Chapter 16:
Laguna could only watch in surprise as Squall came walking into his office and promptly slammed a piece of paper down on his desk, then stood back and folded his arms.
"What's this?"
"Just read it." Squall's tone was icy, and despite being used to the frown by now, Laguna disliked the expression on his son's face. Picking up the paper, he lifted his cup with his other hand, taking a sip of his coffee.
And nearly choked on it. Coughing, the president put his coffee cup down and grabbed the paper with both hands, "What the…?!"
"How many abandoned sons do you have walking around, Laguna? Any more surprises I should know of? Maybe Selphie's really my sister?" Squall's voice hadn't been so harsh towards Laguna in many years.
Unable to even speak, Laguna read the short sentences again. And again. Still, he found it difficult to believe, "H-how… How is this possible?" he half-whispered, eventually.
"You tell me!"
"Squall," Laguna said shakily, looking back up at the younger man, "I swear… I didn't know that… Oh God, this must be a joke, right?!"
Squall's arms dropped and he clenched his fists, shaking his head, "Your damn 'joke' is out there somewhere with my daughter, Laguna! Don't you get it? Just because you couldn't--," he cut himself off, swallowed, and started over, "Somehow, for some reason, your… son has taken Dawn for… what? Revenge? I don't even know."
Laguna looked pale. He slowly lowered the paper to the desk, then leaned back in his chair, feeling as if he was about to faint as realization slowly dawned upon him. Struggling to keep his mind straight, he tried to find an explanation, "It… Julia and I, we shared one night… Just one night before I was sent off to Centra. The next I heard from her was that she was married to Caraway, and then about her death six years later… I had no idea…"
He felt like cursing, insulting, yelling, anything to put the blame on Laguna. It felt so easy, right then, easy to say that everything was Laguna's fault, easy to say that his life would have been better without him as a part of it, though deep down inside he knew it wasn't the truth, nor was it fair. Squall was surprised at just how much bitterness there was left inside him that he hadn't even known about. "You're always clueless. One night. If you just hadn't been so… irresponsible," he hissed.
"I didn't know, Squall," Laguna tried again, "Everyone makes mistakes. What can I say?"
"Mistakes that kidnap little girls? I'm sick of your excuses, Laguna!"
Squall wasn't the only one being sick of things, though. Laguna was tired of being harassed by his own son. No matter how much he regretted, no matter how much time passed and how hard he tried, Squall never seemed to forgive completely, never lost that cold edge. Being blamed for something he couldn't help at a time when he was under so much stress already, it was too much at once for the aging president to handle. Before he knew it, he was snapping right back, "Yes, mistakes, Squall! Don't you think I know how Adrian came to be? Like father, like son, huh?"
The moment he said it, he realized what he had done, but it was too late. Squall's eyes widened slightly, before returning to glaring intensely.
"Squall!" Laguna rose, "Wait, I--"
Squall had already left the office, though, slamming the door shut so hard the walls shook. Dropping back into the chair, Laguna placed his head in his hands and sighed.
The Belhelmel twisted and turned in the air, uttering strange, growling sounds of laughter now and then. Its puny opponent's attacks were weak and undeveloped, in its opinion. Another human child would fall victim to its wrath.
Mwezai was already exhausted. His stabs didn't seem to injure the monster, even though he tried so hard. Sweat was dripping from his forehead, his clothes were torn at a few places from the Belhelmel's attacks, and his hair was slightly burnt from a Thunder spell. Sakira was standing nearby, shaking her head at her student's poor skills.
Finally, the monster knocked over the barely 15 years old, skinny body, and prepared to finish the boy off. However, Sakira was quick to react. She jumped forward, taking the blow for Mwezai, but covered in order to reduce the damage. Then, as the Belhelmel withdrew, the woman raised her sword and slashed, cutting the monster severely. The Belhelmel growled, then narrowed its eyes in anger. The human was going to regret this!
Sakira easily dodged the swipe, though, and used the opportunity to attack again. As she kept striking in painful places every time, it didn't take long before the Belhelmel had to give up. It fell to the ground, then shattered into nothingness.
Mwezai was lying in the grass, panting and staring at Sakira, almost fearing her more than he had feared the beast. When she turned and approached him, he quickly got to his feet and picked up his sword.
"You incompetent fool! You'll never learn!" Sakira yelled, "I fought better than that when I was still in diapers!"
"I-I'm sorry," he stuttered, "I tried…"
"'Trying' isn't good enough! How will you ever reach your goals if you don't know how to fight? This is all you have, Moonlight. A sword, an enemy, and the need for survival. A boy who can not take care of himself will never be a man."
Always complaining. Always telling him what he did wrong, what he could have done better – Telling him how hopeless he was, telling him he'd never be a warrior. It had been that way his entire life. For as long as he could remember, he had struggled to satisfy his Guardian, but it was never good enough.
Oh, how wonderful wouldn't it be to have real parents… Like the children in Deling City. Real parents who cared about you for who you were and not for how well you fought.
But it was no use mentioning that to Sakira. She claimed she had saved his life, that she had found him in the slums as a newborn, without any trace of his parents. What other option did he have than believe her? Still, she couldn't deny him to dream… of a safe home with a kind, caring mother and a strong, wise father who'd teach him everything he'd need to know… in a nice way. Did people like that even exist?
"Are you listening to me, Moonlight?!"
