[Caves of Narshe 4] Fanfics

Fanfics by Denise Cameron
Denise Cameron
Gogo Comes Home
The Journey Continues, Chapter 1		The Journey Continues, Chapter 2
Dream Wind
Denise writes them short and sweet. With the emphasis on both.

The Journey Continues, Chapter 1
	Author's note: This story is a bit different. Instead of taking place years after Kefka, it's right after the ending credits. They're all still on the ship, and Kefka's only been killed about an hour ago. "I say we should all go to Figaro castle and celebrate!" Proclaimed Edgar. All the others on the ship cheered like small children hearing there was going to be a birthday party. But of course they were entitled to it; they had just saved the world from one of the most evil villains ever to be born on their planet. It took a long while to fly there, but Setzer was also taking his time. The world was free again and the sky once more belonged to him, for he owned the world's only airship. Well, this one, the Falcon, actually belonged to a friend that had perished years ago. She had crashed, never to be seen again. After a while, he had it repaired and put in storage, and when his own airship crashed after the world was put in ruin, he retrieved the Falcon. He smiled as he thought how proud of him she'd be. Usually, about once a month, he went to a place called Daryl's Tomb (Daryl was the name of his friend) to talk to her. She wasn't actually buried there, but it was just a place dedicated to her memory, the rest of her family had been buried there as well. He of course knew she wouldn't hear him, but he loved just talking, as if she was really there. After all, I'd have to brag to someone about saving the world! He thought, laughing to himself. "What's so funny Setzer?" Asked Sabin as he approached him. When Setzer first met him, he thought right away There's our hero. He's the one that's gonna kill that madman. Sabin was quite large, with muscles about everywhere you could fit them. But he wasn't overly cocky...well, maybe just a little. He had been trained by martial arts expert Duncan, and when he fought, he put his whole heart into it. But like most people who had been trained in martial arts, he was taught only to fight when necessary, and if necessary, fight clean and win. He had noticed that over the past few weeks, Terra had grown a bit fond of him. It was obvious that Sabin knew, he seemed to stand a bit taller and show off more when she was around. Terra was another one that he always thought would be important to defeating Kefka...actually, without her, they probably would of accomplished zilch. Being half esper, she had been the only one with the ability to communicate with them. She had also lead them to Ramuh, though she may not of realized it. Her powers had gone berserk, and when they found her, she was under the care of the esper Ramuh. But since magic had disappeared, her powers were now gone. "Setzer? Did you hear me?" Asked Sabin. "Sorry, lost in thought. I was just reminiscing a bit...she'd be proud of me, you know. Of all of us. It's a shame she wasn't alive to see us...hell, she would of been one of our best fighters!" He said, remembering how much of a tough girl Daryl was. He didn't have to tell Sabin who he was thinking about, Setzer spoke of her often. He had even been to Daryl's tomb with him one time, mostly for protection against the monsters. "She definitely would be proud." Sabin replied. Soon after, they landed on the ground near Figaro Castle, and they all went into the main room. The guards and servants all greeted them with cheers when they returned, the Chancellor had a tear in his eye. He had been the acting king in Edgar's and Sabin's absence, and every day Edgar had sent a carrier pigeon back to Figaro with news. The servants immediately started a grand feast for them, and they all sat down around a large table. But something was wrong. "Hey, where's Shadow? Has anybody seen Shadow?" Asked Relm. Nobody knew. "And Gogo! Neither of them are here! Did anyone see them on the airship?" Asked Celes. They had all been in such a hurry to escape the collapsing tower that they had assumed everyone was there. Their moods darkened as they all thought the same thing: they were still in the collapsed tower. "We have to go back and look for them! We'll take the airship back to the site and search everywhere!" Said Locke. They all agreed, and piled back into the airship to search for their friends. * * * Shadow had narrowly escaped the falling tower, and was standing just outside the wreckage. He was awed by it...never in his life had he seen such a sight. Nothing but rocks, pieces of steel, and charred debris everywhere. There were a few small fires in places too, which would most likely go out within