Authoress's Note: Though this chapter have been complete for a while I took my time updating. One reason is because I didn't have it with me over vacation; the other is that NO ONE reviewed. So I'd like to thank Firefly for finally doing so. Other than that, this fic is drawing rapidly to a close. I'd like to point out, again, that after this I'm going to do Origins of Odin and then a short fic about what happened when Corin's choice from last chapter was to NOT leave Seifer behind… smirks
Firefly-Dreams: You've been away? Good. I hadn't posted the next chap of SeeDs: Darkness Versus Light yet. Well, enjoy the chapter hunny.
Chapter 10: Homecoming????
Drew
It had hit suddenly, but lasted for what seemed like years. What we saw did not just belong to us, but to the people of the world. Squall and Seifer seemed unfazed but the rest of us came out of it suffering from the sights. How could one species cause so much pain? How could one woman kill so many of our friends and family?
"I can't believe it," Jason said, sobbing onto Suijin's shoulder, "Kyle can't be dead!"
"Don't shed your tears. When time compression is broken, so will those futures be ended," Squall said, rubbing the boy's back. Yet my 'father's' focus was clearly on Galbidia Garden standing before us.
"Those were possible futures?" I questioned, disturbed by a vision of my Rella's death.
"Yes, possible futures and the definite past," Seifer said, standing, "Come on; we've got to get out of the open. I don't know about you kids but I'm not in the mood to deal with a stray T-Rexsaur. Get inside. Fuu and Rai will be holding the fort down, I hope…"
"HALT!" a sharp voice commanded from the gates of the Garden.
"Well, speak of the devil. Yo Fuu! I've come baring gifts!" Seifer said, moving to the red-eyed woman.
"IMPOSTERS!" the woman shouted and threw her large Shiruken at the unarmed man.
"Shit!" Seifer swore as the pinwheel impacted with my gunblade. Lucky for my old man that I am still quick and ready to fight.
The blue weapon clattered to the ground, useless, as someone let out a roar and attacked us from behind. The staff flew from Raijin's hand as it connected with Reyn's Angel Soul. The man and woman, looking far older than when we had left them, glared at us until they laid their eyes on Suijin and Jason.
"REAL?!" Fujin questioned, moving close to poke my shoulder.
"Real enough to take that other eye out," I hissed.
"Shit Fuu, I think it really is them, ya know!?" Raijin exclaimed.
"IMPOSSIBLE!" Fujin shouted, kicking me in the shin.
I only allowed myself a slight wince. Yeah, her kicks hurt alright. Now I feel real bad for Raijin, "How long have we been gone?"
The question shocked the SeeD leaders as much as the answer shocked us, "Ten years. We thought you were captured by Ultimecia. Hell… I'm fifty-two now, ya know? We're getting too old for this war."
"The cavalry has arrived to put this to an end," Rhiale announced happily.
"SUIJIN!" Fujin said, moving to her son. The embrace was short lived though, as a shout escaped Fiera as a warning.
A large, burly man jumped out at us, a sword in hand. The person word a blood red uniform and wore an odd marking upon it, black angel wings. Rella had shown me this pattern before, so I moved into an aggressive stance. This was one of Ultimecia's elite forces, probably meant to take out the heads of what we could assume was the last standing Garden, and maybe the only resistance left against her. Yet before Reyn or I could silence the man that would have been ours to command three shots rang out in the cool air. Corin held his machine gun before him, glaring at the corpse. The bullets had cut through the attacker easier than a knife through hot butter. Without words we all grabbed our stuff and followed Raijin and Fujin into the garden. It's amazing how much Corin is starting to look like my grandfather…
Later
"So, let me get this straight," Kyle Kinneas said, his voice calm, "You were in the PAST, Squall and Seifer are ANGELUS and Reyn and Drew, though Sorceress Knights, are HELPING us?"
"Sounds crazy, doesn't it?" Jason asked his younger brother, who was currently his elder by nine years.
"Yeah, But Damn, I believe it all, 'Cept maybe the Corin and Fiera together thing…" Kyle laughed. Of course, he'd only believed the GF status of Squall and Seifer when the two angels were forced to become Angelus to protect the Garden from a missile volley sent by the 'lovely' Sorceress.
"Why don't you fill us in bro?" Rhiale asked, blowing on the hot coffee mug in her hands.
"Everything but the Gardens fell shortly after you left. Balamb went first, then Trabia, finally Esthar. But the SeeDs have been attacking without Gardens, all but this one. Mom has taken charge now that Zell and Quistus are missing. Nida has been taken captive, along with Dad. We don't know about anything else," Kyle said sadly. It was obvious his wife Ishuna was dead from the way he played with his wedding band.
"Don't worry," Corin said as he stood, "We'll deal with it. We just need to get to the castle. And when it's all over this 'present' won't exist and things will be happier."
