-1 The price you pay
prologue
They Had won, they had beaten Ultimecia! The children of fate had accomplished what few thought possible. They were back at the orphanage Zell, Quistis, Selphie, Irvine and Rinoa. But the victory had come at a price and as they stood there they all wondered if the price was they paid was just too high.
A FEW HOURS EARLIER.
Zell woke up first "we did it! we beat the bitch!" he said as he looked around for his friends. They were there but they were still out cold.
He tried to wake them but soon realised that they would have to come around themselves so he waited. Finally they started to awake.
He was relieved that they were waking but he was sad because soon they would realize what he already knew. One of them wasn't there, one of them hadn't come back and things wouldn't be the same. They called him Commander but he was more than that he was their strength, their lion, their friend.
She would take it the hardest he knew but it would hurt them all.
One by one the others woke and Zell had to tell them the horrible truth, that he was gone. Quistis stood there stunned unable to believe the words she was hearing "gone, gone he can't be gone" she exclaimed.
Selphie just cried and Irvine seeing this went to her "it cant be true irvy she cried tell me it's not true" Irvine didn't no what to say and just held her.
Rinoa had screamed "Squall, Squall you promised" before collapsing to the ground.
The four friends rushed to her forgetting their own feelings for a moment as they tried to comfort her as best they could. But it was no use the only one who could comfort her was gone and nothing they could say or do would bring him back.
They sat there for hours trying to come to terms with all that had happened they had won or so it seemed. Time compression hadn't started the Sorceress was defeated and yet none of them would consider this a victory. So they sat there stunned each trying to come to terms with the fact that their lion was no longer with them.
Rinoa hadn't said a word in hours and they were all very worried about her. Quistis finally decided they had to leave and told them "we have to get back to Garden, we have to tell the others" she said. "yes maybe they'll know what to do" said Zell hopefully.
"Rinoa, Rinoa we have to leave now, we have to go home" said Quistis. "GO! WHAT DO YOU MEAN GO!" Rinoa screamed, "I'm not going anywhere without Squall" she said and ran toward the back of the orphanage. "
"I'll go get her" Selphie said and before anyone could stop her she ran after her. She stood at the flower field crying "Squall please come back to me, Squall you said you'd be here, you promised me if I came here I'd find you".
Selphie walked up and put her arms around her "don't cry rinny" she said. "But he promised me" Rinoa cried "he promised me". Selphie didn't know what to say so she just said "let's go home".
After a few minutes Rinoa gave in and left the flower field with Selphie "home she thought to herself can't they understand that there is no home without him. They left the orphanage and headed back to Garden.
As they left the flower field no one saw the white feather float to the ground.