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The Final Distance	By : Resting-Madness Category: Final Fantasy Games > Crossovers Views: 924 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Disclaimers: I do not own a single character, location or bit of input that creates the Final Fantasy VIII and VI worlds. I simply do this for fun, so there's absolutely no money in it for me.

Chapter List
- 8
- 9
- 10
2012, Vyanagara. The Temple Shrine.
The Garden SeeD members followed the village leader to the place of worship. Hooded figures milled about tending to the building: cleaning, fruitlessly sweeping grains of sand from the front entrance. It would all be for nought the first blow of the wind. Others are following after them. It felt weird being followed so closely, it was almost as if the worshipers were herding them like cattle to the slaughter. The only person who isn't uncomfortable is the village leader.
His path is forward to the goal. He failed to understand that this wasn't a formal situation. That the SeeD members were brought in on an inspection of sorts. But, Squall supposed it would be easier to search the place if the head of the temple knows that they're going to do it.
'That, or they'll hide all traces of any wrongdoing from us,' His sharp gaze flicks to the movement at their sides. 'No chance of any of us slipping away for private snooping before we get there with the four guards following so closely.'
As if she'd read his mind, Selphie says. "Sorry, but,"
The crowd came to a standstill; whispers went back and forth between the hooded men following them.
"I really need to use the bathroom," She smiled impishly. "Can you guys show me where it is?" She points to two of the men, who'd been herding them.
They whispered to each other before one nodded, then held out his arm instructing her to follow him. Seifer was getting a vibe. These hooded creeps were just like the faculty workers at Garden, who were found out to be Shumi from a secret tribe hidden in the northern region. They're very primitive in their existence, but advanced enough to have created a cloaking system for not only their tribe, but for the vastness of Esthar! The place is practically the Shumi's child. As was Garden with their former leader Norg being the proprietor. The lofty toad was brazen, and cowardly. But very wealthy, so he felt he had reason to be.
He always had them whispering in his ears, telling him all that went on around him above his hiding hole. Seifer wondered what these men were telling each other, and the head monk, about them?
'The kid had better watch herself,' thinks the ex-knight. It was that thought that he decidedly said. "I'll come with you," He stuffed his hands into his pants pocket, casually stepping over to the departing colleague. "Don't look so surprised, all that staying hydrated's gotta go somewhere,"
"Right!" She smiled knowingly.
Seifer can be so sweet at times. She never really could figure out why everyone thought of him as such a bother. He's never really bothered her anyway. It must just be a man thing, with all the testosterone needed release through teasing.
The pair, followed by two of the robbed members, left for the rest room.
"Should we wait for them?" Asked the village leader.
"No. Let's go and see the head monk."
"As you wish,"
Rinoa glanced off in the direction the others have gone, but she followed after Squall.
"So, how long has this place been active as a temple?" Selphie asked.
One of the hooded figures seemed to be replying, but she couldn't hear a word he'd said. She knew she wouldn't, these men are very soft spoken.
"I'm sorry, can you lean a little closer?" She asked. "I couldn't hear you,"
The man's body lurched forward and he hit the concrete floor, followed shortly by the other man. Selphie stood before the slumped bodies, mouth agape at her violent friend.
"What?"
"I was gonna put them to sleep,"
"With your feminine wiles?" Seifer snorts. "In a place full of nothing but men? I've got a better shot at them than you; it was taking too long anyway." He moved them to sit up against the wall. "Now let's snoop before they come to and call for backup."
"Roger, oh hot-headed leader," she gives the school salute.
"At ease, soldier,"
She giggled and followed after Seifer down the hall and around the corner.
...
Squall isn't sure of what Selphie and Seifer had planned on doing, but whatever it is, he hoped it was more productive than this. The parishioner of the temple is practically giving them an endurance test of how much rambling any one person can take without losing their sanity or telling the man to shut up.
As far as the tour around the building goes, it isn't. It almost seems as if the man is stalling. He's telling them meaningless things: the number of monks staying in the temple, how they make income of the gems and runes, medicinal herbs that they sell to healing shops and naturalist healers. In a way, Squall supposed, these were all the things they should be learning about, if under the disguise of concerned workers who've come to check up on a place to see if it's on the level. However, the acting commander was hoping for a more active approach to the situation than a verbal beating on his ears.
