It was just another ordinary day in Balamb Garden; the sun was shining through the high glass windows of the halls and corridors. Everything as always was bustling with activity with young students rushing back and forth about their every day worries and of course every so often stopping to buy a hot dog. The Garden's young Commander Squall was busy preparing for what was to him just another SeeD mission. As he bent down to pick up an old magazine from the floor there was a deep sigh behind him. Knowing all to well who it was already he straightened up and gave an almost bored expression. Stood in the doorway looking lost and bewildered was Squall's long term girlfriend Rinoa. Many missions had been the caused of their union and slowly but surely similar missions seemed to be tearing her loved one from her. As his eyes locked with hers she gave another forlorn look followed by a sigh, her gentle brown eyes fixed themselves into softening the sharp blue eyes of the young man.
"What is wrong with you?" he said sounding almost irritated "You done nothing but mope around sighing for the last two days."
"I don't want you to go." She replied sharply
"I can't not go it is after all my job Rinoa."
"You don't have to take every job that comes along," she said in protest pouting and folding her arms.
"I do when it involves so many SeeD members. Younger newer SeeDs can't handle a job this size on their own."
"You managed just fine with big important missions when you first became a SeeD why can't they? You even saved the World!"
Even though her persistence was trying he knew she meant for the best, approaching her he kissed her forehead quickly.
"Don't get like that. We're going to rescue a few villagers from the evil doers and we'll be right back before you even had chance to miss us."
She rolled her eyes and sat down on the edge of his bed, she reached out and took his hand he knelt on the floor in front of her and watched her for a few moments. He pulled her close and kissed her affectionately in Squall's own little reserved way that he always did things.
"Can't they send Zell or Quistis?" she decided to mount a second attack while she had him close, she may be more successful or so she thought.
"Zell is going Rinoa," he replied annoyed by her continuance of the subject "As for Quistis; she has other things to be doing. It's as simple as this, I'm going and that's that."
She stood up as if to protest a final time but he shot her a quick warning glare that she was severely testing his patience and she flopped back down onto the bed like before.
"I still don't see why it's you that has to go"
"I am the Commander, people look to me for an example and it is my duty to lead them into what ever this World may throw at us. If I were headmaster I'd agree with but I'm not I am the Commander, it is up to me to lead battles, and that is what I am doing."
"But…"
"Please Rinoa stop arguing a lost cause, no matter what it won't change anything. Besides your persistence is beginning to grate on my nerves and I don't want to leave you on bad terms. So will you please leave it?"
"Fine" The lively and still slightly childish young woman pouted and folded her arms again silently pondering over something in her mind. "Squall… I have something important to tell you."
He finally had all the equipment and sat down in the chair by his desk.
"All set to go."
"Squall!" Rinoa snapped
"Alright stop..." he said getting up and sitting beside her to hush her now fraying temper. "What is it?"
She shuffled uncomfortably beside him and mover her hair out of her face; it fell back into her eyes again. Rinoa took a deep breath and shuffled some more and moved her hair out of her face again. She repeated this series of actions another two or three times before Squall intercepted. He raised his hand and pushed the hair affectionately from her face and held it there. Having had her way of avoiding what she had to say taken from her she began fidgeting with her hands. He placed his free hand over hers and she now had no choice but to raise her eyes and look at him. Squall's focus was entirely on her; the look was so intense yet his eyes were softer than before.
"Well Squall… I…"
"Yo Squall!" Zell's loud voice startled them both "Get a move on man or we're gonna miss the train!"
Squall gave a slightly irritated look towards Zell and stood up
"I'll be right there!" he looked at Rinoa and pulled her up stroking her face and hair "Can it wait?"
"Yeah, it wasn't that important anyway. You need to get going…"
He smiled at her and pulled her a little closer.
"I should only be a couple of days… I've got some leave so we can spend some time together and you can tell me then"
"Yeah I can't wait!" This she said with a mix of excitement and dread. He nodded and moved for the door essentially leaving the conversation at that. "Oh Squall please not yet! Wait!"
"You wanna tell me now?"
"Yeah! I mean no that's not what I mean… Be careful…"
"I will, besides I always am. Take care of this place and yourself while I'm gone. You are in charge when I'm gone you know." He said with a brief smile this had always been a joke between the pair of them.
