The next morning I woke up more exhausted than I had been when I had fallen asleep the previous night. My head hurt, as did the cuts on my face and virtually every bone in my body. The after-affects of the "fight" with Raven, I guess. After groaning a few times and stretching gingerly, I got out of bed and realized that the Garden was moving. Apparently I had slept through the announcements and the departure from Galbadia. I looked out the window, trying to ascertain some sense as to where we were, but all I saw was blue ocean.
Once I was out of bed, I took a shower, then got dressed for the day. After emerging from the bathroom, I plugged my laptop into the Garden Network and checked up on the infirmary patients. My mom was listed as stable and awake, and was scheduled for discharge sometime this afternoon. Aunt Selphie was stable and awake as well, but her discharge wasn't scheduled until tomorrow morning. Aunt Rinoa was stable but sedated, which suggested that she had woken up sometime during the night or early morning. Uncle Raijin was already discharged. He had left the infirmary about an hour before I woke up. Tristen was still sedated as well and Aunt Cammi was still in critical condition.
As I backtracked to the main page of the Garden Network, preparing to close out, a memo at the bottom of the page caught my eye. It was titled "Important" but had no description as to it's contents. I clicked on it out of curiosity and saw that it was a memo about the SeeDs and cadets that had been killed during the attack yesterday. It said that a funeral would be held today at 1000 hours and that while not mandatory, it was recommended that all SeeDs attend to show their support. It said that after the funeral, the bodies would be shipped back to the parents to be buried in whatever way the family saw fit. It also had a list of the names of the deceased. After scanning the six names, I was relieved to find out that I didn't know any of them personally, although my heart still went out to their families and friends.
I closed out of the Garden Network and shut my computer off, then decided to go get some breakfast. I called Kayla and after a short conversation, met her in her room. She had retrieved her crutches from Dr. Kadowaki, where they had been taken after discovery in the brush around the fountain.
"Dr. Kadowaki says that by tomorrow or the day after, I won't need them anymore," Kayla informed, "She says my ankle's pretty much healed. It doesn't even hurt anymore."
We called Tal from Kayla's room to tell him where we were going and then after meeting him in the hall, went on to breakfast. Like we had been doing for the past couple of days, Kayla got us a table while the two of us got trays of food. When we were all seated and the food was passed out, Tal told us that Aunt Rinoa had awakened briefly last night around midnight.
"My dad told me this morning," he explained in between bites of his breakfast, "He said that all of a sudden, her eyes opened and she looked around the room like she was scared. She tried to sit up but my dad held her down. She fought back weakly and kept mumbling about someone coming for her. She kept struggling and insisting that she had to escape until Dr. Kadowaki gave her a sedative through her IV line."
Tal looked like he himself might become ill after recounting the story to us.
"Don't worry Tal," I tried to comfort, "Your mom's gonna be fine. She's just a little disoriented because of her ordeal. I'm sure next time she wakes up, things will be better."
"Yeah," Tal nodded, but I could tell that he didn't believe me.
"So," Kayla began, trying to change the subject, "Are we gonna go to the funeral?"
Tal winced and nodded and I answered. "Yeah. It's the least we can do for them."
"What are we supposed to wear?" Kayla inquired. While traditional funerals called for the wearing of black or other dark colors, I thought it would be appropriate if we wore our SeeD uniforms. Kayla and Tal agreed and after breakfast, we went back to our rooms to get ready.
After all of us were dressed, we had about an hour until the funeral started so we decided to gather in my room to wait. We talked about mundane things, trying to keep our minds off of what had happened and what the aftermath had been. I could tell that Tal was taking it harder than the rest of us because it had been his sister who had committed the atrocities, even though it hadn't really been her. He was also upset about his mom and was worried about her too. I felt bad for him but I knew there was nothing I could say or do that would help him or comfort him.
When it was time to head to the funeral, the three of us left my room and somberly headed towards the Quad, were the funeral was to be held. We saw several other SeeDs in uniform, as well as quite a few cadets in uniform. All were headed to the Quad.
When we arrived, we had trouble finding seats. We finally managed to find three together and we sat down. We were towards the middle of the gathered mourners, so we could see half the people that filled the room. I was surprised to see my mom and dad, both dressed in their SeeD uniforms, sitting near the front of the room. My mom appeared to be in a wheelchair and she looked a little pale, but other than that, she looked fine. I also saw Uncle Squall, Uncle Irvine, Uncle Raijin, Aunt Fujin and Uncle Zell. All of them were dressed in their SeeD uniforms as well.
After everyone had been seated, the service began. Headmaster Cid said a few words, as did Uncle Squall and my mom. A few SeeDs who had known the deceased stood up and expressed their feelings. All in all, it was a beautiful tribute to the lives of those who had died, but it was depressing nonetheless. After about an hour and a half, the service concluded. Those who wished could stay behind and view the bodies but since I didn't know any of them, I figured I wasn't obliged to do so and I really didn't think Tal or Kayla should. Kayla was so sensitive about death and Tal couldn't help but remember who had caused their demise in the first place.
The three of us stood up and followed most of the others present out into the halls. Some stopped to talk with friends and express their sorrow at the deaths of their comrades, but Kayla, Tal and I kept walking until we were a ways from the Quad. I could see that Kayla had been crying and Tal looked terrible as well. I hugged both of them and then, seeing my parents approaching, waited until they joined us.
"What are you doing out of the infirmary?" I asked my mom, "I thought you weren't getting discharged until this afternoon?"
"She insisted on coming to the funeral," my dad replied, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Dr. Kadowaki told her no but she wouldn't listen. Finally, the doc agreed but she had to stay in the wheelchair."
"Which is unnecessary," my mother assured, "I feel much better."
"You still need to take it easy until you regain your strength," my dad insisted.
"Really Seifer," my mom scoffed, "Do we have to have this argument again?"
