Disclaimer that nobody ever reads: Squaresoft owns everything in this story except the plot.
Irvine watched the sun set. He looked to Rinoa beside him. In this lighting, with the outside wall of Balamb Garden behind her, and the sun setting in front of her, her shhadow long across the balcony, she was beautiful. Maybe, if he wasn't so deeply in love with Selphie, and she weren't tied down to Squall, they could be together. But now, they were simply friends, and don't wish for anything more. "Sad, isn't it?" Her voice broke his train of thought. "What?" "Every day, their memories fade more and more. Already we're the only ones who remember Ultimecia. They've almost forgotten their own GFs names." "Sefie's having trouble telling Carbuncle and Siren apart, and they've all forgotten their childhoods again. Every time I remind her she forgets as soon as we turn to something else." Rinoa turned to look into the sunset, and sighed. "Squall doesn't remember when we claimed the Ragnarok. He simply knows that I'm a sorceress and always have been. He doesn't remember before he talked, either." Irvine climbed off the railing and back onto the balcony, and leaned back, setting his hat on the ground. "I suppose its the price they have payed for power, and that we chose not to. Sefie can't remember anything that I tell her after more than three days, and I'm surprised she can still remember how to fly the Ragnarok."
The ocean waves lapped against the sides of the Garden. Irvine and Rinoa heard the sounds of the cafeteria right below them, and of the people eating outside around that. Inside, there were some people in the halls. "'Course, fighting has given us all problems. I'm half-deaf in my right ear. And you... You're a sorceress, and you've seen so much destruction that you'll never become your old self, back when things were simple, and all you had to worry about was an army. And yet, we continue to pay our prices," Irvine told Rinoa. The two began to think on this for a moment, rinoa turnign her head from Irvine to the sunset, and then, seconds later, Rinoa said a single word, between a breath and a whisper "Seifer..." Irvine responded quickly, almost jumping to his feet, and had lost his former calm "What?" "Hmm?" "You said Seifer's name." "Oh... I was just wondering if he's OK." Rinoa was much calmer than Irvine. "Yeah, he disappeared after Ultimecia. Now I doubt anyone but us remembers him," Irvine replied, much calmer.
The two were interrupted by the sound of a door opening. Irvine rolled over to look to see who it was "Hey Sefie." Selphie responded "Hi Irvy, Hi Rinoa! Watching the sunset?" "Yep." "Irvy, I didn't see you at dinner. I don't think I saw you either, Rinoa. You both ate earlier than normal, or are you going to eat late?" Irvine responded "Yeah, I forgot. Too much on my mind recently. Guess I'll eat later" Rinoa, meanwhile, looked at Selphie with a puzzled look on her face "I was where I usually was, with Squall. You must have forgotten you saw me." "Must have. I wonder if it was what's-her-name or Carbunny?" "They're Siren and Carbuncle, Sefie," Irvine told her, firmly, as if it was the fiftieth time he had told her that day (It was actually the tenth time that week, but he was still annoyed). "Oh! That's right. I must have forgotten." Irvine began to tease her "Like you forgot that Garden Festival Committee meeting yesterday?" Selphie began to fake pouting "You're so mean, Irvy!" Irvine got up, grabbed his hat, and began to hug Selphie, putting his hat on her. Playing along with her fake pouting, he said "Sorry Sefie." He held the short girl in his arms. To him, little felt better than simply holding her. Their faces didn't quite meet, but he didn't mind. His mind drifted back a few minutes, to Rinoa, and how he had thought of her. He didn't particularly care, Selphie knew that he thought of every woman in Garden that way, and so didn't need to know the details.
Irvine broke the silence "Sefie, want to sit with us and watch the rest of the sunset?" Selphie turned to him, "Sure, Irvy." They both sat on the balcony floor, which was beginning to get cold, as was the air around them. Irvine lay with his head resting on the palms of his hands, his feet to the sunset, staring into the red sky above the setting sun. Selphie lay next to him, her head resting on his left elbow. Rinoa sat in front of them, slightly to his right, sitting on the balcony railing. Irvine deeply cared for Selphie, and would probably give up his life to save her, if it came to that, but he also felt something for Rinoa. It wasn't exactly friendship, it was something more. More than just his random feelings for every woman in Garden, but at the same time he was attached to Selphie. Further, Rinoa was with Squall. And yet, he realized, if the two ran off together, Squall and Selphie would probably forget within the week. Rinoa was the only one of the six he could seriously talk to, because of the GFs eating all of the others' memories.
