A Chasing the Wind

Authors comments: It seems that I have just managed to get this down in time, it being the 23rd I'm sure you can appreciate my deadline. And thus it has not really be edited at all. Therefore read at your own risk, you have been warned... still here? Good. Now go away, reality has fooled you, you don't really want to read this.

….And now that we have separated the sheep from the goats. The men from the boys, and the editors from people who know what I mean and just like a good story. Post-game. I don't own FF8, or anything in it. If you sue me it's because you are jealous of my storyline, and I may have a claim to that.

Chapter 1 – Fading Memories

It had been over a year since the defeat of Ultimecia. The Few people who knew the Truth about that day had kept it to themselves. Everyone else had called it the Second Sorceress War. At First Edea had been singled out by an angry Galbadian and Estarian populace and media and the main cause of the war. It took months in court and the testimony of both President Laguna and Caraway ,(who had at the time temporary control of the Country as recently reinstated head of Military), that Edea Kramer's powers had been severely stunted in the war, and was not a true threat to either country. In the end it was decided that rather than having her killed, it would be best to keep her under observation in Balamb Garden. The preference of the committee involved was naturally to have her frozen at the Sorceress Memorial. Squall however had inflicted a small amount of damage to the Memorial during a rescue attempt, and thanks to Laguna's diligent repair efforts, and a few accidents, the site was conveniently closed off as a nuclear hazard.

The object of Squalls aforementioned rescue attempt had ended up as nothing more than a footnote in the history of the war, and thanks to the silent assurance of Councillor Ward, the accusation that Rinoa possessed the old sorceress' powers was dropped, and a full apology was made to Balamb Garden and to the De facto leader of Galbadia at the time.

Squall sighed to himself heavily as he walked up the central stairs and pressed the button for the second floor on the Elevator. It had been 7 months since he resigned his commission as Commander, and taken up a position as an ordinary instructor. He did not enjoy the fame of being held as a war hero, nor did he think that the position of Commander was necessary now that the "war" was over.

As the Elevator door opened several students from the class he had just taken bound up the stairs, just in time to block Squall's timely and solitary escape up the shaft that was the central elevator.

"Thanks for holding the door for us Sir!" Squall half look at the student to had tried to addresses him. He couldn't tell whether the boy was being serious or not. Many of the students held him in high regard, but he was aware that he was also the butt of many jokes. In sum it was much the same as it been before the war, only it was no longer his peers, but his juniors who treated him as such.

Juniors... the word echoed around Squall's mind, directing his thoughts back to before him and his friends were SeeD. He had preferred back then. Mind you, the pay wasn't bad now that they were at least Class A SeeD; even better with the instructors bonus on top of that. Most of the orphanage gang were instructors now, all with the exception of Selphie. She had declined the position due to the amount of time she had dedicated to Trabia Garden's reconstruction, not to mention she always seemed to be planning a festival of some sort. Irvine, although almost always tagging along with Selphie between the two Gardens, had accepted a job as an instructor nonetheless. Although his students were lucky to get one class a month. The resulting effect was that his Subjects were seen as slack of classes, and most of his students turned out to be as laid back as he was. Ah, Irvine. Squall smiled. Inwardly, of course. The only one worse than him was...

Squall's internal monologue was stopped short but his dorm door. Inside he found Zell Half asleep on the floor. In contrast to this was the other half of Zell, also asleep, but still in bed. All in all it was true site of Zellness to behold.

"Zell." Squall prompted, "You should get up. You can't sleep all day and expect the cafeteria to still stock hot dogs"

The words "hot dog" managed to drag the blond martial arts instructor from his deep sleep. But was not enough to warrant a coherent reply. All Squall caught were semi repeated phrases like "...Arrangements with chef..." and " ….6:30AM".

Indeed it was rather early in the morning. Squall ran his Gunblade classes at borderline obscene hours of the morning. He told his students that a fresh morning, allowed for a fresh mind. That it kept them sharp, and diligent. What he didn't tell them was that a class of ten Gunblade students was not normal. It was a rare, difficult and balanced piece of weaponry. Not to mention sourcing even ten of these instruments was a very difficult task indeed. Normally ten students wasn't a big deal in any normal subject. But this was the advanced Gunblade class. It was a class that was so specialised it shouldn't have had a teacher. That was the way he had learned, out of old manuals he liberated from the darker recesses of the library. He would just have to take comfort in the fact that not many more than that would pass.

The truth was that Garden was now an entirely different machine than what it was before the war. Internally, Squall had worked with Cid very hard against NORG's new Shumi representatives, and the board of investors, to get GF's all but banned. Now they were used only in rank A missions, and post SeeD training. Their reasons for doing so were Obvious. Memories were important, One should never forget, if they can help it. Externally after the war, Balamb had come under a lot of political pressure to allow non orphans into their cadets ranks, and to allow special army divisions to train with the SeeD's themselves.

