistis as Zell. It wasn't so much the story, as the manner of telling. It just seemed.....wrong. Besides the fact that it was unlike Quistis to not follow orders. They were told to wait for the sharpshooter, even if he was late. Going without him or her was just plain stupid. Something's very, very wrong.....The SeeDs walked out into the waning afternoon, heading directly for the main gates as they exited.
Selphie too was bothered by the decision not to wait, "Trepe Sempai, umm.... about the sharpshooter. Shouldn't we at least stop in and have them make an announcement or... something...Maybe we could look for him?"
Quistis inhaled deeply, letting out a very long sigh, but before she could even begin to chastise the young SeeD, she was interrupted.
"Who y'all lookin' for?" a voice drawled languidly from behind.
Quistis turned to see a very tall young man wearing a tan cowboy hat, standing cockily behind her. He tipped the hat backward to reveal his face, which was ruggedly handsome. He had long auburn hair that was tied back into a loose ponytail. The stranger looked at the three of them with his soft denim blue eyes and smiled.....it was the most disarming smile any of them had seen.
"Um.... We're from Balamb...We're looking for a..." Quistis began.
"A champion sharpshooter.... best in all three Gardens.... four time blue ribbon winner in Nationals.... two time gold medal winner in World.... That'd be me.... Irvine Kinneas.... at your service, pretty lady." He said, smiling like a movie star and tipping his hat forward genially.
"Ummmmm....YAH.....Ooookay..... Well...now that we've found you, I guess we can go.." Quistis rolled her eyes, she'd dealt with this type before and lines like that never ceased to annoy her.
"Seems like y'all need some help.... Mind if I step in?" He asked, scooping up Rinoa into his arms.
Squall gave him a dirty look, reluctantly surrendering the job of carrying his charge to an overly friendly stranger. Zell scowled at the newcomer as well, he'd never liked "ladies men", and to him they were nothing but cocky bastards. He disliked him even more, when he saw Selphie giving the sharpshooter the eye.
"Friggin' cowboy...." Zell mumbled unhappily
As sun started to sink into the sky, Irvine carried Rinoa in his arms as the rest of the group trailed behind him. All uncertain of the swaggering stranger, wondering if he was really that good, or if he was just all talk. This motley crew traipsed through the late afternoon light; golden sunshine fading quickly as day slowly became night. Filmmakers had always called it the magic hour, that strange time in the early morning or late day when the sky blossoms from light blue to lavender. None of the hard edge of full daylight nor the deep mystery of night, the world softens at twilight. The in-between time. At that moment, this small band of children lay in this time, walking through it, towards night.
They arrived at the station without incident. Quistis procured their tickets, and they all entered the train. Her fit of jealously had subsided. There was a feeling deep inside, that it didn't matter what she did. She had seen the small flicker of concern over Squall's face when she'd entered the conference room with Rinoa. That flicker was enough to tell her she'd already lost. It didn't even matter that he'd watched over her on the drive back to East Academy Station, while Zell administered first aid. She mulled over what had happened. Her mind uneasy at what had transpired. From the information that she had, Rinoa hadn't junctioned any G.F.s. It was against Garden regulation to issue G.F.s to non-personnel, and she was sure that Squall wouldn't have broken protocol to give her one. That left Quistis with only one other option. Spontaneous Magical Outburst, to the layman, using magic without a junction.....the first sign that one possessed the Gift.
When Quistis was younger she used to read all sorts of books on the paranormal. "The Gift" was a term used to refer to those who naturally were able to use magic and other paranormal abilities without the aid of junctioning Guardian Forces. Some called it the curse, as it literally marked the person as a sorceress. There were a lot of theories about the cause of this gift. Only women were born with it, but no one was quite sure why.
The superstitious called it Hyne's curse, citing ancient stories and cryptic prophecies. Hyne was a legendary hell god, who, according to religious text had wreaked havoc over the earth. Quistis sat and thought for a moment, she'd memorized a passage from the Letters of Saint Victor, a tome that dealt with the histories and legends surrounding the sorceress's power. The passage had always stuck with her; the story it entailed was apocryphal at best, yet it had fired her imagination when she was younger. She'd read it so many times that she could recite it by rote, though her memory had always been good.
From darkness beyond hell, Hyne did light the heavens on fire, belching foul sickness upon the earth. And from this sickness was birthed the myriad demons, sent to plaque man. All existence was ravaged, and the people beat their chests and howled at the heavens to end their plight.
The heavenly creatures answered, saying unto the people, "We have coming bearing heaven's gift, but with this gift comes a terrible price. You must sacrifice here one son and one daughter. Bear this burden and we will give it to you, will you answer us?"
