Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Liontaming ❯ Part 12 ( Chapter 12 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Liontaming - Part 12

by paxnirvana Rating: R Fandom: Final Fantasy VIII Characters: Irvine/Selphie/Squall Date Completed: 8/28/02 Archive: Please ask first.

Author's Note: If you've made it this far, you probably realize by now that this is an AU twist on game-time. Pretty freakin' AU by now too, since it's an ongoing three-way with the characters named above. And yes, the author is a creatively twisted person. But I'm housebroken. Really. And where the hell did all that plot come from anyway? What, wasn't Square's storyline good enough for you, eh, pax? *deepsigh* No. Guess not.

Ooh! Look! A talking installment! And I haven't even got to that blabbermouth Laguna yet… *snickers* But patience, faithful readers, there's more fun to come later… I promise! Bwhahaha!

Disclaimer: Squaresoft owns; paxnirvana does not. *sigh*

They landed the Ragnarok at Fisherman's Horizon without incident, setting it down in the middle of the huge dish that dominated the floating community with a minimum of bouncing. It was only his second try, but Zell was already getting better at landings. They had all spotted the distinctive shape of Balamb Garden from the air. The mobile Garden waiting for them at the docks beyond, gleaming blue and silver in the bright sunlight. It was a surprisingly welcome sight.

Squall led everyone off the ship after a brief discussion about security. Rinoa's new status as a Sorceress was to be kept as quiet as possible for now. As was her true relationship with Seifer. There was little point in turning Balamb SeeD against her. But secrecy meant that the five of them would have to keep close watch on her for signs that Ultimecia was attempting to control her again.

Nobody wanted to stay behind on the ship. They were all anxious to visit Balamb Garden again.

Rinoa stood silently a little apart from the group, eyes downcast, Angelo at her side. Squall ignored her, but could feel her tense presence in his head. She was wary of him, despite the steps he was taking to ensure she wasn't reviled and shunned. The link was muffled from her side. He figured she was probably still annoyed by the discovery that it was Selphie he was sleeping with. He was just glad she didn't know about Irvine too.

Flo, the Mayor of FH's wife, met them on the platform where the concert had been staged only last week. A cluster of curious and excited FH citizens waited near the ramp up to the main town. Pointing and staring at the spaceship below. Ragnarok's landing was kind of hard to conceal, Squall conceded sourly.

"You kids get up to the strangest things, don'tcha?" Flo said to him in her dry way, sucking deeply on a cigarette as she looked the Ragnarok over. "Anyone chasin' you this time?"

"Shouldn't be," Squall said shortly. At least he didn't think Esthar was on their tail. But then they'd shut the radio off and hadn't turned it back on again after their little raid on the Sorceress Memorial. The sensors on Ragnarok hadn't revealed any pursuit from that direction, however. Hadn't revealed pursuit of any kind. There were a few Galbadian ships in the area, but nothing close enough or organized enough to be considered a threat.

"Those kids out there fought off a bunch of monster attacks for us already, you know," she said, frowning darkly as she jerked her head back toward the far docks. "We've never had monsters bother us all the way out here before…"

Kids? She no doubt meant SeeD from Balamb Garden. And the attacks were fresh monsters from the Lunar Cry spreading out into the world - apparently some had already found their way down the train bridge. Balamb SeeD had helped defend FH because Squall had left them here without orders; it was clear Xu was doing her best to secure the contact site. Standard SeeD procedure, but he wasn't going to tell Flo that. Squall folded his arms over his chest and looked at the Mayor's wife in silence until she turned her attention back to him. Her brown gaze pierced him shrewdly. She knew she owed them something, though thanks were apparently out of the question. Non-violence and peaceful co-existence could be preached to humans all you wanted, but Ruby Dragons and Grendels were hard to reason with. They'd just as soon eat you. And Flo knew it.

"I suppose you want us to check this baby over too, hmm?" Flo said, jerking her head at the Ragnarok.

"Yes."

She gave him a harsh laugh and a nod. "Thanks for your business!"

With a curt nod of his own, Squall turned away and lead his straggling group up the ramp that would take them to the main part of town as well as the docks beyond. At the top of the ramp they encountered a trio of SeeD cadets.

"Commander!" A young man in a second year cadet uniform saluted him sharply, the other two cadets with him snapping to attention as well. Squall returned their salutes, frowning around the dock as Quistis came up at his side. Irvine and Selphie clustered behind her, while Zell brought up the rear, keeping an eye on Rinoa.

"Report, Cadet." His experienced eye noted signs of recent battle on the dock. Traces of Meteor and Firaga.

"Sir! We have been holding the dock secure for your return," the young man said with a wide-eyed gaze that kept drifting down toward the big red space ship below. Squall didn't recognize him, but that wasn't a big surprise. "Wow, cool ship, sir. It really looks like a…"

"Cadet Miles," Quistis interrupted sharply, dragging the young man's attention back to the matter at hand. "You are reporting to the Commander. Concentrate on your duties."

"Y-yes ma'am!" the boy said, snapping to rigid attention, eyes bulging at Quistis. Squall frowned, annoyed by the formality.

"Any more trouble with Galbadia?" Squall asked, wondering just how much the Lunar Cry had affected world politics. A substantial infusion of monsters would no doubt keep most armed forces busy for quite some time. Expansionist policies might just have to be re-examined. In front of him, the cadets all glanced at each other before shaking their heads.

"No, sir, just monsters coming down the bridge from Esthar."

"Where's Xu?"

"Instructor Xu is aboard Garden, sir."

Without bothering to dismiss them, Squall turned toward the ramps that led out through the maze of docks to where Balamb Garden was moored and strode off. Duty and responsibility and the fate of the world weighed heavy on his mind.

