Djillaywaska

[Gdosimirj Sunset]

The warriors all leapt way from his blasts, retaining few injuries, but less inclined to advance. Instead, they ran to the spring that bubbled out of the hill, grabbed the buckets that sat near it, and sped back to Lutz, dousing him with water from the spring. Gdosimirj followed suit, fearing someone would die on her holy ground...

[Amnesty Lazuli]

Ami's eyes bulged. Heal? I still don't know how to do that... She looked around frantically for water. She spotted the fountain where the relay was proceeding. Great. Now what? Buckets aren't fast enough...

She sprinted towards it, hoping to come up with something on the way.

Reno saw all this going down. "Nikky, stay here with Two-Tone's crew... I'm going in."

He made a dash for the demon, hoping to distract him while Ami grabbed a bucket and began to pitch in... We need as much water down here as possible... Need water, lots of water...

The spring's course began to divert, and suddenly the entire stream lifted off the side of the hill and gushed onto the fire demon. Reno's jaw dropped. What the...

He suddenly realized as he caught a glimpse of his reflection in a window... My eyes are glowing green!

[lutz]

Chaos shreeked in pain.

Chaos: "NO....water....."

The water put out the flames and washed them away it was almostas if the water washed away the wings and horns because once it cleared there was only Lutz laying there unconsious.
Thank you....

[Amnesty Lazuli]

The water returned to its normal flow. Reno's eyes went back to their normal blue, and he went to one knee with a splitting headache. "Holy c**p..." How the h**l did I DO that?

Ami approached him smugly. "NOW do you believe me?"

Rude checked Lutz out. "He seems to be all right... but we may be forced to confine him until we're sure this incident won't repeat itself."

Ami's family peered out from behind the house where they had hidden. Lana looked on the doused creature, and he looked so woebegone that she was filled with pity... "THAT guy is the one who did all this?" She made a step out, but Stephen stopped her. One hyper-heroic daughter is enough. "Gentlemen, ladies, I must insist we find some sort of more permanent settlement for my wife and daughters."

"Hold up," Ami said. "You didn't just put that as a plural, did you? I can't stay here, these people need me..."

"And we dont? Ami, we thought you were dead... now you've come back to us just long enough to say you're leaving again?"

[Gdosimirj Sunset]

The guard, who Gdosimirj now recognized as a general of sorts, turned to her and glared. "What have you brought here?"

She was at a loss for words.

He turned back to his platoon. "Get chains! Take him to the security cell, and keep four men guarding him at all times!" He then glared back at the group. "I do not know what evil you plan to bring into this city, but you all have an explanation to give at the council. Be there tonight at Walltouch or you will all be expelled from the city. Including you, Gdosimirj." He turned back to his remaining men, shouting orders for scouts and security outside the city.

Gdosimirj turned to the group. "Well, my welcome home wasn't the best one..." she tried to hide her disappointment. "But the party starts when the sun touches the west wall. Till then, let's go try to enjoy ourselves at the main square." She walked to one of the benches and sat, her face in her hands.

[lutz]

Lutz did not wake up he kept having more visions of Raja, the 7 Deadly Sins and this life form in the life stream.....
His body almost seemed lifeless as he was being pulled away.

[Amnesty Lazuli]

Rude considered challenging the general, but he knew better than to confront him on his home ground...

At least the general's barking interrupted Stephen. Ami looked between the departing military man and her family, frustration mounting. She could practically hear her father's disapproving opinion of all this.

"Daddy, we'll have to discuss this later." She helped Reno get up.

Her father tapped her shoulder. "I really do think we should discuss it right now."

Ami looked back, alternating between anger and sympathy. Does he not see what is going on here... Sigh, I'd be upset too in his position...

She shrugged and let Rude come see to Reno. "Okay, let's talk then. What do you want to talk about?"

"First of all... happy birthday..."

Ami made a face. "Yeah, cake and ice cream for me. Ya-hoo. What else?"

Rude steadied his partner. "You OK?"

"Yeah... but I think I need a drink..."

****

Lana followed the guards as far as she could as they dragged Lutz away, afraid of leaving the square and risking getting lost in this bizarre place. That poor guy...

[Gdosimirj Sunset]

Gdosimirj stood and walked around the square for a bit, taking in the familiar surroundings. It's like a dream. She pondered her situation for a moment, but felt something tugging at her conciousness... the same old familiar presence from the woods, sneaking up on her. A smile spread across her face. She let him approach without turning- in the old days, her pride wouldn't have let him get away with a sneak, but she decided she owed him a free attack after what she had done to him so long ago.

She felt him tense, then spring. A gentle bite met the back of her neck, and she grinned. "Ladjinne."

