Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Final Fantasy- Final Destination Part 1 ❯ Headmaster Riku ( Chapter 15 )

The hallways were dark because it was night outside and the halls were barely lit. "Man this place creeps me out," Lega said as he looked around, "Especially at night." "Get use to it," Centris remarked, leading the group.

"Try not to trip Salira, Lega," Raven said as he watched Salira almost get tripped by Lega a few times. "She can barely walk as it is. We don't want it any worse for her."

"Oops…Sorry," Lega said, helping Salira back on her feet from the last fall. She was weak still, barely able to walk at all. With Salira leaned against him, Lega asked, "Um…what does róba ána mean?" Centris and Raven looked at Lega and at each other.

"You don't know?" Raven asked, starting to smile.

"No," Lega answered. Both Centris and Raven began laughing. "Hey what's so funny?!" Lega remarked.

"You're serious that you don't know what it means?" Centris asked, continuing to laugh with Raven.

"Yes, I am serious that I don't know. Now what's so funny?"

"Oh, come on…Even Salira knows this. Don't ya, Salira?" Raven replied, still laughing. Salira nodded; even she had a small smile.

"What does it mean?!" Lega yelled, almost dropping Salira and caught her.

"I might as well tell before you start hurting people…It means asshole," Centris answered. She and Raven slowly calmed down. They continued to walk down the endless hallways.

"How much longer?" Lega asked after a while, dragging behind.

"Few more hallways," Centris answered. She didn't even bother to look behind her.

"Can we rest?" Lega remarked, trying to keep up. Raven stopped and waited for Lega and Salira to catch up.

"We should stop, Centris. Salira looks as though she's about to pass out," Raven said. He examined Salira and then to Lega, "And he's about to collapse."

"A five minute break then," Centris answered, walking up to the three kids, "Seven tops." Salira sat down and leaned against a wall, exhausted. Lega sat next to her. "About how much blood was lost?" Centris asked while looking at Salira. She had a pale white skin tone mixed with her normal skin tone. Her feeble body couldn't support her. Pity, Centris thought to herself.

"A good amount to be hardly able to walk," Salira answered.

"You're lucky to have such caring and helpful friends. Friends like them are hard to come around these days," Centris remarked, "My sister is a good person. My mother raised her well. She's around my age I think. My daughter, I mean my foster daughter, is another story. She's about fifteen I think."

"Who's your daughter?" Raven asked.

"She is here at this school right now. Her name's Mayona. You'll probably see her. She's in year three too."

"It's true good friends are hard to come by," Raven remarked.

"There's a lot of weird people out now," Centris replied.

"Yeah, like Sephiroth," Lega mumbled. Raven, Centris, and Salira heard the last word he said and were shocked to hear him say that.

"You mean the Great Sephiroth from SOLDIER?" Centris asked, keeping her voice down. "Keep your voice down about him."

"Why?" Raven asked.

"The headmaster doesn't want any trouble about him to start up," Centris answered.

"What do you mean by trouble?" Salira asked.

"Some people will think you're working for him, in SOLDIER, a Turk, or even working for Shinra," Centris replied.

"Give me a break!" Lega remarked.

"Lega, you moved because of him right?" Raven questioned. Lega nodded.

"Yeah cause he killed my parents!"

"I'm sorry to her that," Salira calmly said, "I never knew."

"My aunt's been nice to me, same with my uncle. I have lots of reasons to get my revenge on you-know-who," Lega sneered.

"Ever since his mission in Nibelheim, he's been not himself. Ever since he was killed by Strife -your father right Salira? - people have said they've seen him looking for something or even someone and even seen a female looking like him," Centris continued.

"What happened in Nibelheim?" Salira asked. She knew her father used to live there, but he never mentioned what happened there. Salira knew very little of her father's past. Centris sighed.

"It'll pain me to talk about my hometown, but people need to know," Centris remarked.

"Your hometown?" Lega asked, quite shocked.

"Yup. I use to be Cloud's neighbor. He was even included in the same mission as Sephiroth was in."

"Well, what happened?" Raven asked. He sort of remembered how it was told to him, but not quite.

