I rise.... Only to lurk again.
Sorry if I appeared to have dropped off the face of the earth, but the truth is that I am slammed busy at work. Getting promoted sucks. Now I gotta pull teeth just to get a day off. But I have been thinking of you guys and got around to write two new scenes for that FF8 fanfiction that I have yet thought of what to title it. But I now got a hint of the protagionist in the story.
I also went on a wild spectulation streak again too, so don't mind me. ^^;
For those who read it before, there is an LJ Cut that will take you right to the added material. Now I gotta go to bed and finish yet another 50+ hour work week >.< ;
He was stirred awake with a soft knock on his door. His first response was to bury his face into the pillow, thinking that it would go away.
Another soft knock brought him back into reality that there really is someone at his door. He lifted his head off of the pillow and sleepily looked at the clock that was the only source of light in the darkened room, 03:17 hours.
Why would someone knock on his door at this hour?
With the third knock on the door, he sleepily sat up. "In a sec..." He said tiredly to at least let the other person know that he is getting up and that they would stop knocking.
After a moment of rubbing his eyes, and pushing his long bangs behind his ears to clear his face, he made his way to the door and opened it slightly.
Outside he saw a slender girl with a small frame and shoulder length brown hair that curled on her shoulders. Her gaze was towards the ground.
"... Selphie?" Irvine asked softly. He still had no idea why she would be knocking at his door at this late hour.
He looked to the other side of the hall and saw that her door was still slightly open. She stood there for a brief moment in her sleepwear and from her posture, he could tell that she was upset over something. Then she looked up at him with her green eyes filling up with tears.
"What happened, are you alright?"
Selphie pushed her way into his room. Irvine closed the door behind her and turned on the light. Then he waited a moment for her to say something, but she kept crying.
"Selphie? What's wrong?" Irvine had no idea how to help her if he didn't know what was making her so upset.
She took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself to at least say something and finally whispered, "I had that same dream again."
"Dream?" Irvine asked cautiously, "You mean you had a nightmare?"
She shrugged with a soft nod, "It's the same one."
"You mean, you've had it before?"
She nodded quietly. Selphie started to concentrate to calm herself down to the point that fewer tears appeared. She sniffled loudly.
Irvine handed her a box of tissue and sat down on the bed. It was then it dawned him that he is only wearing boxers. Selphie sat on the chair that is at his desk.
After a few moments, Selphie finally spoke. "I need to ask you something. I need to know if it's true."
Irvine nodded, "Alright."
Selphie sighed as she gathered her thoughts. "In this dream that I keep having, I dreamt that I'm out in the ocean. The water is really rough and it's too deep for me to touch the bottom. In the distance, I can see a lighthouse but its getting farther and farther away."
She shook her head. "But the water is too rough and I keep having trouble staying above water. I keep shouting for help, but the water keeps pulling me even farther away, until."
Irvine could see a Selphie shake from a shutter. "Until... I can't see the sky anymore and I ..." She crossed her arms tightly across her chest and started crying again. "I wake up because I feel that I can't breathe!"
Irvine got up to give her a hug. "It's okay. It's just a dream, Selphie."
She shook her head. "That's just it. I've had this dream several times before. I don't know why."
"How often do you get this dream?"
"I've had this dream for a long time now. But if I were to take a guess, I think a few times a year. But it still bothers me every time." She sighed. "I was wondering if you knew something about it."
Irvine blinked then started to think back in his memories. It now made sense that she would come to him and ask since everyone else spent several years training with Guardian Forces. Enties that can be junctioned to you to come in your aid and allow you to use what's called 'Para' Magic. However the price to pay for using these Guardian Forces is long term memory loss. It is no secret in Garden that he prefers not to use them unless he has to, and he seems to remember things that everyone else had long forgotten.
"I think..." He thought again as more details came back to him. "It was a long time ago when everyone was back at the orphanage. It looked like a big storm was coming and it made the waves on the beach really big." He sighed. "We were told to not go swimming, but that was what we all did anyway. We've never seen waves that big and had fun jumping into them and away from them. And then..."
"Yes?" Selphie looked up at him, eager to hear more.
"I don't remember who's idea was it, but we got into a contest to see who can go out the farthest in the water. Then suddenly, you vanished." He shook his head. "We didn't know where you were and kept calling out to you." Then he let out a small 'hmph' sound. "While we were looking for you, Seifer ran and got Matron, despite Zell yelling at him to stop or else everyone would get in trouble." Then he shrugged. "He didn't seem to care and got Matron anyway."
Then Irvine looked at Selphie. His eyes showed that he was serious and not joking around. "It turned out that you got caught in a rip tide and it pulled you far away from us. Matron got you back using her sorceress powers but you were not breathing and turning blue. Cid did CPR and you came to, but..."
"... oh." She softly said with sadness. "I get it now." Then thought briefly with a slight shrug of her shoulder and added, "... kinda."
Irvine looked up at her in hopes that she would elaborate on that last part.
She shrugged again. "If it bothers me so much, then why do I like to go surfing? Why do I still like going to the beach?"
"I don't really know. Maybe after a few years of using all those Guardian Forces, you may have forgotten about that whole thing and kept doing the things that you love to do." Irvine made a logical guess.
"I guess so. But why do I still get this dream?"
Irvine shrugged, he had no idea.
Selphie thought about what Irvine said and started filling in the missing pieces in her mind. Things were starting to make sense.
"... I hope this helps." Irvine said after a long pause.
Selphie nodded. "So, what happened after that?"
"We all got into so much trouble over it and got yelled at for doing something that we were told not to. But everyone was so worried about you that it didn't really matter. We all were stuck inside and that big storm came. We were so caught up feeling sorry that it was out fault that you got hurt. In the end, everyone forgot that we were even in trouble at all." Irvine shrugged. "In fact, if wasn't for Seifer who thought quick enough to get help right away, then you would've..."
Selphie sighed. "I bet he forgot too."
Irvine shrugged again, "Who knows? I'm not going to ask."
Selphie stood up. She seemed to a lot more calm now than she was when knocked at his door, but seemed somewhat disturbed. "Thanks."
"Sure thing." He replied with a nod. "Need to talk about it some more?"
She shook her head softly. "No, that's alright. I'm really tired and I got a lot to think about."
"Okay."
Selphie got up to give Irvine a big hug. "Thanks. That helps a lot."
Irvine smiled softly. "... Anytime."
Selphie smiled faintly back and before leaving, pointed to the light switch. Irvine gave a slight nod and she turned off the lights and quietly closed the door behind her.
Irvine sat in the dark for a moment before reclining back on the bed and quickly found a comfortable position. Before he knew it, the whole incident slipped from his mind as he fell back asleep.
He couldn't keep himself from stretching and then yawning. Just the act of stretching alone seemed to gently bring him out of a sleeping stupor. He couldn't get over on how comfortable and completely relaxed he felt. Never in his life had he felt this content.
After looking up at the ceiling briefly, he eased his gaze over to her as she slept soundly. He snuggled up against her and she nuzzled up against him in her sleep. He spent some time holding her in his arms. Finally he sighed in content, savoring these last moments before he would have to get and face the day.
She stretched a little and he felt a comforting tingle race from his mind and spread all over his body. The whole sensation is very intoxicating and he again really did not wish to get up, until he looked at the clock, 04:54 hours. It is due to go off in 6 minutes.
He actually entertained the possibility of calling in and taking the day off, but considering that he came back from a 3 day shore leave and then yesterday was Sunday which meant the command center was officially closed, with the exception of emergencies or catching up on work, which he didn't take advantage of, he had the last 4 days off already. There was probably a lot of work for him to catch up on when he showed up this morning.
He made his final decision and gave her a soft kiss. Then he sat up and reached over the clock to turn off the alarm with only a couple of minutes to spare. Then climbed out of bed slowly while being careful not to disturb her.
Then with a final stretch and yawn, he gently closed the door behind him to the adjacent restroom to prepare for the day.
The day started earlier as far as he was concerned considering that he lived in a time zone further east and received the morning sun hours before everyone else of the world.
He pondered this as he read over some email, especially one in particular that was so professionally written, that any aspects of actual human expression and sympathy had been lost in the message. This was addressed to the President of Esthar from the desk of General Calloway in Galbadia. It was to profusely apologize for the incident the other day that put him and his guests in danger and to admit that their 'compromised' ranks had been corrected.
Laguna leaned back in his chair to recall what happened a few days ago. On an invitation from the Galbadian government, they expressed intentions on opening relations with Esthar with a peace treaty and possible trade negotiations. He paused to wonder why Galbadia was suddenly so eager to push for a treaty considering that there is currently no conflict between them. However, considering the recent political events within the last few months, he could make a few guesses.
Perhaps it was his kind-hearted and trusting nature, but Laguna accepted the invitation himself and traveled there with almost no security. Just his two advisors and long time friends, Kiros and Ward and his niece, Ellone. After all, that is where he was originally from.
Even though he spent most of his time in the hotel room, Ward escorted Ellone to go look around in the many shops in the promenade area of Dueling City, the capital of Galbadia. When she came back to show some of the items she had purchased, she had a bright smile and a very cheery look in her eyes. He felt so happy for her that for once she can do things that normal people take for granted, with the exception of having a bodyguard with her.