My dad muttered something under his breath, which sounded a lot like "Hyne damned woman, you aren't always right" and then they said goodbye and headed back to the infirmary, leaving us alone in the hallway. Having no reason to stay there, we headed back to the dorms to change out of our SeeD uniforms. We stopped in front of mine and Kayla's rooms.
"I think I'm gonna go sit with my mom for a while after I change," Tal told us.
"I wanna go visit my mom too," Kayla agreed.
"I'll wait for you then, okay?" Tal said.
"Okay."
"I'll see you guys later," I called and disappeared into my room. I was still tired although I had no idea why. I had gotten a good night's sleep, better than I usually do. But then again, I had had a VERY hectic day and my sleep had been disturbed by dark dreams that I couldn't quite ignore. Now that I was awake, I could remember nothing of them, but last night, I assume, they had kept me from fully resting.
Once in my room, I changed into a comfortable pair of sweat shorts and a white tank top. I checked the patient list on my computer to see how my aunts were doing, then laid down on my bed with a book. Before I knew it, I had drifted off to sleep.
I was surrounded by a darkness so thick that I couldn't even see my hand when I held it in front of my face. I turned slowly in a circle, hoping to find some source of light that would give me bearings in this strange place. I found none. I tried to call out to anyone that might be around, but my voice caught in my throat as if a Silence Powder had been thrown on me. Beginning to panic, I looked around again and this time, a pinprick of red light caught my eye. I started to walk towards it but a feeling of dread caused me to stop. Unfortunately, it didn't matter whether I was approaching it or not because it was approaching me.
The crimson spec began to grow as it rushed towards me, making no sound as it advanced. When I could see it well enough to know that it couldn't mean anything good for me, I turned and ran. I was skittish at first, afraid I would trip over something in the inky blackness but when I glanced over my shoulder and saw that a ruby wave of death was right on my heels, I threw caution to the wind and ran as fast as I could away from it.
It was no use. The red light had now taken on the consistency of water and was barreling towards me silently in this strange abyss. I tried to run faster but my legs wouldn't cooperate and the crimson tide washed over me, sucking me down into it's murky depths. I tried to hold my breath but the strange fluid forced itself into my mouth. I gagged repeatedly and tried to cough up the foul substance but to no avail. It poured in through my mouth and nose, forcing the breath out of me. Swirling in that crimson sea, I was sure I was going to die…
And then suddenly, I was laying on solid ground, purging the horrible liquid from my system. It lay in a ruby puddle next to me and I quickly backed away from it, afraid that it would attack. I sat up and looking around, realized I was in the black void again. The only spot of color was the red fluid I had expunged from my own body and even that was fading quickly. Not sure what was worse, the black or the red, I looked around frantically for some way to escape. To my horror, two spots of red where advancing from my left. I watched, hoping that this time it wouldn't be the death tide, and to my surprise it wasn't. It was something infinitely worse.
The red dots approached but got no bigger. Suddenly, a blinding light erupted from them, causing me to shield my eyes. When the glare had faded, I looked and saw that a woman had materialized from the light. She was tall, with long, flowing red hair. She wore a low cut emerald green dress that swept the floor at her feet and she had strange marking painted on her body. The twin ruby lights had been her eyes glowing in the darkness. She was a sorceress.
She approached me and I jumped to my feet, my hands automatically going to my hips where my Sais should've been. Of course, they weren't there. That would've been too easy. I tried to cast a spell, but my voice was still missing. The sorceress approached in a lazy saunter and there was nothing I could do but wait for her to reach me. She advanced until she was only a step in front of me, so close I could see the madness swirling in her eyes, which had been locked on me the entire time. Then, to my amazement, the sorceress stepped through me. I felt her body pass through me in a whoosh, but she gave no indication that she even knew I was there. I turned around to follow her progress and saw that a whole scene had developed behind me.
Inside a dimly lit room, the sorceress approached someone in the shadows. She stopped about five feet from the figure and beckoned with one figure for them to come to her. She was answered by a bullet that made no sound as it tore through the air. It bounced off the sorceress's shield and ricocheted off into the darkness that still surrounded me. My eyes went wide as the person in the shadows stepped forward, revealing their identity.
It was Vaughn Kinneas.
Not knowing what the sorceress would do to him, I ran to his side and tried to pull him back as he raised his gun again. My hand passed right through him and he didn't even flinch. I looked at the sorceress and saw that her face had contorted into a mask of rage. Without warning, she lunged forward and drove her pointed fingernails deep into Vaughn's chest. He gasped soundlessly as a silent scream escaped my lips. The sorceress grinned and shoved her hand in deeper, causing Vaughn's eyes to roll up into his head. He slumped down and the sorceress removed her hand, letting him fall to the floor. I was down half a second later, trying to ascertain if he was alive or not. I looked back up at the sorceress, glaring daggers at her and saw with rising horror that she was licking his blood off of her fingers. Wanting nothing more than to kill the vile thing, I remained at Vaughn's side because I knew I could do nothing to her.
I looked down at Vaughn and saw that his eyes had opened again. He was alive, but wouldn't be for long. Already, a pool of blood had spread out underneath him, enough so that I didn't think he could possibly be alive now, let alone in a few minutes. Silent tears rolled down my face as I tried to talk to him, touch him, anything to let him know that I was there with him. His eyes swam out of focus, then back in again and he looked right at me. I wasn't sure if he could see me or not, but then he smiled and he said my name, though I heard nothing. I only knew what he uttered because of the movement of his lips. He smiled again and then his eyes closed and the smile faded. Not ready to let him go, I tried to shake him back awake but it was no use. He was dead.
With the tears still burning down my cheeks, I stood up and approached the sorceress, who was laughing gaily while Vaughn's blood dripped from her hands and ringed her mouth. I tried to grab her but like before, I had no substance. Knowing there was nothing I could do to avenge Vaughn, I sank to my knees on the floor next to him once again and silently wailed his name over and over.
