Lost Tears
I was wringing my hands in Squall's room when I received the news. The mission in Dollet that he, Quistis, Zell, Irvine, and Selphie had taken had failed. Miserably. The whole team was dead, except for Squall, who was missing. A team of 16 other SeeD's were missing as well, including one I knew rather well, Adam.
The underclassmen who had brought me the news left quickly at the first sign of my tears.
I decided to take matters into my own hands a month later, when news of Squall and Adam was scarce. One of the missing SeeD's-Teyvor-had been found, impaled. That was definitely not a good sign for me. I knew the team needed me. I knew Squall needed me. So I decided to go.
Arriving stylishly in a fancy ship, I stepped into Dollet. Well, the remains of Dollet. I was permitted to bring four of Balamb Garden's finest healing teams, Med Teams A, B, C, and D.
(No wonder news is so small. There is so much rubble here that they could all be buried.)
That thought made me even more determined to discover the hidden locations of my friends. Especially Squall.
After several minutes of treading among the now dirt path, I heard a blood curdling moan. I knew that voice. I lifted the dirt and stones and there lay Umi, still very much alive. There was a thick wooden post through his leg and a gash on his forehead, but he was only in mid-critical condition. Med Team A took Umi carefully up and into the hover ambulance. I watched as it lifted into the air and prayed for its survival. Then, as it disappeared into the horizons, I turned to the remnants of Med Team A and teams B, C, and D.
(This used to be Squall's job, taking care of others. How does he do it when he can barely care for himself?)
Farther down the path, I heard another groan. After lifting the wall of bricks, we discovered Thesa, lying bruised and battered, a scar over her right eye. She was carried into another hover ambulance.
Soon after her came others, Darkness, Raechel, Ruby, and Swift, all in minimal condition. Then came three casualties, Velvet, Elema, and Jenifer. A couple of the girls from Med Teams B and C mourned for a few minutes, but gathered their strength and continued on.
A clearing passed by, and another after that. Members of the teams were getting discouraged that we couldn't find the remaining six members or Squall. I had the familiar feeling in the pit of my stomach that Squall would be the last we found.
We came upon two more casualties, Kilnee and Delfia. Then we found Fire. She was crying, and Thunder was lying beside her, his silver gray eyes narrowed at the sky. He sat up, glancing at me in surprise.
"Princess?" He knew Zone, and liked to call me Princess as Zone often did.
"Are you hurt?" I asked, surprised to see Fire begin to cry again.
"No. I'm so glad you're here!" Fire practically threw her hug at me.
"I've had to listen to her for two hours." Thunder complained. In many ways, he was an exact copy of Squall. He was quiet and mysterious, withdrawn but trustworthy. The only difference was their appearance. While Squall had longer caramel colored locks, Thunder had dark black curly hair with strikingly blonde streaks running throughout. It was a little shorter than Squall's, but just as shiny and flexible.
"Shall we take them to Garden?" Feather, a member of Med Team D, asked.
"Yes, right away." I felt too much like Squall, commanding people to do what you fancy.
"Med Teams B and D, come with me. C and A, go back to Garden. I will send a SeeD to you every three hours. When Renashly and Adam are found, Med Team D will remain to look for Squall, while B goes back with the last two people."
"Yes ma'am." Teams A and C saluted and led Fire and Thunder to the ambulance. Then D and B followed me into the depths.
Where the Central Square had once been lay none other than Renashly. She looked battered, with her black eyepatch oozing blood, her left thumb twisted in an awkward position. She moaned helplessly, her body moving slowly. Team B ran to her side, fixing small wounds. Before they carried her off, she whispered something to me.
"Adam and…Squall are in the…Dollet Communication Tower." Blood mad itself visible, running from the corners of her parched mouth. I nodded and waved goodbye, turning immediately to the other half of Med Team B and all of Med Team D. Then, like a commander, I said:
"To the tower!" We all marched military style to the boarded tower and found the surprise of our lives.
