I strode away from Vivi in a haze. How could he do that to me? He assumed he knew everything that had happened, but it was difficult for me! A lot had gone on in my life, and I was still getting over Gildas, and he decided to shout the odds…But I knew he was right. I was being pathetic. I’d always known that I was a waste of space, but now someone else had realised it, too. I hated being this way! But I didn’t know how to be any other way. I couldn’t change…or was it that I didn’t want to?
I was still arguing with myself when I almost crashed into someone. I looked up quickly, intending to apologise, but the words seemed to die in my throat. “…You!” I gasped. He smiled at me sheepishly, and pushed his blonde hair back. “Me,” he laughed. I stepped back, but he followed me. “Don’t come anywhere near me,” I breathed, taking another step back. He opened his mouth, but before he had a chance to speak, a stunned voice rang out behind us. “You!” it shouted, and someone very small collided with my knees. I had to grab onto the nearest door handle to stop myself from toppling to the floor, and pulled myself up.
Once I was safely standing, I turned to see who had spoken. Relief flooded me to see Riku and the rest of them. Then, Dr. Kadowaki spoke, and we all turned our attention to her as she continued.
“I know you’re a little flustered here, you most of all Riku, but I’ve carried out your orders.” I turned to Riku, and Haru stiffened, but didn’t turn. “But…Zell?” Dr. Kadowaki nodded. “You told me to prepare Haru for the times ahead. Zell was the perfect candidate.” Nothing made sense. I looked up at Riku. “What’s going on?” Dr. Kadowaki answered for me, “Perhaps we should head into the Foyer?”
Once we were all in the main hall, we sat on some benches and Dr. Kadowaki begun her story. I listened intently; making sure nothing slipped my focus.
“You see, it all started a few months ago. Riku sensed that, eventually, Haru would need to be alone once more, and she needed to be prepared for a solo journey. He contacted me, asking me to help her gain in her abilities. With the Student Records at my disposal, I chose the perfect one, an old Garden student with amazing capabilities, and an old family grudge against a friend of Haru’s. I chose Sephiroth.” Here she held up a hand to stop Haru’s interruption, and continued speaking. “Yes. Sephiroth had a score to settle with his younger brother – and he was bloodthirsty. He seemed the ideal candidate, so he was the one I recruited to improve Haru’s physical and mental strength. Gildas, clever as he was, knew of my plan, but not who I was. He simply referred to me, in private conversations with his lover, Zexion, as “The Lady In White”.”
“Sephiroth completed his mission perfectly. Without Gildas, Haru would need to support herself, and become more independent. Having forced Gildas to change his will, I ensured Haru’s succession to the throne, putting yet more pressure upon her. However, she was still not ready. Here is where I had to…deviate from my plans, so to speak. I hired Zell to punch - but not kill - Riku, so Haru would have yet more personal strife to overcome. Then, Zell kidnapped Haru, and made her drink the Draught of the Living Dead. You would, undoubtedly, come to her aid, and save her with precious minutes to spare. With this near-death experience, Haru would be even stronger. Of course, NORG’s invasion was not my plan at all, though it seems to have helped her as well. Any questions?”
I turned to Riku numbly. “You…didn’t trust me?” I asked, scared of the answer I might get. He refused to look me in the eye as he responded. “I did trust you; it’s just that I wanted you to…gain confidence.” I walked over to him slowly. “That’s…a lie. It’s a nice lie, and I would love to believe it. But it is still a lie. You thought I wasn’t – I couldn’t – you thought I was unable to…” I stopped, not able to say what I had to. I urged the words to take form, but Vivi was standing. “It isn’t a lie!” he piped up. “He loves you, right? And you don’t have any confidence, so it’s all for the best. Why are you so annoyed? Don’t you realise-”
“Sit down!” I shouted, not looking at him. “This doesn’t involve you, just like our conversation earlier didn’t involve you! Stop poking into our business and acting like you know everything when you don’t! And stop thinking that you can say whatever you want and nobody will mind!” I was relieved to see that he did sit down. I was still watching Riku, and he finally looked up. But he dropped his eyes again within seconds. “If it was all innocent; if you did do it for my sake…why can’t you look at me?” I asked quietly. He shook his head, but didn’t speak. “Look at me!” I commanded.