"Vaughn!"
My eyes shot open and I looked around frantically. It took me a few seconds before I realized that I was in my dorm room in the Garden. My heart was beating so fast that I could hear it like a drum in my ears. I took a deep breath and pushed myself into a sitting position, trying to slow my erratic heartbeat. Once I was successfully calm, I reached up to wipe the moisture off my face. Most of it was terror sweat but a few of the droplets on my cheeks had been tears, that I knew.
I looked around the room again, trying to convince myself that everything was all right. It was just a dream, I comforted myself. It had been one hell of a dream though. I'd never had one so graphic, or so frightening for that matter. The vivid images of the sorceress impaling Vaughn rushed into my memory too readily and I shuddered as I tried to rid myself of them.
What was that, Mistress?
What was what?
That memory, my GF clarified, where did it come from?
From a dream. Hey, I thought you could read my mind. How come you didn't see the dream?
Dreamscapes are sacred ground where Guardian Forces are forbidden to tread.
Lucky you, it wasn't a nice one.
I'm able to see it now that you are remembering it. It's so vivid.
Ii hope you got your fill of it because I don't want to picture it anymore.
Of course, Mistress.
With some effort, I pushed the heinous images from my mind and tried to forget about them. After a few minutes, I felt better and decided that I would try to read some more of the book I had been enjoying before I'd fallen asleep. I had just picked it up when the telephone rang. Still a little jumpy from the dream, I yelped in surprise and dropped the book onto the bed. I eyed the phone warily as it rang again.
It's just the phone, Mistress. It won't bite.
Quiet you.
I shakily reached for the receiver and after a brief hesitation during which it rang a fourth time, I picked it up. In the back of my mind, I almost expected it to be news that the sorceress had attacked and killed Vaughn.
"Hello?"
"It's about time you answer your phone." It was Kayla.
"Sorry," I said, "I've been asleep."
"Ooo," she cooed, "dreaming about Vaughn?"
I jumped as if I'd been slapped and almost told her yes. Of course, I wasn't dreaming about him in the way she meant, so I lied. "No."
"Sure," Kayla teased, "Well, anyway, me and Tal have been waiting for you to answer so we could go get some lunch."
I looked at my bedside clock. It read 1328 hours. "Why didn't you just go without me?"
"What kind of friends would we be if we made you get lunch all by yourself?"
"Crappy ones," I admitted with a grin. "Okay, I'm ready to go."
"Good, we'll be there in about two seconds."
I hung up the phone and five seconds later, not two, Kayla and Tal were at the door. I joined them in the hall and the three of us went to the cafeteria for lunch. As we were walking down the hall, I noticed that Kayla didn't have her crutches.
"Hey, what happened to your crutches?"
"Dr. Kadowaki says I don't need them anymore," she informed, "My foot's fine now, which means that I can kick butt again!"
She laughed happily and we continued to the cafeteria. Just as we were entering, Luke, Vaughn and Cale were leaving. They mumbled greetings to us but didn't stop to talk. Upon seeing Vaughn alive and well, I let out a sigh of relief and my mood improved greatly. In my subconscious, I had expected the dream to actually be a vision of what had happened. Of course, it still could happen but I'd worry about that later. Right now, I was just glad that he was still alive.
As the three of us walked towards the cafeteria counters, Kayla nudged me with her elbow. "Better put that tongue back in you mouth before it drags the floor."
I looked down at her in confusion. "What?"
"I saw you ogling Vaughn," she grinned.
"I was not!" I insisted.
"Sure, whatever," Kayla rolled her eyes, "I know what I saw."
Kaisa likes Vaughn, Kaisa likes Vaughn.
SHUT UP!
After getting our trays, we sat down at a table in the corner to eat. Certain parts of the cafeteria were still roped off as crew worked to replace the damaged portions with new tile or wall building materials. They worked quietly at their task and most of the diners, including us, ignored them.
"So Kaisa, Kayla tells me you like Vaughn now," Tal grinned and popped a chicken nugget into his mouth.
My eyes widened and my mouth dropped open. "She told you that?"
"Yeah," he replied nonchalantly, "And quite frankly, I'm a little pissed that you didn't tell me yourself."
Next to Tal, Kayla was trying hard not to laugh. She hid her smile behind the cheeseburger she was currently eating.
"I didn't tell you because it isn't true," I informed.
"That's not what Kayla says."
She was now trying to cover up small giggles as a fit of sneezes, but I wasn't fooled. I glared at her, then decided to turn the tables on them.
"So, what were the two of you doing while I was asleep?"
The grin left both of their faces and they stared at me in stunned silence, as if I knew exactly what they were doing and had caught them. In truth, I didn't know but their reactions gave me a pretty good idea.
"Nothing," Kayla choked out.
"What makes you think we were doing something?" Tal asked, a little calmer than Kayla. He had been ready for me this time. "We were just hanging out. And don't try to change the subject, we were talking about you and Vaughn, not me and Kayla."
"Oh, you and Kayla," I repeated with a grin, "So what, are you guys a couple now?"
"No!" they shouted in unison, gathering the attention of a few surrounding tables.
I had to tread lightly now. If I embarrassed them too much, they would get back at me as swiftly and ruthlessly as possible and Kayla knew just how to do it. She would tell Vaughn I had a crush on him and all the denying in the world wouldn't convince him otherwise. Or worse, they would tell my dad that I had a crush on Vaughn, in which case Vaughn would end up dead and I'd end up in a monastery somewhere, sworn to a life of celibacy. It was a lose/lose situation either way.
Luckily, I was saved from digging my own grave when Raine Leonhart approached our table, alone. It wasn't often that she was without the Dincht twins and we were all silent as she stopped in front of her brother.
