Chapter Seven

Aurora awoke with the bright sun gleaming from through the skylight into her face. She sat straight up and looked over to the clock, it read 10:00. (I wonder why mom and dad didn’t wake me up, I thought we were going to see Quistis again today.) She thought while getting up and changing into her navy blue dress and her light blue overcoat. She pulled on her shoes then walked over to her dresser and picked up her necklace with her mothers ring on it and put it on.

After Aurora was dressed again she sat down on her bed and thought about the day and night before. Her arriving at the garden then meeting everyone and going on a tour with Dean, who told her all about her parents before her parents told her themselves.

Aurora looked out the side window out into the horizon and yawned still thinking about encountering Dawn then confronting her parents and her father telling her the truth. How she had quickly decided not to tell her father about Dean telling her some of the things that he told her.

She thought about her lovely night before and how Dean taught her how to dance and how they kissed and he told her that he was falling in love with her while “Eyes on Me” played and surrounded the beautiful ballroom.

Aurora stood up again and walked opened her door to see that her parents were no longer there. (What, they left without me? Why?) She thought to herself. Aurora looked around the room then decided it would be a good time to return her mother’s dress without her knowing so she ran and grabbed it and put it with her mothers things, where she had seen her father take it from.

Aurora looked at the bed and noticed a note so she walked over and picked it up.

“Aurora, your father and I went down for a late breakfast around 9, we’ll be here until you come. See you, Love Mom” the note read.

Aurora lifted her eyes then crumpled up the note up and threw it away. She left the guest dorm room and set off towards the cafeteria.

Squall sat across the table from his wife, Rinoa, staring at her as she stared at her finished dish of bacon and eggs, the same as his. Squall watched as she tilted her head to the side as she always did and sighed then looked up at him, right into his eyes.

Squall watched her closely as she began to speak for one of the only times since they woke up. “Squall? Do you think it was right of us to tell Aurora, so soon I mean.” Squall looked around and noticed more students arriving in the Cafeteria and remembered that it was Sunday, that’s why they were eating so late.

“Yes, Rinoa. I do think it was right of us to tell her… now that she knows we don’t have to keep things from her. We can be honest.” Squall said as he looked back at Rinoa who was once again staring at her plate and waited her for to talk.

“I suppose so… I mean… I guess.” She said in a small voice. “I guess I still want to protect her is all.” Squall turned his head to look at her in a fast motion, and had a surprised look on his face. “Rinoa, I want to protect her too, so does everyone. We can’t protect her by keeping her from the truth, at least now she knows to protect herself as well.” Squall frowning.

He watched as Rinoa looked away from him towards the doors of the Cafeteria. “When is that girl going to get here, maybe we should go and get her.” She said faintly. Squall was about to say something but noticed the doors open and Aurora came in so he said nothing and waited for her to come over to the table.

Squall watched as she hugged Rinoa then him and the she said happily,“Hi Mom, hi Dad! Nice day isn’t it.” Squall nodded, as did Rinoa. “Aurora, we said that we would meet Quistis by eleven at the latest, its 10:15 so hurry and eat.” Squall said quietly.

Squall looked up at her and waited for her to go and get food but instead she stood there for a moment thinking. “Umm, I’m not really hungry. We can go now if you want!” she said finally in a still happy tone. Squall looked back down at Rinoa who had a concerned look on her face but stood up.

Squall stood up and nodded in agreement and they set off to Quistis’s office in silence. As they reached the elevator Squall held back Aurora’s arm and whispered, “How’d it go last night?” Squall watched as Rinoa pressed the button, unaware that they were talking.

“Great! Thank-you so much” Aurora whispered back. Squall stared at her a then smiled. “I know that you came in late… just promise to never do that again, ok?” Squall whispered still looking at Rinoa then glanced back at Aurora who had a shocked but impressed smile on her face.

“I sorry… but I promise it won’t happen again.” Aurora whispered. Squall nodded again then they walked to the elevator and stood next to Rinoa and awaited the elevator’s arrival.

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Selphie sat on one of the couches, beside Irvine; Zell sat directly across from them in an armchair by the coffee table. Selphie looked over across the room to where Quistis sat, in her office chair. Selphie began to get fidgety from the long silence, while they awaited Squall, Rinoa and Aurora’s arrival.

Selphie looked back over at Quistis who had busied her self in some papers then looked quickly towards the elevator which had opened and the family of three walked out. Selphie watched them closely as they walked over and all sat on a couch, Squall and Rinoa on one side and Aurora on the other.

Selphie greeted them politely, as did Irvine and Zell. Selphie noticed that Quistis began to walk over while greeting them happily as if trying to lighten the load that was about to be put on them.

“So, shall we get on with it then!” Selphie said hastily, just wanting to get out of that stuffy, awkward room. Selphie stared at Rinoa who seemed to be twiddling her with her hands a lot and sweating a bit.

