Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Until the End of Eternity, and Longer ❯ Chapter Thirty Seven ( Chapter 38 )

Luna-P: (yeah, not your name, but it's quicker to type…if you hate it, yell at me in your next review and I won't do it again *winks*) I definitely agree with you about Jynx…she's very strange, but I really do like her quite a bit. And on another note…wow! That's a good idea! I may have to steal it if the story leads me in that direction…

Ariennye: Nah, 'tis cool. It's good to have someone to point out the little things, since I'm too lazy to do it for myself! Haha. I'll have to try to remember to edit that when this story is done and I start putting it up on my website though…I shall have to return to my reviews for minor tweaks like that…so it's a good thing that you're pointing it out! Because, like I said Me=Lazy…and I don't edit…actually, I rarely even reread. Ah well…since you asked so nicely, I suppose I can tap into Quisty-brain again in this chapter or the next one…though it's really not anything too big, I'll cover it anyway.

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"Until the End of Eternity, and Longer"

by: Banshee Puppet

Chapter Thirty-Seven

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Caraway. Martine. Cid. The names passed through Jynx's mind like puppeteer dancers in a long-forgotten play. Well, that was just fine. Deling City would simply make her list of victims shorter, that's all. Two birds with one stone. SeeD. Jynx hated it. She hated GF, and then, also, she hated SeeD. And she hated General Caraway who saw to it that she was placed in that particular institution in the first place. She had not asked for that fate, that life. She was completely happy to just…exist in a small village like Shin with her sisters for all of her days. 'You'll be glad to see how strong I've become, Mr. Caraway. Allow me to demonstrate my strength, on your tragic little city, the way you and yours demonstrated your strength on Shin.'

Two birds with one stone. Yeah, that suited Jynx Arashi just fine. She would get the power to kill GF, and in the interim, she'd be able to settle an old score with one of the men who ruined everything.

While Max was getting food and taking a piss, Jynx lay on the hood of the jeep, left hand resting behind her head as she clenched and unclenched her right fist. It was a sunny afternoon, a gorgeous day really, but she wouldn't allow herself to simply enjoy the peaceful moment, there was too much to do.

One. Two. Three. One. Two. Three. Open. Shut. Tense and, relax. She stretched out her left leg thoughtfully. Flex. Bend. Relax.

*Step, move, shift weight, bend knee, toes, curl, and release. And, repeat. Step, move, shift weight, bend knee…

Learning to walk again. She never thought she'd have to do it…walking had always been a natural progression, like breathing, requiring zero thought…so learning all over again…it was probably the hardest thing she'd ever done. It was spring, and she was out in the garden with David. Step. Bend. Release.

"You're doing well, Yuki. How does it feel?" he asked, looking up from the book he was reading.

"Hurts. How should it feel?" she said flatly.

"Well, I suppose it should hurt, if you insist on putting things so frankly," David said with a sigh and a cocked eyebrow, putting his glasses away and marking his place.

"I guess you'll probably be leaving soon then."

"Yes."

"Where will you go?"

"Home."

"Where is home?" he asked evenly, coming over with her cane and helping her to a seat on the nearby bench.

"…"

David laughed. "You have no idea, do you?"

"I'll figure it out when I get there," she stated. He had this annoying habit of reading people extremely well…too well, honestly. And he always forced her to talk.

"Not SeeD?" he asked.

"Never," she bit out. "Bastards."

###

Seifer gave his Hyperion a good swing before sheathing it. Jynx had escaped. 'Damn. What are you thinking, Arashi?' he wondered. He hoped she wouldn't do anything stupid, hoped he wouldn't have to fight her, but, he figured that would end up being her decision in the end, not his.

"Seifer?" Quistis asked a little uneasily. "Are you sure about going after her?"

"I already told you Quisty. I'm going to keep following her around for as long as I can."

"Well, you won't be alone this time," a woman's dulcet voice, thick with determination came from the doorway.

"Xu!" Quistis was shocked to see her friend.

"Mr. Seagill already briefed me. I'll be accompanying you this time, Seifer."

Seifer nodded. "I guess you would. She's you're sister after all, but, what about the kid?"

"Ruvie? She gets along just fine without two old mercenaries watching her every move," Xu replied. "I'd rather not get her tied up in this sort of mess again. It's not as if she can remember the last time, anyway. And it's probably better that she never does."

"Xu?"

"It is sad, that Ruvie can't remember Jynx, Seifer. I won't deny that-she is family, after all. However, I also won't deny that there is safety in distancing oneself from things that cause pain. And Jynx causes pain. Always has. Always will. It's best that Ruvie not remember her. She doesn't need to know."

* "He doesn't need to know," Cid was telling Dr. Kadowaki when Quistis walked in. She was bringing back the rubber gloves that her Chemistry class hadn't used.

"I understand," the doctor told him. "But he's bound to remember eventually. Have you found her yet?"

"From this day forward, Doctor, Jynx Arashi is dead."