His eyes turned to her again, and he glared. (I hate you…) The words formed on his lips, but he didn't dare to say them. He was afraid of her, and he despised it. He despised being weak.
"What?" Sakira placed her hands on her hips.
"Nothing," Mwezai muttered, "I'm sorry… I'll practice harder."
She nodded, "You'd better."
Often he'd play with the thought… That Sakira really was a witch who had kidnapped him; one of those evil sorceresses he had heard about several times through stories and rumors. Somewhere, his real parents were longing for him, in a rich and wealthy home… Just waiting for him to find them.
And he would find them, even if it'd take him the rest of his life to search.
Sakira watched him as they walked back to their shelter. She often wondered about him – Was he fit to live the life that she led? He didn't have any other skills that what she had taught him. Dishonesty, stealing, fighting; it was all she had to offer. Her own way of survival. It was odd how she still carried a certain sense of moral, though. Never did they take what they didn't need, including human lives. And she had taught Mwezai how to read and write. He was too intelligent to go to waste.
She'd have to raise him into a warrior, and not a thief.
Chapter 17:
It was midday as the car pulled up just by the base of the hill, next to the other car that was already there. As Rinoa stepped outside, she saw Likoya standing at the hilltop, eagerly waving a hand at them, "They're here!" she yelled, bouncing up and down. Despite how tired and upset she felt, Rinoa couldn't help but smile weakly and she waved back.
They were all waiting for them up there. Robbie was punching the air, though with much less perfection than Zell, and Sejia was watching him with her usual, sarcastic expression, looking for an opportunity to throw in an insult. Rinoa watched them in mild wonder for a moment – it was easy to think of them as young replicas of their parents, though she knew that wasn't the truth. At least Robbie was way too uncertain and shy compared to his father. But Sejia… she didn't really know about her.
Squall ignored the youths and walked straight to where Quistis and Irvine were standing, but Quistis immediately turned to Rinoa instead and smiled, somewhat sorrowfully, but with relief, "Rinoa… I'm so glad to see you're all right. How are you feeling?"
"I've been better," Rinoa admitted, "But physically, I'm all right. The doctors helped me recover very quickly after I woke up."
"What did you find?" Squall asked, impatiently. Irvine frowned, and searched through his pocket, before pulling out a small piece of clothing.
"The Galbadian search team found this stuck to the tip of a stick, standing here on this hill," he explained, "It was pointing towards the Tomb of the Unknown King…"
Grabbing the piece, Squall studied it for a second, expressionlessly, then nodded, "It's from Dawn's shirt…," he handed it to Rinoa and looked back up at the two SeeDs, "Either they are trying to fool us, or they want us to find them. Why didn't the soldiers investigate it at once instead of waiting around for us?"
Quistis sighed, "They didn't dare to. They've grown up here in this city, with countless stories and myths about the Tomb… And they are convinced the place is haunted. Some of them refused even when Caraway threatened to fire them from the army, but I told him it would be better if we went, anyway. We've been there before, after all."
"Haunted… No wonder the Galbadian empire has been having problems all along. What wusses." Sejia snorted. Rinoa, holding the piece of Dawn's clothes to her chest, glanced at the young SeeD and lifted an eyebrow. She didn't hold any grudge against Seifer anymore, but that girl was so much like him it was ridiculous. At least that was her first impression.
That was everybody's first impression.
"Anyway…," Quistis continued, "I suggest we split up into two groups and search the tomb. Squall, you take Rinoa and Sejia with you and look through the eastern area, and Irvine, Robbie, Likoya and I will search the western area."
They all accepted the order without any further questions, and the rest of the trip to the old tomb went very quietly. No one dared to ask neither Squall nor Rinoa about the recent discovery.
About an hour later, Sejia, Rinoa and Squall were walking through the dark halls of the cavern, with Squall a bit ahead of the two females, holding a torch. There wasn't much to look at in there – only plain, empty walls and water trickling along the sides of the path. Rinoa was lost in thought, and she was pretty sure Squall was, too. She hated this – that even after so much time together, they couldn't always share their emotions and ponderings with each other. Squall actually seemed to be more comfortable speaking with Dawn sometimes. It hurt her, in a bizarre way. Rinoa would never dream of destroying the invisible bond father and daughter held between them. She'd rather want to be a part of it, wanted to look into Squall's mind and let her thoughts melt with his. Hear him speak his mind to her openly, if only just once, instead of having to see it in his eyes and actions.
Now Dawn was gone. No, not gone. Missing. And it was as if a part had fallen out of both of them, shattered and stepped upon. All communication was gone – after they learned the truth of Mwezai's identity, Rinoa and Squall hadn't been able to talk about it. It was too painful. Everything was too tense and painful. It wasn't difficult to see how Squall lingered between blaming himself and blaming Laguna, and how he kept hurting himself. The silence… the shell he had wrapped himself in so many years ago – Was it rebuilding itself?
Sejia was bored. As usual. If there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was silence. And now she was trapped with the Leonharts, certainly not the most talkative couple on earth. Though she had expected Rinoa to be less cool than her husband. Clearing her voice, she finally spoke quietly, to the raven haired sorceress, "So… doesn't it feel kind of awkward knowing that you two have the same half-brother?"
Rinoa blinked and looked at the girl, biting back a snappy reply and answering rather calmly instead, "Yes… But we have other things to worry about right now."
