Disclaimer: I own Zephyr, Gary and most of the Guardian Forces; the rest are Squaresoft's.

Sorry it took so long. This one's for Ariescelestial. Really sorry!

I stood near the ashes that had been Ellone and Gary's home. Police and soldiers were blocking the streets, pushing the crowds back. Forensic scientists were swarming the place like bugs. A giant soldier blocked the site of the nightmare.

"Who the hell are you? If you have no business here, leave this area immediately," he stated, folding his arms in front of his chest.

I reached into a pocket and handed him a card. "David Frizon, Detective. I was a friend of the both the President Ellone and Commander Ariens."

I let him take a good look at the card and then slipped it - one of my many new ID cards - back into my pocket. The soldier nodded slowly and stalked away. I walked over to one of the scientists.

"Find anything?" I asked quietly.

He grimaced. "Everything is burnt. It's impossible even to find bodies because they're most likely ash now." He sighed. "Mr. and Mrs. Ariens had just returned from the hospital with their son, Zephyr. Someone had attempted to kill him with some sort of poison, so of course they were extremely tired. This made them easy targets. Anyone could have got in, started a fire in the cellar and fed the fire to giant proportions. Most people never wake up in a fire."

I blinked tears away quickly and stuck my hand out. "Poison? Is there any left? I only need a small amount, and all files on this case."

He stared at me. "I don't think I'm authorized to give out that information."

I pulled out my card. "I'll come in about half an hour, okay?" I said. He nodded and I walked away.

"Rinoa, you home?" I yelled, thumping on her door. "Come on, Rinoa - it's Irvine!" I sighed, scribbled a note and slid it under the door. I pulled out my cell phone and punched in some numbers.

"Hello, Marx Zurin here."

I hopped into my car, smiling. "Hey, it's Irvine. You know the bar The Red Giant? Meet me there in…oh, ten minutes… and my name is David, okay?"

I hung up and headed back to the presidential palace. The scientist handed me a box. I nodded and strode back to the car, then stopped. The car I'd parked next to was pale blue, just like Rinoa's. I ducked down to check the license plate. Yep, it's Rinoa's all right. Of course she'd be here - she's the godmother. I sighed, looking at my watch, quickly wrote a note and slipped it under the wipers. I jumped back into my car.

I strode out to the alleyway next to the GF house, watching as the sun started painting the sky an orange/pink colour. I breathed in the cold morning air. In one smooth motion I drew my katana and started practising, beginning with a diagonal slash. My boots skidded on the ice and I fell painfully on my back.

"Wonderful!" I muttered. I rolled over, pushed myself up slowly and looked over at the door - only four meters away. I carefully took a small step towards the door and…slipped over. "Hyne damn it!" I stupidly attempted to flip myself back up, and immediately fell again. "Diablos' luck!" I cursed. I lay on my back staring at the sky, watching snowflakes drifting down to rest on me.

A small head popped into my view as a little boy smiled at me.

"You're funny, Mister." He laughed, then ran off - without slipping once, to my annoyance. I crawled over to the door, pulled myself up and limped into the house. I grimaced, shaking the snow off my jacket and hair and throwing down my katana.

"I can't stand this ice! I can't even practice fighting without falling over!" I complained, flopping onto one of the nearby couches.

"Galbadian boots." Rydan said from where he sat at the table, clutching a cup of coffee for dear life. If I'd learnt anything on my first day here, it was that nothing existed to Rydan before he had coffee. I sighed as he smiled into his cup.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, confused.

He gestured to his boots. "Trabian made, good boots for all terrain." He pointed to my boots, "Galbadian made, shitty boots, made for everywhere but here. Even I'd fall over wearing them." He laughed and drank his life source contently. I turned back to look at my boots.

"Don't listen to him, man, he's just dead set on supporting Trabia and only Trabia," Ifrit commented, sitting across from me. "I'm pure Galbadian and the only difference between his boots and ours are tiny little spikes on the bottom to give grip. I got you these." He handed me another pair of boots and smiled. I strapped them on and stood up.

"Alright now, Ifrit will take you on a tour of the wonderful town of Trabia," he said, striding out the door. I grabbed my katana from the corner.