"It was many years ago, Sephiroth and Cloud, and a few other members from SOLDIER including my sister…"

"Wait a minute…your sister was in SOLDIER? What was her name?" Raven asked.

"Rosalynn."

"Can you…" Raven started, but Salira cutted in, "Just continue, Centris…Raven, we'll ask questions later."

"Anywhom, it was many years ago. They came to Nibelheim on a mission. Sephiroth was quite the attraction at the time," Centris chuckled, "Cloud went to visit a few of his old friends and his mother, while Sephiroth stayed within my family's inn. I was quite happy that I got to see Sephiroth and serve him at the time; I was about 15 then. The day after they arrived, they went somewhere with a guide, which happened to be my best friend Tifa. I don't recall on were they went. Sephiroth found something later that day that changed his life around. He spent day after day, night after night reading in a mansion down the street. Cloud checked after him as often as he could. One night, however, a crowd was among the mansion, it burned in flames, and Sephiroth destroyed the town. Not even ten people survived. I don't know what made Sephiroth act that way or what happened after that. I was trapped in my room by the fire, Cloud saved me though. My parents, on the other hand, died in the fire. My sister went after Sephiroth; I have seen her every now and then. Cloud told me a few other people survived the fire."

"So Sephiroth destroyed Nibelheim," Lega remarked, "Could it be something he read?"

"Possibly," Centris answered.

"Hey, Salira. Weren't you mumbling about some town burning in flames with that mother and child earlier today in that dream of yours?" Raven asked.

"Yeah," Salira replied.

"Could that have been the town you were dreaming of?"

"Maybe. Centris, was there any other towns burned after that?"

"Yes, if I recall correctly. There was one other town that was burned about five years later after by Sephiroth. It was said that two escaped alive but only the girl lived. Her mother died by a blade, possibly by Sephiroth, in the forest somewhere."

"That's the town," Salira said, remembering the scenes which Centris said of.

"What do you mean?"

"I've been having some dreams lately…more like nightmares…of that town and the mother with her child. Exactly what you said."

"That's weird," Centris remarked, "But we should get going. Riku is probably wondering where we are." She began to walk down the dark hallway. Raven helped Salira up. "I'll give you a break, Lega. Go on ahead," Raven said as he put Salira's arm around his shoulder and his free hand around her waist. Lega followed Centris, "Hey wait up!" Raven waited till Lega caught up with Centris, then he began to walk with Salira. "Could this be some kind of connection, with your dreams and parts of history?" Raven asked.

"I don't know. It kind of hurts my head when I think of it," Salira answered.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm starting to think that little girl is me."

"What makes you think that?"

"I mean the mother called her daughter Salira, first off. And then there's the fact I am an orphan."

"Yeah, you got a point there."

"But I don't know if it was really me. I mean you'd think I would remember that."

"That's true."

"Where are you from?" Salira asked, changing the subject.

"Mainly from Junon, that's where the bus picked me up," Raven answered, "And you're from Midgar, right?"

"Yup…Midgar, Sector 4. Though I don't like our president right now."

"You mean Rufus Shinra? The Shinra president?" Raven asked. Salira nodded. "That guy's a freak! He was said to be dead, but somehow is still alive. I don't like him either. He's a Turk. A pain in the ass Turk. That's what he is, and always will be." Salira couldn't help but laugh.

"Everyone but those Turks hate him. I wish he would die and get off the world for good!"

"Same here."

"Hey! You two! Hurry up!" Centris yelled, looking back at Raven and Salira before she opened a door. Both her and Lega entered the room. Raven and Salira were far behind, but not too far. They entered the same room not to long after Lega and Centris entered.

"Uh…Are we in trouble?" Lega asked as Centris shut the door after Salira and Raven entered. Centris rolled her eyes.

