Ch 24 – Misunderstandings To Returns
Zell opened his eyes slowly; his body entangled between the bed sheets seeming to lose more tension then gain it as it slipped from the subtle emptiness of sleep into stark reality.
Am I really home? He thought to himself, not wanting to move in case it was still a dream. Did we pass through the Tear yet? Have I seen Ma – or Angel – yet?
Darkness surrounded him, the veils of the curtains covering the windows to his immediate left only allowing a small fraction of light into the room. Zell continued to stare up at the ceiling, only daring to move his right arm slightly. It was beginning to go numb from the position he had slept in. His eyes searched the ceiling for anything remotely recognisable, narrowing them slightly as he heard a noise from outside the room.
That has to be Ma. Any second now she'll be busting in here telling me to get my lazy ass up and tidy the living room for the guests that will be arriving soon. She'll talk my ear off about how much I sleep and that if I wanted to sleep in late that I should have stayed at Garden and that if I did stay at Garden she might have gotten a moments peace for once in a while…
The door of the room opened, light spilling onto the carpet as a slim body cast it's shadow over the bed. "Daddy?" Dee called quietly, peeking into the room shyly. "Are you up?"
Zell's dreams came crashing down around him. No Ma. No Angel. Still within the confines of the Immortal realm. Still trapped…
A broad smile etched itself across the SeeD's face. Not for long.
Zell sat up suddenly, making Dee jump slightly. "Hey there hon. What's going on?"
Dee opened the door fully now and walked in, confident that he had been awake for quite some time. She was still dressed in the singlet and panties that she wore for sleep, and her blond hair was undone and ruffled untidily. The two of them had gotten used to each other's company in the short time they had been together – when Dee had walked around in this manner before Zell had felt a little self-conscious – now he was simply used to it. Moving over to the window she pressed a small button on a keypad next to it, the drapes opening themselves slowly and allowing the light to seep into every dark corner of the room. Dee turned to Zell with a large smile, her big blue eyes twinkling. "We're going to have my Valkyre coronation – and then we're setting out."
Zell nodded. "Are you excited?"
Dee nodded slightly, perfectly composed – before letting go of any pretence, running over and jumping onto the bed excitedly. "Oh Daddy I'm so excited!! They say that nobody has beaten Miss Lorelei in over three thousand years!! And then we're going to that heaven you call home!! I cant wait for either of them!! I haven't slept a wink all night, I'm so excited…"
Zell blinked. Dee was talking fast, faster then he had heard her talk before. Her eyes were wide and staring off into space as she clasped her hands to her chest, excitement evident in every motion of her body. Hyne…she's so like Selphie sometimes…Zell thought to himself. Always letting her emotion get the better of her.
He reached out and placed his hand on her bare shoulder, squeezing it firmly. "Hey! Gaia to Dee! Calm down a bit or you'll never be able to figure yerself out, m'kay?"
Dee blinked, her voice rattling to a stop – before she looked down at her hands. "I'm sorry Daddy…"
"That's okay, baby. You just got a bit of trouble controlling your emotions, that's all. Much like me, in fact…"
Dee giggled at that. Zell smiled and threw the sheets off his body, standing up from the bed clad in his trunks. "Okay hon. We'd better get ready – today is going to be a big day."
* * *
Zell didn't know if he could feel any prouder. The smile on his face was beginning to hurt, and it was all he could do to stop from jumping up and down in joy.
Within the centre of the city stood almost every single Immortal there was – a swarm of white robes covered the entire ground, flattening the grass with their sandaled feet as they witnessed something that had been something of a rarity within the last few years – something different happening.
A stage had been erected just outside the City Centre, the stage large enough to hold all fifty-eight of the Valkyre warrior-women. As with much of the architecture of the Immortals, the stage was largely feminine in design – large white drapes flowered out of long pillars that flanked the left and right sides of the stage, flowing down to the grassy ground like silk waterfalls. Also usual in the landscapes of the city, several leafy statues made out of delicately carves trees and bushes, mostly depicting women in all shapes and sizes.
The Immortals milling around the stage were excited. The last major calling like this had been when the monster problem had become out of control and the Mistresses of the city had called all the Immortals together to ask for any fighting assistance. That had been centuries ago, and even though the occasional holiday festivals were held every now and then, it had been many, many lifetimes since all Immortals had been drawn together. Something important was about to happen – and it was something that couldn't be missed.
Zell was dressed in his best tailor-made suit, the black silk seeming to shine even more when he moved then when he stood still. Dee had said that he had looked handsome in the suit, even thought she had no real meaning of the word. She had actually said 'beautiful' – "Oh my Gods, you look beautiful Daddy!!" – which had made him laugh and correct her. The suit was almost like his SeeD uniform – except the shoulder pads were a bit softer and his boots fit a tad more snugly.
On his hands Zell wore his Uber Ehrgiez Gauntlets, buffed to a sparkling shine the night before. Although the attack Azel had performed on Zell's body had completely disintegrated his body, the Orihalcon and Adamantine metal had held throughout the very brief Flare rather well. Zell had been rather hesitant to put them on – the fact that the Immortals had taken most of the DNA to recreate him from his smouldering hands, burnt off at the wrist but still mostly protected within the snug confines of the armoured gauntlets, wigged him out a little. But after performing a few exercises in them, he forgot that he had ever taken them off.