"I'll come too," Rydan said strapping on his weapon.

I sighed, head on the counter at the bar at Dollet.

Hey Alexandar? Remind me next time I get sent on a long hard mission not to celebrate its success by drinking.

You were offered the drink it would offend if you hadn't accepted it. I'll try but don't expect much, the GF answered.

I didn't know any alcohol made from Anaconduar would be so strong - decent, but strong.

Well, it was made from the one you killed…

Don't remind me! I had to shell out 1000 gil for that stupid monster. Next time I feel like going on a mission I'll ask Quistis, not Seifer. I raised my head, blinking at the bright lights.

Tracking down Anaconduar for a group of doctors isn't much fun, but at least you got a mission. Seifer did exactly what you told him to do - you can't blame him for giving you this mission.

I swear Alexandar was defending Seifer. Someone tapped my shoulder, and I looked over at two smiling girls - a blond and a brunette.

"You're Zell Dincht, right?" the blond said excitedly. I nodded slowly, straightened my SeeD jacket and turned around.

"Yeah, that's me." I said. The brunette smiled brightly, holding out a notepad and pen.

"Can I have your autograph?" I blinked. Irvine never had a girl ask for his autograph…SCORE! I scribbled my name and wrote a short message.

"There ya go," I said, standing up slowly. A Galbadian solider ducked in the door and looked around, only to leave again. "What's the deal with them? They've been doing that all day!" I asked, turning back to the girls.

"Some idiot tried to sneak into the communications tower and got caught. He somehow broke free and injured a couple of guards. Now the whole town has a curfew." The blond answered. "But I what I really want to know is… could you get me Irvine's autograph?"

DAMN…

I sat at a booth in clear sight of the door, flicking through the notes the scientist had given me. The box was next to me, pressed against the wall and hidden under my jacket. Marx walked in, hands in his pockets, looking ready to kill. I gestured for him to sit across from me. He sat sullenly.

"David, I presume," he said softly. I slid my card across the table and he stared at it intently. "David Frizon, age 21, born February 22nd 1981…you SeeD don't spare anything. I expect if someone scanned that, they'd find anything and everything necessary. According to this you've lived in Esthar all your life." He flashed teeth just short of a smile. I carefully slipped the card away.

"Perfection is needed in a good SeeD," I said calmly, sipping some water.

Marx thumped his hand down on the table. "I know you want something from me so spit it out! I have to be back in Deling City in a week - time is short!" he fumed. I leaned in.

"Assassination," I said quietly.

He blinked, confused. "I don't follow you."

I sighed. "The past two Presidents are dead: Laguna Loire and Ellone Loire et Ariens. Laguna's death was said to be natural because we couldn't work out how he died, but everyone knows Ellone's death wasn't natural. It was a fire, but the fire had been started in the basement where there was no way to start a fire. Also, beforehand, someone attempted to kill Zephyr Ariens with this." I carefully drew out a small vial full of murky green liquid and placed it in Marx hand. "I know you still have contact with drug dealers and that sort of people. I want you to analyse it and tell me anything you find, even if it's only its street name." I handed him a different card. "This will get you out of any trouble if you get caught. SeeD will pay you when this mission is over. Deal?" Marx slowly nodded and slipped the vial into his pocket.

Rydan and Ifrit led me through Trabia, introducing me to all of the residents. I was now carrying gifts, varying from food to clothes.

I shifted slowly and looked around. "So are you gonna tell me where we're going?" I asked as Rydan led me further into town.

Ifrit shook his head. "Nah, but you'll like it if what you managed to tell us about you is true." I nodded slowly, completely lost.

Rydan suddenly stopped; Ifrit moved to his left. A shortish man with whitish blond hair, pale blue eyes and a beaming smile stood in front of Rydan.

"Hello Ry, how have you been lately?" he asked warmly.

Rydan saluted him then broke into a smile, hugging the man. "I'm okay. Still alive, that's all that counts." He gestured to me "This is Daraneth Ruval. Daraneth, this is Bernam Kivies, President of Trabia." I shifted my gifts to shake his hand. Doesn't look like a President - looks like a normal guy… Bernam smiled as if reading my thoughts.