a few hours. Suddenly, he heard a noise. It sounded like a person was stuck nearby! Quickly, he followed the noise to it's source. It was coming from underneath a pile of debris. "Hang on in there! I have to move this stuff off of you!" He yelled. After a few minutes, everything was cleared off. Laying on the ground in front of him was a pile of rags, torn up and dirty. The rags coughed, and he realized that there was a person under there...this was Gogo, one of the returners. He quickly helped him to his feet, and Gogo dusted himself off a bit. "Thank you! I got stuck in a hole, and I just managed to get out as the building was falling down! Where are the others?" He asked. Shadow looked away. "I...they're probably somewhere far from here. I have a complicated past...I fled to get a new start. I knew that in their rush to escape they might not notice they were missing one." Shadow said quietly. Gogo nodded. "Do you want to travel together for a while? At least until we get to where ever it is you're going." Asked Gogo. Shadow agreed, though he did not yet know where he was headed. He had discovered over the past few weeks that he actually liked having someone to talk to. Ever since his friend Baram had died, he never really spoke to anyone. But things were different now. He was a new person...it would just take a while for that new person to develop. "Oh, and I'm not going to go by Shadow anymore. My name is Clyde...that's who I was for most of my life, before I fled from my home." Said Clyde. "Clyde...that name sounds so familiar...I'm not sure why. I don't really know much about my past. All I remember is one day I woke up on a strange continent, where I was found by the returners. I don't even know what my real name is." He said. Clyde thought for a moment before he spoke again. "Well then, let's give you a name! What about Kain?" Asked Clyde. "Kain...I like the sound of that. Well, that's my new name then, Kain." He said. His wide-open mind had always astonished Clyde, the way he looked towards anything new positively and hopefully. The two set off into the world as Kain and Clyde, not knowing where they were going, only knowing that they were both getting a new beginning. * * * Setzer steered his ship as fast as he could back to the wreckage of the tower, though it still took about a half hour to get there. When they arrived, he lowered his airship to the ground, and for the next hour or so they all split up and circled the wreckage, calling out the names of Shadow and Gogo, lifting up debris. Locke met up with Terra, who was trying to lift up a large piece of metal, which she suspected was covering either Shadow or Gogo. Even with Locke's help, they couldn't get it, so they yelled for Sabin and a few others to help. Once it was lifted, they found one of their friends, but it wasn't exactly what they were looking for. "Interceptor!" Yelled Relm as she ran to the dog. He belonged to Shadow, and Relm was quite attached to the animal. Interceptor had a small wound near his ear, and a few scratches here and there, but otherwise he seemed to be okay. The wound near his ear was bleeding a bit, and Terra took out a bottle of potion, which she applied to the torn flesh. The dog winced, but didn't fight her off. Relm put her scarf around the dogs head, so that the bleeding would be cut off and to keep dirt from getting into it and causing an infection. Terra kneeled next to the dog and spoke softly too him, stroking his fur. Then she had an idea. "Celes! Remember how a few weeks ago Shadow ripped his glove, and gave it to you to sew for him?" Asked Terra. Celes nodded. It was still in her pack, she had just barely finished sewing it a few days ago, and kept forgetting to give it to him. "We'll use Interceptor to find Shadow. Just let him sniff the glove...and he'll lead us right too him!" She said excitedly. Celes handed her the glove, and let Inteceptor smell it. "Go find him Interceptor! Find Shadow!" Said Terra. Surprisingly, he sped off away from the wreckage. "Interceptor! Wait!" Yelled Relm as she ran after him. Sabin and Terra went with the young girl. "Come on, we'll follow them in the airship!" Yelled Setzer. The rest boarded the ship, and they followed Interceptor and the others all the way to the town of Tzen, which was north of the former tower. "Interceptor thinks he's here, we should search the town, ask people if they've seen Shadow...Gogo might be with him as well." Said Sabin at the entrance of the town once everyone had gathered again. Most of the townspeople were busy rebuilding, because a death ray called the light of judgement had recently hit the town, destroying most of it's buildings. After a while, they all met back on the airship. They received little