After exchanging exasperated looks, Selphie and Irvine scrambled along after him. Zell gave Rinoa a little significant head bob in the direction the others had taken and she spun around with a huff of annoyance and walked off. Angelo looked between Zell and his mistress for an instant, whining in confusion over the tension he could sense. Zell made it easy for him by following right after Rinoa.

"Carry on, Cadets," Quistis dismissed the bewildered SeeD with a salute before following as well.

They caught up with Squall at the elevator. The overly-friendly Fisherman's Horizon men who manned the rusty lift had stalled Squall there, waiting for more of their little group to arrive. The Commander was standing impatiently on the elevator platform; hip-shot with arms crossed over his chest in his classic annoyed pose. Selphie bounced up to him with a smile, already hanging off his arm as Irvine followed her onto the platform, closing the gate in a screech of rusty hinges and signaling to the operator.

Zell, Rinoa and Quistis were a little way behind them, still. But they could take the next ride.

Squall stared down at Selphie, his gaze hooded, but didn't pull away.

"Don't be that way!" she scolded him gently over the groan of machinery as the lift slowly carried them up to the docking level. "We're home again. Aren't you glad?"

Squall just continued to stare silently at her. And it was obvious he was brooding again. She tugged once on his arm, looking up at him with a little mischievous frown of her own. He sighed heavily and bowed his head down toward her, his gloved hand rising to cover hers on his arm. Irvine almost held his breath at the sight. Squall. Reaching out to someone else… he felt a surge of hope.

"Seifer has Ellone," Squall said at last. Selphie frowned and shot Irvine an anguished look that had him stepping closer to them both.

"We'll get her back…" Selphie said softly, trying to be hopeful. But he could see the worry that shadowed her eyes.

"They're not going to kill her, Squall," Irvine offered. "Ultimecia needs her power for some reason."

Squall raised his eyes, his gaze angry, his face cold. "No, they won't kill her. But there are… other things Ultimecia could make him do to her."

Squall stepped way from Selphie. Irvine stayed silent, trading looks with her again as the lift came to a grinding, bouncy halt. They both remembered the poor condition Squall had been in after the Desert Prison. The upper level operator opened the gate for them and Squall brushed past, Selphie hot on his heels. Irvine tipped his hat politely to the man in thanks before following them down the dock.

Squall's long-legged stride made Selphie half trot to keep up with him on the long gantries. Irvine followed along behind at his normal pace, keeping up with them both easily. As they approached the upper balcony entrance of Balamb Garden, Irvine caught sight of Xu waiting for them near the door. Squall saw her too and increased his pace, leaving the two of them to follow behind.

"Greetings, Commander," Xu said in her cool way. "Esthar informed us that you were returning here."

Squall gave her a terse nod. "What else did they say?"

Xu folded her arms over her chest and frowned at him, raising a curious brow. "We don't have the whole story yet on what happened in Esthar. The Lunar Cry…"

"Quistis will brief you," Squall interrupted her. "What did they want?" Xu nodded briskly and continued without visible offense. She was quite familiar with Squall's abrupt ways.

"Well, we were contacted in an official capacity by Esthar's Office of the President. They would like to discuss an extended contract with SeeD. Specifically for your team, sir. All five of you."

Squall's eyes narrowed dangerously as Selphie shifted nervously behind him. Irvine put a quieting hand on her shoulder as Squall asked, "Did they mention Rinoa?"

"No," Xu said, her frown deepening. "Why? Did the Esthar manage to awaken her?"

Squall just turned away, folding his arms over his chest and looking out over the edge of the balcony across the sea toward the east. Toward Esthar. Technologically the country far outstripped every other nation on the planet. Their magical theorists were second to none. Their population was substantial. The country was a sleeping giant. But a strangely ineffectual one. Esthar was definitely a puzzle.

"She's awake," Irvine told Xu quietly after a moment. Then they heard the ring of approaching feet on the walkway behind them. Xu turned to face the ramp as the other three joined them, Quistis with her professional face on, Rinoa in the middle and a scowling Zell in the rear.

"So I see. Welcome back, Rinoa," Xu said politely, after favoring the Commander with a brief, curious look. The last she knew, he had carried Rinoa's unconscious body all the way down the train bridge to Esthar by himself. Many would see that as incredibly romantic, since the current assumption at Balamb no doubt was that he was hopelessly in love with her. Irvine knew that stunt had been prompted simply by Squall's intense sense of guilt over the girl's predicament and his overdeveloped sense of duty. But it certainly didn't look that way…

Rinoa gave Xu a hesitant smile in return, uncertain of her place here now. Zell stood by her side with his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his baggy shorts. He looked oddly disgruntled. Irvine wondered what kind of conversation the two of them had had on the way up. Rinoa had spent the entire flight from Esthar alone in the passenger cabin of Ragnarok. Not even Squall had gone to see her.

Squall turned around again, frowning at them all. "We're staying here tonight. FH should have the Ragnarok checked out and supplied by morning."

Xu snapped to attention. "Esthar is waiting for an answer from you, Squall. When you arrived, they wanted you to contact a man named Kiros Seagill at the Pres…"

"Kiros!" The name was yelped out in stereo by Selphie and Zell. Quistis did a quick double-take as well.

"Do you think it's the Kiros?" Selphie gasped, her eyes wide with astonishment, her hands clasped eagerly beneath her chin. "Sir Laguna's Kiros?" Zell perked up right along with her.

"Yeah! It must be! And if Kiros is there… Ward should be too. Oh, man, do I want to meet those dudes in person. Imagine… the guys who fought with Laguna!" Zell trailed off, a pleased grin on his face again. Irvine shot a speculative look at Squall. He himself had only shared in the memory experience once: when Kiros had finally found Laguna again, living the quiet life in Winhill with the child Ellone and… Raine. He suspected no one else knew the things he knew about Kiros. The man's pride would have prevented him from dwelling on it again.

