Ch 16 – My Gods…

Julius looked down at her sleeping form and once again thanked Hyne for providing him with the solution to his quest. It had taken him five years and so much anguish and pain…but he had finally achieved it. Even when people had told him he was crazy, even when people had hunted him like a dog, even when he had run for his life, he had always looked forward to this day. She was alive and he had found a way to do it. She was with him again.

The evac-team had mercifully allowed him to stay with her as they took blood samples and measurements of her body for some reason unknown to Julius. The nurse had told him that she was sleeping, and he had seen the signs of REM sleep on her face so he knew she was – so why were they all so concerned about her?

The door whooshed open to reveal Squall, Rinoa and Zell, the Sorceress Heros walking into the room quietly. Squall and Rinoa moved to stand near the other end of the bed, Zell moving over to Julius – to be swept up in a bear hug which made his bones crack audibly and his breath to be crushed form his lungs, the 6'1" Julius pulling the 5'5" fighter right off the ground.

"Thankyou, man…" Julius blubbed, squeezing tighter.

Zell's new eyes felt like they were about to pop out of their repaired sockets, and a part of his mind wondered if the Immortals could reproduce new ones for him if Julius didn't let go soon. Instead of bearing the torture for much longer he tapped his finger on the taller man's back urgently, looking into Julius' face as the taller man looked down at him. "Air…" He gasped urgently, and Julius dropped Zell to cough and splutter, Julius' laughter echoing around the room heartily.

"Sorry, man, but…you saved us in there!" Julius said, walking back and sitting down next to Veronica, who slept on besides the hijinx. "We're in your debt!"

"Don't mention it…" Zell choked as his breath returned and his face went back to it's original colour. He seemed to remember being crushed like that when he had first met Ward – the two kindred sprits had a lot in common, and when Zell had revealed that Ellone had transported Zell's consciousness to the fat man's mind, he had become overwhelmed and bear-hugged Zell, severely damaging the fighter for several days afterwards.

Squall looked down at Veronica with a small smile on his face. "Impressive. I'm surprised that your stubbornness has finally paid off." He said quietly – before Rinoa elbowed him in the gut.

"Don't mind him…" Rinoa said sweetly. "Although I had the impression that not many people thought you would have succeeded in your quest."

"Yeah, there have been the doubters…" Julius said sadly…before smiling again. "And Squall is right, it was mostly stubbornness that got me through. But I've finally achieved my goal. We can finally pick up where we left off."

"So, what are you going to do now?" Zell asked.

"To tell the truth, I don't know. When she wakes up I suppose she'll want to know what's going on and where we are, which will be a bit of a shock to her…but I'm sure we'll figure something out."

"Are you going to continue with the mission?" Squall asked suddenly and bluntly, receiving another jab in the gut from Rinoa.

The question was asked, however, and Julius looked down at his hands. "I…I don't have the answer to that question. I'll…I'll have to think about it." He looked up at Zell. "That's alright, isn't it?"

Zell scoffed the comment, waving his hand with a smile as if to bat it out of the air. "Oh, hell yeah! Take your time, man!" He said jovially. "What's important is what you want, man."

"Thanks…" Julius said…before looking down at Veronica. "My gods…"

Veronica had her eyes open and looked around slowly, blinking as if the light hurt. "Julius? Where are we? Who are these people?"

Julius grasped her hand immediately as gently as he could and frowned. "Um…well…its…um, hard to…um…" He floundered. He hadn't heard her voice – her real voice – in years, and the sound of it sent shivers down his spine. He didn't know what to say to her either – everything he thought of consisted of two letters and started with 'u' and ended with 'm'.

Zell saved him from embarrassment, however, walking forward and smiling down at the revived girl. "Hey Veronica. Remember me?"

The girl looked up at him, before smiling. "Zell! Wow, why are you here!? My gods, what happened to your tattoo?!"

"We'll get to that later, hon. This is my mate Squall and his girlfriend Rinoa." He said, introducing the two SeeDs.

Squall nodded slightly and said a polite hello, Rinoa following suit, before Zell looked up as the door slid open to see Aries beckoning him out urgently. "Uh, Jules, why don't you fill her in on the details and we'll go talk to Aries, okies?"

Julius nodded slowly, not wanting to take his eyes away from her face, and as Zell and the others walked out of the room he heard her laugh out loud. "Why are you staring at me like that? Oh, baby, don't cry…"

Aries palmed the door closed, before turning to them. They were in the hallway of the hospital, completely alone except for the stark white walls and the occasional chair. Zell smiled at the woman, not seeming to recognise the sadness on her face. "Hey, Aries! What happening?"

"A lot, it seems." Aries said quietly, looking down at the ground…before looking up. "The tests we have received from Veronica have been…a little more bewildering then we would have realised."

Zell's good humour crashed and burned like the Hindonburg, and his face showed it. "Why? What happened?"

"It seemed in the time it took for your friend to break her out of the Rebirth capsule and for you to rescue them, the nanomachines had flooded her body, effectively filling her from head to toe."

"Is that bad?" Squall asked.