information, but it was hopeful. One person said that he had seen two men walk into town and went to the inn. The description matched that of Shadow and Gogo. But when the innkeeper was questioned, he said he saw the two, but they called each other Clyde and Kain, not Shadow and Gogo. "I know that name, I am quite sure of it!" Cyan was saying to his friends, "Clyde is a thief, him and his companion Baram were famous train robbers! No one has heard tell of either of them for a few years though...we assumed they were both dead." He finished. "But why would they call themselves Clyde and Kain?" Asked Locke. "Well don't you see? One of them is obviously Clyde, the former train robber! But this Kain business is quite odd...we shall have to keep searching. Edgar, did you not say you were informed that they were headed towards the town of Albrook?" Asked Cyan. "Yes...but she didn't say they were going there, just that they were headed in that direction. What do you suppose they would want in Albrook?" Asked Edgar. "Well, there are the docks there, maybe they need a boat." Suggested Locke. With that in mind, they boarded the airship and headed for the town of Albrook. * * * "So where are we going?" Asked Kain. Clyde shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose Thomasa. That's where I grew up...I'm not sure if anyone will remember me there though. I'd like to see if my family's still there." Said Clyde. "Thomasa? Isn't that where Relm and Strago live?" Asked Kain. Clyde nodded. "Yes...actually, Relm's my daughter." He said. Kain was surprised to here this news, and asked why he left her. "I...don't really want to talk about it. I just had to leave, so I did. She was just a baby, she wouldn't remember me. Strago might though. Eventually I'll tell them both who I am of course. I'll tell everyone. But I just need some time to find out who I am first." Said Clyde. It was probably the most Kain ever heard him say at one time. Knowing that it was probably all the information that he'd receive for now, he didn't press him further, just nodded. "But what about you? Where do you want to go?" He asked Kain. "I'm not sure. Wherever I choose I guess. Maybe I'll figure it out on the way." He said. They walked in silence until they reached the city of Albrook. Recently, the town's ships had started making regular trips to the continent Thomasa was on, but the next boat there wouldn't leave for another few hours. They decided to go to the Inn and rest for a while. Clyde slept restlessly, dreaming about him and Baram. They were in the midst of robbing a train, and were suddenly caught. Clyde kept talking in his sleep, and eventually woke up Kain, who in turn woke up Clyde to free him of his dream. Clyde thanked him, but didn't say anything about the dream. It was almost time to go anyway, so they boarded the boat, which soon set off for Thomasa. * * * "Okay, here's the plan," Began Locke. They had decided to send 3 groups of 4 people into the town of Albrook to investigate, Locke was the leader of one of the groups, Terra the second and Cyan the third. "We'll check out all the stores, relic shops, armour shops, all of them. Write down what you hear, question as many people as you can. Terra, can your group also go to the boats and ask there?" Questioned Locke. Terra nodded, and they all set out in different directions, agreeing to meet back at the airship in an hour. After getting bits and pieces of information everywhere, they realized that the two had boarded a boat, which was making stops in Mobliz, Thomasa and a few other places. Unfortunately, the boat had already left, but they could easily follow it in the airship. Once airborne, they had to search around to find out where the boat was. They were about an hours distance behind the boat, and eventually found it. It stopped near Mobliz and, thinking they had seen the two, Locke and Sabin got off and began to search for them, later returning to the airship disappointed. * * * The trip to Thomasa was long, and so took them into the night. They wouldn't get there until the next day, and although Kain easily fell asleep, Clyde was restless. He often liked to sleep under the stars, and so he took a blanket for warmth and went out near the balcony of the small ship. There was no one around, Thomasa was actually the last stop, so there was only them, the crew and an older man on board. Sleep still didn't come to him, but he let his thoughts take over, thinking through everything, remembering old times. His mind was like a video camera almost; he closed his eyes, and he could see everything. Baram the day he lost him after their last train robbery; his baby Relm, who was not 3 days old when he left her; Relm's mother, who died moments after