.:Chapter 2:.

The sound of her boots echoed through the hallway as she calmly walked towards the cafeteria to grab some lunch. Quistis was in no rush as she knew there would most likely be a line for the infamous Balamb Garden hot dogs, although she had never been a huge fan of them.

As mundane as it might be, she loved walking through the corridors of Balamb Garden. At one point, she thought that she would never be able to see her precious Garden again. It was nice to be back and she could not have been more grateful that she was given that opportunity. Quistis had been invited back as an instructor at Garden once the Ultimecia scenario ended. She was glad to be back teaching but there was still so much commotion going on in the aftermath of the time compression incident.

Garden was still undergoing major repairs from the Galbadia Garden attack. It would take some time until the Garden was back to its former aesthetic appeal. She was not worried about the repairs on Garden as much, as more important matters were on her mind. Personal matters that involved her dear friend, Rinoa.

Her pace slowed down and she let out a defeated sigh. As much as Squall was a part of their family, Rinoa had taken his disappearance the hardest. None of them were certain what had exactly gone wrong. Everyone had the trust in each other to make it back safely. She had thought that Rinoa and Squall's bond between the two of them was more than enough to make it through time compression. To say they were shocked when they learned he never came back was an understatement. It was devastating.

When they had arrived safely back from time compression, Quistis felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She felt that she could relax for one second finally. There was no rush to save to the world and mankind. There was no pressure to meet a deadline. They already paid the price by risking their very lives to save everyone. They ran through time and space to defeat some maniac sorceress. That was enough, wasn't it?

She glanced around towards the group as they all started shaking the haze of time compression from their thoughts. She never thought she would be so happy to see their faces again.

Irvine took his hat off and dusted off the dirt, "Is everyone alright?" He lifted his head up and let his eyes scan everybody for any life threatening wounds that would need immediate attention. Everyone nodded their head and murmured a yes of some sort.

Zell let one knee fall to the ground and placed the rest of his weight on the opposite knee bent parallel to the ground, "I can't believe we did it." He shook his head in astonishment, "For a second I thought I was a goner for sure when Ultimecia summoned Griever. I can only imagine what thoughts may have gone through Squall's head when he saw Griever conjured up right before his eyes."

As Zell was finishing his thought, Selphie looked from left to right, "By the way, has anyone seen Squall or Rinoa for that matter?" Concern was written all over her face.

Everyone took a moment to look in their immediate surroundings and then back towards each other. "Okay guys, let's pair off. You two," as Quistis gestured towards Selphie and Irvine, "go down and search the shoreline, while Zell and I will take the surrounding perimeter of the orphanage. We'll meet back here in fifteen minutes."

As the two pairs split off, Quistis and Zell made their way around the orphanage. They both called out their missing companion's names a couple times but they never heard a reply.

Finally, as they were making their way towards the large flower field, Quistis turned towards the martial artist, "I was scared too, Zell."

Zell knew hearing that small admittance of fear from Quistis was not something she normally did. She had always liked being the one that took care of everyone, the one that people could depend upon to draw reassurance from. He gave her a small smile, "I wouldn't blame any of us for being scared. We were all put in a tough spot but we pulled through. We all did it together."

Quistis returned the smile and knew he was right. They had only been able to pull this off because they did it together. They all shouldered the weight equally and they had won. They had come out as the victors. Today would end as a day of celebration and triumph over evil.

Both Quistis and Zell came around the last corner and arrived at the flower field. Rinoa's figure was in the distance a small way as Zell pointed in her direction, "There's Rinoa." Quistis followed the direction of his finger as her eyes spotted their female companion.

Zell quickened his pace to a light run and reached Rinoa first with a big smile on his face, "Thought we lost you for a second, Rin. Glad to know you're safe and sound. Have you seen Squall anywhere?"

Quistis was within hearing range as Zell asked of Squall's whereabouts and took a few more steps to reach Rinoa's side.

"He's not here."

It was only after Rinoa uttered those three words that Quistis and Zell noticed that something was wrong. Rinoa's head was bent forward a small bit letting her hair slightly fall over her face.

Zell gently placed his hand on Rinoa's shoulder, "How long have you been waiting here?"

As Rinoa lifted her eyes to meet his, Zell could see the tears swimming in her eyes, wanting to break pass the threshold that was holding them back, "I'd say close to two hours."