Dee was extremely jealous of the gauntlets. As soon as she had seen them she had immediately wanted a pair for herself – but Zell was no metallurgist, and the weapon-makers of the Immortal Universe had long forgotten how to make something as primitive as gauntlets.
Zell watched Dee now as she eyed the gauntlets sullenly and smiled. "I told you, hon, I'll get a pair made for you when we get back to Gaia! Now smile – all those people are out there for you!"
Dee forced a smile, brushing down her official robes. Even thought the Valkyres Mistress gown had been tailor made for her the night before, it still felt weird to wear. Much like Zell, Dee was more comfortable in more casual clothing, much preferring the pants and tee-shirt combo that had become rife since the SeeDs had shown up. Many a tailor had seen Emily and Trish wandering the city streets in their long pants, and had taken an inspirational turn towards pants as opposed to the robes and skirts that had become rife in the past few millennia.
Dee had many of the new garments, wanting to copy her father as much as humanly possible – but today she was forced to wear her graduation robes, and so she stood, like a child in her uncomfortable Sunday-school dress, almost begging for it to be over and done with so she could go and play.
Aries walked up onto the stage from the backdrop, moving around the giant black curtain and moving over to the father and daughter, approaching Dee and taking hold of her hands. "Are you ready, dear?"
Dee nodded meekly, looking a little nervous. "I'm ready…" she said quietly.
Aries gave her a warm smile, squeezing her hands reassuringly, before winking to Zell and walking out onto the stage, in front of thousands of thousands of women. As soon as the High Mistress came onto the stage the women rose and cheered as one, the cries of the Immortals rising up past the towering skyscrapers and beyond into the heavens.
Zell shook his head with a smile, chuckling to himself. "Never thought of Aries as a show-boater…" He said to Dee, elbowing her in the ribs playfully with a wink.
Dee said nothing – she simply stared out at the crowds with her mouth gaping, dumbstruck beyond words. A sea of arms and heads, smiling happy faces, so many differences in looks and appearances. Dee had no idea how Aries could stand being before all these people, their eyes locked onto her as if enraptured by her brilliance.
Aries walked up to the small glass podium, her white robes fluttering off her elegant body in the warm breeze as she raised her arms with a broad smile, silencing the cheers and wolf-whistles.
"Ladies…" Aries cried, her voice seeming to increase several times in volume, even thought Zell couldn't see an obvious microphone on the podium. "Yesterday a girl from amongst you did what no one has been able to do in over three thousands years – she has made a change in the way of the Valkyres!"
At the word 'change' an almighty gasp echoed from around the crowd.
Aries continued, a large grin growing on her lips as she
spoke. "As you well know, there have been many changes within the Immortal
lifestyle – our fashions are becoming more refined, our musical culture has
begun to take a turn for the better – finally – and we have begun to finally
understand the mysteries surrounding some of our more difficult questions in
our attempts to save our species from extinction!"
The crowd stood enraptured, some women holding onto each other with baited
breath, some simply having to sit down to take it all in.
"In a short while two people – and Immortal and a foreigner – will be leaving our world in order to save it from an immense evil! I'm sure you've all seen the strange things happening around and outside the city in the past month and a half…"
The women murmured to each other in agreement. Gigantic flying tree-trunks sailing over the city, a strange broad shouldered, flat-chested, strangely spiky hair-styled lady running about the city bathed in red fire – and of course, the rumours of a universal device that can transport people to the Heavens, when the sun always shines and the grass is always green.
"…But now that will all come out into the open. Immortals, I'd like to introduce Dee Dincht, the new leader of the Valkyres, and Zell Dincht, the male fighter from the Universe Gaia!"
* * *
Zell and Dee gulped simultaneously. Both of them had expected to go out and face the crowd – but to tell the truth, they had been quietly hoping that it wouldn't have come to that.
Dee turned on her heel and began to make a beeline for the exit at the back of the stage – before Zell gripped one of the trailing silk robes hanging off her and pulled her back to stand next to him, his teeth gritted nervously as he talked. "If I'm going out, then you're coming with me, got that?"
"H-How about I don't and say I did?"
Zell rolled his eyes and dragged her out in front of the crowd with him, the two warriors moving out from behind the curtain to be shocked…at the same look replicated perfectly on every head in the sea of faces.
Awe.
Dee smirked up at her father, who had a bead of sweat trailing down his cheek. Every single eye was on him, every woman in the entire area gazing upon his body like a freak in some freak show. Well, Dee guiltily thought with a little relief, At least they're not paying attention to me.
Aries faltered slightly. She had thought that, with the recent sightings of Zell around the area and the average intelligence of your usual Immortal, the idea of a Man being introduced to the population would have been a little less…awkward.
Zell didn't really know what to do. He had been gawked at before, at the Tournament, and during missions and at Garden during some training manoeuvres way out of everybody else's league – but to be ogled at by the biggest number of women Zell had ever seen collected in one place…well…that was completely random.
Well…may as well get it over with.