"Tal, can I talk to you for a second?" she asked somberly, with no hint of little sister brattyness.
"Uh, sure," Tal agreed, not quite sure what to expect. He stood up and followed Raine to an unoccupied table across the room. The two Leonhart's sat down and began to talk.
"What do you think they're talking about?" Kayla asked curiously.
"I don't know," I admitted, "Maybe about their mom or something?"
"You don't think she's getting worse, do you?" Kayla face melted into a mask of despair.
"No," I assured, "she's getting better. Maybe they're talking about Raven."
Kayla nodded slowly, as if she knew I was right in my guessing. We turned back to watch the Leonharts as they conversed, then turned back to our food as if we hadn't been watching when Tal stood and started back towards us.
"What was that all about?" Kayla asked as he sat back down.
Tal sighed. "Some kids in her classes have been picking on her."
"About what?" I questioned, wondering what would bother Raine enough that she would come to Tal about it.
"About Raven," he told us, confirming my suspicions. "Raine's taking this whole thing hard, harder than even me or my dad and these cadets keep saying that Raven should be found and killed, that she's evil, blah blah blah and it's really getting to Raine."
"Why doesn't she tell your dad?" I asked.
"She doesn't want to burden him with it," he explained, "it would only make him feel worse about the situation."
"Stupid punk kids," Kayla spat with unusual venom, "I'd like to show them. Did she say which kids they were?" An evil glint entered her emerald eyes, the glint of revenge.
"No," Tal replied, ruining her plans of retaliation, "She didn't tell me specifically because she knew I would do something about it."
"I hope I hear one of them say something," Kayla fumed, "I'll show them what evil is." She grinned demonically.
"Down girl," I ordered, "They're just kids, remember?"
"Little punk kids that need to be taught a lesson," she corrected.
After a few minutes of rationalizing, we managed to bring Kayla off her revenge streak and continued with our lunches, which by now were half cold. After we finished, we left the cafeteria and headed to the infirmary to once again visit our parents. When we entered, we went to the separate rooms our mothers were being treated in. When I entered exam room 4, I saw that my mom was getting ready to be discharged.
"Leaving already?" I asked with a grin.
"Yes," my mother sighed with relief, "Thank Hyne." She leaned close to me and whispered, "I'm very glad because if your father goes another day without showering, he's going to start attracting flies."
"I heard that," my dad insisted from across the room, "I don't smell that bad."
I looked over at him and saw that he had a day's or so worth of beard stubble on his chin and dark circles under his eyes. He hadn't left the infirmary since my mother arrived, except to take her to the funeral.
"Well, look on the bright side," he smirked and sat down on the bed next to my mom, "Now we can take a shower together."
"Ew!" I exclaimed and covered my ears with my hands, "Ew ew ew! I'm not listening!"
That's a rather childish response, Mistress. They are your parents. How do you think you got here!
Ah! Shut up Ember! I don't even want to think about that.
"Get over it," my mother scoffed with a smile, "Someday you won't think it's so 'ew' when you have a husband of your own."
"Yes she will," my dad insisted, all the joking gone from his mind, "You're right baby girl, it's disgusting. Don't ever, ever take a shower with a guy."
"Oh my Hyne Daddy, please don't tell me your going to give me 'The Talk'," I sighed.
"I thought your mother already did," he said.
"I did," my mom assured.
"And what a lovely twenty minutes that was," I said sarcastically.
"I hope she told you what disgusting, filthy creatures boys are," my dad continued, "they only want one thing, se…"
"Oh Hyne Daddy no!" I interrupted, "Don't say it!"
"What?" He looked at me, his brow furled in confusion. "Why not?"
"I don't want to hear it," I told him, "especially from you!"
"Seifer!" my mom scolded, "Don't fill her head with such nonsense. There is nothing wrong with sex if two people love one another."
"Oh Hyne!" I gasped and bolted from the room. There is nothing in the world worse than hearing your parents talk about sex, except maybe catching them in the act but I didn't want to contemplate that one. I burst out the door and almost plowed Kayla in the process. She stumbled back, eyeing me suspiciously.
"What's wrong with you?" she asked.
"Nothing," I lied, "I just need to get away from here."
Suddenly, realization dawned on her face and she looked horror-stricken. "Oh Hyne, you didn't walk in on your parents…"
"NO!" I cut her off before she could finish, "No, I did not, but they are talking about it."
"Ew," Kayla said and wrinkled her nose. "Gross."
"Yes," I agreed, "Very gross, so if you don't mind, I'd like to get away from here before my mother comes out and starts explaining the details to me."
"Oh Hyne, we better hurry."
Kayla and I rushed from the infirmary and met Tal outside. We said nothing of the experience I'd had in my mom's room, because, quite frankly he was a boy and it would've been too embarrassing. Instead, I calmed down and the three of us headed towards the library, where we hoped to find something at least halfway interesting to read or perhaps we could commandeer a computer from one of the cadets and play online video games, which we weren't supposed to do but we did anyway.
When we got there, we talked a cadet into giving up his computer and sat down to play. After a few hours of "Lunar Cry", a game based on the rare phenomenon of the same name, we decided that we'd let the cadet have his computer back. He had sat patiently by while we played and was very grateful to be allowed to continue with whatever he was doing before we had interrupted.
After our gaming session, we went to the Training Center and splattered Grats for about an hour or so. When we got bored with that, we went around the Garden, challenging underclassmen and cadets to games of Triple Triad. The ones that were dumb enough to agree to our challenges weren't happy. Because none of them had any rare cards, we ended up giving back what we won and the kids were grateful. After finishing with our card quest, it was time for dinner, so we headed to the cafeteria to eat.
After a rather boring dinner of mashed potatoes and sliced turkey, the three of us wandered around the Garden, looking for something to do. After an hour and a half of aimless wandering and avoiding my parents, who were out and about, the three of us said goodnight to one another and retired to our own rooms at about 2100 hours. Still exhausted from the previous day's events and the sleep-filled but not rest-filled night after, I fell asleep in about twenty minutes, after reading a few more pages of my book.