Squall's face had gone surprisingly pale at the name and his chin had lifted sharply. And Irvine wondered just what Squall knew of Laguna's feelings about his friend. Since the only one to ever share Laguna's memories was Squall.

Irvine was surprised to see Squall suddenly look up at Rinoa, his gray eyes narrowed. The girl met his glare steadily, crossing her arms over her chest and tilting her head as if they were carrying on a silent conversation. And they probably were, given what Squall had told them about his junction with her.

"What are we going to do, Squall?" Irvine asked quietly, trying discreetly to remind him that Xu was present. And Xu was fast enough to pick up on their odd behavior if they kept it up. Squall had seemed fairly adamant about keeping Rinoa's new status a secret, but Xu would be a logical exception. She practically ran Balamb Garden as it was - since Cid had left to be with Edea and Squall was chasing all over the world on the hunt for Ultimecia - and this was fairly critical intelligence for Garden to have; the existence of another sorceress.

"This might be a ploy to get Rinoa back to Esthar," Squall said, confirming his speculation while still glaring at Rinoa.

"Why would Esthar want Rinoa?" Xu asked, puzzled. Squall glanced at her, frowning darkly.

"Rinoa's a Sorceress now. She inherited Sorceress Edea's powers when we defeated her in Galbadia Garden," the Commander said. Xu gave Rinoa a considering stare of her own. The girl shifted nervously under that look, seemingly abashed.

"So she's a target for Ultimecia now," Xu said. Squall nodded once. "We'll need to keep a watch on her. I can assign full SeeD…"

"No," Squall said grimly. "My team will take care of that. I want Balamb SeeD to continue to intercept the monsters coming along the bridge. The Lunar Cry brought too many fresh monsters down. They'll cross to the north eventually, but if we can keep them from entering the main continent from this direction it'll save a lot of lives in the long run."

"Understood," Xu said, nodding approvingly. Then she went on, "We've had quite a few ex-Galbadia Garden students and faculty show up here too, sir. The ones who managed to escape before the battle and the ones who hid during it. What do you want to do with them?"

Squall frowned, arms crossed over his chest. Irvine felt a sharp pang of regret for his old classmates, caught up in the Sorceress's machinations. He had been both proud and relieved that most of them had refused to aid Seifer and Edea then, despite the fact that they were a mercenary force. The bulk of the troops they had faced during the Battle of the Gardens had been regular Galbadian Army and not Galbadian SeeD.

"Send them to Trabia," Irvine heard himself say in sudden inspiration. "Let them join the rebuilding up there - and they can help deal with the new monsters too."

Squall looked at him, frowning thoughtfully. Selphie moved over to Irvine's side.

"There's something else Esthar might be wanting to talk to you about, Squall," she said quietly, her hands clenched together with uncertainty. He put his hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "During the Lunar Cry, we kinda made a deal with one of the President's Aides… to clear out monsters in Esthar City in exchange for credit to fix up Trabia Garden. The Aide was going to see if their President would okay the contract for us. He seemed to think he would, but he had to check. Do you think we did the right thing?"

Squall's brows rose and his habitually grim expression softened ever so slightly. Selphie gazed back at him hopefully, her slim body tense under his hand. Irvine wanted to pull her into his arms and hug her, but restrained himself with effort. It was important to keep this professional.

"For Trabia, huh? That was a good idea, Selphie. We'll hold them to it." Squall glanced at Irvine next. "And I like your idea too. Trabia's vulnerable right now and the Galbadian SeeD won't have any possible conflict of interest up there. Xu, see to it."

"Yes, sir," Xu answered promptly, shooting both him and Selphie respectful glances. Irvine was faintly annoyed. Granted, he and Selphie did have rather frivolous reputations to a degree, but they weren't that bad, were they? Or maybe it was Squall's intense sense of duty rubbing off on the two of them… influence went both ways.

"So you'll be calling Esthar?" Quistis asked Squall. He turned away, staring out east again. Rinoa was staring rather pleadingly at the back of his head, and Irvine wondered if she was speaking to him through the junction again. Selphie tugged at his arm urgently and when he looked down at her, she jerked her head toward Rinoa, raising an inquiring brow at him. He frowned and nodded, indicating he'd noticed too. Selphie heaved an exasperated sigh that he echoed. It was going to be tricky dealing with Rinoa's effect on Squall.

"I'll talk to them," the Commander agreed, turning around sharply again. Then he strode toward the entrance to Garden, quickly disappearing inside. Xu and Quistis followed briskly on his heels.

Rinoa made to follow them too, but Selphie caught her arm as she passed, stopping her.

"What?" Rinoa asked, looking around at the three of them with a faintly nervous expression as she pulled her arm out of Selphie's loose hold. Angelo whined at her side, butting at her hand with his head. She stroked him absently, her hand shaking slightly.

"What is right, girlfriend. What the hell was that all about, huh?" Selphie snapped, hands on her hips as she glared at the taller girl balefully.

"I-I don't know what you mean…"

"Stay out of his head, okay? He's got enough shit to deal with without you messing him up!" Selphie snarled at her, waving a finger in her face. Zell reared back behind Rinoa, blue eyes wide in shocked surprise at Selphie's vehemence. Then, to everyone's dismay, Rinoa's eyes filled with tears and she drew a deep, hitching breath, her face crumpling.

"Look, I didn't ask for this Knight's Bond thing with him, okay? I don't understand him… He's scary… And I didn't ask to be a godsdamned sorceress either! Do you think this is fun for me? Do you think I liked having that witch Ultimecia in my head? I didn't! She's horrible! Horrible! And she has my Seifer…" Rinoa buried her face in her hands, sobbing openly. Selphie blinked at her in shock, glancing guiltily at first Zell then Irvine. They all winced at the harsh, broken sobs issuing from the blue-clad girl.

