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The Spinning Wheel of Fate

by Manoftyr

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Chapter 1 (2006)
Chapter 2 (2006)
Chapter 3 (2006)
Chapter 4 (2006)
Chapter 5 (2006)
Chapter 6 (2006)
Chapter 7 (2006)
Chapter 8 (2006)

Chapter 3


Chapter 2: The Power of Love... and Insanity

I was tired from the trip over here, but as soon as we got the word we dropped everything and left travelling non-stop all the way from Kohlinghen. As soon as Rachel realized Terra was here she got up off Locke's lap and ran over to her, she adores Terra so much, and Terra really is so wonderful with children. Locke got up after her and ended up chatting with Terra, those two have always been close friends, in fact, Locke takes Rachel to see her and the orphans at least once every week. It seems macabre' that Strago dying would end up turning into some sort of friendly reunion, but, that’s probably what he would of wanted... although... he'd probably of also wanted Relm and Shadow, or Clyde rather to be sitting in mourning together... realistically however I don't see that happening. Thinking of which, where did he go? I looked back over my shoulder and he was gone, then, suddenly Cyan arose

"Excuse me, sirs, I shan't be but a moment," and with that he promptly exited. Normally I'd wonder, but I was too tired from all the traveling while Locke on the other hand seems all the more invigorated from it, 'great goddesses I love him' I thought to myself, as I began to sleepily drift into daydreams about out first kiss...

After the final battle and escape from the tower and all that, we all just went our separate ways. Since I really had nowhere to go I ended up living at Figaro castle, and despite what one would think it was Sabin who made the offer, not Edgar. Me and Sabin always understood one another and were really close friends, in fact, I would venture to say that he was perhaps my best friend, he's like a brother to me. It had been a couple months since, and during one night I got this *feeling* it's hard to explain... call it woman's intuition perhaps but nevertheless something inside was telling me that I had to go see Locke, and I needed to do it now. I knew he was residing in Kohlingen at the time and went down to the engine room, and without really thinking much I pulled the lever to start the submergence process, jarring everyone from their sleep in the process. Sabin came rushing down to the engine room first, and seemed relieved to find me.

"Oh! it's just you," he said, relieved. "I thought there was some kind of malfunction... "

"What’s going on down there?!" He was interrupted by the engineer .

"It's alright, Celes is just taking the Castle underground to Kohlingen to see Locke," Sabin said as if it was accepted fact that it was the only possible explanation. He knows me all too well.

"Hrrrmph!" grumbled the Engineer "Damned women... waking everyone up... *grumble*," he mumbled as he staggered off back to bed.

"So? You finally gonna tell him?" Sabin questioned, he was the only one I had confided in that I had feelings for Locke, well other then Cid.

"I don't know, I just need to see him for some reason... I... can't really explain why."

Sabin smiled "I getcha,'" he said then proceeded back up the stairs and began to inform everyone that there’s no engine malfunction, and to get back to bed.

The transportation didn’t take long, I mounted a chocobo from the stables and headed out to Kohlingen, it was late and everyone was asleep except a few night crawler types. I proceeded to Locke's house and knocked on the door, it was unlocked and came open so I walked in.

"Locke? Locke?" I was calling but got no response, I glanced into the living room and there I saw why.

Locke was sitting on the ground in front of his couch slumped over with several empty cases of beer and a couple empty liquor bottles, he was definitely inebriated, and since he was so small he may have even killed himself by drinking so much.

"Oh God!" I cried as I ran as fast I could to him, I started slapping him across the face to wake him up

"Locke! Locke! LOCKE! Talk to me! Can you see?"

Locke opened up his mouth and proceeded to puke all over my blouse.

"... Well, at least now I know you're alive," I sighed. "Alright, lets get you up and in bed."

I grabbed him under the shoulders and slung him up over me, luckily Locke is such a small guy and I'm not exactly a little mouse so moving him around was pretty easy.

I laid Locke down in his bed so he could sleep this binge off, being raised by Cid I knew a few things about medicine and Locke didn’t show any of the signs of alcohol poisoning so I wasn't worried about it. Even still, I decided to sit at his bedside in case something changed or something happened to him or any other variety of random happen chances that worried me.

I wondered why he'd binge drink all of a sudden like this, damn it! It was stupid of me not to go with him to Kohlingen after the final battle, I know he didn’t ask... but I should of insisted, Locke needs someone to look after him. I went to change out of my vomit encrusted clothes into something else, luckily Locke and me were roughly the same size and he insisted on wearing clothes that were too small for him anyway. I squeezed into one of his pairs of jeans and shirts, they were tight around my hips and bust but at least they weren't covered in vomit. I sat there for what seemed like an eternity when a few hours after the sun had raised I heard "urrk... my head... " I turned around and Locke had awaken. I got up out of my chair and walked over to his bed.

"Oh... hey Celes... when did you get here?" I slapped Locke across the face, *hard* "Ow! What was that for?" Locke groggily asked.

