Ch 15 – Reunions And Creations…

Zell greedily chomped down on the hotdog, amazed at how good it tasted.

He had been assigned a room near the other SeeDs until Julius decided to become manageable, and now sitting in the kitchen – which consisted of what looked like a small fridge and a small eating area – he marvelled at the technology the Immortals had acquired.

The small fridge device wasn't actually a fridge – it was a recycler. The woman who had assigned him the room had shown him the basics of it – simply speak into the little microphone, think real hard, and your meal ought to appear in the compartment in two to three minutes.

He had approached the contraption slowly, almost as if approaching a snarling Anacondour, and had spoke hesitantly into the microphone, asking for three hotdogs, please. Standing back and thinking about hotdogs for a few seconds, he watched as a small screen lit up with the picture of three steaming Balamb Garden hotdogs, and suddenly there was a ping, before the smell of juicy sausage and mustard/tomato sauce filled the air.

That had been nine hotdogs ago, and he still wasn't full. He hadn't eaten anything for almost four days thanks to the Crisps capturing him and the recovery period of the Immortal's 'procedures', and to say the least, he was hungry.

He looked up from hotdog number ten as a small chime emitted from the front door, and clutching the dog in his hand he strolled over to the door and palmed it open to reveal Aries and several other women. "Hey guys!" Zell said happily, swallowing before speaking. "What's up?"

The Immortal group frowned collectively. "I…don't understand the phrase…" one woman asked Aries quietly, to which Aries smiled and spoke back to her like a teacher speaking to a student.

"It's their culture. They're very open minded in their universe."

This seemed to satisfy the woman, and they looked at Zell once more, seeming to be waiting of something. Zell stared back at them for a second, happily munching away – before slapping himself in the head and stepping back. "Aiyaaa, where's my manners gone!! Come in, please."

The women entered Zell's little apartment, and Zell closed the door before turning to the little group. There was about four of them, all of them dressed in the usual flowing robes with a little sash wrapped around their middle. Each one was excessively beautiful, and Zell smiled. If Angel saw me in this situation she'd kill me… "So, what can I get you ladies? Anything to drink or eat? You'll have to bear with me though – you got some really cool gadgets that I don't quite know how to use just yet…"

Aries smiled, before stepping forward. "Thankyou Zell, but we're not here for food. We're here to talk about your friend."

"Ah…" Zell said, knowing exactly who she was talking about. He sighed, before walking over to little living room opposite the front door and sitting down heavily on the couch, biting into his hotdog sadly. "It's a bit wrong, hey…" He muttered, making sure he chewed and swallowed before speaking. Manners before a lady, as his Ma would say.

"Yes…wrong…" Aries said, not understanding the use of the word but getting the general gist of it, before sitting down next to him. She clasped her hands together and looked him in the eye. "Well…we may have a solution to his problem."

Zell looked up, his eyes wide, his hotdog forgotten. "How?"

Aries looked down for a second…before turning to the woman who had sat down beside her. "Where are my manners…I haven't introduced you. This is Lorelei, my partner. She's in charge of Rebirth, as well as most of the civic procedures within the city."

"Pleased to meet you…" Lorelei said stonily. Unlike Aries, she had long, firy red hair which tumbled down around her head in a way that natural beauty could allow. Her eyes locked onto Zell's soft ones, and he felt somewhat intimidated by the way she held his gaze. Her eyes were a soft brown with flecks of shining silver, which gave her an otherworldly look about her as she stared at him. She, quite obviously, didn't think highly of him.

Aries laughed nervously. "You'll have to forgive her manner. Lorelei thinks we shouldn't proceed with anymore negotiations with you…" She looked back at the woman, the look almost bitingly cold. "She believes that we should send you back to whence you came."

Lorelei sighed. "I don't believe that. I'm only concerned with the population in general. Having males interact with our society will only bring problems. We've already been having reports of Old Ones wanting to meet them…"

Zell frowned, interrupting. "Old Ones? Who are they?"

Aries looked back at Zell. "Women who were present during the Freedom incident. There aren't many left, since they mostly choose not to be Reborn…but there are some left who are waiting for the male presence to be re-introduced into our society."