Zell's eyes briefly glanced towards Quistis searching for the best thing to reply back.

Quistis' heart instantly ached as a dreadful thought flashed through her mind. She closed her eyes quickly and took a deep breath to clear her thoughts. She would not let her thoughts continue down that path. She had to stay positive and look for hope in their situation.

Quistis reached out and grabbed a hold of Rinoa's hand, "The rest of us made it back not too long ago. There is still plenty of time for Squall to show up." Quistis felt Rinoa squeeze her hand in reply.

Rinoa would not leave the flower field so they decided to take shifts, switching places every couple of hours waiting with Rinoa while the rest of them walked back to the Ragnorak to get in contact with Balamb Garden. They were using every resource they had to diligently search for their missing Commander.

Hours had passed and each one of them stood by Rinoa's side to wait and to provide any semblance of comfort. The day ended without so much of a sign from Squall and Balamb Garden had no lead on where he could be.

The next day came and Rinoa still refused to eat. Selphie tried walking around the field with Rinoa but she was quiet most of the time. She never really said much since the day before. Rinoa seemed to still be in a state of shock. Every now and then Selphie would hear her quietly mumble to herself under her breath, 'He didn't come back. He gave up and forgot.' Selphie tried comforting the young sorceress the best she could but Rinoa was stuck behind some kind of emotional wall that she quickly built around herself.

"Yo, Selphie!"

Selphie turned her head to see Zell running towards them and gave a small wave in his direction.

Zell finally caught up with the two girls and greeted them both. Rinoa returned the greeting and continued on to walk several steps ahead of the other two.

"Has Garden picked up on anything yet?" Selphie quickly whispered as she kept the distance between them and Rinoa.

Zell shook his head, "Nothing and Garden is doing everything they can to locate him. Cid was able to get a hold of Laguna in Esthar. He was more than willing to help in the search as well." He kept pace with Selphie, continuing his train of thought, "It's difficult to imagine that Squall might not make it back. I know none of us want to admit it but…"

"I know, I know," Selphie brought her hand up to rub the bridge of her nose to try to take away the stress, "We just need to get Rinoa out of this place soon. She's going to continue in a downward emotional spiral if she stays here much longer. Being here is constantly reminding her of what went wrong and she needs to be away from this focal point to be able to come to terms with the possibility of Squall never showing up."

It hurt her to say it out loud, but someone had to be the first to say it. It was hard on all of them that Squall may never show up. He was more than just their Commander, he was their friend, no, more than that, they had grown into a family.

Zell let out a sigh and he looked towards the raven-haired girl in front of them, "You're right. Anyways, you should head back to the Ragnorak to rest. I'll keep Rinoa company. "

Selphie nodded her head, "I'll go talk to the others and we'll meet you back here in a bit with a gentle way to help Rinoa come to terms with what has happened and hopefully leave this place."

Zell agreed and watched as Selphie jogged over to Rinoa and gave her a hug before she quickly walked back in the direction of the airship.

Zell turned his attention back towards Rinoa and noticed she had stopped walking and was looking up towards the sky. The sun had been hiding behind the clouds all morning and there had been a soft breeze that pushed against his skin.

He walked up next to her and lifted his gaze up towards the sky as well. He wasn't exactly the greatest when it came to words of comfort and it pained him to see the sadness written all over his friend's face. He had hoped with every fiber in his being that Squall would have already shown up by now but the odds were slimming down as each minute ticked by. He felt helpless standing there next to her.

"Zell?"

His name brought him out of his thoughts and he turned his head towards Rinoa, "Yeah?"

Rinoa continued to look up at the clouds, "I want to thank you. All of you have been so patient waiting here with me. I do appreciate it and love you guys all the more for it."

"It's nothing Rinoa," Zell brought one hand up to scratch the back of his head. "We all want him back as much as you do. We're doing everything we can to find him as we speak."

Zell turned his attention back to Rinoa as he heard her let out a small laugh. He thought it sounded a little forced and he knew he did not say anything worth laughing about. She had turned her back towards him. He noticed that her hands were clenched into tight fists at her sides. He began to take a step towards her when she quickly whirled around and stood face to face with him. He saw a glint of rage shimmer in her eyes, something he had never witnessed in her before.