That night, I had another dream, and like the one of Vaughn, it was vivid and frightening but in this one, I was inside my mother's body.
The sound of two gunblades crashing together rang out and my eyes shot open. I was trying to us my Limit Break but with the sounds of battle around me, I couldn't concentrate. I looked forward and saw that my dad and Uncle Squall had just clashed swords. As I looked on, my dad jumped back and with a smirk, cast a Firaga spell on the dark haired man. He hissed in pain, although I heard no sound, then retaliated with a Blizzaga spell, which hit my father full on, driving him back a few steps.
I sensed someone behind me and I turned around to see Uncle Irvine and Aunt Selphie waiting to get some of the action. Aunt Selphie was casting curative magic when needed and every so often, Uncle Irvine would take a shot at my dad. I was slightly angry that they would be ganging up on him and I tried to let him know, but, once again, I couldn't speak. I turned back to the battle and a flash of peach caught my eye. I looked down and realized I was wearing my mother's battle gear, but for what reason, I couldn't figure out. I looked up as Uncle Squall called something out to me, though I hadn't heard him make a sound. He shouted an order and I nodded, although I had no idea what he'd said. That's when I realized that he was only about seventeen or eighteen. I looked back at Aunt Selphie and Uncle Irvine and realized that they too were in their late teens. Suddenly, Uncle Zell rushed forward from next to me and punched my dad hard. He smirked and after calling him a Chicken-Wuss, blasted him with a Flare spell. He fell to the ground in a charred heap and didn't move.
While Aunt Selphie tried to heal him, Uncle Irvine took his place on the front line. My dad smirked evilly and performed his Limit Break Demon Slice on Uncle Irvine, taking him out of the action. Aunt Selphie squealed in terror and ran to Uncle Irvine's side, desperately trying to heal him.
Confused by what was going on, I looked around me. I was inside of a room that I didn't recognize at first but then suddenly, I remembered seeing this very room in a book. I was inside Lunatic Pandora. I looked down at myself again and realized I wasn't just wearing my mom's battle gear, I was my mom, and I was reliving the past.
Now that Zell and Irvine were out of commission, it was up to Squall and my mom to stop my dad's maniacal rampage. I could see the hate and anger burning in his eyes as he struck at Squall again. Uncle Squall staggered, giving my dad an opportunity to turn his sights on my mother.
I watched in horror as he swung his gunblade at my mom, at me, at us. She deflected it quickly with her Save the Queen, but my dad recovered too quickly. He ducked under her whip as she lashed out at his head and remaining low, drove his Hyperion into her. A searing pain erupted in her right side that I felt too, inside her body. She looked down and saw that at least a foot and a half of Hyperion's three-foot blade was thrust into her side.
With an evil sneer, my dad wrenched the blade free, causing the previously dammed blood to spill forth in a crimson tsunami. My mom fell to the ground, trying desperately to stop the life fluid flowing out of her. Aunt Selphie was by our side a second later and was chanting cure spells as fast as she could. She had already healed Zell and Irvine, so they once again went to the front lines of the battle to hold my dad off while my mom was healed. I suddenly felt very tired and knew that I was experiencing the way my mom had felt at that moment over twenty years ago. I tried hard to keep conscious, but the blackness seeped into our vision. The last thing that went through her mind, and consequently, mine, before she passed out was one word.
"Seifer…"
I awoke with a start, much the same way I had from the dream with Vaughn, except I wasn't absolutely terrified like I had been then. I looked around my dorm and was surprised to see that sunlight filtered in through my window. It was already morning. I looked at my bedside clock and it confirmed what the sun had already told me. It was 0829 hours.
I threw back the blankets on my bed and almost instantly, the dream returned in full detail. My dad had stabbed my mom, almost killed her. No, I argued with myself, my dad would never do that to my mom, even way back then.
After a few more minutes of internal debate, I convinced myself that it wasn't really a memory, it was just another bad dream, a nightmare like the one about Vaughn, which I knew hadn't been real. After coming to this conclusion, I got up and showered, then dressed for the day. After dressing, I called Kayla's room to see if she wanted to get some breakfast. I let the phone ring twelve times before deciding that she really wasn't there and wasn't just sleeping. Then I remembered that Aunt Selphie was being discharged from the infirmary this morning. I thought about calling Tal but decided against it. I figured he'd already be up and about so it would be a waste of time.
I went to the cafeteria alone and got my breakfast. When I turned towards the tables to find a place to sit, I saw my mom waving to me from one of the small tables against the back wall. I took my tray and joined her.
"Good morning," she greeted cheerily. She was wearing her SeeD uniform and sipping a cup of coffee. She looked a lot better than she had yesterday.
"How'd you convince Dad to let you go?" I asked, motioning towards her SeeD uniform, which she only wore when teaching or for special occasions.
"I didn't have to convince him," she assured, "I told him I had taken too much time already and was teaching my classes today. It was as simple as that."
"You hurt him didn't you?"
She smiled sinisterly. "Only a little bit. So where's Kayla and Tal?"
I shrugged. "I called Kay's room but she wasn't there so I figured she's in the infirmary."
"Oh that's right," my mother said, "Selphie's being discharged this morning."
I nodded and stuck a forkful of waffles into my mouth. After swallowing, I spoke. "So, why are you in here eating? Or rather, having your coffee?" She usually got it to go and then drank it in her classroom.
It was her turn to shrug. "I just felt like sitting here for a while." She took another sip of her coffee, then glanced at her watch. "Oh! I'd better go, classes start in fifteen minutes. I'll see you later."
"Okay," I agreed.