Then he sighed in a somber way. He knew that Ellone has spent most of her life isolated from the rest of the world, and he wanted a chance to make up for that. It upset him because that one attempt had backfired and caused a nasty incident on Galbadian soil.
It happens in random people, but once in a while a person is born with an exceptional talent. Unfortunately that 'talent' is the reason why they are hunted down to be exploited. He discovered this way back when she was only 4 years old when Ellone was taken captive by the previous regime of Esthar that was under the command of the cruel Sorceress Adel. She also attacked neighboring nations and caused that huge sorceress war almost 20 years ago.
Laguna eventually tracked Ellone to a Laboratory deep in Esthar, and when he had her back in his arms, he confronted the researcher in charge, Dr. Odine. He explained that he had been ordered by Sorceress Adel to do everything he could to duplicate Ellone's unique power through technology, and with Adel's vast power and her cruel intentions, there was no way you could tell her 'No'.
Along the way, he had made friends with people who were part of an underground movement with the intention of overthrowing Adel, and they did everything they could to assist him. But they wanted something in return considering that each person would be risking their lives for this. At the time, it didn't seem to be a big request so he accepted the deal.
Perhaps it was Adel's complacently in knowing that no one would dare to challenge her that caused her to lower her guard, or it was Laguna's strange twist of luck when he led her to a containment field using an hologram of Ellone as a lure. By the time she realized that she had been tricked, he had already physically shoved her into the containment field where it became her tomb and prison for the next 17 years.
To ensure that she would remain undisturbed, they sent her prison into space in a orbit around the moon. However the constant energy field needed to contain her power was so strong, that it neutralized all radio signals in the world. It took some time for communications to be transferred to HD cable technology since radio waves are now useless.
With Esthar free from Adel's control, he sent Ellone home to Raine in Winhill, but had to stay to finish some business.
He thought that just the mere act of neutralizing Adel would be enough for him to live up to his end of the bargain, but the people of Esthar after being under extreme oppressive tyrannical rule for so long, had no idea how to rebuild their government.
So Laguna lent a hand and before he knew it, became so involved that he was named 'President' even though that was never his intention or desire.
He kept telling himself that this position was temporary and was able to slip away briefly to Winhill once or twice to visit Ellone and Raine.
During those visits he proposed to Raine and married her, but he was still obligated to return to Esthar. Despite his constant requests, Raine did not wish to leave Winhill. So Laguna asked Raine to wait a year while he concentrated his time to train a replacement for himself so that he can return to her until abruptly one day, he received word that Raine passed away, but gave no reason why.
This really devastated him, and it still hurts on the inside. He was so caught up in fulfilling one obligation that he forgot to take care of his own wants and desires to spend as much time as he could with her. He still has a deep sense of regret, but he has come to the understanding that there is nothing that he could do about it now.
He tracked down Ellone again and found that she had been sent to an orphanage. After talking to Edea, the caretaker, he learned that she is another sorceress but a kind and gentle one. He explained to her about Ellone's talents even though it wasn't clear to the small child that she could do all those things. Edea understood right away that she needed to be protected and promised that she will do all she can to do so.
He left Ellone under the care of this other sorceress. In a way, it made him feel relived because of the constant nagging fear that one day Adel would break free. What better way to have Ellone protected from Sorceress Adel other than leaving her in the care of another sorceress?
Laguna blinked and refocused his eyes on the text in the email. Once again, his mind had drifted off but since it is still first thing in the morning, he didn't feel too guilty over it. Then he took a moment to look around the office that he had now spent so many years working in.
Although the technology behind the architecture is way beyond his understanding considering that Esthar has the most advanced technology in the world where space travel is a common thing for these people. After Adel, it was unanimously decided by everyone to close the borders of Esthar and isolate themselves from the rest of the world and their political woes.
However in doing so also cut off Laguna from regularly communicating with Edea and her husband Cid to check up on Ellone. Before that happened, he received on final letter from Cid explaining that Ellone will have to put under protective custody, he fears that his wife is starting to fall under some kind of unknown influence and she has left the orphanage as well. The current whereabouts of Ellone are not going to be known since her location will change on a constant basis. In the letter, Laguna was told to not to worry, Ellone is among friends.
It was one of those few times where Laguna demanded time off to race to the orphanage to try to take Ellone with him but found her to be long gone. When he asked Cid where she was, Cid had to tell him that he honestly did not know, and this was deliberate. Laguna asked where Edea was and again Cid had to tell him that he did not know either, but when he said that he seemed to be heartbroken over it.
Distraught in losing contact with the little girl that he adopted as his niece, and the only person left whom he considered as 'family' he walked out of the small orphanage. Along the way, he distinctly remembered a child running up to him and asking if he saw 'Sis' and if so, where was she? Laguna only shook his head. He didn't know that in the orphanage, Ellone had earned the affectionate nickname of 'Sis' by the other children and looked up to her. After all, she was the oldest child there.
Laguna's attention was diverted when Ellone walked in to check up on him. It still amazed him in knowing that Ellone is almost 22 now. In her hands was a mug with a very warm caffeinated liquid.
"I figured that you would be up already, so I thought that I would bring you something." She said with a smile.
Laguna reclined back in his chair and returned the smile. At least now after all these years, he can at least talk to her on a daily basis. It seemed to remind him what it felt like to be a part of a 'family' again. She also revealed information about a lost family member who is currently a SeeD in Garden.
"Thanks, that's so sweet." He accepted the mug and started to take a sip. The warmth of the liquid seemed to wake him up from the inside out and remind him on how cold this room actually was.
Ellone walked to see what was on Laguna's display and read a few words about the incident that happened a few days back.
Her reaction to the whole thing was one of not being surprised and somewhat irked. There had been many times where she wished that she never was born with the talent of sending people's minds into the past to observe in the eyes of others. It really does nothing for her in terms of self-defense, but for some, knowing the truth about the past and its secrets was a driving force. Those who knew better constantly sought her out for ability to allow to conscious to transcend time. Recently she noticed that she could get a sense of the future as well.
Perhaps that was why she insisted in returning back to Garden after all those years in protective custody. After her constant requests, she was allowed back and was astonished to find just about all the kids in the orphanage that she spent time in, had all grown up just like her.
She found Squall shortly after receiving an nasty injury on his face that resulted in that scar. She said a few words, but when he turned to look at her, it was like he did not know her at all.
It was the same with Quistis when she found her and said a few things. She only got a blank stare in response. No one knew her anymore.
It hurt her feelings in a way in knowing that she was forgotten like that. It was because of them that she risked leaving the protective custody that she had been in for so long, but she kept on with it and started to influence the events by sending various people's minds in the past as a way to help each other.
Her efforts did pay off in the end. When Adel finally broke free, they were ready and she was finally defeated. The girl who inherited Adel's powers and who previously inherited Edea's as well, used herself as bait and then allowed herself to be possessed by a more powerful sorceress who was the real person who hunted Ellone down. When Ellone used her power in combination, they activated the phenomenon known as 'Time Compression' and was able to face the mastermind herself and finally defeat her. Her and the new sorceress had become good friends after the event and they talk often through electronic text messages.
Afterwards, Ellone felt that she was safe and did not need to hide anymore. That was why she was so eager to visit Galbadia with her uncle. Never in her life had she felt this much freedom in being able to walk among everyone else without have to worry if someone one would try to take her away.
That all changed when the Galbadia guard came to escort everyone to the presidential palace. Ellone knew to trust her first impressions of the two young officers in charge when right away she knew that they were trouble.
She had to admit, they did put up a good act and while being 'escorted' they took a turn in a nearby deserted area where the actual guards vanished as if they were part of an elaborate illusion and the two young Galbadian 'officers' used unnatural abilities and powers in an attempt to capture Ellone, whom they referred to as a 'Time Mage'.
Ellone managed to get away by running to a baggage car on a train that was about ready to leave and hid in the cargo, but before she lost sight of everyone, she saw Laguna taken captive instead and the two attackers fled. She knew right away from the abilities that they demonstrated as being knights to a sorceress, but at this level they could very well be a 'True Knight' where they receive a portion of the powers of the sorceress whom they serve.
It had been a rough couple of days but she was able to make it to the town of Balamb and get help before being captured again. Thankfully everyone came in time to save everyone, and to her surprise those same Knights appeared to have turned on their own sorceress as well. After hearing their tragic story, she sympathized with them.
However now, she is carefully heading their final warning that their sorceress still lives, but in another body. Unfortunately no one had the chance to start an investigation to locate her, but then again they just got back home a few days ago and Ellone still felt shaken over the whole deal.
Ellone stood up strait and from the look on Laugna, he really seemed to be preoccupied. So she gave him a hug and kissed him on the cheek before leaving him alone to do some work.
Even though she wasn't due to report for duty for over two hours, Quistis was still up and packing a shoulder bag with a laptop and a handful of data disks. She mentioned yesterday that she had some essays to grade and she wasn't kidding when she told Squall that they do take forever to finish.
On top of that, she had to review over the list of students who did pass the written SeeD exam this year and assign other SeeDs to escort these candidates to fulfill the last of the prerequisites for the field exam. Many of them still have yet gone to the Fire Cavern, which will require a member of SeeD to escort the candidate on a one to one basis to acquire the Ifrit Guardian Force.