Zell stepped up to the podium, brushing past Aries with a wink and a smile that perfectly covered his stage-fright and, placing both hands on the side of the podium, spoke in a clear, firm voice: "Yo peeps! What's up?!"
Silence.
More then silence. You could hear the roar of the silence as it entered your ears and was processed into the brain by the follicles lining the eardrum.
Someone coughed. It echoed. For about thirty seconds.
Aries stepped forward, placing a hand on Zell's shoulder and leading him away from the podium slowly. "Maybe you ought to go before something happens…"
"What? What did I say?" Zell said innocently, looking from the embarrassed Dee to the uncomfortable Aries. He honestly had no idea what he had done wrong.
"Uh…Daddy…" Dee said, pointing over Zell's shoulder with a trembling finger.
Zell turned – to see over a thousand women suddenly charge forward as one, all of them fighting for a piece of the new male that had been introduced to their world without their knowledge, hidden from them like a some kind of government conspiracy.
Two words entered Zell's mind. He thought they were very appropriate, judging by the situation.
"Oh shit!!" He screamed as he turned, picking both Dee and Aries up in both arms, and ran as fast as he could…
…into the crowd.
* * *
The edge of the stage was overrun in less then a minute, but by then Zell had grabbed the girls, throwing one over each shoulder, and had ran forward, leaping off the stage and falling amongst the crowd, landing in a run and bolting through the gathering.
He was only taking a leaf out of the SeeD handbook, Chapter 12 verse 3.4 – Massive Encounters: in event of encountering large groups of people/monsters, the best and safest place is within the group.
It made sense, at least when Zell had read it. He had only ever flipped through the handbook once or twice – if it wasn't about fighting, then it slightly bored him. If you are up against a large group of opponents, the best place is within them. They cannot get to you, as you are flitting in and out of their friend's marks – and you can do maximum damage when you're that close.
Of course, Zell wasn't out to hurt any of the Immortals…disarm, maybe, but hurt – never.
He ducked and swerved, jumping and flipping, each manoeuvre only barely missing a dive by a women in fluttering robes or a grab of a carefully manicured hand. Amazingly, Zell was having a hard time, too. He had never been within this big of a congested group of enemies before, and although he was doing okay now, he wasn't so sure if he could make it out. He hadn't thought that far.
Ducking as a women sailed over his head, Zell flipped to the left as two girls tried for a pincer attack, their head smashing into each other as they collided together, knocking each other out. Spinning on his heel, Zell slashed out with his foot, narrowly missing an Immortal's head by mere inches and forcing them back, giving him a little room to breath as they ran back slightly, Zell amazed to see some cowering in fear.
He heard someone clear their throat over the din of the screeching masses, and Zell sacrificed a second to look over at his left shoulder – to see Aries, her carefully done hair now in a mess from Zell's acrobatics, still slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Excuse me, Zell – but put me down this instance!!!" She screeched.
She obviously wasn't happy with the results of the gathering.
Stepping back lightly as another woman tried for a desperate lunge, Zell suddenly found himself surrounded by women as he jumped back into a group who had been awaiting him – and shrugged Aries off his shoulder and into the women easily, the High Mistress falling onto the seven-strong girls, her sudden weight making them fall to the floor in shock.
Zell span, now with only Dee on his right shoulder quietly enjoying her ride, and got started. Spinning swiftly, Zell lifted Dee up and off his shoulder, grasping her hand and swinging her out around his body, the girl clutching his hands firmly as she used the swinging momentum to flick around his body to finally land behind him, her fists balled, her attitude ready for action.
The Immortals had fallen back for a second, astounded to see a women siding with this male – and Dee shot a look over at Zell, her beautiful face grim. "What do you want to do, Daddy?" She asked, eyeing her race cautiously as they began to almost circle the two Dincht's, like a mob of lions circling the kill.
Zell was panting heavily, having to carry both Dee and Aries out of harms way for so long whilst also having to perform feats of acrobatic skill he hadn't needed to tap since fighting Azel – whilst not hurting a soul…intentionally. Now his mind was clicking into overdrive, the cogs and wheels churning in his mind as he looked around desperately. "I'd like to preserve life if I can, hon. These girls don't know what they're doing."
"Well, if we don't do something, they're going to lynch you, Daddy…and most likely me and Aries too."
Of course. Zell thought. These girls must think that Aries has been holding out on them. She mustn't have told the general population yet – there must be Immortals gathered from all over the world here. Well…if I cant hurt them, then a little floor-show is in order…
Zell looked over his shoulder at Aries. "Sorry Aries – but I gotta do something that you're not going to like." Zell then turned to Dee. "Hon – remember the magic Shell techniques I've been teaching you? Well – they're about to come in handy."
Aries and Dee both blinked as Zell suddenly lifted his hands up into the sky, a number of green balls with fire burning within them twirling around his body for a second – before he vanished in a puff of logic.
And a guttural snarl seemed to fill the immense courtyard from the grassy ground as the temperature suddenly rose a few degrees…before rising a few more…before suddenly escalating at a fantastic rate.