My mom stood up and yawned, then stretched her arms above her head. In the process, her SeeD jacket and shirt pulled up a little to reveal about two inches of the skin of her abdomen, but it was enough for me to see the long white scar that went almost from her belly button to her side. It had faded over time but was still quite visible. It was amazing that I'd never seen it before.
"Bye Kaisa," she said after grabbing her coffee and briefcase but she must have noticed that I was staring at her because her smile faded and she looked at me curiously.
"Something wrong sweetie?"
"That scar," I managed and pointed to her side, "Where did you get it?"
She lifted up her shirt and jacket slightly and gazed down at the white scar tissue. "This? Just an old battle injury. Why?"
I tore my gaze away from the hideous mark and managed a smile as I looked up at her. "No reason, I'd just never seen it before. Have a good day Mom."
"You too."
My mother left the cafeteria but I didn't watch her go. My mind was spinning too fast to even contemplate what was going on. After a few minutes, I was finally able to put together my thoughts. The scar was in the same exact place that my dad had stabbed her in the dream. There was no way it could be a coincidence. The dream had really happened. It had been a memory.
-----------------------------------------
I didn't see Kayla or Tal until lunchtime, when the three of us ran into each other in the cafeteria. I was relieved to see them. I had been spending entirely too much time contemplating the meaning of the dream. I needed a distraction from my thoughts.
"Where have you guys been all day?" I asked, just trying to start a conversation.
"Around," Tal replied curtly and headed towards the lunch counter by himself.
I stared after him in shock, then turned to Kayla. "What's his problem?"
"I don't know," she admitted, "I ran into him on the way here and he seemed kinda mad about something. When I asked him what was wrong, he said it was nothing."
"The way he answered me, it's almost like he's mad at me," I stated, "But I didn't do anything to him. I haven't even seen him all day until now."
"Something's bothering him," Kayla agreed, "But if he doesn't want to tell us, we can't force him."
"You're right."
Me and Kayla followed Tal to the lunch counter and then to the table he chose to sit at. He didn't seem to mind when Kayla sat next to him but when I took the seat across from him, he glared at me. I stared wide-eyed, then quickly looked away. I could feel his gaze boring into me for a few more seconds, then he too turned away and began to eat his lunch.
The conversation during lunch existed between Kayla and me only. Tal refused to comment on anything we said and kept giving me dirty looks every time I talked. I couldn't think of anything I'd ever done to him that would warrant him acting this way towards me. Even when I had pushed him into the girl's bathroom on the second floor when we were ten, he had gotten over it in five minutes.
After we had finished eating, Kayla suggested that we go back to my dorm and talk. I had the feeling that she wanted to talk to me about something specific and I figured it was about Tal until she asked him to come too. He muttered a response that I couldn't quite make out but agreed to come too.
Once in my dorm room, the three of us were silent for a few minutes before Kayla finally spoke.
"I need to talk to you guys about something." I could detect a hint of despair and uncertainty in her voice and it scared me.
"What's going on?" I questioned.
"Well," she started, "I had this dream last night…"
Tal's head snapped up and his eyes held a look of surprise, which I'm almost certain was mirrored in my own.
"What about?" I prodded, feeling like something important was about to happen but not sure what.
"About…about my mom."
I gaped at her. What were the odds that we would both have troubling dreams about our Moms on the same night? And judging by Tal's reaction, I was guessing that he had had a dream as well, although what it was about was still a mystery.
"Really?" I said, "I did too. It was about her when she was younger, about eighteen I think."
Kayla, who had been avoiding eye contact since we entered the room, looked up at me in surprise. "Really?"
I nodded. "Yeah, how weird is that?"
"Tell me about your dream," Kayla insisted.
"I thought you were going to talk about yours."
"No." She shook her head. "I want you to go first."
"Okay," I agreed and told them about the incident in Lunatic Pandora. "And the weird thing is, I think it was a memory."
A pained expression came across Kayla's face. "What makes you think that?"
"Well," I began, a little confused about Kayla's reaction, "I had breakfast with her this morning and I saw the scar. When I asked her about it, she said it was just an old battle wound and wouldn't tell me from when. She obviously didn't want to talk about it."
Without warning, Kayla burst into tears. I stared at her in stunned silence for a few seconds, then finally found my voice. "Kayla, what's wrong?"
She didn't answer and showed no signs of ceasing her wailing, so I leaned forward to put an arm around her to comfort her. I was surprised when Tal grabbed her and pulled her away from me, and consequently, against him.
"Leave her alone," he hissed angrily.
I gaped at him. "What?"
"I said leave her alone," he repeated with no less venom. He hugged the crying girl to him and after whispering a few comforting words which I couldn't hear, turned his burning eyes back on me. "This is probably your fault."
"What do you mean?" I was completely confused as to what was going on.
"Obviously she had a dream too," Tal spat, "And judging by her reaction, your screwed up father had a part in hers too."
"What the hell are you babbling about?" I demanded, angry at Tal's reaction but even angrier because I didn't understand what was going on.
"I had a dream too," Tal announced, still cradling Kayla, "You want to hear about it? It's a good one." Before I could answer, he continued. "Your dad raped my mom."
My eyes went wide and my jaw nearly hit the floor. "What?"
Kayla cried louder and Tal was forced to speak over her. "You heard me."
"No," I insisted. We all knew that Aunt Rinoa and my dad had dated for a summer, but it hadn't been serious. "He would never hurt anyone like that."
"Well, according to you, your dream was a memory," Tal reminded, "That's means mine must've been too. It had to've really happened."
"My dad wouldn't hurt your mom," I said, my mind almost numb from the conversation and the terrible twist it had taken.
"Oh, he hurt her all right," Tal assured grimly, "He hurt her bad. She was sobbing and crying out in pain but he just kept going…"
His voice broke suddenly and he turned away, tears shimmering in his eyes.
"It's not true!" I screamed, on the verge of tears myself. "He wouldn't do that!"
