Aurora
awoke in her cozy single bed, the sky still somewhat dark. A low rumble of
thunder burst through the dead silence and she then heard a low beating sound
of pouring rain begin.
A
bolt of lightning streaked through the clouds over top the Garden, where Aurora
could see it in the skylight and there was another loud rumble of thunder.
She
looked at the clock and saw that it was 5:30 in the morning, soon light would
fill the sky and it would be a cloudy day. Another bolt of lightning streamed
through the clouds and Aurora looked across the room.
What
she saw frightened her nearly to death… in that split second where the
lightning light filled the room with an eerie glaze she saw her mother, lying
dead in the armchair, several cuts along her body and head lay back limply.
Aurora’s
voice was gone… and thunder boomed through the room and yet another bolt of
lightning glazed light through the room and she saw her mothers head raise with
her arms outstretched.
Aurora’s
voice came back and she let out a bloodcurdling scream…. And awoke in her bed
with cold sweat.
The
room boomed with thunder and glazed with light from the lightning. She looked
around the room, half-expecting to see her mother sitting in the armchair
across the room but nobody was there… just her in her bed.
She
glanced at the clock and it read 5:30. She gulped deeply and sat holding her
knee’s as tightly as she could, her chin on the blanket draped across her knees
as she stared at the armchair.
(It
was just a dream… just a nightmare, that’s all…) she thought. (But what did it
mean, why did I dream that…)
Aurora
looked around the room once more and decided to lie down and sleep, she needed
that so she lay back down and held the covers tight under her chin. Her back faced
the place where the armchair was and she drifted off into a deep slumber again.
One
hour later Squall awoke, it was 6:30. He got up quietly as he could and got
dressed quickly, deciding that it would be better to get to Quistis’s office
early… to get started. After getting dressed her picked up the phone receiver
and called into Quistis’s office.
He
told Kiros, who picked up, to come down immediately with Ward so that he could
leave. Some minutes later Kiros and Ward arrived at the dorm room and Squall
got up off his bed and welcomed them in.
He told them to stay there until further
notice… they would call down and tell them what the plan was. Both of them
agreed and Squall walked out of the room quietly and left his daughter with the
two most trusted people to his father.
Down
the dormitory, to the elevator Squall jogged. He was so anxious just to get
going… he was so worried about Rinoa and Sis. He arrived at the elevator and
looked around, some students had come out from the dormitory and began heading
towards the training center.
(Hmm…
SeeD’s… I remember now… all that training; I must be really rusty!) He thought
as the elevator door opened and some students stepped out and he stepped in and
went to the third floor.
Quistis
watched as Squall stepped out of the elevator and walked towards her. They were
the only one’s there. “My… my… still early, just like before… you were always
very disciplined.” she said softly as Squall looked up and gave her a funny
look.
“Humph,
I guess so.” He said. Quistis turned to her desk and sat down in her chair and
swiveled back and forth, thinking of how to execute the plan she thought of the
day before.”
She
opened her mouth to start talking but stopped as the elevator door opened, and
Laguna stepped out and ran over to join them. “Oh… like father, like son!
You’re early!” she said slightly smiling as the two looked at each other funny.
“So… What’s the plan now?” Laguna said changing the subject.
Across
the room the computer made a beeping sound that meant there was an incoming
video message. Quistis walked over and sat down in the chair, closely followed
by Laguna and Squall.
A
large box appeared on the computer screen and flickered then showed Dr. Odine.
He began talking, but sounded like a robot. “Her highness would like to present
the new ruler of Esthar and soon the Galbadian nation.”
Quistis
glanced back at Laguna and Squall who both stared at the screen with their eyes
widening and she turned back around quickly to see what she least had expected,
Seifer’s appeared in the window, his blond hair how longer and his eyes as cold
as ever.
Quistis
stared at the screen… both unsure of what to think and do… and why him… her
only…. Her thoughts were broken when Seifer began to speak, also sounding like
a robot. “All SeeD’s will die. All Garden’s will vanish…” he said without his
usual smirk.
“Galbadia
is her highness’… the world and all time….
Is Sorceress… Adel’s!” He said sounding more like a robot with every
word that came out of his mouth. Quistis stared at the screen in awe as it
flickered off again.
She
turned and got up quickly, not bothering to look at Squall or Laguna’s faces.
She ran out onto the deck and leaned over the railing, rains hit her hard and
thunder rumbled. She stood there looking up at the sky as lightning streaked
across it.
(No…
why Seifer… he can’t go through this again… he finally got over Ultimecia’s
grip over him. Adel will rid of him… she’ll kill him… my only true love…) she
thought, a tear feel on her cheek and she tried to control herself.
She
stood in the rain for some time before Squall came out and retrieved her,
pulling her back in out of the rain. “Quistis… are you all right… what
happened, why did you run off?” Squall said worriedly.