"Um… we didn't think… geez, um… sorry…" Zell said, flushing bright red but stepping up and patting Rinoa awkwardly on the shoulder. She just sobbed louder and pulled away from him. Zell stepped back again, abashed and uncomfortable, scratching at the back of his head. Angelo rubbed up against his mistress, his sad doggy gaze fixed on her.

After a moment Rinoa raised her head, her red-rimmed eyes fixed on Selphie, a pleading expression on her face. "I-I know you guys must h-hate me now, but what would you have done, Selphie, if it was Irvine she'd taken over?"

Selphie looked back at her blankly for an instant, taken aback at first, then after a moment's thought she frowned, bouncing up on her toes in irritation. "Well, I'd probably have asked straight out for help, you dimwit, rather than play games with somebody's heart like you did with Squall. Do you know the mess we have to deal with now? It's not like he relied on anyone much before… but Hell Fire you kicked his whole world out from under him!" Rinoa flinched back, looking guilty and miserable and frightened. Irvine was a little daunted by Selphie's reaction too. His sunshine was turning out to be fierce in her defense of their wounded lion.

"Easy there, sunshine," he said, putting his hands on her shoulders from behind and drawing her back into his arms. She came, but she was tense in his hold. Rinoa seemed to gather herself, then she glared back at Selphie, her face flushed with embarrassed anger.

"Well at least I didn't fuck him while I was in love with someone else like you did, you little slut!" Rinoa snapped at her and Irvine could feel the rage sweep through his sunshine like a Berserk spell. He had to admit to feeling more than a touch of anger himself, but he was diverted from his own response by the suddenly snarling and flailing woman in his arms as Selphie almost pulled him off balance in her eagerness to launch herself at Rinoa. He held on to her desperately.

"You stupid cow!" Selphie snarled, hands raised like claws to rend and kill. Rinoa flinched away, her dark eyes wide in astonished shock, completely surprised by the force of Selphie's reaction.

"Thunder Storm, Rinoa! That's enough, you little fool!" Irvine groaned, managing to spin Selphie around and away from her target for the moment. She writhed in his grasp, trying to get at Rinoa. "Zell, get her the hell out of here!" He held Selphie back out of respect for Squall's orders more than out of any desire to protect Rinoa. The idiot girl just didn't know when to keep her damn mouth shut, it seemed, even when she was already on thin ice.

Zell grabbed Rinoa's arm and all but dragged her away into Garden, casting alarmed looks at the raging Selphie as he did so. It was extremely rare that his sunshine lost her cool like this, Irvine knew, but when she did, she made a big production out of it. She was clawing at his coat-covered arms, kicking out wildly toward the departing pair, a flood of dauntingly creative obscenities pouring from her mouth. At least she wasn't trying to cast any spells, he thought in some relief as the other two disappeared inside the safety of the upper halls. Too mad to focus properly, like when Berserk. It was a small blessing.

"Selphie! Sunshine! Get a hold of yourself, girl!" he called to her, lifting her off her feet and swinging her up into his arms, trying to catch hold of her wildly flailing legs and yet minimize the damage to himself. She'd already nailed him a good one or two on the shins. The blows had stung - she was fully junctioned, but thankfully, so was he.

"Did you hear her?" she all but spat, her face red with fury. "That faithless lying two-faced bitch! I'll fuckin' rip her hair out! I'll break her perfect little nose! I'll skin her!"

"Easy there, sunshine," he said, holding her tightly against him, staring down into her face. She'd knocked his hat off with one wild swing of her arms and his tail of hair was flung forward, spilling into her face. She spit the stands of his hair out, still spluttering wildly with indignation.

"… the hell does she get off calling me a slut? The lying bitch!"

"Selphie! Calm down, sunshine. Nothing she says matters," he said, lowering his voice to a soothing monotone and carrying her to the far side of the balcony, out of sight of the door. Now that Rinoa was out of range, Selphie seemed to be calming slightly. She struggled less, at least.

"She heard us… gods! Squall told me. She listened in his head when we were…" Then she burst into tears, her anger vanishing as quickly as it had come leaving only embarrassed pain behind. He hugged her close, cradling her against his chest as she wrapped her arms around his neck and cried. The strength of the sobs shaking her slender frame alarmed him.

"Easy there, sunshine," he said quietly, leaning back against the wall and letting himself sink down to the floor, Selphie held tightly against him. "C'mon, darlin', this isn't like you. You laugh stuff like this off. Easy, love. It'll be okay." His words finally seemed to have some effect, as the crying slowed, becoming rough sniffles after a few moments.

"What's the matter, sunshine? What got to you? 'Cause I know you don't really give half a gil about Rinoa's opinion of you."

She burrowed closer to him, hands clutching at his neck frantically. "S-she's in his head…. W-what if she was only saying what he was thinking?"

Startled, Irvine pulled back, trying to get a look at her face. But she hid from him, burying her face in the soft wool of his collar. He tried to coax her to lift her head, but she just shook it, clutching at him even tighter. He tossed his hair back over his shoulder impatiently, staring at her in dismay.

"Damn it, Selphie Tilmitt, look at me!" he finally snarled, giving her a sharp smack on the thigh. Shocked and startled, she looked up at him, her dark eyes still swimming with tears. Heart aching at the sight of her misery, he bent down and sealed his mouth over hers, kissing her thoroughly. And only when she was sighing and gasping and moving against him more naturally did he lift his head and smile reassuringly down at her.

"Squall ain't thinkin' that and you know it, sunshine," he said firmly, brushing her tumbled hair back from her face with calm tenderness. "Rinoa's a spoiled little princess who doesn't want to give the Commander up even though he's not the one she wants. She's a handful, that one, and I think Seifer's just enough of a bastard to keep her in line. If we can only break the spell he's under and convince the idiot to take her on."