"You know, your father… Caraway… You should have seen his reaction when we told him," Sejia smirked, but it was not really an amused expression, "Don't think I've ever seen anyone so shocked before."
Wincing, Rinoa nodded. She could imagine… Somehow, she was a bit relieved for her mother's sake that she was long gone, at the same time as she wanted to ask her so many questions. So many things she needed answers for.
"Take that, ugly thingy!" Likoya threw her nunchaku forward, striking the Blobra with great force, but the monster did hardly react at all. The weapon's blow merely bounced off its skin as though it was a rubber ball. As the monster lashed out to counter attack, Likoya quickly bounded away to hide behind Irvine, "Daddy! It's cheating!"
"Let me try!" Robbie leapt forward before anyone could say anything else, and punched the bluish, liquid-like creature as hard as he could, but still he didn't cause any noticeable damage.
Irvine frowned and took a step towards the monster, "You can't rely on physical attacks when you fight these things. You have to use other forces, like magic." With greatly developed skill, Irvine concentrated, and cast a Flare spell upon the enemy. The Blobra shrieked, and as rapidly as it could it tried to make an escape, only to be thrown off balance by one of Quistis' Thundaga spells. The life force leaving its body, the creature melted into a pool of water.
"Wow!" Likoya exclaimed and tugged on her father's arm, "Daddy, you're the best!" Irvine gave her a grin.
"Hey, what's this?" The three of them turned to Robbie, who was pulling a little note off the wall. Quistis went over and took it out of his hands. As she read the few words on the paper, her eyes narrowed.
"What is it?" Irvine asked.
"Look for yourself," Quistis handed him the note and he read it, blinked, and read it again.
"Hey, Squall!!!" Irvine turned and yelled down the hall, "Are you there?!"
After less than two minutes, Sejia and the Leonharts had joined them. Squall frowned – but he didn't even have the time to ask before Irvine gave him the paper. As Rinoa read over his shoulder, Squall was all surprised, confused and angered by the note.
"'Return to your childhood, Squall Leonhart. And bring your father, for the girl.' What the…?"
"What does it mean?" Robbie looked puzzled.
"'Return to your childhood'… Could he be talking about the orphanage?" Quistis said.
"Possibly…"
"Isn't that at Centra?" Sejia groaned, "Does this mean we have to travel long distances – perhaps just to find nothing at all – again??"
"They're playin' hide'n'seek with us!" Likoya pouted.
Squall frowned another time and crumpled the paper in his hand, "I've played this game long enough. We're going there, and we're going tonight. Someone inform President Loire that his presence is needed," he paused, looking around for a second, his eyes then resting on Quistis, "… Or at least, it would be appreciated…"
(Laguna is the President. He can offer money, soldiers, anything… But we don't know what this Mwezai person wants with him. Would he be willing to possibly risk his life to save one person? The Estharians require his leadership…)
"I'll do it, Squall," Irvine offered, "Likoya and Robbie shouldn't come with you, anyway, so I'll stay here in Deling with them, and keep contact with you in case reinforcements is needed."
"What!?" Likoya screeched.
"But-" Robbie started to protest, but Quistis was the one to shake her head this time.
"He's right. You're not old enough nor skilled enough yet," she gave Robbie a glance, "You'll receive a report on how you've handled this mission once we get back to Garden."
"Four against two… Shouldn't be any problem," Sejia's tone held an air of arrogance. No one else seemed to be as sure as her, though.
Rinoa grasped at Squall's hand and squeezed it gently. It was now or never. Their daughter was out there somewhere, in pain, and they could wait no longer… With or without Laguna, they were going.
Chapter 18:
"Uncle Laguna, you can't go!" Ellone shouted, but her foster father ignored her as he continued to search through his closet.
"It's got to be here somewhere…"
"Uncle Laguna, please," she pleaded, "I know how much you want to go and help out, I know… what he's doing to Dawn, but it's still insanity. For all we know, this…," Ellone hesitated. She'd like to say 'maniac', but it was, after all, Laguna's son she was speaking about, "…Mwezai might want revenge. Esthar needs their president safe and sound."
Laguna sighed and started to say something, but Kiros beat him to it, "She's right, Laguna. Squall and his team are trained to handle this kind of thing, they'll be fine. You would only be endangering your life."
"……" Ward commented from his corner of the room.
"Thank you!" Laguna threw his arms up, glancing at the latter of his companions, "At least someone is supporting me here." Turning to the others, he flicked away a strand of graying hair before placing his hands on his hips, "Mwezai stated specifically that he wanted me there. I'm not going to risk my granddaughter's life for my own sake," his gaze dropped to the floor, "I have failed my family enough for one lifetime. Never again."
Kiros exchanged a look with Ward, then sighed slowly. Ellone narrowed her eyes and walked up to the president, wrapping her arms around his neck, "We understand, uncle Laguna. Just don't get yourself hurt, okay?"
He smiled sadly and stroked her hair, "I'll try not to." Turning back to the closet, he proceeded to search for another while, before finally pulling out what he was looking for, "Voila! I found it."
The others just watched and didn't say anything as Laguna dusted off his machine gun.
"It looks so empty…"
The wind blew gently around the four of them as they stood on the small rocky hill, looking down at the ancient stone building and the almost equally old lighthouse below. Indeed, the orphanage was a sad sight. Time had not been kind to it and it looked even more sad than it had when they last visited. That was 17 years ago.
At least it didn't look as bad as it would in Ultimecia's time.