"Yes sir!" she gave a rather pathetic impression of a SeeD salute
Squall shook his head slightly then leant in and kissed her quickly his kiss filled with all the promises of his return and their reunion. With that he left her she raised a hand in a still and silent goodbye, his back was turned so he didn't see.
"I'm missing you already…"
The next day the Garden and the students within went about their daily routines as normal. All seemed peaceful that was until the tranquility was broken by a loud yell echoing through the halls. A badly injured SeeD from Trabia Garden stumbled in through the main entrance of Balamb and was shouting at the top of his voice for someone to listen.
"Please someone… Somebody listen!"
Everyone stopped and looked at him totally confused and thrown off by the commotion. Rinoa who just happened to have been wandering aimlessly about the Garden heard his cries and ran to him. Relief washed over him as someone finally seemed to take note of him. He fell forward into her arms unable to support him she fell down the SeeD's head supported in her lap.
"What is it?"
"A few days ago… We were sent on a mission to a faraway abandoned City to rescue some citizens… It was a trap… They set us up and ambushed us, we didn't stand a chance. I managed to escape barely with my life… I had to warn you that they're trying to take out SeeDs all over… I'm the only survivor… I thought maybe they would send the same phony cry for help to the other Gardens… I hope I…"
The young SeeD closed his eyes, fortunately by this time Quistis and Dr Kadowaki had arrived to take him from her. Rinoa sat for a moment thinking of what he'd said when it suddenly hit her.
"Squall and the others are in danger!"
Quistis sent word out to Trabia telling them to get a team to Winhill as soon as possible; they also sent the warning of the events to Galbadia. It was as Balamb's message came that they received the phony mission. The young Trabian SeeD had been in time to save Galbadia from the Trabian team's terrible fate, the future of the Balamb SeeDs was however a little more uncertain. A team led by Quistis containing Nida and a few other SeeDs set out for the City of Maideen immediately. A war a year or two before had left the entire City of Maideen in complete ruins. The City lay just north of Winhill and it was to the dark melancholy City that the Balamb team went quickly without hesitating a second. Rinoa had insisted that she accompany the team of SeeDs but she had been forced to remain behind. The Garden would take longer to reach Maideen than the team but they had arranged to rendezvous with the team after their mission. The Balamb SeeDs arrived in Winhill; waiting for them was a team of SeeDs from Trabia led by Irvine. They had come out to meet them as soon as the message had reached them; Irvine approached them solemnly as they arrived.
"What's the situation?" he asked
"A dummy distress call set up to take out SeeDs. One member of a team you sent out arrived in Balamb Garden this morning telling us everything. I'm afraid he was the only survivor but he is alive and being take care of"
"Damn… We have to do all we can to stop it from happening again we need to cut Maideen off."
"We would but Squall, Zell and a team of our SeeDs are in Maideen on the same mission as the team you sent as we speak!"
"Then we don't have any time to waste! Come on everyone move out!"
"Geez Squall this place is so quiet it's creepy… We've been here long enough and so far not one single sign of a villager in need."
"Well they'd hardly prank call us when they're paying for us to be here"
"I'm getting a real bad feeling about this place… Let's get out of here…"
There was a sudden scream from a female SeeD behind them, startled they turned to look. She fell forward onto the ground a dagger wound in her back. Stood over her was the most horrific creature any of them had ever seen. It seemed humanoid in basic shape but made the most disgusting sound, it was squatted on its haunches as it twitched, staring right through them.
"They fell for it again…" it laughed
They looked around them as more of the creatures began to surround them it was then that Squall's eyes caught the glimpse of lifeless person in a Trabian SeeD uniform further ahead.
"We're not the first to fall for this… Trabia's already been here…"
"This ain't good" commented Zell
"Thank you for that analogy… Prepare yourselves for battle!"
Quistis's team pressed into Maideen first the Trabian team not far behind, they had entered through a different route to the first Balamb team and they came across corpses of the slaughtered Trabian team members.
"We must be close…" said Irvine turning to his team "Half of you stay here and recover your fallen comrades. Then pull out of the City and await the arrival of the Gardens. The other half of you follow me and the Balamb squad deeper into the City"
"Irvine! Listen!"