"Oh yeah? Then how come he cut your mom if he's such a nice guy?"
"He was under Ultimecia's control," I told him, "He didn't know what he was doing."
"You want to know what I think? I think your dad is just an asshole and used Ultimecia to cover up his crimes."
My face turned red and anger boiled up in me. "Take that back Tal."
"No," he smirked, "It's true. He gets off on causing fear and pain. It's just a matter of time before he goes off again. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if this new sorceress happened to 'possess' him and he went on another killing spree."
"Shut up Leonhart," I growled, "You better just shut up."
"Why?" he taunted and let go of Kayla, who was still crying. He stood up and walked around the bed to me. "What are you gonna do Almasy? Hurt me like your dad would?"
Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I leapt at Tal and grabbed him around the neck, hoping to shut him up. He anticipated my move and managed to dodge my attack and trip me at the same time. I went sprawling to the floor. I flipped over onto my back and kicked his legs out from under him, sending him crashing into the nightstand before joining me on the floor. He cried out in pain as I landed a kick to his midsection but then countered with a punch aimed at my face. I dodged just in time and he only hit my shoulder, but it was hard enough to momentarily numb my left arm. I lunged for him again with my good arm, but suddenly Kayla was off the bed and screaming at us.
"Stop it!" she shouted, the tears forgotten on her face. "Stop it, both of you! You're acting like children!"
Hearing the distress in her voice, both of us let go of each other and got to our feet, still shooting glares but doing no more. Kayla stood before both of us, at least four or five inches shorter, and we both bowed our heads in shame.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" she demanded, "I can't believe you guys! We're supposed to be friends and here you two are, trying to kill each other!"
"But her dad…" Tal started.
"I don't want to hear it!" Kayla snapped, cutting him off and causing him to fall silent, "I don't care what her dad did, that wasn't her and there's no reason to take it out on her!"
"I'm sorry," Tal mumbled.
"Don't tell me," Kayla instructed, "tell her." She pointed to me.
Tal turned towards me and at first wouldn't meet my eyes. Finally, he looked up at me and the anger was gone. "I'm sorry Kai."
I stood silent for a moment, contemplating if I was ready to forgive him, finally, I did. "Okay. I'm sorry too."
"Now both of you hug," Kayla ordered.
We each took a step towards each other and after a brief hesitation, hugged awkwardly. After we pulled apart, the three of us returned to sitting on the bed.
"Are you ready to tell us about your dream?" I asked after a moment.
Kayla nodded but didn't look up from her hands. "It happened in the past, like yours and it was about my mom, when she was back in Trabia. She had this boyfriend there and they were pretty close I guess but my mom wanted to save herself for marriage. Her boyfriend didn't want to wait but in the end, he finally agreed. One night, he went out drinking with a bunch of his friends and came back drunk. He went to my mom's room and when she let him in, he hit her and then…" She trailed off as the tears returned and began to flow.
"You don't have to say it," I assured, my own tears pricking my eyes, "We understand."
"Why?" Kayla asked through her tears, "Why are we seeing these things? These memories?"
"I don't know," I admitted as I patted her hand in an attempt to comfort her. "It can't be a coincidence. Someone has to be sending us these memories and the only person I know who can do that is…"
"Ellone," Tal finished. Ellone was Tal's aunt, adopted by his grandpa Laguna Loire of Esthar.
I nodded in agreement.
"But why would Ellone send us such horrible memories?" Kayla inquired. She had managed to dam the flood of tears and was wiping the stray ones from her face.
"It doesn't make any sense," Tal agreed, "she wouldn't send us memories unless there was a purpose and I don't see any purpose in sending these memories except to mess with us."
"Ellone wouldn't do that," I insisted. She was one of the nicest people I knew.
"I know," Tal nodded, "But if not her, then who?"
"Let's worry about it later," Kayla suggested, "I really don't want to think about it any more right now. Besides, we need to concentrate on finding the sorceress. The guys must be planning on leaving pretty soon."
"Tonight would be my guess," I offered, "They'll wait until after curfew. We should all be ready just in case."
Kayla and Tal nodded. Suddenly, Tal changed the subject.
"Hey, did you guys hear about Tristen?"
We shook our heads.
"He left the last night."
"What do you mean 'left'?" I inquired.
"No one knows how, but he somehow managed to wake up even though he was heavily sedated, then he left the infirmary and stole one of the watercrafts. Everyone assumes that he's looking for Raven."
"Did he hurt anybody?" Kayla asked.
"No," Tal answered, "It was in the middle of the night when he left. There was only one nurse on duty, along with Dr. Kadowaki and they were both busy with other patients."
"How did he counteract the sedatives?" I wondered.
"No one knows," Tal informed, "Although I heard some girls saying that one of the day nurses gave him saline instead of his sedatives so he'd wake up. I don't know if it's true or not."
"At least no one was hurt," Kayla stated.
"Yeah," I agreed.
After the conversation about Tristen, the three of us went to our own rooms to get ready in case our brothers and Cale decided that their little suicide mission was going to be tonight. A few days before taking the SeeD exam, Kayla and I had bought new battle gear to wear on our first mission. Mine consisted of a maroon, long-sleeved shirt with a duster type tail in the back, black pants, black gloves and dark brown ankle high boots. Kayla's outfit was a bright orange summer dress with knee high brown boots and fingerless black gloves that reached halfway to her elbows. I got my outfit out of my closet and draped it over the back of a chair just in case I needed it tonight, then went about packing up my Potions and other items I would need if we were going into battle. Finally, I polished and sharpened my Sais so they would be in good condition when the time to fight finally came.
By the time I had finished my preparations, it was about time for dinner. Kayla and Tal met me in the hallway and we went to the cafeteria together. Our brothers and Cale were there but we made no indication that they were of any interest to us, even though we were watching them carefully. They were all huddled together, whispering conspiratorially. Even an idiot would've known they were up to something.