Thankfully there had only been 14 students who made it this far and now need to go to the Fire Cavern.
The rest of the class who did not express interest in joining SeeD took different tests in which that has a much higher pass rate, and those alumni would then join various armies around the world as Junior Officers since they would earn their commission here.
Those who did not wish to enroll in one of the armies of the world have the option of going for the SeeD exam and become an independent mercenary that are dispatched around the world by Garden. The requirements for that is much higher and more stringent. Many keep trying until they reach the maximum age requirement of 20 before being discharged from Garden regardless if they graduated. The minimum age requirement is 15. To stay in Garden after that, they must either be faculty, staff, and active SeeD members.
Many SeeDs are actually orphans who have no real sense of nationality, and are sent to Garden to be educated. Garden accepts students as early as 5 years old. True, now the requirements to become a student is more in depth other than being an unfortunate orphan, but the Headmaster has made it very clear to establish rules for potential students under those conditions to get priority for admission.
Quistis reached over to grab one final data disk but held it in her hands as she flung the strap of the carrying case over her shoulder and made her way out the door.
The first person she saw in the empty corridor in the section of the dorms where her room is located is Squall. He had apparently just stepped out too. She raced up to catch up with him.
"Morning." She said in a natural tone. She had too much on her mind with all the things that she needed to do. She can joke around later.
"Hey." Then Squall added, "You're up early." Then he noticed the shoulder bag she was carrying.
Quistis handed him that last data disk. Squall accepted it and waited for her to tell him what was on it.
"Its the records of this year's SeeD candidates. I assume that you would like to take a look over them before making the assignments for the field exam."
Squall nodded. This information would be helpful and make his job a lot easier. "Thanks."
Both of them walked down the corridor in silence with their minds more focused on work rather than being social. For Squall, this will be the first year where he would be involved with making the final exams possible. The assignments for the field exam used to be Headmaster Cid's job. This will be Quistis' third year working on administering the SeeD exams.
However this year is different because it had to be delayed by several weeks with all the uprising and battles over the last couple of months. For the rest of the students, they have already started on the new fall session. That break has been cut extremely short to get back on schedule. The SeeD candidates stayed during the entire summer break to catch up for this test.
The two uniformed SeeDs had reached an outdoor section of the corridor, which at this time of day is Quistis' favorite part of walking down this hall. She really enjoyed feeling the cool moist air full of morning dew touch her face. It seemed that the air smelled the freshest and helped her feel awake and ready for the day.
She turned to observe Squall who had diverted his gaze to the right to look outside on the surrounding area. Normally when he did this it was whenever he was put on the spot and it was an attempt to avoid it while tolerating still standing there or when he couldn't just flat out leave. But this time, it looked like he was actually looking around at the scenery, with no need to for him to be on his guard.
Quistis looked to the left side of outdoor section of the corridor and saw the fog in the distance and enjoying the cool morning air. She took in a deep breath through her nose and closed her eyes for a brief moment. This usually helps her feel centered and more alert to focus on her duties, but this time, it was a mild sense of amusement when she realized that Squall did the same thing at the same time she did.
They both exchanged looks. Squall only shrugged and continued on his way. Quistis smiled to herself. Just when she thought she had him figured out, something else happens and she has to start all over again.
She idly tapped her finger on the flat surface next to the touch pad while waiting for the laptop to fully boot. She had been awake for a while now, but one can toss and turn so much before being forced out of bed. She looked at the surroundings of the room that she is staying in as soon as she heard a roommate stir a little in their sleep and then rolling over to find a new comfortable position.
Both of her roommates are currently sleeping soundly and quietly, giving her a moment of peace and some time to herself.
Fujin stretched and leaned closer to the laptop as it established an online connection. Then she pulled out the data disk that was given to them yesterday to gain access to Balamb's records with login information for each of them.
The authentication process was a bit slower than what she had grown accustomed to but since they are accessing it remotely, but she couldn't really complain too much. As soon as she logged in, she opened the special needs database so that she can take a look at all the job requests sent to Garden from small groups that can't really afford SeeD.
These requests were grouped by location; Galbadia, Dollet, Timber, Balamb, Esthar, Trabia... Fujin shrugged to herself and randomly clicked on a location, Timber.
From what she gathered on some of the requests for help, their situation seems to be very grim. Galbadia had been occupying Timber for a long time now, and these requests were from small factions of resistance groups. Then there was one that stood out in her mind, "The Forest Owls."
Why does that name ring a bell? She shrugged to herself as she kept browsing over the other job requests. Then in the corner of her eye she saw a bright red icon indicating that she actually had mail. They must have reactivated their email accounts as well.
The second the page loaded, the name of the sender, Dr. Kadowaki, sparked a sense of curiosity within her and she started to read the message.
Just by reading the first couple of sentences, it was enough for her to understand what the whole message was about and it somewhat upset her. It was a request for her to go see the good doctor for a check up because it had now been five years since the accident.
Fujin looked away from the screen to confirm that no one else was awake to even read the message. This was one thing that she wanted to keep to herself. Looking back at the message, she saw that there was one other recipient. She had completely forgotten that he was there too and he got hurt pretty badly when the explosion happened. She wondered why there was not a third receiver but she guessed that the other guy dropped out or something and is no longer with Garden.
She didn't want to think of the past any longer than she had to and clicked on the reply button. She only wrote, "I'M FINE. NO NEED TO CHECK."
After she clicked on send, it dawned on her that she clicked on 'Reply All' and not just 'Reply'. She rested her head against her hand and sighed in aggravation. She was cursing herself out for being so damn stupid. Now Squall is going to get a copy of that message.
Zell had finished his warm up stretches and took a moment to drink from a water bottle briefly before putting it in his bag. He was certain that no one was going to take off with it so he left it on the floor by the wall before opening the western gate to enter the Training Center. The air felt extremely warm than usual in here today.
As part of protocol, he made sure that he signed in and that the gates were securely closed behind him since there are live monsters in this area.
He had started to come here in the mornings instead of mid afternoon since he discovered that the training center would not have too many other people here to get in his way. It also made things more quiet and not as crowded.
This allowed his mind to ponder on other things during the slow moments of keeping up with his training. Something Xu and Cid mentioned the other day perked his interest: The martial arts instructor is considering retirement and may need a replacement very soon.
All they did was bring it up to his attention, and at first he thought that it would be too much trouble. He would have to get certified for being an instructor like Quistis, and that is something that he really didn't care for.
Also that would mean that he would have to spend all his time in Garden instead of going on SeeD missions like he had hopes of doing and why he stuck through the training for the last several years. On top of that, he knew that there are other SeeDs who specialize in various forms of martial arts and hand to hand fighting like he did, why not one of them take the job?
Then again, deep down, he had been feeing unappreciated lately and began to wonder that if he did more, that would fix it and be more valuable in SeeD other than just another nameless mercenary whose purpose is to follow orders.
He took a moment to wipe the sweat off of his brow. Already he had fought against some random monsters but in order to present a real challenge, he had been facing many at once. He didn't bother to keep a count on how many he faced today. But it felt very hot in here. It was if there was no air circulating.
He moved on and kept pondering on things. Instead of feeling sorry for himself, he had been thinking of ways to make himself more useful and the additional training has been helping quite a bit. Not only for his physical well-being but on the inside as well.
Then he thought about everyone that he knew and how they had made an impact to SeeD. First there is Quistis who is one of the top instructors in Garden, then Squall who takes care of military affairs of SeeD, and Selphie who spends her time coordinating the Garden Festival and works with the younger students, also Nida, who graduated with him, now navigates Garden when it is mobile. He can't think of what Irvine has done other than being one of the very few who specializes in snipping, and Rinoa who has been given V.I.P. status because of her abilities.
Though he noticed Rinoa had been feeling kinda down because she has been idle too until she found a side project to study for the written part of the SeeD exam. He heard that she failed it by only a few points and again she is feeling down again.
However, where does he fit in? He choose a specialty that fairly common in SeeD, he knows that he has no leadership skills but that is mainly because he was rarely given a chance to prove himself.
Knowing himself, who would give him a chance at leadership? He has admitted to himself that he is indeed loud, short tempered, and usually acts without thinking. It has gotten him into so much trouble, and in so many fights in the past.
The loud snap of a dried branch echoed throughout the training center and it made him jump to attention. The one big monster that he had been looking for had apparently found him. A mischievous smirk came across his face as he turned around to face this large beast.
Even though the heat was starting to wear him down, Zell let out of another devious grin and took a stance against the T-Rexaur. The large red monster seemed already agitated over being disturbed and the heat was starting to bother the cold blooded creature.
While dodging attacks from the monster, and charging in briefly to land a few punches it occurred to Zell that this fight was taking a bit longer than what he had planned. But with every move both him and the creature seemed to slow down more and more.
Finally Zell had to stop. It is simply too hot in here to do anything anymore and the creature backed away too. It didn't feel like fighting either.
"Attention! All personnel are to leave the Training Center Immediately for repairs." The loud speaker abruptly came to life when it made this announcement.
Zell let out a tired sigh of disappointment, then proceeded to the northern exit since he had made it this far around the Training Center and it was the closest one.
He tried to hurry but each step felt like a chore. He felt so hot that even the sweat on his brow had dried off leaving only hot skin. All he thought about was to keep moving until he reached the gate and even the metal felt very warm to the touch. When it was finally opened, the blast of cold air from the other side caused a sudden shiver.