With any luck Seifer and Selphie are making better progress by snooping around. This place has something to hide, then maybe they can get to the meaning of the mysterious note.
…..
"What do you think they're saying?" Selphie asked her partner in crime.
"Even if they were speaking in English, I wouldn't know what they're saying." He may bear a cross on his attire, but he surely doesn't go in for all that religiousness. He prefers the simple beauty of romanticism. Strength, protection, a diamond of a shield or a sheath for a sword.
"Hi khilsasuna." Chant the hooded men. Their quiet voices now booming and echoing throughout the room. "Sawf tarshaduna lildaw'."
"Look, there's a girl in there," Selphie points.
They're looking into a long room, structured like a hall with a moat tracing the length of the room and the incremented outline of a platform area at the end of the room; it's caged off; inside is a weeping young girl, she looks no older than 8 or 10 years old.
'What are the odds she's crying because she wants them to shut up?' Thinks Seifer as he watches attentively; his green gaze doesn't stray from the odd scene playing out.
All the robed men are wearing brown, but a single member of the temple enters the room dressed in a rich blue. He's got a box in his hand and he's carrying it over to the caged area. The SeeD watch as the cage door is pulled open by a system of sorts, as a monk is spinning a dial which is attached to chains that are elevating the heavy metal door. Selphie's audible gasp went unheard over the sounds of the poor girl crying in pain as she glowed like her own person Christmas lights show. The pair can't see what's inside the box the monk has, but the girl's light show soon flew into the air absorbed into the box like a shimmering waterfall. The monk turned around, the box's content is revealed in his doing so. It looked like a rune.
"Please," the girl's small voice whimpered. "just one for today,"
But the monks don't seem to hear her, or they chose not to. The stone is removed then replaced by another and the process was repeated: the child glowed, the stone absorbed, then when it glowed it was removed. This strange scene went on a few more times until finally the one in the purple robe departed with two others from the chanting line-up, carrying two boxes each.
The chanting monks turn to face the girl in the cell, bowing and chanting louder. The little bed was pulled away into a hidden room in the back of the cell. Their voices quieted then they rose to their feet and dispersed. The empty room sat still for a minute. It was enough for Seifer to assume it would remain that way, and he stepped out of the shadows, heading straight up the walkway towards the cell.
"I'm betting that's not paint," Selphie comments on the splash of red decorating a bit of floor within the cell.
Seifer's gaze scanned the large cell first before asking. "Any way we can get in there without making noise?"
Selphie eyed the area as well, replying. "None that I can see,"
"Good. After seeing that, I'm in the mood to bash in someone's head." He grinned, a wicked twinkle sparkled in his cyan-colored eyes, met by an equally maniacal look of revolutionary justice from his partner in crime.
"I was gonna say the same thing,"
…..
Aziz Pagoni, the temple parishioner, was slowly showing the visiting mercenaries about the temple. The spiritual leader finally finished up with verbally boring them and now he seemed amped to make them become permanent fixtures in the building as they ever so slowly are shown around the temple.
A monk scurried over to Aziz, whispering in his ear before scampering away where he had come.
'What was that about?' wonders Squall.
"Seize them!" Aziz ordered.
The SeeDs are surrounded by hooded men; the murderous intention was palpable. What a 180! What changed that they go from boring hospitality to death charges?
Well, Squall supposed, it doesn't really matter. He pulled back his fist smashing it into the face of the monk who grabbed him by the shoulder.
Seifer's fist pulled back a third time before smashing into a harm ravenous monk's jaw. This is what he wanted out of this dull job. Not to be playing nice with the locals while they inspect that they aren't stealing money from a poor township, but to rescue something with some meaning behind it. For some reason or another these assholes are torturing a young girl, and despite the strange glowing thing she seems harmless, which puts these creeps as the ones in the wrong.
"Looks like you lost your footing," the mace ends of Selphie's nunchaku came smashing down onto an opponent's foot, before she spins around, swinging the weapon by one stick to have the other brush beneath the man's feet knocking him off balance and splashing him into the water behind him.
Seifer hurled two others into the makeshift moat after him; the fired up Trabian used her slot casting Triple then Blizzaga freezing the water up with the monks trapped inside.