Selphie looked back at Quistis who had settled herself in the other armchair so that they all sat in a large circle and Quistis began talking. She explained her theory about how Adel survived.

Her theory was that when they all thought they defeated Adel and they took off into the time compression that they lost her while in time. Adel had known that she could not defeat the SeeD’s at that point for she was too weak so she faked her death. She magically transported herself to a locked chamber in the Lunitic Pandora.

After Ultimecia’s defeat the SeeD’s had decided to put the Lunatic Pandora underneath the Deep-Sea Research Centre in case they ever need it for a future mission, little did they know that Sorceress Adel had stayed in her locked chamber restoring her power.

Selphie kept on listening as Zell asked Quistis about how she knows that Adel is still there and at that Quistis sighed deeply. Selphie continued listening as Quistis began to tell the group about how she knew.

A small group of students from the Galbadian Garden had ventured far out into the ocean in their boat and nightfall came. They saw a purplish blue gleam of light shot straight up into the sky, a thin and faint light so they decided to go towards it.

They arrived at a strange location, the Deep-Sea Research Centre. The group of students, three boys, walked right into the Research Centre and down a few floors. They reached the bottom floor and they saw a big glass square showing the ocean floor and they saw the Lunatic Pandora.

When they turned around a giant woman, strong and strange looking, being Sorceress Adel was standing near the door. She swooped her arms down and whacked one of the boys upside the head and broke his neck instantly then turned to the others. Adel, still being somewhat weak was slow, the other two boys escaped, but with a narrow escape.

On their way back up they saw numerous soldiers, dressed in dark green uniforms and helmets. They seemed to be moving like robots, as if hypnotized. They wondered why they were only seeing them on their way back up but still kept running and got out. They took off as fast as they could in their boat and looked back to see the purplish-blue light again except this time more bright.

“The two remaining students came immediately back to their garden in Galbadia and told their headmaster all about it. The headmaster reported this immediately to me, two days ago.” Quistis said. Selphie looked over at Irvine who had a somewhat shocked but worried look on his face.

She looked around at everyone else, Zell looked completely shocked and bewildered, Squall and Rinoa looked surprised, Quistis looked calm but sad and Aurora looked worst. She looked scared.

“The student, the boy… he, he died?” Aurora stuttered. Selphie stared at her more and then looked to Quistis who was nodding solemnly. “Wait… wait….. Last night, I saw the purple light… it was kind of faint but also kind of bright at the same time…” Aurora said suddenly.

Selphie stared at her… shocked. She saw that Rinoa had flicked her head, her hair whipped around, and Rinoa looked at Aurora, surprised. “How did you see that… your window isn’t big enough and you were in bed early…?” Rinoa said.

Selphie saw Aurora’s eyes bulge a bit then turn normal, there was a silence then Aurora said, “I, I… saw it out my…. Skylight…” Selphie watched as Squall leaned over and whispered something into Rinoa’s ear and her eyes bulged too. Selphie heard Rinoa mutter, “You could have told me last night, you know…”

Selphie’s attention was drawn back to Quistis who once again began talking again. She explained that the purplish blue light was a way for Adel to power up. She explained how when a sorceress is left weak they could use their left over power to draw more power from the sun. Three times a year and after 15 years a sorceress would be very powerful.

“So… as you can see… we are all in danger… the world is in danger” Quistis continued. Selphie looked at her, sadly, as did everyone else. “We need to make up a plan of action, first of all we need to keep this Garden moving. If Adel wants Rinoa or Aurora, she is NOT going to get them.” Quistis said stamping her foot down after the last sentence.

Selphie shoot her eyes towards Rinoa and Aurora who both were looking at each other then they turned and looked back to Quistis who began to talk again, “So… Rinoa, Selphie and Aurora… why don’t you all take a walk down to the cafeteria and get some lunch. The rest of us will be down in a minute.”

Selphie looked at Aurora, who looked somewhat relieved then to Rinoa who still looked concerned and asked them to come with her and they followed. Selphie looked back at her beloved and waved then turned to the elevator and they went down.

Quistis watched as the three girls went down then turned to Irvine and Zell. “Will you two go and get the pilot, Nida, and tell him to get this garden moving again!”

Quistis watched as both of them looked at each other excited, like old times. “Wow, Nida is still piloting this baby!” said Zell. Quistis looked at him a nodded, a smirk crossing her face, it was becoming more like old times then she expected.

She watched as the two gentlemen turned and ran to the elevator and left. Quistis sat down opposite to Squall who was absentmindedly looking out the window. “We need to talk…” Quistis said seriously.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Squall looked away from the window and stared at Quistis… unsure of what to say or think. “Look, you and I both know that Aurora needs to be protected, more so then Rinoa.” Quistis said.