A flock of birds flew overhead. Their screeches could be heard well over the hum of Garden's powerful engines, driving a military installation with a population greater than that of a large town, an armory carrying enough weapons to tear up a city, provisions enough to hold out in the even to a seige for several months, and a bomb shelter enough for this population, their weapons, and a week's food to survive a missile attack. Irvine lifted his right hand from beneath his head, pointed his extended pointer finger at a bird in the flock, carefully tracked it, then mouthed "bang" while rapidly moving his hand back, imitating a gun. His gun. How many times had he fired it. How many times had he put a bullet into a breathing being's chest. How many lives had he ended. He whispered the beginning of his next thought "Maybe..." Selphie heard him. "Maybe what, Irvy?" "I was thinking. How many lives, human and monster, have the six of us-Us three, along with Squall, Quisty, and Zell, ended. Maybe we killed enough that their blood fills the sky, and that is why its red." "Irvy, stop thinking about death." Selphie, not thinking of any better way to distract Irvine from his thoughts, quickly kissed his cheek, then pulled away. Irvine turned to Selphie, and returned her kiss.
The sun dipped ever lower, and the western sky grew redder. The sea foam suddenly sprayed against Garden's sides as it hit a sudden wave. Selphie began to speak "I've never noticed how fast Garden is, and yet how long it takes to get anywhere. Come to think of it, where are we going, again? I guess I forgot." Irvine decided he'd taunt her for her memory again "You also forgot last week, when you noticed how fast Garden is. We're en route from Trabia to Timber by way of Balamb, which we stopped at for a day two days ago." "Irvy, stop that. I need to use the GFs to function as a SeeD. Without them I can't do anything." Rinoa turned from her staring at the sunset. "Timber's only three days away. It'll be so refreshing to be back, catch up with old friends, see the work we did." She turned back to the sunset, crossing her legs, her left foot hanging over the edge of the balcony, her right leg crossed over it and her heel on the balcony. Her blue cape fell, and reached barely over the back of the railing. Irvine couldn't help but admire her. And yet he had Selphie lying against him, her head on his shoulder, and deeply enjoyed it. This confused him. In an effort to distract himself from his confusion, he pressed his lips against Selphie's, and began to kiss her, both with an open mouth, their tongues dancing together.
They were interrupted by the sound of the latch on the secure door. Irvine pulled his face away from Selphie's, and the two resumed their staring into the sunset before the door opened. Quistis stepped out. She had a much better memory than any of the others who continued to use GFs, but that was because she kept an incredibly detailed journal, along with a number of notes from it, and studied those daily. Only the heroes of SeeD knew this, she had kept her secret well. Squall had forgotten, as had Selphie. The only thing that kept Zell from forgetting was that he and Quistis slept together most of the time, and so he saw her memorization every day. The two of them were incredibly close, closer than Squall was to Rinoa, or Irvine and Selphie. Irvine contemplated this as he saw Quistis approach, and decided it was because he and Selphie had a barrier created by the fact that one of them could remember and the other couldn't. Selphie was the first to shout a greeting, despite the fact that Quistis was not more than ten feet away. "Hey Quisty!" "Hello Selphie, Irvine, Rinoa. Seems like everyone's gathering here to watch the sunset."
There was barely a sliver of sun in sight, and the horizon was bright red-orange. Quistis stepped to lean on the wall. Every step she took was measured, prescise, and considered. Not even the GFs could eat that part of her. Irvine saw some beauty in her, but he didn't care for her in the way he cared about Selphie. Or Rinoa, for that matter. Irvine was not sure who he cared about, or in what way. Whenever he thought about Rinoa and Selphie, he confused himself. And yet, he couldn't help it. "So, Quistis, when are you going to get your instructor's certificate back? I'm sure Squall would give it to you if asked," Irvine asked Quistis, trying ot encourage her to get to work and pursue her dream again. "I don't think I'll try. Shiva, Bahamut, and the Brothers have eaten too much of my memory. I already need to spend an hour each day just to remember the past. Adding lesson planning, remembering what I taught, telling my classes apart, and several classes a day just isn't worth it." Rinoa began to think, then turned to face Quistis. "Quistis, we six are the most experienced people in Garden. Of us, you're the only one who has taught. Do you want your skills to die with you?" "No, of course not. I just don't think I can teach anymore."
The last sliver of sun vanished under the horizon. Now it was a pure red horizon, fading to blue on the other side. Irvine changed the subject. "I'm getting hungry. Anyone else want to go to the cafeteria with me?" The other three had already eaten, so Irvine went downstairs to eat alone. He finished his food, surrounded by the third group of SeeDs, cadets, and junior classmen, then left for his dorm.
