Author's Note: Well, I know it probably seems to be moving a little fast, but then again, I've always been someone for swift motions. Anyways, I would like to mention that some of you guys out there haven't been reviewing this story. If I don't get reviews, I won't know if I'm doing the right thing or not, so please do review (bottom left hand corner, in case you missed it). Btw, forgive me if any of the characters from the game seem Ooc...anything else...Ummm...Enjoy, I guess...
Disclaimer: Under no circumstance do I own Final Fantasy 7...naturally.
Part 3
"Selena, come on! Let's go play!" cried a young girl with braided dark brown hair accompanied by Denzel. This girl, Marlene, had just met Selena two days ago after Cid's kidnapping and Selena could not help but smile as little Marlene and Denzel played together. Today, seeing as Selena was slightly down in the dumps, the children took it upon themselves to cheer the goddess up. Denzel and Marlene took Selena by the hand and gave her an encouraging tug. Selena giggled and got to her feet, following gracefully after the children. "Oh Selena, I almost forgot to tell you that we'll be having guests coming over a little later today. I'd like for you to get to know some of our other friends that with us that day we found you. I know we didn't get a very good chance to talk much, so I thought it would be good for everyone, even in the current situation." Tifa informed and Selena nodded. "Okay Tifa…Hey! I'm coming, I'm coming!" Selena was once again being tugged along by the impatient children as they made their way upstairs.
"You're so slow Selena!" Denzel cried as he and Marlene ran into the play room. Selena smiled after them as she entered and was handed a plastic jewel encrusted crown. "You can be the princess and Denzel and I will be your knights!" piped Marlene as she raced back to the toy chest and pulled out more items for their whimsical quest. Selena took a seat on the floor and played along with the children's game. "What shall we do today Princess Selena? Shall we try and catch really fast unichocobo?" Marlene asked and Selena looked puzzled. "Unichocobo? Where will we find such a thing?" she asked and the children looked at each other.
"Good point. What can we use?...Hmmm…I wish Cloud was here. He'd be perfect!" Denzel cried and Marlene giggled. "Poor Cloud. He always gets picked on 'cause of his spiky hair!" Marlene laughed. "My Lady? What are you doing sitting on the floor?" Selena turned her gaze upon a woman with flaming red hair flared out at her shoulders. "Faera, would you like to play?" Selena asked, quickly adjusting her crown and the woman tilted her head. "C'mon Faera, it'll be fun!" Marlene cried as she bounded up to her and was about to tug on her arm, when Selena spoke up quickly.
"Don't pull on her arm Marlene. Faera's arm is still healing and I'd hate to have to fix it again." Marlene bit her lip and said softly "Oh…I'm sorry Faera." The red head smiled down at the little girl and shook her head. "It's fine. Besides, I guess I could play with you. I mean, it's a lot better than lying around in bed all day and doing nothing." Marlene's face lit up as she exclaimed "Yay! You can be the unichocobo we're searching for!" Faera tilted her head and replied "Instead of a unichocobo, how about a phoenix?" Marlene looked from Denzel to Selena and back to Faera. "Sounds good to me!" Denzel piped and Faera smirked. "You may want to stand back." Selena advised and the children took cover behind her as Faera did a flip and instead of landing on her feet as in her human form, she fluttered softly to the floor in all her flaming glory. Selena looked at the stunned duo, their jaws dropped.
"Is that…a phoenix? A real live phoenix?" Denzel quibbled as he approached Faera nervously. Faera twitter a soft sad song and Denzel looked from Selena to the phoenix. "May I?" he asked shyly and Selena nodded. "Just be careful of her wing. It's still trying to heal. If it weren't for the fact that she's shaped for house purposes, she'd be more than enough for you to handle in her true form." "You mean, she's bigger than this?" Marlene stared at the nodding Selena in awe. "Much bigger, otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to catch me the same day we came here. I feel really bad though." Selena sighed and eased back on to the floor, thinking about all that's taken place so far.
"To actually think that there are real phoenixes though…wow…" Selena chuckled as she listened to Marlene and Denzel marvel over Faera, who didn't seem to mind the attention. "If you think Faera's wonderful, you should see Sigmund and Shibuki in their forms." "My Lady, do you think it's such a good idea to be telling these mortal children about the other summoning beasts like us? What if they should tell the others?" Faera piped discreetly in another language. Selena sighed and sat back up, turning her gaze out the window. Where are they?...Sigmund…Shibuki…Come back safely…
Three hours passed rather quickly for Selena, Faera and the children as they played their games of whimsy. Suddenly, footsteps could be heard coming up the stair and Selena gave Faera a brief nod. Faera transformed back into her human form and sat by innocently as the door opened. Tifa looked at the ever innocent smiles amongst them and she cocked a suspicious eyebrow. "Okay…What have you guys done? You all look guilty." All four of them looked at each other and shook their heads in unison. "We've just been playing that's all. Why?" Selena answered calmly and Tifa just shook her head. "Alright you guys, I'll take your word for it, but if I find out that you all did something bad, prepare yourselves for consequences." She chimed and then motioned for them to follow. Marlene and Denzel got to their feet excitedly and bolted past Tifa excitedly. Selena got to her feet and helped up Faera as they followed the bartender down stairs.