A maintenance worker noticed Zell leaving the Training Center. "Are there anyone else in there with you?"
He shook his head. "No, it's just me." The sudden change in temperature is causing a headache to form. He found his bag and started easing himself to sit down next to it to rest for a moment, but everything seemed to fade away. The last thing he heard was a girl saying, "Zell? Are you...?"
He lost all sense of coordination, but after a moment he became aware of something tugging on him, as if moving him around. It was an involuntary gasp of shock when something cold was put on his forehead and he opened his eyes slightly.
"Hold still, it looks like you have heat stroke." An older woman's voice said in a authoritative tone. It was Dr. Kadowaki.
"Wha...?" He couldn't think to complete his question, but a subtle feeling of shivering was starting from deep inside his core.
"The ventilation system failed and it made the heaters turn on. There are people who are evacuating the creatures in there." She leaned back. "Do you have any idea how hot it got in there?"
Zell closed his eyes and managed to whisper, "...no."
Dr. Kadowaki looked up at the maintenance crew, "How hot is it in there again?"
One of the technicians looked at the thermometer again. "We got it down to about 113... it was over 120 when we got started." Then he paused, "Uh, that would be a little over 45 Celsius for you military-types."
Zell laid still and only listened to what he said. Then the surface underneath him begin to jerk around and it was an instant realization that he had been put on a stretcher and he never knew it.
"Wait..." He forced himself to say. The stretcher was put down and he tried to sit up. "... I'll walk."
Dr. Kadowaki shook her head and pushed him down, "Oh no you are not."
Zell pushed back, there was no way he was going to allow himself to be carried out of here.
"You may be a SeeD, but remember that I outrank you. And if I have to give you a direct order to stay put, then I will."
Zell's back was flat on the stretcher, "... You wouldn't..."
She nodded back stubbornly. "Yes I can, and I will. Got it?"
He gave up protesting and eased back and let the medics lift the stretcher up. He really hated going through this, but deep down, somehow in a very conflicting way, he was also grateful that he didn't have to push himself any further. When he gave up pretending to be 'okay' all the energy faded away from him and he didn't remember much since he passed out again.
Her small frame was seated comfortably in a luxurious overstuffed reclining chair. Her eyes were fixed on the HD cable TV that was airing some random program. She really showed no interest on what was on TV, but her body still felt lethargic and her mind seemed very muttled. Any chance for a clear thought seemed distant.
The child seemed to be grateful for that. It gave her a moment of peace. She had been disturbing herself lately with some of the gruesome thoughts she had been having.
It all started when she woke up that day, but what about before that?
As much as she wanted to have no thoughts and just sit in a mindless fog, her mind drifted off to the last thing she remembered before going into a deep sleep. She was with her mother and her caretaker, Teresa, and they had gone out to the park near the large fountain for the day. It was meant to be a fun day since she had asked to go out and see the fountain in the large city they all live in.
That was when she saw an old woman sitting on a bench. She looked like she had been crying softly and had been there for a long time.
It was her natural curiosity that brought her closer to this woman. Along the way, she came across some wild flowers and hastily gathered a handful.
When she got close enough to the old woman, she stood there and waited until her presence was noticed. That was when she presented her the hand picked wild flowers.
The old woman looked at her in silence for a moment before smiling softly. This old woman had lived a very harsh life and most of it she had to stay hidden from the world. It is obvious that the old woman is heavily burdened with something, and she could not bear to hang on to this weight anymore.
The old woman accepted the bouquet and gave the child a hug. The compassion from a total stranger seemed to lighten her day.
The little girl blinked and she was back in her seat in front of the TV. Then she sighed. She couldn't remember much after that, but had a very vivid dream that seemed to last a very long time.
The dream itself wasn't that bad until near the end. Somewhere near the end another voice, a cruel and evil presence made an appearance. This terrified her, and this evil presence very quickly put her in submission. She wanted to cry out for help, but was very easily silenced. The end result was her appearing to be near comatose until the other presence had a reason to take action.
This was one of those times where this other presence had no reason to do anything and seemed to be at rest, leaving her alone but unable to act or react.
Her eyes began to water as more tears started to form. She is in a extreme state of fear that she is left powerless to move.
It was a startling surprise when a pair of warm hands come by and scooped her out of the over sized luxury chair and carried her in their arms. Just the warmth from these hands and the feeling of their presence provided great comfort to her. This other entity within her is so xenophobic that she truly appreciates any kind of physical contact now.
Fiona reached over to push a strand of raven black hair away from her child's face.
"I don't understand." She said softly. "She was so cheerful, so full of life before all this. I don't know what's happening to her." Fiona fought back tears as soon as she realized that her child's eyes were already full of them. Deep down, she knew that there was something tormenting her, but in a analogical and scientific world, who would believe her without disregarding her conclusions as superstition.
The man who picked up the small and comatose child studied her carefully. Physically she seemed fine, with no fever or sign of infection or injury. There was no physical explanation on what was happening to her.
The two adults continued to talk among themselves about her fate, but in her mind, she only heard one voice.
'We have to silence them.'
The girl panicked in alarm, 'No please, don't hurt them.' She pleaded with the entity that had invaded her mind.
'Shut up. They will be silenced.'
'I won't let you. Go away!' The girl closed her eyes as she argued with this evil spirit.
The evil spirit started to force her will, but the girl made every effort to block it. The spirit wanted to unleash to hidden power of being a sorceress within her, the same powers that she had just inherited and had been refusing to use and exploit. But it was to same powers that enabled the child to block the spirit's every move. But this took a lot of effort and it left the child in a comatose state while she fought this invader off.
From what she heard from the adults, it seemed to to her that they were confused. They didn't understand what was going on. Somehow in her young wisdom, she knew that she had to find help elsewhere.
At that moment, she gave up calling for help from every one around her and started to concentrate on finding someone who would truly understand her problem and help her out beyond what any mundane human can.
Rinoa woke up in a mild protest since she could not stand having the morning sun shine directly in her eyes. As part of her protest, she rolled over to face the wall. After laying still for a few long moments, she sat up in another protest; it was too damn quiet in here. So much that there seemed to be a high pitch ringing sound that was like driving something sharp in her ears.
After rubbing her eyes, she looked around the room. This is Squall's room. She knew that he had to get up and report to duty already and it was nice of him to left her sleep in.
As much as she kept telling herself that she shouldn't, Rinoa couldn't resist and started to look around. At first she made sure that she didn't touch anything and walked up to his desk and looked at the wall-mounted shelf above it.
Obviously it was full of books, but after reading over some of the titles, this wasn't for casual reading or for entertainment. It seemed to her that they were old text books that he felt that they were worth keeping. She then noticed a few near the corner of the room with no label on them. She pulled one out and realized that it was a notebook with old scribbled notes.
She couldn't help but chuckle in amusement as she flipped through the pages. It seemed that he spent more time doodling rather than taking notes.
She guessed that maybe everything taught at Garden was so second nature to him that he really didn't need to write anything down. He seemed to do so well. Quistis did mention that he was the top of his graduating class the other day.
But, why did he make an effort the keep this old notebook and so many others like it?
This made Rinoa look deeper through the notebook and noticed that some of the things that he actually wrote seemed to be poetic and lyrical in nature. Nothing complete, but fragments. A sentence here, a phrase there.
Then towards the back something odd caught her attention, an arrangement of five lines close together with dots in various positions with lines reaching up or down from them.
It was written music. He actually wrote something down in music notes.
This surprised her mildly. It was reasonable to figure that everyone had a creative outlet of some kind, but she never thought that he's a music aficionado.
She closed the notebook, then opened it again to look under the front cover. This was used a little over 5 years ago.
She put this notebook back and grabbed another one to look under the cover, the second one dated back even earlier. The third one dated further back than that.
She gave up looking at the other notebooks and made sure that everything was back where she found it. Then she stood back to think about what she just discovered.
Rinoa reached back over the the shelf because she thought that she didn't put everything back the way they were. However when she did, a stack of loose papers spilled all over the place.
She swung her arms to her sides in an obvious gesture of annoyance. "Great..." She said to herself and bent down to start gathering the loose sheets the fell to the floor.
'You'd think that being a sorceress would cure me of my klutziness,' Rinoa mused to herself as she reached towards the back of the desk but could not reach some of the sheets that fell back there.
As she extended her outstretched hand, the loose pieces of paper gathered and ended up back in her hand. She felt that she kinda cheated in getting all the paper back together but at least it got the job done and she put the paper back into a neat-looking stack. She had no idea if they were organized in a particular order, but at least it looks tidy again.
She reached her hand to grab on the windowsill to pull herself off the floor but found that what she grabbed shifted and moved. Rinoa improvised and used her grip on the desk to stand up completely and discovered that she put her hand on a carrying case for something.
Now it had a hand print from where she put her hand on it, and it wiped the dust with it. She recognized it right away. It was a carrying case of a guitar of some kind.
This is a complete surprise to Rinoa. She would have never guess that he spent time studying to play an instrument, but at the same time, judging from the very thick layer of dust on it, it is very obvious that he hadn't bothered to practice lately.
