The silence and the darkness,
coupled with the boredom, was beginning to wear on Zell's nerves. And he
was falling asleep. It had been one very long hour since Irvine had gone
in, and the Galbadian sharpshooter still had not returned.
"Man, this sucks!" the
blonde griped, punching at the air, "Why'd they leave me out here!?"
He jumped when he heard a scream,
and then a few shots. Zell whirled around, prepared to summon his
GF. He felt a tiny bit of relief when Irvine suddenly burst out of the
building, a limp, petite form slung over his shoulder.
"Go!" Irvine yelled,
turning to fire a few more shots. Just as he did so, there was a grunt,
followed by some shouts as a group of soldiers stormed out of the building.
Zell fired off a flare as he ran
towards one of the Garden vehicles. He jumped in and started the engine,
taking off as soon as Irvine had jumped in beside him. "Is she
okay?" the blonde asked, not taking his eyes off the road.
"I'm not sure, Dincht... she
passed out on me... didn't sound too good when I found her. Hyne only
knows what they did to her."
"Damn... I hope Dr. Kadowaki
can fix her up," Zell said, sparing a sidelong glance at the sharpshooter,
and the unconscious girl in his lap.
The girl's skin was pale, and her
short white-blonde hair was damp with sweat. She was wearing a pair of
thin yellow cotton pants, and a shirt that matched. They looked like
something a hospital patient would wear.
Irvine looked down at her and
sighed, hoping she would regain consciousness soon. He lightly brushed
back her damp bangs and adjusted her so she had her head against his right
shoulder. He rested his cheek lightly on the top of her head.
"Irvine, man! You're
bleeding!" Zell said in surprise.
The sharpshooter glanced down at
his left shoulder. "Damn," he swore, "Guess they managed
to graze me. Don't worry, Dincht. I'll be fine until we get back to
the Garden."
There was a muffled moan, and the
girl's eyes fluttered open. She looked up at Irvine, then let out a
startled cry.
"Hey, hey, it's okay!"
the auburn haired youth said quickly, "We recued you! We're taking
you to Balamb Garden..."
The girl's red eyes expressed
confusion, and she shifted. "...Who are you??"
"Irvine Kinnease, and the
guy driving is Zell Dincht."
"Hope my driving doesn't
make ya sick," Zell said with a slight grin.
"I... I'm Lynn Faust,"
she whispered.
Zell had slowed down a bit as
they approached the seashore, and the awaiting transport vessel that would take
them to Balamb. The front of the vessel opened so Zell was able to drive
the car onboard. Once the large doors closed behind him, he parked and
turned off the engine.
Quistis, Selphie, and Squall were
already waiting for them.
When Lynn stepped out, she let
out a squeak of surprise when her legs gave out beneath her. She took a
deep breath and let it out slowly, allowing Zell to help her up.
"You okay, there?" the
blonde asked.
"...I think... but my back,
it really burns..." she replied softly, frowning.
Quistis let out a relieved
sigh. "Thank Hyne you two made it out all right."
"Actually, Irvine got
knicked by a bullet," Zell pointed out as he helped Lynn into the next
room, where there were some seats.
"Goodness, let me see,"
the Instructor said as she stepped forward quickly.
"Aw, I'm fine, Miss
Trepe..." Irvine mumbled.
Quistis would hear none of it,
and made Irvine take of his duster so she could see the wound.
Squall followed Zell to the next
room, leaving Selphie and Quistis to deal with Irvine.
Lynn sat down, looking from
Squall to Zell. She appeared a bit nervous, and was rubbing her arms, as
if cold.
"Uh, Lynn, this is Squall
Leonhart... Squall, this is Lynn Faust," Zell said awkwardly.
The girl gave Squall a faint,
polite smile. She grimaced slightly and leaned forward, so her back was
not touching the back of the seat. She sucked in a sharp breath, and
barely heard the startled exclamation Zell let out. However, the girl's
surroundings suddenly seemed very far away...
Beat...
Beat...
Beat...
The room suddenly faded away, and
everything around her melted into darkness...
One breath...
Two...
Three...
Lynn was vaguely aware of putting
a hand over her heart, and slipping forward to her knees.
It's happening again... It is
getting closer. I can't hold It back anymore... I'm falling... It's
growling... help me!!
The girl heard her own strangled
cry, muffled as if her ears were stuffed with cotton, and then everything
stopped.
****
"Shit!!" Zell cried, jumping
to his feet. He then noticed a strange mark on the girl's back. He
crouched down and picked her up, deciding to ask about the mark later.
Lynn was taken to the small
medical room aboard the transport ship. When she was laid out on the table,
the doctor noticed the mark as well, and carefully turned the girl onto her
stomach. When the doctor tugged up the back of Lynn's shirt, a collective
gasp was issued from all those present.
"What is that?"
Selphie breathed.
Quistis stared at the bloody
tattoo in silence, her blue eyes wide. She had never seen anything like
it...
"It's bleeding," the
instructor mumbled as if in a daze.
The tattoo itself was of a
strangely detailed cross, inked in black. However, at that moment, the
tattoo was bleeding noticably. Doctor Kadowaki quickly set about to
cleaning it and applying bandages, though she looked perplexed when she could
find no open wounds. And the picture itself appeared to be rather old.
"That's crazy," Irvine
said, leaning against the doorframe.
"Hopefully she'll be able to
tell us what happened to her," the doctor said as she finished bandaging.
Lynn remained unconscious for the
rest of the trip back to Balamb Garden.
****
When Lynn finally awoke, it was
dark, and she was laying on her side in an infirmary bed. Slowly, she sat
up, feeling a little disoriented. "What...?"
She blinked and squinted when the
light suddenly came on, and a young woman walked in.
"Hi, I'm Doctor Kadowaki's
assisstant," she said with a bright smile, "How are you
feeling?"
"Tired, and a little sore...
where am I?"
"You're in Balamb
Garden. I'm Amy, by the way. Can you tell me your name?" the
redhead asked cheerfully.
"Uh... Lynn. Lynn
Faust. How long have I been here?" she asked, squinting slightly
against the light.
"Well, it's nice to meet
you, Lynn. Oh, is the light bothering you?"
"Actually, yes..." Lynn
said, sounding almost perplexed by this. She rubbed her head, looking
distracted.
"If you're up to it, I was
wondering if you could tell me a few things," Amy said, still smiling.
The blonde frowned slightly,
looking suspicious. "Like what?"
"The tattoo on your back,
it's quite interesting... where--"
"No!" Lynn said
suddenly, jumping to her feet, "I wont tell you anything!"
Before Amy had a chance to react,
Lynn had bolted from the room, leaving the stunnded medical student sitting
alone in the infirmary room. She blinked, and was on her feet in seconds,
dialing Doctor Kadowaki.
****
A/N: Well, here's the teaser. ^_^; Tell me what you
all think, and if anyone wants me to, I'll post more of this. Hope you
enjoy the little bit!