Squall stared at her and said quietly, “I know… I know that already, but what can we do…?” Squall looked back out the window hoping to come up with something that would protect the only family he had.

“I’ve thought about this for awhile now, Squall. We could hide Aurora in Esthar with Laguna, you know he will protect her with his life!” said Quistis a slight bit quieter, as if the walls were listening.

Squall thought about this for a moment… then realized that wasn’t such a good idea. “If Adel return’s, Esthar will be the first place she takes over. She’ll take it right from my father’s dead hands….” Squall said… then paused. “She’ll be wanting to find Aurora and what better then having her in the palace already.” He said shuttering.

Squall looked back to Quistis who was staring at the ground and nodding in understanding then looked back up at Squall, solemnly. “I, I didn’t think of it that way… it never occurred to me that Esthar was Adel’s before her downfall… she’s going to want revenge… on Laguna.” She said softly.

Squall looked away, a tear dried on his cheek, he didn’t want anything to ever happen to his father or his Sis. Especially not to his family. Squall looked at Quistis again after thinking… something had just occurred to him.

“Quistis, do you remember when we were young and I became a SeeD?” he said hastily. Squall watched Quistis nod slowly then continued. “Well, our first mission was to kidnap the president of Deling, and negotiate with him. We worked for Rinoa’s people, remember?”

Squall continued again as he saw Quistis nod with a smirk growing across her face, she knew where this was leading. “President Vinzer Deling was a dummy president! He was there in place of the real president so that Vinzer wouldn’t be hurt or have to negotiate!”

Squall smiled triumphantly. “We can make a dummy president for Laguna…. We’ll bring Laguna here, he can help us and he’ll be safe!” Squall said as he watched Quistis smile at him.

“Your just as clever as you always were, Squall.” She said casually. Squall smiled at her then turned serious again when they began discussing what their next plans of action would be.

They talked about how they would call upon a demon from the magical-guardian force world to take on the place of Laguna. They agreed that they would call Laguna right away and tell him to come, and bring Ellone, Kiros and Ward.

The issue of Dr. Odine became important, whether he should come or not…. They agreed that it would be better for him to come so that he would not become brainwashed by Adel and help her.

After discussing all of this Quistis looked at Squall. “I know you’ve lived in peace for the last 15 years but it looks like its war yet again. Like you said yourself…. Its time for the revolution…. We’re going to once again conquer an evil sorceress.” Quistis said.

Squall stared at her. “Well then I guess I’m going to need my ultimate weapon then won’t I!” Squall said in a sarcastic type, but serious voice. His frown turned into a smirk. Squall stared at Quistis and asked her if she was going to fight, Quistis hesitated but agreed.

Squall told Quistis to contact Laguna and tell him what to do, when to come etc. Squall told her that he would have to take the Ragnarok to his house in Winhill and pick up his Lionheart and Rinoa’s Shooting Star and Cardinal, he figured she’d want them.

Just as Squall was leaving Irvine, Zell and Nida arrived in the elevator and walked in… Squall greeted Nida and asked him how he’d been and what’d been happening then told them he was sorry but he had to leave. Squall got on the elevator and left to go and get Selphie to pilot the Ragnarok easier then he could.

Irvine sat with Zell and Nida talking excitedly about their lives. Nida who had ended up marring Xu moved to Esthar after Ultimecia’s defeat and owned a pilot’s learning school. Some years ago, however, Xu was unfortunate to come across a rare diasease given by the left over Imps of the Lunar Cry and she passed away.

Irvine listened interested as Nida began talking about his life. He had decided to come back to the garden after Xu passed away so he could pilot again and he’d been here ever since.

Irvine looked over at Zell who staring interestedly, as he was. Irvine figured it was just a way to take their minds off of the problems. Irvine looked out the window into the sky and saw the Ragnarok land and didn't realize how long they’d been talking.

Irvine stood up and walked over to Quistis’s desk and asked what was going on. She told him that she was trying to contact Laguna to tell him to come to the Garden.

Irvine was just about to ask why when Squall and Selphie stepped off the elevator panting and ran over to Quistis’s desk. Sweat ran off their foreheads onto the floor. Irvine noticed that Squall held his Lionheart on one hand and the Shooting Star in the other. Selphie held the Cardinal.

Irvine looked at Squall then to Selphie and stepped towards them to ask what was going on but before he could ask Squall stood up from his slouch and said in a panting panicked voice, “My… Our… house… Winhill…. Gone!”

Irvine stared at him, confused and watched as Squall finally caught his breath. “My house…. Destroyed, gone…. Everything, scattered everywhere….!” Squall said in his still panicked tone. His face twisted into fear and concern.

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thats it for today, i'll post one or two chapters tomorrow