The SeeDs all fell silent, they could hear fighting they were closer than they thought. Drawing their weapons they hurried on towards the battle. Despite their urgency they went cautiously over the top of the hill ahead, they didn't want to charge into the battle and ruin any advantage they might hold. As they looked down onto the battle they saw the struggling SeeDs surrounded by many enemies but even though outnumbered they were doing well to hold their own. Zell was fighting hard but they could see he was obviously quite badly wounded. Holding off the onslaught as best he could he dodged his attackers and went around them to attack. But the preoccupied fighter hadn't noticed the enemy sharpshooter hidden in the trees. Irvine spotted him and lifted his gun; Squall too had seen the hidden assassin and darted forward. But by the time Irvine had taken aim the creature had fired.
"Zell!" Squall shouted as he shoved Zell from the line of fire. Another shot rang through the air; Irvine taking the creature out. Zell looked up from the ground as Squall stepped forward. "You alright?"
The blond would have replied had Squall not closed his eyes seeming to be blocking out pain. He let out a staggered breath and took another step forward this time looking as though he was keeping his balance. All of the onlookers felt the warmth leave their bodies as he fell down onto one knee his Gunblade's point dug into the ground as support. The brave young SeeD looked around him at the blurring scenery before finally releasing his weapon and falling to the ground.
"Squall!" Quistis involuntarily found herself running to him
"Quistis! Are you crazy?! SeeDs into battle!" he shouted to the waiting teams. After giving this order he proceeded to cover Quistis as she dropped to her knees by Squall and pulled him into her arms. Zell had managed to recover himself partially to approach his two friends.
"You took the bullet for me! Why did you do that Squall?!"
Zell fell forward onto his knees by Quistis and he looked to her for support but found nothing but tears in her eyes.
"We're friends…. aren't… we?" Squall replied quietly to Zell's question
"Yeah…" Zell replied. Quistis was lost for words as she watched Squall's fading colour and felt his skin grow cold. "Don't think you're going to go and die on us! Squall!"
"Live for the future… Both of you…"
"You have to live too… We're a team!"
"We al…ways will….be…"
"You can't go! Not yet!"
"I'm glad that… I wasn't alone at the end…"
"Squall don't say that!" Quistis blurted out
Around the three of them the battle was being won by their companions the enemies ceased their attack and retreated allowing the other SeeDs to gather around.
"I don't… want… to become… a memory…"
"We'll never see you as just a memory Squall… You're so much more than that!"
Squall smiled at them and slowly closed his eyes fading away from them forever. He went limp in Quistis' arms and her total breakdown was a sign to the others that Squall had passed away. Zell moved closer and leant his head on Quistis she lay Squall down and put her arms around Zell holding him tightly. Irvine came closer and knelt down putting his arms around his companions. Nida raised his hand in a SeeD salute and the other SeeDs followed his example. Squall had surely been the greatest SeeD that had ever lived and he would always be remembered that way.
The Gardens arrived and the Trabian casualties were the first to be withdrawn. The Balamb team along with Irvine were the next to appear from Maideen City. Selphie and Rinoa came out and waited anxiously with the other students. They had been agonizing over the fate of their friends, peers and loved ones. Stretchers were brought out for the injured, they were still too far off to see and the suspense was killing the waiting crowd, none more so that Rinoa and Selphie. Irvine was first to approach supporting a young Balamb SeeD from the first team, Selphie greeted him with relief. He didn't say a word he simply drew her close and held her. Quistis came next with Zell, Selphie hugged them also but Rinoa was still waiting for another.
"Where's Squall? Quistis?" Quistis looked up at her and came to her from Selphie her eyes were red. She put her arms around Rinoa and turned to look as three stretchers were brought up from Maideen. "Was he hurt?" The stretchers were brought closer and she could see now that he was on one of them. "Squall!" Rushing forward she dropped down by it as they set the stretcher down for her. She took his hand at first to comfort him thinking he was hurt. But as soon as she felt his cold skin and saw his pale face she knew. Zell went to her as the black haired girl gave a cry and threw herself over him. "No! You can't be gone!"
"I'm so sorry Rinoa! He's dead because of me!"
Rinoa turned and threw her arms around Zell not afraid to let anyone see her grief. Completely overcome by her emotion Zell himself could not refrain from crying. The onlookers of the harrowing scene all felt differently inside but all felt the same respect towards the Commander. As they all saluted in respect everyone was silent, Balamb and Trabia SeeDs alike.