Zell frowned, confused. "Well…maybe that would be a good thing?" The stares he got back from Aries and Lorelei suggest that he had said something bad, and he shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "I mean…it's a person choice wether or not they want something…what's so wrong with introducing a male presence?"

Lorelei leaned forward, her voice ice cold. "Mr. Dincht, maybe you haven't realised, but our society hasn't got any war, poverty, crime, or anything that your world has. According to you, you are on a mission to save your world by travelling to an alternate universe to kill a Sorceress? How do you know that she is a threat?"

Zell sighed, sitting back in his chair. "I've had hands-on experience with Sorceresses, and believe me when I tell you - they aren't good news."

"But your friend Rinoa is a Sorceress too, isn't she? Doesn't that make her a threat also?"

Zell sighed again. "Rinoa's gone through a lot of shit because of being a Sorceress, but I know for a fact that she's a good person. The person we're gunning for has attacked us numerous times during our journey, and her foot soldiers have told us several times that they intend to invade our universe very soon. Our mission is to stop this from happening."

This seemed to satisfy the woman, who sat back in her seat with a content look on her face. Aries frowned at her, before gesturing to the two other women. "And these are Imogen and Candise. They are scientists who are studying our genetic structures in the hopes of finding ways to improve our Immortality even further…as well as other things."

Zell stood and held out his hand, which the women both shook, their grips soft, their words of greeting tumbling out of their mouths even softer, as if nervous to be in his presence. Zell smiled and returned their greetings politely, trying to ignore the obvious tenseness within the three women. Aries seemed to be the only one relaxed around him, and he wondered why for a second – before looking at Aries. "So, what does this have to do with Julius?"

Aries beckoned to Candise, who stepped forward, her voice almost whispered as she began to speak. "When you came through the Arch you had your packs thrown through first, as well as the woman in ice. We were shocked when we uncovered her, and when Miss Heartilly explained her reason for being, we launched our revival proceedings immediately. We're not sure about much of the actual physical injuries she sustained, or how long she had been in the ice for, so we were wondering wether or not you could help us."

Zell sighed, before sitting down and placing his head in his hands. Even with all their technology, these people don't know how to revive her. Maybe we ought to leave Julius here…

"Mr. Dincht."

Zell looked up at Lorelei.

"Any information can help. We are more then certain we can, at the very least, improve her condition."

"There is no way you can improve her condition." Zell said bluntly, looking down at his hands. "Because she had already been dead for a day. Our people are good at magic, and we have several powerful revival spells at our disposal – but after a set time the person's life-force – or soul, if you want to call it that – leaves the body, and they cannot be revived after that. The longest listed time a person has ever remained dead was for only half-an-hour – and that was me." He watched as the women around him widened their eyes before continuing. "Julius busted into the morgue where she was kept and froze her body before taking it with him. Now that was almost five years ago, and so far he hasn't progressed one step further in a bid to revive her. If you do anything to her, be warned that he wont be very happy."

Aries took Zell's hand in hers, talking softly. "Believe me when we say that we can. We've had people who have been dead for almost a week who have been revived."

Zell looked at her with sadness, his voice cracking. "If anything goes wrong…"

"Nothing will."

Zell sighed. What do you do, man? Julius is already a vegetable, and will remain that way until drastic action is taken. Veronica's soul is gone – but these people may just have the chance that the blonde bastard has been waiting for. So what do you do, dude?

What do you do?

*          *          *

Zell stood back, watching like a hawk as the women in the white robes crowded around the icicle that was Veronica, examining the frozen corpse with little devices and taking measurements. Aries and Lorelei were standing just to his right, overseeing the procedure, Lorelei obviously in control. Zell watched her work, and had to say, she commanded the respect out of her workers that Zell would ask from his, an easy relationship obviously between them all. He also watched as Aries and Lore held hands and whispered to each other privately, and recognised the look they each had when they looked at each other – before realising that they were as uncertain of this as he was. It didn't help ease his tension.

Julius stood to his right, his hands hung limply by his sides, his back pressed against the wall, his eyes fixed solidly on the ground. When Zell and Squall hadn't been able to bring him out of his stupor enough to walk, it had been up to Zell to carry the man to the Rebirth chamber. When they had reached the inside of the capsule room Zell had propped the man up against the wall carefully, making sure he was in looking view of the proceedings.

