Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Resurrection - Rebirth of a Foe ❯ Shootin' the Breeze ( Chapter 21 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Chapter Twenty - Breakdown in Balamb
Nobody dared to disturb Squall. He wished to be alone and nobody argued. Everyone was concerned for him, especially because he bottled his feelings deep inside him. In this occasion, Quistis did not risk approaching the dark headed boy - she was too busy nursing her mind and body to be concerned about Squall at the moment.
She sat with Zell in the debriefing room of the Ragnorak, leaving the job of reaching Balamb Garden as speedily as was possible, to Selphie, under the watchful eye of Irvine. She stretched out her arms that were starting to feel cramped and deprived of space - and winced at the bruises. She would examine the damage she encountered and would visit Doctor Kadowaki at the Infirmary once the business with Ultimecia was sorted out - if Balamb was still upright.
Her right hand unconsciously slid down to her whip to feel for the grip of her Save the Queen, and started at the discovery of it missing. She gasped allowed, frantic eyes wildly searching for her missing weapon.
Zell looked up worriedly. "S'up, Instructor Trepe?"
"My- my Save the Queen - it's gone?!"
Uncomfortably, Zell shifted in his seat, not wanting to be the one to break the bad news to her. He glanced purposefully away and began to whistle.
"Zell?" Quistis asked expectantly, her query followed by a short shriek at the charred ends of the long front strands of her hair. Shocked, Quistis fingered the black singed hair and gazed at it mournfully. "My- my hair,"
Zell winced, balling his fists. He sooo did not want to break the news to her now.
"Wha- what happened?" Quistis implored, her blue eyes wavering slightly that Zell thought she would begin to cry in front of him.
Thankfully, the hissing of the door to the debriefing room opened which could not have come at a better time. Silently Zell thanked his lifesaver, taking it back when he saw Seifer's tall figure standing in the doorway. The martial artist grinned. Who better than to explain to Instructor Trepe the cause of her ruined weapon and fried hair.
"Why don't you ask, Seifer?" Zell suggested, getting to his feet to leave. "I watch over Odine now."
Briskly, Zell left, giving Seifer a sympathetic look before leaving. The other boy watched him leave with curiosity, glancing then at Quistis who was occupied with analysing the damage down to her hair. His eyes grew wide with realisation. Leave, leave, leave!! His mind warned him. His mind told him to make himself scarce, his body stayed put. Seeing her trying to repair the damage done to her hair made Seifer's stomach churn uneasily with guilt. She'll get over it, he told himself, or maybe not. Lifting her sapphire blue eyes to meet his, Quistis opened her mouth to speak. No sound came. Seifer gulped, apprehensive of her reaction. She had to know.
"My hair," Quistis said, fingering the front strand of her blond hair. "My weapon,"
"I'm sorry," Seifer said, removing the two pieces of the Save the Queen from his coat pocket. "I broke it," I feel like a kid again. Like I broke her favourite doll… Wait, Quistis never did much favoured dolls…
The sight of her beloved weapon in two pieces was enough to make her blood turn cold. "Ultimecia…" she murmured, vaguely aware of what had happened to her. "My weapon…you…"
Guilt was a bad thing; coupled with conscience they made a formidable team to make a person feel as bad as possible. Seifer was unable to meet the girl's gaze. He didn't want to see that glassy glaze in those blue, blue eyes of hers. It would hurt him too much.
"I was the one who sliced your weapon in two," he said. "You don't recall?"
Quistis shook her head mutely. She didn't recall at all. Either that, or the Guardian Forces Junctioned to her, must have affected her memory in the way that they did. Unpredictably she glowered up at him. "You owe me for my Save the Queen, and my hair. What were you trying to do, fry it?"
"I couldn't help it with the Fire spell. You- Ultimecia, was going to do some bad damage." Seifer argued. ok, maybe it was a Firaga spell, a little bit stronger than a normal low Fire spell - but what she doesn't know won't hurt her. "In fact, you owe me quite a bit, Instructor," Seifer said, remaining by the door entrance, arms folded, his cold blue eyes staring at her.
Quistis blinked once before speaking. "Oh?" she asked suspiciously. "How do you figure that one out?"
"Sure you do," he said. "There's the little incident at the Deep Sea Research facility, uh, bunch of other stuff."
"Excuse me?! If anything, you should be owing me!" Quistis stormed angrily.
"And what would you like me to owe you?" Seifer asked in his sly manner, that sardonic smile playing about his lips.
Quistis blushed furiously. Damn that Seifer, he knew exactly how to make her feel embarrassed. For that she hated him. "I'll tell you when I've thought of something," she replied harshly to cover her embarrassment.
"Of course. Take your time by all means. Think v-e-r-y carefully of what you ask of me," perhaps he had taken the taunting a little too far. Warning signs blared inside his mind when he saw her flash a malicious icy glare in his direction.
"Do you honestly want another slap across the face?" she said irritably.
"No thanks, I've had more injuries done to me to last for a life time," Seifer curtly answered. Although the idea of having Quistis near him in close proximity again, didn't sound too bad...
"What?!"
"You were Ultimecia's puppet. She caused a nice little riot between you SeeDs. Should have seen it." he said.
"I did...?" her voice was small. Quistis found it hard to imagine herself doing such a thing.
"Ask anyone. Leonhart, chicken wuss, the messenger girl, cowboy. Even the psycho doctor saw everything, and he got popcorn! Would've made a great movie title: The Wrath of the SeeD, or something." Seifer said, nodding at every recollection.
Quistis' mouth went dry from disbelief. "I... I'm very sorry…" she said slowly. "I don't recollect..."
"Want me to relate to you the whole details of while you were being possessed?" Seifer asked. "Explicit details, and everything-"
"Why are you being horrible?" Quistis interrupted with a spark of anger.
"So then maybe you'd understand what it was like to be used and abused, to be controlled," Seifer returned with his own anger, he didn't think he no longer had. "Sorry," he muttered afterwards.
Instructor Trepe looked at him stunned. The feeling of helplessness and no control came flooding back to her like a torrent of water, casting her mind back. She remembered. She recalled the fear and worry in everyone's eyes. To be used and abused, yes, she knew what it was like to be used: unpleasant, unforgivable. Quistis raised troubled eyes to the blond boy, staring down at her hands as she spoke with you slight difficulty.
"Did I hurt you badly?" she asked.
"Except for giving me a nice bruise to the back, everybody was fine." Seifer informed. "When push comes to shove, Instructor, boy can you shove!" he grinned.
Quistis however was not impressed with her actions. "I am sorry," she apologised. "Perhaps you could see Dr. Kadowaki, at Balamb Garden with me- I mean, uh, you don't have to come with me. It's just that I've received a few blows myself. I wasn't implying anything," she said in a tone that suggested he had.
"Sure you weren't," Seifer said casually, his eyes saying the complete opposite.
The nineteen year old girl tried her best to not flush so deeply, keeping her eyes trained onto the boots of his feet. She noticed the tear of material from his grey/white trench coat and muttered something in audible to Seifer's ears.
"Your coat," she pointed guiltily at the tear. "Did I do that?"
"No, Omega Weapon, did. Can't you remember you fought the muther of monsters with the rest of us? Ultimecia must've wiped you out real bad. You sure you ok?"
It almost sounded caring to Quistis' ears. "I'm fine," she replied with a sting that generated an offended look from the boy.
"Sorry for showing that I care," Seifer muttered. "Guess you need time to recuperate," with the intention of leaving, it was Seifer who now wore the troubled look on his face. Quistis did not let him leave without sending him off with a parting shot.
"You have a funny way of showing that you do. But wait, I thought the Seifer Almasy everyone knew, didn't care for anything, or anything, for that matter."
"What's that meant to mean?" he demanded, turning round to confront her. "Be grateful I saved your butt out there."
"Why did you? I didn't ask for your help." Quistis fired back. If only she had her weapon by her side, then she would teach him a lesson or two.
"You're right. You didn't ask for my help. I gave it anyway. Why, even I don't know. Maybe it's from hanging out with you SeeDs too much - it's made me catch loseritis, or something."
"Or something," Quistis agreed, her eyes oddly screaming for murder. "Maybe that's why you're so incompetent, you failed to qualify as a SeeD on two accounts!!"
"Nice to throw people's failures right at their face, huh?" Seifer snarled angrily. He didn't know why Quistis was acting so nasty and bitchy to him, and she wouldn't be given a chance to explain either. All he wanted to do was lose the anger inside him by some form of abusive language. Seifer would not stop there, "I don't need no fancy title to make people aware of my capabilities. I can do that easily without going through a crummy test, some kinda dog training."
Quistis shook her head in disgust. "I don't understand what Squall saw in you. How he could bare to trust you again. To let you take charge back at Lunatic Pandora. I preferred it when both of you were in unsettled terms!"
"For an instructor, you make a very bad liar," Seifer observed mockingly. "What was it you said back then, in Timber? 'Give him a chance to explain himself,' You were very understanding back then. All of a sudden there's this sudden hostility towards me. You resent me, don't you Instructor? Admit it, you hate my guts - for what reason, you're too afraid to say; just like the others."