"Doctor Kadowaki, Mr. Cid. Sorry to interrupt…" Quistis said meekly. "I was to bring these back…"

"Ah, Quistis. Yes, thank you. I guess you wanted to check up on my patient too, but I'm afraid Seifer hasn't woken up yet."

Quistis's eyes went wide. "What? Seifer's hurt?" she chewed her lower lip with worry. "What happened?"

"He hit his head. He'll be alright though. Go check up on him if you want," Kadowaki said.

"O-okay. Thanks…"*

It wasn't long after Quistis had walked in, that Seifer awoke. He just sort of blinked up at her…and smiled. But the words that hit her now, were the most potent… "he doesn't need to know." Was that true? Perhaps. But he had had a right to know, didn't he? And Ruvie…she also, had a right to know, whether she needed to or not…but was it really her place to say? Could she really interfere, when she was in her position…on the outside, looking in. The answer was…she didn't know.

She just found it particularly sad, and sadder still, because it was very obvious to her, that Seifer had absolutely no desire to ever forget Jynx. Because Jynx was…the person that Seifer liked best. Her stomach flopped again. Hyne, she hated this, hated being weak and indecisive, but she thought…she'd never change, not really, maybe never.

"I…I'm going to come too, if you don't mind," she said, her voice, to her, sounding small, meek.

Seifer blinked at her. "Quistis…why?"

Quistis had to think about the answer. She didn't really know why. She was just being impulsive. "Because you're my friends, and she's important to you."

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Laguna paced the foyer. How he ended up in Caraway's mansion was beyond him. Sure, he was some political big-shot in Deling, but it's not as if they were here on business, or anything. But Caraway was one insistent bastard, seemed like the sort who always got what he wanted. And at current moment, he wanted to talk to Squall and Irvine…which meant Laguna was abandoned in the entranceway to pace, or hassle the maid, who'd run off at the sound of an oven-timer. He'd inspected all the paintings in the room, gotten bored, started counting ceiling tiles, lost count, got bored, played with a fancy looking vase…dropped it, did his best of hiding the evidence, got bored…so that only left one option…pacing. Pacing, pacing, and more pacing. He sighed and leaned against the wall. This was taking forever. He crossed his arms over his chest, and sighed.

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"What is it you wanted, General Caraway?" Squall asked as he leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. Mentally, he sighed. Not that he had anything against his girlfriend's father, really…but the man's timing sucked.

"As you know, elections are coming up."

"Actually, I didn't," Squall replied, hoping to cut off a speech before one started. Nor did I care.

"Then let me cut to the chase."

Please do.

"I require SeeD assistance once again, a guard team until the elections."

"Call Garden then. No offence, General Caraway, but we're in Deling on unofficial business, and I ain't tappin' into my vacation just because you think you need a guard dog," Irvine commented humorlessly.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Anything I can assist with?"

"It's been my experience, Mr. Caraway, that your assistance is never without its price. You can contact Garden and someone will be assigned, but we won't be handling it personally."

"I'm sorry to have inconvenienced you with concerns for my life, Mr. Leonheart, Mr. Kinneas."

"No problemo. Well, see ya!" Irvine said, swinging himself up out of the chair he'd been lounging in.

"You may be Rinoa's father, General, but that doesn't mean that we're at your whim. There are just some things in this world more important than business," Squall said dryly, and from the look on the General's face, it was obvious the man didn't understand. Squall sighed. "Like family, for example. Goodbye."

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"You're certain you know the plan," Jynx asked evenly.

"Of course! For Hyne's sake, Jynx! You've gone over it with me like, fifty times!"

"There will be no room for mistakes or improvisation, Mr. Kinneas. You must behave in the exact manner as prescribed."

"I understand!"

"You'd better. I have no tolerance for incompetence. City Hall. Tomorrow at 3:37 p.m. exactly. Do not be late."

"What am I supposed to do until then?"

"Frankly, Max Kinneas," Jynx said dryly, "I shouldn't care any more if you spent the entire time helping old ladies across the street or molesting small children. It makes no nevermind to me. Just be there. And should you see me in the interim, treat me as a stranger, and pretend I don't exist." …. …. ….

Max sighed. His "instructions" had been very specific.

Rule #1: Don't speak to me. Don't act like you know me. Pretend we are strangers, always.

Rule #2: Stay away from the mental institution. Should you hear news in its regard, pretend you haven't heard it.

Rule #3: City Hall. 3:37 tomorrow. Act according to predetermined instructions and do not, under any circumstances, deviate from the script.

Rule #4: Duck.

He'd asked her what that meant. Duck. What was he supposed to be ducking. She had told him simply, "when the time comes, you'll know." Stoic bitch was keeping secrets. Max didn't like secrets. In fact, he was fairly certain it would not be an exaggeration to say that he hated them, loathed them, wished they didn't exist. But it was alright, really. Jynx was strong. If Jace had been a little more like this kid, things might have turned out differently. Well, it didn't matter in the end, because he was going to get what he wanted, and all he had to do, was adhere to those four-simple-rules. No problem.