"Well, she seemed completely fine. In fact, she's showing better and better results with each test we give her! She has had no residual effects from the procedure, no obvious pains…it seems that your body and genetic structure were more different from ours then we have realised."

"So where does that leave us?" Zell asked sombrely.

"She's perfectly fine, Zell. In fact, don't see anything bad happening from this at all. We'd like to keep her here for observations for a little while longer, of course, perhaps a few more tests…but she's in perfectly good health as far as we can tell."

Zell looked at Squall, who shook his head, his voice steely. "No, Zell. We've already been delayed way too long. We don't have the time to gallivant about like with the Sorceress Quest. We need to move soon, or we have to give up. We don't have time for tests."

And we cant do that. Zell thought to himself. "I guess that, now that Veronica's revived, we'll have to press on." He said out loud, addressing Aries, who looked saddened by the news. "Oh, come on, don't be like that! We'll be able to visit, right Rinoa?"

"Oh hell yeah!"

"It'd not that…" Aries said sadly, her cheeks becoming a little rosy.

"Then what?" Zell asked, his voice becoming jovial once more. "C'mon, spit it out! If you don't wanna ask for our help for something, don't worry, we more then owe you!"

Aries sighed, her voice becoming low with embarrassment. "I'd…like you ask…the males…if…"

Zell frowned slightly, but beckoned for her to continue.

Aries sighed and decided to come out with it. "Our world has been so bleak since the incident. Sure, our own music and talents continue to grow, but it's all the same minds. We need someone different, someone who has a fresh mind, a fresh imagination…and us Immortals cannot create what we need...if you know what I mean."

The three SeeDs looked at Aries dumbly, seeming to not understand – before Rinoa suddenly stamped her foot. "Absolutely not! Keep your hands off my Squall!!" she cried, placing herself between Squall and the Immortal. "And you can leave Zell alone too! He's got a girlfriend back home that he loves very much, right Zell?!"

Zell frowned at Rinoa as if she was crazy. "Rin, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Don't you get it, you idiot! She want to…you know…have sex with you!!"

Zell blinked – before performing a double take at Aries, involuntarily taking a step back in surprise. "What the hell?!" He cried in shock – before placing a hand on the Immortal's shoulder as she looked down, her face completely crimson. "Look, hon, you seem like a very sweet girl and under different circumstances I would…you know, but, well, to be blunt, I'd rather not."

"I didn't mean it like that! You're jumping to conclusions!!" Aries shouted suddenly with a stamp of her foot, shocking the SeeDs with her sudden outburst. "We only want a sample, that's all!!"

Squall frowned for a second, also taken aback by the request…but shrugging. "Sure, why not?"

Rinoa's hand flew faster then Zell's ever could, slapping Squall straight across the face. "Squall!! How could you say such a thing!!"

"Think for a second, Rinoa. All they want is a sample. It's not like they're going to have sex with all three of us just for our sperm. And besides, it's not personal, right Aries."

"…Right…"

Rinoa still looked pissed, so Zell tried a different tactic, his voice gentle as he talked to the angry Sorceress. "Look, we own these people a debt for saving out lives and reviving Veronica for Julius. It's the least we can do."

Rinoa pouted angrily, before shaking her finger in Squall's face. "Well, it better only be a 'sample', otherwise you'll be getting nothing from me for the rest of your life, buster! And you better not lie to me either!" She tapped his temple with her finger forcefully. "Telepathy, remember!!" She suddenly whirled on Zell. "And you!! You ought to be ashamed of yourself for contributing in this disgusting ordeal! Think of what Angel would say!!"

Zell gulped, frightened out of his wits. "I can say, with all certainty, that she'd understand…after she had been done ripping my head off."

"Exactly! Wait, no!! Grrr, I'm so mad right now! I'm going for a fly!!" Rinoa shouted at the ceiling, before her wings exploded out of her back and she was down the corridor and out the door in an instant.

Squall reached a hand down to Aries, who had been knocked down by the sudden burst of paramagical energy, and smiled at her as he pulled her up. "I'm sorry. She'll calm down after she's flown about the city a bit."

Aries, obviously shaken by the sudden outburst from the usually cheerful Rinoa, looked up at the stoic gunblader. "Is…she always like that."

"Only when something doesn't agree with her…or when she cant get something she wants. Or find her brush. Or get to sleep. Or see girls hitting on me. In fact, she is like that a lot of the time…only without the flying."

Aries nodded slowly. "Right…well, you don't need to if you don't want to. It is a big ask, and it is a big obligation…"

Zell shook his head. "No worries…as long as we are allowed to see the kids if we ever come back."

"Oh, of course!!"

*          *            *

Zell was waiting for Julius to come out, sitting in a small chair the Immortals had given him. He hadn't wanted to wait in the room, wanting to give them their privacy – but he also didn't want to go back to his room just yet.

Aries' proposal had, for lack of better words, startled him. It had been a big ask, and must've taken a lot of guts for the shy Immortal to ask. And although he knew that the purpose was just – maybe it was wrong.