Slowly, painfully so, Riku lifted his head again. Vivi stood up again, but I threw him a filthy look and he sank to the bench once more. I looked back at Riku to see his beautifully green eyes watering, and sat beside him. “Why are you almost crying?” He blinked. “Because I love you. And right now, I’m not sure-” My heart seemed to stop. Please don’t say ‘why’ - Please don’t say ‘why’ - Please don’t say ‘why’ - Please don’t say ‘why’, my brain begged. “I’m not sure that you love me too,” he finished, his voice barely above a whisper. I laughed with relief, but when I saw how grief-stricken his reaction was, I stopped immediately. “I…Of course I love you!” I burst out. “I love you so much! Every second is spent filled with thoughts of you, every breath I take is only possible because you are breathing beside me, every dream I have is that we can stay together all our lives. I just…I’m not so good at – at – well, at showing it.” I fell silent, biting my lip nervously.
Dr. Kadowaki spoke angrily. “I’m not sure now is the time!” I closed my own eyes now, as Riku replied hurriedly. “Yes, of course, I am so sorry. Please continue,” he said courteously. I thought she was being rather rude, interrupting like that, but Riku remained polite.
Dr. Kadowaki began talking again. “Let me make things clear. Riku loves you Haru, this is why he called for me. He needed you to be stronger because he knew that one day he would be unable to protect you. This scared him more than you know, when he visited me he was nearly in tears, and as you know, Riku does not cry easily. And then, when Gildas died, in your grief you forgot to finish off Sephiroth. So, when-” The doors to the hall burst open. Standing, bathed in moonlight, his hair ruffled and his robes scruffy, was Zexion.
“You absolute WITCH!” Zexion shouted, raging in. “How DARE you!” Haru looked confused. “Zexion, what are you-” Zexion interrupted. “I found him! I found Sephiroth after a long and painful search, I had to teleport myself underground and follow the magical residue that he left behind and what did I get for my efforts? I found Sephiroth, DEAD on the cavern floor! In his hand was a note, some sick humour about Death Tablets prescribed by none other than a Dr. Kadowaki of Balamb Garden! I searched SO LONG to find him, to kill him, and YOU killed him FIRST!” Zexion was walking swiftly up to the Doctor and Freya stood, blocking his path.
“Zexion, you don’t understand. Dr. Kadowaki was-” Zexion pushed her aside, and she hit the floor hard. Zexion wouldn’t hit a girl, right? Wrong. He walked up and slapped Dr. Kadowaki as hard as he could, and she stumbled, also hitting the floor. “I’m sick of people like you! Always the vigilantes, always the people trying for the greater good! It was HIS fault Gildas is dead and YOU robbed me of my revenge! I’ve had it with you!” Zexion threw his hand out – and no-one expected what was to come. “HOLY!” He shouted, a blast of pure white light erupting from his hand, and pierced the woman’s heart. I gasped. Squall’s eyes widened in shock. Dr. Kadowaki stood up, brushing her robes, as Freya fell to the floor, dying to save a lady she barely knew.
I watched, stunned, as Freya tumbled down through the air. The crash that followed seemed deafening in the otherwise silent hall. I rushed over to her, but Vivi was there first. He squeezed her hand tightly, constantly talking. “It’ll be okay, everything’s alright, Freya.” I scrambled round to her other side. “Curaga, curaga! Come on already, curaga!” Why wasn’t it working? I tried one more, desperate time, before Freya spoke. “Do not trouble yourself. I am happy to have saved the Doctor, and now I am allowed a reprieve. I shall find Sir Fratley in the next life, and Zidane and Her Majesty, Garnet. Think on this as a pardon for my…old sins.” Vivi shook his head, making his hat fly from his head. “No, don’t go! Don’t leave me alone!” he sobbed uncontrollably. Freya simply smiled calmly as a flash of bright, white light erupted in her vividly green eyes. Her head fell to the side.
