OOC: Hey guys! So here's the promised second chapter I have. Not sure if / when I'll post more of this, but I thought this was enough for someone to enjoy somewhere. As always, remember to comment if you want to see more. That's really encouraging for me.

Over the next two days, Squall didn't think much of the mysterious strangers kept locked in their medical bay. Cid didn't bother him for another opinion, and Squall was far too busy keeping tabs on a slew of disappearances in Galbadia to bother. Galbadia's new president had asked for a SeeD team to investigate, and between price negotiations and conflicting interests with Trabia Garden, Squall had almost forgotten the unusual events only two days prior. Quistis hadn't, however, and found him releasing his frustrations on a pair of sentient plant monsters in the training center.

"Hm. Your swordsmanship is excellent, but a fire spell would have been more efficient."

Quistis stood behind him, watching him over the rims of her glasses. When Squall met her eye, she shook her head and said, "Sorry. I just can't help myself. I was your teacher, after all."

Squall shrugged and sheathed his gunblade at his hip. With classes in session, he hadn't expected interruptions. The training center was quiet but for the fumbling of monsters' paws and the rustling of palm trees. He crossed his arms and watched another plant monster swing across the cobble-stone path.

Quistis eyed him for a moment and then sighed. "Have you spoken to the Headmaster lately?"

Squall shook his head. "He hasn't called me."

"Because you walked out on him," Quistis pointed out. She pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose. "We need to talk. I have several theories I'd like to share with you."

Squall couldn't think of a way out, so he stayed quiet. Quistis gave him a sharp look. "Squall."

Squall opened his mouth to answer, but a rustling noise interrupted him. His hand was on his gunblade before he turned to see it - another plant monster, vines flailing, oozing with poison. He brought his blade up to block its stingers, but it wailed in pain before his sword could connect. He frowned and looked over to see Quistis with her whip drawn. She gave him an impatient look before turning on her heel. "We should find somewhere more private to talk."

Squall followed.

"At first I thought that it must be some kind of mass memory loss through the use of GFs, but if that's the case, then it's far more severe than I've ever heard of. And that wouldn't account for their fake memories. It's still a possibility, but it's not a likely one."

The classroom buzzed with fluorescent lights and the rattling of an old air conditioner. Add in another dozen students, and Squall might have been back in training, leaning idly against the back of a plastic chair and waiting for Quistis' lectures to end. It had been a lot easier to feign interest then when Quistis' attention had been divided among over a dozen pupils - one of them Seifer. Squall had rarely drawn attention to himself, and if he'd had the choice, he would have gone back to those quiet days when no one expected anything of him.

Squall spent a majority of his time wondering as to how and when his situation had changed. When he'd been sent to assassinate the President of Galbadia, probably. Or maybe it had been the night of the dance…

"Squall. Are you listening?"

It was a lot harder to go unnoticed when he was the only other person in the room.

"Yeah," Squall tried slowly. "GFs. I thought that too."

Quistis gave him an appreciative nod before touching her chin thoughtfully. "It's the most obvious answer. But it doesn't line up with facts. It's not just that they've forgotten, but that what they remember...well. It doesn't make sense."

Squall shrugged. He had more important things to worry about.

"Cid seemed very concerned about where they came from. I don't know what he's worried about, but, well, I talked to all of them one-on-one. Most of what they were saying was complete gibberish."

Squall nodded so she wouldn't call him out on his silence again. It worked.

Quistis gave a short sigh and adjusted her glasses the way she always did when she was thinking. She'd had the same look since they'd left the training grounds. This time in the afternoon, it hadn't taken long to find an empty classroom, and Quistis had flocked to it as naturally as though it were her desk she stood behind, pacing quietly as she'd gathered her thoughts. Squall had naturally drifted towards the students' side and hunched awkwardly over one of their desks. Quistis hadn't commented on the sense of deja vu, and neither had he.

"I'm starting to wonder about something Rinoa said. She told me it's 'probably something to do with time.' I don't think she knew what she meant, but it's not a terrible idea."

Squall shook his head. "Ultimecia's dead."

"I know that. But we didn't really stop her, you know. She still compressed time, and we have no idea what kind of consequences that could have."

