*I don't own Final Fantasy VIII or any of its characters*
A/N: I want to thank real-sweetie-fantasy, Crossfire145 and Drake Dragon for putting me on their favorites list. Thanks so much, it really means a lot.
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*Chapter 12 –In Front of the Unknown*
As the end of the day came closer, a strange tranquility fell on the great Esthar forest. Seifer enjoyed the tranquilizing music of nature around him. He still had plenty of time before reinforcements arrived and he decided to have a relaxing walk under the tall trees of the Esthar forest. The silence was bliss for the solitary gunblader. He liked to be alone. When he was alone he could escape from reality in his own world of thoughts.
Not far away, another person enjoyed the tranquility of nature. The martial artist wanted to forget all the troubles around him and, as the closest Training center was in Esthar Garden, he decided to search for monsters in the forest instead. In his search, Zell found this small clearing which almost seemed to call him. He stopped in the center of the small field and without further thinking he pulled off his shirt, threw it on the green grass, and started repeating all the combat moves he knew to the rhythm of the calming music of his surroundings.
Selphie was in her dorm in Balamb Garden. She was lying on her bed and talking on the phone. A smile escaped her every now and then while she was playing with a tendril of her hair that fell on her face. On the other side of the line, Irvine was faking a smile to hide his worried expression, as if his love could actually see it. He had a bad feeling about this whole cave thing and he would've preferred if Selphie was staying in Garden, where it was safe.
A young sorceress fell asleep in her dorm. Angelo carefully jumped up to her and laid by the person who meant the most to him. He carefully put his head on her hand and laid there, protecting his human friend.
On the other side of Garden, in the Quad, a young instructor was trying to put her thoughts in place. Her lessons finished an hour ago and she was little tired. It was amazing how those students could be sweet and tiring at the same time. She liked the Quad, it was the most peaceful place in Garden and most of the time it was empty. It was a place where she could relax a bit after her lessons and think in peace.
Deep inside the Esthar forest, within the cold stonewalls of Green Cave, a young SeeD commander fell asleep on the cold stone floor. Cold green drops of water were slowly falling onto his hair. There was a slight smile on his face for a moment. After a few minutes, Squall suddenly opened his eyes and jumped to his feet. His hand moved to grab Lionheart, but did not find it. He was looking around to see where he was when he remembered everything. He sighed, moved his hand through his wet hair and went towards his wooden bed. He threw himself onto it and started observing the ceiling. He was trying to fall asleep again, to escape to the world of his dreams. The only place where, right now, everything would be fine, but at the same time the place of worst nightmares.
A young brunette lay on her bed and closed her eyes. She inhaled deeply, exhaled, and then slightly nodded. Elly was ready to travel to the past. Suddenly she felt dizzy. When she first opened her eyes, she saw Squall exiting Garden. Elly closed her eyes and contacted Ellone. The second time she opened her eyes she saw the forest she knew so well. Squall was moving towards the cave. When he entered, the connection abruptly broke. Elly felt a piercing pain in her head and found herself back in her dorm. She sat up and crossed her legs. A few minutes later, Elly was ready for the trip to Esthar.
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"Are you sure that it won't be a problem to take care of Lily? I mean, you have to take care of Angelo too and the two of them together could make a real mess." Elly sounded uncertain.
"Hey, calm down. There's nothing to worry. It's my pleasure. You'll all be in Esthar and the two of them will keep me company. It'll be all right. And by the way, I love animals." Said Quistis.
"Thanks a lot, I owe you." Elly gave her a thankful look.
Quistis smiled. ~No, thank you.~
The Cafeteria was pretty crowded at this time of the day. Elly and Quistis were sitting at their table and waiting for their two friends to come when Selphie ran in. They could see a relieved expression on her face as she approached the two of them.
"I thought I'm late." She said, craning her neck to look at Elly's watch. "Ten more minutes. Where's Rin?"
"I was just wondering the same thing." Elly answered.
"Why don't you go see if she's okay? We'll wait you at the main gates, okay?" Quistis suggested.
"Okay, see ya!" Selphie ran out of Cafeteria as fast as she came in, leaving Elly and Quistis with smiles on their faces.
"Rin? Are you there?" Rinoa heard Selphie calling her. She looked at the clock and jumped on her feet. ~I'm late!!!~
"Rinoa?" Selphie continued knocking.
"Come in…umm… I think it's open." Rinoa answered.
"Hey, what's up? We were waiting for you." Selphie entered.
"Sorry, I fell asleep. I'll just take a quick shower and I'll be ready in a minute!" She slammed the bathroom door.
"It's okay, just hurry! I'll wait for you." Selphie sat on Rinoa's bed. She heard a "thanks" along with the sound of water from the showerhead. Five minutes later, Rinoa came out fully dressed. She grabbed her bag, called Angelo and soon, the three of them were racing through the hallways.