She
looked at Squall then at Laguna who was looking at her with the same worried
eyes and she shook Squall off, remembering that he didn’t know… how she truly
felt about Seifer, nobody knew except for her.
“Nothing…
nothing at all. I just, I didn’t know what to do, he’s so… powerful and Adel
has him now… this is going to cause major problems…” she lied looking out the
window still holding off her tears and remembering that she had to hold off her
tears.
Quistis
looked back at Squall and Laguna who glanced at each other, she could tell they
didn’t believe her but they said nothing more about why she ran off. “Look, we
know its not really Seifer, he’s obviously been hypnotized… we must stick to
the plan…” Laguna said finally.
Quistis
looked at the floor and then decided to just forget about it… they would defeat
Adel and he wouldn’t be hypnotized anymore… “Yes… your right.” She said looking
at Laguna.
She
was about to go over the plan, but waited. The elevator door opened and Zell,
Selphie, Irvine and Nida stepped off and walked over to greet them, they all
looked tired but somehow alert at the same time, as if expecting some horrible
thing to happen in one second.
Quistis
greeted them and waved her hand toward the chairs. They all went and sat down,
Selphie and Irvine on one couch; Squall and Laguna on the armchairs; Zell and
Nida on another couch and Quistis stood leaning on the desk.
She
told Zell, Selphie, Irvine and Nida the plan. Squall and Laguna sat quietly.
Quistis told the four former SeeD members about how they planned to train
starting after the briefing, then around 5 they would board the Ragnarok and
take off.
Quistis
thought for a moment then looked at Nida, “You will not be participating in the
actual rescue… we need you to fly the Garden…” she said firmly. “We need a
distraction… when all then green soldiers at the Deep-Sea Research Center look
to the Garden passing by they’ll not be paying attention to the Ragnarok
landing.”
Quistis
stopped and waiting for Nida to nod, after he agreed she continued with telling
them what the groups were. Selphie, Irvine and Zell would be the perimeter
group. She told them that once the Ragnarok landed they’d have to be ready to
fight off the soldiers right away and secure perimeter.
She
moved on to the rescue group that was herself, Squall and Laguna. Everyone
looked surprised that Laguna would be fighting but said nothing and waited for
Quistis to continue.
She
continued with telling them that the rescue group would sneak in and retrieve
Ellone and Rinoa and bring them to safety, then they would all go in, find Adel
before her final drawing from the sun and defeat her.
She
stopped and everyone stared at her, unsure of what to think. “We… have to
fight, I haven’t fought since…” Selphie started but Quistis raised her hand to
stop her.
“Yes…
I know… I know, we’ll all be a bit rusty with fighting, but that’s why we’re
going to train, starting in the training center then we’ll move to… The Island
Closest to Hell.” She said loudly. Everyone stared at her.
Quistis
walked over to her desk and pushed a button and a door popped open in the wall.
Inside the door were Zell’s metal knuckles; Selphie’s Crescent Wish; Irvine’s
sniper rifle and her own Save the Queen whip.
She
lifted them out and put them on her desk and shut the door. “So… shall we
start” she said looking at the clock which read 8 o’clock. Everyone walked over
in silence and picked up their weapon except Laguna and Squall who walked over
to the phone.
Quistis
listened as Laguna called Kiros and Ward and told one of them to pick up
Squall’s Lionheart Gunblade and his own machine gun from his room and told them
that they call them later, there wasn’t enough time at that point.
A
few minutes later, after they all did a few moves with their weapons Ward ran
out of the elevator with the two weapons and handed them over to Squall and
Laguna. He nodded and ran back out of the office and down the elevator.
Quistis
walked over to Squall and Laguna, Squall stood swiping his Gunblade back and
forth and Laguna was examining his machine gun closely. “Listen, we’re going to
go to the Training Center until 12 and then, Squall, you can call Kiros and
Ward back and tell them what was going to happen, and what’s already happened,
then we’ll leave around 1 to train on the island and come back at 4:30.”
Quistis
watched as they both nodded then she walked to the elevator. “Shall we?” she
said. Everyone walked over to join her as they went down to begin the day.
The
day that would show the world that heroes come back.
Squall
got off the elevator with everyone else… the six of them, Nida had stayed in
the office and went up to the pilot’s deck and began maneuvering the Garden
towards the Island Closest to Hell.
They
all walked in silence to the training center and when they got there they split
into three groups. Squall and Quistis in one, Zell and Laguna in another and
Selphie and Irvine in the final group and they headed in separate directions.
Squall
heard a loud roar in the distance then Laguna’s machine gun firing, he figured
that they had encountered a T-Rexuar. Squall and Quistis walked in silence
until they reached a patch of bush, very thick bush.
There
seemed to be something moving inside and then about five Grendels hopped out
from inside. Squall readied himself into his familiar battle position with
Quistis close by him.
One
of the Grendel’s pounce onto Quistis and knocked her over, a long scrap across
her arm began to bleed from the blade tail of the dragon creature. Squall ran
forward and hit the Grendel in the face as hard as he could and took out one of
its eyes.