"Yes, I hate your guts, Seifer Almasy. And if it wasn't for the fact that I still have a shred of self control, I would have no hesitation in engaging battle."
"Ooh, nothing better than to engage in a little one on one to vent off one's anger, huh? Must be all the pent up frustration."
"Just go!" she said forcefully. "I don't need to waste my energy on you."
"Now why does that sound like that has sexual implications to it?" Seifer mused aloud, grinning at Quistis as he spoke. "Perhaps I should stay to see where this leads to."
"In your dreams," Quistis returned in a tone she hoped sounded distasteful. "That's what you wish."
Yeah, in my ROMANTIC dreams, Seifer thought to himself - almost laughing out loud on the thought. How I wish...
"Go! Leave! Leave me alone!" Quistis stormed angrily at his persistent grinning face. Getting to her feet, she grabbed Seifer by the arm to haul him out of the debriefing room.
Instead, and to her surprise, the blond boy caught her arm instead and pulled her to him. Beneath the fluorescent lights, against his tall frame, Seifer held the foreboding countenance he carried whenever Quistis was this close to him.
"You don't want me to really leave, do you?" he said, looking down at her. Hypnotising her with his ice blue eyes. "Admit it,"
Quistis swallowed heavily, tucking her hair behind her ears. "I want you to leave," she said, a little too late to convince the boy.
"Sure. But we haven't finished arguing," Seifer said. "Remember I said we could argue some other time. We've got time now."
"My energy is not worth wasting on you," Quistis bit out savagely, pushing herself away from him.
"Oh, c'mon," Seifer cajoled, raising his arms in a resigned gesture. "Give me a try, you might surprise yourself."
That's what I'm afraid of, Quistis thought worriedly. I might surprise myself. Betray myself. I can't let him know... you're doing a great job of trying to conceal your feelings, Trepe! I could do without surprises.
It must have been Ultimecia's possession, she left behind an irrational hatred inside, and one she could not control. Quietly the blond girl cleared her mind of the red she was seeing. This was not like her.
"Seifer, please go. I really am not feeling very well. The ordeal with Ultimecia has shook me up more than anticipated. I need to be by my-"
"Yeah, I get the message. Don't need to tell me twice," Seifer said. In one quick, swift motion, he was gone.
Instructor Trepe stood in the now desolate debriefing room of the Ragnorak, feeling the company of solitude of loneliness. So this was what Squall preferred. Solitude. Silence. "Seifer," Quistis called out uncertainly, after a moment's hesitation. The blond boy was quick to return one eyebrow raised inquiringly at her.
"Something wrong?" he asked, sticking his head around the door.
"I, uh..." she faltered, glancing down at her gloves in search of an answer. "I, uh..." she repeated with still no proper answer.
Seifer cocked his head to own side, an amused look on his face. "I think the cat does have your tongue this time. You're stumbling," he pointed out.
"It's hard to put things into words," Quistis explained. She chewed on her bottom lip in anxiety. How could she put her thoughts into words without embarrassing herself yet again? When it came to expressing feelings - deeper feelings, Quistis had problems. I guess Squall and I can relate.
Intrigued by her difficulty in conveying her thoughts, Seifer ventured further into the debriefing room, standing before her.
"I need to say a few things," she began uneasily.
"What, more abuse? Shoot away," he mocked.
"I am not going to make any scathing remarks," Quistis said sternly. "I need to say thank you properly."
"You just did, that's all the thanks I need to hear," Seifer said, half turning to leave again. He felt her hand touch his shoulder gently. Enough to halt his departure. "Anything else you need to say-" The way she gazed into his eyes like that, those deep sapphire coloured eyes tugged at something deep inside him. Oh no. No, no, no, no, no! Almasy no! Go. Now. Leave. Scram. Don't stare back at her that way. Stop it. Don't let you're hormones get involved again. You saved her life, so what. You're attracted to her - so what. Physical attraction. Get over it.
"I think I..." she said, coming closer to him that he could feel her breath on the skin of his neck.
"Yeah..." The ever Mr. Cool was beginning to feel hot under the collar. He never thought he'd feel for a girl like Quistis before. Ever.
The young SeeD instructor parted her mouth to finish her sentence. That was when she heard the voice that startled her out of her skin. She heard Seifer curse under his breath from the sudden unexpected entrance of whom other than…
"Yo! Instructor Trepe, Instruct-" Zell's voice called down to her, stopping abruptly at the sight of Seifer and her getting pretty close. Zell recoiled, shutting his eyes closed and covering them with his gloved-clad hands. "Whoa! I did not see that. Man! Why is it whenever I happen to be delivering a message or somethin' I see you," he pointed a finger at Seifer. "And Instructor Trepe, like millimetres away from each other?"
"Could be bad timing," Seifer suggested, stepping away from the blond girl. "Or maybe you're just a perv-"
"What is the message you've come to deliver, Zell?" Quistis hastily interrupted, overriding Seifer's sentence with her own. A fight and a slanging match was not going to help ease the dull pain that appeared to return, unwelcome.
Zell took one last careful look at Seifer before focusing all his attention to Quistis. "Squall asked that you come up. We're almost at Balamb. Need to organise the teams."
Tensely Squall paced behind the pilot's seat at the bridge of the Ragnorak. In his mind he went over the strategy he had planned out. They were to split into two respective teams, infiltrate Balamb Garden, gather the students and assemble them in one place, probably the Quad, and then locate where Ultimecia was - if indeed she had decided to remain inside the Garden to wait for their arrival. Irvine caught the tension in the way Squall paced to and fro. It was beginning to unnerve him.
"Uh, Squall?" he said cautiously, breaking into the boy's thoughts. Squall sharply look up and away from his quiet thinking. "Lighten up a little, huh?"
"Yeah, whatever..." he dismissed Irvine's words and continued to pace.
Uh-oh, the old Squall's back, back to dotted line sentence's and answering with 'whatever', again. Irvine thought worriedly. This is bad.
Lighten up? Squall thought to himself. Lighten up?! How can I lighten up? Rinoa's life is at stake again, if anything happens to her, I'll never forgive myself. Rinoa... Squall said to himself with a tinge of guilt mixed with anger and pain.
"Squall," Selphie's voice reached his ears. "We're hovering roughly 'bout fifteen metres above Balamb Garden. Where do you wanna land?"
"Ok, reduce the pressure on the thrusters to cut on the noise from the engines. Land the Ragnorak behind the forest nearest to Balamb Garden, and lower the ramp down." Squall instructed.
"Gotcha!" swiftly, and wordlessly Selphie carried out the instructions given to her. Steadily she reversed the Ragnorak to the back of the Balamb forest situated aside to the Garden, with minimum noise on the engines that generated a whirring sound whenever the fine beast was taking off.
Squall heard the remaining three missing people enter the bridge in a run. He glanced over at Seifer who wore his serious look on his face, Zell, who couldn't wait to kick some butt, and Instructor Trepe, a sombre expression that reflected the importance of what they were about to do.
Nida had not given them any information as to what defensive actions Balamb Garden were taking to ensure the safety of all inside the Garden. The radio call Squall had received from the fellow SeeD had been cut short, static being the only thing that he heard after Nida's voice dissolved to silence.
Soundlessly Squall acknowledged their swift arrival, and nodded politely to Seifer. The older boy shrugged and folded his arms to await what he had to say. Squall did not need any further incentive to proceed with their debriefing, and did so in his standard all serious, humourless, I-am-Commander-but-I-didn't-want-to-be tone.
"I want Irvine and Instructor Trepe to go with me this time. Seifer, you'll lead your group of Zell and Selphie. We'll enter Balamb Garden via the forest. I don't want to waste time by fighting uselessly weak monsters; I'll have Enc-None Junctioned so we won't face any complications whilst we're inside the forest. Upon reaching the Garden front entrance, Irvine, Instructor Trepe and I shall ride to the third floor to see the Headmaster should Ultimecia decided to take him hostage, or a case similar. Seifer and the rest of you will go around the Garden. Check the Library, dorms etc. for any students or SeeDs. Direct them to the Quad, as I suspect Nida and Xu would have assembled everyone there. Issue the order from me that they are all to wait in standby mode. I reckon that this will be a one on one battle with just Ultimecia and us. Should she spring a nasty surprise, we'll have the rest of Balamb Garden to support us. You'll have fifteen minutes to execute my order. We'll meet at the Directory once we have finished with the preliminaries."
Ducking his head into the Infirmary, Zell scanned for Dr. Kadowaki - and saw that she was not at her usual place at her desk.
"Yo, Dr. Kadowaki," he said softly at first. "No reply came - time to raise the volume level a little." Dr. Kadowaki-!"
"Yes Zell, I may not be a young rascal like you anymore, but these ears of mine can hear you perfectly well without having you to raise your voice. "Dr. Kadowaki informed dryly, emerging from the small examination room that obscured her from view.
"Uh, we're jus' going round the Garden, checking on all the SeeDs and students. They're all at the Quad. There might be some fighting. Faculty and staff need to-"
At the mention of "need to," the middle-aged woman shook her head briskly. There was no need to let Zell finish his sentence - she already knew what was going to be said. "No, Zell," she said, removing the stethoscope around her neck and coming over to her desk to set it down there. She lowered herself onto the chair, entwined her fingers together and rested them on the desktop. She raised her head and stared up at Zell, Seifer and Selphie, with a look that told them she had no inclination of following out their orders. Her silence felt unsettling that Zell rubbed the back of his neck in a gesture of indecision.