I stood up quickly, looking at Dr. Kadowaki. She seemed totally unfazed by the whole incident. As I was about to say something, a loud yell burst out behind me, and I turned to see Vivi launch himself at Zexion. He was pummelling every part of Zexion that he could reach (namely, his shins and knees) desperately. Riku strode over quickly and pulled him away, sitting him down on the bench. “He killed her! She was my last friend and he just wiped her out!” he wailed as Riku tried desperately to calm him. Squall was in a corner, rocking wildly. I looked up at Zexion. Something had dulled his bright eyes, his hair lay totally flat, and he seemed to have deflated.
Unsure of what to say to him, I went to walk over to him. But seeing me coming, he clicked his shaking fingers, just once, and faded away into black dust that floated away. Instead, I stood with Riku and Vivi. “…He teleported,” I said nervously. “That coward! He must have gotten scared!” bellowed Vivi, snatching his hat out of Riku’s hand and looking around. “Doctor!” he shouted crazily. She looked up slowly, a lazy smile playing on her lips. “Yes?” Her voice was calm and easy.
How could she be so heartless? “What are you going to do about this?” Dr. Kadowaki shook her head slightly. “I’m sorry, what do you mean?” I picked up my hat, putting it back on my head as I answered her. “This! All this! Every student is dead apart from Zell and Squall, and now, because of you, so is Freya. What are you going to do about it?” She frowned slightly.
“I’m not going to do a thing, Vivi. I have my potions, I have my panaceas, and I have my records. I’ll stay here and continue my research.” I gaped at her. She wasn’t even going to… to clear things up? Just… stay here? “Forget it. I… I can’t let hate take over. I knew an old man once, his daughter died to protect the guy she loved and the old man was consumed by hate. He learned the ultimate spell, Meteor, and used it in vengeance. It killed him. I can’t have that happen to me.” I turned to Haru, who was standing still, and Riku, who looked blank. “Come on. We have to find Zexion. Where would he be?” Haru simply muttered an answer. “Castle Oblivion…” I nodded, that was enough. I walked over to Squall, and hugged his side. “Come on, Squall. It’s time to go. Let’s leave these bad memories behind, okay? Come on, that’s it, easy does it.”
I lagged behind Vivi and Squall, walking with Riku. “He doesn’t know, does he?” I whispered nervously. Riku shook his head. “What do we do? Namine isn’t there this time! What if – what if we lose our memories, and she isn’t there to put them back together?” He smiled at me warmly. “Namine was the one taking them apart in the first place, remember? Calm down.” I looked up into his face. “I just…I don’t wanna forget again. I forgot you once before, you know? And…I don’t think I could do it again.” Riku squeezed my hand bracingly. “You won’t forget me; I won’t let you.” I chuckled quietly, and rested my head on his shoulder. Suddenly, I felt very tired.
“When this is all over…do we have to go back to being king and queen?” I asked timidly. Riku stared at the floor. “I hope not,” he muttered, “Can we just ask Artania to do it instead?” I was astonished. “I thought you liked it!” He shook his head. “I wanna be free, Haru.” I straightened up. “I never thought I’d say this, but we have to go back! We can’t just give up; there are people depending on us returning. It is our duty to fulfil, since Gildas named us in his will.” Riku seemed confused. “But you hated it there.” He spoke slowly, as though suddenly I had halved my brain cells.
“I know I did. But it’s about something bigger than me – and something bigger than you. It’s about a whole kingdom filled with people who need a strong leader, and we have to be that leader for them. They lost Gildas, and now you want to cut out on them? Run while we have a chance?” It was strange; I felt like a different person – someone more mature than I was normally. “We can’t ditch out on them. It’s our job. I expected you to laugh it off. I expected you to know that we need to go back. We…we can do anything together, right?” I smiled hopefully. Riku didn’t say anything, but he did smile in return; and we lapsed into a warm silence.
“So where is this Castle Oblivion place?” Vivi asked loudly, shaking us from our thoughts.