Selphie sniffed hard, eyeing him in a half-sulky, wanting-to-be-convinced way. "I just don't like it that she's in his head. He's so closed off mostly anyway and he's been so cold since the Sorceress Memorial…"

"Not really, sunshine," he said, watching her closely and wrinkling his brows in the smallest of frowns. "You don't see the way he acts around you… he lets you touch him no matter who's around and even touches you back. Or did you miss him puttin' his hand on yours on the lift? We're definitely makin' progress with that boy."

"Huh?" she said, confused for a moment. No doubt her mind was still in a whirl after the recent storm of unfamiliar anger. Finally a pleased little smile tugged at her lips. "Oh, wait, you're right, sweetie… he did, didn't he?" She looked so cute and smug at the discovery that he just had to lean down and kiss her again. It took several more minutes before they broke apart and Selphie's hands had somehow gotten tangled up in his hair. He helped her untangle them, carrying one of her hands to his mouth and pressing a tender kiss on the back of it before moving it down and laying their entwined hands over his heart. She gave him a blinding smile in response that restored his faith in the stability of the universe. Selphie was not meant for prolonged rage. She was his sunshine - a creature of light and happiness.

"'Sides I know Squall ain't thinkin' bad things about you or me because he practically crawled into my pants in the cargo hold after you went on up to the cockpit… but I had to stop him," he said, sighing dramatically and shaking his head in feigned regret over the missed opportunity. The truth was he hadn't wanted to risk doing anything more than kiss while Rinoa was nearby. The trauma for Squall would have been extreme and he hadn't trusted the new sorceress to say put. And the short flight hadn't allowed him to truly consider hauling Squall off to one of the cabins for privacy. He was still biding his time. He definitely didn't want to have to rush the next time he got his hands on Squall…

Selphie gave a little familiar giggle that he was relieved to hear again. Her uncharacteristic anger and uncertainty had disturbed him greatly. Squall was drastically changing the dynamic of their lives - just as they were changing his.

"Ooh, did he? I wanted to watch more but Quisty turned off the monitor…"

"Ah-ha! I knew she'd look!" he crowed, leaning his head back against the bulkhead and letting a broad smile cross his face. Selphie sat up straight on his lap and gently pounded a fist on his shoulder in pretend annoyance.

"You slick-talkin' Chocobo trader! I knew you planned it that way!" Then she laughed wickedly. "Poor Quisty! I thought her eyes were gonna fall out of her head just watching you two kiss!"

"What is it about SeeD women that makes them like to watch guys go at it?" he said with a dramatic roll of the eyes. She gave him a little moue of false sympathy.

"I think it's just because all you SeeD boys are so damn pretty we just want to see a little action to go with all that beauty."

"Pretty?" he growled in mock outrage. Relieved to be playing and teasing with her again.

"Yeah, pretty… or cute. Would you rather be cute?" she quipped.

"Cute?" Now that was going a little too far. "Who's cute?"

"Zell," she said without hesitation, her face dead serious. Which expression was soon spoiled by a little smirk, of course. And so, of course, he just had to tickle the living daylights out of her for that comment.

Joyful laughter rang out on the high balcony of Balamb Garden and echoed out over the docks of Fisherman's Horizon. And everyone who heard the sound smiled.

Squall was boarding the main elevator with Xu and Quistis on the way to the command deck when he felt a surge of panic from Rinoa. Fearing the worst - Ultimecia again - he reached for her, his mind easily piercing the hasty barriers she erected against him. He had far too many years of junction training to be deterred by her unskilled response, but he stopped short of looking out from her eyes again. Rinoa still shrieked in outrage in his head, but there was no sign of the future sorceress, it was all just Rinoa's own jumbled emotions. He sent her a silent question.

[It's not fair!] was the immediate response, her thoughts in a frenzied pink-white whirl as her mind cringed away from his. [Why is everyone so angry at me? Nobody even thinks about what I'm going through!]

(What happened?) he asked firmly, allowing her to put mental space between them but not to break the contact. He caught a strange wave of embarrassed rage and humiliation, mixed with guilt and eager anticipation. He braced himself for trouble.

[Your butch little girlfriend tried to attack me!]

His anger flared over her description of Selphie, but he stifled it firmly. (Stay away from Selphie.)

[Shouldn't you be telling Irvine that? Oh, wait… but you're doing him too, aren't you?] And it was spiteful jealousy with a touch of wounded pride that he felt radiating from her. He'd sensed traces of it earlier when she was mentally pleading with him on the balcony not to send her back to Esthar. [You won't have anything to do with me, but you'll mess around with two of your precious SeeD! Or are you doing them all? Is that why they're so freakin' loyal to you?]

She hadn't stayed in the passenger cabin after all, he realized. She's seen him with Irvine. And he did not want to deal with her hysterics now. Or ever. In the Balamb elevator, Squall closed his eyes and clenched his hands into tight fists at his sides in angry irritation, glad he was able to ignore the quick briefing Quistis was giving Xu on recent events without drawing too much attention. There were some advantages to being considered chronically anti-social.

(My personal life is not open for discussion.)

[Mine is, so why shouldn't yours?]

(I haven't lied to anyone.)

That silenced her for an instant.

[Seifer always said he thought you were gay,] she said with decided petulance and more than a trace of smug vindication. [I guess he was right. No wonder you never tried anything with me - I'm too much of a woman for you!]

He heaved a mental sigh of pure annoyance. Seifer's opinion of his sexual orientation wasn't news to him - or anyone else at Balamb Garden. But if it soothed her female ego to think that way about him, he certainly didn't give a shit. (I don't have time for tantrums, Rinoa.)

[Tantrums? You're so cold! I have feelings too, you know. You aren't the only one to get hurt around here!]

(I've already promised to get Seifer back for you, Rinoa,) he told her shortly. (Now stay out of my personal life.) The elevator had arrived and he felt Quistis hesitantly touch his arm. He opened his eyes and nodded at her shortly. Xu was already halfway to Cid's old office.

