Shadow of the Sun...
Ch.6: The Beginning...
Feeling rejuvenated Quistis started navigating her way to Squall's new office, located on the west wing of the second floor.
"Sel, I know you mean well, but you could never possibly understand what I have gone through and am going through right now. How could you…you still have the one you love right by your side…you are still able to reach out and hold him close, but the same cannot be said for me…it doesn't matter how far I reach, the only thing I am able to hold is darkness…" Quistis could feel her throat start to close up and tears sting her eyes, but she swallowed hard and kept on her way.
"Selphie you should consider yourself truly lucky…Out of all of us, you are the only one who will have the hardest time losing Irvine in battle. Unlike Squall and especially Zell, Irvine is the only one who can attack from afar, he doesn't need to get close to strike, he is able to keep his distance and attack. Even Rinoa is luckier than I, at least Squall has his Gun Blade, which allows him extra reach, but not Zell…Zell is the only one brave enough to use his own body as his only weapon. He has to rush in and put himself in the line of fire every time he wants to strike. His two hands are his only means for an attack…I guess it was only a matter of time before…"
Quistis snapped out of her reverie as she came upon Squall's door. She shook her head and cleared her mind of these detrimental thoughts and entered the room.
"Ahh Quistis, right on time as always." Squall stood up and saluted the small blonde.
Quistis instinctively returned the salute after setting her things down.
Squall looked at her skeptically, "Quisty are you sure you're up to this? I know you're going through a hard time right now, and I don't want you to rush into anything you can't handle." Squall asked genuinely worried, which was very uncharacteristic for the Gun Blade specialist, signaling how emotionally drained Quistis really was.
"Don't worry I'm fine, a small mission like this should be a perfect way for me to get back into the field." Quistis said with confidence in her voice.
Squall nodded in agreement and handed her a SeeD train ticket.
Quistis cocked her brow at the statement, "I thought I was going to the Shumi Villiage?" She asked perplexed.
"Don't worry, since the whole Ultimecia incident the train now goes everywhere." Squall informed.
"Oh…ok thanks…" With that the two gave the patented SeeD salute and Quistis was on her way.
She made her way to the Parking lot where surprisingly all of her teammates were there to send her off. There she gazed upon her friends, Selphie and Irvine holding each other close and Rinoa standing to the left of them.
"Oh you guys…You didn't have to see me off." Quistis said dearly.
"Oh come on now darlin' you know we couldn't let you leave without a proper goodbye." Irvine drawled out in his thick cowboy accent.
Quistis placed her items in the awaiting car and walked towards the others. The tall cowboy was the first to embrace Quistis in a powerful hug, which lifted the petit blonde off her feat and swung her around in a circle.
"You be careful now? If you need anything, don't be hesitant to call." Irvine whispered in Quistis' ear, before letting go.
"I will…Thanks." Quistis replied.
Selphie was next in line to say her goodbyes. She bounded up to the blonde and gave her a huge bear hug. For Selphie's size she was insanely strong.
"I'm going to miss you Quisty…Good luck." Selphie said softly.
"I'll miss you too Sel, and thank you…for everything." Quistis tightened her hold on the petit brunette and then withdrew.
When it was Rinoa's turn Quistis saw that Squall had come down as well. Quistis made her way to Rinoa and scooped her up in a hug.
"Oh Quisty you're going to do just fine." Rinoa encouraged.
"Thanks Rin." Quistis smiled and nodded her head in conformation.
"Now Squall didn't I just see you?" Quistis said jokingly, trying to show she wasn't worried about the impending mission.
"Yeah, but that was formal, now I'm hear as your friend." Squall replied and gave Quistis a warm embrace. "Please Quisty, just be careful and call if anything and I mean anything goes wrong." Squall pleaded before letting go.
"I will, thanks." With that Quistis made her way back to the car and took one last look back, before getting in. There they were her closest friends, seeing her off. Selphie wrapped up in Irvine's arms and Squall cradling Rinoa's hand as if it were a delicate dove.
A stabbing pain shot through Quistis' heart as she gazed at the sight before her. With a wave of her hand she entered the vehicle and was on her way. She glanced in the rearview mirror to see everyone still waving their arms wildly saying goodbye; a small smile curved Quistis'soft lips.
It was only a matter of minutes before Quistis arrived at the station. She made her way into Balamb, with items in tow.
"Wow it sure has been a long time since I've been here." Quistis scanned the beautiful surroundings of Balamb. It was a gorgious day, the sun was shining bright, casting the small town in an illuminating light that made it look almost heavenly.
She strolled up the long path and glanced to her right and almost broke out in tears.
"Zell's…house…" Quistis whispered to herself in slight despair. Her eyes fell upon the tiny abode softly as tears soon occupied them.