"Try not to catch a cold in there," she waved them farewell before dashing off to the cage to open the door.
The ex-Knight could have laughed when two monks pulled a knife on him, against Hyperion they may as well have brought blown out matches to an inferno. Now there's an idea. Dodging a few swipes, however expert, they could only really work on someone who has no skill in battle; Seifer thrusts his large blade forward charging so the defending monk could only back away to safety of being ran-through. The blade's tip missed sinking into flesh and instead it cruised in between his opponent's body and arm, gliding all the way up the silver length until the wilder was face-to-face with the murderous, almost fearless to the danger, monk where he then cast out three merciless blasts of energy from his palm frying the flesh on the man's face. He won't die, he'll just live horribly disfigured and want to.
"No you don't," The nunchucklist wrapped her weapon around a sneaky monks neck, pulling the handles gingerly so that the chain in the center tightens, choking the man unconscious. He was about to attack unsuspecting Seifer while he was dispatching another enemy.
Seifer swung the burnt-faced man around releasing him in the direction of the three monks who're trapped in ice; Selphie dropped down sweeping the feet from under the backwards stumbled man, causing him to drop painful onto his rear where he then smacked the back of his head into the solid chunk of frozen crystal rendered unconscious like the others.
Jumping and cheering, Selphie then clapped her hands. "Now let's go save the princess before she's, loved to another castle!" with a 'woot!' past her lips she bolts for the cell door allowing herself inside.
Seifer could only shake his head in wonder of where the girl came up with that stuff, before he followed after her.
~ 0 ~ 0 ~
Kait and Hyland watch in astonishment as Prince Sabin Figaro stuffed his face with the selection of foods the cook set out before him on the luncheon table. They returned from the caves a couple hours ago with him, and so far they've been waiting around for him to finish bathing while his meal was prepared and so it seems they'll be waiting a bit more while he eats it all. And at the rate he's going, he really will eat it all! Sandwiches, cured fish and beef, fruits and vegetables.
'Look at him go,' Thinks Kait in awe.
Hyland was fascinated from a different perspective. 'Euw.' He grimaced when the prince shoved aside a plate that once held a cornish hen, all that's left of the tiny bird is its bones, picked clean of meat- even the fat!
When Sabin's appetite petered, he looked at the pair with suspicion. "I've eating nothing but grubs for a day and half; if I hadn't found that flow of water I'd of starved to death. Thank goddess it was teeming with fish."
"You ate raw fish?" He recalled no fire down there, not even a pile of sticks where one might have been made.
From what he remembers of history class, the magic of this land vanished years ago. And the guards proved to them that the era has already come to pass. They aren't before the Magi war. At least they were lucky in that sense.
"It's called sushi," Kait reminds his absent-minded frenemy.
"Right,"
Sabin looked between his soldiers before asking. "What's sushi?"
The time travelled pair looked at him as if he'd spoken another language, and Sabin looked back at them in the same.
"How long have I been missing?" Sabin asked; his speed feasting came to an end, and now he's just picking off of things slowly consuming what's left.
"About a week, your highness," answered the head guard.
"A week… I was completely at the mercy of the darkness, I couldn't see a thing. Those black monsters kept showing up,"
"They're called Creeps," Kait informed. He wasn't sure if he wanted to tell them about them or not, but he figured they should know. Besides, it wasn't their fault the monsters somehow trickled over into their world. It was pure coincidence.
"Creeps?" Sabin repeats.
Whomever these strangers are, they sure don't make much sense to him. And speaking of which, where have they come from? In all his years, he's never seen anyone look so… well, so very… Yeah. 'Very' counts. The pair are wearing servants clothing, a loose puffy shirt and baggy brown trousers rolled at the cuffs, like that of a stable boy or gofer.
"Yes, your highness," Kait regards him since that's what the guard said.
"Sabin's just fine, eh…" He held out his hand.
He gasped as realization came to him that they didn't formally introduce themselves. "I'm Kait Kinhart, and this is Hyland Strand,"
Hyland nods a greeting.
"We're sort of… well, trapped here, for the time being."
"I don't follow," Sabin looked from them to the guards then back.
"It's a bit of a long story, but here goes…"
And he told the prince about the time travelling, the Creeps sudden appearance in their world that might be a result of said travelling, he even told him about what's been going on in their world that was the reason they trying to change things in the past. However, he regrettably told him of the end result, which is their ending up in the wrong era altogether.
