Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Resurrection - Rebirth of a Foe ❯ Lost and Found ( Chapter 16 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Chapter Sixteen - Lost and Found
The weather was warm when they had disembarked the Ragnorak. A summer breeze ruffled their clothes and hair, like an intimate caress. What they were doing? What they were set to face felt like taking a stroll in the forest. Squall found it hard to believe that they were about to encounter their biggest threat to their world, yet again. There's still time to wake up, Squall thought. Still time to wake me from this ensuing nightmare, this horror. This is not happening. Oh, but it was. It was as real as the solid earth beneath their feet, and the surrounding landscape around them. It was so real that Squall knew that he was deliberately deluding himself. At least I tried; he joked but failed to produce a hint of a smile.
Seifer stood aside from the dark haired boy, taking in the air that filled his lungs - the sensation exhilarating. He glanced up at the azure blue sky and noted a throng of grey coloured clouds set to pass over in the distance. Dismissing the thick shrouds that was sure to bring rain and possibly a storm along with it; Seifer focused his active mind on the task. His gunblade held in one hand, Seifer itched to use his weapon, it had been a very long time since he last used it. He wanted to feel the power surge through his arm, past his wrist and then finally burst forth with a mass of energy when he would deliver the killing blow. He wanted to feel that power again, and grew weary as each passing minute slipped by.
Their problem being was actually finding Lunatic Pandora. Everyone looked about them in puzzlement. There was no sign of the gigantic structure to be found within miles of where they were.
"Uh, Selphie, you sure you landed in the right place?" Zell inquired, scratching the back of his head.
"You were the one who gave me the location, Zell. You tell me where Lunatic Pandora is." The copper haired girl said, she herself regarding the surrounding with perplexity. Where was the thing? She followed Zell's orders, as he told her, so where was it?
"That's what I dunno!" Zell said making a face and waving his arms about the place. "All there is, is land, land, more land and that forest over there."
"Wait a second..." Quistis said, walking away from the group and towards the group.
"Hey Instructor!" Zell yelled. "Where you goin'?"
"Hang on a minute!" Instructor Trepe returned her voice faint as she jogged over towards the mass of trees, to the west of where the Ragnorak had landed.
"Ah, this is stupid!" Irvine grumbled. "Every time we get a lead, we're stopped by an obstacle."
"Over here!" Quistis' voice called out.
"You spoke too soon," Seifer grinned, patting the cowboy on the shoulder and trotting to where Quistis stood.
"What did you find?" Squall asked striving to get his breathing back in order and the beat of his heart to a steady pace.
"Our missing edifice," Quistis replied, guiding them through the labyrinth of vegetation and leaves and into a large clearing to where the astray Lunatic Pandora rested, after a year of absence.
"It was hidden in the forest," said Zell, eyeing the towering structure with awe and admiration. "No wonder we couldn't see it!"
"Now that we know where its been crashing out, why don't we go and take a look see...?" Seifer suggested, pointing the blade of his weapon purposefully towards Lunatic Pandora.
"Hold on a minute," Squall said. "Before we proceed any further, I want Zell and Selphie to go up front along with me and Irvine, Seifer and Quistis take back. I'm leaving Seifer in charge of the second group. Quistis, second any decisions that need to be made, or make your own suggestions when you deem in right to do so."
"Squall, you sure 'bout this?" Zell asked him, jerking a head at where Seifer stood.
"In order successfully carry out our mission, trust is needed. I, as commander need to be able to trust every member of the team, to assure myself that in the heat of battle, I can trust any of you to see things through till the end. Giving Seifer the responsibility will test his aptness to lead a small group."
"His aptness to lead has already been tested, hasn't it?" Irvine asked. "He's led a whole fleet of Galbadian soldiers, hasn't he?"
The blond boy took this with recoil; his body tensing and his teeth gritted together. Thank you cowboy that was one thing I did not want to be reminded about. "I am still here," Seifer pointed out coldly.
Irvine turned to face him and did a shrug; "Frankly I don't know what you're still doing here. And I don't see how any of you, especially you Squall, could forgive him, Ultimecia's lapdog."
"Irvine!" Quistis said sharply, casting an apologetic look to Seifer on his behalf. "We're not here to discuss about Seifer's past."