"It doesn't matter if we do everything we can to find him," Rinoa angrily yelled as she made a slight shove towards Zell's shoulders. "It doesn't matter if we spend our every waking moment waiting for him."

Rinoa's outburst clearly caught Zell off guard as he stumbled back a step in confusion. He had thought she was sad and distressed, not angry. Obviously, he needed more help on reading people because here she was taking her anger out on him.

He knew he had to stay calm as he came within reach of her. He did not want to agitate her further but she had no right to take out her anger on someone who was trying to help her through a difficult time.

"Rinoa, it does matter that we try. We're not giving up on him just yet."

Zell tried placing a comforting touch upon her shoulder but she tried shoving it away. "He gave up on us Zell!" He caught her wrist and it was a gentle but firm grip that he was sure would not cause her any pain.

"Let go of me," Rinoa struggled to try to wiggle her wrist free from Zell's grasp.

"Rinoa, you need to calm down. We don't know what happe-"

"Don't tell me to calm down," Rinoa interrupted. "I have been calm this whole time. I have waited here just like we promised we would." Her voice started to crack and she attempted to keep her composure, "I had enough trust in us to make it back here just like how he should have had."

Zell saw the change in her attitude slowly shift from anger to sorrow. He could see that her eyes now glistened with tears. He released her wrist from his hold as he let her continue.

"Why didn't he make it back Zell?" Rinoa choked back a sob. "It was so simple for the rest of us to believe in each other to make it back. I had thought that we all would have been enough for him to want to come back here."

The tears were freely falling down Rinoa's face as she fell to her knees upon the ground. Zell saw as if her world shattered right in front of her. He bent down to her eye level as she continued to cry and breathe in staggering breaths. He put his arms around her and hugged her for whatever comfort it may be worth at that moment.

"He stopped believing. He gave up on us. Squall gave up on me."

Zell was not able to understand anything Rinoa said after that. Her words became incoherent as she continued to uncontrollably cry. Her body leaned into his completely as she no longer had the strength to hold herself up.

Zell could feel his eyes fill up with a bit of moisture as he looked down upon his friend. She had always been strong-willed and seeing her in this state was saddening. Her spirit was clearly broken and her hope was lost.

He could not stand to see her hurt more than she already was, so he scooped her up in his arms, still crying, and headed towards the airship. "We're going to get you out of here Rinoa. We'll all be there for you at Garden where you can better take care of yourself."

Selphie pushed the remnants of her lunch around on her plate. She was not as hungry and she originally thought. The room slightly brightened up and she could feel the soft warmth of the sun settling on her skin. She looked out towards the floor-to-ceiling windows and glanced upwards as the sun finally peeked out from hiding behind a few clouds.

It seemed like any ordinary day in Balamb Garden's cafeteria. All of the other occupants were contentedly eating their lunch and making small chatter amongst themselves. If someone were to just glance at the scene before her, they would not suspect that nearly everyone is this room had been thrown into a major battle crisis not but a month ago.

It was surreal to think that anything had taken place. Most of Garden's students and SeeD's had gone back to their daily routines at this point. Life could almost seem normal, but that was not the case for her small family group.

There had been a small mourning period once the Ragnorak had returned to Balamb Garden. Their return without their Commander sent a slight shock wave throughout its inhabitants. Many were saddened at the loss of their newly trusted leader.

She had been in disbelief just as much as anyone else.

As Selphie made her way back to the Ragnorak, she could not help but let the doubt slowly push at her thoughts. She had always had complete trust in Squall's leadership and felt that he would have used every ounce of energy he possessed to make it back.

Waiting over twenty-four hours had been tortuous for all of them as the anticipation of Squall's arrival had turned from being optimistic to uncertain. They had used every possible outlet and there was not any sighting of their fated companion.

As each hour had passed by, their level of hope slowly dwindled. They all knew their window time frame to find a lead was quickly closing. Not only was there worry for finding the whereabouts of Squall but there was also the concern of the emotional and mental state of Rinoa. Selphie could tell that her friend had gone into a small state of shock and she couldn't blame her for doing so. Although she did not think it beneficial for Rinoa to remain here waiting.

Selphie approached the Ragnorak and saw Quistis and Irvine talking at the base of the on ramp. She took a deep breath for inner strength and greeted the two.

"Any change from her?" Irvine's concerned eyes met her's as she stopped in front of the two.