"But Squall-" he began.
"But Squall, nothing," she interjected. "The last time Balamb Garden was under attack was with the Galbadian Army, I was asked to leave the Infirmary and join the others. I shall tell you what I said before; I am not going anywhere. I will stay right here where people can find should they receive wounds injuries or such - that is my job as the 'in-house' doctor, Squall should know that. What Squall doesn't understand is the full implications of things. You all mean well, but you easily forget that I have a responsibility to keep, even at times like these. I don't think I need to tell you what that responsibility is, hmm?" Dr. Kadowaki concluded on a firm note.
"No, Doc," Zell said. He turned to leave, not before saying. "You jus' be careful and take care, ok?"
"Don't I ever?" she said, waving them away. "For your own sakes, take care of yourselves, and each other."
The expression on Squall's face did not reflect what he was feeling inside - the sinking, churning intuition that brought a feeling of dread inside him. For an occasion such as this, it was important that he didn't crack up - to not betray his cool exterior. Stay focused, he silently told himself. Concentrate on the task at hand, and think.
Headmaster Cid had been informed of the 'code-red' situation. He clearly was not aware that Ultimecia was in the very same building as everyone else inside Balamb Garden. Somewhere, two levels down from the top most floor… The news clearly brought anxiety to the headmaster. The distressed expression told Squall and the others with him that much.
To be fair, Edea Kramer did not deserve to be apart of the 'nightmare' once more, she didn't deserve to experience and go through the same terrible ordeal of Ultimecia's plot to compress their world, and to exact her revenge. It wasn't fair. Then again, life wasn't fair, as Squall very well knew. There were times when the world just seemed to totally disagree with you - that was when you felt like crawling into a gap in the floor and dying. And then there were the less frequent days when things were going right, you felt great, life was problem free… with 'wrongness' hiding around the corner, waiting to drag you back to the bottomless pit of misery.
Squall, Quistis and Irvine arrived at the front of the directory to find Zell and his group already there, waiting.
"The juniors, seniors and SeeDs have been rounded up and sorted out," Zell informed. "Faculty are on standby, staff from the cafeteria have been evacuated. Dorms, the Training Arena, Library have been checked out - everyone's accounted for. And uh, Dr. Kadowaki… she, uh, refuses to budge from the Infirmary." He finished.
Squall nodded and folded his arms briefly in a contemplative manner. So what now? There wasn't exactly a contingency plan - in fact, there wasn't even a plan! It was standard protocol to carry out the prelims whenever such an incident like this occurred. So what happens next? For a while Squall said nothing, kept silent and stared vacantly ahead of him. And, for a moment everyone thought they had lost him again - caught in the waiting arms of oblivion. Resurfacing back to reality, the others took note of the frown that Squall wore on his face. Whenever he used to frown it always used to make the scar on his face all the more painful, and all the more hard to bare. His scar on his forehead was the least of his worries now. Something was really niggling him at the back of his mind…
Without a word, Squall unfolded his arms and stood up straight - the frown still on his brow. A questioning look on his face, the dark-headed boy began to walk resolutely towards the direction of the Quad, leaving the others with equably wondering faces. They shrugged at each other and followed obediently, but that didn't stop Zell from asking the question that Selphie, Quistis, Irvine and Seifer wanted to know:
"Squall, what's up?"
The Quad was bustling with life when Squall arrived. He did not proceed down the flight of the steps to confront Nida. Instead he stood at the top, sweeping his gaze at the scene before him. To one side of the Quad the juniors and seniors were arranged into their respective groups. And to the other side, SeeDs and faculty stood, some wearing apprehensive faces, others glancing around them in mild confusion.
He spotted Nida and Xu giving out orders to a group of SeeDs, wondering for a brief moment whether he should come down and confront him in the presence of so many people. One thing Squall wanted to avoid was an audience - that he couldn't exactly help, what with the large mass of bodies that took no particular notice of the non-uniform clad group mutely watching their activities.
Squall's lips were set in a thin grim line - that, Zell and the others noticed. There was no mistaking the emotionless expression on his face. He was all seriousness now. It was not going to be a surprise to his close friends if they did not see so much as a flicker of a smile until they had disposed of Ultimecia, and return Edea and Rinoa back to their respective bodies. A hush silence suddenly fell in the Quad, all eyes directed to the five SeeDs and Seifer. Nida and Xu, dressed in SeeD attire turned to see the source of the silence that had befell in the Quad, a look of what was meant to be of relief and respect on their faces.
They came forward, waiting for them at the foot of the flight of smooth concrete steps. Squall hesitated a while - was this really needed? Frowning to himself Squall slowly descended the steps one by one, the others following him with a look of wonder on their faces. Saluting them both, Squall gave them each a dose of his blue steely glare. Xu and Nida glanced at each other, nervously and then turned to face the SeeDs and Seifer with pursed lips.
"Xu, Nida," Squall acknowledged curtly in the manner he did. A brief recollection of his secret rendezvous with Instructor Trepe in the secret area of the Training Area when she poured out her heart and feelings to him flashed before his eyes. And for a split second he felt ashamed of his behaviour. As usual he was being the impossible teenager, wanting to be left alone to drown in his hormones and feelings. Quistis would not deny that she had this certain attraction towards the young dark headed boy. Not of one that was based upon the kind of love that Squall felt for Rinoa, but the type of love Squall felt, had felt for Ellone - a sisterly love. Quistis had only wanted someone to talk to, someone who would listen and sympathise with her. Knowing Squall since childhood, Quistis should have realised that she would gain nothing from Squall, not a kind word, or a friendly ear. Squall kept himself to himself, and only participated in things that interested him. Listening to Instructor Trepe talk about her personal feelings and problems was not something Squall was interested in.
'…Oh really?' Squall remembered he had said.
'Is that all you can say?' Quistis had asked him.
'If that's how it was decided, you have to abide by it.'
'They told me that I failed as an instructor. Basically, that I lacked leadership qualities.' And there was me thinking that I could possibly persuade Instructor Trepe to take my place… Squall thought. 'I was a SeeD by the age of 15, got my instructor license at 17… It's only been a year since I got it… I wonder where I went wrong… I did my best… Are you listening?'
'Are you done yet…?' It had been a year ago that Squall forgot whether he meant to be rude or not. 'I don't want to talk about it. What am I supposed to say about other people's problems?'
'I'm not asking you to say anything. I just want you to listen.' She had said to him when Squall had patently decided to shut himself up and pay no attention to what she was saying; that night in the Training Arena.
'Then go talk to a wall.' Was his reply. Thinking about it now, Squall found that he was none too pleased with his behaviour.
Xu and Nida was another thing. These were SeeDs that Squall was sure, coveted his position as commander and the tight circle of friends that they had not been granted access to.
"Commander Squall," to this the dark headed boy winced. He disliked being called by such a title. "We've followed protocol and assembled everybody here," Xu informed stating the all too obvious.
Squall nodded, cocked his head to one side and gave each of the two SeeDs in front of him another hard long look. They responded by shifting uneasily and giving each other more side-glances. They had a feeling of what was going to follow. Nida cleared his throat.
"Any problems whilst in our absence. Any difficulties, attacks encountered?" Squall asked fixing his blue stare at Nida.
"None what so ever," the other young man replied without hesitation - his face remained neutral.
To this reply, Squall frowned. "As I seem to recall, Headmaster Cid informed me of a disturbance within Garden fifteen, perhaps twenty minutes prior to our arrival at Balamb. Would you be suggesting that the Headmaster is lying? Instructor Trepe will second what I say. She was present with me upon my debriefing with the Headmaster." Nida remained silent. "Well?" Squall prompted.
"We handled the monsters just fine!" Xu flared as if Squall had spoken and had suggested that they were incapable of handling things within Garden in his absence.
"Monsters?" Now Squall really did frown. Headmaster Cid had not mentioned about monsters except for a 'disturbance'. On Xu and Nida's advice, Cid had been instructed to stay inside his office and to remain there until he was given the 'all clear' signal from them - which he hadn't. Cid stayed inside his office on the top most floor of Balamb Garden and there he waited, while, down below SeeDs (with Xu and Nida leading the way), juniors and seniors fought a herd of monsters from the near by forests. "What monsters?"
"Balamb Garden was attacked by an onslaught of monsters - low levelled monsters. They were eliminated with ease." Xu said, meeting Squall's gaze without being fazed by his crystal blue eyes.
"I never said that you are incompetent to handle such situations as this," Squall said quietly. He knew what was going through their minds.
"You didn't? But you're tone of voice definitely suggested so." Nida said.
"Then why didn't you inform me of the attack?" Squall asked.
"There was no time. Assembling all the students, faculty-" Xu started.
"There's always time," Squall argued rather too forcefully. "It's standard protocol to-" now it was Squall's turn to be cut off. A touch on his shoulder broke him off. He glanced behind him to see Quistis and the rest looking at him with concern - Seifer watching the scene with silent amusement.
