The wind was blowing through her hair as she sat on the railing in front of the main entrance to the Garden, waiting for Sion to arrive. He was nearly 30min late but he had at least text her to give her warning. But she loved the warm nights that Balamb had, even the wind blew warm as the red sun continued to set over the fire caves in the distance. She heard foot steps behind her, "bout time you got here Sion, starting to wonder if you were going to turn up at all", she spun around smiling as Sion stood their with a look of guilt plastered across his face. "I'm sorry Saph but Karma seemed desperate to not let me get away".
"Didn't by any chance mention it was me you were coming to see?" sapphire turned around to look up at the sky once more.
"Come on, let's get going". Sion flung his arms around her waist, and pulled her off the railing, screaming and kicking sapphire tried to protect, which only led to Sion letting go and her landing flat on her back. As she lay their with the dust settling around her she looked over and upwards towards Sion, "your paying for food tonight".
She loved the beach most of all. She loved to take her shoes of and feel the sand under her feet, she loved walking through the water and how it felt as it came in around her feet. Her and Sion were standing at the seas edge watching the SeeD hover ship's skim over the water and into the docks. She watched as the ripples they created tore through the moons reflection, distorting it. Peace had never featured heavily in sapphires life, but it with time like this, even more so with Sion, that's she felt most at harmony with herself. She took another deep breath in and let the fresh sea air fill her lungs, if she ever left Garden she knew shed miss the sea air the most. It was so refreshing.
Sion put his hand on her shoulder, "were really drifting apart Saph, aren't we? It's not what I want, but it was weird. When we were both in Dollet it was only me and you. Our world consisted of two things, everything in our world, which was me and you, and everything else. Humph I never realised that might actually have to be a day when other people may have to come into our world". Sapphire didn't turn to face him, but she lifted her own hand up to touch his.
"Just don't abandon me Si, I Still need you around and you still need me around. This is how it was supposed to be, this is why we trained so hard together all these years, I hate watching other people coming into our world only trying to push me out, and honestly, they seem to be doing a very good job at it. Even if we never speak again, I don't want it to be because you hate me". She could feel herself gripping his hand tighter and tighter, like if she let him go now, she'd be letting him go forever. She felt him rest his head on the back of hers.
"Right now saph him not going anyway and neither are you. But I do think your being to critical of karma and the others, they are really nice, I think your being to defensive, when you put your guard up the way you do, its no wonder people get edgy". He felt her grip let go and her hand dropped back to her side. She just nodded silently, though Sion wasn't sure if she was nodding because she agreed, or because she wanted him to shut up. He stepped back from her a few steps, and putting down his shoes, he took a deep breath, and began practicing martial arts, his arms and feet moved with expert grace as the sand kicked up around him, it was gentle and flowing. Saph turned around and moved over next to him, she closed her eyes, counted to three and then joined in with perfect timing. It had been so long since they last did this together. Their first few months at garden had already gone past so quickly in sapphires head it was a blur.
Aback from the beach, leaning against the promenade rails stood not only Zell Dincht but Quistis Trepe. Taking his eyes of the two kids for one moment he looked over to Quistis, she seemed hypnotised by their movements; she was even smiling a little.
"Who ever though that an Almasy and a Leonhart would be training together like that eh quisty?" she snapped out of trance and her eyes darted back to meet his.
"I know, I know. Maybe they grew up in a way their parents never could. She's strong though, Sapphire. She's skilled with her weapons, her magic, her tactics and her academic work, humph, just like her dad, if not more so than I ever remember him being. She certainly has lot more poise and grace than her farther that's for sure. But that fight the other week, was the tip of the iceberg, hoping that other student would leave her alone was wishful thinking." She looked back over to them, still training, sapphire leading. Zell shock his head defetidly.
"I just hope she doesn't follow the same fate as her farther. Every time I see her I can still se him ya know? What he did to us, to everyone. She's a different girl, I think Sions seen a side to her that nobody else has, but I still know she's HIS daughter. I look at Sion and Karma and ya know, it makes me happy, watching all our kids together, happy. But when he's with sapphire something inside me feels uneasy, its awful thing for me to say. But it's what's inside me".
Quistis looked at him sympathetically. "But, that last name of hers is going to play something more in her life, I've known it ever since they both fought together that night, I just hope when it does happen, that Sion is still going to be at her side". She folded her arms and spun around on her heels, she looked back towards Zell, "come on, I think this is enough reminiscing for one day, don't you?" He nodded silently and followed behind her.
Sion had gone back to his room hours ago, but sapphire was still up, she was outside in the quad, she didn't feel like training tonight, but she was still to addicted to that sea air and needed another fix, she was sat on the fountain edge, legs crossed playing with her hair, just musing with her thoughts, not really aiming to achieve anything.
"Hello Wench". Her eyes snapped jump and she rose slowly to her feet. Karma, Amanz and several others were stood their.
"Oh fuck this shit" sapphire whispered to herself. Her eyes shot over to Karma who was wearing Sion's chain.
"Oh you like this, well my BOYFRIEND gave it to me, and you know he really is so round my little finger".
Sapphire could feel her blood boiling, but what about Sion? She was already loosing him, she could already feel herself clinging desperately to everything they had left, these people were taking him away and every time sapphire fought with them, her gripped on Sion loosened at little bit more, as their grip tightened. Sapphire bit her tongue, if keeping quite meant she kept Sion, right now she could keep it bitten. She tried to walk past again, but no, they were defiantly after blood. It was nearly 3am, having an instructor walk in right now like last time seemed a hell of a lot less likely. She was weapon less anyway, and although she was a good fist fighter, against 6 people and martial art specialist it was fair to say she was pretty buggered and with nothing junctioned she was pretty weak in compatrison.