Squall didn't reply to Quistis' comment, but although he didn't show it, he disliked just as much as she did to see the place where he had spent the first years of his life in such a bad shape. And Rinoa had memories from the orphanage too, if not as many as her friends had. She tried to get a look at the flower field, but they couldn't see it from the angle they were standing at.
"So, how can we be sure this is the right place?" Sejia asked. She was the only one of them who didn't have any emotions connected to the area, and was just eager to get on with the mission. She had been waiting to for a long while now.
"It has to be here," Squall said coolly. (If it isn't, we are back were we began – with nothing. I don't think I could take that…)
"This is it, then," Rinoa sighed, inching closer to Squall and leaning her head against his shoulder, "Doesn't it ever end? How can we know that this really will be it? I thought fighting Ultimecia was it, I thought getting rid of Xar and gain peace in Galbadia was it, I thought…," she swallowed, "Adrian's death… was it…"
"This will be it, Rinoa." Squall's voice lacked the confidence he had wanted it to hold. He slipped an arm around his wife's waist, "I promise."
She glanced up at him. (Just don't make promises you can't keep, Squall.)
Sejia rolled her eyes and started to walk down towards the orphanage. Quistis gave the two of them a longing look, but nevertheless she was glad to see them back together. Shaking her head to herself, she crossed her arms and made a little movement with her hand, motioning towards the building below, "We'd better get going."
And they walked towards what would hopefully be their last battle.
Chapter 19:
Once again, the wooden door of the cold, stone room slid open, and the girl quickly pressed herself more firmly against the walls of her corner. She didn't even bother to hope for anyone else than her two kidnappers.
And it wasn't, but fortunately, it was the female one - she was a little less insane than her male companion. A little. Sakira looked around briefly as she stood in the doorway, letting her black eyes adjust to the darkness before they fell upon the child. Smirking at the curled up pose Dawn held, the aging woman walked over, placing a plate with a piece of dry bread and a bottle of water on the floor in front of the young captive, "You really ought to eat, dear. That body of yours wouldn't take harm from gaining some weight." She watched Dawn, who just stared back at her with wide eyes, then chuckled darkly, "I don't think this stuff will make you fat, though. Blame Moonlight – he's the one who bought the food."
Looking around for a chair, and finding none, Sakira simply sat down on the floor as well, folding her purple cape beneath her, "Of course, my darling Mwezai doesn't care too much about what he eats these days. All he cares about is your father. And your grandfather, I suppose," she snorted, "You know that, don't you? He's not after you. In fact, when he doesn't need you anymore, he'll throw you aside like a worthless rag doll."
Silence. Sakira sighed, and smirked again, "You don't say much, do you? Come on. One word. Or at least enjoy your meal. Might be the last you get in a while… or ever… Depends on your father's actions."
The girl kept watching the woman blankly, unblinking, momentarily glancing at the longsword she always had with her. "Throw me aside like he did to you?" Her raspy voice suddenly uttered, quietly, but still spitefully.
Sakira blinked, then frowned, "I'd slap you for that, little bitch, but I see Moonlight already gave you a black eye," she noted, studying the bruised face, "Think you'd better watch your tongue if you want to survive."
"You'll never get away with this," Dawn hissed with the typical anger of a child, her breath shaky, "Dad will find me. He loves me."
At that, Sakira just laughed mockingly, "Oh, that's a good one. Daddy loves you, so therefore he'll find you." She shook her head, "Maybe he will, dear, but it won't do much good as soon as he faces Mwezai's wrath. My boy has a lot of hate towards his younger brother." She ignored Dawn's expression of pure confusion, "I guess it's a guy thing. Protect their own 'honor and pride'. Always a competition to be the best. Let me tell you something about love, young Leonhart; it's the most selfish thing in the world."
She paused, nodding curtly to confirm her own words, "We love, and we care because that person makes us feel good. We protect them because we don't want to lose that good feeling, nor do we want to lose the good feeling it gives us when we think we're being kind. There is no such thing as 'kindness'. All our actions and thoughts – They are all a part of taking care of our own ego. You seek other people because you're lonely. Your father searches for you because it's what he has to do, as your father. As a good father, don't you see?"
"That's… that's not true!" Dawn shook her head frantically.
"And Moonlight," Sakira continued, "Moonlight is doing this because he wants to be a good son, and to prove he can be a better son than Leonhart. The poor boy doesn't see his own mistakes… And he won't let me point them out to him. So why do I help him, you wonder?" A pensive look crossed her face, "… Because it's what I have to do, as his guardian. I can't let him down now."
Silence filled the room once again. Dawn wrapped her arms more tightly around herself – it was cold, despite the sunny weather - it wouldn't reach the inside of the orphanage. Sakira looked as if she was about to speak again, but a sound from outside interrupted her. Distant voices. Perking up, the woman stood and moved to the window.
"Oh." Her tone was surprised, yet calm, "I'd better go warn Moonlight…" Her gaze flashed to Dawn, and she glared, "You'd better stay here and don't move, or I'll personally cut something out of you. You must not interfere now." With that, she disappeared.
And Dawn didn't dare to move. But she dared to hope again.
They moved around the orphanage, walked through the field of flowers, flowers in all colors of the rainbow. Rinoa was amazed that these blossoms' beauty were still untouched, while the building itself was in such a bad shape. Never dying, never disappearing… Maybe even in Ultimecia's time, this bed of flowers would still be here.