Ah hell. What's it gonna matter? I mean, the Immortals are nice people! I'm pretty sure that they would do a hell of a lot better at parenting then I could! And anyways, I'm only 21. I'm too young to have a kid to look after!!

The argument seemed rational to his mind – but he did feel a twinge of guilt about Angel. Obviously I just not tell her…I mean, how would she find out? But then…something like this you just don't lie about…and I do love Angel. I wonder how she really would react? I'm sure she'd understand.

The door to the hospital room opened and Julius walked out, his body seeming to sag slightly with fatigue. He shut the door closed behind him softly and walked slowly over to the chair besides Zell, which he plonked down into.

Zell looked over at the taller man and sighed, before leaning forward, clasping his hands together. "How'd she take it?" He asked. They had been in the room alone for almost an hour.

"She…" Julius started, before pausing, seeming to think his words through before speaking again. "…She doesn't remember anything about Trabia."

"That's good…I guess." Zell said dumbly, not knowing what to say.

"Yes…but she's finding it a bit hard to believe that it's been five years since she died. She thinks I…simply cast a Full-Life on her."

Zell said nothing. He didn't know how to react to the news. The whole concept was completely new to the Sorceress Hero. "What about…the universe?"

"I explained the mission to her. She said that as soon as she's ready, she'd go with us."

Zell blinked, before looking over at the blond man. "You sure about that, man?"

"She's adamant, Zell. She'll be useful too. She is a SeeD, after all, and a good one at that. She's a master at the Do-Staff, and I believe that the Immortals study a similar fighting style here. I'm pretty sure I could grab her a weapon off them."

"I didn't mean her, dude." Zell said quietly. "I meant you."

Julius sighed, leaning forward. "What do you mean?"

"The reason I brought you along was because of your hacking skills. But you're also an excellent scrapper, and have held your own against the Hearts every time. Not as well as me, obviously, but you can still defend yourself. Do you think that Veronica can keep up with us? Do you think she can bring anything to the party at all?"

Julius sighed again, his voice strained. "I know…that we've got five years experience on her. But…she can make it. Another fighter can't hurt, can it?"

"And not only that." Zell continued, his tone pained as he spoke. "We've been told…that the Rebirth procedure did something to her. When the nano-bots attacked her, they did something to her. The Immortal doctors don't know what, which freaks me a little. Something these people don't know about…it's almost trips me out thinking about it."

Julius looked up at Zell, his eyes full of worry. "So she's…going to have to stay?"

"Nah, man, she's fine. It's just that…maybe we ought to send her back to Gaia until we finish."

Julius stood and shook his head, looking down at the Hunter. "I'm sorry Zell…but I cant bear to part with her now. One of the reasons I allowed her to come was so I could keep an eye on her."

"And that's another thing, dude." Zell said coldly, looking up at the hacker. "Just how far will you go to protect her?"

Julius narrowed his eyes at Zell suspiciously. "Just what are you saying?"

Zell sighed and shook his head, standing up slowly. "I dunno, man. I'm just saying…just sleep on it. You've been through a lot this past week. We'll have to be getting going in a day or so, so you'll have until then to make up your minds. Just remember – we'll follow through with whatever you say. But we still have a mission to do."

"My main objective is complete now, Hunter." Julius said coldly, turning and palming the door open, before throwing a vehenemous looking over his shoulder. "Trust a SeeD to put his mission before his friends."

The door slid shut behind him with a clack, and Zell sat down on his chair tiredly, sighing a depressed sigh and knocking his head against the white wall. "Idiot, idiot, idiot…" He muttered with simultaneous bangs...before a shrill beeping began to emit from his watch.

He looked down at the SeeD regulation wristwatch he had retrieved from his pack this morning…before slapping his hand into his face, jumping to his feet and running down the corridor. "Dammit, I'm late!!"

*          *            *

Julius walked over to the bed and sat down next to Veronica, who looked up at him with a small smile. "So? What did he say?"

Julius returned her smile sadly, taking her small hand in his own and squeezing it gently. "He said…we should sleep on it."

Veronica shook her head, smiling giddily. "Trust Zell to say that. He probably sleeps more then the both of us!"

Julius snorted slightly. "Yeah…" He said absently, tracing his fingers over her palm. He was amazed that she was talking to him, amazed that she was lying in bed next to him, amazed that she was breathing. He had gotten so used to talking to her and not hearing an answer…

"You've gotten a deeper tan then I remember." Veronica said, pulling Julius from his musing.

"Ah…yeah, I did quite a bit of training in the years it took to…" His voice trailed off.

"To do what?" the girl asked simply.

He sighed. He hadn't explained the depths of his quest to resurrect her yet. And now he didn't feel like reliving those times, especially now that they were behind them. "Never mind, hon. It doesn't matter anymore."

*          *            *

The door opened, allowing a breathless Zell to tumble into the room, panting with the effort of running. "You neve told me the test area was all the way across the city!" Zell said to Aries, who looked up from her seat where she had been sitting quietly with Lorelei. "I got the most strange looks when I was running through!"

Lorelei pouted. "Yes, I would have thought so…" She muttered, before turning to Aries. "I told you that we should have held it in the hospital."