* * *
The Immortal women suddenly paused. They had no idea where the man had disappeared to – was this some kind of power men had? To disappear into thin air at a moments notice? If so, it explained how the males had managed to be in control of the women for so long…
And why had the temperature risen so suddenly? What was the noise just now? And why was the ground trembling so…
A great knarled hand, thick tanned hide covering the knobbly knuckles and taloned fingers, suddenly smashed out from the ground, a great explosion of dirt and grass flying into the air - before the air suddenly became thick with heat, the grass and dirt flying through the air suddenly bursting into flame.
Dee looked up and watched, shocked and horrified, as the knarled hand suddenly stabbed itself into the ground for purchase, the grass surrounding the hand bursting into flame as well – before, with a great growling grown, the Fire-Demon Ifrit pulled itself from the bowls of the Immortal World, black dirt and grass spilling off it's heavily muscled shoulders as the ground around it billowed up in a fiery display. The demon shook it's head to rid itself of the dirt on it's mane, like a cat ridding itself of moisture – before looking out at the crowd and, opening it's gaping maw filled with gigantic elongated teeth, let forth an almighty roar, the Guardian Force's breath coming out like small puffs of fire as the roar reached the lengths of the entire city, shattering glass windows, shaking buildings on their foundations, and making the Immortal mob shriek in absolute fear.
As soon as the hand had punched through the ground the mob had began to disperse as quickly as it could, women running for cover immediately as the massive creature had pulled itself from the depths of the globe. Now the gigantic demon had lifted itself from its crack in the ground, the fleeing women disappearing like wood-smoke in a breeze. Only a few remained, some so scared they couldn't move their legs – others so terrified they had simply fainted, their brains taking one look at the goliath monster and switching off instantly.
Only Dee was one of the few with limb movement and the power of speech – and it wasn't helping her at the least. Her knees knocked together in sheer terror and she gibbered like a three-year-old come face-to-face with the bogeyman as Ifrit turned to her, looking down at her with utter contempt in it's glowing yellow eyes – before bending down and roaring at her, the super-hot breath of the demi-god blasting her robes and hair back and causing her to scream in sheer terror…
Dee suddenly steeling herself. "No use crying!!" She yelled, shaking her head to clear any cobwebs and taking her stance. "I've got to stop it!!"
Ifrit had now straighten up, it's terrorising over – and looked up at the sky, before leaning down and springing up into the air, leaping up high into the sky.
Dee blinked, watching the massive creature fly up into the sky. "Oh, you've got to be kidding…" She gasped to herself. The thing must weight tonnes!! It must be incredibly strong to leap that high!!
Ifrit had flown up into the air and was now about to launch its final attack, to wipe out any remaining threats to the human it had vowed to protect. Drawing the gigantic ball of fire was easy – the ball simply appeared in mid-air before the Fire-Demon, almost twice the size of the massive creature – before Ifrit flew higher then the ball of fire and, interlocking it's fingers together in the perfect spike manoeuvre, smashed it's fists into the ball, an explosion rocking the ground – and sending the ball hurtling for Dee.
"Ah crap." Dee muttered as several thousand degrees of flaming death bore down on her with the speed of a high-velocity meteor…
Shell techniques…Dee blinked as what Zell said to her before he disappeared suddenly clicked, everything falling into place within her mind. Not wanting to waste any time, Dee threw her hands up into the air, drawing on the little magic Zell had sent her and screaming the activation word at the ball as it began to burn away her fringe. "Shell!!"
The red bubble formed around her body effortlessly, flashing briefly – before the ball slammed into it, the red Shell barely holding together as the sheer power of the magic/physical attack began to push at the magical barrier, Dee's feet suddenly digging into the soft earth as the weight of the magic bore down onto her.
Dee kept her hands up, however, palms up and straight out in a pushing motion, her shoulder muscles and chest muscles bunching together in unison as the GF snorted fire – and pulsed more power into the attack, the ball of fire suddenly doubling in size and dwarfing Dee entirely, the heat beginning to become almost unbearable.
Sweat had gone beyond trickling down her face – it simply evaporated as soon as it exited her pores, steam rising off her body as she continued to fight against the GF's attack with all the magical power she could muster.
Dee was at a disadvantage, however. What little magic Dee knew and had stocked was beginning to disappear away rapidly, the red Shell beginning to shimmering and shine slightly as the fireball began to push down, making the bubble bend inwards towards Dee, the heat beginning to become almost unbearable as Dee looked up, through the fire and at the massive GF as it snarled and pulsed more energy into the blast…
Suddenly Dee shivered, her head feeling like someone had unwound her brains and spooled them neatly into her head once more. She blinked her blue eyes once, twice, the thing within her head worming it's way into her mind as she unconsciously focused all her concentration on the monster's massive claws…
…Which looked like the fragments of Bombs.
A massive crater suddenly exploded out from around Dee as she screamed, the power locked away within her mind suddenly exploding forth with frightening speed and extraordinary power – and causing her eyes to suddenly blaze a fiery blue, the glowing Blue magic suddenly slashing out of her body and enveloping her body and every other body in the courtyard…
…before the fireball finally slammed into the ground and detonated, blasting the courtyard into chunky atomic particles.