When they had brought in Veronica on a dolly he had straightened a little, the first sign of intelligent life he had shown since the battle, and stole small glances at the figure shrouded in ice.

Imogen stood back, snapping her futuristic-looking measurement device closed and looking at the woman standing next to the capsule. "Alright. Turn it on and put her in."

The capsule they had had to use was one bigger then usual, thanks to the ice surrounding Veronica, and was able to hold two men easily. The capsule stood upright, and the woman simply wheeled her body into it and closed the door, the plexiglass showing the corpse within.

Lorelei walked up to a small set of buttons and readings next to the door an pressed a button. This caused the capsule to extract itself from the wall, moving out from the rows and leaning back gently until it was at a 45 degree angle. This done, she approached the left of the contraption and flipped open a small type-pad on the side, the screen hidden behind the pad flashing to life. "Beginning melting procedure." She stated.

The capsule glowed a bright red, and everyone watched as the ice around Veronica's body grew smaller and smaller, the ice turning to water, then the water evaporating until there was nothing left but Veronica's naked body within the capsule, resting lightly on the cushions within. As the red glow receded quickly Zell avoided his gaze out of respect – but saw the way her legs were mangled, almost flat from the immense weight that the unexploded missile had done when it had crushed them, as well as spying her torn belly. Her skin was an unhealthy pale hue, her lips a tinge of blue, her brown hair matted around her face wetly thanks to the ice.

Aries moved to stand near Zell, whispering into his ear. "This is where we take away the ice surrounding her. It's the most risky part of the procedure, seeing as the ice has also moved into her body and throughout her system."

Zell heard Julius sob out loud, and looked over to watch him slide down to his knees, his frame heaving. Zell's hand was on the hacker's shoulder immediately, providing him something to grasp onto as well as showing Julius that everything was going to be okay…he thought.

"Evaporation complete…beginning nano-tech introduction." Lorelei said succinctly, tapping a few buttons before hitting a command key.

There was a small thump as something was released into the capsule, the pressure within the device increasing with the introduced air particles. Zell, still trying to respect his friend's privacy, couldn't help but look as Veronica's skin suddenly became covered in something shining brightly, sparking like sunlight bouncing off the water's surface. His face went from one of sadness to one of wonderment as the shining mass worked its way from the top down, moving from her hair to her toes. Every inch the writhing mass moved revealed a new piece of flesh, pink as if it was brand new.

"This is where we introduce the nano-bots to her system." Aries said quietly. "It may seem like a lot, but this is only just a preliminary introduction – repairing damaged epidermis from the ice, repairing the walls of her stomach to allow the internal organs to be re-made within, and so forth."

Zell nodded slowly, watching as what she said came true – although the nano's rid the body of it's pallor, Veronica's legs still remained completely flat. The tears around the legs, abdomen and stomach were completely closed, however - as well as Rinoa could have done with a Sorceress-boosted Curaga.

"Introduction complete…beginning In-Depth repairs." Lorelei muttered, tapping in a few more commands.

Now the mass swarmed up Veronica's body – before entering through the mouth, ears, nose and eyes, the shining swarms disappearing completely into her body.

Julius cried out and stood abruptly – but Zell pushed him back down, his hand firmly placed on the man's shoulder. "It'll be right, man." Zell said softly. "Just wait."

Aries looked down at Julius, who was watching the event with rising anxiety, and decided to speak. "Now the nanobots are repairing her internal organs and bone structure, pulling atoms out of thin air in order to piece the structures together. It's in this way that we can repair any wound or injury – the nano-tech can simply create something out of thin air that it needs, or knit the ragged edges back together at a molecular – no, atomic level."

Veronica's stomach, looking slightly flat, suddenly swelled slightly, the muscles and skin suddenly pushed forward by the organs being created out of thin air within the body. The swelling continued down her waist, filling out her abdomen and legs, the knees popping gout suddenly as the shins became more firm, the bones and meat filling the skin of the legs as easily as someone pouring cement into a bag.