"No," a deep voice responded, but not too deep in tone, "Please sit down." Lega sat in one of the three comfy, relaxing, dark blue chairs facing a desk. On the other side of the desk, a same colored chair was turned so the back faced them; it faced a good-sized window peering over a large courtyard with many people walking, talking, and hanging-out. Raven placed Salira in the middle chair and then relaxed in the last empty seat. Centris stood by the door to make sure no one barges in. Salira relaxed a little and altered glances around the room. The room was huge compared to the rooms she's seen in the slums. It was probably three times the size of her bedroom and her father's combined. The walls were painted white; the floor was either a very dark blue color or black. To her right, near Raven, were bookshelves from ceiling to floor, filled with tons of books, reaching from one side of the room to the other. To her left, by Lega, the walls were covered with pictures, she thinks, of previous headmasters. She noticed Lega was looking at them as well. Salira turned her head and looked at Raven, who was about ready to fall asleep. She couldn't blame him though; the chairs were as comfy as beds and they've had a hard day. Even she was getting tired. Salira looked back at Lega. Lega noticed and returned her glance with a smile. Salira smiled back and faced forward, looking at the back of the chair in front of her. Facing in the same direction still, the person spoke again, "I'm Headmaster Riku. And you three are?"

"Raven Cyril," Raven was the first to answer.

"Lega Yahto," Lega quickly replied after Raven.

"Salira," Salira answered.

"Last name, child?" Riku remarked.

"Strife."

"Hum…Strife's child. You're going to have quite a reputation, dear. Look up to it." There was a pause, then Riku continued, "Cyril, Yahto, and Strife. The three kids who fought Shinra's machine. Now sit before me. Am I correct, Centris?"

"Yes, sir," Centris replied, still standing next to the door.

"You're dismissed, Centris. I need to talk to them alone."

"Yes, sir," Centris remarked, leaving the office and shutting the door behind her. Riku waited till he heard the door shut before he began to speak, "Now explain to me why you ran out of the bus."

"The professors forgot their weapons, so I decided to go out and fight the machine," Salira answered, sounding scared.

"No need to be scared, dear. Now what about you two?" Riku asked.

"I followed Lega and Salira to help them fight that thing," Raven answered. Confirming his answer, Raven added, "As a good friend, I wouldn't let someone go out there alone and get hurt."

"But someone did get hurt; didn't she," Riku pointed out.

"Yes, sir."

"You two boys were smart to help her and saved her life."

"Thank-you, sir."

"Now what about you, err…Lega, am I correct?"

"Yes," Lega replied."

"Well, what's your story?"

"Huh?" With that statement, Raven and Salira glared at Lega. "What?" Lega whispered to them softly, so that only they were able to hear.

"Your reason…Your reason for leaving the bus," Riku restated.

"I left cause…cause I lo…," Lega hesitated. He was about to tell them that he loves Salira, but quickly changed it, "…because I didn't want Salira to fight alone. I wanted to help, sir."

"Hum…reasonable answer," Riku mumbled to himself. Raising his voice so the three students can hear him, he remarked, "You three went out, risking your lives, just to destroy a machine. You successfully do it, but one of you got hurt in the process!" He purposely sounded angry, just to throw-off the three. Lega, Raven, and Salira- all- sunk down in their chairs, scared of what he was going to do next. "But…" he continued, his voice turned calm and sweet, "…You saved many lives. With this, I'm thankful." The chair Riku sat in turned around. A smiling young man, at least between the age of twenty-five to twenty-nine, sat in that chair. He had long white hair reaching just a half of an inch below his shoulders and light blue eyes. "I'm very pleased to have students like you."

Raven, Salira, and Lega let out a sigh of relief. Riku stood up and walked to the door. As he opened it, he smiled and said, "Come now. Let us join the party in the Great Hall, or should I say feast." Raven got up and stretched. He exited out the door, after tripping on the chair leg, and waited for Lega and Salira. Lega walked over to Salira, who's still in her chair, and asked, "You still need help?" "I think I can hold myself up now," Salira answered, smiling. She slowly stood up, shaking still, using the arm of the chair to support her. She stood up straight for a few seconds before she collapsed. Lega caught her before she smacked her head on the desk. "Maybe I should help you," Lega said as her embraced her. He put her arm over his shoulder. "Don't want you to get a head concussion, now do we?" They left the office, followed by Riku.

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