When they arrived at the front gates, Quisits, Elly and the Ragnarok were already there. They only had enough time to hug Quistis. Rinoa gave Angelo a be-a-good-boy look and ran into the Esthar spaceship as Selphie gleefully rushed to the cockpit, Elly beside her.
~Maybe I'll see him tomorrow…~ Rinoa thought as she looked at the ground below her. ~Just… maybe…~
Quistis stood there as the Ragnarok revved up and rose into the air. She continued watching until the spaceship finally disappeared behind the clouds in the dark blue sky. In her heart, she murmured a silent prayer. ~Take care… all of you.~
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He was checking his watch for the hundredth time when he heard silent footsteps behind him.
"Don't worry, they'll be just fine, Selphie pilots the Ragnarok as well as I do." Zell put his hand on his friends shoulder.
"That's what worries me." Irvine replied with a grin.
"It's just … I still think Cid should've send someone else. If Squall is really here, then whoever did this is here too. It might be dangerous. We don't even know who, or what, we'll be facing." He continued after short silence.
"I know, but…Cid is worried for Squall as much as we are and the three of them are the best choice. And when you think about it, you really shouldn't worry that much, man. I mean, Selphie confronted and defeated Ultimecia with us. She's one of the best SeeDs. "
"I guess you're right…" Irvine answered quietly.
"I understand, I'm also worried…for all of us."
"Especially for Elly." Irvine looked at his friend with a slight smile on his face.
"Well…uh…yea." Zell felt his cheeks turning red.
"You have nothing to worry as well, Zell. Elly passed the exam after only a month of training. She's one of the top SeeDs too. And she has those powers of hers or whatever you call them..."
"Yea, sometimes I feel like I can't hide anything from her…it's kinda creepy, but she told me she can't read other people's minds. She can just contact Rinoa if she wants…'cause they both have powers and stuff or something like that..."
"Now that you mentioned Rinoa, I never thought Cid would send her. Do you think it's a good idea?"
"Dunno, man, but she is a sorceress and we're dealing with some kind of magic. I'm just worried she might do something crazy to help Squall." We should keep an eye on her."
" 'Course we should, and we will. All of us… even Seifer. Fate has a strange sense of humor, huh? A year ago he wanted to kill them both, and now he's helping Rin to find Squall. By the way, do you know where he is?"
"I saw him in the hotel room just now. He said he'd wait there. Yo man, look! They're here!"
They saw the red colour of the Ragnarok slowly descending from the sky. The night was dark, but the bright lights of the grand spaceship lit their surroundings. As soon as it landed, the three girls ran out. Selphie jumped into Irvine's embrace. "Missed you." she whispered. He hugged her even tighter. ~Me too.~
"Hey there." Zell walked toward Elly. "How are you?"
"Fine. A little tired but fine, you?" Elly smiled.
He smiled back and hugged her. She was little taken aback, but she returned the hug. It felt good. She felt loved. She hasn't felt like this since…~Manuell~ Elly gently broke the hug and faked a smile to hide her sudden discomfort.
Rinoa watched her friends. Although this reminded her of what she had lost, she was happy for them. Her deep brown eyes were full of sorrow and gladness at the same time. Selphie caught Rinoa's look. She understood that this could be a hard sight for her friend.
"I'm starving! Anyone for a late dinner?" Selphie hurriedly changed the subject to distract Rinoa.
"I overslept just now, so sure, I'm coming." Rinoa came closer.
Zell looked at Elly "Hungry?"
"Not really."
"Count us out then." Zell smiled at Selphie.
"Someone has to show you the way. My ladies." Irvine touched the edge of his hat. The girls laughed.
"So, are you in the mood for a walk?" Zell asked Elly as their friends left. She nodded absent-mindedly. They walked under the moonlight in silence for few minutes. Elly was observing the sky. When she was a child, she used to sneak out of bed and watch the stars from her window. Even now, many years later, everything was as she remembered it. The silver moon was shining from above and down, in the dark shadows, fireflies were dancing through the dark. Crickets were singing their quiet song just as when he was still here, when they were walking together under the stars. She could almost hear the sound of waterfall, she could almost imagine the place she liked so much once.
"So, S'up lately? Anything new?" Finally Zell broke the silence.
"Not really." Elly mumbled again.
"…Ok." The awkward silence made its way between them once more. Zell scratched the back of his head.
"It's kinda cold tonight, huh? Uh, are you cold?" He tried again. She didn't answer. Zell stopped and looked at her.
It was a moment before she suddenly realized he was staring at her. She blinked at him. "Sorry… Did you ask me something?"