My eyes were burning with anger and my fists were clenched "What the HELL were you thinking?! Drinking that much at your weight! you're 145lbs! You could have KILLED YOURSELF!" I was shouting.

"I got depressed... " Locke began "I started thinking about Rachel again, and her last words... but... I don't think I can be happy without her... so I went to drink until I didn't feel anymore. First, I drank all the beer I had in my cellar but I still felt lonely, so I broke out the hard liquor and just started drinking it straight from the bottles, I drank a whole thing of whiskey and I couldn't even see straight, but I still felt lonely so I started on another bottle, and then I think I passed out half-way through it."

I sighed

"You are sooo DAMN lucky to be alive!" I scolded.

"... I feel like death" Locke spoke up.

"You're gonna feel that way for awhile, your body needs to flush out all that alcohol, not to mention you're going to be urinating like hell," I lectured.

"I think I pissed myself in my sleep actually," Locke stated.

"... That's lovely" I replied with a disgusted scowl.

Locke sat up "Oh god... I think I'm gonna... " Locke bent over the side of his bed and hurled all over the floor, luckily this time he missed me.

" I'll go get you a bucket or something... " I sighed as I got up to find a container for Locke's vomit. I retrieved a pot from the kitchen and laid it next to the bed.

"Thanks" said Locke right before he vomited again into the pot,.

"Don't mention it... someone's gotta protect your poor rug" I joked and made Locke crack a grin. After a couple hours and a couple dozen vomiting sessions Locke seemed to be feeling better, then he noticed I was wearing his clothes.

"Hahaha, holy crap how are you fitting into that shirt?" Locke joked groggily.

"Uncomfortably" I replied dryly.

"Why are you wearing my clothes anyway?" Locke asked.

"Because you puked all over mine!" I replied triggering more laughter from Locke.

"Alright, I'm gonna try to get up" Locke said as he planted one foot on the ground and the other in the puke pot, causing me to laugh hysterically.

"Ewe! arrghh... goddamnit! It's not funny!" Locke yelled as he kicked his vomit soaked shoe off into the corner.

"Ughhk! I *did* piss all over myself!" Locke exclaimed as he looked down at the huge wet spot on his pants. "I'm gonna go take a shower, ummm, feel free to help yourself to anything you like," Locke said as he walked bow-legged over to his bathroom, closing the door behind him.

I sat up and looked around, this place was a pig pen.

"Well... someone has to clean this up," I thought to myself. "It's not like Locke is ever going to," I continued thinking to myself. The first order of business for me was to scrub up all this crap in Locke's bedroom, there was vomit all over the place from Locke kicking the bucket over, not to mention he excreted urine all over his bed. I went about cleaning the place up, dumping the bucket out then I went about searching for a rag I could wet in order to scrub some of that crap out of Locke's rug when all of a sudden I heard weeping come from the bathroom.

Overcome with feelings of concern I abandoned protocol and courtesy, and entered the bathroom, and there I saw Locke, disrobed, sitting in the corner of his shower stall, huddled over and gripping his knees weeping while muttering incoherencies, this was a site many people would consider pathetic, even disgusting... but not me. What I saw, was an otherwise strong man on the brink of insanity, a man with a wound that just would not go away, a would that perhaps only 'I' could heal... if it was fate that lead him to me when I was imprisoned then it was indeed now fate which had lead me to him on this night upon which he needed me the most. Summoning all the courage and calmness I could muster I slowly walked over to his stall, stepped inside, and sat beside him. I hugged tightly onto his quivering nude form, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and letting the side of his head rest on my bosom as he continued to tremble and weep. This was it not only did I want Locke, but Locke *needed* me, there was absolutely no way I was going to part ways with him again.

I gently rubbed the back of his head whispering sweet soothe sayings into his ear until his trembling stopped, then, I gripped the sides of his face gently with my hands and kissed him on the lips. At first Locke didn't kiss back, but I was persistent and continued kissing him, rubbing my hands across his face and through his locks of grey hair when suddenly it was as if I had sucked the grief right out of him and he kissed back, as we embraced and pulled each other closer pressing our bodies together a... "Celes wake up!"

"Geh?!"

"You were snoring so loud it's a wonder the roof didn’t cave in!" Setzer joked as he jarred me from my sleep, and I sat up and realized I had passed out in my seat. I looked around, Terra and Locke were still chatting away and Gau had taken a seat next to Relm. Sabin was looking back at me and laughing while Edgar chuckled, even Cyan was smiling.

"Ughk, I was just meaning to rest my eyes," I grumbled in response to the group chiding as I shook the cobwebs from my groggy head. "And you could of been a bit gentler about waking me up Setzer!" I complained.

"Hey, I had to!" he replied from his seat behind "the ceremony's about to start, and you were snoring loud enough to wake the dead, all the townspeople were looking right at us" Setzer justified. I snapped back to the reality of being at a funeral, and sat up straight in anticipation of the ceremony to honor Strago's memory.


Caves of Narshe: Final Fantasy VI
Version 6
©1997–2024 Josh Alvies (Rangers51)

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