Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Until the End of Eternity, and Longer ❯ Chapter Twenty-Eight ( Chapter 29 )

"Until the End of Eternity, and Longer"

by: Banshee Puppet

Chapter Twenty-Eight

***

Irvine pouted. Happy Holidays? Yeah right. Ever since they'd gotten out of the car and Laguna had gone on his merry, now oblivious, way, he and Squall had been at one another's throats, and he'd had just about all he could take.

Squall sighed. "All I'm saying is, as much as it sucks, maybe it's what's best for him now. Remembering them hurts him so much. Maybe this is what they wanted for him."

"No! I can't believe that Squall, I won't! Mom wouldn't…well, okay, maybe she would, but not if it would make things difficult on us, you know that as well as I do. That thing, that GF, it may have come from her, but, it's not her, not really. And it's not Raine either. So stop thinking like that. We have to make him remember...because…because his memory of them is really all he has. He would want to remember, Squall, you must know that. As soon as he realizes that his memory has holes in it, he's going to do whatever it takes to fill the voids there." This argument was exhausting Irvine. And just when he was trying to figure out the next defense of his argument, Squall let out a disgruntled sigh and rested his chin on his palm.

"I guess you're right. I just…"

"Hate seeing him sad? Yeah, I know Squall, me too. So…what are we going to do?"

Squall looked up into Irvine's dark eyes and said, "we should talk to Ellone. But let's wait until after Christmas. It's only another day, and…he should at least have this one day, his favorite day to not have to worry about anything."

Irvine gave Squall a soft smile. "You're a lot kinder than you pretend to be, tulip," he teased, smirking.

"And if you tell anyone, cowboy, I'm going to kick your ass."

***

Seifer winced. Laguna was…whining. Again. Or maybe a better word would be-still. "Jyyynnnxxxxx! Come ooonnnn! It's Christmas Mooorrrnniing! Can't you pretend to have a personality for half an hour and come join us for breakfast just this once! It wouldn't kill you, would it!?!" Laguna demanded.

Jynx stared at the i.c.d.(intercom monitor display)--surely the President of Esthar could find better uses for his viscom system than this--and Laguna, with a coffee and a santa hat half-covering his face. "I can't be certain, Mr. President," Jynx replied blandly. "But it might." It was her usual silky, flat tone, so it took Seifer a moment to register what just happened. He blinked. And then, he blinked again.

"Holy shit Jynx. Did you just crack a joke?!?" He grinned. "That was awesome!"

Jynx looked up at Seifer over the rim of her sunglasses, saying nothing for a moment before noting idly. "Is there a reason, Mr. Almsay, that you still insist following me around? As I hear it, you are no longer in my employ, after all."

"Well, that's true," Seifer said hesitantly. "But, I'm still trying to figure out what your deal is, you know, so I think I'll follow you around for a while longer yet."

"Do as you wish."

"Planned to, thanks. It's not like you can threaten to fire me for not following orders anymore, you know."

"…"

"So, on that note, how about I "follow" you down to the dining room? I'm starving, and I honestly don't know how you managed to listen to Laguna whine at you over the viscom for forty minutes without giving in. Everyone in the palace hates you for this, you realize."

"Everyone in the palace hates me for a lot of things, Mr. Almsay. A little more ammunition is meaningless."

Seifer let off a loud and deliberate sigh. He made a display of it. Then, taking steps so he was in front of Jynx, he attempted the "puppy dog eyes" as a last ditch effort. "Please?" he asked tentatively.

"I've suddenly become rather hungry. I'm going to get some food. You can do as you like," Jynx said flatly.

'Shit,' Seifer thought. 'That actually worked?!? Of all the things to…'

"Jyynnnxxx!" Laguna whined over the viscom.

"Oh for cryin' out loud, Laguna! She caved okay, just shut. up."

***

"…puhlllleeeeaaasssee," Laguna was whining into the dining room unit, much to the chargrin of his tablemates, when Jynx walked in, Seifer only a step behind her. The tall blonde threw his lighter at Laguna, and it resounded against his skull with a satisfying "thunk".