She walked by Squall's side, slightly behind Sejia and Quistis. She didn't want to show that she was nervous… Whatever happened today, she hoped she wouldn't have to use her powers. Rinoa was constantly trying to forget the fact that she was a Sorceress, using her abilities as little as possible, and generally trying to rely on her weapon instead of magic when she had to fight. If there was one thing she – they – didn't need, it was having the world fear her.
The two women in front of them stopped abruptly, and Rinoa snapped out of her thoughts, halting as she gazed towards the platform-like backyard of the orphanage. There they stood, side by side. The woman named Sakira, and the man… her half-brother, and Squall's half-brother, Mwezai. She glanced at Squall – his eyes were hard and cold. No emotion there.
"Well, well, well… If it isn't the Leonharts," Mwezai began with a chuckle, then eyed Rinoa with mild surprise, "You're here too, huh? Amazing… I was pretty sure I had knocked you out for good. But it's not like it really matters," he shrugged.
"Where is she?" Asked Quistis, looking around, but there was no sign of Dawn. Sejia rested a hand on her hip and locked eyes with Sakira, neither one saying anything.
"I might ask you the same… almost," Mwezai took a step forward, his eyes never leaving Squall, who was just glaring the entire time, "Where is he?"
"He's not here," Squall replied evenly.
"Well, no Laguna… no Leonhart girl. Sorry." He smirked. Sakira frowned – she hadn't expected him to take it so calmly. Did he think they would just leave again and go get the President?
"Oh, come on!" Sejia suddenly interrupted, "Who do you think you are?!"
"Sejia-" Quistis began, reaching out for the young SeeD with her hand, but the girl pulled away and swiped the air with her gunblade.
"No, I'm sick and tired of this! We are four, you are two. We are three top-trained SeeDs – more or less – and a Sorceress, and you… you're a pathetic couple of thieves! What are your chances of winning this battle?"
Sakira stared angrily at Sejia. Mwezai frowned, "How can you even be so sure the girl is here?! You'll need our help to find-"
"Mom? Dad?"
Everybody turned to look at the small window behind Sakira and Mwezai, where a young brunette was squinting against the sunlight. Rinoa's eyes widened.
"Dawn?"
Squall wasn't sure who made the first blow, but before he really got time to figure out what had happened, they were fighting. He had to act quickly to block Mwezai's sword from slicing him in two, and barely registered seeing Sejia and Quistis fight Sakira off to the side, while Rinoa dashed towards the orphanage's entrance.
Mwezai's strength was surprising, and he handled his longsword with great skill – Squall, who hadn't been in a real battle for quite some time, had a rather hard time blocking all the attacks and at the same time try to hurt his opponent.
"Why are you doing this?" he asked as he lifted his blade to strike the sword with a loud, metallic sound.
Mwezai's face held an odd expression of both amusement and anger at the same time, "Oh, you really are clueless, aren't you Leonhart?" he hissed, drawing his weapon back to attack again, "Don't you understand? You have everything I ever wanted. Glory, fame, money… a family. And now when I finally get my chance, you're standing in my way!"
Squall winced as the sharp sword blade brushed against his shoulder, drawing blood. Quickly, he threw a bolt of fire on Mwezai, who staggered back. "What are you talking about?"
The slightly older man regained his balance, his sword coming down on Squall's gunblade once again, "Don't be a fool, Squall. Your father! Our father. He's the President, dammit. How do you think I felt when I found out my father's the freaking most powerful guy in the world?!"
"I don't know!" Squall ducked a blow, and then swiftly cut through the air with his blade, slashing at the other's arm, "Probably a lot better than I did!"
Mwezai didn't seem to take much notice of the pain, but he paused to pant and wipe the sweat off his brow. Obviously, he didn't have any Cure spells stocked – Squall doubted he had any idea how to junction GFs or use magic anyway. "I'm his oldest son, you know," Mwezai smirked, "That would make me the rightful Heir to Esthar, wouldn't it?"
Taking the opportunity to cure his own wound, Squall was caught off guard by that statement. (This guy is seriously crazy… The next President? This isn't a monarchy.)
(Wait a minute… Does that mean he thinks that I am going to…?)
Before he could finish the thought, Mwezai's sword aimed for him again.
Meanwhile, Sakira was putting up a rather impressive challenge to Sejia and Quistis, but they were two on one, and they had magic to help them. Sakira only had her weapon to rely on. To make up for that, though, she was incredibly good at using it. Quistis couldn't really do much with her whip as the older woman was so good at blocking her attacks, and mostly used magic, while Sejia tried her best to weaken Sakira in close-up battle.
Sakira didn't really know what she was fighting for anymore. It wasn't for herself, for her own success, for her own happiness or safety… She was here because of Mwezai – her Moonlight – the only one she considered family. But it had become all too obvious to her that he didn't want her as family. The family he wanted was a different one, and she knew that, but yet she kept risking her life for him.
… Somewhere deep down inside, she wished he would change his mind. Hoped he would, even. There was nothing else left for her. And so she kept doing her best, blocking off Sejia's attacks and trying to avoid Quistis' rush of spells. She didn't know how much longer she could keep it up…
Squall didn't want to believe it, but he seemed to be on the losing side. Mwezai was so stubborn – he was giving everything he had, apparently not planning to give up anytime soon. And Squall was getting tired – he wasn't as young as he used to be.