The place was a small house just on the outskirts of the city, where the technological buildings began to slowly give way to a horizon filled with trees and plant life. Zell had marvelled at it as he had raced across the city-scape, ducking and leaping through and over crowds of women who paused in their daily workings to gape in awe as this new being raced across their city, performing acrobatic feats of incredible endurance and stamina as it picked it's was through the many levelled road-features and walkways peppered throughout the city.

"Oh, come on, this place is more private then the hospital. These people like privacy." Aries stated confidently.

Lorelei simply snorted and looked at Zell again, who had composed himself during their exchange. "And how are you feeling, Mr. Dincht?"

Zell palmed the door closed and sighed, walking over to the two ladies and placing his hands in his pockets. "I'm feeling alright, I suppose. My morning exercises went as good as usual, which means I'm pretty much in top fighting condition. And, thanks to my trip through your city – which is breath-taking, by the way – I think I have gotten my blood up."

Aries blushed slightly and smiled uncertainly. "So, you are feeling up to…it?"

Zell grinned before nodding sagely. "Oh yeah. I'll be going at it hammer and tongs, you have my word."

The two Immortals frowned up at Zell, but before they could question the term 'hammer and tongs' the door across the room opened, allowing the exit of Squall and Rinoa. Rinoa had her arms wrapped around Squall's midsection, a gleeful smile on her face, whilst Squall had a small yet smug smile on his. In his hand were two small cups, which he handed to Lorelei. "I think that'll be sufficient." He said quietly, causing Rinoa to burst into a fit of giggles.

"Gods that was so kinky!" Zell heard her bubble as they walked out the door. "We have to do it again later!!"

The door closed behind them, and Zell could vividly picture Squall looking down at his Sorceress with a look that simply said 'you are insane.' He grinned at the thought – before it conjured images that he didn't want to think of. Ew, Zell, these guys are your friends!! Don't think of that!!

Aries saw the look of distaste on Zell's face as she approached him, and cocked her head to the side. "Are you having second thoughts?"

Zell blinked, forcefully dispelling the dirty, dirty images from his mind and smiling at the girl. "Nah…just having weird thoughts." He looked over at the room. "So, I just go in there, do my thing, and give you the cups?"

Lorelei nodded. "Yes. We'll take them for analyse, and your time with us will be finished. It would be nice to get back to how things used to be…"

Zell sighed. "You don't like me, do you?"

Lorelei narrowed her eyes. "What gave you that impression?"

Aries stepped in-between them, effectively blocking the now frightened Zell from Lorelei's hateful gaze. "Please Lore…Zell and his friends has been nothing but kind to us and our people." She looked at Zell with a pained expression. "If you could step into the room, please, Zell. I'm pretty sure you want to get it over and done with."

She handed Zell the cups, which he took dumbly, and gestured for him to follow. He fell in line with her immediately, making sure that he did not look at Lorelei as he stepped into the room. It was a small bedroom with a vid-screen and a chair, very simple. The sheets on the bed were rumpled, and Zell could smell the sex in the air. He blanched. "Aiyaaa…Squall could have done it without Rinoa's help…"

Aries giggled. "Yes, Rinoa insisted to be present when Mr. Leonhart gave his sample. She was so insistent, in fact, that they were in here for almost an hour."

Zell shook his head and laughed out loud. "Squall, you dog…well, okay, I'll get on with it now."

"Very well." Aries said, walking out and shutting the door behind her.

Now alone, Zell looked down at the cups in his hand and back at the door. He suddenly felt very embarrassed for some reason – before shrugging. Meh. It's no different from getting a catscan or a full-body check by the Infirmary Computer. You've been living almost half your life behind a door with people waiting outside. Circumstances are just…different, that's all.

Anyways, he decided to keep away from the bed and sat down on the chair to do his business.

*          *            *

Zell emerged from the bedroom and handed the two cups to Lorelei, feeling slightly satisfied. "There you are, hon. Two cups of Dincht love juice, all for you."

Lorelei rolled her eyes as placed the cups into the suitcase where she had placed Squall's and looked up at Zell. "I have no idea what you just said, Mr. Dincht, but whatever it was I'm pretty sure it was as meaningless as your existence, so if you wouldn't mind, I'll be going to the labs."

She brushed past him abruptly, walking out of the house briskly, her robes flapping behind her as the door slid shut behind her. Zell watched her go and scratched the back of his neck in confusion. "Hyne, what's her problem?" He muttered to himself.

"She's not used to your presence, I think." Aries said, coming out from what must've been the kitchen with two cups of steaming liquid. "I think you scare her a bit. It's only natural that she want to show you that this is our world, not yours."

"Believe me, hon…" Zell said, graciously taking the cup and having a sip. "…You can keep your world. No offence or anything, but to tell the truth, I cant wait to get this mission over and done with and get back to my Angel." The drink tasted a lot like a mixture of coffee and chocolate, and he began to gulp it greedily.

"Yes…" Aries said, sipping her drink too and sitting down on one of the plush couches. "May I ask what she's like?"