Sabin gave a low whistle, and shook his head. It was a lot to take in and to understand; however, he understood, and he was willing to help them by searching back through the tunnels. He has to! Edgar's out there somewhere in their world, possibly beyond that- if anywhere at all! There's no way of being certain.
Each search party refreshed themselves then regrouped and started back through the tunnels. With light, an extra party captained by the prince, and stamina restored, they returned into the tunnels in search of compressions of time.
In the current present of 2022.
The Garden members and Returners have been working for hours trying to create a working replica of the already existing time warp portal. It's late, and spirits are running on empty. Odine refused to let them go, calling them slackers for wanting a break; however, he did ask for the woman at the front desk to send for food and drinks- if they insisted upon eating.
The group relocated to the lab's cafeteria; filling out the full length of two tables. Everyone ate quietly from the individually packaged meals that consists of mashed potatoes, two thick slices of ham steak, and seasoned green beans. As they fill up on food their moods lifted, and their ability to speak returned.
"How is progress the coming?" Quistis inquires. "Do you think it will be at testable degree by tomorrow?" She's been in the lab the entirety but doesn't have a clue as to what she's looking at.
"It will be at testing levels hopefully by the time we're through here," replied Edgar; dabbling the corner of his mouth with a napkin, he set it down beside his plate through with dining.
"Good." Quistis was relieved, although this seemed so much like a wasted opportunity.
How often does one get to converse with someone from the past? It's a shame really. But, things could go awry. It would be a great chance to get to know the Returners, however, they would be trapped in their world ultimately. That certainly won't do.
"Kait, what were you doing with those lab guys?" Irvine wondered out loud; the others are engaged in conversation, so he took that as a chance to ask in case the teen didn't want his business spread around.
"To tell the truth… I'm not really sure why I felt the need, but, I asked them to take a sample of my blood."
The sniper's brows furrowed. It's just an unusual thing to want lab guys to draw your blood. "Is something wrong? Are you feeling alright?"
"Hundred percent; I just felt like it was something I had to do. Kind of like you have this vivid dream, and when you wake up you feel like what you were doing was real."
Irvine can understand that. He's often been plague with wartime dreams. Not long ago, he suffered from an especially realistic one; everyone was infected with some sort of virus that caused them to transform into monsters. It was horrific, and the outcome was a complete annihilation of the human race. To this day he still gets shivers down his spine about it. The cold sweats. The restless thrashing… Even Squall seemed to be suffering of nightmares once in awhile.
Two men in lab coats entered the cafeteria at an alarming speed; they could have been seen as ravenous had they not been charging for their tables. Has the time machine been finished? That certainly would be a reason for such a serious rush around, but they made their end game clear when they grabbed Kait up by the arms.
"What? What are you doing?" Asked the teen, looking from scientist to scientist with a baffled look on his face. "Get off of me," he snatched his arm away.
He's more curious than scared, they're a bunch of eggheads after all, no need to worry when he could drop them both with a single punch- not to mention, the look in Irvine's eyes says he won't even have to do that much if the pair didn't explain their actions.
"Let him go." It was a fair enough warning from Irvine. He isn't armed, but it would only take a second.
The lab men exchanged glances, but their grip on the teen doesn't waver.
Quistis rose from her seat; a voice of calm reasoning. "Has something happened?"
"Doctor Odine said to bring the boy to him," replied on scientist.
The other picked up the vague explanation, not really helping the situation. "He has a few questions for him."
"What questions?" Irvine is now latched onto his son's arm, having gotten between Kait and one of the scientist.
"Odine didn't say, just that we need to get the boy and bring him to him."
The group follow after the kidnappers, who brought Kait to the lab they've come from; the cadet was brought over to the doctor who grinned at him. Never a good sign from a mad genius such as his self.
"You sneaky child," Odine began saying, but Irvine cut him off by grabbing him up by the colorful collar of his strange attire. "How long were planning too keep this secret?"
"You'd better tell me what this is about, or I'll hit you so hard you'll be sent back into your father."
"How very barbaric," the doctor struggled to break free, his shorter stature no match for Irvine's height. "I merely am curious as to why the boy has unique properties in his bloodstream."