As much as she was tempted to open the case to see the instrument herself, Rinoa was able to restrain herself and opted to ask him later when she got the chance.
She backed away from the desk to make sure that she wouldn't disturb anything else and proceeded to get dressed and go to her room to wash up.
I also went on a wild spectulation streak again too, so don't mind me. ^^;
For those who read it before, there is an LJ Cut that will take you right to the added material. Now I gotta go to bed and finish yet another 50+ hour work week >.< ;
He was stirred awake with a soft knock on his door. His first response was to bury his face into the pillow, thinking that it would go away.
Another soft knock brought him back into reality that there really is someone at his door. He lifted his head off of the pillow and sleepily looked at the clock that was the only source of light in the darkened room, 03:17 hours.
Why would someone knock on his door at this hour?
With the third knock on the door, he sleepily sat up. "In a sec..." He said tiredly to at least let the other person know that he is getting up and that they would stop knocking.
After a moment of rubbing his eyes, and pushing his long bangs behind his ears to clear his face, he made his way to the door and opened it slightly.
Outside he saw a slender girl with a small frame and shoulder length brown hair that curled on her shoulders. Her gaze was towards the ground.
"... Selphie?" Irvine asked softly. He still had no idea why she would be knocking at his door at this late hour.
He looked to the other side of the hall and saw that her door was still slightly open. She stood there for a brief moment in her sleepwear and from her posture, he could tell that she was upset over something. Then she looked up at him with her green eyes filling up with tears.
"What happened, are you alright?"
Selphie pushed her way into his room. Irvine closed the door behind her and turned on the light. Then he waited a moment for her to say something, but she kept crying.
"Selphie? What's wrong?" Irvine had no idea how to help her if he didn't know what was making her so upset.
She took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself to at least say something and finally whispered, "I had that same dream again."
"Dream?" Irvine asked cautiously, "You mean you had a nightmare?"
She shrugged with a soft nod, "It's the same one."
"You mean, you've had it before?"
She nodded quietly. Selphie started to concentrate to calm herself down to the point that fewer tears appeared. She sniffled loudly.
Irvine handed her a box of tissue and sat down on the bed. It was then it dawned him that he is only wearing boxers. Selphie sat on the chair that is at his desk.
After a few moments, Selphie finally spoke. "I need to ask you something. I need to know if it's true."
Irvine nodded, "Alright."
Selphie sighed as she gathered her thoughts. "In this dream that I keep having, I dreamt that I'm out in the ocean. The water is really rough and it's too deep for me to touch the bottom. In the distance, I can see a lighthouse but its getting farther and farther away."
She shook her head. "But the water is too rough and I keep having trouble staying above water. I keep shouting for help, but the water keeps pulling me even farther away, until."
Irvine could see a Selphie shake from a shutter. "Until... I can't see the sky anymore and I ..." She crossed her arms tightly across her chest and started crying again. "I wake up because I feel that I can't breathe!"
Irvine got up to give her a hug. "It's okay. It's just a dream, Selphie."
She shook her head. "That's just it. I've had this dream several times before. I don't know why."
"How often do you get this dream?"
"I've had this dream for a long time now. But if I were to take a guess, I think a few times a year. But it still bothers me every time." She sighed. "I was wondering if you knew something about it."
Irvine blinked then started to think back in his memories. It now made sense that she would come to him and ask since everyone else spent several years training with Guardian Forces. Enties that can be junctioned to you to come in your aid and allow you to use what's called 'Para' Magic. However the price to pay for using these Guardian Forces is long term memory loss. It is no secret in Garden that he prefers not to use them unless he has to, and he seems to remember things that everyone else had long forgotten.
"I think..." He thought again as more details came back to him. "It was a long time ago when everyone was back at the orphanage. It looked like a big storm was coming and it made the waves on the beach really big." He sighed. "We were told to not go swimming, but that was what we all did anyway. We've never seen waves that big and had fun jumping into them and away from them. And then..."
"Yes?" Selphie looked up at him, eager to hear more.
"I don't remember who's idea was it, but we got into a contest to see who can go out the farthest in the water. Then suddenly, you vanished." He shook his head. "We didn't know where you were and kept calling out to you." Then he let out a small 'hmph' sound. "While we were looking for you, Seifer ran and got Matron, despite Zell yelling at him to stop or else everyone would get in trouble." Then he shrugged. "He didn't seem to care and got Matron anyway."
Then Irvine looked at Selphie. His eyes showed that he was serious and not joking around. "It turned out that you got caught in a rip tide and it pulled you far away from us. Matron got you back using her sorceress powers but you were not breathing and turning blue. Cid did CPR and you came to, but..."
"... oh." She softly said with sadness. "I get it now." Then thought briefly with a slight shrug of her shoulder and added, "... kinda."
Irvine looked up at her in hopes that she would elaborate on that last part.
She shrugged again. "If it bothers me so much, then why do I like to go surfing? Why do I still like going to the beach?"
"I don't really know. Maybe after a few years of using all those Guardian Forces, you may have forgotten about that whole thing and kept doing the things that you love to do." Irvine made a logical guess.
"I guess so. But why do I still get this dream?"
Irvine shrugged, he had no idea.
Selphie thought about what Irvine said and started filling in the missing pieces in her mind. Things were starting to make sense.
"... I hope this helps." Irvine said after a long pause.
Selphie nodded. "So, what happened after that?"
"We all got into so much trouble over it and got yelled at for doing something that we were told not to. But everyone was so worried about you that it didn't really matter. We all were stuck inside and that big storm came. We were so caught up feeling sorry that it was out fault that you got hurt. In the end, everyone forgot that we were even in trouble at all." Irvine shrugged. "In fact, if wasn't for Seifer who thought quick enough to get help right away, then you would've..."
Selphie sighed. "I bet he forgot too."
Irvine shrugged again, "Who knows? I'm not going to ask."
Selphie stood up. She seemed to a lot more calm now than she was when knocked at his door, but seemed somewhat disturbed. "Thanks."
"Sure thing." He replied with a nod. "Need to talk about it some more?"
She shook her head softly. "No, that's alright. I'm really tired and I got a lot to think about."
"Okay."
Selphie got up to give Irvine a big hug. "Thanks. That helps a lot."
Irvine smiled softly. "... Anytime."
Selphie smiled faintly back and before leaving, pointed to the light switch. Irvine gave a slight nod and she turned off the lights and quietly closed the door behind her.
Irvine sat in the dark for a moment before reclining back on the bed and quickly found a comfortable position. Before he knew it, the whole incident slipped from his mind as he fell back asleep.
He couldn't keep himself from stretching and then yawning. Just the act of stretching alone seemed to gently bring him out of a sleeping stupor. He couldn't get over on how comfortable and completely relaxed he felt. Never in his life had he felt this content.
After looking up at the ceiling briefly, he eased his gaze over to her as she slept soundly. He snuggled up against her and she nuzzled up against him in her sleep. He spent some time holding her in his arms. Finally he sighed in content, savoring these last moments before he would have to get and face the day.
She stretched a little and he felt a comforting tingle race from his mind and spread all over his body. The whole sensation is very intoxicating and he again really did not wish to get up, until he looked at the clock, 04:54 hours. It is due to go off in 6 minutes.
He actually entertained the possibility of calling in and taking the day off, but considering that he came back from a 3 day shore leave and then yesterday was Sunday which meant the command center was officially closed, with the exception of emergencies or catching up on work, which he didn't take advantage of, he had the last 4 days off already. There was probably a lot of work for him to catch up on when he showed up this morning.
He made his final decision and gave her a soft kiss. Then he sat up and reached over the clock to turn off the alarm with only a couple of minutes to spare. Then climbed out of bed slowly while being careful not to disturb her.
Then with a final stretch and yawn, he gently closed the door behind him to the adjacent restroom to prepare for the day.
The day started earlier as far as he was concerned considering that he lived in a time zone further east and received the morning sun hours before everyone else of the world.
He pondered this as he read over some email, especially one in particular that was so professionally written, that any aspects of actual human expression and sympathy had been lost in the message. This was addressed to the President of Esthar from the desk of General Calloway in Galbadia. It was to profusely apologize for the incident the other day that put him and his guests in danger and to admit that their 'compromised' ranks had been corrected.
Laguna leaned back in his chair to recall what happened a few days ago. On an invitation from the Galbadian government, they expressed intentions on opening relations with Esthar with a peace treaty and possible trade negotiations. He paused to wonder why Galbadia was suddenly so eager to push for a treaty considering that there is currently no conflict between them. However, considering the recent political events within the last few months, he could make a few guesses.
Perhaps it was his kind-hearted and trusting nature, but Laguna accepted the invitation himself and traveled there with almost no security. Just his two advisors and long time friends, Kiros and Ward and his niece, Ellone. After all, that is where he was originally from.
Even though he spent most of his time in the hotel room, Ward escorted Ellone to go look around in the many shops in the promenade area of Dueling City, the capital of Galbadia. When she came back to show some of the items she had purchased, she had a bright smile and a very cheery look in her eyes. He felt so happy for her that for once she can do things that normal people take for granted, with the exception of having a bodyguard with her.
Then he sighed in a somber way. He knew that Ellone has spent most of her life isolated from the rest of the world, and he wanted a chance to make up for that. It upset him because that one attempt had backfired and caused a nasty incident on Galbadian soil.