"Squall? Take it easy," Quistis said gently.
What's wrong with me? What am I doing, throwing my weight around... this is all Ultimecia's fault. Rinoa... I'm gonna...
"Y'know, we've got an even bigger monster to fight," Seifer reminded them all. "I say someone's got the case of the Green-eyed monster,"
"Say what?! You making sense?" Zell said, whipping his head round and looking at the boy in the long trench coat.
"I make more sense than you ever will, chicken wuss," Seifer drawled.
"Ooh, he's takin' the piss chicken- uh, I mean, Zell," Irvine said grinning.
Zell flashed an irritated glare at the cowboy and narrowed his blue eyes at the blond boy who stared back at him defiantly, daring him to start a fight. "Ah, forget it!" Zell said. He wanted to reserve his energy and fighting skills for real bad asses.
"Jealous?!" Selphie exclaimed as if the word was not something that she used very much. "Xu and Nida jealous?!"
"You got it," Seifer agreed with conviction. "And they know it," he lifted his gun blade and pointed it in the direction of the two SeeDs in uniform.
"D-don't be ridiculous!!" Nida sputtered.
"Oh come off it, it's as obvious as the blade on a Mesmerize," Seifer scorned.
The elder girl in pink sighed inwardly and rolled her eyes at Seifer's oh so tactful way of resolving matters. "This is little childish don't you think, Xu?" Quistis said to the other girl turning to a different method other than provoking them.
"No," came the blunt reply. "I understand how Nida feels. I empathise and sympathise with him, because like him, I go unnoticed. Our efforts and contributions to Balamb Garden go unnoticed."
"They certainly do not go unnoticed," Quistis argued. "To think that would be plain silly on your behalf, not to mention ungrateful."
"Ungrateful?" Nida echoed. "What exactly can we be grateful for? It's ok for you to say that, you're all SeeDs-"
"Yeah, 'cept me," Seifer butted in.
"-We're SeeDs too," Nida went on without paying much attention to the older blond boy. "Still we don't get the same recognition as you do. We weren't involved in defeating Ultimecia, were we?"
"But you were involved in assembling and helping Balamb Garden to prepare for the Galbadian attack and the Galbadian Army." Quistis argued. "Who was the one who flew and controlled Balamb Garden when it was found to have the ability to fly?" she aimed this question at Nida who remained silent whilst she went on. "Your assistance was of tremendous help and it definitely did not go unnoticed. Granted you were not involved in any of the major battles, but gaining recognition that way is sometimes not always the best - it shows courage and bravery, yes. What you showed was more than that. You showed team spirit and a genuine concern for the welfare of all, and the fate of our Garden. That sort of thing speaks greater volumes than anything thing, and I'm sure, even certain that Headmaster Cid is extremely grateful to you. All of you. Already junior students look up to you. That's something you ought to be proud of."
A solitary clap was heard after Quistis' speech. All eyes lifted to see Seifer put down his gloved hands by his side. Quistis raised a questioning eyebrow at the boy. Was there contempt in that clap of his? And was he smirking?
"We sooo do not have time for this," Zell said, clenching his hands into fist. "We can sort out the Green-eyed monster later. Right now, we've got a more important monster to fight."
Nida still remained unhappy. Xu was the one who spoke for the both of them. Inside she felt touched by what Instructor Trepe had said. From her heart, she thanked the older girl. "I agree," she said all business now. "As petty as it may seem, our problems come second to the bigger threat that is at hand."
"We'd better get going then," what else could Squall say? He had never found himself in a situation where he had to sort out a personal conflict between SeeDs and himself. Never had a cause arisen before… only because he never allowed himself to become too attached, too involved in things that did not concern him.
Now it did concern him. At times like this, Squall's expertise as a fighter and a SeeD were called for - that was when the problems began, the inner conflicts started. It wasn't his fault he was good at what he did. It was as if he was being blamed for being born… The all too familiar question of 'why me?' came to mind and Squall shook his head to himself and sighed inwardly. Take it and deal with it.
Squall turned to go. Why did he feel awkward? Because I'm not suited for this job, he supplied to himself. I'm not a leader sort of person-
"Hey," Squall turned and glanced up. Nida had spoken. "If you need help, holler."
The dark head of Squall nodded and smiled faintly.
"Heeey!!!" Selphie exclaimed suddenly. More bad news? "What about Doctor Odine?"
"Oh yeah!!" Zell remembered. "Yikes, he's still in the Ragnarok-"
All it took was a speaking glance to the other two SeeDs to know that they were willing to sort the minor problem of keeping an eye on the doctor.
"Leave it us," Xu said, clasping her hands together. "Better hurry,"
Behind his crystal blue eyes, Squall sent an expression of gratitude, interpreted correctly for Xu and Nida urged them to the basement floor where Ultimecia awaited. His gratitude did not go unseen, and neither did one of his rare smiles…

The short journey to the basement floor via the elevator was a quiet one. All of their faces were solemn yet apprehensive. None of them were certain as to what they were going to expect. When they had fought Ultimecia's minions at her castle, and then Ultimecia and her own GF, Griever, the band of five SeeDs thought they had seen everything there was to see if all that was evil in the world. What were they to expect this time round?
Their own GFs were not really going to be of use to them now. Not in this up and coming battle. They knew from experience. True Ultimecia's Hell Judgement attack had the ability to reduce everyone's hit points to a mere one. Best counter attacked by a swift dose of Curaga, the none-fighting ability Recover, Regan, or Quistis' extremely useful Blue Magic: Mighty Guard that cast Protect, Shell, Haste and Float on all the three combatants. And then of course there were her other just as deadly attacks: Ultima, Flare and Meteor. Edea, Rinoa and Ultimecia: three sorceresses all riddled into one was sure to produce a devastating attack onto them. All they had to do now was confront them and find out...
Squall creased his brow, setting his lips into a taught straight line, his hand resting on the butt of his gun blade, every muscle in his body tense and poised for battle. Whatever happened, he had to make sure he kept his mind focused, and not allow himself to be swept away with emotion, not to be consumed by his feelings for Rinoa once he saw her.
<Be strong> a voice in his mind told him. He looked up sharply, glancing at each of the others to see who had spoken. Nobody else raised their gaze to meet his, individually they were all preoccupied with their own thoughts to pay heed to Squall's questioning expression. Slowly he bent his head down, gazing at the silver Griever chain that hung around his neck. <Be strong> there was that voice again. Sis? Ellone...? <Be strong Squall. Strong and brave like a lion... remain true to your heart and then you will overcome the darkness.> Yes, it had to be Ellone, his beloved Sis... They could always communicate well with each other. Thank you, Sis, Squall silently sent back. Thank you for still being there for me like everyone else. Zell, Quistis... all of you. Thank you. Rinoa... we'll get you back. We'll defeat Ultimecia and get you and Matron back. It was promise Squall hoped and prayed he could keep.

Out of pure nervousness Zell began shadow boxing. He was sure everyone felt the same. When it came to boss battles and major fights such as this one, the thought always sent his stomach churning. It wasn't that he was not confident in his battle skills, Zell knew fully well that he was very good in battles, especially when it came to being up close and personal with his fists and a face... Zell wasn't sure what the funny sensation was, maybe it was the adrenaline... no doubt Seifer's adrenaline would be pumping through his veins like crazy once he began fighting. It was odd - Seifer's face appeared almost serene... no frown, no creased brow. For one who usually relished a fight, Seifer looked strangely calm... that worried Zell - it wasn't normal.
There were so many things that annoyed him. Fishing was one - Seifer just did not have the patience to sit on his butt and wait until a fish decided to come along and be caught up on his hook - and then there was Zell's shadow boxing... Now that really got him going. Eyes cast downward, Seifer, for a while remained silent, willing himself not to succumb to his temper and open his mouth. He glanced sideways to see Quistis' face all calm and neutral. Seifer noted that she held a Red Scorpion in her gloved hands when really it should have been a Save the Queen. Guilty he stole a look at her flawless face and quickly looked away when he was caught staring. It was his fault that Quistis was not able to fight with her greatest weapon... Damn Ultimecia, Seifer bitterly thought. She's mine. She's gonna pay. We have a score to settle...
Frowning slightly, Quistis held more tightly to her Red Scorpion. It was not the best weapon, but it would have to suffice. She wondered about Seifer and smiled faintly in amusement. Why had he stared at her and then divert his gaze once she had caught him in the act? Tucking the long blond front strands of her hair behind her ears, Quistis pursed her lips thoughtfully. All that had happened, the monsters, the taking away of Ellone, Ultimecia, having to fight the sorceress all over again was a repetition of what happened a year ago. Ultimecia's arrival could not have come at a better time. At the anniversary...
I wonder what shall become of us? Quistis thought quietly, tracing a finger along the whip she held. How will life commence after Ultimecia is defeated? Back to being a SeeD? Taking on missions? No change? Not that Quistis Trepe wanted a change. Being a SeeD meant that you got to travel around the world and see different places. Some how Quistis felt she was fated to do this sort of thing. To be a mercenary, even though such a word was not a good one to use because it projected a wrong image of Garden. It was just that life for her - the past nineteen years of her life - had basically been a daily routine of following and carrying out instructions, and giving out instructions to lower years. For a young woman such as herself needed a challenge in her life which only seemed to occur whenever a new mission arose. At the moment life appeared to be a mundane task, alternating between black and white.