Irvine watched the sun set. He looked to Rinoa beside him. In this lighting, with the outside wall of Balamb Garden behind her, and the sun setting in front of her, her shhadow long across the balcony, she was beautiful. Maybe, if he wasn't so deeply in love with Selphie, and she weren't tied down to Squall, they could be together. But now, they were simply friends, and don't wish for anything more. "Sad, isn't it?" Her voice broke his train of thought. "What?" "Every day, their memories fade more and more. Already we're the only ones who remember Ultimecia. They've almost forgotten their own GFs names." "Sefie's having trouble telling Carbuncle and Siren apart, and they've all forgotten their childhoods again. Every time I remind her she forgets as soon as we turn to something else." Rinoa turned to look into the sunset, and sighed. "Squall doesn't remember when we claimed the Ragnarok. He simply knows that I'm a sorceress and always have been. He doesn't remember before he talked, either." Irvine climbed off the railing and back onto the balcony, and leaned back, setting his hat on the ground. "I suppose its the price they have payed for power, and that we chose not to. Sefie can't remember anything that I tell her after more than three days, and I'm surprised she can still remember how to fly the Ragnarok."
The ocean waves lapped against the sides of the Garden. Irvine and Rinoa heard the sounds of the cafeteria right below them, and of the people eating outside around that. Inside, there were some people in the halls. "'Course, fighting has given us all problems. I'm half-deaf in my right ear. And you... You're a sorceress, and you've seen so much destruction that you'll never become your old self, back when things were simple, and all you had to worry about was an army. And yet, we continue to pay our prices," Irvine told Rinoa. The two began to think on this for a moment, rinoa turnign her head from Irvine to the sunset, and then, seconds later, Rinoa said a single word, between a breath and a whisper "Seifer..." Irvine responded quickly, almost jumping to his feet, and had lost his former calm "What?" "Hmm?" "You said Seifer's name." "Oh... I was just wondering if he's OK." Rinoa was much calmer than Irvine. "Yeah, he disappeared after Ultimecia. Now I doubt anyone but us remembers him," Irvine replied, much calmer.
The two were interrupted by the sound of a door opening. Irvine rolled over to look to see who it was "Hey Sefie." Selphie responded "Hi Irvy, Hi Rinoa! Watching the sunset?" "Yep." "Irvy, I didn't see you at dinner. I don't think I saw you either, Rinoa. You both ate earlier than normal, or are you going to eat late?" Irvine responded "Yeah, I forgot. Too much on my mind recently. Guess I'll eat later" Rinoa, meanwhile, looked at Selphie with a puzzled look on her face "I was where I usually was, with Squall. You must have forgotten you saw me." "Must have. I wonder if it was what's-her-name or Carbunny?" "They're Siren and Carbuncle, Sefie," Irvine told her, firmly, as if it was the fiftieth time he had told her that day (It was actually the tenth time that week, but he was still annoyed). "Oh! That's right. I must have forgotten." Irvine began to tease her "Like you forgot that Garden Festival Committee meeting yesterday?" Selphie began to fake pouting "You're so mean, Irvy!" Irvine got up, grabbed his hat, and began to hug Selphie, putting his hat on her. Playing along with her fake pouting, he said "Sorry Sefie." He held the short girl in his arms. To him, little felt better than simply holding her. Their faces didn't quite meet, but he didn't mind. His mind drifted back a few minutes, to Rinoa, and how he had thought of her. He didn't particularly care, Selphie knew that he thought of every woman in Garden that way, and so didn't need to know the details.
Irvine broke the silence "Sefie, want to sit with us and watch the rest of the sunset?" Selphie turned to him, "Sure, Irvy." They both sat on the balcony floor, which was beginning to get cold, as was the air around them. Irvine lay with his head resting on the palms of his hands, his feet to the sunset, staring into the red sky above the setting sun. Selphie lay next to him, her head resting on his left elbow. Rinoa sat in front of them, slightly to his right, sitting on the balcony railing. Irvine deeply cared for Selphie, and would probably give up his life to save her, if it came to that, but he also felt something for Rinoa. It wasn't exactly friendship, it was something more. More than just his random feelings for every woman in Garden, but at the same time he was attached to Selphie. Further, Rinoa was with Squall. And yet, he realized, if the two ran off together, Squall and Selphie would probably forget within the week. Rinoa was the only one of the six he could seriously talk to, because of the GFs eating all of the others' memories.