* * *
Zell reappeared slowly a few feet off the ground in the centre of what had been the courtyard, landing on the floor with a small thud. His feet cracked into the glass covering the ground – the heat had been so intense it had melted the dirt, turning it into red-hot glass.
The smell of burnt dirt and grass filled the air, and as Zell took in his bearings he scratched the back of his neck slightly. "Yeesh…maybe you ought to go a little easy next time, Ifrit?" He muttered out loud.
If you had wanted me to 'go easy', human, you would have told me before-hand. The demi-god muttered hotly, Zell's brain warming a little.
"Well, yeah, but…shit. I guess I gotta give that one to you…"
There was a short paused, Zell still knowing that Ifrit was about to speak from the warmth at the base of his brain. No one was hurt.
Zell blinked, looking around himself. The windows of the nearby towers had been shattered, the courtyard looked like a Galbadian rocket had hit it. Smoke wafted up from what had been several leaf-statues, and what little stone pathways had been thoroughly destroyed then melted back into molten rock. "Uh…you wanna run that past me again, Ifrit? How could you do all this damage and not hurt anyone?"
Ifrit's voice was full of a warm contempt. You're offspring saved them…using a Blue.
Zell's eyes widened. "A…Blue? You mean Blue magic?"
Correct. My talons are actually Bomb Fragments – she must have seen them and unlocked her hidden talent.
"Cool!! My little girl kicks ass!!"
Ifrit didn't answer, and the warmth radiating within the back of Zell's skull receded to nothingness.
Zell's initial excitement was thoroughly squashed, however, as the full realisation of his actions finally hit him. "Shit…" He gasped, looking around him. "…If the Immortals didn't hate me before, they're really going to hate me now!!"
"Don't be so sure." Aries called, walking out from behind what was left of the stage. Zell turned to see her walk out, his clothes a little scorched by looking no worse for wear. "My my…you're people are just full of surprises. Why didn't you ever tell me you could summon creatures, Zell?"
Zell blinked. If anything, Aries seemed relieved. "Uh…well, you never asked! Um…are you okay?"
Dee walked out from behind the stage too, as well as several other Immortals. "We're fine, Daddy." Dee called, running forward excitedly. "What kind of magic was that called?! Can you teach me?! Ooo, you'll never believe what I just did, it was so incredible!!"
Dee was in overdrive, and Zell looked down at her, feeling extraordinarily alleviated that she was still alive – and barely had a scratch on her! "Hon…what did you do?!" He muttered, looking down at her with amazement. "Ifrit is a low-level GF, but judging by the power of his attack he gave it his all at you! And you're…you're…"
Dee punched him lightly in the shoulder. "I'm fine Daddy! In fact, watch this!"
Dee blinked one second, the bright blue iris, the dark pupil and the whites of her eyes being replaced with a dark glowing blue – before she smiled at him. "Go ahead! Attack!!"
Zell narrowed his eyes, seeing where this was going – before pushing his hand out, the palm bursting into flame as the Firaga left his fingertips and travelled the short distance in less then a nanosecond – to explode three feet away from Dee's body harmlessly, the flames dissipating – over a transparent shield, the orb surrounding Dee flashing briefly as the magic was nullified instantly before becoming invisible again.
Dee was grinning idiotically – before blinking, the blue glow fading from her eyes as her legs buckled under her weight and made her fall on her ass into the thin glass covering the ground. She blinked woozily, reaching up with a hand to rub her forehead. "Wow…why do I feel tired all of a sudden?" She muttered, confused.
Zell couldn't help but chuckle. "You've just unlocked a Blue, hon – it's a special kind of magic only special people can learn. And you're is very powerful if it can stand up against a GF's attack like it did. I've never seen a Barrier that can withstand such power." He leaned down and picked the girl up, draping her arm over his shoulder and letting her lean on him as he stood. "But it's very tiring using Blues…you'll just have to get used to the power."
Dee nodded slightly, leaning into Zell's steady frame, wanting to fall asleep. He couldn't help but grin. She's amazing…just learnt the thing, and she was able to Multi-Cast it too…maybe it's a Limit Break?
Aries cleared her throat, making Zell lose his train of thought and turn, smiling a little awkwardly. "Uh…sorry?"
"Sorry isn't exactly going to make do for this kind of property damage, Zell…but I acknowledge your use of power. If you hadn't, my people would have lynched us…" She sighed, looking down at the glass-covered ground. "Maybe we simply aren't ready for male introductions just yet. We're going to have to start teaching the women all about the male's again…"
Zell looked around, watching as small groups of women began to walk out from where they had taken cover, looking at the destruction around them in awe. None of them advanced on Zell – they were too preoccupied with the change of scenery. "Um, Aries, if it's alright with you, I think I'd be best if Dee and me made tracks."
Aries frowned – before putting two and two together. "Oh, yes…you wish to leave now. I suppose that would be best – if the girls ever regain their wits from that display they'll be after you in gusto. Well, let's get to the labs. Your equipment is all prepared there."