Indeed mercenaries they were, there was no escaping that. SeeDs got paid by the highest bidders - money was clearly an issue. Some way or other, Garden had to raise some sort of financial income and maintaining the three Gardens: Balamb, Trabia and Galbadia was not an inexpensive employment. But with missions came moral ethics. That was something that Headmaster Cid, Squall and everyone else bore into consideration. To be hired to fight was their job... come to think of it, as SeeDs they were trained for battle. When hired, no questions as to why they fought, was it for a good cause or not, were to be asked. It was not expected of them. Though it was clear that in defeating Ultimecia, in purposefully setting out to destroy the sorceress from the future, thus preventing time compression and saving the world from a devastating ending, meant that SeeDs did perhaps ascertain into something that could be deemed as right. Then came the question on who decided what was right and what was wrong.
Smiling like she usually did, Selphie rocked back and forth on the heels of her boots. Her smile daunted Irvine, who stood next to the petite form of the nunchaku wielding SeeD. Selphie's smile always seemed to reflect the sunny colour of her yellow/orange dress. In some way or other, she worried everybody. Such a sweet, innocent looking face such as hers looked so out of place in a fighting academy. All it took was battle to show that Selphie Tilmitt was not what all people envisioned her to be.
Gotta beat Ultimecia, she told herself. Defeat the sorceress and save Rinoa and Matron. She began humming.
As always, Irvine, the sharp shooter adjusted his cowboy's hat and grasped more tightly the steely glaze of his Exeter in his black, cut-off fingered gloves. A flirt though he was, Irvine could not help the way things were and he grinned at the thought. The ladies just can't resist me, he said to himself. A gift to the opposite sex.
In their own way, the boys and girls were good looking. There was a certain something each person had, and that was what made them unique - an individual. Whether it was Squall's blue eyes and dark head, Zell's boyish face and mohawkish styled hair, Irvine's charismatic smile or Seifer's dangerously rakish looks and dry humour - specific people found these attributes simply irresistible...
The waiting was over and the thinking - for now - banished. The door to the elevator opened, and the band of mercenary fighters stepped out to meet their fate...
Ultimecia was beginning to wonder when the kursed SeeDs would appear. Destroying the core members of SeeDs was one thing, killing precious time when it could be more purposefully used, was another. A small eerie smile crept onto her face - Rinoa's face - distorting the pretty features of the Forest Owl leader's face. She watched with obscure admiration at the six figures of the young teenagers emerging amidst the dark gloom of Balamb Garden's basement floor.
Fools, she thought. Damned, insolent fools!! They never did quite successfully destroy me. Foolish of them to assume that they had annihilated me so easily like that. They were satisfied with killing the physical part of me. How very wrong... My soul remains, and with this body I shall restart my reign of terror!!
It took all his self-control and inner strength not to yell out her name. Squall wished he hadn't glanced into the dark coloured eyes that used to be full of so much life and spirit, all was left now was a deep bottomless void. Rinoa… Squall's mind called in silent anguish. His mind faltered, his voice catching in his throat. He was lost for words and was speechless.
Zell and Seifer on the other hand had no problem expressing their initial thoughts.
"Damn, man…" Zell muttered, digging his gloved hands into the pockets of his long shorts.
"Shit!!!…" Seifer swore under his breath, yet not quiet enough to not escape unheard.
Quistis covered her mouth with a hand to hide the gasp, Selphie blinking rapidly in disbelief, and Irvine whistling low. This was bad.
"You looked surprised," came the voice of Rinoa, a sinister menace lurking in the tone of voice she spoke in. "You shouldn't have left them unguarded, Squall.
The young teenager absolutely started, a nerve hammering away at his jaw. He had left Rinoa and Matron unattended. He had vowed to be Rinoa's knight when she had become a sorceress. <Rinoa…… Even if you end up as the world's enemy, I'll… I'll be your knight.> He had failed her…
"Don't you dare turn into putty, Leonhart," Seifer said sharply. He could see the way his expression faltered and behind those crystal blue eyes of his. The signs were there. "Fail me now and you'll find a gunblade against your throat."
Crystal blue eyes flashed in irritation. Squall wanted to say something back, to prove that Ultimecia's power of manipulation was not getting to him - when in truth he had allowed the sorceress of the future to so. Damn you... "You're compressing no world," Squall grounded to the tall yet strikingly beautiful, in a dark and sinister way, sorceress from the future.
A reply came in the form of shrill high-pitched laugh. "Whatever you do, you will just be delaying the inevitable." Rinoa stated. "With me reigning time, and this world compressed? It is all fated to happen. Written in the stars. It is the world's destiny."
"She's got a thing with compressing our world, huh?" Irvine said, watching the sorceress with a face that clearly read that he thought she was crazy. Irvine wasn't alone in that thought. "And this destiny thing,"
"Like with all things, there are people, who have the power to change what can happen in the future," Squall replied, his voice monotonous and cool. "That's what the purpose of SeeD is. That's us."
"I admire you for your bravery, SeeDs," Ultimecia sneered. "But the brave are always the first to die."
"Correction: the losers are always the first to die. You fall beneath that category." Seifer stated smugly. Using bodies that aren't yours, that's cheap...
"Squall!!!" In that split second there, Squall saw the Rinoa he knew. Bright eyed lively Rinoa Heartilly. In the instant she had called out to him, she was forced back into the black depths, replaced by the darkness.
"Don't resist me," Ultimecia spat acidly. "You do not have the strength nor the will power to repel against me."
"Why them?" Irvine asked. "Why Rinoa and Matron. Out of all the people in the world, why did it have to be their minds and bodies you controlled?"
"It's pretty obvious, isn't it?" Zell said to the cowboy. "Use your brain, man. Edea- Matron's a sorceress and so's Rinoa. Geez, it's sooo obvious."
"Then how comes I didn't see that?" Irvine asked.
"Maybe 'cos-"
"Uh, back to the matter at hand?" Quistis suggested.
"Give it up Ultimecia," Squall said, stepping up to the sorceress. He couldn't rid his mind of Rinoa's eyes, the way that had appealed to him. Pleading him to break her free. "There's no need to get others involved. The rift you have? That's between you and SeeD- us."
Ultimecia chuckled. "Ah, you SeeDs. Despite your annoying tendencies, you are however the focal point of my amusement."
"I hate being the source of people's amusement," Seifer growled quietly. "I'm not something to be laughed at."
"There's is no need for further fighting," she continued, not hearing what Seifer had said. "Fighting wastes precious energy. All you have to do is allow time compression to occur."
"And you know we cannot allow that to happen," Quistis put in firmly.
Eyes narrowed, Rinoa's blank stare remained fixed on the pink-clad SeeD for a while. "I see you have recovered, my dear," Ultimecia commented. "You have a strong body..."
"Back off witch!" Seifer snarled, coming to stand in front Instructor Trepe - a look of pure hatred on the young rakish face. "You ain't gonna get any more puppets to mess with."
"Seifer..." the sorceress cooed. Her gaze diverted, Quistis blinked rapidly, her eyebrows creased in mild confusion. "Seifer, Seifer, Seifer. My knight,"
"Not any more," he said brandishing his weapon at her. "You've gotta be stopped. No one is safe with you around. As a spirit, you're even more deadly. In spirit form, you'll be able to take control of virtually anybody."
Ultimecia stifled a yawn. "You're mind has become exceedingly boring, my knight. I see being away from me has dampened your true spirit and dulled your imaginations."
"Being away from you has made me somewhat more sane," Seifer corrected. If that's possible, he added as an after thought under his breath. "I've got control of my mind again."
"You were confused," Ultimecia said shaking head as if in pity. "You needed guidance. I was there to guide you amidst the maddening crowd of this world. You were a lost boy in the rain. I helped you find your way. I believe you are still lost; still only a boy. You're place-"
"Shut up!!" Seifer yelled, covering his ears with his gloved hands - to stop the nonsense that Ultimecia was spuing. His gunblade fell to the floor with a clatter as he went down on his knees.
"Manipulation shall not work with us, Ultimecia," Quistis informed, the coldness of her voice reflecting the cool blue glint in her eyes.
She stopped to pick up the fallen gunblade and placed it back into the hands of Seifer who had now arisen. "You are unwilling to relent with your plans to compress a world that you know you have no right to have, and we cannot allow that to happen. You are to be eliminated."
Rudely the sorceress stifled another yawn - a bored yawn. Ultimecia turned away from the instructor, paying her attentions to Squall who stood watching her every move, a mixture of hate, anger and resentment on his face. "Such a handsome young man," she murmured.
"Quit playing games, Ultimecia," Squall grated in half annoyance. The deep void of those eyes were drawing him in… he couldn't tear them away…
"Yoo-hoo, Squall?" Selphie said worriedly, noting the transfixed expression he wore on his face. It was the same look Squall usually had when he went and drifted off into his own world where nobody was able to reach and he was alone with his thoughts. She waved frantically in front of his face to catch his attention.
"Yo, Squall, man! Snap out of it!!" Zell said, snapping his fingers at him.