"We're here, so you can shut up now," he said, cocking an eyebrow heavenwards.

Jynx, on the other hand, said nothing, merely took a small stem of grapes off of the table, and propped herself up attentively in the corner, munching while she played bodyguard.

'Girl doesn't know how to relax,' Seifer groaned mentally as he looked at her in disbelief. It was Christmas, for cryin' out loud. Didn't that mean anything to her? Well, apparently not. 'What the hell happened with you?' he wondered. 'Adel. Ultimecia. You were involved. I know you were. What I don't know, is how. And…why?' Well, Laguna and Selphie had enough Christmas spirit for the lot of them, so he supposed the fact that she was, present, was just going to have to be enough to sate the older man for now.

Laguna shoved his oversized hat up, revealing mirthful emerald eyes as he sipped his coffee. Hyne, everyone was so happy, it was contagious, and Seifer couldn't help but smile a little, even if, he realized, this was his first Christmas without Fujin and Raijin by his side, and he hoped it would be the last. And then, Laguna sat next to the tree, passing gifts to Selphie to give to their individual owners. Squall rolled his eyes and chuckled at the moomba snow globe he pulled out of the brightest wrapping paper he'd ever seen…almost as bright as Laguna's red shirt. Zell cheered happily over the same subscription that someone got him every year. 'Chicken, you're such a dork,' Seifer thought fondly. Rinoa cuddled happily up to the four foot tall teddy-bear that Quistis gave her, instantly deciding to name it "Squall Jr.". Sometimes that woman was too cute for her own good. Quistis, after receiving her gift, curled up contently in the corner with her new book. Irvine started tinkering with his new upgrade even before he'd managed to unwrap it all the way. Ellone draped her scarf around her head like a hindi woman. Selphie jumped and hopped and sought out the nearest stereo to play the newest "Demolition Divas" album…and dance around the room like a nutjob, before unceremoniously plopping a small, yet mildly heavy box, into Seifer's right hand and announcing, "to Seifer, from Laguuuuna!"

Seifer's eyes widened and darted up the the dark-haired man, who blushed slightly, and scratched the back of his head. "It's…ah…nothin' big," Laguna said. "Just, ya know, ta say thanks n'all. Go on. Open it already."

Seifer tore off the paper and struggled with the tiny cardboard box for a moment before eyeing the tiny silver weight in the palm of his hand. It was a zippo lighter, silver, with a red and gold phoenix emblazoned onto one side. He didn't have the heart to tell his former boss that he'd quit smoking yesterday. He would find a use for the gift if it killed him…of cancer or otherwise.

"Thanks," he said, his voice sounding hoarser than he'd intended. He just hadn't expected…and it was so thoughtful, even though Laguna hated that he smoked.

Laguna whispered something in Selphie's ear, to which the girl chuckled, before bouncing over to Jynx and said, "Mr. President Loire sir requests that Officer Jynx of the Security Division join him next to the eight foot tall fire hazard…I think that means Laguna wants you to go sit by the tree with him."

Jynx stared at Laguna for a moment through dark sunglasses, her eyes unable to be seen beneath the dark lenses that covered them, but finally, after a few more moments, she moved next to Laguna and stared down at him.

"Sit down, Jynx, you're making me nervous," Laguna teased gently.

She didn't make any note of the joke, leaving the others unsure as to whether she even caught it at all. "What is it, President Loire?" she asked as she kneeled beside him, the scabbard of her katana chinking lightly against the ground.

Laguna pulled a tiny package out of his pocket and said, "Merry Christmas, Jynx." Jynx just stared at the happy little box in his palm for a few long moments. "Please take it," he said softly. "I thought a lot about this present, so, I want you to have it."