childbirth. There had been just too much pain back home, that was the reason he had left. He wasn't even sure if his mother was still living there. He often tried to listen in on Relm's and Strago's conversations when they were talking about home, wondering if they would mention his mother, Lola Drake. They never did mention her though, he feared that she had died, or maybe even killed herself. Very often, he was angry at himself for leaving. He had known he was all his mother had...in a way, Clyde was also like Relm though. His father had left him too. The moment he had found out Lola was pregnant, he took off. He often wondered if that's part of the reason he left, his father showed him an example, and he followed. This is why I'm going back, he thought. I'm gonna right the wrong I did so many years ago. I just hope they'll forgive me. The stars were mesmerising, and after a long time of starring at them, trying to make sense of the chaotic patterns, he fell asleep, and for the first time in weeks, slept peacefully and dreamlessly. * * * Clyde was not the only one that was having trouble sleeping that night. The thoughts of the young returner Terra Branford also kept her from sleeping. Just hours ago, she had been half esper, and said goodbye to the remaining magicite shard of her father, Maduin. During their long battle with the Empire, she had often held on to the magic spell-teaching crystal, which is what espers turn into upon death. Though the esper is no longer living and can't transform back to their forms, their souls are incased in the beautiful, transparent jewels and they can communicate with those around them. When she was an esper, she had been terrified that Kefka would capture her, and turn her into a piece of magicite, forever forcing her to do his bidding and teach him spells. From when she was a baby until she was rescued after about 16 years, she had been forced to be what a lot of people called a Magitek riding witch. She had no control over herself, and had to ride magical machines of destruction. Her goals, which were set by Kefka, were to kill and destroy, kill and destroy. It gave her a chill to think of the terrible man, and she suddenly wished that Celes and Relm weren't fast asleep in the other two beds in the tiny room. Stop being childish, you yourself helped kill him, she thought. But still, she wrapped the blankets around herself tighter. She didn't know her father well, but she could tell he was a strong, honest being, with a good heart. He had often recited amusing stories to her about her mother, who had rejected the human world to live with him. After only a year or so though, she had died by Emperor Gestahl's hand. The magicite shards had all disappeared moments after Kefka was no more, so tonight was the first night she would not fall asleep to his comforting voice, speaking to her softly from the depths of the crystal. It saddened her a bit, but she was relieved that he was free, and possibly in heaven. Did espers believe in heaven? Do they even have a god? She thought. There was so much she had wanted to learn. Suddenly, she heard footsteps walking outside her open door. At first she stayed perfectly still, then she saw the figure of Sabin pass by. Curious, she got out of bed, and put on a robe and a pair of slippers. Might as well see what's on his mind, I can't sleep anyway, she thought as she pulled her hair back and went after him. She quietly followed him to Setzer's large, comfortable living room, and waited a moment before walking in. Without looking up, she heard him say something quietly, and was about to ask him to repeat it when she realized he was just talking to himself. "No, that sounds stupid...I can't do this..." She heard him mutter, obviously frustrated. He closed his eyes for a moment, before trying again. "Terra Branford..." He started. "Yes?" She interrupted. Damn! She thought, now realizing that he hadn't actually been talking to her. Sabin jumped, and appeared to be a bit uncomfortable. "Oh, er, hi! Um, I was just, uh, oh hell..." He went off muttering for a moment, and Terra walked in and sat down on a chair across from him. "I'm sorry," She said. "Do you want me to leave? I just couldn't sleep and I saw you pass by, so I thought I'd catch up with you and we could talk for a bit." "It's okay, I...I could use the company. I can't sleep either...um, what's keeping you awake?" Asked Sabin, who was obviously struggling to recover from a few moments earlier. She either doesn't know what I was thinking or is just being nice, thought Sabin. Knowing Terra, he figured she knew what he was thinking and just didn't want to embarrass him. "I was just thinking of my father...and espers...everything! There's so much I wanted to ask