"Giving up so soon, Leonhart?" Mwezai grinned, "I could go on like this forever." His looks betrayed his words, though. Even if sword fighting was practically the only thing he was good at, a man of 36 years had his limits. Squall was about to block another attack, when a clear, high-pitched voice distracted him.
"Dad!" Dawn called out. Squall glanced up to see his daughter stand in the door to the orphanage, clinging to Rinoa's side. She looked so small and fragile… but definitely alive.
The next thing he knew, his gunblade was knocked out of his hands, and he was pushed to the ground. A heavy boot pressed against his chest, and he stared straight up into Mwezai's eyes-
-cold, glaring eyes, so much alike his own, but they held a look of insanity that Squall had never seen in anyone else before.
Mwezai's sword was held high in the air above his head, the sunlight reflecting in the deadly silver blade, "Not so tough now, eh, Leonhart?" he laughed darkly.
The others had stopped fighting, and all of them – even Sakira – were just staring. The longsword trembled… No, it was Mwezai's hands that shook. Rinoa debated whether she had time to cast a spell or not, and whether it would hurt her husband too if she did.
Squall didn't know how many seconds, or minutes, or even hours he was lying there before Mwezai's sword swept down to end everything, but when it did-
"Squall!!" someone shouted.
-it never got that far.
Several gunshots were heard, and Squall could see his brother's eyes widen in shock, his mouth twisting in pain. The older man froze in his position, sword still a good distance away from Squall's face. Mwezai took in a few, short breaths, then his body dropped heavily on top of Squall's. Squall quickly rolled him off himself and got to his feet, turning around to see…
Laguna was standing at the brink of the flower field, smoke coming from the mouth of his machine gun. He had a sad expression on his face.
Wriggling out of Rinoa's grasp, Dawn bolted down to Squall and promptly threw herself in his arms. And, ignoring everything and everyone for just a second, Squall hugged her back, both paying no attention to the blood stains that spread from his clothes to her own.
They pulled apart and he looked into her eyes, swallowing the lump in his throat, "Dawn, I…"
"It's okay, dad," she smiled softly, despite her exhaustion, "I know."
"Moonlight…" A voice said from beside them. Sakira had moved away from Quistis and Sejia, and no one had really tried to stop her. Everyone, Laguna and Rinoa included, seemed glued to the spot. Sakira fell to her knees by Mwezai's side, stroking a hand through his dark hair.
Mwezai was shuddering violently, both hands clutched to his wounded chest as the pool of blood grew beneath him. Tears started to run down Sakira's cheeks, but she didn't seem to care, or take note of it.
"You never really loved me, did you?" she whispered.
His greenish-brown eyes, terrified and furious at the same time, glanced at her. "N… N-no… Sa… kira…," he choked out, barely audible. The eyes closed for the last time and his tense body relaxed.
Sakira lowered her head, her messy, black hair hanging into her face, "No…," she said, quietly at first. But then she stood up, and her voice rose, "No? NO?!!" Expression wild, she drew her sword. Rinoa, Sejia and Quistis all took a step forward, weapons ready, and Squall; still with an arm around his daughter, backed away.
But Sakira didn't aim for any of them. Instead she dashed right towards Laguna, "It's all your fault!!" she screamed. He started to say something and lifted his gun, but she quickly swiped at his hand, making him drop it, then proceeded to give him a severe cut across his chest. Laguna fell to the ground.
Sakira was ready to hit him again, but Rinoa's Shooting Star shot right into her arm, and she cried out in agony. Breathing heavily, she looked around… And knowing she was surrounded, the aging woman cast one last glance at Laguna's injured form – before she, without a word, pushed past the others and threw herself off the cliff, down towards the sharp rocks at the beach.
"Wait!" Quistis yelled, then silence… as the dull sound of a human body hitting the ground was heard. Nothing left to fight for…
Quickly, they all ran to Laguna's side. Squall kneeled and took his father's head in his arms, while Quistis examined the wound. She looked up at the others, ice blue eyes worried, "It's pretty bad…"
Squall blinked and looked at Laguna, "Why did you do that?"
Laguna coughed and winced, but he still smiled faintly, "I had to make a choice. One of you were going to die… I… chose to save the one I love, and who I'm very proud of," he coughed again. Rinoa and Quistis were trying to heal the wound, but it was too deep to be cured by mere spells, "If you'll let me be proud of you, that is… I'm sorry, Squall."
"Laguna…" Squall said, but trailed off. Dawn was standing next to him, concern plain on her honest face.
No one said anything. Even Sejia was silent now, staying a bit behind as she watched the scene. Rinoa tried desperately to hold back a sob and held Dawn against her, not wanting to frighten her daughter any more than she already was. Quistis was pacing back and forth impatiently nearby, holding a cell phone to her ear and waiting for a reply.
The old president was struggling to keep himself awake, and he quietly studied Squall's face. Somewhat surprised, and not quite sure if it was just his blurring sight that betrayed him, he noticed a single tear run down his son's cheek, "So you do care…"
(Of course I do.) Squall could only nod.
"Then it's okay to go…," Laguna whispered, blinking a few times… Then mercifully letting him escape the pain, the world blacked out.
Squall closed his eyes and Rinoa finally couldn't hold in her sobs anymore. Trampling across the flower field came the emergency health team from President Loire's express plane.
Chapter 20:
"Sefie?"