And the people trembled, for none were willing to sacrifice their children. And the great powers that be became saddened and made as if to leave. Then, a young girl did stand up, despite her parent's objections. "Take Me," she said, "I am small, and my parents have many children. I will go so that the world may be saved and they should be spared." With that, another child, a boy, stood and said, "Take me as well. I am not afraid to die, I have no family and no one will miss me. I will die so that others may live."
Their parents became afraid, and begged their children to rethink their decision. No words could move them, for they had accepted their fate.
The heavenly creatures answered, "Brave words from ones so small. Your faith serves you well. We do not wish to make a sacrifice of you, we only wish for you to take this power and use it to protect your world. But beware, for everything there is a price, though we do not know yet what it may be."
The heavens gifted the children, and their children's children, with the power to defeat Hyne. Using this heavenly gift, they slew the mighty hell god, but with his dying breath he cursed them. Imbuing the girl with a great darkness to balance the light of her gift and making the boy her servant for all time. "For this deed you will be hated and feared by the very people you have saved, never again to spend a day upon this earth in peace." Thus the first sorceress was born into burden.
Quistis had always dismissed the Letters because they had no factual evidence to back them up. For a moment she wondered if they were in part somewhat accurate. Some ancient myths had actually been proven to be based on real events, embellished to make it more entertaining to tell but with kernels of truth mixed in. When she was a kid that would have cut it, but Quistis was now older and wiser. There was nothing in the Letters that could help her, just ancient parables that struggled to make sense of the unexplainable.
The two schools of thought she'd put the most faith in were more scientific. One believed that the Gift was a genetic trait passed from mother to daughter. Another stated that it was more like a disease or symbiotic parasitic invasion. All of them were theories, nothing more. Because ever since the defeat of Adel, there hadn't been any actual sorceresses to study that anyone knew of. In terms of scientific study, it was on the fringe and few in the scientific community looked on it with anything but contempt.
The spontaneous use of magic during periods of emotional stress was one of the signs....but Quistis had always taken that kind of stuff with a grain of salt. Those books always tried to make it seem scientifically possible but it was usually just a bunch of bullshit. SMOs... unexplained coma.... prophetic dreams...the mark of the sorceress...blah blah blah...She'd read stories about Adel...but she never believed for a moment that she could use magic without junctioning it. She thought it was silly superstitious nonsense that people had created to try and understand why Adel had been so powerful and difficult to defeat. Sorceress was just a word used to put the fear of the gods into the ignorant. She just figured that Adel was really, really good at using para-magic.....but Rinoa....she hadn't even used magic before....if that was true, then she didn't have a GF junctioned........What if the stories were true?
There were many legends surrounding sorceresses that were well known. However, it was the fact of the Sorceress War that most people remembered. Most could not forget, certainly not the hundreds of orphans it had left in its wake. It had all started with the premonition of a young sorceress from a remote village in Centra. Her given name had been Lourdes Angelina Adelanto, she had been an exceptionally gifted healer, trained, as most sorceresses were to cure wounds, not make them.
This was in the days before a sorceress became an image of fear; they were revered as bringers of peace and gentle caregivers. Especially those who studied in the mountains of Centra, who were considered the wisest of all. The majority of sorceresses had gathered to study on this continent, though they were respected, their power evoked envy in those who had nothing comparable. With great study, a sorceress could overcome the darkness within, if she embraced the light she would attain the mark of the sorceress. With this "mark", it would awaken their gift, bearing a talent that was uniquely their own.
Lourdes could see the future and potential future, it was so acute she could predict how individual decisions would affect the lines of time as it sped forward. In her vision she foresaw that one Sorceress would become the Ultimecia, a name in Centra's speech meaning the most powerful, the ultimate. Attaining the highest level of power a sorceress could gain, and with this power she would rule the world. Most had dismissed the tiny sorceress, telling her to focus on the here and now. That she only saw a potential future, not an actual future. None could have known what she would grow up to become.
This vision consumed Lourdes, she was an ambitious girl and lusted after the power and glory she saw in her premonition. A great darkness had filled Lourdes' heart and she began to learn dark magics beyond what was taught by her elders, powerful and forbidden spells that were only used for destruction. With this knowledge she changed, becoming Adel, the dark sorceress, leaving behind Lourdes, the girl she had been. She tapped into a power, beyond time and space, a power so dark and malevolent it couldn't be controlled. It's said she opened her heart and the dimensional door to their world to Hyne's heir. The dark essence of the sorceress's power, eschewing the light that had created the Gift in the first place. The sorceresses of Centra had felt her darkness, and ejected her from their order and Centra itself. This was an insult she would never forget.