He let go of her neck and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Why did you leave me?" She turned in surprise, pulling away from him.

"That's not a fair question, Ladjinne." His change in appearance shocked her slightly. "We'll speak later..." she swallowed a lump in her throat. "Where's mother?"

Ladjinne's face darkened. "She is not well... but she lived past her predicted year. It is good." He nudged her playfully. "And look at you. The people of the mainland have had bad influence on you. You speak with contractions. Pitiful." He chuckled. "We will fix you, yes? And your mainland friends? But they will take longer. We need a good teacher." He shook his head mock sorrowfully.

"Ladjinne, what happened here?" She whispered. "Swords, Ladjinne, swords!" She covered her face with her hands.

He put his hand on her shoulder. "Cheer up, m'padi. It is not the end of the world." She let her hands drop, and Ladjinne pressed his thumb into her forehead playfully. "You are back home, and I hope you do not leave."

[Amnesty Lazuli]

Reno staggered over to Sunset. He waved half-heartedly at her friend. "Hey..." He return to his objective. "Sunset, tell me they got a bar in this place. Pub, alehouse, whatever. I got to have something bad for the liver, and soon, yo."

[Gdosimirj Sunset]

Ladjinne threw back his head and laughed loudly. "Your friend is amusing!" He shook his head. "Alcohol leads to illogical decisions and tampers with the quality of life. We frown on it here." He leaned in and whispered. "But if you talk to the traders..." he pointed at a gaily painted hut with many knick knacks decorating its yard. "...Who knows what they may have stored?"

Gdosimirj hid a grin. "And to think I used to think so highly of them. You've learned much in your older years, m'padi."

[Amnesty Lazuli]

"Yeah, I could really use some illogical decisions right now, that's kinda the point, yo..." Reno confirmed. "OK, traders. Gotcha. Thanks, pal." He headed for the hut, Rude right behind him to make sure he didn't do anything TOO stupid...

Ami didn't like the looks of this... he'd just seen a full manifestation of his potential, and he was dealing with it by getting himself plastered. But this was no time to speak with him about it. Her father was still speaking to her, and her mother had joined him.

"Don't take an attitude with me, young lady. I knew all those years ago, when I took in you and your brothers, that things might be difficult. They weren't difficult in the way I envisioned, but nonetheless. When they ran off, that was horrible enough. And I knew of many of the things they did in the intervening year... I managed to shelter you from those unpleasant truths. But then, when we woke up one morning to find you were gone... I don't know how we survived it. Your mother... she was an absolute wreck for days, convinced she was suffering some sort of curse... Lana wouldn't even show her face at school, and she went out to the point every day waiting to see you coming home... how could you do that to us?" He put an arm around his wife.

Ami looked down at her feet, feeling both ashamed and angry. "Daddy, there's something about me you never knew. My brothers and I knew it, but we never told you." She looked at him. "We were not just clones of Sephiroth... but our mother also spoke to us. She was still alive out there, and she kept telling me to hurt you and Mom and Lana... I refused to let her make me do those things."

Stephen looked absolutely dumbfounded. "What...?"

[Gdosimirj Sunset]

Ladjinne took Gdosimirj by the hand. "It has been a very long time... I can see how much you have changed. Your face, your eyes... your spirit... how much evil have you seen out there?" He shook his head. "I will take you to see your mother. She will be glad that you came, if she is awake."

He led her to a smallish hut down the street, and she followed wordlessly, grasping his hand with cold, nervous apprehension. She entered the dark hut where a single candle burned at her mother's bedside. Her mother looked still, silent, but very much alive. Her hair had grayed substantially. She woke and looked at Gdosimirj sleepily.

"Oh, hello, baby. Come here and tell momma about your day at school..." She smiled deeply. "Did you read the Shafructi today? Did you get to the part where... the girl..." she drifted back into a deep sleep.

Gdosimirj covered her mouth, shaking with silent, wracking sobs. Ladjinne hugged her. "It is the dementia. She does not have long, but she has been in her yesteryear for weeks. She is happy, Gdosimirj. We are thankful."

Gdosimirj looked up at him with a tearstained face. "I have not cried for seven years." She buried her face in his shoulder, hiccupping. "I... am thankful..." she dissolved again, and he led her to a chair to sit.

[Amnesty Lazuli]

"And there's more." Amnesty took a deep breath. "When I met Squall... he could see I was different. He knew strange things happened in my mind. But he chose to love me anyway. For the first time in my life, I wasn't afraid of s***wing up in front of somebody, because I knew I didn't have to be perfect for him. He loves me just the way I am." She looked at her parent's faces. "And if you can't do the same..."

Ami turned silently away, and no amount of calling or scolding would turn her around as she went off to be alone and let them think over her words.