It happens in random people, but once in a while a person is born with an exceptional talent. Unfortunately that 'talent' is the reason why they are hunted down to be exploited. He discovered this way back when she was only 4 years old when Ellone was taken captive by the previous regime of Esthar that was under the command of the cruel Sorceress Adel. She also attacked neighboring nations and caused that huge sorceress war almost 20 years ago.
Laguna eventually tracked Ellone to a Laboratory deep in Esthar, and when he had her back in his arms, he confronted the researcher in charge, Dr. Odine. He explained that he had been ordered by Sorceress Adel to do everything he could to duplicate Ellone's unique power through technology, and with Adel's vast power and her cruel intentions, there was no way you could tell her 'No'.
Along the way, he had made friends with people who were part of an underground movement with the intention of overthrowing Adel, and they did everything they could to assist him. But they wanted something in return considering that each person would be risking their lives for this. At the time, it didn't seem to be a big request so he accepted the deal.
Perhaps it was Adel's complacently in knowing that no one would dare to challenge her that caused her to lower her guard, or it was Laguna's strange twist of luck when he led her to a containment field using an hologram of Ellone as a lure. By the time she realized that she had been tricked, he had already physically shoved her into the containment field where it became her tomb and prison for the next 17 years.
To ensure that she would remain undisturbed, they sent her prison into space in a orbit around the moon. However the constant energy field needed to contain her power was so strong, that it neutralized all radio signals in the world. It took some time for communications to be transferred to HD cable technology since radio waves are now useless.
With Esthar free from Adel's control, he sent Ellone home to Raine in Winhill, but had to stay to finish some business.
He thought that just the mere act of neutralizing Adel would be enough for him to live up to his end of the bargain, but the people of Esthar after being under extreme oppressive tyrannical rule for so long, had no idea how to rebuild their government.
So Laguna lent a hand and before he knew it, became so involved that he was named 'President' even though that was never his intention or desire.
He kept telling himself that this position was temporary and was able to slip away briefly to Winhill once or twice to visit Ellone and Raine.
During those visits he proposed to Raine and married her, but he was still obligated to return to Esthar. Despite his constant requests, Raine did not wish to leave Winhill. So Laguna asked Raine to wait a year while he concentrated his time to train a replacement for himself so that he can return to her until abruptly one day, he received word that Raine passed away, but gave no reason why.
This really devastated him, and it still hurts on the inside. He was so caught up in fulfilling one obligation that he forgot to take care of his own wants and desires to spend as much time as he could with her. He still has a deep sense of regret, but he has come to the understanding that there is nothing that he could do about it now.
He tracked down Ellone again and found that she had been sent to an orphanage. After talking to Edea, the caretaker, he learned that she is another sorceress but a kind and gentle one. He explained to her about Ellone's talents even though it wasn't clear to the small child that she could do all those things. Edea understood right away that she needed to be protected and promised that she will do all she can to do so.
He left Ellone under the care of this other sorceress. In a way, it made him feel relived because of the constant nagging fear that one day Adel would break free. What better way to have Ellone protected from Sorceress Adel other than leaving her in the care of another sorceress?
Laguna blinked and refocused his eyes on the text in the email. Once again, his mind had drifted off but since it is still first thing in the morning, he didn't feel too guilty over it. Then he took a moment to look around the office that he had now spent so many years working in.
Although the technology behind the architecture is way beyond his understanding considering that Esthar has the most advanced technology in the world where space travel is a common thing for these people. After Adel, it was unanimously decided by everyone to close the borders of Esthar and isolate themselves from the rest of the world and their political woes.
However in doing so also cut off Laguna from regularly communicating with Edea and her husband Cid to check up on Ellone. Before that happened, he received on final letter from Cid explaining that Ellone will have to put under protective custody, he fears that his wife is starting to fall under some kind of unknown influence and she has left the orphanage as well. The current whereabouts of Ellone are not going to be known since her location will change on a constant basis. In the letter, Laguna was told to not to worry, Ellone is among friends.
It was one of those few times where Laguna demanded time off to race to the orphanage to try to take Ellone with him but found her to be long gone. When he asked Cid where she was, Cid had to tell him that he honestly did not know, and this was deliberate. Laguna asked where Edea was and again Cid had to tell him that he did not know either, but when he said that he seemed to be heartbroken over it.
Distraught in losing contact with the little girl that he adopted as his niece, and the only person left whom he considered as 'family' he walked out of the small orphanage. Along the way, he distinctly remembered a child running up to him and asking if he saw 'Sis' and if so, where was she? Laguna only shook his head. He didn't know that in the orphanage, Ellone had earned the affectionate nickname of 'Sis' by the other children and looked up to her. After all, she was the oldest child there.
Laguna's attention was diverted when Ellone walked in to check up on him. It still amazed him in knowing that Ellone is almost 22 now. In her hands was a mug with a very warm caffeinated liquid.
"I figured that you would be up already, so I thought that I would bring you something." She said with a smile.
Laguna reclined back in his chair and returned the smile. At least now after all these years, he can at least talk to her on a daily basis. It seemed to remind him what it felt like to be a part of a 'family' again. She also revealed information about a lost family member who is currently a SeeD in Garden.
"Thanks, that's so sweet." He accepted the mug and started to take a sip. The warmth of the liquid seemed to wake him up from the inside out and remind him on how cold this room actually was.
Ellone walked to see what was on Laguna's display and read a few words about the incident that happened a few days back.
Her reaction to the whole thing was one of not being surprised and somewhat irked. There had been many times where she wished that she never was born with the talent of sending people's minds into the past to observe in the eyes of others. It really does nothing for her in terms of self-defense, but for some, knowing the truth about the past and its secrets was a driving force. Those who knew better constantly sought her out for ability to allow to conscious to transcend time. Recently she noticed that she could get a sense of the future as well.
Perhaps that was why she insisted in returning back to Garden after all those years in protective custody. After her constant requests, she was allowed back and was astonished to find just about all the kids in the orphanage that she spent time in, had all grown up just like her.
She found Squall shortly after receiving an nasty injury on his face that resulted in that scar. She said a few words, but when he turned to look at her, it was like he did not know her at all.
It was the same with Quistis when she found her and said a few things. She only got a blank stare in response. No one knew her anymore.
It hurt her feelings in a way in knowing that she was forgotten like that. It was because of them that she risked leaving the protective custody that she had been in for so long, but she kept on with it and started to influence the events by sending various people's minds in the past as a way to help each other.
Her efforts did pay off in the end. When Adel finally broke free, they were ready and she was finally defeated. The girl who inherited Adel's powers and who previously inherited Edea's as well, used herself as bait and then allowed herself to be possessed by a more powerful sorceress who was the real person who hunted Ellone down. When Ellone used her power in combination, they activated the phenomenon known as 'Time Compression' and was able to face the mastermind herself and finally defeat her. Her and the new sorceress had become good friends after the event and they talk often through electronic text messages.
Afterwards, Ellone felt that she was safe and did not need to hide anymore. That was why she was so eager to visit Galbadia with her uncle. Never in her life had she felt this much freedom in being able to walk among everyone else without have to worry if someone one would try to take her away.
That all changed when the Galbadia guard came to escort everyone to the presidential palace. Ellone knew to trust her first impressions of the two young officers in charge when right away she knew that they were trouble.
She had to admit, they did put up a good act and while being 'escorted' they took a turn in a nearby deserted area where the actual guards vanished as if they were part of an elaborate illusion and the two young Galbadian 'officers' used unnatural abilities and powers in an attempt to capture Ellone, whom they referred to as a 'Time Mage'.
Ellone managed to get away by running to a baggage car on a train that was about ready to leave and hid in the cargo, but before she lost sight of everyone, she saw Laguna taken captive instead and the two attackers fled. She knew right away from the abilities that they demonstrated as being knights to a sorceress, but at this level they could very well be a 'True Knight' where they receive a portion of the powers of the sorceress whom they serve.
It had been a rough couple of days but she was able to make it to the town of Balamb and get help before being captured again. Thankfully everyone came in time to save everyone, and to her surprise those same Knights appeared to have turned on their own sorceress as well. After hearing their tragic story, she sympathized with them.
However now, she is carefully heading their final warning that their sorceress still lives, but in another body. Unfortunately no one had the chance to start an investigation to locate her, but then again they just got back home a few days ago and Ellone still felt shaken over the whole deal.
Ellone stood up strait and from the look on Laugna, he really seemed to be preoccupied. So she gave him a hug and kissed him on the cheek before leaving him alone to do some work.
Even though she wasn't due to report for duty for over two hours, Quistis was still up and packing a shoulder bag with a laptop and a handful of data disks. She mentioned yesterday that she had some essays to grade and she wasn't kidding when she told Squall that they do take forever to finish.
On top of that, she had to review over the list of students who did pass the written SeeD exam this year and assign other SeeDs to escort these candidates to fulfill the last of the prerequisites for the field exam. Many of them still have yet gone to the Fire Cavern, which will require a member of SeeD to escort the candidate on a one to one basis to acquire the Ifrit Guardian Force.
Thankfully there had only been 14 students who made it this far and now need to go to the Fire Cavern.
The rest of the class who did not express interest in joining SeeD took different tests in which that has a much higher pass rate, and those alumni would then join various armies around the world as Junior Officers since they would earn their commission here.