The voice startled the chestnut haired woman a little and she turned on her chair to look over her shoulder, "Hmm?"
Irvine walked up to his wife and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, reaching down to kiss her cheek, "Hey," he whispered in her ear, then glanced over at the computer screen to see what she was doing. To his surprise, it contained the image of a site he hadn't seen for a long time now.
"The 'Sir Laguna' page? You haven't worked on that for years, honey."
Selphie nodded, "I know… I'm thinking of putting it up again, though. Might look like a waste of time for a headmistress, but I can pass it away as 'educational'," she smiled softly as the looked at the screen, then back up at her husband, "He's an important part of history, after all."
He chuckled and brushed his nose against her hair, then placed another kiss on top of her head before straightening up again, "I don't think anyone would mind, really. I sort of miss the time in Balamb, when you used to update that page every day." They looked quietly at each other for a moment, then Irvine started for the door, "I'd better go. I need to finish some reports, and then I promised to accompany Likoya to the Training Center."
"All right. Be careful," Selphie watched him exit, then as he shut the door behind him, she let her smile fade and turned back to the computer. Sighing softly, she placed her hands on the keyboard and started to type.
'After 61 years, the last chapter of president Laguna Loire – or as I like to call him; Sir Laguna's - life has been written…'
Xu breathed a sigh of relief as she signed the last request for the evening. After turning off the light in her office and locking the door, she proceeded down the hall with a stack of papers under her arm. It was nearly 11:30 pm, and therefore she was a little surprised to see the lights were still on in Quistis' office. She hesitated outside the door for a moment, then decided to knock.
"Who is it?" asked a tired voice from inside.
"It's Xu."
A pause, then faint noises of someone trying to clean their desk in a haste, before the voice finally replied, "Come on in."
Xu opened the door and walked inside, finding Quistis sitting behind her desk with a picture in her hand. As Xu entered, however, she put it on top of the rest of her papers. Glancing at it as she sat down on the other side of the desk, Xu noticed it was a picture of Zell, Bella and their son Robbie.
"Awfully late for you, isn't it?"
"Yeah, well…," Quistis sighed and leaned her head in her hands, "I couldn't sleep, so I came back here to do some work instead."
The older woman frowned slightly, "You aren't still blaming yourself for the incident on Centra, are you? Quistis, I've told you a thousand times already that there wasn't anything you could-"
"No, no, no… It's not that," Quistis shook her head, then leaned back in her chair, grabbing the picture again, "I was just thinking about me… And my life. And my friends' lives." She smiled, somewhat bitterly, "For the longest time I've been so jealous of them for having what I don't have… A family."
Xu didn't say anything, but merely nodded as she waited for Quistis to continue. She knew that feeling – but she herself had come to accept that SeeD was her life, and that it always would be. No one really asked her; she lived to work.
"But I think I see now that having a family isn't necessarily the most important thing in life," Quistis pulled away a few golden locks of hair from her face and leaned back in her chair, watching the picture for a few more moments, then put it in her drawer and closed it, "It's that you make a difference with your life that really matters. And knowing that I'm appreciated here, knowing that I have friends who will help me and who will ask me for help… Knowing that I'm needed, I think that's enough."
Xu smiled, "I'm glad you're so at peace with it, Quistis. I was beginning to worry for you… Heck, I've been worrying for you ever since you broke up with your last fiancée."
The instructor shrugged, "Well, I'm fine now. Really. You just go ahead and get to bed, don't let me keep you up."
"If you say so," Xu rose and headed for the exit, "Good night, Quistis. And remember, it's still not too late for you. There are many fish in the sea."
"Good night, Xu. And thank you."
As she was left alone again, Quistis looked down at the report lying on her desk and signed it. It was a good one, a student report on Robbie Dincht. A pair of parents would be very proud when they saw this. Standing, she walked over to the window. It was a clear, starry night and the new moon shone brightly down at Balamb Garden.
(It's still not too late…)
Squall Leonhart stood at the balcony of the Presidential Palace, gazing out at the beautiful and amazing view of Esthar city. The very same spot where he had been standing that evening 10 years ago, when he had called Laguna 'father' for the first and only time. Sighing at the memory, he regretted he now wouldn't get another chance.
Excited giggles were heard from behind him, and he turned to face the door to see his daughter walk out on the balcony, along with her 'uncle' Ward. She was carrying her weapon with her, and ran straight to her father as she saw him.
"Dad, dad, guess what?" she smiled up at him.
Squall half-heartedly smiled in return, even if his smiles had been more rare lately, "What?"
"Ward and I were out in the plains, and we met this Bite Bug. But I killed it, all on my own! Isn't that great? He says I'm going to be a great warrior some day."
"That's wonderful…," Squall replied, but frowned as he glanced up at the large man.
Ward gave a shrug, "……"
"It's not his fault, dad. I was the one who wanted to practice, so I asked him to come with me…," Dawn explained. Squall blinked – No matter how hard he tried, he never understood Ward's expressions and mute replies, but it seemed like his daughter did. Shaking his head, he bent down to her level.
"If that's what you want to do, it's all right. Follow your own dreams."
"Thanks, dad!" Dawn smiled brightly and quickly kissed her father's cheek, then ran over to Ward and grabbed his huge hand, trying to pull him along, "Come on, let's see if we can find another!"
(Children fighting… Children dying. Is that what SeeD is?)