[It's still not fair…]

(Drop it, Rinoa.) Ignoring her sulky displeasure, he let her cut off contact, allowing the link to subside once more. Then he followed Quistis and Xu to the inner lift. Rode it silently up to the command deck with the two women flanking him. Nida turned and gave him a broad grin and a brisk nod. He frowned. The link with Rinoa was turning out to be a royal pain in the neck.

"Good to have you back, Commander. Instructor Trepe."

"Nida," Squall acknowledged the pilot shortly, then got straight to business. "Contact Esthar's Presidential Palace. Tell them I want to talk to Kiros Seagill."

Irvine sauntered down the main promenade of Balamb Garden, a pleased smile on his face. After successfully cheering up his sunshine, she had suddenly decided she had a rather important job to do in the Dormitory. Laundry.

"If I have to wear these panties one more day I swear I'm gonna find a Malboro living in them," she'd said, a peculiarly feminine look of disgust on her face as she stuck her tongue out. "I want clean clothes!" He'd reared back, hands held up in a placating way, a smile on his face for the rather odd and perverse image her words had planted in his mind. She'd caught the faintly lecherous gleam in his eye and given him a playful smack on the arm for it.

"Don't say it!"

"Wouldn't dream of it, sunshine," he had leered. She had laughed brightly while he had just smiled and waved her away. "Off you go!"

She had skipped off to the dormitories - after giving him a final laughing kiss - to take care of fussy female issues like clean clothes. Of course, he was starting to feel a little rank himself in three-day-old jeans, but he had something he needed to attend to first. And it wouldn't wait.

Casual inquiries told him where the ones he sought were to be found. The outer balcony of the Quad was still under repair and so the area wasn't as heavily visited as it used to be. But the inner plazas were still open spaces with sunlight and trees and no monsters, and so it was the best place for a dog to run.

Irvine found Rinoa there, sitting at the far end of a bench under one of the blooming trees, her legs drawn up into the circle of her arms, her cheek laid on top of her knee. Zell was nearby, wrestling with a happily dodging and yipping Angelo. She was watching them play, a melancholy look on her face.

"Rinoa?" Irvine said, coming to a stop at the near end of the bench. Her shoulders rounded a bit as if she expected some kind of scolding.

"Are you going to yell at me too?" she asked, not looking up yet.

"No, ma'am," he said, moving over to the bench and sitting down on it. "I just want to talk." He leaned back, stretching his arm out across the back and propping one booted foot over the other knee. He tilted his hat back slightly to make it easier to watch her. She turned to look at him curiously, keeping her head down on her knees. She looked very young that way. Young and frightened. He felt a surge of genuine pity for her.

"What do you want?" she asked after a long moment of silence, finally raising her head and facing him directly. Zell had caught sight of him and, after Irvine's narrowed look and quick nod, moved his play with Rinoa's dog to the far side of the plaza. Giving them some privacy. The boy was definitely wising up.

"You know, the two of us, we haven't spent a lot of time together," he said, keeping his expression open and mildly friendly. "That hasn't given us much time to get to know each other."

"No. Except for leaving the Desert Prison," she said, dark eyes glittering with a kind of bitter amusement. "I had to pound you until you'd go back for them..." Irvine let a rueful smile cross his mouth, his gaze fixed on hers.

"I was going back as soon as I dropped you off at the train station, you know."

She sucked in a pained breath. Hurt pride made a frown gather on her face. "Were you?"

"Yes, ma'am. "

"Just getting the civilian out of the way, huh?" She seemed deflated by that.

"Yes, ma'am. It was more important to get my squad leader's supposed girlfriend to safety than to go back for the woman I love." His gaze was steady on her, level and direct, but there was no anger or condemnation in his tone despite his choice of words.

Still, Rinoa flinched, her face flushing. "Because she's SeeD and I'm not, right?"

"Yes, ma'am. She can certainly take care of herself, my sunshine." He let a fond smile pass over his face before returning to more serious mode again. "You, however, seem to need quite a bit of shepherding and rescuing all the time. Funny how you turned out to be a sorceress… all that power just waiting to be used. So why don't you learn to use it, Miss Sorceress?"

The color drained from her face as she stared at him in alarm.

"W-what do you mean? I can't… It's not right…"

He raised a brow at her, frowning slightly, realizing that she was deathly afraid of her own powers. Realizing also that Squall would have little or no patience with those kinds of fears, particularly since she'd been so eager to follow along in their footsteps before. The boy probably wouldn't even think to provide her with some of the more advanced techniques that might allow the girl to actually be of use to them. He was just too accustomed to protecting her - helpless little Rinoa. Mentally, Irvine heaved a disgusted sigh - outside he was as cool as ever.

"Squall made himself your Knight because you're always getting yourself into dangerous situations. Can't be trusted to look out for yourself most times," he said, waving a hand toward the crumbled part of the Quad balcony beyond. Where she'd fallen off during the battle of the Gardens. She at least had the sense to wince. "Seems the two of you haven't been getting along so well since that happened, either. And that's not good. 'Cause there's a whole lot you can learn from Squall."

She just continued to stare at him, half in dismay, half in shame as the color gradually crept back into her face. He'd politely ignored the whole subject of her betrayal of them in Galbadia Garden as well as her love for Seifer, but those things still loomed significantly.

"I remember Matron Edea," Irvine said, changing subjects deliberately. "I'm the only one who really does, you know. She married a good man in Cid, and they tried to do right by the world by taking in the lost kids no one else wanted. They passed up the chance for kids of their own to take wounded little brats like us on. She was an amazing woman. Beautiful and kind, loving and understanding, yet she didn't let us push her around either. And we loved her like the mother most of us didn't remember."