"You make no sense," Jynx told him flatly, taking the box from him with her right hand, using the claw on her left arm to slice open the paper, and fumbling with the box inside, rather than taking the weapon off for the two seconds required for the task at hand. A clawed finger slipped gently under the chain and lifted it. A necklace. Silver chain, and onyx set into a simple pendant. The kanji written there: shin. 'Shin. Core. Heart. Center.' The word echoed through her for a moment, and silently, she looked up at her employer, perplexed, but showing no sign of it. And that's when she saw it-something swirling behind his eyes, as if…as if he wasn't alone in there. It was a state familiar to her. She knew what it meant, had seen it too many times to not know it. Had found herself, unfortunately, on the wrong end of it more than once. Irvine had it. Squall had it. They all did, except for Rinoa, who was a sorceress, and Seifer, but he would have it too soon, now that he was going back. …and now Laguna had it too. Laguna Loire, had changed, he wasn't…alone in there…anymore. 'GF. Damnit! How could you!' her mind demanded, feeling betrayed. She had no right to feel that way, she knew it, but she also knew something else. "Mr. Loire. Please rethink this one more time," she said. He didn't understand what she meant, it had something to do with that pendant, but also something to do with something much larger. And one answer would be suitable for both.

"There's nothing to rethink, Jynx. It's a gift, and it's yours," Laguna answered. "What's the problem?" Worry. She could see it in his features and it made no sense. Why worry? About her? Didn't he know it, what she was? Of course he knew. He was the only person who knew. She had sacrificed what little humanity she had a long time ago. What he didn't know is that she had done it all, because of GF, to hunt them down, to destroy them. What he didn't know, is that she had done everything, because of GF.

'If that's the case, then I can't follow you anymore,' she thought. The thought made her sad, though she was incapable of showing that, really. She just didn't know how anymore, maybe she never knew in the first place. "… …I understand," she said, standing. "But, if that's the case, then I'm going to be forced to resign my position as an officer of Esthar."

Laguna blinked, then he blinked again. Seifer's jaw worked, but no sound came out. If she wasn't a Captain of Security in Esthar, what was Jynx, exactly? Was she anything at all?

"Y-you can't! Jynx! If you do that then I have to…I have to!!!" Laguna swallowed hard, leaping to his feet.

"You'd better have me executed, President Loire. If you don't…it will only make things far too complicated," she said evenly, as if it didn't matter, as if she didn't care. It was just…the way things were for her. And at that, Seifer felt a slight pain in his chest. This was just the thing about her that always pissed him off.

"NO!" Laguna demanded. "N-no." But he took a deep breath, locking eyes with Kiros, then Ward, and the two men came over. She just stood there as they stripped her of her weapons and anything else she might be able to use in a spontaneous assault, even though they all knew she wouldn't do it. Not a chance.

Laguna slipped the santa hat remorsefully off of his head, trailing long, dark strands haphazardly about his face. Squall knew the dire expression he wore now. He had dropped into "president" mode, and he was about to do what was necessary, while the once festive group held their breath, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Jynx Arashi. In the name of the government of Esthar, and in the best interest of all the nations of the world, I, Laguna Loire, President of Esthar, hereby place you under arrest. For conspiring with Ultimecia against the better interest of this world, and for innumerable crimes against humanity, I sentence you to life imprisonment, with no chance of parole." His expression was dark. He didn't want to do it, but…he really…as President of Esthar, he really, had no choice. Jynx had committed far too many atrocities to be allowed to walk the world freely; even as a young woman in his employ, they both knew, she was under careful watch. Two prisons, one more honest than the other, but both prisons, nonetheless.

Laguna gave a nod to his friends and comrades, who gave him a saddened look and obeyed him, as their president. "Take her away," he said softly.

Kiros gave him a soft nod. "I'll take care of everything, Laguna."

Falling sadly back into the nearest chair, Laguna sighed miserably. "Stupid," he chastised himself. 'If I didn't give her that pendant she'd still be…all the same, maybe this is what she wanted all along. Who can ever tell when it comes to her?'

There was a long silence before Irvine let out a low whistle, at the point when he couldn't take it anymore. "Some Christmas this turned out to be," he grumbled.

***

pouts. Christmas was supposed to be merry! But, once again, I find that angst has a way of following me around. Well, anyways, that's it for this chapter!