"Evil bitch," Seifer muttered, unsteady on his feet. He directed a mild Fira spell crookedly in Ultimecia's direction. The aim was to break the contact - the enchantment she held Squall in. The move worked and at the same time it managed to aggravate the sorceress enough to counter the magic move with one of her own. In her temper, the three sorceresses' combined, hurled an Ultima spell at the trench-coat-wearing boy.
Nimbly, though it was a little of a close shave, Seifer dived away; winding himself in the process yet unharmed. Meanwhile, Squall swiftly recovered from the hypnotic stare, Ultimecia had held him in. Inside, Squall silently grilled himself for being led astray so easily when he knew of the capabilities Ultimecia had. Good one Leonhart. Let Ultimecia play at your weakness why don't you?!
The Ultima spell that was meant for Seifer flew and exploded harmlessly once it contacted with the floor, bursting into an immense clouded mass of green. Whoa, that was close, he thought, appreciating the fact that he had narrowly escaped being caught in the Ultima spell and preventing himself from being completely obliterated.
"You heard Instructor Trepe!" Zell shouted at the sorceress. "No compressing or messin' with people's minds. We don't need your agro, so give up now."
"What? Surrender so easily to beings less superior than me? What an embarrassment that is, to myself most of all! And not to depart without a fight?"
"Fight?! You wanna fight?! You got one!!" Zell said, coming forward and balling his fists.
Selphie came forward and yanked the martial arts expert back, whispering fiercely in his ear. "What about Rinoa and Matron? They're in there too, Zell!"
"Oh yeah," Zell agreed, retracting his fists.
"How shall you figure that one out?" Ultimecia inquired a look of curiosity on her face as she spoke. "I am sure would not like to damage such a precious treasure."
We can't fight Ultimecia and not inflict damage on Rinoa and Matron… We have to somehow separate the three, then we can focus our attacks the sorceress we. Exactly how do we go about doing that? Squall questioned himself.
"No time to dawdle, Squall," Seifer warned, clutching the butt of his gunblade more firmly in his grasp, yet frowned at himself in hearing him call puberty boy by his first name.
"We have to stop and think first-" Squall objected.
"Stop and think?! That takes time and time takes too much time." Seifer argued, adding to himself in a slightly befuddled look. "Does that even make sense?!"
"Remember who's in there," Irvine said pointedly.
"No need to tell me twice, cowboy, I can see it!" Seifer snapped. Irvine had spoken in a way that suggested that he was simply plunging into battle without thinking of the consequences first - which was partly true… He hastily apologised for his rudeness.
"So what are we gonna do?" Selphie asked.
That's a good question, Squall thought. I wouldn't mind knowing the answer to that question myself…
"Squall?" Selphie said, looking up expectantly at him.
With a frustrated sigh, Squall ran a hand through his hair, dishevelling it. Despite being the youngest out of the whole group of teenagers, Squall at that time looked considerably older than he really was. "This sounds kinda bad, especially as commander: I don't know." I honestly don't know.
"What-" Seifer began, a grin playing about his face - mockery waiting to be said.
"That's enough, Seifer," Quistis warned meaningfully. "Now is not the time."
"This is serious man!!" Zell joined in angrily.
"Let's not start, shall we?" Seifer advised. "We've got more serious things to handle, huh?"
"I'm stumped," Irvine announced, fixing his hat more firmly onto his head. "Don't know what we're going to do."
"This seems impossible to figure out," Selphie said, looking lost. "How are we meant to get to Ultimecia without doing damage to Rinoa and Matron?!"
"Let's go," Squall suddenly announced that nobody fully registered what he had said until they took notice of him entering the elevator. "I'm going back upstairs," he said pressing the first floor button.
"Hey, wait up, man!" Zell called after him. "We've got to-"
A brief glance in Ultimecia's direction who returned his gaze with the darkness within those eyes of her. "She's not going to go anywhere." He said.
"You sure?" Selphie said uncertainly, slowly approaching the elevator whilst glancing doubtfully at Ultimecia.
"She's not going to go anywhere," Squall repeated again then spoke in a quieter voice. "To succeed in her plans, she needs us out of the way. You saw how she manipulated me, manipulated Seifer. She still wants her bit of fun."
"And where might you be going?" Ultimecia inquired, their departure piquing her interest. "Not going to fight me?"
"We have to consider a few factors before we can begin battling you." Squall answered, arms folded across his chest. "You've held two people hostage. We have to figure out a way to get to you without harming them."
"Why am I being told this?" Ultimecia asked. "Wouldn't that be like showing your cards to the opponent? I shall now know what to expect and what your intentions are."
"That's good," Squall said.
"It is?" Zell asked Instructor Trepe who didn't seem to understand what Squall was trying to achieve.
"You'll know what to expect, that's good," Squall went on.
"Oh, why's that?" she said a curious look on her face.
"Because we're SeeDs. SeeDs are the best fighters that Garden has to offer. Don't expect no mercy from us. So prepare to admit defeat."
"Hey Squall, wait up!!" Selphie piped, running after the boy who was striding out of the lift. "So, do you have an idea?" she asked him eagerly, the six of them exiting the lift and coming to stand in front of the Directory.
The short answer is... no, Squall thought and would have wanted to say. Instead he said, "Not yet," he said slowly and uncertainly.
"But you'll think of something, right?" Irvine said.
"If anyone else has any idea, feel free to mention them," Squall said some what miffed that because he was Commander it automatically meant that he did all the thinking. "I'm sure we'll get somewhere faster if we all think."
"Can't think on an empty stomach," Zell was heard to mumble. The solution to fulfilling his empty stomach... lay in the direction of the Cafeteria.
Seifer threw a look of disgust at Zell and muttered something under his breath. Is hotdogs all he can think about!? "I say we should've taken her on there and then," Seifer spoke up. "If any problems came up we could have improvised."
"We can't just go and face her, throwing reckless spells, Guardian Forces and out own physical attacks. It would surely kill them." Squall said, the strain in his face and eyes reflected the hardship he was coming to terms with to find a solution.
"Aren't you being a little lax? Remember Squall, although Ultimecia is not in her rightful body, she is however just as deadly in terms of Magic." Quistis said, recalling the Hell Judgement attacks Ultimecia used quite frequently when they had fought her. The attack reduced everyone's hit points to one. A problem if people did not counter the attack swiftly enough. "Squall, I know it must be hard for you, what with Rinoa and everything... there's Matron too of course, but I don't think we can afford to be lenient on this occasion. Ultimecia has the power to destroy as all in one quick attack. Yes, we should take precautions and be careful with what we attack them with-"
Don't you think I'm doing all I possibly can to try and save Rinoa and Matron. It's not easy when you have the weight of the world on your shoulders and you carry the fate of two important people in your life, in your hands. It isn't easy. Sometimes, it's hard... "Like I said before, Ultimecia is no threat to us yet. She cannot proceed in her plans to compress the world until she has the satisfaction in removing us form the equation. And she needs Odine because he has Ellone's extracted powers. We have him, so for now Ultimecia's stumped." he patiently explained.
"But we need to sepa-"
Would you be satisfied if I broke down in front of you?! Squall thought angrily. I've gotta suppress some of my feelings and retain some of my dignity.
"It wouldn't be so hard if only I knew of a way to separate the three of them, even is it's only for a short while, so that we can at least have more focus in destroying Ultimecia." Squall said, showing his frustration by stabbing the end of his gunblade into the marble floor within Balamb Garden.
Squall knew it wasn't like him to lash out at friends, in particular Instructor Trepe. It was there though. It was at the tip of his tongue to say what was going on hid mind, but he held back. Sometimes, people wanted to get a little too close and personal with him. With some people he could do that. Not even Rinoa knew the real Squall Leonhart, the person behind the crystal blue eyes - the true person beneath the SeeD, the fighter who held a gunblade.
For a moment Squall thought he was a kid again, surrounded by his friends and Matron at the Orphanage. He could hear the gentle rumble of the waves tumbling and lolling back and forth on the beach. To his right, the tall structure of the lighthouse was clearly visible against the sharp blue sky...
"We've lost him again," Seifer drawled.
"Earth to Squall, come in Squall!!" Selphie hollered, jumping up and down and waving her arms wildly in front of him. "You've gotta stop doing that," she told him, wagging her finger like a mother to her child when she/he had done something bad. "Let us come into your own world too!"
Everybody eyed Squall warily, and at each other. Maybe they should have settled with Squall's usual introverted and quiet thinking. Each of them knew exactly how deadly Squall could be in battle. No one ever wanted to be in the receiving end of his Renzokuken Limit attack especially if it meant finishing off with a Lion Heart...
"Uh, Squall?" Zell said cautiously. "You wanna be left alone?"
"Yeah," Squall muttered, brushing past Selphie and not noticing her look of worry and hurt in usually sunny face. Irvine came up behind her and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I'll be down in Balamb for a while if anyone wants to find me." he informed as he departed. Not that anybody wanted to disturb him. It was evident he did not want to be disturbed and nobody was going to argue with that.