She felt the cold hard oak of Karmas numb chucks collide with the back of her head, she fell to her knee, followed by a kick to her shoulder from Amanz, she lay on the floor stunned, she swore she could feel blood from the back of her head, she rolled over on to all fours, head hanging down. Another kick from Amanz followed quickly to her rib cage, but her mouth stayed shut, the pain shot through her entire rib cage and she shock with pain, but she would not scream. More kicks and punch came at her from the others. She could feel the ice rushing from her heart towards her finger tips, the blizzarda spell was attempting to summon its self in her defence, her hands started turning blue and the ice crept along her fingers and started spreading across the ground (though without magic juncationed sapphire couldn't understand what was happening), the ice was shattered as another kick to her ribs, sent her rolling on to her back, blood ran down the side of her mouth, her eyes came back into focus as Karmas boot hurtled towards her throat, and pinned it down. Sapphire would not panic, these people would not gain that kind of satisfaction, she would not squirm, and she would not gasp for breath and fail about. Karma bent down towards sapphires face.
"Listen wench, your not welcome in this garden anymore, this isn't your world, you're an Almasy, your trash. Nobody wants you here, not ever Sion. He's got new friends now, the kind of friends a guy like Sion should have…" her little speech was cut short as a windage spell sent her sprawling across the concert floor, Sapphire let out a cough and splutter as the air rushed back into her lungs, only to find that, at this point, even breathing hurt. Sapphires blurry vision caught sight of Vaughn's red leathers trousers as he knelt down next to her head. She lifted her hand up, or she think she lifted her hand up, she had been kicked and punched so many times, she wasn't sure if any of her limbs still worked. This was the last time she ever went out without being junctioned up to the teeth. She felt Vaughn brush some hair out of her face. She heard screaming and shouting, it sounded like the headmaster. Shit, this meant that Amanz was probably stood their right now, convincing headmaster Cid of how Sapphire and Vaughn jumped Amanz, Karma and their little friends. Next thing sapphire knew, everything went blank….
Sapphire could hear a soft female voice calling her back to reality, it was sweet and gentle. Sapphire sat bolt up right and gripped her ribs as a short shot of pain was sent though her body. "Fuck!" She gritted her teeth tight she then looked up at the women, she was old be looked so pretty for her age, elegant, she reminded sapphire of a sorceress for the stories her dad used to tell her, just a lot less grand. She wore a black dress that clung delicately to her curves and lots of raven black hair fell over her shoulders. Sapphire looked over her shoulders to see the headmaster stood their, she bit her lip, was she really in this much trouble that the head master had actually come all the way to the infirmary to wait for her to wake up? this was totally the opposite of what she was going for when she decided not to bother fighting back.
The headmaster gestured towards the raven haired women "this sapphire is my Wife Edea". Sapphire nodded at her quietly.
"now, although we've cured most of your wounds with some cure spell your still in pretty bad shape, your lucky Vaughn came and got us when he did, but I will leave Edea here to help clear up some cuts on your back, please excuse me".
Edea smiled gently at her, she made sapphire feel so calm. "Come on now sapphire, you're going to have to take that top of yours off so I can get to your back", she held a towel up to sapphire "cover your front up with this for just a few moments". Sapphire again just did as she was told. If this really was Edea she was her dad's matron and an ex-sorceress too!
Sapphire hissed loudly as the antiseptic wipes hit the cuts and lacerations on her back. Hadn't she been through enough already?
"Sapphire, when I am done here, I want you to go back to your room, I've made arrangements for Vaughn to come and stay with you too. I want you to go and see the headmaster first thing tomorrow and get this sorted ou…."
Sapphire cut her off bluntly, "no! Its fine, forget about it. I certainly don't need your help, I can protect myself. If people want to fucking hate me that's fine! I have no intentions of coming her to make friends with anyone; in fact, everyone in this place can go fuck themselves anyway". She jumped up off the bed, refusing to allow the pain to get to her. She grabbed her top and slung it back on, not caring if she exposed herself or not. She walked over to the door Edea still sat their, the antiseptic oil splashed across the floor. "Ill shows them what it really means to be an Almasy".
As she threw herself back into her room she ran straight into Vaughn who was in his defence just standing there minding his own business.
"Well I'm glad to see you're still alive". He said dryly.
"….yeah well, I'm not the one who want to worry about living anymore". Vaughn raised his eyebrow.
"By the way, please don't feel the need to thank me for saving your ass, since your so jumped up on your own pride, well just let this one slip by, since we both know your thankful really".
Sapphire looked at him and nodded. Yes she didn't want to admit she needed help but at that particular point in time admitting otherwise was pointless. She went over and sat down slowly on the edge of her bed, the cura magic would need at least 24hours to heal her fully so easy did it until then.
Vaughn moved over to stand in front of her, "next month I'm planning on going home for a few days, as are Gem and Nigh, I was wondering if you wanted to come along to, I really want you to meet my mum and my uncle".
"Well I haven't got anything else to do, with me being public enemy number one and with Sion spending every weekend with his 'girlfriend' It would be nice to have something better to do than just train here, sure count me in Vaughn".
He smiled, "good, how lets hurry up and get to sleep, I am so tired. Fair play sapphire, my life's become a hell of a lot more interesting since you came alone".
She gave him a trade mark smirk "you that like I'm a bad thing".
Vaughn laughed out loud to himself, while lying himself down the on a spare bed that was put up in her room.