She continued on her way knowing that she had to keep her thoughts on track. In no more than a few minutes she was already at the station and on the train. She received the patented SeeD car, which was very spacious and well decorated.
She placed her things in the overhead storage department and sat down. She stretched floridly and wiggled until she was comfortable. She couldn't help, but look around the SeeD car; it was so elegant and beautiful.
But like always her thoughts soon wandered to the past.
"Stop swatting flies! Chickwuss!" The blonde boy called from his seat on the train.
The smaller blonde stopped bouncing around like he was fighting an intangible foe and whipped around to face the older boy.
"Shut up Seifer!" Zell roared shaking his fist in anger.
"Now…Now, boys, Zell please take your seat, we need to begin." Came the stern female voice from the corner of the train.
Quistis began to chuckle a little at the thought of Zell...supposedly shadow boxing.
"That was so long ago, on our first mission together...Who in their right minds would have thought that I, Quistis Trepe, would ever be caught dead with a bumbling goof like Zell Dincht? Hehehe…he does look like he is swatting flies." Quistis snickered to herself, before the overly loud ding of the loud speaker singled it was her stop.
She couldn't believe that the trains ran everywhere now. Three years ago she would have had to fly the Ragnorak her. Actually she would have had to beg Selphie to fly her here, otherwise Selphie would have ripped her head off. The ship is like Selphie's baby and the only one she will let fly that thing is her and her only.
"I remember when Squall flew the Ragnorak without permission; Selphie was screaming at him so much I thought a tail and devil horns were going to burst out." Quistis reminisced cheerfully in her mind.
She got her things together and exited the train. Though it is located near the winter regions, Shumi Village is really quite nice. She made her way into the village and couldn't believe her eyes. The once awe-inspiring gorgeous Shumi Village has been practically destroyed.
Many of the homes and tiny shops have been ripped through and demolished.
"What in Hyne could have done this?" Quistis asked not believing her eyes.
She was in a daze looking around until a tap on her shoulder snapped her out of it.
"Come with me." Said the strange looking golden man.
Quistis nodded and followed. They came upon a rather large house that held the leader of the village.
Quistis bowed her head in respect. "A pleasure to meet you." She spoke elegantly.
"The pleasure is all mine dear child…I just wish we didn't have to meet under these circumstances." The Shumi leader replied kindly. It was visible that the leader of the village was also the eldest. His age could clearly be seen through the wrinkly exterior of his skin.
"Now what has been happening here? It is as though your entire village is being demolished." Quistis questioned intently.
"It is a demon creature of terrible power…It…it is the…devil." The Shumi stuttered in fear.
Quistis frowned slightly, not believing this creature could possibly be the devil. "So it is just one creature?" Quistis asked.
The Shumi shook his head in conformation.
"And it has been attacking regularly?" Quistis inquired.
"Yes…yes it has, and the attacks are becoming more and more brazen." Replied the Shumi.
"Is it after something?" Quistis wondered.
"Well each time this thing does have a purpose…or at least that is the way it seems. After every attack some of our most high-tech equipment or rare artifacts are gone." He answered hasitly.
"Well, at least we know one thing for certain, either it is either part human or has a human master, telling it what to do. A demon or monster for that matter has no use or importance for any human technology." Quistis presumed from the information given to her.
The Shumi nodded in agreement at this newest revelation.
"Do you believe the creature will strike tonight?" Quistis asked, hoping that it does so she won't have to stay here any longer than need be.
"Yes I believe so…because last time he attacked it was as though he wanted our new meteor stone, but on his escape he mistakenly dropped it." The Shumi informed.
"Excellent, I will wait in the building where you house your most valuable items and equipment and then hit this creature with a surprise attack." Quistis explained her means of attack.
"That sounds good, but are you sure you won't need any help?" The Shumi asked concerned that only one person would not be enough to take down this monster.
"I will be fine…" She halted only for a moment and glanced down at her whip, "Trust me." She said with a small smile playing on her lips.
"Fine, I will take you to our laboratory, or what's left of it." With that the two made their way down the path a little further until they came across what seemed to be an old decrepit building.
"Luckily the creature only destroyed a part of the ceiling, just enough to get in and leave." The Shumi explained to the young blonde.
"So you mean this thing can fly?" Quistis asked ill at ease.
"Yes, like I said before, this thing is truly the devil." The Shumi explained in a dark voice.
Quistis was visibly uneasy about this entire situation. Sweat began to congregate upon her palms and her breathing became rapid and shallow. "What if this IS too much for me to handle right now?" Her mind raced with uncertainty, as she began doubting herself.
"Well that is all I am able to tell you, I hope it was enough to aid you in your mission." The Shumi elder said as he bowed his head in respect.