Squall couldn't think of anything to say to that.

Quistis began pacing again. "We don't even know exactly what time compression means. They said that it was time compressing to a single point, but if that's true, then I wonder what would have happened if it had stayed that way. What did that mean for the past? Or our future." She stopped and touched at the nosepiece of her glasses. "I've been wondering about that a lot lately."

Squall frowned. With how happy everyone had sounded, he thought he'd been the only one still uneasy about Ultimecia. "Everything's been fine," he said, but he wasn't sure if he really believed it. Quistis didn't look sure either.

"I know it's seemed fine, but something like this. It's never happened before. We have no idea what kind of…" She hesitated. "Do you think this could be a side effect from the compression?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not really sure myself, but...Don't you think this is a little odd? All of time compresses, and then five strangers appear from nowhere spouting nonsense? And there's something strange about some of them. That one with the tail…" She let out a short breath. "I just wonder."

Squall raised an eyebrow. "You think they're from the future?"

"Or the past. I don't know." Quistis paused thoughtfully. "There's something that one of them said. He fought in a city called Midgar. Have you ever heard of it?"

Squall shook his head.

"I didn't think so. But it sounded familiar. I don't know why."

"It sounds kind of like Esthar, I guess."

"Maybe," Quistis agreed, though she didn't look convinced. "I think I'll look into it."

Squall started nodding, then slowed to a stop. He couldn't make himself agree. "Don't you think there are better things to worry about?" he asked instead. Quistis gave him a surprised look.

"What do you mean?"

Squall hated being asked for elaboration.

"There's missions," he said bluntly. "People disappearing from Galbadia. That's what we're getting paid for."

Quistis stiffened. "Cid asked someone to look into this too. And if you're not going to…"

"I have better things to do." Squall shoved the plastic chair back and stood. "Whatever happens to them's got nothing to do with me."

Quistis recoiled at his sudden movement and stared at him like he'd pulled a sword. "What if it has something to do with Ultimecia?" she countered. Squall hesitated, but shook his head.

"It's got nothing to do with me," he repeated. He left before he could see the betrayal in her eyes or the way she reached for him as the door swung closed behind him. He didn't care about the strangers just like he didn't care about Ultimecia. It was over, done with, and ultimately, not his problem.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder why his stomach turned when he heard her calling his name.

"Come on, come on!"

"Is that really going to work?"

"Maybe you need a little more muscle put into it?"

"No way! I've got it! It's almost there!"

The lock scraped another centimeter left before jerking back into place as one of the hairpins snapped in two. For a moment, Zidane could only stare at it, dumb-founded, before the disappointment hit him and he slumped against the door with a groan.

Lock-picking had never been his strong-suit.

It had been two days since he'd woken up dazed, unarmed, and feeling like he had the king of all hangovers. That's what he'd thought at first, but then he'd noticed the sterile walls, the buzzing overhead lights, and that he had no clue where he was. Apparently he'd ended up unconscious on the front lawn of some kind of army base for a kingdom he'd never heard of.

At this point, he was almost used to crazy adventures on other planets. He wondered what that said about him.

"It's a hard one." Zidane squared himself against the door and crossed his arms. "I bet I could get it in one more try."

"You've said that for two hours now." The blonde woman had taken to the whole thing worse than anyone, but she'd put herself together about halfway through the first day. Now she fixed him with a look so sharp that he winced at the sight of it.

"Well, yeah. But I'm sure this time, I'll get it. Only a matter of time, right?"

She shook her head and started pacing back and forth along the far wall. She hadn't said much about where she came from or who she was - just that her name was Celes and she had people to meet. Zidane felt a little bad for her and the way she always sat by herself with that heavy look in her eyes, but every time he tried to cheer her up, some gut feeling told him it was probably best to keep his distance. And Zidane wasn't one to fight his instincts.

Instead, he tilted his head towards Yuna, shot her an almost apologetic half-grin, and asked, "How many more of those pins've you got?"

Yuna frowned at him from where she sat perched at the edge of the bed. "Just one," she said before glancing down at her hands. "I'm sorry."