All the cowboy did was shrug yet again, and cross his arms across his chest. "Whoever said the truth was a pretty thing to behold."
"Awe, just shut up man!" Zell snapped at him. "You talk a lot of BS anyway, must've been from listening to all those Galbadian losers in your Garden."
"Bullshit that happens to be the truth," said Irvine bluntly. "Hey, and don't start on Galbadia OK, kung fu boy. You have something to say about my Garden, you come and say it right to my face, and prepare for a fight."
"You wanna a fight, you got one," Zell stated, taking a step forward and broadening his chest. Although Irvine was seven inches taller than the 5'5" incredible martial artist, Zell however did not let this trivial thing get the best of him - he had fought a giant T-Rexuar with no problems, Irvine was nothing compared to this.
"Quistis is right, we're not here to discuss and evict Seifer of the wrongful doings he has committed in the past. We're here to get a job done." Squall said.
"Fancy hearing that from you, Squall." said Irvine, his steady eyes fixed on the commander. "Everyday you get up, and you look in the mirror. You see that scar of yours on your forehead, and realise who put that there."
"Irvine, if you have any qualms or problems, you discuss it with me. For now, all those problems are to be put aside until we liberate this world of its threat."
"We sort this out now," Irvine stressed forcefully, the barrel of his Exeter digging into the soil of the forest ground.
All raised eyebrows that arched at a high point. To hear such emphatic words from a person that was never known to show the force and vigour found in Zell or Seifer was odd and surprising to hear.
"Irvine?" Selphie said uncertainly. "Irvine, is there-"
"You, after a year of disappearance just reappear like Carbuncle does from a hole in the ground, and expect us to pour our hearts out to you, to show our sympathy? You think by saying sorry, we would forget all that ever happened? The GF's may take those memories away, but by Ifrit will I still be able to remember all the suffering you caused."
"Irvine-" Quistis began pensively. She could see where this was going to lead, and did not want either of the young men to injure themselves when they were needed for the task at hand.
"Leave it instructor," Seifer said, holding up a hand to silence her. "If cowboy wants an explanation, I'll give him one. That is what you want, isn't it?" without waiting for a reply, Seifer proceeded, putting away his gunblade before doing so, lest he should break in an unintended vicious attack. "Where shall I begin? First of all, I'll let you know Kinneas, that your place and loyalties do not belong with Balamb Garden. You were sent to assist in the assassination of the sorceress, what's the word you use? Sharp shooter, is it? I don't understand why you are still at Balamb, when Headmaster Cid should have sent you back to where you rightfully belong."
"Let's leave that to Headmaster Cid's, eh?" Irvine suggested irritably.
"Fair enough. Now, are you quite comfortable? I warn you, my tale is a long one." Seifer mocked.
"Yeah, well don't give up your day-time job,"
"Don't say I didn't you warn you," Seifer said, raising his shoulders, and then letting them fall. "Oh, and can I add that because you were, a, hmm, how can I say it without being rude? A third wheel, you of all people do not know my background, what I am like, you know nothing about me at all. I bet you fought against me without understanding the full implications of what was going on!"
"I fought for what was right. I fought against an evil that was you."
"That is where you are wrong, Irvine," Quistis spoke gently. "Seifer was not to blame,Ultimecia was."
"And now she's back to release hell back into the world!" Zell said. "C'mon! Forget the stupid story, man. We got some ass to kick!"
"We really don't have time for this!" Squall said impatiently. "We need to infiltrate Lunatic Pandora, locate where Odine is and stop him, before mayhem is released."
"Fine, fine, fine!" Irvine snapped. "Don't bitch about it. Geez, I didn't think I'd last for a minute listening to him waffling on and on anyway!"
"Never mind, Irvine," Seifer commiserated in a mocking tone. "I know you wanted to hear my tragic story so much. I'll tell you all about it someday."
"Don't bother," Irvine muttered, walking over to a tree and leaning against it, with the brim of his hat titled forward to hide his face.
"Right. Now that we've sorted things out, maybe we can get a move on?" Squall suggested. "GF's are junctioned, magic and abilities. OK, Zell and Selphie with me up front."
It did not help that Irvine was still brooding over Seifer, and it did not help that Seifer was to be in charge in the group Squall had Irvine in. Never the less, they had to press onwards and forget about the minor problems, because they had a major one to sort out first. Deigning not to speak to the blond boy, Irvine walked a little bit ahead of Seifer and Instructor Trepe, leaving the elder boy and girl slightly behind.