****

Lana, returning from watching Lutz be taken away, heard Sunset talking to someone in the hut, and as she was like her mother in her eavesdropping habits, she sat down outside to listen... She heard Sunset's mother speak, and heard the former sorceress weeping... Lana slipped away quietly, determined to never speak of this. Sunset... I feel awful for you. If only I could help... Why can't I be more like Ami? She helps people out all the time... she always knows what to do.

****

Rude, after asking a few careful questions, procured a couple pouches of ale for himself and his partner. "Drink up."

Reno sank into a chair and did so.

"Rude, I been meaning to have a chat without you about Nikky."

"What about her?"

"Ever think about actually getting to know her?"

Reno gave him a funny look. "What kind of question is that?"

"The kind I expect you to take seriously."

Reno put his head in his hands. "Look, Rude, right now my head feels like it's gonna explode, I can't afford to think deep yet..."

"Answer the question."

Reno sighed. "Well, sure I do." He took another draw off the ale pouch. "H**l, I wanna know everything about her. But start asking questions, and that's the fastest way to scare a girl off, far as I can tell."

Rude shook his head. "You might be surprised..."

Reno looked sharply at him. "She been talking to you?"

"No, not talking to me exactly... no. But I think she might be interesting in knowing just who she's fallen in love with."

[Gdosimirj Sunset]

Gdosimirj gently pushed him away, pulled out her handkerchief. "I can't be like this now. I have people who depend on me out there." She stood and wiped her face, straightening her hair. "We should leave and let mother rest." She paused before leaving the hut and placed her hand over her mother's softly. "Sleep well."

She emerged into the sunlight. The people in the square had settled down a little more now, gone back to reading and playing, although they were clearly avoiding their white visitors. She turned back to Ladjinne. "I have a question, and I want to know. Why are there weapons? Warriors? Training grounds, for criminy sakes? When did that happen?"

He kept his eyes fixed dead ahead. "The Rebellion." He glanced at her, then looked away again quickly. "People started leaving. They saw eye to eye with you on your stance on weapons. That we should be able to defend ourselves. When nothing changed in our standards, they went to the city, to Midgar, to Nibelheim... anywhere they could keep their own weapons. Some never came back. And then..." he sighed. "The ninja gang came. From the Nightshade Clan of the west. They wanted to take our city, and someone had told them how to get in. Our defenses were not enough. On that night... there was blood shed on our holy ground."

Gdosimirj winced. It was like her world had collapsed.

"Now, some of our villagers came back when they heard about the raid. They tracked down and they killed the rest of the gang. And then they moved back into the village. We lost many council members on the night of the raid, ones that upheld the no weapons laws. Good people like your mother. And the returning residents took their place. The villagers were scared, Gdosimirj. That horrible night changed everything- including our ideals. Less people on the council wanted peace than defense. The laws changed..."

Gdosimirj groaned.

"And then, a white ninja came from the north. He wanted to teach our troops combat in return for payment and refuge. We took his teaching without a second thought. He lives there." He pointed to a more lavish hut near the training yard. "He comes to the council meetings sometimes, but he rarely speaks. I do not even know his name." He shrugged. "But now that things have changed the way they have, they will never be the same again."

[Amnesty Lazuli]

Ami managed to find a secluded place. They didn't deserve that... they almost got killed on my account, and now their whole lives are being yanked out from under them until this mess is resolved... They took me in when no one else would. They really do love me. But I always felt like I had to work for that. Maybe that wasn't what they meant me to feel, but...

She had to let her thought collect themselves somehow, and standing around pondering didn't seem to be helping any.

She sat down and closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind and think.

****

Rude took another drink. "There's something else on my mind, Reno."

Reno had just finished off his pouch and was thinking about getting another. "Do tell."

"What happened with Lutz out there clearly had something to do with your intervention. Unwilling as I was to believe it before, I think Amnesty's theories may just have some basis in fact."

"About me being the chosen one and all that BS?" Reno laughed to himself, getting a little tipsy. "Naw. That was weird out there, what happened with the water... but that doesn't make me some kind of 'chosen one' or whatever. Even if it is somehow true, what if I just plain decide I don't WANT to do whatever it is the planet is press-ganging me into?"

Rude took another sip off his ale. He's finished already. A clear sign he is beginning to believe, whether he likes it or not... and that's scaring him. "Everything happens for a reason. I can't tell you what to do..."

"Like h**l. You've done exactly that for the last fifteen years."

"I mean, only you can decide when to listen to me. But if, G** forbid, it turns out you are what Ami says you are... there must be a reason why you in particular, and not someone else."

Reno tried to ignore him and called over the traders for more alcohol.