"So, you're a SeeD? Then go plant your ass somewhere and leave me alone."
-Gilmahn
PASTS WRATH
Temoren arrives in the town of Balamb. He loves it like no place other. The gentle and beautiful colors, the peace and quiet, the amazing view of the sea. This is the perfect place, he thinks to himself. He walks slowly down the street, passing small shops, and the train station. The one that went underground from Balamb to Timber. He came back on boat though, he loved the ocean so much. Plus, the train seemed so boring after a while.
He makes his way to the Balamb Hotel. 100 gil for a night, not too bad, he thinks. His sister lives in Balamb, one of the reasons why he came. The other reason is the fact that he got a nice suspension for the Deling incident. A small slap on the wrist compared to what could have happened. This did not surprise him at all. The leadership within the SeeD had gotten very foolish. They could be doing important things, but instead they fiddle with disciplinary actions even though he didn't really do anything wrong.
The bad news had also reached him earlier. Squall had passed away. Although he was the knight to a sorceress, he was still the SeeD that defeated Ultimecia. The one that was destined to defeat her all along. Now it was the SeeDs job to see that these things don't happen in the future. The head members of Balamb Garden asked for his body, they planned on doing a small ceremony for him, but in short Rinoa's advisor told them to...well, yeah.
A gust of winds blows harshly through the abandoned street. Along with it came that familiar feeling that Temoren always got. He knew it too well, but not enough about it. Is Rinoa and Gilmahn here? Why would they be in Balamb? The questions swirl in his mind as his guard goes up. The feeling gets stronger and weaker, fading in and out, like a shadow creeping through the night. Eventually it seems to fade away altogether, leaving Temoren to wonder even more. He begins to turn around and keep walking, but stops quickly, startled by a figure.
"Bro!" Says a young girl, in her mid twenties. She has long brown hair and a bright smile.
"Sis...geez. Don't scare me like that." He moves over quickly to her and hugs her tightly, nearly lifting her up off the ground. "I haven't seen you in so long..."
"Well, you don't come home that much." She pouts a little as he lets go of her.
"I can't help it, things have been busy." He runs the back of his neck while rotating it, as if getting rid of a cramp. "Come on, girl, smile again." He pats the top of her head, the smile slowly returns. "I rented a room at the hotel for a few nights. The good room with the nice view. Should be awesome."
"Oh, that's good! I still have my own place, but it's too small for another person to sleep, sorry..."
"No, that's alright. I don't want to impose." He steps past her a little ways. "I need to get my things to the room, Sis. Then...we should walk by the water, or something." His little sisters looks back at him with an odd look, he had never seen her look at him that way. After a few moments she shakes her head quickly.
"Sorry, I'm tired...walk...uh, yeah...sure."
That feeling continues to nip at Temoren the entire day. Like a fly that won't go away no matter how much or how hard you swat. It isn't at full strength though. It just fades in and out with the wind. Perhaps Rinoa and Gilmahn came to Balamb after all to discuss a ceremony for Squall? Whatever it is, he refuses to let it distract him from his good day, so far at least.
They walk along the harbor. It was one of the best views in the world, Temoren thinks to himself. He had been to quite a few places, so that says a lot. Various birds fly over head, while other people move about the harbor. Despite all the animals and people about, it is still very quiet. Temoren and his sister continue to walk on, whispering about memories, family, and much more.
"Why are you so busy all the time?" She asks, their conversation becomes louder than their previous ones.
"The world has many problems, Sis. I have to take care of them."
"Like what problems?" She asks softly.
"There are bad people in this world, Sis. They do bad things. They try to deceit everyone."
"Who would do that?"
"Sorceresses." He keeps his answers as short and simple as possible. "You don't see these problems as much as I do, because of my job."
"I'm not a kid anymore, you know." She says, a little annoyed.
"I know! I'm just saying. My job is to deal with problems. You don't really do that."
His sister begins to slow down more and more, until she comes to a full stop. Temoren doesn't even notice at first until he looks to his side and no one is walking beside him. He stops and looks back to his sister, who is on the verge of tears.
"Huh...why you cryin'?" Temoren looks behind himself and sees nothing, then he turns back to his sister, confused.
"I...I just need some time to myself." She turns and jogs away, he starts to chase her, but she goes around a corner and he figures she might need to be by herself for a while.
Time to go back to my room then, he thinks to himself, still concerned about his sister too. He walks back the way he came, the wind blows against his back, his loose pants ruffle against the force of it. He walks in quietly, and nods to the owner. He walks up the stairs to his room, the one with the good view. He was happy it wasn't reserved when he arrived. Slowly and gently, the door opens as he walks in, and he closes it gently as well. He sighs a little about the way his day has went for the worse.
Temoren walks over to a small sofa in the room. He plops down on it, only noticing a small piece of paper on the table in front of him minutes later. He raises a brow and picks it up and begins to read.
Brother,
I took a trip to Deling City a few weeks ago. During the night I was confronted by this very strange woman. She said something about "succeeding where I failed", and then she...disappeared! I didn't even know what had happened until days later. She passed a part of herself on to me, brother. I thought I could talk to you today about this. I have no one to protect me. But it seems I cannot come to you for help. I know what your job is, even though you like to think I am ignorant about everything. It is clear to me now that this will no longer work out, and I have left. I am sorry.
Sis
He just stares at the piece of paper after finishing it. A chill starts at the bottom of his spine and goes all the way up, hitting every vertebrae along the way. She wanted him to be her knight? Who was this witch in Deling city? This witch had attacked him in a way no other one ever had.
Temoren stands up quickly, taking a firm hold of a glass cup, and throws it against a nearby wall. It explodes, breaking into a thousand pieces, shattering the silence of the hotel.
He dies a little more inside.