A flock of birds flew overhead. Their screeches could be heard well over the hum of Garden's powerful engines, driving a military installation with a population greater than that of a large town, an armory carrying enough weapons to tear up a city, provisions enough to hold out in the even to a seige for several months, and a bomb shelter enough for this population, their weapons, and a week's food to survive a missile attack. Irvine lifted his right hand from beneath his head, pointed his extended pointer finger at a bird in the flock, carefully tracked it, then mouthed "bang" while rapidly moving his hand back, imitating a gun. His gun. How many times had he fired it. How many times had he put a bullet into a breathing being's chest. How many lives had he ended. He whispered the beginning of his next thought "Maybe..." Selphie heard him. "Maybe what, Irvy?" "I was thinking. How many lives, human and monster, have the six of us-Us three, along with Squall, Quisty, and Zell, ended. Maybe we killed enough that their blood fills the sky, and that is why its red." "Irvy, stop thinking about death." Selphie, not thinking of any better way to distract Irvine from his thoughts, quickly kissed his cheek, then pulled away. Irvine turned to Selphie, and returned her kiss.
The sun dipped ever lower, and the western sky grew redder. The sea foam suddenly sprayed against Garden's sides as it hit a sudden wave. Selphie began to speak "I've never noticed how fast Garden is, and yet how long it takes to get anywhere. Come to think of it, where are we going, again? I guess I forgot." Irvine decided he'd taunt her for her memory again "You also forgot last week, when you noticed how fast Garden is. We're en route from Trabia to Timber by way of Balamb, which we stopped at for a day two days ago." "Irvy, stop that. I need to use the GFs to function as a SeeD. Without them I can't do anything." Rinoa turned from her staring at the sunset. "Timber's only three days away. It'll be so refreshing to be back, catch up with old friends, see the work we did." She turned back to the sunset, crossing her legs, her left foot hanging over the edge of the balcony, her right leg crossed over it and her heel on the balcony. Her blue cape fell, and reached barely over the back of the railing. Irvine couldn't help but admire her. And yet he had Selphie lying against him, her head on his shoulder, and deeply enjoyed it. This confused him. In an effort to distract himself from his confusion, he pressed his lips against Selphie's, and began to kiss her, both with an open mouth, their tongues dancing together.
They were interrupted by the sound of the latch on the secure door. Irvine pulled his face away from Selphie's, and the two resumed their staring into the sunset before the door opened. Quistis stepped out. She had a much better memory than any of the others who continued to use GFs, but that was because she kept an incredibly detailed journal, along with a number of notes from it, and studied those daily. Only the heroes of SeeD knew this, she had kept her secret well. Squall had forgotten, as had Selphie. The only thing that kept Zell from forgetting was that he and Quistis slept together most of the time, and so he saw her memorization every day. The two of them were incredibly close, closer than Squall was to Rinoa, or Irvine and Selphie. Irvine contemplated this as he saw Quistis approach, and decided it was because he and Selphie had a barrier created by the fact that one of them could remember and the other couldn't. Selphie was the first to shout a greeting, despite the fact that Quistis was not more than ten feet away. "Hey Quisty!" "Hello Selphie, Irvine, Rinoa. Seems like everyone's gathering here to watch the sunset."
There was barely a sliver of sun in sight, and the horizon was bright red-orange. Quistis stepped to lean on the wall. Every step she took was measured, prescise, and considered. Not even the GFs could eat that part of her. Irvine saw some beauty in her, but he didn't care for her in the way he cared about Selphie. Or Rinoa, for that matter. Irvine was not sure who he cared about, or in what way. Whenever he thought about Rinoa and Selphie, he confused himself. And yet, he couldn't help it. "So, Quistis, when are you going to get your instructor's certificate back? I'm sure Squall would give it to you if asked," Irvine asked Quistis, trying ot encourage her to get to work and pursue her dream again. "I don't think I'll try. Shiva, Bahamut, and the Brothers have eaten too much of my memory. I already need to spend an hour each day just to remember the past. Adding lesson planning, remembering what I taught, telling my classes apart, and several classes a day just isn't worth it." Rinoa began to think, then turned to face Quistis. "Quistis, we six are the most experienced people in Garden. Of us, you're the only one who has taught. Do you want your skills to die with you?" "No, of course not. I just don't think I can teach anymore."
The last sliver of sun vanished under the horizon. Now it was a pure red horizon, fading to blue on the other side. Irvine changed the subject. "I'm getting hungry. Anyone else want to go to the cafeteria with me?" The other three had already eaten, so Irvine went downstairs to eat alone. He finished his food, surrounded by the third group of SeeDs, cadets, and junior classmen, then left for his dorm.