Zell sat down next to her, smiling as he spoke in wistful tones. "Oh…she's got the prettiest brown eyes, and the most wonderful hair you've ever seen. She always wears it in this cute little ponytail, and it smells great. I love playing with it when she's asleep – otherwise she tell me to knock it off." Aries giggled at this, and Zell continued. "She's a fighter, like me, so she's build tough – not bulky, more like a ballet dancer, all tone. But she's smart too – real smart. She's always reading these big novels and non-fiction books, and she aces all the tests that the Garden can throw at her. She was going for her SeeDship when I left for this mission…I hope she passed."

He sighed, looking down at his cup, seeing his reflection in the dark brown liquid. "I miss her tons…I suppose this is how Julius must've felt."

Aries nodded. "Yes. Lorelei is a little older then me, so she is Reborn earlier then me mostly. Every time she's away from me, I feel…well, empty. Maybe not just empty…more sad that she's not with me."

Zell nodded knowingly. "Unfortunately, with my kinda job, you have to either put up with it, or quit. You can have it both ways."

"Yes…" Aries agreed. "So, your job is…dangerous?"

"Sometimes. It depends on the situation."

"Ah…" Aries said, nodding…but Zell could tell that she didn't understand.

He leaned forward, sighing. "Look…our world is much, much different then yours. One of our differences is that…a lot of our people don't agree with each other that much, so they fight often. SeeD is there as…another option for people who cannot fend for themselves, or find themselves in trouble. Understand?"

"I think so…so you are a protector of your people?"

Zell shrugged. "Yeah…why not?"

"So…if you are a protector…why aren't you protecting your people now?"

Zell sighed. "Sometimes, hon, a best defence is a good offence."

"I see." Aries said quietly, taking a sip of her drink.

Zell followed suit, taking a draw from his cup and allowing the hot liquid to warm his insides. The argument wasn't one he hadn't heard before. There were countless people on Gaia whose sole purpose was to eradicate the SeeDs from existence. These people had their reasons – either a loved one was killed by a SeeD or a son was killed in the line of duty, or they simply thought that the idea of training children to become powerful paramagical soldiers wasn't the greatest thing in the world.

But Gaia needed the SeeDs. They were there to make an even keel on a world over-run with warring nations and powerful monsters. Without the power of the SeeDs, Gaia would most likely have turned out like Crisp…with nothing but barren wastelands and psychotic people.

Zell shook his head and realised that he was staring at an empty cup. He looked up at Aries, obviously lost in her own world, and stood, placing his cup down on the ground. "Well, thanks for the cup of…whatever it was, but I guess I'd better turn in for the night. I think we'll be heading out tomorrow, and Hyne knows what we might run into through the Arch."

"Very well." Aries said, placing her unfinished mug on the ground too. "I suppose I ought to go to the labs with Lorelei and see how she's doing."

Zell nodded, before walking outside with the Immortal, pausing to look up at the night sky – before turning to Aries and waving. "See ya around." Zell said with a smile – before his body suddenly burst into a red flame, and he disappeared from sight.

Aries watched his vapour trail disappear off into the distance, and shook her head in amazement, before beginning the slow walk to the labs.

*          *            *

"Zell." A deep, emotionless voice called.

Zell frowned, his eyes still closed. "What is it, Baku?" He mumbled, rolling over in his warm bed.

"It's time to go." The voice said.

"Already? Can't I have five more minutes?"

There was a small silence…before something lashed out, connecting with his stomach and causing him to cough. "Get up, lazy bones!!" A woman's voice cried.

Zell's eyes flashed open – to see Trish standing over him on the bed, the humour evident on her face. "Hyne, Zell, you sleep like a log!"

"I don't feel like one…" Zell muttered, sitting up in bed and looking around the room. They were all there, minus Julius and Veronica. "So I guess we'll be negative Julius and Veronica, hmmm?"

Rinoa smiled. "Actually, they're in the living room, trying to figure something out on Julius' weird little computer. The Immortals gave him some nice toys to play with in exchange for you and Squall's donations, as well as some stuff for us."

Zell blinked, scratching his head. He suddenly realised that, beside Squall in his usual leather clothing and LionHeart strapped to his side, the rest of the girls were garbed in the flowing attire of the Immortals. Even Emily, who leaned against the wall near the door, was dressed in the soft cloth, her straggly hair pulled back from her face. "Nice…" He said, looking the three girls over – before Trish cracked him on the head with a fist.

"Hey! Stop undressing us with your eyes!!"

"Aiyaaa!! I wasn't! I wasn't!!" Zell cried, cradling his head painfully. Hyne, what has she been taking?!

"Well, hurry up and get dressed, cause we're going now." She said, before hopping off the bed and walking over to Emily…who opened the door for her and followed her through, before shutting the door behind them.

Zell frowned, scratching the back of his neck as he looked up at Rinoa and Squall. "Hey…did they just…hold hands?"

Rinoa clasped her hands together, barely able to contain herself. "Yeah! Isn't it wonderful?! Its so cute!!" She gasped with excitement.

"Apparently the Immortals have rubbed off on Trish and Emily in…more ways then one." Squall explained to Zell.