* * *
Dee stepped out of the adjacent bathroom in the labs, grateful to be out of the long ceremonial robes and now into something a little more snug. Tight leather pants adorned her legs with a small SeeD webbing belt holding it up – the belt had been something Zell had whipped together in his spare time. She wore a white silk blouse with a dark blue jacket over it, and had small leather gloves strapped snugly to her fists, matching her black SeeD boots – guaranteed to make you think you weren't wearing shoes at all.
Zell had changed out of his official clothing into his other clothes – a brown shirt and loose denim jeans over his boots, the Uber Ehrgiez Gauntlets still adorning his fists. The Immortals had, thankfully, made a few adjustments he had been pining to do since the end of the Tournament – namely putting in a built-in SeeD microphone into the wrist-guard on the left gauntlet, adjusting the red one so it fit a bit more snugly, as well as several other gadgets the Immortals had thrown in for the hell of it.
Aries was showing him them as Dee went over the Tear procedure with the newly-healed Lorelei, who had been chuffed to have missed the ceremony. Aries and Zell watched, bemused, as Dee showed Lorelei her new Blue magic once more – before Aries took hold of Zell's hand once more. "Okay, I'm going to go through them all once more, alright?"
Zell nodded. "Yeah, okay."
"Please try to remember all of this, some of these additions might save your life."
"Okay, okay, I will alright? Just…refresh my memory once more, please?"
Aries rolled her eyes before lifting Zell's hand, clad in the metallic gauntlet. Formerly, the silver gauntlet had had the Ehrgiez logo on the back of the hand. Now, the area reflected the light slightly, as if a sheet of plastic had been placed over the logo. "This area," Aries stated once more, gesturing to the plastic square, "Is the new screen we've added to your right gauntlet. If you hold your palm over an object and press this button, you can either take a picture, magnify the image to up to molecular sizes, and scan the object for just about anything you can think of." She turned the gauntlet over to show the tiny round dot right in the middle of the palm. "Now, we've considered the abuse the gauntlets will take once you leave our universe, so don't worry. Everything has been previously tested to withstand pressures and temperatures that could liquefy anything in it's range without any resistance – the additions can withstand a little more then those limits, so I think they'll be alright."
Zell considered wether the new gadgets could withstand a Meltdown or a Flare, but decided against asking. Instead he smiled, nodding. "Cool. I think Quistis will love these things." He lifted his red one. "And there was something you put in this one too?"
Aries rolled her eyes. "I told you this barely a minute ago, Zell!!" She huffed angrily, before grabbing the red gauntlet and roughly pulling it to point at the wrist-area of the gauntlet. "When you jerk your hand back to ninety degrees it will activate the magnets embedded just beneath the metal guarding the underneath your fingers and palm. Anything metallic within two feet that's not bolted to the floor will instantly fly into your grasp – so I hope you've got good reflexes."
Zell smirked, nodding slowly – before jerking his hand back. Instantly his belt buckle ripped off his jeans and into his palm – as well the screws holding the table next to them together, the earrings off Aries' ears, and Zell's keys (also recreated by the Immortals), which flew out of his pocket and into his hand. "Sweet…" Zell said with a huge grin as he let his hand fall forward, the magnets deactivating and letting the items fall loose into his hands.
Aries rolled her eyes and snatched her earrings out of his grasp. Thankfully they had only been clip-ons. "Sometimes I wonder how we put up with you, Zell…" Aries muttered. "I'm beginning to see why men were so annoying to begin with."
Zell shrugged, placing his keys in his pocket as he threaded his belt into his pants once more. "There's a saying in my Universe…'boys with toys'…I cant think of the rest."
Aries rolled her eyes again. "I think I understand." She turned to Dee, who approached them slowly. "Well my dear, are you ready?"
Dee bit her bottom lip hesitantly, grasping the Universal Blade in his gloved hand. Her pack was on her back, her laptop strapped to her side plugged into the Blade and ready for anything. She paused, however. "Mistress…I just realised something."
Zell frowned. "What is it, hon?"
"It's the Blade…it can only record the Address of the Universe we're going to."
Zell looked from Aries to Dee with a confused look on his face. "Um…we know that. That's why we have the Addresses already in the laptop, right? We're need to go back to Gaia. There's no point in recording the address if we're going to one we already know."
It hit him suddenly, his mind replaying the words Aries had said to him as he had fallen to the Alcauld grass only yesterday.
"Julius wasn't able to get the address to our world, remember?"Zell looked to Dee, who continued to look at the Blade in her now trembling hands. Her eyes were wide, and she looked like she was about to cry. Is she…having second thoughts?
Dee continued to stare at the device in her hands as she spoke, her voice cracking as she spoke. "I'll…never see you again, Mistress…there was no point in me becoming leader of the Valkyres, 'coz I'll never be able to come back and lead them…"
Aries stepped forward with a shuddering sigh, embracing the girl tightly to her to stop her from seeing her own grief. "Oh Dee…it's normal to feel frightened about it. But believe me…it's for the greater good. You're the saviour of the Immortals now, our Universal Protector. And only our elite can be awarded…and cursed…with that job."
Dee sniffed, fighting the tears that were threatening to roll down her cheeks. She remembered what Zell had said that very morning, how she was always over-emotional. It made her feel embarrassed, and she pulled away from Aries' hug slowly, wiping her eyes, looking up with determination etched onto her face. "…Of course, Mistress. I will protect our world from our aggressors, no matter the cost."