Squall looked after them for a moment, then returned to watching the view. It didn't take long before he was disturbed again, however.
"Squall…?"
He was relieved to see Rinoa quietly walk up and stand next to him, placing a hand on top of his, "What are you doing out here?"
He shrugged, "Just thinking…"
"About what?"
"About… what the Estharians have offered me." For what seemed like the thousand time that day, Squall sighed, "It's a twisted kind of irony, you know. The thought had never, ever crossed my mind before Mwezai mentioned it when we fought. It felt insane to even think about it then."
(I think about Laguna… About what he felt in that moment he shot his own son.)
Rinoa nodded slowly and glanced down at the numerous, impressive buildings below, "And how do you feel about it now?"
He frowned, "They expect me to be their leader. They expect me to do the job like Laguna did it, because I used to be the leader of SeeD once, and because…," he paused and looked at his wife again, "… because I am his son."
The sorceress smiled faintly and lifted his hand into both of hers, holding it close to her chest in a gesture of love, "Yes, yes, I know, Squall… I know they expect you to be the next President, just like they once expected you to be Headmaster back at Garden. They are the crowd, they will always look to the hero to be their leader. You didn't complain back then, even if it wasn't what you really wanted. What will you do now? What do you feel?"
She looked into his deep blue eyes, he looked into her warm brown ones. The insight this woman had, the wisdom she had, her calm advice and how she always knew what to say when he was upset, when to make him smile. It was all that made her Rinoa, the woman he burned for, lived for. It was only her he wanted. Her and the family they had together, nothing else mattered.
"I feel… that Kiros Seagull would make a far better president than I ever could. I feel the crowd don't have the right to decide where my life will go next."
Rinoa looked very relieved, even if she tried to hide it. He pulled her close in a warm hug, resting his head on top of hers. "So where will it go next?" she asked.
"I don't know. I only know that wherever I go, I'll take you with me."
She smiled more warmly and leaned up to brush her nose against his, "And I'll be here, as always. I promise," Rinoa giggled, "Those were the words that started everything, weren't they?"
A smile spread across Squall's face as well, a genuine one, "Actually, I believe the exact words were: 'You're the most handsome guy here. Dance with me?'"
Rinoa laughed, "I'll never forget that. You were so reluctant to dance, but you did manage rather well for a guy who 'can't dance'." She looked at him, then slyly added, "And you're still the most handsome guy around."
"And you're still the only girl who can talk me into dancing," he answered, his smile slowly fading. Silence followed for a moment as they simply watched each other, his arms wrapped around her waist, hers around his neck.
Then he said the words she had given up expecting to actually hear from him.
"I love you, Rinoa."
She blinked, but held back her surprise and instead she breathed the same sentence in return as he drew her closer to kiss her, "I love you too, Squall."
The door to the small house in Balamb town slammed open violently, and a blonde teenager girl threw her bag on the floor, shrugged off her jacket and kicked off her boots as she yelled, "Mom! I'm home!"
Seconds later, Fujin came walking into the room, Raijin tagging along not too far behind her. "SEJIA!"
"Hey mom and uncle Rai," Sejia smiled and hugged her mother quickly, then went over to hug the man she had adopted as her uncle.
"It's good to see you again, ya know?" Raijin grinned and high-fived the girl, "It gets lonely here without ya, Sejia."
"FEELING?" Fujin asked in her rough voice.
"Just fine. The mission was successful, even if it had a bit of an unfortunate outcome," Sejia answered, then looked around, "Where's dad?"
Raijin started to say something, but Fujin beat him to it, "UPSTAIRS." She pointed while adjusting her eye patch with her other hand. Sejia wished her mother would just take the money she had offered and go get herself a glass eye already.
"Thanks. I'll tell you all about what happened later," she said, then disappeared up the stairs. Fujin and Raijin looked at each other and shrugged. It had been a long time since Sejia was that eager to see her father.
Seifer sat on his wooden bed, busy sharpening his gunblade with a smooth rock. It didn't matter that he hardly used it anymore, or that he didn't really have to use it at all – the Hyperion was to be kept in perfect shape at all times.
"You'll never get tired of that thing, will you, Almasy?"
Looking up in surprise, he found his daughter standing by the stairs, watching him with a smirk. Putting the gunblade down on his bed, he rose and walked over to her, a matching smirk on his own lips.
"Well, well. My little SeeD is back from work. And her attitude is still intact, I see."
"Oh, no one can change what runs in the blood, father," Sejia replied swiftly, walking over to his bed and flopping down onto it, lifting his gunblade into the air, "Be it looks, attitude or fighting skills."
"Careful with that," Seifer warned, leaning against the wall, "You never know what bad traits you could have picked up after spending so much time with Leonhart."
Sejia laughed, a touch of sarcasm in her voice, "You are living proof of that."
"Shut up, Sejia," her father growled in return. Figuring she was about to cross the line, the girl didn't say anything else, and put the Hyperion back down. She watched him for a moment before speaking again.
"Leonhart isn't so bad."
Seifer nodded, faintly, but didn't openly agree, "So, does he still have his scar?"
Sejia's eyes trailed down the perfect cut that marked her father's face, right down between his eyes, an exact opposite of the one Squall possessed. She smiled, suddenly, and leaned back on the bed, staring up at the plain white ceiling.
"Yeah, he does," she said, "But I think it's starting to fade."
……
The End
~ Tarlia, 2000.