Those who did not wish to enroll in one of the armies of the world have the option of going for the SeeD exam and become an independent mercenary that are dispatched around the world by Garden. The requirements for that is much higher and more stringent. Many keep trying until they reach the maximum age requirement of 20 before being discharged from Garden regardless if they graduated. The minimum age requirement is 15. To stay in Garden after that, they must either be faculty, staff, and active SeeD members.
Many SeeDs are actually orphans who have no real sense of nationality, and are sent to Garden to be educated. Garden accepts students as early as 5 years old. True, now the requirements to become a student is more in depth other than being an unfortunate orphan, but the Headmaster has made it very clear to establish rules for potential students under those conditions to get priority for admission.
Quistis reached over to grab one final data disk but held it in her hands as she flung the strap of the carrying case over her shoulder and made her way out the door.
The first person she saw in the empty corridor in the section of the dorms where her room is located is Squall. He had apparently just stepped out too. She raced up to catch up with him.
"Morning." She said in a natural tone. She had too much on her mind with all the things that she needed to do. She can joke around later.
"Hey." Then Squall added, "You're up early." Then he noticed the shoulder bag she was carrying.
Quistis handed him that last data disk. Squall accepted it and waited for her to tell him what was on it.
"Its the records of this year's SeeD candidates. I assume that you would like to take a look over them before making the assignments for the field exam."
Squall nodded. This information would be helpful and make his job a lot easier. "Thanks."
Both of them walked down the corridor in silence with their minds more focused on work rather than being social. For Squall, this will be the first year where he would be involved with making the final exams possible. The assignments for the field exam used to be Headmaster Cid's job. This will be Quistis' third year working on administering the SeeD exams.
However this year is different because it had to be delayed by several weeks with all the uprising and battles over the last couple of months. For the rest of the students, they have already started on the new fall session. That break has been cut extremely short to get back on schedule. The SeeD candidates stayed during the entire summer break to catch up for this test.
The two uniformed SeeDs had reached an outdoor section of the corridor, which at this time of day is Quistis' favorite part of walking down this hall. She really enjoyed feeling the cool moist air full of morning dew touch her face. It seemed that the air smelled the freshest and helped her feel awake and ready for the day.
She turned to observe Squall who had diverted his gaze to the right to look outside on the surrounding area. Normally when he did this it was whenever he was put on the spot and it was an attempt to avoid it while tolerating still standing there or when he couldn't just flat out leave. But this time, it looked like he was actually looking around at the scenery, with no need to for him to be on his guard.
Quistis looked to the left side of outdoor section of the corridor and saw the fog in the distance and enjoying the cool morning air. She took in a deep breath through her nose and closed her eyes for a brief moment. This usually helps her feel centered and more alert to focus on her duties, but this time, it was a mild sense of amusement when she realized that Squall did the same thing at the same time she did.
They both exchanged looks. Squall only shrugged and continued on his way. Quistis smiled to herself. Just when she thought she had him figured out, something else happens and she has to start all over again.
She idly tapped her finger on the flat surface next to the touch pad while waiting for the laptop to fully boot. She had been awake for a while now, but one can toss and turn so much before being forced out of bed. She looked at the surroundings of the room that she is staying in as soon as she heard a roommate stir a little in their sleep and then rolling over to find a new comfortable position.
Both of her roommates are currently sleeping soundly and quietly, giving her a moment of peace and some time to herself.
Fujin stretched and leaned closer to the laptop as it established an online connection. Then she pulled out the data disk that was given to them yesterday to gain access to Balamb's records with login information for each of them.
The authentication process was a bit slower than what she had grown accustomed to but since they are accessing it remotely, but she couldn't really complain too much. As soon as she logged in, she opened the special needs database so that she can take a look at all the job requests sent to Garden from small groups that can't really afford SeeD.
These requests were grouped by location; Galbadia, Dollet, Timber, Balamb, Esthar, Trabia... Fujin shrugged to herself and randomly clicked on a location, Timber.
From what she gathered on some of the requests for help, their situation seems to be very grim. Galbadia had been occupying Timber for a long time now, and these requests were from small factions of resistance groups. Then there was one that stood out in her mind, "The Forest Owls."
Why does that name ring a bell? She shrugged to herself as she kept browsing over the other job requests. Then in the corner of her eye she saw a bright red icon indicating that she actually had mail. They must have reactivated their email accounts as well.
The second the page loaded, the name of the sender, Dr. Kadowaki, sparked a sense of curiosity within her and she started to read the message.
Just by reading the first couple of sentences, it was enough for her to understand what the whole message was about and it somewhat upset her. It was a request for her to go see the good doctor for a check up because it had now been five years since the accident.
Fujin looked away from the screen to confirm that no one else was awake to even read the message. This was one thing that she wanted to keep to herself. Looking back at the message, she saw that there was one other recipient. She had completely forgotten that he was there too and he got hurt pretty badly when the explosion happened. She wondered why there was not a third receiver but she guessed that the other guy dropped out or something and is no longer with Garden.
She didn't want to think of the past any longer than she had to and clicked on the reply button. She only wrote, "I'M FINE. NO NEED TO CHECK."
After she clicked on send, it dawned on her that she clicked on 'Reply All' and not just 'Reply'. She rested her head against her hand and sighed in aggravation. She was cursing herself out for being so damn stupid. Now Squall is going to get a copy of that message.
Zell had finished his warm up stretches and took a moment to drink from a water bottle briefly before putting it in his bag. He was certain that no one was going to take off with it so he left it on the floor by the wall before opening the western gate to enter the Training Center. The air felt extremely warm than usual in here today.
As part of protocol, he made sure that he signed in and that the gates were securely closed behind him since there are live monsters in this area.
He had started to come here in the mornings instead of mid afternoon since he discovered that the training center would not have too many other people here to get in his way. It also made things more quiet and not as crowded.
This allowed his mind to ponder on other things during the slow moments of keeping up with his training. Something Xu and Cid mentioned the other day perked his interest: The martial arts instructor is considering retirement and may need a replacement very soon.
All they did was bring it up to his attention, and at first he thought that it would be too much trouble. He would have to get certified for being an instructor like Quistis, and that is something that he really didn't care for.
Also that would mean that he would have to spend all his time in Garden instead of going on SeeD missions like he had hopes of doing and why he stuck through the training for the last several years. On top of that, he knew that there are other SeeDs who specialize in various forms of martial arts and hand to hand fighting like he did, why not one of them take the job?
Then again, deep down, he had been feeing unappreciated lately and began to wonder that if he did more, that would fix it and be more valuable in SeeD other than just another nameless mercenary whose purpose is to follow orders.
He took a moment to wipe the sweat off of his brow. Already he had fought against some random monsters but in order to present a real challenge, he had been facing many at once. He didn't bother to keep a count on how many he faced today. But it felt very hot in here. It was if there was no air circulating.
He moved on and kept pondering on things. Instead of feeling sorry for himself, he had been thinking of ways to make himself more useful and the additional training has been helping quite a bit. Not only for his physical well-being but on the inside as well.
Then he thought about everyone that he knew and how they had made an impact to SeeD. First there is Quistis who is one of the top instructors in Garden, then Squall who takes care of military affairs of SeeD, and Selphie who spends her time coordinating the Garden Festival and works with the younger students, also Nida, who graduated with him, now navigates Garden when it is mobile. He can't think of what Irvine has done other than being one of the very few who specializes in snipping, and Rinoa who has been given V.I.P. status because of her abilities.
Though he noticed Rinoa had been feeling kinda down because she has been idle too until she found a side project to study for the written part of the SeeD exam. He heard that she failed it by only a few points and again she is feeling down again.
However, where does he fit in? He choose a specialty that fairly common in SeeD, he knows that he has no leadership skills but that is mainly because he was rarely given a chance to prove himself.
Knowing himself, who would give him a chance at leadership? He has admitted to himself that he is indeed loud, short tempered, and usually acts without thinking. It has gotten him into so much trouble, and in so many fights in the past.
The loud snap of a dried branch echoed throughout the training center and it made him jump to attention. The one big monster that he had been looking for had apparently found him. A mischievous smirk came across his face as he turned around to face this large beast.
Even though the heat was starting to wear him down, Zell let out of another devious grin and took a stance against the T-Rexaur. The large red monster seemed already agitated over being disturbed and the heat was starting to bother the cold blooded creature.
While dodging attacks from the monster, and charging in briefly to land a few punches it occurred to Zell that this fight was taking a bit longer than what he had planned. But with every move both him and the creature seemed to slow down more and more.
Finally Zell had to stop. It is simply too hot in here to do anything anymore and the creature backed away too. It didn't feel like fighting either.
"Attention! All personnel are to leave the Training Center Immediately for repairs." The loud speaker abruptly came to life when it made this announcement.
Zell let out a tired sigh of disappointment, then proceeded to the northern exit since he had made it this far around the Training Center and it was the closest one.
He tried to hurry but each step felt like a chore. He felt so hot that even the sweat on his brow had dried off leaving only hot skin. All he thought about was to keep moving until he reached the gate and even the metal felt very warm to the touch. When it was finally opened, the blast of cold air from the other side caused a sudden shiver.
A maintenance worker noticed Zell leaving the Training Center. "Are there anyone else in there with you?"
