You lift my spirit, take me higher, make me fly

[prez_leg_cramp]

Characters: Laguna, Balthier, and Sephiroth
Progress: Ongoing
Summary: Memoria Tiemz
Location: Memoria
Date: February 1804
Warnings: Cuteness?

Comments

[prez_leg_cramp]

“Laguna?” A soft, female voice called out from behind him.

Laguna jumped and turned around, surprised. He hadn’t heard her come up behind him. The woman in question had flowing, dark brown hair that fell to near her waist, a yellow headband keeping it from falling in her face. She wore jeans and a plain, yellow turtle neck shirt.

She was beautiful. She was Raine Leonhart, soon to be Raine Loire. If all went well, that is.

He quickly hid his hand behind his back as she came closer to him, her hands clasped in front of her. She smiled and lifted her head up at him. “What are you doing out here?” She asked, shaking her head lightly. He was always doing silly things like this, it seemed.

Laguna looked sheepish, his hand going to his head to rub it in embarrassment, a small blush on his cheeks. “Uh… well… I”

Raine suddenly looked curious, her head going to the side, blinking. “Hm? What is it?”

Laguna dropped his hand, staring at her for a moment. “Bye!” He lifted his head, turning and promptly trying to make an exit. He couldn’t do it! He couldn’t do it!

[xbalthierx]

"Through no fault of my own, I assure you. Gaia is a fickle-- what in the world is he doing?" Balthier nodded to Laguna who was talking to himself, or thin air...

Shaking his head slightly, Balthier glanced at the katana. "Over-compensating, much?" An eyebrow was arched as he crossed his arms to watch Laguna.

"If you don't mind, I'd rather we found our way back to something considered civilisation," Balthier called to the President, shaking his head.

[sixth_sefira]

Sephiroth refrained from rebutting or even for that matter visibly reacting to the snarked question on Masamune's size, the suggestive insult was rather old and unoriginal. Not to mention, considering the way their companion was acting, it was not the time for what was likely to end up in a snark war anyway.

Pulling his phone from his coat pocket, Sephiroth tried to get it to tell him just where they might be, only to have it throw back error messages at him instead of the mapping feature he had expected to use to find the newest town.

"It would seem we're on our own as for finding 'civilization'." He told the two men as he gestured briefly with the phone as if to clarify just why they were to be on their own. "Whatever happened, it would seem it has killed the extra functions of the phone, thus no tracking and no maps."

[prez_leg_cramp]

“W-Wait a minute!” She called out behind him, moving to follow and her left hand coming out to stop him. “Lagun-“

She was cut off when he finally turned back around, impulse driving him, and before he could stop himself, took her outstretched hand and slid a small, silver band over her ring finger. He let go as she lifted it in wonder, staring at it almost disbelieving. “Oh my….”

It was… it was wedding ring?! Oh… oh… it was… she put her hands together, a bright smile breaking out as she looked up at Laguna. Was he really…?

Laguna lifted his own left hand, the ring already on it, that same soft smile he had before was back in place. The woman’s eyes shined with tears. He really was! She lifted her hand again, both them now mimicking each other. She dropped it and ran to him, embracing him and burying her head into his chest. Laguna quickly caught her and wrapped his arms lovingly about her shoulders, bending slightly because of her shorter frame. Still, she fit perfectly within his arms. He could feel her tears seeping into his shirt as he held to tightly underneath the moonlight. Her hand shifted slightly across his shoulder blade and he laid his cheek against her head.

But then a tear fell from his eye and his arms encircled nothingness. Laguna gave a noise of surprise and lifted his head.

Raine was gone.

And two men he never met were standing behind him.

[xbalthierx]

Balthier blinked at Laguna, vaguely wondering if the man had simply gone insane and they'd have to tackle him to the ground and carry him away. Sephiroth's words made him sigh, however.

"Glorious." They were going to have to find their way to safety and something considered a settlement without any kind of maps or tracking. He didn't even bother to mess with his own phone.

"You there, when you're quite finished, we're going to move on. Standing in a field will do naught." Shaking his head, he gave a look to Sephiroth. "I trust you've the desire to find a settlement, as well, Sephiroth."

[sixth_sefira]

Sephiroth nodded briefly once in response to the statement Balthier had directed toward him. Turning away from the two men, he picked what seemed a reasonable direction and started out to cross the field and see just what might lie beyond it.