Alright then, Jynx Arashi. I'll leave everything up to you.

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Jynx rested her head in her hands wearily. How had it come to this. She honestly didn't know. She sighed heavily, and let her eyes fall closed, letting the tension of the past hours roll off as she squatted by the windowsill, the moonlight dancing over her shoulders, tracing lines across the syringe in her hand.

* "You're impossible!" David sighed. "How do you expect to get better?"

"You said it yourself, David. I am healing quickly on my own, through my efforts. So I don't need that, whatever it is," Jynx stated, pointing at the syringe in his hand like it was something vapid and foul and completely out of the question. Of course, her tone never changed, her expression never changed, but it seemed to her an old and exhausted argument. How many times had they been over this. Medicine was something she neither wanted, nor needed, and she wouldn't suffer it as long as she had the will and energy to say otherwise. She just didn't like the stuff. It made her mind foggy, she couldn't think straight, and thanks to David, she knew exactly what most medicines consisted of now, and what they could do. Well, no thanks. It just wasn't for her.

"It will help you heal! You can walk again, sure. In a month or so, if you keep up this inhuman pace that you insist on, you may even be able to run, but you aren't doing things the proper way, Yuki. You need medicine, and you need rest, or that wound…you're always going to feel it, Yuki," David said, sitting on the bed beside her, resting his hand tentatively on her shoulder. "You'll never be able to forget."

Enraged, Jynx ripped the syringe from his hand and threw it across the room. The glass shattered against the floral wallpaper and the pale liquid dripped across the floor. She stood, staring down defiantly at him, stunned. She had never shown him any emotion other than a blank sort of melancholy before now, but that was definitely something he recognized, anger. Her face didn't show it, but her body did. The tension in her shoulders, and the way those haunted eyes turned liquid nitrogen cold, steamed, then solid, hard, in an instant.

"I don't want to forget," she stated, words clipped and harsh. "And my name is Jynx, and I think I've stayed here long enough."*

Idly, she wondered what had become of that old man. Dead now, most likely. And besides, it didn't matter. There was only one thing that mattered anymore, and she would go as far as necessary to get it, to have it in her two hands. The power to kill GF. Revenge. Cold, cruel, remorseless vengance. It was all that was left of her. She knew that now, as she held the empty syringe up to the moonlight and moved to dispose of the evidence. She stepped over the old doctor's body, a man, not unlike David, but nothing like him, and no one she knew. Looking back blandly over her shoulder, she said simply. "Nothing personal. It's simply that your life was necessary for my plan to work, that's all. As far as anyone else will know, you had a heart attack, but you and I will know the truth." She lifted the nameplate from his desk, "Doctor Evarent Doyle, PhD," she read before placing it back down, a black gloved hand tracing over the smooth gold surface of the plate before tipping it over onto the ground, making it look as if the man had knocked it over when he grabbed the desk, before he fell, "you were a casualty of war. It can't be helped." She knocked, also, the phone receiver off of its base. His body was arranged exactly as prescribed. And, without further words to exchange, the task complete, she departed stealthily into the night. She looked back at the building once only, eyes tracing over the perfectly formed lettering above the door. 'Deling City General Psychiatric Institution.' She turned, dropped her sunglasses over her ghost-like eyes, and, hands in pockets, walked out into the winter street, thinking about another old man, ages ago, who had given her the chance to live again, without question of what she would do with that life. She thought about him now, for reasons beyond her fathoming, and it came to her suddenly, that the path she had chosen… … …he wouldn't approve of it. Well, whatever, it's not as if it mattered what he thought, anyway. His opinion had affected her life little, even then, if at all. She felt something cold and wet hit her cheek, and looked up to the sky. It had begun to snow. She stood for a moment, just watching "Yuki, what will you do, when you can walk again?" she remembered. "Nothing that would interest you, David." That is what she had told him then. Knowing what she knew now, were she to go back to that moment, she would have said exactly the same thing, about that, and everything else.

Her eyes fell ahead of her again, and, after only the briefest of pauses, she began to walk. This weather always made her knee ache, and she couldn't suppress a slight limp as her boots tapped against the asphalt. 'I don't want to forget and my name is Jynx and I think I've stayed here long enough.' She caught a few snowflakes in her hand and watched them melt. 'And David is a memory only, and 'Yuki' is long dead, and my name is Jynx, and I've still got a lot of work to do.'

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okay, a few things to note. First, I know this chapter, once again, took me forever. But a long time ago, I promised a certain person a certain Christmas fic, so I had to take a time out to write it. In truth, I think a few weeks away from this story was actually good for it though, as I've returned with my mind much clearer on how it all ties up, with only a few loose ends that may yet surprise me. Secondly, I know the end scenes of this chapter with Jynx are a little confusing as to what exactly is going on. It was done, for once, purposely, to build up some suspense, sort of. What the heck is going on, I think the careful reader could start to guess at with what I've written here, but it will all be explained in further detail in the next chapter as Jynx's plan begins to unfold. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

And until next time,

Happy Haunting,

~Banshee Puppet~