Dollet – 6.30 a.m. (Dollet Time)
Seifer felt someone touching his shoulder.
"Who's that?" Seifer slowly opened his eyes and saw Selphie resting peacefully by his side and in front of him stood an old man in grey uniform leaning at him in front of the charred firewood.
"Good morning, sir," the old man, turning out to be a technician, started with an affable smile. "Had a nice nap?"
"What's your problem," Seifer said nastily, rubbing his eyes to keep them awake.
"Sorry to disturb, but it's already morning. And if you're one of those racers you can come inside the tower to have some coffee, if you want to."
"Thank you sir," Seifer muttered. He felt a slight movement beside him.
"Mm? Is it morning already?" Selphie arose from her sleep, stretching her arms.
"By the way, you two looked like the most intimate couple I've ever seen in my whole life," the old technician said sarcastically, turning back to see Seifer squinting his eyes in an unfriendly manner.
Seifer and Selphie shuddered as a cold morning breeze billowed past them, while looking up at the apex of the turret to find an antenna protruding from the mist that shrouded the 'Lost King'.
"I'll climb." Selphie climbed up a rung, her gray cardigan and her hair fluttered freely in the wind. She got to the top and stood on the raised steel platform in front of the satellite dish. "Wow, this is truly breathtaking!" Selphie cheered as she gazed at the sunrise, coloring the whole town in gold. She saw the sea in full view when she looked at the same direction the 'Lost King' was facing. Across the sea, off the Dollet coast, she could easily spot their next destination. "It's a lighthouse!"
Fujin woke up in an unusual morning ache, and when she found Raijin's hand resting on her abdomen, she gaped. She shoved the hand away angrily and glared at Raijin beside her, sleeping soundly with his back showing. There was only one queen-size bed in the cabin, but Raijin should have been sleeping on the floor. Raijin might have climbed up to the bed while Fujin was asleep, since he complained that the cracked wooden floor was so uncomfortable to sleep on.
That irritated Fujin.
"Oh my god, did we have sex?" she thought. "Did he put a condom on?"
Fujin got off the bed immediately and walked to Raijin's side of the bed. She kicked away the nylon sleeping bag that Raijin was supposed to sleep in last night.
"WAKE UP!" Her voice trembled in the dilapidated cabin. Raijin woke up groggily to see Fujin glaring at him with her arms akimbo above her jeans.
"Morning Fujin," he said sleepily, putting on the sweatshirt that he had used as a blanket. "By the way, what time is it?"
Fujin started to blush, and then she shook her head and perked up her voice.
"SIX FORTY-ONE!" she screamed.
At seven, Fujin and Raijin waited for the security guards to open the gates, while drinking coffee from their thermos.
"The forest's all yours!" the guard said, ushering the duo to enter the forest.
The forest was suddenly alive with the twitter of birds and the squeak of the chipmunks, forming the harmonious orchestra of the forest.
"What are we looking for?" Raijin asked. "I don't wanna hang around here for too long ya know."
"WIMP!" Fujin hissed, leading Raijin deeper into the woods. "We're looking for a creature called Mr. Monkey who will take us to the Fast Forward pass."
"How does this Mr. Monkey look like?" Raijin asked. "I gotta know so I can lend a hand ya know."
"Probably furry and has a tail," Fujin replied briefly.
"You mean this critter over here?" Raijin bent down to pick up a squirrel, eating its acorn, by the tail. The squirrel dropped the acorn and waved its paws hysterically, trying to scratch Raijin's nose. "Aren't ya an adorable one."
"FOOL!" Fujin kicked Raijin on the ankle. Raijin released the squirrel. The squirrel immediately picked up the acorn and scurried away.
"Aw come on, if it wasn't Mr. Monkey I'll keep it as a pet!" Raijin said stupidly, but remembered that he was living with Fujin under the same roof. "Oops, I forgot that you don't like to have fur in your apartment."
"Do you know how a monkey looks like in a first place?" Fujin, with her arms akimbo, sneered at Raijin.
"Uh... furry and has a tail?" Raijin answered dumbly.
"He looks exactly like YOU… YOU… You boorish, dumb, sorry-excuse for a disciplinary committee FOOL!" Fujin screamed, causing a rustle that was vaguely heard at the space that the duo was on. "Something's coming," Fujin whispered and motioned her finger at Raijin to keep quiet. The rustle grew more significant; someone or something must be coming for them. Fujin spun around to anticipate the forthcoming of an unknown assailant. She then looked at Raijin confusedly. Then she saw tiny black hands grabbing Raijin's hair. She gaped, pointing to the creature that was on of Raijin's head; a white-faced monkey with black fur.
"You SUCK!" Mr. Monkey chattered and jigged.
Irritated, Raijin raised his hands silently, attempting to push away the dancing monkey.
"Stupid monkey!"
Two large palms appeared in front of Mr. Monkey. He jumped off just before the hands could touch him.
"You SUCK!" Mr. Monkey stuck out his tongue and pulled his eyelid at Raijin, unaware of another pair of hands that deftly captured him by grabbing his long, furry tail.
"PASS, WHERE!" Fujin demanded, lifting Mr. Monkey off the ground by the tail up to her height, glaring at him.
"Okay, okay!" the talking monkey said. "You don't suck okay? I take back my word for it! Let me down and I'll lead you to the hidden treasure." Mr. Monkey then fell on the dirt with a thud.
The duo followed the monkey to a bush where Mr. Monkey pulled out the green Fast Forward Pass.
"Good luck and don't SUCK!" Mr. Monkey said before disappearing into the thick undergrowth.
"CONGRATULATIONS! You have claimed the Fast Forward. Now you can go directly to the next pit stop: Lord Denithera's Castle in the outskirts of Dollet." Fujin stopped reading and turned to the confused looking Raijin.
"Uh, I think we're lost," Raijin mumbled.