"I-D procedures…complete. Evacuating nano-bots and readying electro-magnetic charge." Lorelei stated.

The nanobots suddenly began to flood out of Veronica's mouth, leaving her body and flowing back into the capsule, disappearing into the seams of the cushions like water flowing through cracks in the ground.

Several long, sharp looking prongs suddenly snapped out from the back of the capsule, surrounding Veronica's frame like a ring of tiny shards of glass.

"Beginning electro-magnetic charge…now."

There was a low hum from the back of the capsule – before tiny blue electrical discharges began to waft over the girl's body, lacing up and down the skin.

"What's happening now?" Zell whispered to Aries.

"The body is being slowly introduced to the electricity that the body runs on. Lorelei is running small electrical discharges through her skin and allowing them to course through the body."

Zell blinked, before frowning. "Won't that cook her?"

"No. The charges we use are barely enough to shock your skin…it would be feeling like running your hand over the front of a view-screen after it's been on for a long time."

"Static…" Zell muttered to himself, now watching the procedure openly. He knew all about the electrical energies within the human body – they were key components in the paramagic that the SeeDs were able to use. Not only that, but a person's Limit Break was mostly charged by the electro-magnetic energies within a person, thus the reason that blue static coursed all over a person's body whenever a Limit Break was used. Zell knew about it because Baku, his master, had taught him all about the human 'Chi', which was what the energy within humans, was called. Zell called it 'Wa'. "…So you guys are effectively charged Veronica's Wa? Impressive…"

Aries frowned at the comment, but decided not to question it. The proceedings were almost complete.

"Electro-magnetic charge…complete." Lorelei said, looking up at Veronica with a relieved sigh. "Reanimation will begin in five…four…three…two…one…"

There was a sudden thump as a small, trembling, female hand suddenly slammed onto the plexiglass of the capsule. From the inside!!

*          *          *

Julius was on his feet in an instant. "Veronica!!" He cried.

Veronica's eyes were wide open and terrified, her hazel eyes filled with horror as she looked about her with confusion. She slapped her hand against the inside of the capsule again, urgently this time.

Julius was up on his feet and at the entrance of the capsule in an instant, placing his hands over the places where she had placed hers. He saw the recognition within the terror in her eyes, as well as the pleading look she gave him. Turning on Lorelei he pointed his finger at the door. "Open it! She can't breathe!!"

"Relax, Mr. Garner. She'll be perfectly fine. The computer just has to finish it's analyses of her body and then we'll allow her to…"

Julius stepped forward, the rage clear in his eyes. "I don't wanna hear that!? She's in pain!! Do something – now!!"

Lorelei stepped back, startled at the sudden mood-swing of the tall blond male – and stumbled, throwing her hand out to steady herself. The hand flew out – to catch on the type-pad of the capsule, her fingers crashing onto the keys.

There was an ominous hum from the capsule as Veronica's thumps on the door began to grow more and more frantic – before she was suddenly surrounded by the flying silver nano-bots, the shining swarms enveloping her naked body as easily as a fog.

Julius' face went a deathly pale as the thumps were replaced by a soft, muffled scream – before he was in front of the door, his fingers scrabbling at the edges of the door, trying to find purchase.

"Everybody out!!" Lorelei suddenly screamed, racing and grabbing Aries by the shoulder and dragging her through the door into the clean-room.

Zell, who had been too shocked to react when he had seen the woman from the ice tap against the glass of the door pitifully, stepped forward to help his friend – before the woman surrounding the capsule rammed into him, forcing him back – and into the clean room, the door slamming down as they all sprawled onto the floor.

Zell was up on his feet in an instant, running up to the door and palming the door panel – to be greeted by an angry red signal and a harsh 'bzzzzz'. He turned to Aries and Lorelei, both of whom looked deathly pale, and pointed at the door. "How do I get this open?!"

"We…we cant!" Aries cried, gripping Lorelei tightly. "The door is sealed in case anything tries to escape the capsules during the reanimation sequence!"

"Dammit!!" Zell screamed, turning and looking through the tiny porthole…to watch as the hacker desperately tried to open the door.