After dinner, the three of us hung out for a little while in my room, going over our list of items and trading if one of us needed something that another had. Since our fight earlier, Tal had developed a black eye from hitting the nighstand and my shoulder was already bruising, but there was no anger left in either one of us. It was almost like the fight had never happened.
At about 2100 hours, Tal and Kayla left for their own rooms and I changed into my battle gear, all except the shoes and gloves. I had a feeling that tonight was the night and I didn't want to be left behind while I was trying to change. The clothes were slightly uncomfortable to sleep in and I was afraid that another dream might assault me if I fell asleep, but eventually I did.
I was awakened in the middle of the night by the sounds of stealthy footfalls in the corridor outside my room. I sat up quickly, knowing that it was either my brothers and Cale or we were under attack. I threw the blankets off of me and sprinted to the door. I keyed in the lock code and the door slid open. Vaughn, Luke and Cale were about two doors down from mine, but the sound of the door sliding open got their attention. The three of them spun around to see who had caught them.
"Dammit!" Luke hissed quietly, "What the hell do you want?"
"You know exactly what I want," I smirked, "We're coming with you."
"No, you are not," Luke told me and started to leave.
"Fine," I shrugged, slightly wincing at the bruise on my left shoulder, "but you won't make it out of the Garden. One little phone call to Daddy and you'll be on KP duty for a year."
"You little…" Luke trailed off. "You wouldn't dare."
"You wanna try me?" I challenged.
"You're gonna pay for this," he warned.
"I know," I assured, "There's a very good chance that we're all gonna die, I think that's payment enough."
"Fine!" Luke sighed, "You and your little friends can come."
"Excellent," I smiled, "Now, you three can come and wait in my room while I call Tal and Kayla."
"We'll wait here," Luke insisted.
"Really?" I frowned, "How dumb do you think I am? The second I look away, the three of you are going to be running for the exits like scalded dogs. I'm not stupid. In the room, come on, chop chop. We don't have all night."
Luke grumbled something under his breath and the three of them turned and marched into my room. Luke was wearing a white muscle shirt with a red Fire Cross, the Almasy family symbol, on it, black jeans, black ankle-high boots and black gloves. Cale wore a white tanktop underneath a black and red over shirt that only reached halfway down his back, blue shorts, blue sneakers and his fighting gloves. Vaughn wore a black trench coat over a white T-shirt, dark blue jeans, black fingerless gloves, brown boots and of course, his ever present cowboy hat, which he tipped at me as he passed by into my room.
"Nice outfit Almasy," he grinned, "looking good."
I grinned back stupidly but was brought out of my daze when Luke spoke.
"Watch it Vaughn," he warned, "That's my sister."
"I was just complimenting her," he defended, "Don't get your panties in a twist."
"Shut up."
The three of them sat down on my bed as I walked over to the phone. After two quick calls, we only had to wait a minute or so before Tal and Kayla arrived. Tal was dressed in a green button up shirt over a white T-shirt, brown pants and brown shoes. Kayla was wearing the battle gear that she had bought when I got mine. Both of them had there weapons and were ready to go. While we had waited for them, I had pulled on my shoes, gloves and strapped on my Sais.
"All right," Luke spoke and stood up, "Let's just get going okay?"
"How exactly are we going?" Tal asked.
My brother smiled sinisterly. "The Ragnarok, of course."
Tal's mouth fell open. "We're gonna steal the Ragnarok?"
"Borrow," Luke corrected, "Borrow without asking. Besides, this is a mission and that's what it's supposed to be used for."
"Yeah, but you're supposed to clear it with the Headmaster or Squall first," I reminded.
"Look," Luke snapped, "We can stand around here all night talking about doing it, or we can do it. If you aren't up to it, then by all means, stay here."
"We aren't backing down," I assured defiantly.
"Then let's go."
The six of us left my room and quietly snuck down the halls towards the parking lot where the Ragnarok's hangar was. Because it was after midnight, there was no one in the halls and we went undetected. When we got to the hangar door inside the parking lot, we stood anxiously by as Cale bypassed the security system, allowing us to enter the hangar undetected. The alarm code on the security system was changed every week or so to deter would-be thieves, but unfortunately for Garden, Cale was an expert at electronics. In just three minutes he had shut down the security system and opened the inner hangar door. The outer door could be remotely opened inside the Ragnarok.
"Okay, let's go," Cale urged, "The system's only going to be down for five minutes. We need to be out of here by then."
The rest of us nodded and sprinted towards the red, monster-like ship. Our feet made a hollow slap slap as we hurried across the concrete floor and I kept waiting for someone to catch us at any second. We reached the ship unchallenged and Cale punched in the code that lowered the cargo hatch. We all hurried in and took our seats as Cale and Luke went up to the front to pilot. Vaughn stayed with us in the back. From the cockpit, Cale closed the cargo ramp and the two of them quickly performed the preflight check. Luke and Cale had both flown the Ragnarok before and they were good at it.
After the ramp was closed, Cale came over the intercom. "You guys better put your seatbelts on. Once we start the engines, we've gotta get out of here as fast as we can. The engines will be heard and there's nothing we can do about it."
The four of us in the passenger area quickly buckled our seatbelts and leaned back in our seats in anticipation of the quick takeoff. Under us, the engines roared to life and before we could make any comment, we took off like a shot out of the hangar and were in the open air in no time. Once we were cruising along safely, the four of us left the passenger area and rode the elevator to the cockpit to join Luke and Cale, hoping that someone had some idea as to how we were going to go about finding the sorceress.
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A/N: This is going to be the last update for about a month or longer, unless I write the next chapter in three days, which isn't bloody likely. Sorry to anyone who's been reading this. I assure you, this fic WILL be completed eventually, I just don't know when.