He went silent a moment, struggling with a suddenly tight throat. His enduring love for Matron was a bittersweet thing, after Deling City. Even though it had been Ultimecia in control of her, it had still been Matron he was ordered to kill. But it was for Squall that he'd actually taken the shot…

With determination, he dragged his thoughts back to Rinoa and what he was trying to show her.

"She was also a Sorceress. That whole time."

Rinoa's dark eyes were fixed on his face, shimmering with welling tears.

"But Ultimecia… and Adel. They're horrible. Evil. I know how evil because Ultimecia's been inside me. She's so cold and so powerful… she hates us all… hates everything… and I just…" Tears spilled over, running thick down her cheeks. She let them, her hands clutching tightly around her legs, her voice barely heard. "I just don't want to end up like her… and I don't know how… to stop it."

Without even thinking twice, Irvine scooted down the bench to her side and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Rinoa turned instantly into him, burying her face in the fluffy collar of his coat, her hands clutching tightly at the lapels below. Desperate sobs wracked her petite frame, coming from deep inside of her. Fear, misery, loneliness, pain. He could hear them all in every hitching breath, feel it in every shudder of her body.

He looked up, across the plaza, and saw Zell somberly watching them, his hand tight in Angelo's collar. After a moment, the martial artist turned away and walked slowly down the steps to the lower plaza. Leaving them alone and taking the reluctant dog with him. Irvine reached up and stroked Rinoa's dark hair soothingly. Offering her simple human comfort as he let his lingering resentment for her betrayal of Squall fade away. Beating her up about it would only make things worse in the long run, that much was plain. She wasn't consumed by evil yet; just lonely, rash, inexperienced. And very frightened.

After a long time, her sobs began to slow.

"Easy there, girl," Irvine said soothingly, still holding her close. "Things ain't that bad, really. We'll find a way."

"I just want Seifer back… Seifer…" she moaned, clutching his coat tighter. "I really don't care what happens to me - if I die or what - as long as I can free him from her."

"You love that boy that much, huh?" he asked softly. Willing to be impressed if she actually followed through with some of that brave determination.

"I love him just as much as you love Selphie, so I… oh…" Rinoa's defensively angry words trailed off into uncertainty as she remembered what she'd screamed at Selphie before - in his presence. She pulled away from him, almost wringing her hands together in front of her and trying to look anywhere but at him. Her face was bright red with embarrassment.

"You know, Irvine, I don't really know what's going on with them… Squall and Selphie, I mean…" She was shooting him miserable little glances. Watching him for signs of rage or upset, probably.

He took a kind of harsh pity on her, leaning back and draping his arms across the back of the bench in deliberate nonchalance. "Rinoa, don't go gettin' in the habit of lyin' to us again," he said, letting his drawl have free rein. "Seffie an' I are both fuckin' Squall at the same time, just in case you were really worried 'bout my feelin's bein' hurt an' all…. But then I know you already know that."

The look of absolutely stunned and horrified shock on her face was more than payment enough for her nasty words to Selphie earlier. He thought the girl's chin was going to have to be scraped off her lap, she was so flabbergasted by his plain speaking. Dark eyes finally blinked at him after an endless moment. Then she shook her head.

"H-how do you know…?"

"Squall told Selphie you heard them through that damned Knight's Bond. And I caught sight of you lurkin' outside the cargo bay when I was feelin' up Squall on the way back here. Well, I saw Angelo." He shrugged carelessly, watching her with an amused, knowing gaze.

"Squall told Selphie?"

"Uh-huh."

"He tells her personal things like that… I mean… but… Squall doesn't talk to anyone!" She went back to letting her mouth hang open in silent shock. Which was a good thing because the words she was spilling were pure drivel as far as he was concerned. Squall had come a long way without her around and he wasn't eager for her to torpedo their progress with him.

"A few things might just have changed while you took your little nap, Miss Sorceress. Most important is that Squall's ours now and it's best you adjust to that right quick."

"Yours…" She blinked at him, still struggling with it, apparently.

"Yes, ma'am. And giving him the courtesy of privacy in his own head would be greatly appreciated. Especially tonight, if you know what I mean." He fixed her with another steady stare and she flushed deepest crimson in response, looking hastily away. He grinned wolfishly. Apparently she did understand.

He tipped his hat politely to her before sliding off the bench. He stood for a moment looking down at her, aware that Zell was hovering anxiously at the base of the stairs below and had seen him get up. Squall's standing orders were that one of them was to be near Rinoa all the time. On watch for Ultimecia, mostly. But it could be for other reasons too.

"Might I also suggest you ask Quistis or Zell to show you how to work with your powers a little more; to get easy with them. Balamb Garden specializes in GF junctioning and paramagic, so this is likely the best place you'll find on the whole planet to get training," he said with a nod. "If you really want to get your Seifer back, that is."

She looked up at him, confused and still flustered. "Why are you helping me?"

"Why? Because this isn't some revenge game, Rinoa," he said grimly, adjusting his hat on his head to shade his eyes from the lowering afternoon sun. "And this isn't about who's fuckin' who either. This is about survival. And it's time you caught up to the rest of us."

Then Irvine turned on his heel and strode away toward the upper stairs. Intent on finding both his lovers as soon as possible. Behind him he heard an excited yip as Zell let Angelo run to his mistress' side once more.

Squall faced the man on the screen silently, not surprised to recognize him despite the enveloping drab cream and green Esthar robes he wore.

It was Kiros Seagill. Long-time friend and companion to Laguna Loire. His dark hair was still braided back in long, slender tails that not even a hint of gray had touched. His elegantly sculpted face was cool and composed. The room beyond him was one Squall wasn't familiar with from his visit to the Presidential Palace. There was a broad curving window with a view of the central Palace behind him and a wide glittering silvery-blue desk in front of him. What could be seen of it, anyway. The desk was covered with scattered electronic tablets, several paper magazines that might be old issues of Timber Maniacs, something that looked like half a soccer ball, tiny statues of various monsters as well as a chocobo and a moomba, and a battered metal helmet. And those were just the readily recognizable items. The chaotic desk didn't seem to reflect the commanding and dignified man standing behind it, but Squall had a sinking feeling he did know who actually belonged behind that desk.