He'd taken no more than two strides when it was no longer grass underfoot but metal and carpet. The moment the setting had shifted, he'd come to a halt and had silently taken in the new walls and furnishings that now surrounded him. It didn't take but a moment for Sephiroth to realize exactly where he was. He'd been through this area for most of his life after all.

Out of curiosity, he turned to look back behind him expecting to see nothing but the rest of an empty room, but was mildly surprised when he noted that Balthier and the other man had arrived here with him. "It would seem we've found 'civilization' or rather it has found us." He said to Balthier with a bit of mock humor gracing his words.

[prez_leg_cramp]

Laguna blinked and turned to see the two men he didn't know walking away. Hastily wiping the tear away and trying to forget what he saw, he ran to the others and kept quiet for now. He stopped, however, when the world around them shifted.

"...where did we go?" Laguna asked, scratching the back of his head. "This wasn't in Winhill before."

[xbalthierx]

"Oh, how delightful," Balthier replied dryly, rolling his eyes at Sephiroth. At least this wasn't the middle of nowhere but there came a point where he had to wonder just what Gaia was even doing now. They'd had that shift back in July that sent them through to November, then all the invasions of monsters and now... this?

What was this? Why was Gaia sending them all over the place without a set, obvious reason?

Sighing, Balthier looked towards Laguna. "I'm unsure. It isn't a place I recall."

[sixth_sefira]

"It's Midgar, but I've heard this place on Gaia was in ruins." Sephiroth turned toward one of the windows, and one could plainly see the city beyond those windows was not in ruins. The idea that he might have been sent back home where he'd come from was off-set by the presence of the two men behind him.

"Sephiroth."

The young SOLDIER turned around and a quiet but genuine smile came to grace the man's expression as the green eyes fell upon the one whom had called his name. He stepped away from the window to step toward Angeal, smile slipping some as he noted the young man wasn't alone. "Hello Angeal."

[prez_leg_cramp]

Laguna blinked and looked around the room, but he spotted no one but Sephiroth and Balthier. "Um... who are you talking to?"

But Sephiroth looked like he couldn't even hear them.

[xbalthierx]

Oh. The crazy was catching, apparently. Watching Sephiroth talk to thin air, Balthier scoffed, shaking his head. "Probably the same damn person you were speaking to not a moment ago," he muttered, crossing his arms.

This was just getting stupid now. Very, very stupid.

[sixth_sefira]

Sephiroth blinked as both Angeal and Genesis vanished to leave behind Balthier and the other man in their place. "That...was unexpected." He commented quietly, half to himself as he considered the meeting which had just apparently played out solely for his benefit alone it would seem.

"I take it neither of you saw anything?" He had idea the answer would be negative but it never hurt to be certain.

[prez_leg_cramp]

"I was talking to Raine, not Angeal," Laguna protested with a frown. "I don't even know an Angeal."

It seemed Sephiroth's scene was done, however, whatever that scene was because he was already turning and addressing them. Laguna shook his head. "I didn't see anything."

[xbalthierx]

Shaking his head to Sephiroth's question, Balthier sighed. "I'd say we should make a move to leave, but this place is like to shift, I expect."

And, with that as a fore-warning, the walls of this room began to change, shifting into stacks of shelves, covered in books. A large desk was in the center of the room and Balthier's gaze fell upon the man near the far window, going over text in several books all stacked on the small table near the window.

A small gasp escaped him and Balthier rushed over, throwing his arms around the man's waist. "Father! The silly Judges keep chasing me. Didn't you tell Lord Gramis and Lord Vayne to tell them to leave me alone?" His voice was childish, a soft whine escaping him.

"Ffamran..." Cid sighed, petting his son's head gently. "It is because you are a child and you get underfoot, as you are now, my dear boy."

Pouting up at his father, Balthier frowned at him. "I am not a child! I am eight whole years and seven whole months, father! I'm a grown up!"

[prez_leg_cramp]

Laguna blinked and looked to Sephiroth. "...did he just become a kid?"

Balthier did confirm that he was eight years old, after all. But the man hardly looked eight.

[sixth_sefira]

Sephiroth almost succeeded in keeping the quiet amusement at the rogue contained, but you could still hear a subtle hint of it in his voice as he answered Laguna's question. "It would seem that whatever happened to us earlier has happened in a sense to Balthier..." He paused, a slight smile briefly gracing his lips as he considered what the other man was acting out before them.

"Only it would seem that wherever we're at now, it has something to do with his past.." At that last word and thought, the smile faded and he considered something anew.

"What you saw before, was it in your own past?"