Quistis blinked as the statement struck her. "What properties?"
"The sample of blood the young Kinhart has provided is infested with tiny microscopic bugs."
Kait twitched; a nervous expression played across his face as all eyes, friends and acquaintances alike, looked at him with wonder and worry.
"I'd like to know how they got there," he grinned at the boy. "I'd like to know what they are?"
Irvine was curious as well, but he sure as hell wasn't about to let the man experiment on his son to get answers. Not without this being properly addressed, and at present he needs to focus better on the time machine.
As if having read the sharpshooter's thoughts, Locke comments. "Not to downplay the situation, but shouldn't you be focusing on the previous task? We're still building the time machine, right?"
Casting a sharp eye at Locke, Odine day every crudely. "Your white haired friend need only to step inside the machine." To Irvine he sneered. "Put me down, brute. Or do you want the time travelers to be angry at you?"
Irvine grit at the man, simply releasing him from his hold which landed the doctor painfully to the floor below.
"I ought to have you arrested for assault." He gets to his feet adjusting his disheveled clothes.
"And I could have you arrested for abduction and intended malpractice; so shut up and help them out instead of yourself."
….
Setzer is standing inside of the newly built time machine. He's having serious doubts that this will work, and also he's wondering if volunteering was the smartest idea? Odine gave them a brief explanation on how the test was going to work by using an ink pen. He snapped the implement in two then set the pieces into the original machine.
"And now we set the machine back two minutes,"
Irvine took this time to slip away with Kait, not leave completely but do get away from the man a moment do they could talk. "Be straight with me, Little bird, you're sure you don't know what's goin' on?"
Kait nods. "If I knew there was anything to the hunch, I would have told it you and dad before making a mistake of allowing that mad loon to know,"
Good point. Irvine took out his cell phone then pressed Squall's number.
Seifer and Squall had arrived in Balamb Town 20 minutes before the lion's cell phone rang; they are playing doubles in Triple Triad with a couple dock men. So far they're up by 5 cards having only lost once, Seifer is currently hoping to get back his Gilgamesh card. Fucking bandits won't even play it in a hand for him to do so! What's worse, is that they weren't even pretending to be bad at the game until they found what they like; the sailors are just decent players who got lucky and plan on staying that way.
"Are you ignoring your phone on purpose," snickered Seifer, hearing the buzzing coming from Squall's back pants pocket. "It never dawned on me that you were the type."
"Whatever." Squall ignored Seifer, and the boat men's, snickering to take the call. He walked a distance away for some privacy, his rival busting his chops in the background for the benefit was the last thing he needed. "Irvine, what's up? I got your texts earlier, you're all in Esthar?"
"Yeah; Odine agreed to help," informed the sharpshooter. "He's running test right now."
Squall noticed right away that Irvine was pissed, it's not even the tone but that his Galbadian accent is always lighter when he's mad. "And?"
"Something's going on with Kait, it might be bad. You better come on over here."
"I'm on my way," he hung up.
Seifer could spot him and follow or stay in town to win back his card, he really doesn't care which; however, he's at the train station hopping onto the faster, though more expensive, mode of transportation. The Air Tram.
As chance would have it, Seifer joined him.
...
"I wish you hadn't called, it could be nothing," Kait says to Irvine once he's done and off the phone. "And if it's something, I'm gonna be in trouble."
"Hey, if it's something and he has to find out late… We'll both be in trouble." Irvine informed. Wrapping his arm around Kait's shoulders, he steers him over to a bench seat pressed against a wall. "How long have you had this suspicion that something was wrong?"
"It's like I said, it was just a weird hunch like a bad dream."
"That's so strange,"
"Do you think I should tell Hyland if it's something?" Kait asks. "He'd probably wanna to know,"
Irvine wasn't sure what to tell him. "You can tell your boyfriend anything you want, it's up to you there. But, Squally and me are must-know-immediately important people, alright?"
Nodding, Kait turned his attention on the experiment. What on earth are they doing?
"As it isn't alive it can only withstand the ripple for a short amount of time," Odine explained.
Everyone is keeping their eyes on the broken ink pen. The original portal cast an array of light that squinted the eyes from fear of blinding, but they attempted to look regardless, and watched in wonder as the pen vanished! The second machine activated; the noise level was intense; more than half of the room's occupants covered their ears. When the engine stopped humming and the engine calmed down, the group moved in.
