“Oh yeah, that’s right!!!” Jay bounded out of the
cave hardly able to control his excitement. “Hey! Where is everyone?!”
“Jay? Is that you?” Quistis asked as she walked down
the path towards him. “What’s all that screaming about?”
Jay grinned widely, “He’s in, he did it, Quistis,
he did it!”
Quistis smiled and shook her head, “What are you rambling
on about? Who did what?”
“Zell’s in the cavern with Ellone and Seifer!” Jay
bursted out, grabbing Quistis’s hands and swinging her around happily.
“They’re alive, we saved them!”
“I can’t believe it!” Quistis laughed. “Come on, hurry!
Let’s go tell the others!!”
She quickly sped around on her heels, pulling Jaimen
along with her, and jetted back down the path from which she had just come.
They both ran headlong into the forest, but their breath didn’t falter
once. After all, this was the news they had been hoping against hope for.
Nothing else mattered.
“Quisty?” Selphie jumped up from her seat on the beach,
but before she could say even one more word, she was being spun around
in bouncing circles. “He-eyyy! Wha-a-at are w-eeee do-o-innng?”
“Ellone and Seifer are alive!” Jay told her happily
while the three of them had formed a circle and jumped merrily around together.
“Yippee!” Selphie yelped out joyfully.
Irvine and Squall, on hearing all the commotion, ran
towards the trio from the northern shoreline. They both stopped in befuddlement
as they watched what looked to be Quistis, Jaimen, and Selphie playing
ring-around-the-rosy.
Squall cleared his throat, “What’s happened?”
At Squall’s serious tone, Jay dropped Selphie’s and
Quistis’s hands and spread his arms wide, hugging his cousin-in-law. “Zell’s
in the cavern as we speak talking to Ellone and Seifer.”
Squall almost choked, “What?”
Selphie giggled, “He said, Ellone’s with Zell and
they’re both safe!”
“Well, how do you like that? All that worryin’ and
for nothin’?” Irvine exclaimed as he joined in the celebration, hugging
both Quistis and Selphie at the same time.
Squall shook his head in disbelief, “Thank you, Jaimen.”
Jay smiled, “It wasn’t me. This was all Zell, man.
He’s the one you ought to be praising!”
Squall nodded and smiled weakly. I know, and as
soon as I see you again Zell, I’ll make it up to you. I promise… I’ll make
it up to you.
“This is a flower, ya know?” Raijin held the yellow
blossom that had a peculiar blue and green dotted pattern on it out to
the girl.
“Good, Raijin. That’s an Aphrodottie Hellio plant,
just what we were looking for!” Helen reached over and carefully took the
plant into her own hands to examine it more closely. “Beautiful, isn’t
it?”
Raijin scratched his head and looked at the flower
he had just found. “Looks kinda dirty and it smells funny, too, ya know?”
Helen smiled as she placed the delicate object in
her research box, “I guess your right. Anyway, I think we had better get
back now, but first let’s drop off my bag at the SeeD airship. Then we
can go check up on how Zell’s digging is going.”
“Okay,” Raijin readily agreed.
The last few hours Raijin had volunteered to help
Helen collect samples so that she could write a report about Naoki Island
when she got back to Balamb Garden for Headmaster Squall. He had walked
from one end of the island to the other, and going to the airship was no
trouble at all after that. The time passed quickly and it seemed they had
gone no more than a few feet before arriving at the plane.
“Ms. Martinez, Raijin, nice to see you both.” Krupt
Quill addressed them as he walked off the loading ramp. “Have you decided
to join us, Raijin, or is this a social meeting?”
“Advisor Quill,” Helen glanced quickly at Raijin in
confusion. “Join you for what exactly?”
“Raijin hasn’t said anything?” Quill smiled, “We’re
leaving. Well, at least my construction crew and associates are.”
Helen’s jaw dropped in astonishment at this sudden
news. “You’re leaving, now?”
A wide smile spread across the lead construction advisor’s
face. “That’s right, now, or as soon as the pilot gets here.”
“But, but…” Helen stuttered, still recovering from
shock.
“What else is there to say, Ms. Martinez?” Krupt Quill
shrugged. “Young Jaimen Heartilly has got everything under control. While
my crew and myself were needed in the beginning, young Heartilly has taken
a step upward with his machines. There’s no need for us to be here, especially
after being proven useless and unwanted by everyone including Balamb’s
new Headmaster.”
“Useless and unwanted?” Helen echoed with disbelief.
“Who said that?”
Krupt shook his head as he looked from Raijin to Helen.
“My men are engineers, construction workers, and most of all people. Jaimen’s
machines took our estimations and went beyond our limitations, leaving
us with nothing to do here. When they broke, do you think any of us wanted
to come in and dig? Our pride is too strong… Cid is a good friend of mine
so I asked him for permission to abort and he agreed.”
“What about Seifer an’ Ellone?” Raijin asked sincerely.
“Where have you two been?!” Krupt Quill laughed in
amazement.
“Raijin! Helen!” Selphie yelled as she came running
towards them with her arms flaring in the air.
Helen turned and stood peering at Selphie with Krupt
Quill and Raijin at her side.
“Selphie runs fast, ya know.” Raijin stated casually.
At that exact moment, Selphie made a clumsy nose dive
into the sand as the ground beneath her feet literally gave way. “Owww,
oww, ow!”
“Oh, Selphie!” Helen exclaimed as she and the others
came dashing over to their friend’s aid. “Are you all right?”
Selphie rubbed her cheek, reddened and embedded with
sand from the fall, and accepted Raijin’s hand in order to pull herself
to her feet. “…I guess….but what happened?”
Krupt Quill sighed, “You just tripped when you stepped
in that partially filled in hole.”
“A hole?” Helen questioned while helping Selphie wipe
the sand off of her.
“Yes, and I apologize Ms. Tilmitt,” Quill stated with
a touch of guilt. “You see, my men were digging holes as a sort of “best
hole” contest and I guess they got lazy and didn’t fill this one in all
the way.”
Selphie smiled, “That’s okay. I should be more careful
anyway.”
Raijin frowned, “But I thought Irvine said you were
accident prone no matter what you do, ya know?”
Instantly, Helen spoke up. “Raijin, would you please
take my bag inside and put it in the freezer so that the flowers don’t
dry out.”
“No, Raijin.” Selphie stopped him. “I’ve got news
for you and Helen. Big news, too!! Well… Zell dug through to the other
side and is with Seifer and Ellone, who are fine!! Isn’t that great!!”
Helen smiled, “That’s the best thing I’ve heard yet.”
“Seifer’s alright?” Raijin asked in disbelief. “You’re
sure?”
“Yup!” Selphie flashed them a grin. “But don’t take
my word for it, they’ll be out any minute so come see for yourselves!”
With that Raijin hustled down toward the path, Helen
lingering behind with Selphie and Krupt Quill.
“..accident prone…” Selphie mumbled as she shook her
head. “Well, you comin’ Helen?”
“I think we’re done, Ms. Martinez,” Krupt Quill smiled
warmly. “See you back at the Garden.”
Helen nodded as she turned and started back with Selphie
at her side. “They’re all really alright, aren’t they?”
Selphie hesitated. “I don’t really know…..Jay just
said that Zell made it through and he was with Ellone and Seifer… I’ve
been running around, telling Rinoa, and you guys so I haven’t really been
to the cave yet…”
Helen bit her bottom lip. “Let’s hurry, okay?”
“Sure,” Selphie agreed, feeling the same sense of
urgency that her friend was to get to the cave as quickly as possible.
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