Chapter 16: So They Thought

“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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