Zell scratched the back of his neck before sighing audibly. "Dammit. Everybody's got a partner except for me. What a gyp."

Squall shook his head with a smile before grasping Rinoa's hand. "We'll wait outside for you." He said, before leading Rinoa out.

*          *            *

After a quick shower and stuffing his gear into his pack, Zell emerged from the bedroom clad in long track-pants and a SeeD sweatshirt, the Uber-Ehrgiez Gauntlets strapped snugly on his hands. He closed the door behind him, one hand holding his pack, and turned to see everybody crouched around Julius' computer. "Yo, guys, what's happening?"  He asked, walking over to them.

Emily looked up from the computer. "Julius might have something." She muttered.

Zell blinked. She delivered the statement like she usually would – blunt and to the point – but she refereed to Julius by name, and didn't have anything cynical to say about what was on hand. He looked down at the blond computer SeeD, who was going through some kind of vibrating waves. "What you got, buddy?"

Julius looked up at Zell with a smile, before resuming his work. "It seems the Immortals gave the SeeD computer an upgrade, as well as a few new gadgets. I can break-down and analyse the Arch's power to almost an anatomical area."

"What the hell does that mean?"

Julius smiled again, continuing to work. "Okay. Well, you know how everybody has a different…smell to them?"

Zell frowned. "What?" He asked, his voice deadpan.

Rinoa punched Zell in the shoulder softly. "Shut up for a second and he'll tell you!"

"Thanks Rinoa…well, everybody has a certain smell to them. Kind of a signature smell. Well, I think I can separate the different 'smells' of the Arch's wormholes and individualise them."

Veronica looked up. "Meaning that he can tell what worlds you guys have been to and where we're going…good morning, by the way."

Zell smiled at her. She too was dressed in the Immortal's robes. They suited her somewhat. "So you reckon we can make an Arch take us to a different universe without having to follow the magical instructions already written on the Arch…right?"

"Exactly." Julius said excitedly. "This means we can go straight from a different universe, say Crisp, straight back to Gaia. Or this universe. Or Te'Get. Any universe we wish, so long as we have an Arch to support the magical portal."

"But we'll need an Arch to a universe in order to go there and back." Squall said. "We can't just make up a portal using random magic's. We could be thrown right off course."

Zell rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "So I suppose we'll just have to take that Crisp who looked like Greys' advise. We find the next Arch and go through to this next universe that the Crisps thought sucked. The one after that ought to be the Heart one. How are we doing with finding the next Arch?"

Julius brought up a map of the Immortal world, the continents flashing up on screen. "According to Aries there's a ruins of an ancient civilisation just a few hundred miles out of the city. Thanks to the upgrades on the computer, I was able to scan the site with their satellites – and found an Arch."

"What? How!?" Zell exclaimed. "They're just made out of empty rock, right?"

"No, they've got a certain magical force on them too. How else do you explain their existence in all the universes we've been to?"

Zell nodded. "Okay. So, we're going to these ruins. Lets get ready to move."

*          *            *

As they exited Zell's quarters they ran into Aries, who had been waiting. "We'll give you a ride." She said.

That had been an hour ago, and the air-ship they rode in sluiced through the air like a razor's edge. Shaped much like a spike, the ship seemed to not have any propulsion system – in fact, it didn't seem to have any aerodynamic features to it at all. It simply looked like a long spear that floated about a foot off the ground, 50 meters long, and made out of a shining metal. A small set of steps unfolded from the surface of the ship and allowed them access to its insides, and as they had approached the ship Zell had pulled Aries aside. "This thing isn't made out of Orihalcon, is it?" he asked, not really knowing why he wanted to know.

Aries had frowned at the question. "I don't know what that is…but if you mean the same metal that covers your boots and weapons, then no. We've never seen anything like that on this world."

"Ah…" Zell said, frowning and boarding the ship, thinking about the strange metal a little more as he sat down in a comfy seat. The metal intrigued him. He had never seen anything stronger then Adamantine that could do the things that Orihalcon could do, and it disturbed him. He had gotten used to using the metal and the equipment now – allowing it to meld over his gauntlets like plaster – but he wondered about the Hearts, and how they were about to manipulate the metal so easily.

Was it telepathically endowed? Zell didn't think so – he was pretty sure that Rinoa would have picked up something, seeing as they had used the foreign metal so much during the mission.

He had decided to forget about it – as long as it worked, it worked – and had quietly waited for the ride to finish.

He had taken a seat closest to the front of the ship, and he turned back to look at the others. Each of them had paired off, taking their little corner in the ships vast interior.

Rinoa and Squall sat nearest to Zell, just two seats away, Rinoa with her head resting on Squall's shoulder, Squall's resting on her head. They looked sleepy, but Rinoa smiled and waved at Zell, who returned the wave.

Julius and Veronica were in the aisle next to Squall and Rinoa, just a seat behind them. They were talking quietly to each other, and whatever it was it was very passionate as Veronica kissed Julius meekly on the cheek before hugging him close.