Starting slowly, very slowly, she gathered her power, both magically and within the normal ranks of society. She'd concealed her power, and moved to Esthar, marrying a well off dignitary. For a long time she played the dutiful wife, maneuvering him like a chess piece, until she had no more use for him. He had died suddenly, and of rather suspicious circumstances. With the fortune she'd inherited from him and his political ties, she began to manipulate her way to the top. She gained power and influence in the political structure of Esthar, and using what she knew of its people and government, she instigated a coup. Once the Estharian government was overthrown, Adel installed herself as dictator and began a campaign of terror the likes of which had never been seen.
Her first order of business was to create a weapon of mass destruction. The Lunatic Pandora was Adel's vision, given life by Esthar's superior resources. It was only ever used once, to completely destroy Centra with its Lunar Cry. Adel then began an anti-sorceress campaign, killing off every last one until she was the one and only sorceress in the world. Now no one could rival her power. Centra was no more, there were no other sorceresses to stop her, so she began to target the rest of the world for conquest. She aimed for Galbadia next, which was the second threat to Esthar's power, with Centra out of the way.
What Adel didn't foresee was the tenaciousness of the people and armies of Galbadia. The war raged on for well over fifty years, Adel always having the upper hand but never enough to completely destroy the Galbadian forces. However, Galbadia was weakened, and all looked hopeless, until around in 63. That was when the Garden was first starting up, with just three hundred SeeDs and a small fleet of warships.
Until this time, no one had even heard of the Garden or SeeDs, when Balamb was nothing more than a backwater fishing village. It was Balamb's remoteness that had allowed them to amass their power so quickly and secretly, right underneath Adel's nose. She thought she had destroyed any remaining sorceress that could rival her power, but she was wrong. Though the few who were left were barely a match for her, they gave the keys to defeating her to Cid and his band of SeeDs. They gave them the use of Guardian Forces, spirits of the earth who were willing to fight on the mortal plane if called, a technique once only known by sorceresses. By the time Adel knew what was happening, it was too late. It was Garden and their expertly trained SeeDs that had helped turn the tide, defeating Esthar's weary troops. With their army in a shambles it was easy for a group of SeeDs, plus three deserters from the Galbadian army to topple Adel's cruel reign.
Before Adel was defeated she tried to eliminate SeeD by attacking Balamb, destroying their harbor and fleet of warships. It didn't work; Adel was deposed, but too powerful magically to kill outright. Instead, they sealed her power with a machine built by Odine Laboratories in Esthar and shot her into outer space. Quickly putting together a space station and a ship to supervise the trapped sorceress, waiting for the day that she would either die or someone powerful enough could kill her.
Only one sorceress in the history of the world had gone mad with power, but from that day forward, the word held unspoken fear for most people. Gone was the image of the benevolent healer, and in its place was a vicious, bloodthirsty murderess. Though the well educated knew better, there was still quite a bit of prejudice when sorcery was involved. If Rinoa had the gift, she might not be like Edea was turning out to be, and she certainly wasn't an Adel.... but what was she? What did it mean, if anything? Quistis sighed.... If Rinoa is a sorceress.... I'm not sure what I should do. Maybe I'm just overanalyzing. Maybe she had an illegal GF that we didn't know about. She could have gotten one on the black market..... But Quistis still couldn't help feeling vaguely uneasy about what happened. Hoping that when they returned to the Garden that her suspicions were unfounded. Until she could get Rinoa to Garden to be tested, Quistis would be damned if she'd let the girl out of her sight.
****Author's Notes***** (my first ^-^)
Sempai--Japanese for Upperclassman. I thought it sounded cooler than Upperclassman, that's why I used it!!
Also, you might have noticed a ratings change. I did this for one reason only. In rating movies, the MPAA has concrete guidelines on how many times you can say a certain swear word. For example, Fuck....I believe you can't use the word fuck more than once and stay a PG-13. I have used the word SEVERAL times, along with a host of other horribly awful curses. Basically, I have a potty mouth. Though this story isn't nearly as full the other one I'm working on concurrently. It's all Reno's fault....really. He just swears more than the average character!! IT'S NOT ME!! IT'S HIM!! Anyways, those stories I have where there are multiple occurrences of The FWORD, not even including the other various and horrifying curse words I love to use....I now rate R. If you can't handle or are not allowed to view stories with profuse cussing, turn back now. It'll be better for both of us!! This is the only reason for the change....Thank you and stay oily! ----Noacat