Long after he had left the remaining five of them still stood in front of the Directory after a good ten minutes silence. Selphie stirred a restless foot on the floor and peeked at each of her friends to check on how they were taking things in. Zell stuffed his hands into the pockets of his long blue shorts and caught Selphie's worried open face. He gave her a lop-sided smile of encouragement. She returned the smile and felt slightly better afterwards. Without realising, Quistis had found that Seifer had moved slightly closer to her and wore a frown. She frowned herself, her concern for Squall becoming evident because Seifer was speaking to her.
"You shouldn't frown," he said quietly to her.
"Why's that?" she did not bother facing him because she wasn't sure if she would be able to hold his gaze of cold blue steel...
"It doesn't suite your pretty face,"
"A compliment, Seifer?" Quistis said lightly to cover her embarrassment. Many male students admired Quistis for her beauty as well as being an apt teacher. Somehow, compliments coming from Seifer meant a great deal more. Could there possibly be... "I find that hard to take in seeing as all you can manage is nothing but childish name-calling, notably Zell and less so, Squall." She made a move towards Selphie. Seifer restrained her from doing so by firmly taking her by the arm.
"I only said it doesn't suite your pretty face, because it's the truth," he said honestly, a lazy smile forming. "As for name-calling, did anyone ever try asking me to stop?"
"No! Because nobody thought anyone could ever get to you!" Quistis said fiercely, jerking her arm away from his grasp.
"You've still to try..." he said, his voice a whisper by her ear. Quistis froze on the spot, whirled round and said nothing. Her eyes said it all.
Purposefully she jerked her arm back and stuck up a conversation with Selphie who was examining the Directory even though she knew the structure of Balamb Garden and where everything was located, inside out.
"Selphie..." Seifer did not bother to listen to the rest, settling with a smile to himself. He saw Zell watching him with mild curiosity, and smiled even further. The broadened smile did not please Zell who sidled up to Irvine whilst sending furtive glances in Seifer's direction as he spoke to the sharpshooter.
With Ultimecia temporarily banished from his mind, Seifer was at a lost. Then he remembered something and headed left from the Directory and to the Quad. He heard Irvine calling him.
"Hey, where you going?"
"I'm gonna go look for Raijin and Fujin," Seifer replied, not turning back as he disappeared into the Quad.
"Oh man! I just realised!!" Zell said, a petulant expression on his youthful face. "The Cafeteria..." "'...Is closed..."'
"We can't be thinking about food, now, Zell!" Selphie exclaimed to him. "We gotta come up with a plan like Squall said."
"Awe, but I'm hungry!!" Zell whined.
"When are you never hungry?" Irvine wanted to know.
"Not me," Zell said raising his hands in innocence. "It's my stomach. Being a SeeD requires energy. When the stomach demands, I gotta deliver."
Quistis sighed, shrugged her slim shoulders and rolled her eyes skywards. "Until Squall says so, and until we come up with a plan, there is very little we can do. Shall we go to Balamb and stop over at the cafe there? We have to make sure we stay out of Squall's way. I'm sure he'd appreciate the privacy and the time to be on his own.," she said. "Perhaps you could go and visit your mother too, Zell. You haven't paid her a visit for a while now." Quistis suggested to him.
"Yeah, I need to go and say hi to Ma. Maybe she'll have some hotdogs... All right! Let's go!" Zell enthused, setting off towards the exit.
"Selphie, Irvine? Coming?" Quistis asked following Zell.
"Yay! I wanna go try that yummy cake they have with loadsa cream and a cherry on top!!" Selphie said beaming with excitement and skipping to where Zell was standing and waiting impatiently.
Irvine stretched, lacing his hands together and bending backwards to loosen his muscles. "Ahh, what the heck!" he said grinning, threading his arms with Quistis' like they were a couple. Instructor Trepe, however, was not impressed. Her face spoke great volumes.
"What about Seifer?" Selphie asked, noticing the short number of people.
"F'get him," Zell said, urging them all down the steps and towards the barriers.
"But what if he wants to come!" Selphie protested holding her ground.
"For Ifrit's sake!!" Zell said loudly in exasperated tones. "He's gone to find Raijin and Fujin. If he wanted to come he would've stuck with us."
"Good point," Irvine agreed.
"Look, there he is now!" Selphie said, pointing at the tall figure donned in the grey trench coat. "Seifer!!" she shouted, motioning him to come towards them. "We're gonna go down to Balamb. Wanna come with us?"
By his reckoning and judging by the way Quistis was sending him a speaking look, unwelcome in his eyes and Zell's sour expression, a mischievous smile crept onto his lips. He waved cheerily back at Selphie, "Ok," he called back, making sure he avoided the murderous look coming from Quistis.
Patience running low, Zell took the lead of the five-person party and strode eagerly out of the grounds of Balamb Garden and onto the open road that led directly to the town of Balamb. "Hey, keep to the road, ok?" he said to them. "I don't wanna waste time fighting a low levelled Caterchipillar."
"Yeah whatever," Irvine returned, gesturing to the martial artist in a shooing motion. He walked beside Selphie in a slightly slower pace than Zell, who was practically striding. Selphie began humming again, her green eyes twinkling with happiness and a smile to match. Nothing ever seemed to get the Trabia Garden girl down, not even from a sorceress from the future. That left Quistis and Seifer to bring up the rear.
Whether now was the time to be discussing about 'them', Seifer was wholly was not sure. Quistis on the other hand preferred their little 'game' be held after they had finished with Ultimecia. It was n good to be bombarded with so many thoughts and problems. It was easy to drown in them. Seifer on the other hand did not take this into consideration and decided to try and bring up the topic to see if Instructor Trepe would comply.
"We need to sort this out," he said to her, without meeting her eyes. Quistis' face opened in surprise. She gave a short laugh. Seifer turned and looked down at her with an eyebrow raised. "We?" she said.
"Yes, we," he said, adding emphasis to the 'we'. "We've gotta stop playing this game and set the record straight."
"Game?" Quistis echoed.
"Are you saying you want something serious outta me?" Seifer said, irritated that Quistis would be messing around like this.
"No, I didn't mean that," Quistis said. "I'm wondering what game you're talking about."
"The game that you keep on playing with me," this followed another short laugh from the girl. She was being silly by feigning ignorance - for a young woman like Quistis, it was foolish of her pretending to be stupid. That was something she was not.
"I still don't know what you're talking abou-" Quistis said gasping softly when she took her by the arm, halting her step. The other three continued walking up the road oblivious to the fact that Seifer and Instructor Trepe no longer followed them.
"Quit messing around, Quistis," Seifer said, his hand still around her arm.
How many times has he put his hand around my arm? She wondered. She had the urge to shrug his hold off. She didn't have to respond to him. He couldn't make her. "Honestly, I don't know what you're talking about." she persisted. Why she continued to do so, she was not sure.
"This game you keep playing with me," he repeated.
"It was you who started all this," Instructor Trepe was quick to point the blame away from her. There was no point procrastinating. It was best to get everything out in the open and have it sorted out.
"How do you figure that one out?" Seifer asked. He obviously did not agree with her on getting the blame.
"You made a mistake. You stayed behind back at the research facility," Quistis reminded him. "And you saved my life," she added.
Seifer sighed inwardly. Not this again. "Would you rather I had left you behind? Leave you to be blown pieces? Can't you find a better excuse, Instructor? Really, the one you have is so lame." Now the blond boy was confused. He could not understand this girl he was standing with. Here she was, playing games with his heart and feelings, pretending that she didn't know what he was banging on about, and blaming him for saving her life?! Seifer shook his head and sighed to himself again. There's women for you, Almasy, he mentally told himself. More complicated than the physics behind Time Compression. "Well?"
"So I'm meant to take the blame?!" Quistis said waspishly.
"Why does someone have to take the blame for? The blame for what?" Seifer demanded. He didn't know how long this charade would go on but it had to stop soon because patience was not a strong point for the tall blond boy. "This isn't about taking the blame for anything."
"Can you let go of me?" she said curtly, glaring up at him and prying his fingers off her arm that had stayed there a little too long.
"Please," he prompted, his blue eyes laughing at her. He had that smirk on his face again.
"Don't push your luck," she warned, giving up on removing his hand and standing very still.
"Oh, I dunno," Seifer said, his voice adopting a thoughtful tone. "Stretching your luck could lead to somewhere." He raised both eyebrows in a suggestive manner.
"You see!" the unexpected outburst from the 5' 6" strawberry blond haired girl took Seifer aback and in his surprise he released his hold on her.
"What?" he asked.
Quistis blinked furiously up at him. Now who was the one feigning ignorance?! "You're the one who's playing games. I'm not the one who makes suggestive comments it's you. You keep on making these moves on me, and, and... Don't say I'm flattering myself, Seifer Almasy, because I'm not!" She went and stood directly in front of him and jabbed a finger at his chest to punctuate every word she said. She wasn't just angry - she was absolutely livid!
This time he placed a finger against her lips to quieten her. "Sssh. You're becoming hysterical." He said in an odd gentle voice.
Somehow this seemed to calm her down. She took a shaky breath and exhaled slowly, letting all the anger and frustration flow out of her. Quistis began walking again - large determined strides, away from his voice - away from him. Seifer called out to her by her name, she ignored it, even when she had entered Balamb Town she ignored Seifer's requests to slow down and listen to him.