"Just one? Seriously?" Zidane's eyes widened before he saw her face - still angled down - and he rubbed at the back of his neck. "Well, just means I'll have to get it next time, right? No problem." He pushed off from the door and started towards her. "I used to do this kind of thing all the time. Comes with the trade."

"I'm sorry," Yuna said again. "I was holding onto them for Rikku - ah, a friend. I only had a few."

"What? No! Don't worry about it! I only got to try because of you, right?"

She glanced at him and smiled weakly. "I guess so."

Yuna was cute when she smiled like that. She looked sad a lot of the time too, but there was something else behind it. Something nice and thoughtful and full of feelings he knew she wouldn't say aloud. It was the kind of smile that made him want to reach out and take her hands and tell her he'd take care of everything and it'd all be okay, but if he did that then he'd just end up wanting to put an arm the small of her back and then maybe touch her cheek and after that, well, who knew? But it wasn't anywhere he should be going when Dagger was waiting for him. So instead, he just rubbed his neck and said, "I know so."

Behind him, Zack shifted from where he'd leaned against the wall. "I still say we could try to break it down," he gestured towards the door before recrossing his arms. "With all of us, I bet we could do some damage. I'm stronger than I look, you know."

Zidane shook his head. "I don't know. That thing's pretty solid, and you'd make a lot of noise trying to get it open that way."

"Still. If your way doesn't work out, you can leave it to me." Zack pointed at his own chest with a kind of cocky grin. Yuna tilted her head at him in interest.

"You really think you can break it open?" she asked. Zack nodded and pushed off from the wall.

"I wasn't in soldier for nothing," he said before running a hand through his hair. "And if it doesn't work, we'll think of something else. You've always got to try!" Yuna's eyes lit up at that and she sat forward as though drawn to him.

"You're right!" she said, "There's always something!"

Zidane glanced between them before shrugging and leaning back on the palm of his hand. "Sure, if you want," he said. "But I'll get it this time. Promise." They kept talking like they hadn't heard him, going on about never losing hope and the power of dreams, so Zidane sighed and leaned his head back to eye the ceiling.

He'd been trapped in here for too long.

Zidane had never done well being told what to do, and being cooped up for even a few hours was enough to make his tail twitch. It had been two days since he'd woken up here with no cause, reason, or explanation, and that was the worst part of it, he thought. The confusion. He wasn't one to dwell on things he couldn't control, but that didn't stop his mind from wandering.

What was the last thing he remembered…?

The echoes of ghoulish screams. A place beyond time and space in the heart of memory. He'd known there were risks when he dove in there. Maybe he hadn't really thought over those risks, but part of him had known anyway. He remembered the crystal with its ethereal orange glow. And Kuja, floating like a crimson wraith before it. Magic plunging into him like daggers, light glinting off of crystal shards and then…

What happened next was almost a blur. Some kind of god? The alignment of planets? Those memories leaked between his fingertips like water. And then he'd woken up here. None of it made sense.

His eyes wandered to Cloud, and to his surprise, he found Cloud looking back at him. Their gazes met and Zidane blinked in surprise before Cloud looked away. Out of everyone here, he'd been the quietest by far. Zidane wasn't entirely sure that they'd even exchanged words, actually, though that wasn't for lack of trying. Cloud stayed mostly to himself, only talking to Zack when they thought that everyone else was asleep. The night before, Zidane had stayed absolutely still with one eye open as he'd strained to catch their tense whispers.

"I saw you die. Are you telling me that's not real?"

"I'm right here. I think you might-...I don't think you're lying, I just think that maybe you might be...confused."

"I saw it. I remember. That wasn't a lie."

"I know, I know. But you were real messed up there for a while. I can't blame you if your head's a little fuzzy now after all that happened."

It was quiet after that, and Zidane could have sworn he saw one of the shadows stiffen.

"It was real." Cloud's voice was so weak that Zidane had barely made out the words. Zack gave a long sigh and placed a hand on the other's shoulder.

"Sometimes," he'd said. "It's hard to tell when you're dreaming."

Zidane shook his head. It wouldn't help anyone if he got himself stuck thinking about dreams and death and what was real. So he hopped to his feet and paced to the other wall. "Got it." He raised his arms over his head and made an exaggerated show of stretching his shoulders. "Welp. No time like the present. I'll be careful this time."