He shook his head. "No, it's just me." The sudden change in temperature is causing a headache to form. He found his bag and started easing himself to sit down next to it to rest for a moment, but everything seemed to fade away. The last thing he heard was a girl saying, "Zell? Are you...?"
He lost all sense of coordination, but after a moment he became aware of something tugging on him, as if moving him around. It was an involuntary gasp of shock when something cold was put on his forehead and he opened his eyes slightly.
"Hold still, it looks like you have heat stroke." An older woman's voice said in a authoritative tone. It was Dr. Kadowaki.
"Wha...?" He couldn't think to complete his question, but a subtle feeling of shivering was starting from deep inside his core.
"The ventilation system failed and it made the heaters turn on. There are people who are evacuating the creatures in there." She leaned back. "Do you have any idea how hot it got in there?"
Zell closed his eyes and managed to whisper, "...no."
Dr. Kadowaki looked up at the maintenance crew, "How hot is it in there again?"
One of the technicians looked at the thermometer again. "We got it down to about 113... it was over 120 when we got started." Then he paused, "Uh, that would be a little over 45 Celsius for you military-types."
Zell laid still and only listened to what he said. Then the surface underneath him begin to jerk around and it was an instant realization that he had been put on a stretcher and he never knew it.
"Wait..." He forced himself to say. The stretcher was put down and he tried to sit up. "... I'll walk."
Dr. Kadowaki shook her head and pushed him down, "Oh no you are not."
Zell pushed back, there was no way he was going to allow himself to be carried out of here.
"You may be a SeeD, but remember that I outrank you. And if I have to give you a direct order to stay put, then I will."
Zell's back was flat on the stretcher, "... You wouldn't..."
She nodded back stubbornly. "Yes I can, and I will. Got it?"
He gave up protesting and eased back and let the medics lift the stretcher up. He really hated going through this, but deep down, somehow in a very conflicting way, he was also grateful that he didn't have to push himself any further. When he gave up pretending to be 'okay' all the energy faded away from him and he didn't remember much since he passed out again.
Her small frame was seated comfortably in a luxurious overstuffed reclining chair. Her eyes were fixed on the HD cable TV that was airing some random program. She really showed no interest on what was on TV, but her body still felt lethargic and her mind seemed very muttled. Any chance for a clear thought seemed distant.
The child seemed to be grateful for that. It gave her a moment of peace. She had been disturbing herself lately with some of the gruesome thoughts she had been having.
It all started when she woke up that day, but what about before that?
As much as she wanted to have no thoughts and just sit in a mindless fog, her mind drifted off to the last thing she remembered before going into a deep sleep. She was with her mother and her caretaker, Teresa, and they had gone out to the park near the large fountain for the day. It was meant to be a fun day since she had asked to go out and see the fountain in the large city they all live in.
That was when she saw an old woman sitting on a bench. She looked like she had been crying softly and had been there for a long time.
It was her natural curiosity that brought her closer to this woman. Along the way, she came across some wild flowers and hastily gathered a handful.
When she got close enough to the old woman, she stood there and waited until her presence was noticed. That was when she presented her the hand picked wild flowers.
The old woman looked at her in silence for a moment before smiling softly. This old woman had lived a very harsh life and most of it she had to stay hidden from the world. It is obvious that the old woman is heavily burdened with something, and she could not bear to hang on to this weight anymore.
The old woman accepted the bouquet and gave the child a hug. The compassion from a total stranger seemed to lighten her day.
The little girl blinked and she was back in her seat in front of the TV. Then she sighed. She couldn't remember much after that, but had a very vivid dream that seemed to last a very long time.
The dream itself wasn't that bad until near the end. Somewhere near the end another voice, a cruel and evil presence made an appearance. This terrified her, and this evil presence very quickly put her in submission. She wanted to cry out for help, but was very easily silenced. The end result was her appearing to be near comatose until the other presence had a reason to take action.
This was one of those times where this other presence had no reason to do anything and seemed to be at rest, leaving her alone but unable to act or react.
Her eyes began to water as more tears started to form. She is in a extreme state of fear that she is left powerless to move.
It was a startling surprise when a pair of warm hands come by and scooped her out of the over sized luxury chair and carried her in their arms. Just the warmth from these hands and the feeling of their presence provided great comfort to her. This other entity within her is so xenophobic that she truly appreciates any kind of physical contact now.
Fiona reached over to push a strand of raven black hair away from her child's face.
"I don't understand." She said softly. "She was so cheerful, so full of life before all this. I don't know what's happening to her." Fiona fought back tears as soon as she realized that her child's eyes were already full of them. Deep down, she knew that there was something tormenting her, but in a analogical and scientific world, who would believe her without disregarding her conclusions as superstition.
The man who picked up the small and comatose child studied her carefully. Physically she seemed fine, with no fever or sign of infection or injury. There was no physical explanation on what was happening to her.
The two adults continued to talk among themselves about her fate, but in her mind, she only heard one voice.
'We have to silence them.'
The girl panicked in alarm, 'No please, don't hurt them.' She pleaded with the entity that had invaded her mind.
'Shut up. They will be silenced.'
'I won't let you. Go away!' The girl closed her eyes as she argued with this evil spirit.
The evil spirit started to force her will, but the girl made every effort to block it. The spirit wanted to unleash to hidden power of being a sorceress within her, the same powers that she had just inherited and had been refusing to use and exploit. But it was to same powers that enabled the child to block the spirit's every move. But this took a lot of effort and it left the child in a comatose state while she fought this invader off.
From what she heard from the adults, it seemed to to her that they were confused. They didn't understand what was going on. Somehow in her young wisdom, she knew that she had to find help elsewhere.
At that moment, she gave up calling for help from every one around her and started to concentrate on finding someone who would truly understand her problem and help her out beyond what any mundane human can.
Rinoa woke up in a mild protest since she could not stand having the morning sun shine directly in her eyes. As part of her protest, she rolled over to face the wall. After laying still for a few long moments, she sat up in another protest; it was too damn quiet in here. So much that there seemed to be a high pitch ringing sound that was like driving something sharp in her ears.
After rubbing her eyes, she looked around the room. This is Squall's room. She knew that he had to get up and report to duty already and it was nice of him to left her sleep in.
As much as she kept telling herself that she shouldn't, Rinoa couldn't resist and started to look around. At first she made sure that she didn't touch anything and walked up to his desk and looked at the wall-mounted shelf above it.
Obviously it was full of books, but after reading over some of the titles, this wasn't for casual reading or for entertainment. It seemed to her that they were old text books that he felt that they were worth keeping. She then noticed a few near the corner of the room with no label on them. She pulled one out and realized that it was a notebook with old scribbled notes.
She couldn't help but chuckle in amusement as she flipped through the pages. It seemed that he spent more time doodling rather than taking notes.
She guessed that maybe everything taught at Garden was so second nature to him that he really didn't need to write anything down. He seemed to do so well. Quistis did mention that he was the top of his graduating class the other day.
But, why did he make an effort the keep this old notebook and so many others like it?
This made Rinoa look deeper through the notebook and noticed that some of the things that he actually wrote seemed to be poetic and lyrical in nature. Nothing complete, but fragments. A sentence here, a phrase there.
Then towards the back something odd caught her attention, an arrangement of five lines close together with dots in various positions with lines reaching up or down from them.
It was written music. He actually wrote something down in music notes.
This surprised her mildly. It was reasonable to figure that everyone had a creative outlet of some kind, but she never thought that he's a music aficionado.
She closed the notebook, then opened it again to look under the front cover. This was used a little over 5 years ago.
She put this notebook back and grabbed another one to look under the cover, the second one dated back even earlier. The third one dated further back than that.
She gave up looking at the other notebooks and made sure that everything was back where she found it. Then she stood back to think about what she just discovered.
Rinoa reached back over the the shelf because she thought that she didn't put everything back the way they were. However when she did, a stack of loose papers spilled all over the place.
She swung her arms to her sides in an obvious gesture of annoyance. "Great..." She said to herself and bent down to start gathering the loose sheets the fell to the floor.
'You'd think that being a sorceress would cure me of my klutziness,' Rinoa mused to herself as she reached towards the back of the desk but could not reach some of the sheets that fell back there.
As she extended her outstretched hand, the loose pieces of paper gathered and ended up back in her hand. She felt that she kinda cheated in getting all the paper back together but at least it got the job done and she put the paper back into a neat-looking stack. She had no idea if they were organized in a particular order, but at least it looks tidy again.
She reached her hand to grab on the windowsill to pull herself off the floor but found that what she grabbed shifted and moved. Rinoa improvised and used her grip on the desk to stand up completely and discovered that she put her hand on a carrying case for something.
Now it had a hand print from where she put her hand on it, and it wiped the dust with it. She recognized it right away. It was a carrying case of a guitar of some kind.
This is a complete surprise to Rinoa. She would have never guess that he spent time studying to play an instrument, but at the same time, judging from the very thick layer of dust on it, it is very obvious that he hadn't bothered to practice lately.
As much as she was tempted to open the case to see the instrument herself, Rinoa was able to restrain herself and opted to ask him later when she got the chance.
She backed away from the desk to make sure that she wouldn't disturb anything else and proceeded to get dressed and go to her room to wash up.