His gunblade out, Seifer focused his mind to the job at hand. He watched Irvine walking half a metre ahead of him, and trained his gaze at the back of his head. Don't let your temper over take you, he warned himself. He's not worth it. Frowning, Seifer gripped the handle of his weapon tighter and set his lips to a grim line. He only began to notice that Quistis was walking beside him when her voice reached out to him, asking him a question.
"Seifer?" she asked. "Seifer, are you OK?"
"Fine," he murmured. Why did he feel suddenly guilty being next to her? They had managed to develop a gap between the first group and Irvine, that their conversation was out of an earshot, except to those with prying ears. Walking silently next to her, with almost no one around, felt almost too intimate - Seifer could not figure out whether he wanted this, or not. One thing he was sure of, was that whatever he was feeling was happening at the wrong place and at the wrong time. "Thanks for speaking up for me,"
"What's this?!" Quistis said with a laugh. "You're Seifer! You don't need a girl to stick up for you! You can do that all by yourself!"
"Sometimes it's nice to know that someone trusts you when others don't," Seifer said quietly.
To this Quistis blushed slightly, but since it was quite dark with the tall trees blocking the sunlight, Seifer did not see her change in colour. "I only said what was the truth. Irvine- he, he doesn't understand. Nobody really does except for you. Just ignore the rebukes. By my standards, you're very good,"
"Oh?" Seifer inquired raising an inquisitive eyebrow. "You suggesting something?"
In response to that, Quistis batted the boy lightly on the shoulder and laughed. "You saved my life, remember."
"So, the slap in the face? You take that back?"
"Uh, no. You deserved it," she said solemnly.
"What if I ask real nice...?" he said, his voice trailing, leaving much to the imagination.
Alarm bells rang inside Quistis' mind. It was déjà vu of what happened - no, what could have happened in the elevator back at Balamb, had the lift travelled a little more slowly. Was she going to allow this?
"Maybe-" she began, only to be cut off by the loud bawdy voices of Irvine and Zell who sang crudely in unison.
"Seifer and Quistis sittin' on the tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G! One for-"
"You shut the hell up, chicken and cowboy!" (Hey… Cow and Chicken. LOL. Ah-hem, back to the story!), Seifer yelled back, creasing his brow half in anger and half in embarrassment. Quistis, he saw was trying very hard to control her laughter and tried to laugh himself, but was not used to being made a fool of. Instinctively he reached down at his right hip, only to be restrained by a gloved hand placed on top of his.
Quistis' eyes held his for a few moments too long, breaking the gaze with a batter of her eyelids. "Seifer, please," she said. "Leave it,"
And the funny thing was he listened to her. Seifer never listened to nobody, never took orders from anyone - he had listened to Instructor Trepe, what was it that made him listen now? Looking down at his boots, Seifer let his hand slip away from the butt of his gunblade, and with that went the gentle touch of Quistis' hand.
Getting drowned by your hormones again, Seifer taunted himself. That little reminder came like a bucket of ice cold water, to which he responded by taking a step back abruptly.
Quistis appeared to seem hurt at his sudden reaction and began to catch up with Irvine. Seifer sighed heavily and raked a hand through his already ruffled hair. This game he was playing with her was too much for him. One thing was for sure, they were getting nowhere but round and round in a constant eternal circle, and for another Seifer believed that something deep was stirring inside him, and it happened whenever he was with her and alone.
Zell smiled to himself like he usually did when a funny thought entered his mind. That was a fine joke he and Irvine played on Seifer - got him really worked up and pissed. Hands delved deep into the pockets of his blue denim shorts, Zell whistled quietly to himself as Squall led the way up to Lunatic Pandora. All that remained was that they find an entrance, a entrance that did not seem to exist at their level.
The only entrance they really knew was the one the Ragnorak had created, and that was somewhere up the top - no doubt Odine had the damage repaired, especially if he was using the giant structure as his secret hideout place. And Lunatic Pandora was convenient too! Squall and the crew remembered all too well what Ultimecia looked like - which was more than could be said for sorceress Adel - now that was one sorceress nobody wanted to see in their dreams, more like their nightmares. Ultimecia was a tall frame of pure evil beauty - wait that was Adel! No, Adel was a tall frame of pure evil, whilst Ultimecia was just a frame of pure feminine evil beauty - though a bit psychotic in the upper region.