Yuna raised a hand to her mouth and giggled even if her smile was weak. "Weren't you careful last time?"

"Well yeah," Zidane said. "But this time I'll be extra careful."

Zack nodded his approval, but his eyes were still wary. "If this doesn't work, we'll try it my way," he said, and Zidane shrugged before shaking his head.

"Sure. But I'll get it this time. Just you wait and-."

"No!" In a second, Cloud was doubled over, eyes squeezed shut, hands clutching at the sides of his head. Zidane stared at him, dumbfounded, as Zack recoiled and then rushed over to help.

"What's going on?" Zack planted his hands on Cloud's shoulders and leaned down to look square into his face. "Talk to me."

Cloud didn't say anything at first. Just grit his teeth and shook his head like that's all he could manage. Yuna edged up beside him cautiously. "Maybe I can help," she said. "I know white magic. If he's hurt…"

"I don't think he's hurt," Zack said, but his voice was tense with worry. "I think it's just...I mean, I think he just needs to get through it."

Cloud let out a gasping breath but otherwise gave no comment. Zidane glanced from Zack and Yuna to the blonde woman who still stood silently on the other side of the room. While she seemed to have moved forward when Cloud collapsed, she still kept her distance, looking at Zidane and shaking her head as though to tell him that this wasn't her problem or maybe just that she didn't know anything either. Zidane bit his lip before looking back at the others.

"He'll be fine," Zack said, and then leaned in closer, eyes intent on Cloud. "It'll be okay. Just breathe. You'll get through this. You'll-."

Cloud shook his head violently and pushed Zack off of him. "No," he hissed and then grit his teeth tighter and muttered something that must have meant something to Zack but meant nothing to Zidane.

"Sephiroth."

Zack blinked. "What? Sephiroth?" He leaned forward again, but didn't try to touch him. Instead, his hands hovered around his shoulders as though to swoop in if he needed to. "Cloud, look at me. Sephiroth's dead! You're here now. With me. Just breathe and you'll-"

"No!" Cloud threw himself upright, staggering a little with the effort and still clutching his head with one hand. Zack tried to steady him, but Cloud just pushed him away. "He's here! He's coming! We have to move. Now!"

Zidane's fingers instinctively swept at his belt where his daggers used to be, but he masked the motion by swinging his hand up to touch at the back of his neck. "What's he talking about?" he asked, his tail sweeping uneasily at the floor. Zack looked just as bewildered as Zidane felt.

"A soldier. Sephiroth did terrible things, but he died five years ago. I think Cloud's just…" Zack trailed off, but it was all Zidane needed to understand. That man had hurt Cloud or the people he loved, and now he couldn't get the images out of his head. Zidane knew the feeling.

"Well, he can take whatever time he needs," Zidane said, scuffing at the floor with his boot. "If it's real to him then it's real enough."

Zack gave him an appreciative look and moved to put a hand on Cloud's shoulder. It was then, when it finally seemed that they'd reached an understanding, that they heard the first scream.

Zidane didn't know how long he'd failed to notice the scuffling of boots on the pavement outside. He didn't know how long Cloud's condition had distracted them from the heavy thwack of wingbeats growling louder and then suddenly silencing. It wasn't until the scream that he realized that anything was wrong, and by that time, Celes was already at the window, leaning forward with her fingers tight on the sill.

"Oh god." The color had drained from her face. "They're…"

Zidane had seen that expression before. His stomach churned as he darted towards the window, scrambling over the end table for a better look outside.

What he saw there froze him where he stood.

Blood. It trailed down concrete steps in a sickening smear. What had once been a bright and busy courtyard had gone completely still but for a loafer-clad foot sticking out from the bushes, still twitching. There was no sign of the culprit anywhere. Just a glimpse of black whipping around the nearest door.

"They're dead," Zidane muttered. Before Zack could finish the word "what?" his voice was drowned by the wail of an alarm.

Zidane didn't have time to process it. He didn't have time for Zack's look of horror, for the weak noise Yuna made as she covered her mouth, or for Cloud's shouts of "No. No! He's here! We have to stop him!"