"Never mind. S'up? You seem distant." Zell resumed walking.
"Nothing…just thinking."
"I'm not buying that. What's bothering you?"
"It's nothing, really…just…nothing."
He reached for her hand to stop her. "Hey. What's wrong? You can tell me. You trust me, right?"
"It's not that…" She wanted to move away, but he didn't let her go. His grip on her tightened a little.
"Then what is it?"
She stood like that, with her back facing him. Her head was down, and she was silent. She hated to cry in front of people, it made her feel vulnerable. She was trying very hard to suppress her tears, but she just couldn't. He slowly turned her to face him. She was still looking down. "Look at me, Elly." She slightly shook her head, a 'no'. He gently reached for her chin and slowly tilted her face up to him. She did not meet his eyes but he could see a tear on her cheek, glistened by the moonlight. That caught him off-guard. He didn't know what he should do, or how to help her. "Elly, please, say something."
"I'm not ready for this." She whispered.
"For what? I don't understand." He was completely confused.
"I'm not ready to trust someone again." She said softly, still not looking at him.
"What are you trying to say?" She could hear fear in his voice.
~He has the right to know~ "Those murders we were sent to investigate…I lost many friends there, some disappeared, some…died." After short pause she continued, "My boyfriend… he died there too."
Her words hit him like a sledgehammer. Zell opened his mouth to say how sorry he is, but she stopped him and went on slowly. "It's okay… What I wanted to say is that… all the people I had faith in are gone. And… since his death… I… I've lost the ability to trust. Yes, I became pretty close to Rinoa, but… I still keep so many things for myself. I can't open myself, not anymore."
"Elly…You have to try, I'm here for you. I'll do everything I can."
"I can't do this, Zell. I like you, and I really care about you, but I can't let myself grow to love you. I can't risk being hurt again. It's just too painful. I can't go through all that again. Not yet."
"I won't leave you."
"How can you be sure of that? You can't predict the future."
"I won't leave you," he repeated. "I want to be there for you. You can't be alone, you need someone! Everyone does. It'll just hurt you more if you're alone. Sometimes you have to risk. I can't promise you that you won't get hurt again. Hyne, I whish I could do it. It's a choice, your choice and no one can decide for you, but you can lose so much if you choose to be alone." Elly stood silent. After a minute that seemed like an eternity to Zell, Elly raised her head, revealing her face, wet from the tears. She looked at him. "I choose to be alone."
She closed her eyes, turned around and silently walked in the dark. Zell just stood there, trying to understand all that just happened. He felt numb. He never expected this. ~Is it really over? Half an hour ago everything was fine and now…everything is gone…or maybe… it was never fine; I just didn't notice it. ~
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Rinoa was trying to fall asleep. She was all alone in this big strange room. Selphie and Elly were still somewhere outside. It was sometime around midnight when there was a soft knock at the door. She sat up, surprised and puzzled, and quietly asked who is was.
"It's me, Elly." Rinoa hurried to the door, wondering why Elly didn't use her own key, as they were sharing the room. She opened it and saw her friend in tears. Her eyes were red like she'd been crying for some time and she was shaking slightly.
"Sorry, I forgot to take the key at reception." Elly whispered through tears.
"Never mind, it's okay. I was awake anyway. Come on in. What happened?" Rinoa was really worried. She had never seen Elly in that state.
"Zell… I… oh Hyne, I really messed things up." Elly whispered through sobs.
"Huh? What? What do you mean?"
"Just…" Tears started running down her face. "Just don't ask me anything, please." She said through tears.
"Okay. Come now..." Rinoa embraced her friend. She was still wondering what happened. Zell wouldn't do anything bad intentionally; it just wasn't like him. It had to be something else, something more serious. After few silent minutes, Elly broke the hug and wiped her tears off. "Thanks." She gave Rinoa a weak smile.
"Anytime. You should try to get some sleep. We have a lot to do tomorrow and you'll need all your strength."
Few minutes later, two girls were in their beds. Rinoa could hear quiet sobs from her friend's bed. She wanted to help her, but she knew that there's nothing she could do right now.
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Irvine and Seifer were having breakfast under the blue lights of the "Blue Star". They were just ordering their food when the three girls came in. Elly looked around her in awe. The place was beautiful. The girls noticed their friends in one corner, and they went to join them.
The first thing Elly noticed was that Zell wasn't there. A pang of concern pricked her heart. She turned to Rinoa, who was looking at her. ~I'll ask.~ Rinoa answered telepathically.
"Where's Zell? Still sleeping?" Rinoa inquired casually as they started eating.
"Actually, I dunno. I haven't seen him since last night." Irvine answered. Elly gave Rinoa a frightened look. ~What if something happened? He could be in danger!~
~Stop panicking, he can take care for himself. You'll see, It's gonna be alright.~ Rinoa replied gently.