"Spoken like a true heroine…" Lorelei said softly.
Zell nodded slowly, agreeing with the Valkyre completely.
Dee released a heavy breath before looking over to Zell. "You ready?"
Zell smiled at her determination. "Ready and waiting, hon."
Dee bit her bottom lip – before nodding precisely. "Then lets get going."
* * *
The Alcauld Plains were empty this time, devoid of life except for the trees in the distance, the grass wafting in the afternoon breeze, and the smell of the ocean. Unlike before there were no monsters meandering their ways around the plains, no people out having a picnic – no witnesses to see the edge of a blade suddenly appear before slashing straight down and creating what looked like a slice through the air, the image within the slash being one of difference, aliened, strange.
Dee and Zell stepped through the portal wearily, the warmth of the hugs and pats on the back still with them as Dee turned to the Tear slowly, taking one last look at her world as the portal began to close up on itself.
Aries stood just before the Tear, smiling as a single tear rolled down her cheek. "Remember Dee," She called. "You must be strong for us. Show these Universes that the Immortals will not lie down and allow themselves to be trampled. Show them the compassion that we try to give. Show them the love that exists in you. And remember that we'll never forget you."
The two edges of the Tear finally met together, the invisible edges slowly closing on Aries' face, before blinking out altogether, showing nothing but long grassy plains and wide open spaces.
Dee sniffed audibly as she stood there, the Blade still open and humming in her hand, staring at the space where Aries' had been. Her mentor, teacher and surrogate mother was now gone, possibly forever. Dee's hand tightened on the Blade's grip slightly. "I promise to find a way back, Mistress…to tell you of the sights I've seen and the encounters I've experienced. I promise I'll return to our world…one way or another."
Dee then turned to face Zell, slowly folding the Blade back into itself as she smiled up at him bravely. "Okay…now what?"
Zell looked down at her with pride. "Now we show these son-of-a-bitch Hearts that it'll take a lot more then strength and speed to stop a Dincht – right?"
Dee nodded curtly, a large smile growing on her face. "Right!"
Zell nodded along with her…before turning his head towards Balamb. "But first…"
* * *
Ma Dincht was happily cooking up a storm, her kitchen filled with the delicious aromas of Zell's favourite foods – Pot Roast with crackling, steak and mashed potatoes, Balamb Fish cooked to perfection with a slight dash of lemon – and, of course, home-made hotdogs, the buns crisp, the sausages sweating with juice, the mustard and tomato sauce almost melting along with the cheese…
Her friends had said that she was crazy, that she had only been hearing things. That Squall and Rinoa could not have lied – that Zell had been killed, buried and was now with her husband in the Great Beyond. That cooking dinner for him was insane.
But Ma knew what she had heard. She knew what she had heard. The words, disjointed and lilted as they were, as the wind carried them to her ears, still ringing true. She knew what she had heard – and she knew her little Zell would not have wanted to wait. He would not be able to control himself – he would come as soon as possible. She was not crazy.
She had had no sleep. She had gone to her newly-built home immediately, staying up all night to put up the streamers and to blow up the balloons, to double-check once more that Zell's room was tidy and ready for him, that everything was to be laid out for her son when he returned. She was not crazy.
She had shunned away all her friends who had come to consol her – they did not have a son who was a Sorceress Hero. They didn't have the Hunter as a son. They didn't know of his true determination, of his courage, of his indomitable will. They would laugh and call her crazy, call her insane behind her back – but she would have the last laugh when Zell walked through the door. She was not crazy.
She opened the oven one last time, pulling out the sizzling Pot Roast, the meat crackling with luscious flavour. The smell was almost unbearably good, and Ma chuckled to herself, remembering the way he had followed his nose home almost every day of his active childhood. He had always had a healthy appetite, eating every scrap of what she put before him and asking for seconds. She knew that, if the hotdogs and the fish didn't draw him, then this would. She was not crazy.
Placing the Roast down in the centre of the dining table, she grabbed the gravy-pot and poured it over the steaming meat, adding even more to the flavour. Placing the pot down and wiping the drop of gravy from its spout, she took one of the roasted potatoes from within the Roast's tray and popped one into her mouth. The taste was exquisite, as usual – Ma Dincht prided herself on being the best cook in Balamb. There had been many a time that Garden had tried to recruit her to cook in the cafeteria – but she had politely declined, happy to spend her days at home with Zell then seeing him at his place of work. She was not crazy.
She looked over the spread on the table, noting that she had made four-places again instead of just two. She smiled at that. Zell had always made a habit of bringing home friends at the most inconvenient times – but this time she was prepared. She was ready. She was not crazy.
She sat down and waited with a bemused grin on her face, wringing her hands together impatiently. What was taking him so long? Was he injured? Did he have more luggage then he had taken with him when he had gone away? Was one of his friends holding him up? She was not crazy.
She stood suddenly, blinking in surprise. What if something had happened to his room whilst she had been cooking?!