*          *          *

Within the Rebirth chamber, Julius' mind was running on high-octane adrenaline, simultaneously cursing himself for being so stupidly self-loathing whilst trying desperately to smash his way into the capsule.

He had heard Veronica's pitiful thumps on the glass, had seen her face as she had stared up at him, had watched, horrified, as the panicked look on her face had turned to sheer terror as the nano-bots began to fill the capsule from the inside.

Now he looked about the door desperately, trying to find the latch – opening stud – anything – to get to his love.

*          *          *

Zell watched as Julius desperately tried to find some way to open the door, and slammed his fist into the door in front of him. "Damn! Can't we help him?!"

"No! We cant' go back in until the cleaning crew arrives!!" Imogen said shakily, trembling in the presence of such power.

Lorelei and Aries walked up to watch Julius through the porthole with Zell, gasping in surprise as he tried to dig his fingers into the seams of the door. "There's no way he can open that, it's indestructible metal!!" Lorelei breathed, clutching to Aries a little more.

*          *          *

Within the Rebirth chamber Julius had resorted to drastic measures.

Tracing his fingers quickly over the front of the capsule, he found the seam of the door, and began to press his fingers into the edges, trying to find purchase, trying to dig his fingers into the metal.

He pushed forward with all his might, his hearing seeming to magnify Veronica's desperate breathes as the low hum of the nano-bots began to build over it. His face dripped with perspiration, his muscles bugling tightly. The capsule, on it's forty-five degree angle, was starting to be pushed back into the wall, the metal covering the concrete beginning to bend inwards as Julius pushed forward with all his might, his breathes beginning to labour. He could feel his blood pumping through his heart, coursing through his muscles and feeding them massive quantities of oxygen, the blood coursing through his brain seeming to pump directly into his temple, making it stab painfully as he squeezed his eyes shut and grind his teeth together, his face reddening even more with the effort…

…before his fingers suddenly dug into the metal like soft butter, allowing him to pull back with all his might – and rip the door right from it's hinges to fly back and slam into the wall behind him, embedding itself into the roof.

*          *          *

As soon as the door flew back the room was suddenly filled with shining silver, the nanobots smashing into Julius's body as if it was a wave of water, the excess nano's flying off to the sides – as a silver figure emerged from the capsule to fall into the man's arms.

Zell watched as the two figures were consumed by the raging torrent of shining lights, his anxiety reaching all new highs – before something clicked in his mind. Nano-bots… He turned to Lorelei. "Nano bots – those are tiny robots, right?" he asked quickly.

"That's right…" Was all Lorelei got out – before Zell stepped forward, his face stony.

"I believe…" He muttered as electricity began to course down his arms to trace around his hands, "It is time for you girls to get out."

A level of intensity in his voice hammered into the women, and they immediately ran for the other exit – as Zell balled his fist, channelling his paramagic so that it ran through his fingertips, effectively making his hand a live charge of electricity. Junction complete, he waited until he heard the door behind him slide into place – before pulling his fist back.

"Here goes…" He muttered – before slamming his fist into the door.

The result surprised even him. The metal buckled under his power, the electricity coursing through the door to be discharged through to the other side. It laced straight through everything within the room as it touched the first nano-bot and was suddenly sent to every other one, the Thundaga tracing through the dense field of microscopically-small medical robots.

The air was suddenly still, the waves of silver suddenly turning to a calm grey – before the ash simply dissipated, disappearing to reveal Julius and Veronica on the ground, Julius covering the woman's body with his as best he could.

*          *          *

Julius opened his eyes slowly, feeling the burns of the Thundaga lance painfully in his back as he looked up to see the door dent inwards once more, Zell's determined face showing behind the glass porthole – before the door suddenly blew open, flying straight over the two on the ground to slam into the ruin capsule behind them.

The door slammed into the capsule and was rebounded, teetered on it's edge for a second before falling forward. Julius covered Veronica's body as best he could as the heavy door flew down to meet them – before being caught by a bruise hand, the knuckles split and bleeding.

Julius looked up to see a very relieved Zell, his hand trailing blood down his arm as he smiled down at the hacker. "Hey pal. Thought you might've needed a hand."

Julius smiled up at Zell – before looking down at the frail creature he had protected.