Selphie slowly shook her head in response, "She seems to becoming more lost within herself." She could feel her body slightly tense up as she quickly but firmly chose her next words, "I don't think we should stay here any longer. For Rinoa's sake."

She could feel both of her companion's gazes set on her, knowing that that same notion had been tossed around their own thoughts. She still felt the need to persuade them further, "We could easily continue searching for Squall while residing at Garden instead of staying here. As much as I'm going to hate dragging her from here, I don't think it's wise to keep Rinoa here either." She felt the slight stinging in her eyes as she fought back to keep any tears from falling. "I can't imagine the constant pain Rinoa is going through by just remaining in this place where they made that promise. We need to get her as far away as possible to be able to pull herself together and possibly have to accept the unwanted loss of Squall."

"You're right," Quistis whispered. She completely agreed with Selphie and she silently thanked her for having the strength to actually say it out loud, because she could not. To be honest, all of them needed to get away from here. If their search continued on with the same outcome that was laid before them, then they needed their own healing time as well.

None of them wanted to be the first to admit the unthinkable. They wanted to hang onto that hope with a death grip, thinking the tighter they held on, the more likely Squall would show up.

Irvine nodded his head in agreement as his hand reached out for Selphie's. She gently squeezed it in response.

"We'll continue to search for any sign of Squall but reality seems to be giving us a hard slap in the face at the moment." Quisitis crossed her arms as she continued, "I'm not saying it right now, but if we all have to face that hard fact of Squall not returning, I'd rather us all be back at Garden to keep us focused and not get lost in our grief."

"We just need a gentle but firm way of convincing Rinoa to leave with us as well. You know as well as I do that she'll want to wait for him here." Selphie knew how stubborn her raven-haired friend could be, even in her fragile state of mind. For goodness sake, she wouldn't even leave the flower field to rest or eat.

Irvine's voice broke through her thoughts, "Is that Zell over there?" The two women turned their heads in his direction and saw Zell's figure not too far off. "It looks like he's carrying Rinoa."

Quistis saw Zell cradling Rinoa close to his chest, "Selphie, go start-up the airship. It looks like we'll be leaving sooner than expected and without any disagreement." Her eyes softened as they came closer and could clearly see Rinoa's mood had made a drastic turn into irrepressible sobs of tears and sadness.

There was a heavy silence among the four of them as Rinoa shut herself into one of the cabin rooms. They could hear her heart-wrenching cries and they wanted to reach out to her but she would not open the door for any of them.

The emotional burdened placed on all of them had seemed to become more heavy the farther they flew from the orphanage. They were all fortunate to find each other again as young adults and it was unfair to think that Hyne would break them apart again by stealing one away so soon.

That first week at Garden had been rough on all of them. They diligently searched high and low for any trace of Squall. There was nothing. Headmaster Cid made the official announcement of Squall being indefinitely missing in action and that there would a day of silence at Garden in honor of their Commander.

It was difficult for them to accept that their friend would not be coming back. To make themselves feel slightly better, they instilled a general security search in Garden's database should a sighting of Squall ever show up in the future.

Selphie remembered how heavily she leaned on the support of her small group of close friends as they went through that grieving period together. They all tried to immerse themselves in their work while being supportive of each other at the same time.

Rinoa was the only one who seemed to still be stuck in an emotional spiral of sadness. It worried her and she knew it had only been a month and she wasn't asking that Rinoa be completely happy with her life, but to at least start in the healing process of it all.

Selphie finally pushed her plate to the side, deciding she was done pretending to eat the rest of her lunch. She let out a small sigh as she leaned her cheek against the support of her hand propped up on the table as she stared out at nothing in particular.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the movement of a chair being pulled out from across the table in front of her. She leaned back in her chair once she recognized the blonde woman who seated herself in front of her with her lunch tray and shared with her a friendly smile.

After Quistis finished her lunch, Selphie and herself decided to bring Rinoa some lunch knowing that she probably had not eaten anything all morning. They were lucky if they got her to eat something twice a day.

They walked in a comfortable silence towards the dormitories. They had both hoped, just like every other time they visited Rinoa, that this day would be different. That today they would see a small spark of happiness back in her eyes.

They stopped in front of her room and Selphie reached up to tap her knuckles against the door a few times.