him, so much I wanted to learn! It's like a part of me that I can never go back too..." She said. Sabin nodded. "I can understand the father part at least. My father died about 10 years ago...he was a good king." Said Sabin proudly. Terra nodded, already knowing the whole story of Sabin's father dying, leaving the kingdom in the hands of the young twins Sabin and Edgar. The fate of the kingdom would be decided with the toss of a coin...Sabin won his freedom, and so Edgar had become king. "I'm happy he's released...I don't know what I would of done if I were trapped in one of those things! He told me that an esper's soul would be imprisoned in a magicite until a baby esper was born, and the soul transferred to there. But sometimes that could last over a century, since there were so few espers being born over the past few decades." She said. Sabin, not knowing this form of reincarnation existed among espers, seemed really surprised and fascinated by the idea of it. They discussed it for a while longer, Sabin being quite eager to learn all he could about her and her father's people. "Can I tell you something? Don't be insulted, but at first I was scared of you as an esper." Began Sabin. Terra, obviously not insulted, laughed, "It's probably because I never encountered, let alone was friends with, an esper. But after a while, I realized it was just you inside that ball of white and pink fur. Actually, now that I think back to it, you were quite beautiful in that form." Said Sabin. Terra blushed, and was about to say something when Relm walked in. "Terra? Sabin? What are you guys doing out here?" Asked the young girl, obviously tired and not happy at being awake at the late hour. "Just talking. Did we wake you?" Asked Terra, concerned. "Yeah...don't worry about it though. I just wanted to see who was out here talking." She said, and started to turn around, then stopped and faced them again. "We'll find them, right?" Asked Relm, referring to the two missing friends. "Of course we will." Said Terra. Relm, comforted by Terra's confidence, nodded and went back to bed. Sabin and Terra stayed in the room, and talked long into the night. * * * Bright sunshine shone down on the shoulders of the two young men who disembarked the ship. It was early in the morning, perhaps 7 or 8am, though neither Clyde nor Kain complained. They were both so used to getting up early, it didn't really bother them anymore. Clyde breathed in the fresh morning air. Thomasa was nearby, and his thoughts were light as the two approached the town. But things changed. As they approached the town, not 4km away, they saw smoke. Far too much smoke. Panicking, they took off in a mad run towards the town. As they came closer and closer, they saw that the whole town was engulfed in flames! There were people running everywhere, and Clyde thought he was going to be sick as he saw dozens and dozens of white robed people, trashing the town, beating people, and shouting one horrible name over and over. "Kef-ka! Kef-ka! Kef-ka!" There was no mistake, this was the cult of Kefka, and they were not happy. The cult had been formed soon after the world came to ruin. Clyde imagined that they were intending on attacking most, if not all, of the towns who were not willing to worship their dead master, Kefka "Clyde, snap out of it! We have to do something!" Said Kain, panicking. Kain shook him, bring his friend back to reality, not that it helped them much. He still didn't know what to do. Then, as if it were a miracle, he heard the unmistakable sound of an engine, close above them. The airship! With great expertise, Setzer landed the airship and pulled it back into the air the second Clyde and Kain were inside. He didn't want to draw the attention of the nearby Kekfa worshippers. Something's gotta be wrong with their heads or something, thought Setzer as he looked over at the blazing fires of the slowly deconstructing town. Clyde and Kain ran up to join the rest at the top floor of the airship. At first no one spoke, then Cyan stepped forward. His eyebrows were creased, his mouth formed a frown. In short, he looked furious. "Clyde and Kain, correct?" He asked, his voice full of intimidation. Neither said a word, Clyde just let his head to go up and down once, slowly, in a nod. Cyan then allowed himself a smile. He had been after Clyde, and hopefully his partner Baram as well, for years. They were notorious train robbers, back in the day when the now fallen Doma was prosperous and nobody even knew of Kefka's power. But in this moment, Cyan did not actually feel anger. Instead, he took enough steps forward to come face to face with Clyde. They were about the same height, so Cyan could look him straight in the eye. Wordlessly, he put his hand on