Veronica's eyes were closed, her body unmoving.

Tears welled in his eyes – before Julius felt something move beneath him, feeling it with his bare chest, and feeling his heart sore with each electrical impulse sent by his skin to signal the feeling to his brain.

Her heartbeat.

*          *          *

Zell looked down at his hand encased in the small capsule as the tiny nano-bots covered his knuckles. There was a small tingling sensation as the bots knit together the tiny cuts and tears he had made when bashing down the door, before the bots retreated back to wherever they came from. A small hiss emitted from the capsule, before it opened and released his hand, good as new.

He flexed his hand and punched his fist into the palm of his other hand, before smiling up at Lorelei. "Amazing…"

She smiled down at him, closing the capsule and placing it back into her med-kit box.

The entire place had become swarmed with a rubber-suited cleaning crew shortly after Zell's save, running strange beeping wands over everyone's bodies and talking to each other in some strangle garbled language from what Zell could hear from their yellow suits. They took readings of everyone in the cleaning-room and the room outside, before running their wands through the Rebirth chamber.

They paused as they ran their devices over the still-shocked Julius and his unconscious Veronica, their small wands beeping wildly as they traced the devices over her naked body – before they wrapped her in a blanket and placed her on a hover-tray.

Julius had asked where they were taking her, and was told that they could join them, and had disappeared after them, not leaving his love's side for an instant.

That had been a while ago, and now Zell waited for any word from him or the evac-team about the test results being conducted on Veronica's body. Aries had promised that she would return after finding out what had happened and had vanished after the team, leaving Zell with Lorelei and the other girls.

Zell had sat down at a table near the entrance to the clean-room, and Lorelei had kindly asked if he had wanted first-aid for his hand.

Now she smiled down at him openly, the hostility that had been evident before seeming to retreat back. "What you did was rash and incredibly risky…but was incredibly brave." She said uncertainly, placing the first-aid kit back in the little niche from where she had grabbed it from. "You saved them in there."

"All in a days work, ma'am." Zell said with a grin, standing and bowing to her.

Lorelei placed a hand to her lips as she giggled, before composing herself quickly. "I guess you can be trusted…for now." She stated – before bowing to him and walking out of the room, the door sliding shut behind her with a soft click, leaving Zell effectively alone.

Zell's smile didn't waver an inch as he scratched the back of his neck. "Apology accepted." He said to no one in particular.

*          *          *

Trish looked over at Emily over the table they sat at and tried to wonder what she was thinking.

They had been walking around all day, and had now just walked into a restaurant to have a snack and watch the sun set on the amazing horizon.

Aries had pumped Trish of all she could about her planet, and Trish had sold it as effectively as she could, trying to remember the con-man's rule 'elevate elevate elevate the truth!!' – and so described the rolling seas, the lush plant-life, the amazing cites and people, in as much detail as she possibly could – but nothing seemed to compare to what she saw right now.

Almost tirelessly rising skyscrapers – taking skyscrapers to an all new meaning – rose into the sky without stopping for breath. The grounds around them were teaming with plant-life, the actual ground in-between the tall buildings and apartment blocks covered in soft green grass. Placed strategically around the buildings were also several large bushes, each cut with magnificent artistry to depict a woman in some kind of position, or an animal in all its glory. These large green sculptures seemed to corner every building, and each one Trish had seen was uniquely unique.

Not only that, but soft, haunting music seemed to be in fashion these days, wafting through the city and in every store and shop them came across. At first it had seemed out of place – but you got used to it after a while, and was actually kind of soothing.

Emily ate her food slowly, methodically, Trish had discovered, taking small sips of her drink as she ate small bits at a time.

Unlike Trish. Much like Zell, she was raised in an environment that if you didn't eat fast, you didn't get seconds – thus the reason that she crammed her bun into her mouth as fast as she could, her jaws pumping the food into mulch before she took a long draw of her cold beverage to wash it all down, the draught causing the glass to become half full as she slammed it down on the table and belched loudly. "Damn, this is good stuff!!" She said to Emily, not noticing the stares that the Immortals gave them as they ate quietly. They wondered between themselves why the Immortal was sitting with the woman in the strange clothing, and wondered why she had such bad manners unlike the woman in the strange clothing, and wondered why they hadn't seen either of them around this area before.