The End result was a large influx of new students, many of which required Balamb to house in Garden. The other effect was that Balamb had to more or less stop moving, because the off Garden students could never be expected to keep up with it.

"Hey, Com'n Squall." Zell was up. "Do you want to keep the music down?"

"I'm not playing an Music, Zell"

"Then whats this Thumping, it's making my head hurt" Okay. So Zell wasn't completely up

"Zell. You insult me. Do you Honestly think that I would play the sort of noise that you call music loud enough to hurt you head?"

"Heh, yeah I get ya." Zell replied now up and walking about the room. "Good point, you know, you and my Grand dad should hang out some time."

Deciding to ignore his room-mate, Squall strode over to his desk, and after leaning his weapon against the wall, placed his bag on the only 'report free' space on the table. He knew that Garden was in an excessively crowded state, but why on Earth did he have to end up with Zell? Maybe he should take the matter up with Cid? Quit complaining, you have to finish these reports by Lunch. Squall had just sat down, when Zell emerged from his den.

Zell immediately started to gear up for the day. It was like watching a Car accelerate up a particularly steep hill. Squall, unimpressed at the rate Zell changed from a sloth to a race car, continued to attempt to grade the papers. They were for his and Quistis' Juctioning class. It was the first they had run since the new restrictions he bought in, and although it had been mostly theoretical, the papers he was now looking at showed the figures for the first connection the new B grade SeeD had attempted. Looking over them as he was now, one thing stood out. Only the very best and brightest of the class had managed to even draw even the simplest of Spells. When he had done the similar thing, back before he was SeeD, the GF guided you through the process, once it had accepted you as a person. But according to these stats, the five GF cycled through the students were unable to make find any affinity at all, with only the weakest connection with the best of students.

"Do you ever wonder how they are doing?" Zell exclaimed, peering over Squall's shoulder, eyeing off the papers. "Our GF that is? Don't you miss talking to them."

Squall looked blankly at Zell.

"Don't try and give me that "I don't talk that much look", Zell continued "We all know you think heaps, and that's what counts with them."

"Zell, of course I miss having them juctioned. When something is in your head for that long, you get kinda attached. But I follow the rules just like everyone else. I haven't juctioned them since the restrictions. I of all people have to set the example. Memory is imporant."

"Yeah I know man." Zell sighed, "But you gotta remember that they are our friends too. When you rely on something that much to give you power... Look, what i'm trying to say is, they are not just tools, or slaves. I did some training the other day, the complicated stuff. And I was using Ifrit. Hey, don't worry, all by the book. But he seemed made at me. He was holding back. I could feel him in my mind, all nice and comfy, but his output was low, man. 'Bout half was it is normally."

Squall frowned. Temperamental GF? Surely they could understand their position. But he thought it unlikely that GF were being moody. Though... this was Ifirt.

"Not only that man," Zell continued, "He gave me the cold shoulder. Not a word. I know Ifirt doesn't talk that much. But he doesn't EVER just say nothing. It was like he wasn't even listening... And is that the time! Bye man." And he was gone. The door thudded behind him. And while the room reeled like it had just gotten of a rollar coaster, Squall, immune to the Zellness left behind. Contemplated what he just heard.

Ifirt was one of the most reliable and useful GF they had. And out of all the SeeD that he lent his power to, Zell had one of the best affinity with him. He looked back at his reports. If Zell, with a near perfect affinity, had trouble getting through to his favourite GF, it was no wonder that his students, with no experience or prior connection, could barely junction at all. It was an unhappy coincidence. One that he would have to think about further.

It was late when he got back from dinner, Rinoa had taken him out for his Birthday. She mentioned that he seemed a bit quite, but he didn't tell her about what he had been thinking about earlier in the day. Those same thoughts now occupied his mind, as he lay aside his jacket, casting it haphazardly on the floor. He had been deliberating over dinner whether or not he should, but now he had made up his mind. If Zell was right and the GF were angry about something, then it would be his fault. And if what he feared was true, and Zell was wrong, then something could be very very wrong. He opened his Gunblade case, and for once ignoring the fine weapon, moved to the compartment at it's base. Opening it, he took out the small spherical jewel that was given to him when her first met her. This orb, while it look like nothing more than a glorified wizard stone, could be refined in a similar manner. But instead of producing juctioning magic, it opened the junction to the GF itself. Squall watched the jewel dissolve in the palm of his hand. As it went he could feel her once again taking her place in the back of his mind. Shiva had heard him. But she was silent. As Squall analysed the connection in his mind, he could see why Zell thought they were angry. But he was sharper than Zell, Plus he knew what it was like for Shiva to be angry at him. An Icy wall, any time you tried to speak, or call upon magic or juctions. She was temperamental. This was different. Shiva was distant, she was talking, shouting. But with no sound. Like if a person was so far from you that you could not hear them, but somehow you knew they were talking.

This Silence was not of her doing.