Clyde's shoulder. "Thou art forgiven." He said. It was only three words, but from Cyan, it meant much more. The tension broke at that moment, and they all crowded around the three. "Thank you...I didn't expect that, but it means a lot to me. I'm a changed man now, as everyone will soon see." Said Clyde. But greetings were cut short as an arrow came soaring through the sky, embedding itself in the shoulder of King Edgar. "Our masters killers! They're in that airship! They must pay!" Screamed one of the robed men, who they figured had also shot the arrow. Terra, who was the best healer aboard, rushed to his side and took out a small kit from her pack. The arrow wasn't in very far, and she felt the airship move as Setzer steered it away from danger. "I'm okay Terra...it just stings a bit...I'm fine..." Said Edgar. Terra smiled reassuringly at him, thankful that the arrow wasn't a few inches down and to the right. Otherwise, it would of gone straight through his heart. After a few minutes, she had the bloody arrow out, and quickly cleaned out the wound while she had Sabin bandage him up tightly. "You'll be okay...just rest for a bit. I don't want to see you out of bed for at least a couple of days." Said Terra. She was always greatly concerned about her friends, and sometimes could be a little overprotective. "Yes, mother." Said Edgar teasingly. Then Sabin left with his brother, taking him down to one of the bedrooms to rest. "Well, that was close! They can't get at us now though...we're too high up, even if they were right below us." Said Setzer. "They're not a very good shot either..." Remarked Locke. They discussed it for a few more minutes, and agreed to wait it out. The cult members outnumbered them at least 4 to 1, and they already had a man down. Celes stepped forward. "They can't leave the continent...if they take a boat, we could easily sink it, since we have the advantage of an airship. We should probably keep an eye out for the ports though, just in case. They could be just mindless terrorists, without a plan...but that's being a bit hopeful. We've got to stop them soon, before they finish with this place and move on!" Said the former general, Celes. It was obvious that even though she despised what she had been to the Empire, she went right back to the role of leader with great ease. "Good thinking, but that is only a start. We would need more troops for one thing..." Began Cyan. Then everyone started talking at once, voicing their ideas, thinking aloud. After a while, no one was really listening to anyone else. "Quiet! Sheesh, it's not like this is the biggest thing we've ever come across! It's merely a bunch of psychos, hoping to revive Kefka...like that would ever happen...anyway, I have a plan, or, an idea at the least." Began Locke. Surprisingly, everyone was silent and turned to face him. "Good. Now, obviously, these guys don't just camp out anywhere. We know where their home is...that tacky tower just a few continents below. God only knows how they got up here...maybe they took a boat, maybe they got smart and built an airship, who cares! Either way, they will go home sometime. And we'll be waiting for them." Said Locke, his eyes glinting with pride at his own plan. Everyone voiced their approval, then Celes spoke up. "That's great Locke, but what about the towns? Are we just going to sit here and let them be destroyed?" She asked, her voice rising. "Well...of course not! That's why this is an idea, not a plan...I just haven't thought of what to do now, that's all. I...I guess I was hoping that you, being a former general in all, would have a brilliant plan in mind." Said Locke, obviously trying to get back on Celes's good side. He smiled, and she was easily taken over again by his charm and smiled back despite herself. "Thank you Locke," She began, her voice now softened. Thinking that she heard someone snickering behind her, she turned around to see Setzer cover his mouth. She gave him a look that could melt steel, and he quickly wiped the smile off his face. It was hard not to laugh at the way Locke could turn the "ice queen" into a soft hearted piece of mush in a blink of an eye. "I think I may have an idea. It will involve a bit of creativity though...say, who here can sew?" She asked as her friends crowded around, anxious to hear her plan.
Back to Top

Caves of Narshe
FF6 - Main Page
FF4 - Main Page

Game Information
Game Information
Home

Interaction
CoN Quiz
Message Board
Poll
Poll Results
Rumor Mill
Awards

Adopt A Chocobo!
Adopt A Chocobo! Home

Media
Screenshots
Music
Desktop Themes

Fanstuff
Fanart
Fanfics

Downloads
Downloads Home

Site Information
Staff
Affiliates

Affiliates
Fierce Legends
RPGClassics
Sony World
FF Music Online
FF6 RPG
Omniplay Gaming