It wasn't just Ultimecia who was the nut, everyone who was associated with her were nuts. Seifer had been a little mental, he didn't even knew why he hated SeeD and Garden - Ultimecia had warped his mind - filling his vulnerable mind with fantasies made of clouds. They never really existed, they only appeared to seem real, and then you reached out for them, they disappeared to nothingness.
Zell wondered about Ultimecia now. Would she be in the same form she was as they last fought her? Would she still be the cunning, manipulative sorceress everyone knew her to be? One way to find out, he told himself bluntly. Indeed, there was only one way, and that way was located through a ventilation shaft four feet above their heads. The air vent had hardly been noticeable since it blended quite well with the out exterior of the Lunatic Pandora itself.
Deciding upon who should go and have a look see, Squall motioned for Quistis and Selphie to come forward.
"Instructor, Selphie, I want you to go through the ventilation shaft and see where it leads to, if the path divides, choose a route each. If you run into any trouble, call and we'll come immediately." he instructed them.
"Hey, I don't mind going," Zell volunteered.
"Dincht, you're too fat!" Seifer stated bluntly, and gave a smug smile in his direction when Zell shot him a look.
"He's right," Squall agreed and saw the hurt look Zell threw at him. "Uh, not in that sense Zell. It's just that Quistis and Selphie, well, they are, um- they'll be easier to fit in the air vent, and quickly get back out again if they do come up against something." he explained.
"Irvine, I need a boost!" the spunky young girl piped. "Make it a good one!" and it would have to be if she was to successfully reach the level of the ventilation shaft, what with her 5" 1' height.
"No sweat!" Irvine assured, going down on one knee. "OK, your foot- the right one. OK, ready? One, two, three!" at the same time Selphie launched herself upwards, Irvine boosted her up with his hand that had been used as a step. Zooming straight up, Selphie had her MorningStar in one hand, and with that she used her weapon to smash open the ventilation shaft, with only seconds to grab onto the ledge before she would be plummeting back down. She dangled now with one hand, gave a cheery smile to those below, and did a thumbs up sign and then crawled in to make way for Quistis.
Instructor Trepe followed the height of Lunatic Pandora and bit her lower lip. She was unsure of the fact that she would be able to repeat what Selphie had just done. For one thing, she weighed a significant amount more heavier than Selphie - a stone heavier or so - but enough a difference to affect her ability to grab the ledge and fall to her doom. Squall, Zell, Irvine and Seifer saw the hesitation in her eyes, and they too hesitated for a moment. Seifer followed her gaze to where the shaft was located and made his mind up. Coming forward, Seifer took the girl by the elbow and steered her in the direction of the wall where the shaft was located.
"Seifer?!" she said in an exasperated tone.
"C'mon, I'll give you a boost up," he said. Behind him he heard the faint snickering of Irvine and Zell, and his temper rose a few degrees near boiling point. "Instructor,"
"I don't think-" she began uneasily.
"You'll reach, don't worry," Seifer assured.
"But I am worried!" Quistis snapped, and then apologised. "Sorry," she muttered.
"You'll reach," he repeated. "You're taller than the messenger girl- I, uh I mean you're taller than Selphie, so that should compensate for your weight."
He had a point. Quistis was taller - a good 5 inches! Setting her lips to a determined line, Quistis carefully set a knee-length boot clad leg onto Seifer's hands. Then, on her signal Quistis counted to three and pushed upwards together with the help of Seifer, and found herself breathless and exhilarated, clinging on to the ledge of the air vent.
Below, a whistle of approval from Zell and a cheer from Irvine greeted her ears, and she smiled. She wedged herself into the claustrophobic vent and stuck her head out again to receive the go-ahead signal from Squall. She watched Seifer dust his black gloves, and Zell and Irvine saying something which resulted in the blond boy launching an attack on the both of them. The two younger SeeDs broke into gales of laughter at Seifer's angry- angry? Enraged face.
"Zell, that's enough!" she ordered before ducking in again.
"Me!!" the martial arts expert exploded. "Irvine was making the obscene jokes, geez!"