"Easier said than done, Corin. No one gets in there unless she wants them in, ya know?" Raijin supplied.
"Well then, we have to be the first to bust in," Ward said, running a hand lovingly over his harpoon.
"We'll help…" Kyle offered, "I'll get in touch with mom."
With that the three left us alone. I let out a sigh of relief and stood, "Come on Reyn, we've got to go."
"What? Why?" my brother protested.
"Ultimecia will be expecting us Reyn. We can't disobey now and loose our edge. I sense her searching, and she must NOT find us here."
Rella
"They are lovely," Ultimecia said, petting the man of the large lion.
"They are GFs! They are Demigods!" I shrieked in horror.
"They are completely tame my dear, unlike you, daughter, I can handle GFs like Griever and Tiamat."
"Dear me," a sarcastic tone rang through the room. "They think that we don't have our GFs under control. They believe we cannot handle them Drew."
"DREW!" I happily cried as my missing knight, and his brother, strode up.
"Ah, my mistress, I was lost without you," he said as we embraced.
"Oy," Reyn said as he rolled his eyes, an action mirrored by his pure half of Angelus.
"Come Reyn, view my reliable guardians," my mother's sickly sweet voice chuckled.
"They know us," Griever purred softly, "Or of us. Yet we'd like to test them."
"Yes, a test would be proper," the large dragon growled.
"Sounds lovely!" Rinoa/Ultimecia said.
"Mother! Grieve and Tiamat could slay them easily!" I panicked.
"No Rella, my lady, we can handle two GFs. Is that not right Darus?"
"It would be my pleasure," the dark angel answered its master.
"Oh, then we will leave you to it. I must go work on creating palace guardians. Come help Rella," she said, turning away.
Alas… I can do nothing but obey my mother…
Reyn
Once our mistresses left us with their deadly pets, we both tensed up, hands on gunblades. Imagine my shock when the two creatures began to laugh. Honestly, you don't understand the adrenaline that gets pumping in your veins until you've been through this. On top of that, the idea of being tested by such legendary beings was a scary thing.
"Griever, my lord," Darus said, bowing low to the great lion.
"Master Tiamat," Valen said, mirroring his lover's action.
"Well well, if it isn't the Lion of Balamb and the Dragon of Esthar," Griever chuckled, bowing to them as well.
"Um… WHAT is going on?" I questioned.
"He is an impatient one," Tiamat said, looking me over, "But the Dragon Pup is right my friend and brother. We must be quick."
"Yet it has been so long!" Valen said, flying to the dragon and stroking its head, "Can we not catch up?"
"No time," Darus said, seating himself upon the great lion. "We will talk with Crysil to find out how. Now we need to know why you'd let yourselves be grabbed."
"We had to see your offspring," Griever chuckled yet again, "After all we have waited eons for such a powerful breeding… But come my friends, we must speak of the plans."
"Plans?" Drew asked, finally speaking.
"Yes Lion Cub. Soon the battle will take place, and you must free her prisoners," Tiamat said, "Valen can take a message to the SeeD forces. But that is all we can tell you other than who the prisoners are."
"Why?"
"Because, Dragon Pup, you must choose your own fate. We tested your parents twice, once here in the near future, and again in a place you will see soon enough… Your test is succeeding in saving your friends, without interfering with the past. A difficult task, when you finally have to perform it," Griever said.
"Mercale! Darus is here!" siren sang sweetly to gain Crysil's attention.
"Don't you weave your magic on me young Miss Maria!" the smith declared loudly as she came forth from her 'chapel', which was nothing more than a room of many symbols and rendering of the Hyne she'd never know.
"Relax my love," I said softly as she stepped to my side and played with my now obsidian hair.
"Squall, what brings you here?" my wife asked as I wrapped my arms around her.
"How did they get captured?"
"Griever and Tiamat?" I questioned.
"Yes Gilgamesh, the demigods, the servants of Hyne, the divine angels meant to help DEFEAT Sorceresses," the evil half of Angelus roared.
Lady of the Phoenix says: I smell potential background for the sequel ::cough cough::
"That is something I too have questioned over the years. Prince Dr… I mean Gilgamesh, knows better than I," the ancient smith admitted.
"I MUST know," Darus demanded.
"They are weak," my words came forth, though why for this one and not for my love when she'd previously asked so many times escaped me, "Every few centuries this happens, when a child comes from those who both share the blood of Crysil and me. This is the first time I have seen both weak at the same time tough, so I am not totally sure."
"They both bear your mark on their weapons," Darus said to my wife.
"And yet Griever and Tiamat have not asked me to begin their new appearances. I am confused too Squall, and I cannot help you my child. Please forgive this."
"All I can do is forgive you milady," he admitted, "To us GFs you are as a sorceress is to her knight…"
"Well, thank you for that Darus."