Dashing from her spot she raced up the stairs as fast as her considerable weight allowed her, coming to Zell's door and flinging it open – to reveal nothing. Everything was exactly as she had made it – the bed was perfectly made and smoothed over. Zell's T-Board was charged and floating in the corner next to his Grandpa's guns – scorched and burned by the explosion from the last house, but built to last. Zell's new punching bag, filled with fresh sand from the beach and latched on so it wouldn't catch like it used to, hung still and silent. Everything had been made neat and tidy for his return, everything ready for him instantly if he needed it. She was not crazy.
She was not crazy.
She was not…
Ma leant against the doorframe, blinking back the tears as she remembered his final words to her. She had been discussing the impossibility of his universal journey with him and Angel, the two young SeeDs reclined on Zell's bed with Angel in Zell's arms as Ma had leant exactly where she was now, the two of them laughing as Zell looked up at her and said:
"If it's anything like Time Compression, Ma, then I'll have nothing to worry about. Nothing's impossible, right?"
Ma had snorted and waved him off, confident in his strength and skill, confident that he would be back in less then the week they had said it might take. Confident…
She collapsed to the floor of the bedroom, weeping her heart out, her breath shuddering into her body as the stupidity of her actions fell onto her shoulders like the weight of all the worlds. Zell was gone. The fact, fuelled by her grief, had consumed her. She was irrational, crazy, hearing voices of her dead son. And she couldn't take it anymore…
She blinked, sharply breathing in as the sound of the front door unlocking wafted up the stairs and down the hallway. She paused suddenly, stopping herself from jumping to her feet and running, placing her fist to her head in an effort to stop the noise of two feet walking through the foyer vibrating through the hallway floorboards, before a voice came up the stairs.
"...Damn, something smells friggin good…"
* * *
Dee turned to Zell, confusion on her face. "…How could someone have been expecting us? I don't think we were spotted yesterday…"
Zell smirked, walking forward and taking off his backpack, dumping it on the ground like he had done a million times before. "Ah, but that's Ma for you – always ready, no matter what the circumstance."
A creak of the stairs made them both turn – to see Ma Dincht, her hand clutching the stair-rail so hard, shaking so violently, that it looked like she was about to rip it from it's foundations. Her plump face was white as a sheet as she lifted one more foot, infinitely slowly, to plant it down on the floor.
Zell stepped forward slowly, approaching her with care, not making any sudden movements. He figured this was what seeing a ghost would look like. "…Hi Ma." He said softly as he moved towards her. "…Sorry I'm late, but I wanted to show Dee where the Garden used to be."
Ma bit her bottom lip to stop it quivering. "Your…your tattoo's gone…" she whispered as the tears fell from her eyes, reaching out tentatively to trace a hand across his smooth cheek, as if testing to see he was solid.
Zell smiled, grasping the hand and holding it to his cheek. "I'll be getting it back soon, don't you worry."
That was the final nail. Ma instantly leapt from her position to hug Zell to her as hard and as firmly as she had ever done before, weeping with wild abandon as she held his head to her cheeky, running her fingers through his spiky hair, constantly checking that he was really there.
Dee stood back and watched, holding her hands to her mouth as she tried to hold her emotions in check, tried to remain professional, tried to remain strong – but was losing fast.
Zell simply allowed himself to be embraced, patting his hands on Ma's back and whispering to her that everything was alright, that he was home, that she didn't need to worry anymore. It suddenly occurred to him that this was what had happened to him when he had awoken from his Sorceress dreams, screaming, covered in a sweat – to find Ma sitting on his bed with open arms, letting all his fear and trouble wash away in a sea of warmth and soothing words.
It was almost impossible to keep his emotions at bay.
Finally Ma pulled away from Zell, looking him up and down, noting the strange fabric of his clothes and his gauntlets and his clean, un-tattooed face, before looking over at the girl standing near the door, looking ready to burst into tears herself. Ma composed herself quickly, softly slapping Zell across the chops with a rapidly growing smile. "Zell, you should introduce your guest." She said in the same annoyed tone she had used every time he had brought home another friend.
Zell smiled uncertainly, scratching the back of his neck as he looked over to Dee. "Ah…well…Ma, this is…Dee. She's…she's…well, it's hard to explain…"
Ma waved her hand at Zell, before stepping forward and grasping the girl's hands softly, taking them away from her face to look her in the eyes, filled with a mixture of fright, shock and embarrassment. "Dear…a person as pretty as you should never hide your face like that. Come with me and we'll get some food into you…we can discuss your origins over dinner…"
An elated Ma led a bewildered Dee into the next room, leaving Zell to watch from the foyer as Ma sat Dee down at a place on the table and give her a napkin. Zell couldn't help but smile, shaking his head in amazement, before looking about the foyer with a mild sigh of relief. "Home…"
"Zell Dincht! I did not cook this dinner for my own amusement!"
"Coming Ma!!"
* * *
All together now…awwwwwwwwwww!!Sorry I haven't updated in AGES – but believe me, it'll be worth it.
I've been researching and creating new things for the up and coming major event, an event so major you might call it…universally important? Lets just say it's gonna involve one hell of a fight – a fight I'm gonna see if I can drag for at least two chapters. Two 'My Final Finale' sized chapters!!