At that moment, Zell came in. He took two hotdogs and a glass of juice, and joined their table in silence. Elly started eating her toast, avoiding eye contact with him. She felt so uncomfortable. The urge to just run out was growing with every moment. Zell seemed to be watching his hotdogs rather than eating them. Selphie cast a questioning look at Rinoa, who just shrugged. Not even she knew what happened.
"Guys? If you agree, I thing we should meet in an hour in front of the hotel and continue with our mission." Seifer suggested. Everyone agreed.
Rinoa was alone in her room. Elly had gone for a walk and Selphie was still downstairs with Irvine. She went to the balcony. The hotel was on the edge of Esthar City and, as it was built on the hill, she could see almost the entire city from here. There was something magical in Esthar. The sight was breathtaking. The whole place seemed to come from another world, another era. The last time she was here, he was still by her side. Everything was still perfect then. She didn't even know how much she had back then. ~I hope I'll find him today…I just hope… If I find him…would things go back to normal? Would this change anything?~ a knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. She went to answer it. When she saw who it was, she froze, speechless for a moment.
"…Hi." She said at last, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
"Sorry for disturbing. I just wanted to see how you are." Seifer said, running a hand in his blonde hair.
"I'm fine."
"Ok."
"Would you like to come in?" She said after a while.
"If I'm not bothering you."
Rinoa moved from the door, letting him in. She was a little uncomfortable. What would they be talking about?
"Are you afraid of what we could find today?" He asked.
~I don't want to talk about this…~
"Umm…" She started when Selphie rushed in, pushing away the half-closed door, followed by Irvine. ~Thank Hyne.~
"Hey Rin! Umm…Hi Seifer. Rin? What was that this morning? Something up between Zell and Elly?"
"I really don't know what happened. I just know that she came back in tears yesterday."
"She was crying! Why?" Selphe yelled.
"Can you talk a little bit louder? I think the people on the first floor didn't hear you." Irvine said sarcastically, giving her a look.
"Sorry…why was she crying?" Selphie repeated the question much softer this time.
"Your guess is as good as mine." Rinoa answered.
"Oh…"
"Uh… we should get going now…" Seifer went towards the door. Irvine followed him, leaving Selphie still talking excitedly about Zell and Elly. Rinoa just sighed.
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The Esthar forest was beautiful as always. It seemed undisturbed from the outside world, with its tall trees, calm shadows and sunrays fighting their way to the ground. The forest didn't seem to be bothered by six SeeDs walking through it. When they came to the cave, their surroundings became silent. Seifer, Zell, and Irvine, who went into the cave before, felt shivers running down their spines.
"Hey, get ready. This won't be a nice experience." Irvine said to the girls, stopping before entering the cave.
Rinoa shivered when she entered. Suddenly she felt depressed. She looked at her friends. They all seemed down.
"Hey girls, how do you plan to open these doors?" Irvine asked.
"The book we found in the Library says that you must take a crystal from the cave walls and draw a triangle with it on the entrance. So, now we just have to find the entrance." Elly answered.
"How will we find these doors?" Selphie asked.
"Well, from what I know, they have some kind of magic in them. If that's so, I'll be able to feel it and I think Elly would feel it too. So…I'll take the left wall, Elly, you try on the right, ok?" Rinoa said.
Elly nodded. Two girls put their hands on the walls, and slowly moved forward.
Elly slowly stopped. She felt something, some kind of power, but it was weak. She continued moving her hand on the wall, until she found the place where it was strongest. Just when she wanted to tell what she found, she heard Rinoa, who had gone further, say, "I've found something! Hey guys, would you try to take one crystal?"
"I think I've found something too." Elly said.
Irvine broke the crystal into two pieces and gave one to each girl. They took the crystals, feeling quite uncomfortable with the strange things in their hands. They looked at each other and slowly used the crystal to draw a triangle on the wall in front of them.
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Squall was slowly walking in circles in the small stone room. He didn't even know how long he had been there or what time of the day it was. There was no difference between night and day in this eerie green hell. He had lost the sense of time. All he could do there was think, and too much thinking always meant trouble for the young SeeD Commander. ~I'll go crazy if they keep me here any longer!!~ Suddenly he heard a knock. ~It's that damn moron again. This knocking thing is beginning to be annoying!~ Squall sighed and sat on the bed. The door slowly opened. He turned without much interest, but what he saw made his eyes grow wide. ~What the hell?~
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A/N: Another chapter is over. Wow! 12th chap already! And 54 reviews! I'm happy! Once again I want to thank to all reviewers; you're the greatest! Please REVIEW! Your reviews are my biggest inspiration.
Exhile – I don't know what would I do without you!
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