"It's adequate…" Emily said quietly, taking another bite of her sandwich and chewing slowly, not looking up at Trish, instead concentrating on the food before her. If you don't look at her then you don't have to get the feelings… She thought to herself.

But you like those feelings, don't you? Another part of her whispered in her mind. Go on. Make a move. These people wont mind. You're with kindred spirits here.

No.

C'mon, there's nothing wrong with it.

No. They don't understand the pain. Nobody ever understands the pain.

Why should they? They haven't been burned like you have…

Trish said something again, causing Emily to look up suddenly. "What?"

"I said 'what are you thinking about?' Hyne, you look so much like Squall when you do that…getting all 'thoughtful' and stuff…"

Emily pouted, taking another bite of her sandwich and looking down again. After they had left Zell and Julius to be led away to begin with Veronica, Squall and Rinoa had made themselves scarce – leaving the two of them alone. Emily had tried to escape subtly – before Trish had grabbed her arm and pulled her off for another walk around the city. Emily knew better to try and disappear again – Trish would only use the damned Blue again. So she put up with the insult of being with such an inferior fighter and decided to tag along willingly. Hell, it was the only entertainment she could find in this boring world…

"Hello? Are you even listening to me?" Trish said with a frown.

Emily rolled her eyes and sighed. "No, I'm not." She stated, before finishing the last of her sandwich and drinking the last sip of her drink. Her meal finished, she stood and walked out of the little bay which they sat in

"Hey! Wait up!!" Trish muttered, stuffing the rest of her bun in her mouth and swallowing it whole before slamming the rest of her drink down. They had found out recently that money wasn't a problem here – currency didn't exist in this universe. This raised many questions in Trish's mind, as to why the waitresses and the cooks worked for nothing – but decided not to dwell, deleting the questions in her mind as soon as they popped up. Leave the thinking to someone like Squall…She thought to herself as she ran after the Goth.

*          *          *

She didn't have to go far. She found the pale woman sitting near the closest sculpture, the sculpture depicting a woman raising her hands into the air, as if flinging something away from her…or setting something free.

Trish walked up to Emily slowly before settling down next to her, allowing her robes to fall around her naturally. She was used to some long clothing, having had to under-cover in Esthar for many a job, but these robes were majestically beautiful. The main colour was white, but the fashion that was 'in' was a coloured sash which went around the midriff, and a silk-like scarf which was wrapped gently around the throat.

Emily had decided not to dress in the native's clothing, deciding to remain in her usual dark leather, not matter what the clime or time. In Crisp she had worn the leather clothing all the way through, and hadn't sweated a drop. Even Squall hadn't been able to pull that off, and the two were dressed almost the same – except Squall had his coat with the puffy white collar.

The Goth was looking down at some women who were walking hand-in-hand together down the road. They talked quietly to each other, an as they passed the two SeeDs it was evident that the words were full of feeling and passion. As they passed they smiled politely to the two girls, Trish returning the smile, Emily looking away.

Trish looked over at Emily and smiled. "You think it's weird?" She asked.

"In a world where there are no men, I believe it wouldn't be so uncommon." Emily stated, her voice oddly resigned.

Trish frowned. Ever since she had decided to tag along with Trish, Emily hadn't spoken in the usual aggravating tones that she had during their previous journeys through Te'Get and Crisp. If anything, she had seemed…sad.

"Are you alright?" Trish asked.

"I'm fine." Emily muttered, still not turning to look at the bone thief.

Trish looked down at her hands. "No, I mean…are you alright, alright?"

Emily's shoulders heaved, signifying a sigh. "What the hell does that mean?" Her voice asked.

"I mean…you seem so sad. If you wanna talk about anything…you know, personal…you can tell me…"

"Why? So you can tell anybody who would listen?"

The words weren't filled with malice – they were delivered simply, as if the Goth was stating a fact. Trish frowned. "No. You can trust me."

There was no reply from the woman.

"C'mon…ah, forget it. If you don't wanna talk, I'm not going to force you."