"It worked!" Edgar was stunned and bit horrified. All of the time travelers were. Should such a thing be real!? Here! With their eyes seeing it?
"You had your doubts? I told you that I am a genius," Odine preened, his pearly whites sparkled with his grin.
Edgar ventured forward and touched the warped ink pen. It went from broken to whole. It was a masterpiece! "Oh,"
Or not… The ink pen burst into a fine dust, fluttering to the floor in little particles.
"Setzer, you're not getting in there." Terra insists.
"Oh, isn't he?" The doctor scooped up what was made of the pen. "This is only a showing of a non-living thing. Of course the strength has to be much higher for the displacement of people. The pen would likely have been fine should only the original have been used to do it."
Terra wasn't buying it. None of them should, and what does it matter when it works? If it can work then shouldn't they take more time with it? Perfect it.
"I would, however, like more time with the machine." The man looked like he was on mental holiday, just enjoying the sites and energy of discovery. He doesn't care whether it's perfect or mostly perfect. The machine overall did what it was supposed to do. They need only try it out on the living as intended. But, he does need to run some more tests. "You people disperse to your corners while me and my men work on the wattage. Go. Get out of here."
"Would you like for us to stay, doctor?" Edgar asked.
"No. All of you. I've had it with company for today."
Kait was relieved to hear that. Maybe he can just go home now and let any test on him be forgotten.
Not even looking, as he's fiddling with the machine he calls out. "Not ze boy, leave the boy."
Dammit.
"Don't worry, pardner, I'll stay with you."
"Thanks, Irvine."
His dad squeezed his shoulder, giving him a kiss on the temple. Fingers crossed, it's nothing.
In 2012.
The SeeD cadets were up to their necks in combat. They weren't even sure why. What had Selphie and Seifer found out that caused this so suddenly? So much for the peaceful lie they were feeding to them.
Irvine was making the job easier by shooting them with blanks filled with Sleep spells, from there it was just a mission of tracking down the missing pair from their party. They should have come hooked up with communications, but who'd of thought they'd get separated?
"What do we do, Squall?" Rinoa asked when her launch boomerang came back to her after slamming into the last temple guard.
"We find the village leader and get him to tell us why the monks are so hostile," That was the most reasonable plan, because frankly he's at a loss. The attack was unexpected and certainly seemed unnecessary as they were only sent here to check up on the place. Now he needs to know. He's going to demand answers.
In another area of the temple shrine, Selphie and Seifer are weeding their way through the hall of a secret passage they found in the wall inside the cell behind the bed. Seifer's hand is extended, an orb of light glowing in his hand.
"Good call with the fireball, it's dark as dark in here." Selphie praised.
"Dark as dark? You must be running low on energy or sanity, Sel'," Assessed the ex-knight. She wasn't the only one running low on energy. The orb in his palm flickered before lighting up again. It was never as simple as a casted para-magic spell, what he can do he's never told anyone about. But the orb of light is more something from inside. Something that he sort of always could do, but he has no understanding as to why. Hn. Maybe someday he could get an answer to his 14 year old question… Maybe...
She only hummed thoughtfully at the insinuation of her mental health. "There!" Dashing on ahead, she hurried to the girl's side. "Don't be afraid," She said to the young girl who gasped and scurried to the back of the cinder block room, away from presumed danger. "We're here to help you, sweetie."
"Help me?"
"Uh-huh. It's an absolute promise," She kneels down before her, reaching out a hand. "You only have to come with us,"
"But I'm scared!" She closed her eyes, shrinking into herself. "They'll come for me! They'll bring me back and hurt you."
"Don't worry about us, we're built strong." She made a muscle, and giggling sweetly. "And see this big guy back here, he's a knight. He's totally made for protecting princess and other maidens."
Seifer deadpanned at the girl's dorky persuasion. But it did seem to impress the young girl, who took Seifer's impressive stature as a means of trust. Gingerly, she stuck out her hand and took Selphie's.
"Alright! The rescue mission is a success!"
"Would you stop scaring her? Let's move!"
Lifting the child up on her back, Selphie followed Seifer back through the tunnels.
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The Final Distance