Adam was lying face down in a small puddle. I rushed to his side in a flash. His back seemed unharmed to me, except for the scratch down the left side. But then I turned him over. I pulled his black blood soaked shirt off to find a gash on the left side of his chest and three streaks of blood progressing all the way across his stomach. His normally curly eye length black hair had a red tint to it, and it was matted to his forehead, of which had blood streaming downwards into his eyes and mouth. I leaned my head to his mouth and heard him breathe, shallowly. I nodded to Med Team B and backed up so they could care for him.
A few minutes later, he woke up from his seemingly endless coma. Immediately he looked at me.
"Do you know where Squall is?" I asked. He shook his head slowly, a dull light gleaming in his blue eyes. His mouth turned down at the corners as he recalled painful memories.
"You're going to go with Med Team B now, okay?" I felt bad for treating him like a child, but I couldn't say much else.
He shook his head defiantly and struggled to stand.
"What are you…" I was sure I looked confused as he continued to rise, no matter how intense the pain. He cut me off with a finger to his lips.
Everyone knew how pointless arguing with Adam was. When he wanted something, he got it, no questions asked.
"Fine." I hastily cast a Curaga spell on him so he could stand upright. Then he fell into me. Team B grabbed him and propped him up again. Everyone knew he disliked magic, so when it was cast on him, he grew weak for a few seconds.
Once he was situated, we started to go. I felt him tighten his grip on my neck; he was leaning on me. Since the lift up had broken, we took the stairs. Adam eventually got tired, and let us take him back to Garden. The only person missing now was Squall.
We were there in record time, on account of our fright for our Commander. However, we didn't see him. All around us was only piles of rubble and stones, stacked upon each other. Zac, one of the Med Team D members, began to pull up large stones with help from my sorceress powers, of course. A few scarce boulders remained untouched, but it was of no matter to the crew and I; we knew he wasn't under them.
Two hours later, Team D was about to throw in the towel when I heard Squall's voice-in my head.
[Rinoa…I'm by the big boulder…] He whispered. I gazed around, seeing one big boulder. That had to be the one Squall was at. I walked over to it.
(I can't see you…)
[Look underneath the rock.] He commanded. I did so, and all of the team was watching me with curiosity and fascination. I saw a small cave leading down into the ground. I felt Squall's presence, and went down with Zac and two other Team D members. Then, I saw him.
He was lying face up on a stone, his eyes staring blankly and lifelessly at the cold stone ceiling. We all rushed to his side, but we knew it was too late. Squall was gone, and our lives would never be the same.
On the day of his funeral, I stared at his face, memorizing every detail, every inch of him. His caramel-hazelnut colored hair was gleaming in the mid-July heat, thrown carelessly over his pale forehead. His pink lips were sealed tightly, with no hope of ever opening again. His hands were down at his side, his fingertips curled. He was lifeless, a frightening sight. My sleeping prince, my sleeping beauty.
Adam slipped silently beside me. His vocal cords had been seriously damaged in the battle, so his ability to speak had perished. However, he had become a good listener, one whom I had confided in continually. He was very trustworthy, as Squall had once been.
His jet black eye length curls blew in the slight, gentle wind, his playful yet serious blue eyes narrowed, his feminine full lips in a scowl as he gazed down at Squall's lifeless body, seemingly memorizing his features, too. He was quiet, as was expected without a voice to command.
The point is, we all went on. Adam became a writer, getting his way with words instead of people. He was phenomenal, the way he could twist something to make it say what he pleased. He often-no surprise-wrote about Squall and I, our adventures with him. I must say, he really overdid himself in that category, creating a series out of what once was.
I became half-ruler of Balamb, not quite the headmaster because it always had to be a boy, but I was the new commander. I had Squall's grave placed above ground, turning his ordinary dorm room into a shrine for the SeeD that was. I'm sure he would have enjoyed it were he alive. The other people that died had a shrine too, in the quad. The Garden Festival was turned into a cryfest for all of the world, for the people that saved the planet.
I went on, but that day, the fateful day when I received a reality check, kept me on course, setting me always to righteousness. Of course, Squall nor the rest of the team was forgotten.