"It's love," Irvine stated with an unambiguous certainty.
"Love?! Pu-lease, Seifer love anybody? Yeah, right!" Zell said unconvinced.
"Oh believe me," Irvine said nodding his head. "I know these things. The chemistry is there."
"Pu-lease..."
"I agree with Irvine," Selphie said nodding also. "Remember there was something going on with Seifer and Rinoa? I don't see why there can't be something between Instructor Trepe and him. I think they make a cute couple. Instructor Trepe would be great for Seifer, she'll keep him under control."
"Now you mention it, yeah I think there's something going on between them, too. Man, how many times did I see them trying to get it on! Once was in the elevator in Balamb Garden and another was in the Ragnorak. They didn't actually get to, uh, get any closer than two inches, 'cos I uh..."
"You what?" Selphie and Irvine both asked with interested looks on their faces.
"Aahhh, Zell you peeping-" Irvine said and laughed at Zell's red face.
"What?! I didn't do it deliberately!!" Zell declared.
"Sure you didn't," Irvine derided, unable to stop his shaking shoulders.
"I didn't!" he insisted. "The elevator just opened and there they were. Squall was with me; he can back me up! And, and the second time I had to go deliver a message to Instructor Trepe."
"Oh sure. You had to be the one to deliver the message," Irvine was enjoying seeing Zell squirm.
"Hey, Selphie was at the pilot seat. And it wasn't as if you were gonna budge from your place next to her." Zell argued heatedly. "They should've locked the door if they wanted to get up close and personal."
The door to the Dincht's residence opened and in stepped Quistis. She did not come straight into the next room where Zell, Selphie and Irvine sat discussing about her and Seifer. Showing politeness and courtesy in being a guest at someone else's home, Quistis briefly spoke to Mrs. Dincht who was in the kitchen busily washing dishes and cooking at the same time. The older woman chatted amiably with her and questioned Quistis on Zell's behaviour at Balamb Garden.
"He's... behaving himself," Quistis said smiling at the number of times Zell and Seifer had been close in engaging battle and the arguing between the two. Seifer?! That was the last person she wanted to be thinking of! Quistis left Mrs. Dincht to attend her business and joined the others at the back of the house.
Upon her entrance, the back room of the Dincht's home where Zell, Selphie and Irvine lounged fell to a hushed silence. Quistis studied them all suspiciously, her blue eyes gleaming with curiosity on what or whom they had been discussing before her arrival. Selphie flashed a guilty smile and waved enthusiastically. Irvine adjusted his hat to hide his face. Zell gave a nervous laugh saying, "S'up Instructor Trepe?"
"Considering the conscience-stricken masks that you are all wearing, it's my guess that you have something to hide. From me?" Quistis asked, looking at them in turn with an expectant face. "Well?"
"H-Hide?" Zell stammered. "What makes you say that?"
"Your scared expression. It resembles that of a hunted animal, Zell." Quistis replied. She folded her arms and turned to Selphie.
She folded her arms, Selphie noted guiltily. That means she's serious. "N-Nothing, Quistis!" she squeaked. The auburn headed girl attempted to persist and pulled a long face when the older girl contorted her face to one that clearly indicated that she didn't believe her.
"Irvine?"
"Instructor Trepe," the sharpshooter began removing his cowboy hat and placing it against his chest around the region of his heart. He gave a solemn look and proceeded with his smooth talk, unfazed by the quirk in Quistis' rose coloured lips. "Unlike them," a small incline of his brown head to specify Zell and Selphie who sat on the floor while he preferred a standing leaning-against-the-wall casual stance. "I do not talk behind the back of my favourite-"
Quistis Trepe held up a gloved hand signalling the student originally from the Galbadia Garden to halt his tirade of sucking up to her. "Flattery will not get you anywhere, Irvine." she told him gravely.
"You sure?" Irvine asked replacing his hat back on top of his head. "It worked with the blon-"
"Flattery will not get you anywhere with me," Quistis clarified. From the corner of her eye she good see Zell and Selphie stifling their laughs which were only evident through the uncontrollable shaking of their shoulders. Quistis smiled slightly herself.
"Where did he go?" Zell asked when he was done with laughing.
"'He'?" Quistis said puzzled.
"Don't make me say his name," Zell implored. "Y'know, S.A. He was with you when we walking down to Balamb, wasn't he?"
Oh him. Quistis thought somewhat sourly. "I don't know. I went one way, and he went another."
"Aaahh," the three said in unison winking at each other as they said this. The wink did not go unnoticed.
The blond girl creased her brow together to form a frown. "What's that meant to mean?" she demanded.
"Nuthin'," Zell replied grinning to himself.
"It doesn't seem like 'nothing' to me," Quistis informed. "Why do you want to know where Seifer is, anyway?"
"Oh, nothing," Selphie said smiling gaily.
Irritated, the instructor was heard to say a small 'hmph!' then leaving the room to talk to Mrs. Dincht before leaving without an explanation or where she would be heading.
"Wonder where she's going?" Irvine inquired thoughtfully to the two on the floor.
"Maybe she's gonna go look for Seifer," Zell suggested wickedly - a broad grin etched on his face.

He didn't know where Instructor Trepe had disappeared. Seifer had been calling her name, telling her to stop walking but she hadn't listen to him. Guess it's only fair since I don't seem to listen to anyone else, Seifer reasoned to himself. Even when they had entered Balamb, up to the point of the garage where you could rent a car, he had been calling her. Asking her, in what he thought was a very polite way, to wait for him to catch up so that he could explain, to some how sort out this mess he had managed to get himself caught up in.
But no. Not even 'please' would work. He couldn't grab her by the arm, to demand her to listen to him. Unless he wanted another slap on the face - the possibility was there - he did not want to risk such a thing. All he could do was watch her striding down the cobbled path leading to the heart of the seaport town - watch the anger she felt with every step she took until she disappeared from his sight. He did not go after her. There was no point if Quistis refused to hear him out. It was better to let her cool off before trying to approach her again.
Passing the Balamb hotel, walking down the spiral path that led to the harbour, Seifer surveyed the breathtaking view of the sea and inhaling the salty sea air. Balamb had not changed since he last remembered entering the town. The vast stretch of water seemed to calm him. He travelled the short journey to the harbour in the hope that his mind would become somewhat more clearer because right now too many thoughts, feelings and emotions swarmed inside his head that he felt an ensuing headache coming.
One thing that Seifer did not - had not - expected to find down at the harbour, was a sombre looking Squall standing at the end of the pier gazing outwards into the endless blue. Arms resting on the barrier, Squall lowered his chin onto his arms and stared at his reflection in the water. What stared back at him was a boy, a young boy who wore the face of one who was extremely scared. Squall was frightened. Although his shadowy expression didn't reveal much beneath the disguise that he wore, Squall was feeling intense anxiety leading to the point where he was completely helpless.
All the training he had endured since arriving at Garden, all the education and background information he had been taught that was to prepare him for life as a SeeD, did very little to help him with his current problem. Squall was powerless. What use was a gunblade to him when he couldn't fight personal demons that tormented his very thoughts, played with his heart and tortured his soul? That kind of feeling hurt him more than any kind of physical wound. What am I going to do? Rinoa... GOD!!!!! Somebody help me find an answer. I don't want to lose her. I was close. I nearly did lose her I don't want to. I need you Rinoa... We- I-. clenching one hand into a fist, Squall could feel the tears about to spill over the dam, he was on the brink of breaking down...
The sound of approaching footsteps alerted the dark headed boy to his senses. Hastily, Squall rapidly blinked his eyes to rid himself of the tears that threatened to fall. The last thing Squall wanted was Seifer taunting him. If the older blond boy was not careful, things could get nasty and result in using weapons...
"I thought I made it clear I wanted to be left alone?" Squall said not hiding the sharpness in his voice.
Seifer was not deterred by the all too non-subtle hint. He motioned for the other boy to budge up to make room for him. Atypically, Squall complied. Maybe it was the fear of succumbing to his inner most feelings. Left to his own devices, Squall feared that he might lose all dignity and composure that was required as a SeeD. Having Seifer for company would keep him on edge and might even snap him out of his ridiculous misery. He was meant to think positively! SeeDs were trained to ultimately defeat the sorceress when the time came. That meant... We have to kill Rinoa and Matron... That can't be the way things end... Angry with himself for being pitifully weak-hearted, Squall tightened his fist until it hurt. The good guys always won. Didn't they?
Screams and shouts pierced the normally peaceful town by the sea, rising and swelling to reach the sky that was, moments before totally devoid of cloud. Now the sky was coated sparsely with thick dark masses, prophetically signalling the coming of trouble.
Simultaneously Squall and Seifer jerked their heads towards the sound of the screams and shouts, which had, before then been bent low in deep contemplation. They both frowned at the alarm within those cries of fear and terror taking hasty steps forward.
"Look!!" Seifer said pointing a finger at the distance, a look of amazement and concern on his face.
Navigating his sight to where Seifer directed him to look, Squall gasped his eyes widening in monumental fear. The sky... He jolted into action and hurried out of the harbour. "Come on!!" he yelled to Seifer. "That's where Balamb Garden is!!"