"Papa!!" Selena and Faera watched Marlene make a dash for Barret as he stooped and scooped her up in his arms. Selena smiled at the sweet site and she something stir with in. A fleeting distant memory of the home she left behind. Faera's words brought her out of her stupor and she refocused. "What?" Faera had a look of concern in her soft golden eyes. "My lady, one of the mortals was addressing you and you didn't answer. Are you alright?" Faera explained. "Oh…I'm sorry for being rude. Now what was it that one of you wanted?" Selena looked over to Yuffie who was waving her arm about. "Hey, where are the other two? Are they the ones who took Cid?!" she accused and Selena wildly shook her head. "Of course they didn't! I sent them out to search for Cid, but it's been two days and I haven't heard from them yet. Please be patient." "Yuffie, don't be mean. Negative attitudes are the last thing we need right now." Tifa chided as she distributed drinks out and this time, Selena got water.
The room was silent as little sideways gazes were cast Selena and Faera's way time and time again. "So…Where did you guys say you were from?" Yuffie began the conversation out of the fact that utter silence was unnerving, even to the great ninja herself. Selena smiled and shook her head. "I fear I can't tell you that. All you need to know is that it's very far away." "Ah, a riddle for the great ninja Yuffie!...Hmmm…North? South? East? Or perhaps west?" Yuffie smirked and sat across from the goddess. "Ummm…neither." Yuffie sat back in utter bafflement. "How can that be? Unless you're just saying that so I won't find out where you came from! Hahaha!! I'm on to you, Princess Selena!" Yuffie crowed and Selena looked from her to Faera. "Princess? Where did you get that idea from?" Yuffie stopped in the midst of her triumphant laughter. "B-but-but you're wearing a tiara! That's definitely a clue, right?"
Selena took off her tiara and some ringlets of her golden hair fell into her warm pale face. "I suppose I could pass off as a princess, but that's not a good enough clue. I do not own or rule over any populaces of people, but I do rule something that many people have treasured and fought over for what seems like centuries before its power was passed to me. It is both a blessing and a curse." Yuffie gave her a blank look and eventually shrugged. "Beats me. I'm stumped." She concluded with a sigh. Selena smiled gently and replied "I wasn't expecting anyone to get it right off the bat. It's a very simple answer, but a difficult subject to approach and grasp." With that said, she quietly looked over her tiara, running her fingers along the gentle sloping golden curses of the thin flawless wire that intertwined and met an aquamarine cat's eye at the center. …I am everything, but nothing… she thought as she switched her gaze from the little gem to the curious gazes her eyes met.
"Is something wrong? You look a little lost." Tifa said consolingly as she took a seat next to the young goddess. Selena lowered her gaze and said softly "It's just I've been thinking lately and I've been wonder if it was such a good idea for me to leave home. Was it worth it after considering the trouble I caused you? Though it was never my intention for anyone to get hurt because of my mere presence, it's still happening." Tifa and Yuffie looked at one another before Tifa asked "Why did you leave home to begin with?" Again Selena shook her head and gave a mysterious smile. "That's for me to know and you to find out."
Suddenly the door burst open and Faera shot to her feet drawing a blade too short to be a sword, but too long to be a knife. There figures strode through the door garbed in crimson armor and swords drawn. "In the name of the Moon Goddess Artemia, we demand you hand over Lady Selena at once!" barked the officer with a gleaming silver helmet in the shape of a wolf's head. Selena was on her feet now. "Moon Goddess? Artemia? Selena just what exactly is going on?" Cloud growled as he unsheathed his swords from their holster. Selena shook her head and pleaded "Don't fight! I'll go with you, just don't hurt the mortals. They know nothing about the current matter at hand. Please…Silver back…" The man with the wolf helmet sneered and replied "Mission accomplished. Alright, you heard her, now get a move on you louts!" The
others started moving forward, but Faera lunged. "I'LL DIE BEFORE I LET YOU TAKE MY GODDESS'S LIFE!!" she screamed as she took down the first of the three menaces. "OUT OF MY WAY PHOENIX!!" Silver back was upon her in a matter of seconds and sent her sprawling in his true form: a large black wolf with a silver patch of fur along his back. "Wha-what is this?!" Yuffie cried as she stared at the creature, but Tifa quickly grabbed Denzel and Marlene, ushering them upstairs.
"Tell me Selena, how much is this bird's life to you?" Silver back fixed blue and amber eyes on the terrified goddess, but was sent leaping back when Cloud made a swipe at him. Silver back returned to his normal form and brushed the back of his gauntlet clad hand on his right cheek. Ebony blood stained the gauntlet and a snarl etched on the villain's lupine face. "You'll pay dearly for your costly mistake mortal. I guarantee it when we return." He unleashed a howl and with the swish of his raven tail, he was gone with his comrades. "What the…hell…" Barret gasped as his gaze met the unconscious form of a phoenix.
"Faera! Faera are you alright? Answer me!" Selena cried, throwing down her tiara and picking up the bird. "Wait…That's Faera?! No way!!" Yuffie was about to touch the phoenix, but Selena pulled away from the ninja. "I…I shouldn't be here…" she breathed and was about to leave, when a hand shot out of nowhere and caught her flowing sleeve. "You're not going anywhere until you tell us what the hell just happened. We have every right to know." Cloud's fierce Mako blue eyes clashed with Selena's glittering green. "It's best that you stay in the dark about what's going on. The less you know, the less you'll be targeted." She growled and wrenched her sleeve from his grasp, as a result, the sleeve tore in Cloud's death grip. Nearing the door, Cloud found his voice again. "Selena Talos!" he barked and Selena stopped. "What would you have me do Cloud? Not every battle can be won by mortal hands." "Selena, are there really such things as Gods and Goddesses?" Selena turned and looked at Cloud. "Yes, of course. Why?" Cloud pointed a gloved finger at her and said stoically "Because that's exactly what you are."
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