They sat in silent for a few minutes, dusk beginning to form around them slowly as the gentle sun of this planet set slowly, revealing the twinkling stars. Trish looked up at them and sighed. "What I wouldn't give…" She said absently – before stopping herself.

Emily turned slightly, looking over at the thief. "What?"

Trish blushed hotly. "Nothing…"

This got the Goth's attention, and she turned right around, looking Trish dead in the eyes. "If you start a sentence you musty finish it. Continue."

"It's nothing! Really!!" Trish exclaimed, sudden very embarrassed.

"Tell me." Emily muttered.

Trish sighed. "What I wouldn't give for someone to share this with." She blurted, feeling very embarrassed at the moment.

Emily frowned…before shaking her head and turning back around to stare into space, chuckling as she went.

"What? What's so damn funny?" Trish huffed, trying to regain some composure.

Emily shook her head again. "Aren't we 'sharing this'?" she said over her shoulder.

Trish rolled her eyes. "When I share I meant with someone I like in that way, you know…" her voice trailed off as she realised that she had put her foot into it once more, and she blushed hotly once more.

Emily shook her head and sighed again.

Trish began to blast off her mouth, speaking rapidly to fill the uneasy silence that was about to build. "Well, it's not like we're sharing this anyways…I mean, I'm actually looking at it, while you're studying the ground. I mean, there's all this beauty and tenderness in the air, the fantastic view, and you're just sitting there. At least you could watch the sun go down instead of watching your shadow get bigger…"

Her voice was suddenly cut off as the leather-clad girl whirled to plant her lips to hers, the kiss over as quick as it was delivered. Emily withdrew instantly as she saw the shock on Trish's face, her face becoming a mask of pale, unemotional stone.

Trish raised a couple of fingers to her lips; still not believe that the SeeD had done that. Her mouth had tasted like copper, the irony taste still lingering on her tongue. "Why…why did you…"

Emily shrugged, turning back around. "It was the easiest way to shut you up." She muttered unconvincingly, her voice and body shuddering with the effort to convey the lie.

Why? Why? Why? Her mind screamed at her. Why do I feel like this? Why? It goes against everything I've believed in! It goes against all my principals! It goes against my lifestyle!! Why? Why? Why?

She felt the hand on her shoulder grip her softly, and turned to accept the kiss that was given, Trish's mouth tasting like something sweet, whilst at the same time seeming to contain something that she hadn't tasted in years.

A sense of knowing.

*          *          *

Two Immortals who were sitting on the opposite side of the clearing watched as the two SeeDs kissed passionately, Emily's hand running across to grasp Trish's hand tightly, as if to never let go.

The first woman turned to the other. "How cute. It's amazing how love works out." She said, her voice wistful.

The second woman smiled. "Yes. But aren't those the girls who came through the Arch in the forest?"

"I believe so…do you think their world is much like ours?"

"Well, I spoke to Jane, and she said that there are men in their world. And not only that, but the men actually have relationships with the women!!"

"Really?!" The first women exclaimed, astonished. "But…if they can have a man, then why are they doing that?"

"Isn't it obvious?" The second woman said with a smile, looking over at Emily and Trish as they stood and walked away, hand in hand. "They're in love…"

*          *          *

Wow. Who woulda guessed this would happen?! I bet you didn't!! (points to some random person sitting across the room)

Random Person: No, actually, I didn't…and why are you in my house?!

(Stares at person before turning back to keyboard) Well, folks, that's this chapter wrapped up! I'd like to (finally) thank two – or should I say three? – of my fans for allowing her to appear in this Fic – Aries Jordan! Say hello people!! And her girlfriend/fiancée Lorelei!! She doesn't read my work but I'll forgive her cause she sounds like a nice girl!

Without these chicks I don't think I could have described a world of women. Thank you, and congratulations once more.

And finally – another honourable mention – me mate Matt Richards, for contributing countless ideas and random quotes for me to use to my disposal. Dude, most of this stuff I couldn't have done without you – you're a godsend when it comes to making shit up.

Next chapter, expect something so freaky, so compelling, so friggin out of left field that I'm pretty sure most of you will not be able to see it coming!! Suffice to say, a big fuck-off battle will be happening next chapter or two – so keep reading!! Booya!!