Emily and Trish sat at the back of the ship, Trish talking to Emily, who seemed to be listening intently. Every now and then a look of humour arose on Emily's usually dull face, and Zell even saw her laugh out loud at something Trish said.

He sighed heavily and turned back around to face the front of the ship, sinking into his chair and feeling the depression begin to sink in. Third-Wheel Syndrome times three…great. Maybe we'll find someone in the next world who'll be my friend…

He looked up at Aries settled into the chair next to him, smiling at him as she spoke. "We'll be at the site in a few minutes."

Zell nodded, trying to make conversation. "Cool. The sooner we get moving, the better."

Aries nodded sadly, before frowning. "Is something wrong?"

Zell sighed heavily again. "Everybody has somebody except for me. Bummer huh?"

The Immortal simply smiled warmly, tossing back a lock of long blond hair from her pretty face before giving Zell's shoulder a small squeeze. "Don't let it get to you, Zell. I'm sure you'll be fine. These people are your comrades, are they not? They wont single you out."

Zell smiled. "Thanks Aries…but I don't think your words have helped much. I suppose I'll just have to remember Angel, and think of her a bit more."

Aries smiled again. "I'm sure you'll be fine." She paused suddenly, the air-ship suddenly shaking slightly. "We're setting down now."

*          *            *

"Thank you for everything, Aries. We're in your debt." Zell said, standing in the rubble of the ruins surrounding them.

Aries stood on the steps of the air-ship, taking his hands in her grasp. "No, Zell – you've given us a future. We'll never be able to repay you for that." She bent down and gave him a small kiss where his tattoo was supposed to be, before beaming at him. "Good luck."

The SeeDs waved goodbye to the air-ship as the step retracted and lifted up into the air, the dust on the ground being disturbed slightly as it gathered a little altitude – before disappearing into the distance at a blinding speed, blinking out on the horizon.

Julius stepped forward and gave Zell a little nudge in the back, a huge grin on his face. "Zell, you old dog. Looks like you made an impression on our lovely hostess."

Zell blushed crimson and turned away from the team, scratching the back of his neck and looking at the ground as they all laughed. "Hey, come on guys, quit it…" He mumbled.

*          *            *

They found the Arch in no time thanks to Julius' computer, hidden away within a gigantic marble building, the vines and roots from the trees surrounding the ruins clawing their way all over the white stone.

The ruins mostly cleared away some of the forest, as the grounds were paved with cracked marble stones and the remnants of buildings were erected in the area. The clearing was about the size of two football fields, and many of the larger, more well buildings were still standing after what seemed to be years of neglect by the sun and the nature, which was thick and dense around the ruins.

The group of seven walked slowly through the ruins, taking in the sights as Julius followed his computer-map like radar, twisting and turning through the ruins to finally find the building. "It's this one, no doubt." Julius had said positively, slapping his laptop shut and returning it to his pack whilst it was still strapped to his back with expert skill. Now that he didn't need to carry a big obelisk of ice on his back, he found that he could reach his gear more easily, and realised that nobody else seemed to relish the luxury they had, but decided not to comment.

Zell looked up at the massive building, easily three stories high and a good twenty meters wide, before turning to the others. "Easy does it, guys…the Immortals said they don't have much of a monster problem, but we're smack-dab in forestation here, so lets keep on our toes."

The group nodded, and Zell sent Squall, Julius and Veronica in to recon, keeping the others back. Trish wasn't aware of SeeD procedure, and Emily and Rinoa were more use to him keeping their backs then being sent forward. After the three within the building had shouted the all clear, Zell and the rest entered.

The place was magnificently sculptured, the walls riddled with unintelligible symbols and insignias, as well as murals depicting humans in wars, humans fighting monsters, and so forth. The middle of the room was bare, paved in cracked stone.

The Arch was at the north-most end of the room, opposite of where the main entrance was. It was bigger then the last one they had passed through – not so big as the one on Gaia. This one looked like it could allow the passage of a large truck or van. Also surrounding the Arch, etched painstakingly on the walls, were depictions of a winged race, women with feathered wings displayed around the Arch like angels, their hands beckoning to the Arch as if to ask for passage.

Zell narrowed his eyes suspiciously at this, looking over at Rinoa, who was studying the murals along with him. "What are you thinkin', Rin?" Zell asked, walking up behind her.

When she managed to tear her eyes away from the pictures Zell saw that she was disturbed, to say the least. "I…I don't know…" Rinoa said uncertainly, looking over her shoulder at the pictures again. "Could there be…a race of people with wings like mine?"

"Well…there were these kinds of depictions in Te'Get…" Julius said, setting up his computer and taking pictures. "And whose to say there might have been some in Crisp? Dianna said that she deposited us in a ruins of a lost city, right?"

Rinoa's eyes widened as she remembered taking her bearings after being thrown away by Dianna…

 - Rocks and pillars depicting some kind of ancient race have lived here –

…and looked up. "There were. I didn't realise it at the time 'cause I was upset, but there were pictures of people with wings."

"The winged race is the key to the Arch." Squall muttered, looking over the murals. "…But there are only women present in the depictions. There are no men."