"Now I must take my leave, if you need anything you know where to find me. There has been a room prepared in the eastern half of the laboratory, incase the winds of obliteration do not blow tonight." He spoke cryptically and took his leave.
Quistis bowed her head in respect as the Shumi left her presence.
The darkness of night would soon fall upon the earth. Quistis made her way around the lab examining everything carefully to get a full understanding of her surroundings.
"What could this thing want with such artifacts and technology?" Quistis questioned to hollow walls of her temporary confinement.
She paced around the room desperately trying to make sense of the strange situation. After almost an hour or so of racking her brain with unanswerable questions she figured she needed a break.
She exited the lab and figured she would go for a calming stroll around the village. She made her way down many different paths taking in all the awe-inspiring sights.
"At least the creature didn't destroy to beautiful scenery." Quistis breathed thankfully.
The land was rich with lush and wild vegetation, that seemed to come alive with each breeze that floated by.
She couldn't help but think that with each gust the trees and leaves were undertaking the sacred and elegant dance of life. She made her way to a clearing that over looked the vast ocean.
The gentle waves were playing as they softly crashed upon the shore, only to be chased back by the endless supply of golden sand. A cool ocean breeze buffeted Quistis' blonde locks and caressed her face as it sauntered by.
She couldn't help but be mesmerized by such beauty and took her place in the soft ground that lay beneath. She curled her knees up to her chest and squeezed them tightly as she gazed at the effervescent sunset casting its dying shadow across the plains.
How she yearned for Zell to be there; with her, holding her, telling her how her beauty out stupefied even the sun. Her heart ached with so much pain, but for the first time in three years, she was able to reminisce about the love she lost, and not break down into tears.
A slight smile curled the edges of her lips at the thought of Zell's loving face smiling his goofy smile at her from within the sunset. As the sun went down with its final breath, shadows came out of hiding and ruled the earth once more.
But as always with death, comes life, and the radiant moon made its presence known atop the gentle waves of the ocean. She watched as the moonlight seemed to dance as it glittered across the soft rippling waves. Quistis couldn't help but wonder why Zell was always so fascinated by the moon. She could see someone fascinated by the sun, but the moon, she could never really understand.
She gazed up at the soft pale sphere that now dominated the sky, wondering what secrets it held within. She figured Zell admired the mystery that lied within. But she wondered why Zell was truly amazed by the moon; it was dark, isolated and lonely. If she or anyone had to decided whether Zell was a moon or sun kind of person they most likely would pick sun, just from his overactive hyper personality. He was always smiling and always making everyone laugh. So then why was he so obsessed with the moon?
Quistis soon snapped out of her reverie when a chilling breeze ran up her spine, signaling it was time to get back to the lab. She said her goodbyes to the consoling moon and made her way down the familiar paths and arrived at the edge of the village after only a matter of minutes.
Upon getting closer to the heart of the small town a thunderous explosion erupted out of the darkness. Immediately she took off running towards the lab. Her heart began to race, with fear and excitement, as her footsteps brought her closer to her destiny.
Bright flames seared through the darkness illuminating the nearby mountains. Finally Quistis made it to the lab, she couldn't believe her eyes, the entire lab was engulfed in flames.
"Oh no! I'm too late!" Quistis screamed in a panic upon seeing the catastrophe. She looked around scanning the area for any civilians, but they had already fled and taken shelter else where.
Slowly she made her way towards the building, but the intense heat emitting off the ranging inferno made her keep her distance. She raised her arm to her face trying to shield her eyes from the scorching heat.
She got as close as she could and tried to peer in through the doorway, but she could see nothing through the flames.
Quistis lowered her head in disappointment, "No…I failed my mission…" She whispered to herself in distress.
A massive explosion erupted from within the depths of the lab, causing Quistis to be blown backwards onto the ground hard.
"Ahh!" Quistis screamed more from shock than the pain of the fall. As she sat up her eyes caught a glance of a silhouette walking out of the fire. It was a horrifying demonic figure that walked out of the flames.
Through the shadows of darkness Quistis could see the massive death black wings that protruded from the creatures back. Those wings were almost as big as she was.
Quistis could feel her heart's thunderous rhythm pound throughout her entire body. The creature strolled pass Quistis not even signifying her existence.
"Hey!" Quistis yelled through a shaky voice that was barely audible.
The monster stopped and cocked his head to the left to gaze at the one calling to him. His head whipped around and what Quistis witnessed that day she would never forget. Her heart stopped and her mouth dropped.
"No…!"
A/N: This chapter is dedicated to "Thy knight, Q-n-P!" I hope you like it. I really appreciate your reviews, because that's what keep me going, so THANKS! Well hopefully the next chapter will be up soon, please keep reading and reviewing! Later...