"Quit playing around!" Squall commanded from them and the bickering and laughing ceased with only the faint whisper of the wind ruffling the leaves on the forest trees. Silence made people uneasy.
Pricking up his ears, Squall listened intently for any sound of distress or a call from the girls to say that everything was OK. Three minutes, then five slipped by, and then Squall began to worry. It was at the tip of his tongue to say that they should move in when a shrill scream distorted the perfectness of the calm and serene surroundings. Squall and the others acted immediately.
"Zell, give me boost," he said. "I want you and Irvine to stay outside and keep watch, in case something happens," which Squall hoped would not. "Seifer, follow my lead,"
"Awe no!" Zell complained once he had helped push Squall up to the air vent. "I'm gonna have to give you a boost?! Damn man! Irvine, come and help me out."
"Thanks, but no thanks," Seifer returned scathingly. What he did next, Zell and Irvine were not sure if they saw correctly. Taking a run, Seifer had performed a running jump, whilst in mid-air had done a tuck-and-roll forwards and at the last minute before he was supposed to slam against the exterior of Lunatic Pandora, unsheathed his gunblade and rammed it home. From there, Seifer managed to lever himself cautiously, balancing himself carefully on his gunblade and taking a light leap, grabbed the ledge of the ventilation shaft. He crawled in and the stuck his head back out to retrieve his weapon, the two boys below stared up at him with disbelief - their eyes boggled by the performance they had beheld. Grinning to himself, Almasy did a mock salute and then he was gone.
"Yikes!" was all Zell could say, scratching the back of his head in a bemused fashion. "I can't believe I just saw that. Since when did Seifer learn to execute moves like that?"
"Only Bahamut knows," Irvine said readjusting his hat and whistling low. "Boy..."
"Exactly," they both agreed and laughed.
Squall scrambled almost frantically on all fours. Relieved that the air vent did divide into several directions, Squall prayed that nothing bad had happened to Selphie or Instructor Trepe - that they had not been subjected to any form of horror.
As it turned out, when Squall and Seifer reached the end of the shaft, it appeared to have led to a dimly lit room closed shut by an electronic device. He looked inquiringly at Selphie who pointed at a darker corner of the hazy colours of the room that was as large as the Infirmary room at Balamb.
Muttering to himself, Squall produced a Fire spell in his palm and guided it in the direction of where Selphie pointed. For a moment, Squall's crystal blue eyes widened in disbelief, and heard Seifer momentarily take an abrupt few steps back, which succeeded with a curse. They understood now, the scream had come from Quistis - the source of her distress being the decapitated head of an X-ATMO92 - Squall was unsure of whether it was the same mechanical beast that was blown to smithereens - in Selphie's manner of phrasing - or whether it was another imitation.
The quick darting motion of her sapphire eyes were enough to tell Seifer that Quistis had not fully recovered from her ordeal at the Deep Sea Research facility - neither had he, now that the thought entered his mind. He shuddered inwardly and glanced up at Quistis who attempted to smile but failed. Why did he have an awful feeling down at the pit of his stomach that something more sinister than a mechanical spider awaited them on the other side of the electronic door? Pushing that thought aside, Seifer kept his gunblade at his side, call it paranoia, he felt somewhat safer, somewhat more self-assured having the feel of his cherished weapon in his hand.
"Selphie, go call the other two," Squall said. "Instructor... you OK...?"
Quistis did not reply for a while, and when she did, her reply came in the form of a slow nod of the head, all the while her gaze still transfixed upon the head of X-ATMO92. What she dreaded the most, what she would really hate to happen, would be if those red blood eyes came to life any time now. That would scare her to hell and perhaps she'd never recover from her fright. 'But you're an Instructor...' and yady yady yada. Even Garden Instructors had fears too! Some people did not seem to appreciate that. And I'm not immortal, Quistis added to herself. Why does everyone assume that I am so? Sure, we Instructors are cool on the outside, but we have to be. We can't be seen cracking up in front of students - it ruins credibility and any reputation that may have been built. No, I am not over reacting.
After Selphie had gone there was an awkward silence. Squall shifted from one foot to the other. Seifer stared very hard at the X-ATMO92. Raising a weary hand to her forehead, Quistis closed her eyes and then opened them. She was sure all her confidence as an instructor had just abandoned her.