Veronica shrugged. "Maybe cause the women were the only ones with the power to activate this thing?" She said, gesturing to the Arch with a wave of her hand.

"Women are the only ones who can become Sorceresses…" Rinoa said quietly, wringing her hands nervously.

Zell shook his head. Everything was becoming complicated, and they didn't need that right now. He stepped forward and placed a hand on Rinoa's shoulder, giving it a friendly squeeze. "Don't worry about it right now, Rin. Once we get this mission over and done with, we can come back to it. But right now we have business to do, okay?"

Rinoa nodded uncertainly, and walked over to the Arch, trying not to look at the mural on the wall behind the large Arch as she noted the magic's needed to activate the portal.

Squall stepped up behind Zell as Rinoa began to prepare, Julius setting up to record the entire thing near the entrance. "You're warming up to this whole leader thing, Zell. I'm beginning to get impressed." He said quietly.

Zell turned his head to look at Squall, a small grin on his face. "Thanks man. I'm trying as hard as I can, hey."

"Well, whenever you need a break, just say the word."

"Squall Leonhart, do you wanna become leader now?" Zell asked mockingly. "Who'da guessed that the Leader would be jealous of the Hunter?"

Squall frowned, his voice becoming cold. "You know that's not what I meant..."

Zell laughed out loud, turning to clap his hand on his friends shoulder. "I know what you mean, man. If I get a bit tired of ordering people around, I'll talk to you, okay? But right now I'm fine." He turned back to watch the Arch…but spoke over his shoulder. "Thanks man."

"Don't mention it." Squall muttered as the Arch suddenly lit up.

*          *            *

The Arch lit with a harsh purple hue, a loud boom erupting from the portal as it suddenly formed within the stone structure of the Arch.

Rinoa stood in front of the Arch, staring up at it, before turning around. "This isn't me!" She yelled over the sound of the rushing wind as the latent energies sped to feed the portal's power.

"Get over here!!" Squall yelled as the portal finally finished forming, settling to a purple sheen over the Arch's opening, rippling and bubbling with universal powers.

Rinoa quickly ran to Squall's side as he whipped the Lionheart from it's clip, the blue blade blazing to life as everybody else took battle positions.

Zell's mind was a blur as he quickly slipped his pack off, the Orihalcon ringing out as it hit the hard stone floor. Shit! Who the hell could this be?!

The SeeDs waited with baited breath, ready for anything. Rinoa stood behind Squall, her hands curled slightly, making sure to keep the magic just at bay. Squall stood before her, making sure his body shielded her as he held his Lionheart forward, the blue blade shimmering in the dankness of the massive room.

Julius and Veronica stood just to the left of the Arch, making sure to keep to the side. Veronica's staff, about two meters long, was held expertly before her in both hands, the metallic staff held in a defensive stance. Julius stood beside her, his fists held up, ready for anything.

Emily and Trish hadn't strayed far from the door, and now they stood ready, the two Blue's making sure that they had a good bead on whatever was coming through, their hands pointed, the spells charged.

As the tension began to rise to almost intolerable levels, Zell stepped forward, approaching the Arch slowly, as if it was a dangerous animal.

He only got about five feet from the entrance when someone emerged from the portal, the purple energies dripping off them horizontally to return to the portal's surface. Zell immediately back flipped away from the person, his stance rock-hard as he recognised the armour, different as it was.

This Heart looked a lot more regal then the usual foot-soldiers. Instead of the armour seeming to look like one big sheet of Orihalcon wrapped around the man, this armour seemed to be made like regular armour, the plates surrounding the body levelled with each other in a true suit. A luscious red cape was strapped to the shoulders of the man's suit of Orihalcon, the cape falling to drag across the ground in almost a show of royalty.

The helmet, different from the usual smooth ones, had sharp spikes jabbing from the temple up, much like a crown. A dark slit crept across where the eyes were supposed to be situated, and an extra triangular-shaped piece of metal covered where the nose and mouth were supposed to be, the top of the triangle ending in the middle of the slit and the two bottom tips dropping down to stab menacingly.

The man looked a sight to be reckoned with, if a little short.

But Zell paled when the man looked over the team, spying each and every one of them, even Julius and Veronica behind him – and saw what he had on his hands.

Red and silver gauntlets.

The gauntlets rose slowly yet suddenly, moving up to the helmet, gripping it firmly and lifting it up and of the person's head…to reveal blond hair, blue eyes, and a dark tattoo that looked like a fiery blotch on the left side of his face.

"Oh shit…" Zell muttered as Zell smiled.

*          *            *

Okay. So I did promise you a fight scene in this chapter. But a lot of things have been happening, so allow me some slack, okay? Think of this as a precursor before the battle scene.

But something has happened to one of my friends that I wish for you all to acknowledge. My good friend Aries has been cruelly tested in the last few days…tested in ways that nobody else can compare to. She has been beaten, humiliated…and worse.

When you review this chapter, it would mean a lot to her and me if you would please give her a word of encouragement. Anything will suffice. She needs it more then me.

Aries…this chapter is dedicated to you. Remember – nothing is impossible, hon.