His respect for the Esthar suddenly dropped several very large notches. And the brief, odd encounter with a frantic man in a spacesuit on Lunar-side Station who was desperate for him to protect Ellone suddenly made so much more sense…

"Commander Leonhart," Kiros Seagill said, the dark gaze piercing even over the video screen connection. His voice was still as rich and smooth as remembered from borrowed memory. Laguna's memory. A long, silent moment passed as the other man examined him. "You look a great deal like your mother."

Squall's eyes narrowed dangerously as he barely hid his shock over the man's surprising words. Behind him he heard sharply hissed-in breath. From Quistis, he guessed.

"Aide Seagill," he acknowledged, crossing his arms over his chest and fighting to maintain his cool. How the hell did Kiros Seagill know his mother? The old ring on his little finger seemed to burn him under his glove, but he didn't ask any of the questions that were clawing at him. Duty first. Always. "Have you found your President yet?"

"Yes, his pod was retrieved several hours ago. Roughly at the same time you were breaking into the Sorceress Memorial." Kiros' voice was calm.

"Is that going to be a problem?" Squall raised a single brow, fighting back the sensation of icy rage firmly. Kiros smiled, but it was the tight, polite smile that Squall knew from borrowed memory meant he was ready for battle.

"Not at present. The President feels it isn't in anyone's best interest to seal the new sorceress." Kiros let the smile go and Squall's anger eased slightly. "He has already issued a retroactive order canceling the Sealing. The Sorceress Rinoa is a valued friend to Esthar. This incident appears to be a regrettable misunderstanding. It's fortunate none of the guards were more than stunned."

Squall just met Kiros' bland look with a flat stare. He wasn't fooled by the flowery diplomatic phrasing - though he did briefly wish Irvine was there to sling some of the man's overblown crap right back at him - we'll overlook it, was the message buried within, if…

"What do you want?" Squall snapped.

"We would like to hire your SeeD team, Commander, for a mission of vital importance to Esthar as well as the whole world. The Sorceress…" Kiros hesitated briefly as they could hear a low, masculine voice whisper frantically at him from off screen. He shot a vicious glare at the unseen speaker before turning back to continue as smoothly as if he hadn't been interrupted, "Apparently, the President would prefer to present the mission details to you in person. If you and your team could return to Esthar…?"

Squall glared at him, arms folded over his chest. The mention of his mother had been deliberate. Designed to make him lose focus and be more easily persuaded. Followed by a veiled threat. This was political manipulation of the first order, something that he didn't remember being part of Kiros' style. People could change, he guessed. But he didn't like any of it.

"My team has already done work for Esthar."

"Yes... The monster slaying in the city." Kiros's eyes gleamed for a moment with the eager light of battle and he looked like the Kiros of Laguna's memory again. Maybe not so changed after all… and Squall wondered just how many of the new monsters in Esthar had already fallen to the man's deadly Katal. "The contract should be in your system shortly, Commander. Payment terms are in trust for dispersal to Trabia Garden or your designated contractor."

Surprise made him gruff. "I want Xu to review the details first." They had honored the deal Selphie cut. A minor concession? It warmed him despite his cynicism. Selphie would be ecstatic. He looked over at Xu and she nodded briskly in acknowledgement. Nida was glancing avidly between his fellow SeeD and the screen, apparently enthralled by the whole thing as if it were being staged for his benefit. Nida needed to get off the command deck more often. With a brief roll of his eyes, Squall turned his attention back to the video screen himself.

"As you say," Kiros nodded, a hint of impatience creeping into his expression. There was another spate of urgent whispering from the sidelines again that went on until Kiros gave whoever it was a disgusted snort and a sharp glare. "Well, then why don't you just talk to him yourself?"

More urgent whispers. Kiros shook his head in clear annoyance, folding his arms over his chest. A move that looked decidedly odd in his long robe but also made him look much more like the Kiros of old. The smooth diplomatic façade was cracking. Apparently diplomacy wasn't Kiros' strong suit either. Or maybe it was just that Laguna had put him up to it for some reason…

"Look, Leonhart, you can consider the Ragnarok on semi-permanent loan," he said, still shooting little glaring looks to the side. Most likely at Laguna. "Until this crisis is past, it will be more convenient for you to reach remote locations with it. And it'll get you here faster too. Airstation has a beacon you can home in on."

"Remote locations?" Quistis asked quietly from behind him. Squall just frowned and chopped a hand back at her for silence. Far too annoyed to take that offered bait either.

"Tomorrow," he said, his scowl deepening. He knew how dangerously exhausted his team was. Mentally, at least, after all the revelations and battles and tension they'd endured recently. And he remembered how eager they'd all been to come home to Balamb. Irvine and Selphie in particular… He savagely forced his thoughts to stay on business, but couldn't deny the increased pace of his heart. "Sometime tomorrow."

"What about Ellone?!" The indignant off-screen squawk was clearly from Laguna.

Kiros frowned too, gaze darting from the unseen Laguna to Squall.

"Ellone is most likely safe until Adel wakes up," Squall said coldly, hoping, even as he said it, that it was true, even as he admitted that there wasn't anything he could do for her right now. "We have another few days at least, according to your specialists." He hid his own fears for his Sis with the skill of long practice. But if anything did happen to Ellone - promise or no to Rinoa - he wasn't certain he wouldn't kill Seifer when he finally caught up with him.

"When can we expect you?" Kiros asked.

Squall gave him a narrow glare. "No earlier than noon."

Because he had a feeling that he wasn't going to get all that much rest that night.

- - to be continued - -