No, all Zidane had time for was a short "Thanks" as he darted to Yuna's side and swiped the hairpin from her hand. She looked at him in surprise, but didn't get a chance to question before Zidane was at the door, inserting the pin into the lock with a surgeon's precision.

"What did this?" Zack's voice wavered with the effort. "That's...sick."

"Sephiroth! I told you, it's Sephiroth! I don't have time to explain how, but if we don't stop him, he'll-!"

"It's in the building," Yuna sounded stronger than she had since they'd met. "We have to help these people. No matter what they did to us."

Breathe in, breathe out. That's what Marcus had taught him when he'd picked his first lock at the age of nine. 'That's why you're no good at it. You've got no focus.'

"If they're in the building, they could be coming this way. We're defenseless." Celes' voice was sharp. A little higher pitched than usual. "We should help them if we can, but first we have to help ourselves."

"They?" Zack shifted. "You saw them?"

"Was it a man in a black coat?" Cloud again. Tense and breathless.

Celes paused. "One of them. With a ridiculous sword."

A pinch to the right. Test it. Careful. Zidane bit his tongue in concentration. Something budged in the lock, just a little. 'You've gotta have patience.'

"That's him." There was a shuffle of feet as Cloud turned on Zack. "You know that's him."

"A black coat?" Zack's voice came weak. "But it can't be…"

"He wasn't alone?" Yuna asked instead. Celes' boots clicked as she shifted.

"No, there was someone else with him. I didn't see him draw his sword, but they were together. They were wearing the same thing except instead of black, the other was in-"

The lock gave, Zidane grabbed for the handle, and his own weight thrust the door open so suddenly that he gave a cry of surprise and had to throw out his arms just to keep from toppling forward. He felt four pairs of eyes turn to him as he stumbled into a brightly lit office, feet scrabbling for purchase on gleaming tiles. Once he'd regained his balance, he found himself face to face with a scholarly looking man in a white coat, just standing there behind a desk. Staring at him. Zidane froze. "Oh." He touched at the back of his neck. "Hey there."

"You shouldn't be out here," the man, a doctor probably, said. "That siren means we're under attack."

"Yeah. We kinda want to help with that." Zidane swiveled on his heel to face the others. Four shocked face stared back at him before Cloud shook his head, said something about there not being enough time, and charged past Zidane. Zack blinked at him and reached unsuccessfully for his shoulder before following.

Zidane tilted his head after them. "Not even a thanks?" he asked, and Celes paused as she started out the doorway.

"Thanks," she said, glancing at him. "We really don't have time though."

Then she was gone. Zidane shook his head before looking to find Yuna. She hadn't moved yet. "You coming?"

"Oh. Yes." Yuna clasped her hands together at her chest and nodded. Zidane tried for a smile as she walked past.

"You don't have to be afraid, you know. I'll protect you."

"Hm? Oh. I'm not afraid." Yuna shook her head. "I'm just worried about what I might find."

"I guess that's fair." Zidane started to walk ahead of her but then stopped to turn to her again. "Oh, I almost forgot. Here." He thrust out the two remaining hairpins. "For your friend. Just tell her the rest went missing for a good cause."

Yuna blinked, glancing between Zidane and the pins before shaking her head. "I don't think she'll mind," she said, and then, "You should keep them. You'll use them better than I could."

"You're sure?" Zidane asked, but didn't get the chance to ask anything else before there was a shout outside, sounds of a scuffle, and then a woman's voice. Celes.

"Who leaves weapons across the hall from where you're keeping someone?"

Zidane blinked. "Huh. Sounds like they had some luck," he said before glancing at Yuna and nodding. "Come on. We should get going too." He took her hand without thinking, dragging her behind him as he dashed into the hallway after the others.

Yuna wasn't wrong to be worried. They had no idea where they were, and whatever was happening, it wasn't good. Whether it was Cloud's spectral nightmare or something else entirely, people were dying and Zidane had seen enough of that. There wasn't any point in lingering on worries and fears. If he was in danger, then the people around him were too.

"Doesn't matter what's going on," he said. "You don't need a reason to help people."