The
Grendel whimpered in pain and backed off, running into the bush leaving four of
them. Before one could strike Squall looked at Quistis who had gone invisible.
In her place appeared a familiar figure.
Out
of the ground came an icicle, concealed inside was Shiva. The ice broke and
Shiva began to attack, she drew up her power and covered the Grendel’s with ice
leaving them frozen and nearly dead. He saw Quistis re-appear and then he
turned and faced the Grendels.
He
concentrated hard and did his Renzokuken attack on one of the Grendel’s,
killing it instantly. He followed that attack immediately with the Fated
Circle, he jumped into the air and did a 360 leaving a beam of energy to hit
the Grendels with an explosion killing them all.
After
defeating the rest of them he turned to look at Quistis who didn’t even glance
at him, she just kept on walking in silence. (Something must really be wrong
with her… but what does it have to do with Seifer?) He thought while catching
up to her.
Squall
turned to hear a loud cheer from Zell and Laguna; they had defeated the
T-Rexuar. He wondered where Selphie and Irvine were but decided not to bother…
just to keep going.
He
looked around the Training Center, “Quistis, it sure is a lot bigger then it
used to be…” he said softly while looking around then at Quistis who just
walked looking forward.
“Yes…
we raised money to make it bigger, its nearly three times the size now, we
turned the parking lot into part of it because the Garden is mobile.” She said
quietly. Squall looked at her then around again.
He
noticed at door lit up well, “The Secret Area? It’s still here?” in a surprised
voice looking Quistis again who didn’t seem to care. “Oh yes, we never did rid of
that… that’s my favorite place…” she said obviously deep in thought.
Squall
walked off the beaten trail towards the Secret Area and walked inside, Quistis
followed slowly. He looked around, everything was the same, the window, the
railing, everything.
One
thing he did notice though was that on the wall across from the railing there
were several small dents in the wall, and burn marks. He looked at Quistis,
“What do you think happened there?” and she shrugged then narrowed her eyes.
“I
don’t know, Squall… but… nevermind…” she said suddenly and began to walk out.
Squall looked at her, puzzled, but said nothing and walked out behind her.
They
continued walking around the training center fighting Grendels, T-Rexuar’s and
numerous other small monsters until 12 and met the other two groups at the
front of the training center.
Squall
looked at Selphie, her clothes were slightly ripped and she had a bleeding
hand; he looked at Zell who had a cut along his cheek; and at Quistis, who from
the Grendels had a cut on her arm. Everyone else only had small bruises.
They
all began to walk slowly and silently towards the elevator. When they arrived
Squall looked around and thought for a moment, “I think I’ll just go to the
dorm room, I might as well tell them in person… I want to make sure Aurora is
ok.” He said.
Everyone
looked at him and Quistis nodded. Squall took off down the stairs after they
all got onto the elevator. He ran towards the dormitory to tell Kiros and Ward
what was going on.
Aurora
lay in her bed, she looked at her clock, and it read 12 o’clock. She thought
for a moment, wondering why she had slept so late and began to get up but
stopped when she heard the dorm room door open. She lay back down slowly and
listened.
Her
father had arrived and was talking to Kiros and Ward. She strained her ears to
hear what they were saying as Squall began to explain something.
She
raised her head off the pillow and listened more. She heard him explain a plan
to Kiros and Ward, A plan to defeat Adel. Himself, Laguna, Quistis, Zell,
Selphie and Irvine would be pulling it off, they would be rescuing her mother
and her Aunt and going to kill Adel.
Aurora’s
eyes widened, surprised that they had worked the plan out so fast but kept
listening. She heard him say something about the Nation of Esthar being taken
over, ad how Galbadia would be next, then the world.
Her
father stopped talking for a moment and said something quietly that she
couldn’t hear, something about the ruler, and how he or she was hypnotized.
Aurora heard a loud stomp, probably from Ward then heard Kiros say, “SEIFER! NO
WAY” and Squall hushed him.
After
Squall stopped talking Aurora rested her head back onto the pillow, thinking
and closed her eyes when her door opened. Her father stepped in to check on her
then closed the door again. And he began talking again.
Aurora
opened up her eyes and raised her head off the pillow again. “Kiros, Ward… I
know that you would like to get some action with this but I need you to stay in
the Garden with Aurora… please…”
She
heard Kiros agree and her father thanked him and she heard the door open and
close again. Her father had left.
She
heard Kiros and Ward sit down then she began thinking and whispered to her
self, “There is no way that I’m going to sit here and wait to see what happens…
no way….”
Aurora
sat up in her bed and looked out the window, the Garden now floated over the
ocean and the storm grew stronger. Wind whipped rain at the windows and thunder
boomed through the air; lightning lit up the sky in an eerie way.
She
sat on her bed, thinking of a way to know what happens… thinking of what to do
next regardless of how dangerous it could get…