"Daraneth? Sounds exotic… What tattoo do you own, Daraneth?" he said, idly catching a snowflake in his hand. I looked over to Ifrit, confused.

Rydan stopped smiling. "Daraneth doesn't have a tattoo yet. We are… considering it."

Bernam nodded and turned back to me. "Hope that you'll help at the barracks - I haven't seen a katana like that for years," he said, pointing at my weapon. He smiled again then looked down at his watch. "I have to go now. I'll see you some other time Leviathan. Trabia is in your hands." He bowed slightly and strode off.

I sighed. Still no call from Rinoa. I wanted to talk to someone, but calling Garden was out of the question until I had something important to say. I looked around my little apartment. No TV, no computer, no friends, no GF to chat to… Bored…

I walked down to my car and drove to Rinoa's place. I knocked on the door and pressed my ear against it. I heard a soft whimper from the other side.

"Angelo?" I asked. Angelo howled in response. I thumped on the door a couple more times then looked quickly up and down the street. I pulled out a small pistol and pressed it against the lock. BANG! Angelo yelped in surprise.

I pushed the door open and stepped carefully into the dark room.

"WOOF" Angelo leapt through the air and knocked me onto my back, licking my face madly.

"Urg, get off, you crazy mutt!" I laughed, patting his lovable head. "Where's Rinoa?" I asked, pushing him off. He just sat up, tail whacking madly on the floor. I flicked a light on and looked around. I searched the room for clues, followed closely by an excited Angelo. Moving into the bedroom, I spotted Rinoa's dairy. From what I could remember of living around her, she always filled in her diary, no matter what. I flicked through, searching for the last entry. It was approximately three days ago - one day before the fire.

Zephyr is getting better - he'll be able to go home soon. It's still hard to get over how much his eyes look like Squall's… with his hair he'll probably look just like him when he grows up…probably just my imagination going wild again. I may stay with Ellone and Gary tomorrow night - Ellone's been extremely stressed ever since the attempted murder…

"Oh, Hyne…" I whispered, covering my eyes. Sirens called through the night. I looked over to the door. "Of course Rinoa would have a security alarm, idiot." I chided myself for not being careful. I grabbed the diary, some dog food, the note I'd left earlier and Angelo, and bolted into my car.

"This is the thing I'm meant to enjoy?" I asked, confused. I stared at something that seemed to be a large wall.

Ifrit looked shocked, gesturing wildly around the area. "Come on, this is where we train, this is how we protect Trabia! It's like our second home, our life, our job, our own personal gym. Without it we'd be nothing!" he ended so excited I felt I should be as well…I wasn't at all.

I turned to my amused friend. "Rydan, what the hell is going on?" I shouted irritably, brushing snow out of my hair.

"Trabia has what we call monster hunters - they find any monsters wandering too close the town and either take 'em away or bring them here, where we - the GF's - help train the townspeople in self defence. We single-handedly started the Trabian army. It's also a lot of fun. The monsters are used for Friday night fights - it's a great way to get money," he said, tugging his single glove further up his arm and grinning. Ifrit flung his arm out again like he was presenting his pride and joy.

I shook my head. "Today's Friday… you've been introducing me to people to waste time, haven't you?" I asked, trudging towards the wall. Ifrit flushed, his complexion matching his fiery hair.

Rydan smiled. "Told ya he was bright, flame boy." I sighed and walked through the door in the wall.

I was greeted by the roars of monsters, the cheers of men and the stink of sweat. The path through the door ended up in a giant stadium of some sort. Half of it was made up of ordinary rooms where you could train normally, then there was what looked like duelling rooms for combat training and last of all the monster pits: deep pits with stands at a safe height above where crowds could watch the monster match.

I looked around, amazed at the size of it. "Rydan, how the hell did you get the money to do this?" I asked.

He smiled. "President Kivies supported the idea." He pointed up at a podium high on the wall. "He says it's wonderful to watch the Trabians grow as a nation." I blinked, confused.

"Hey, it's Leviathan and Ifrit!" someone shouted in my ear. I glared at randomly at the people that swarmed around us. "Leviathan! Show us some stuff, man!"

Rydan smiled. "Nah, maybe later. I'm sure Ifrit will entertain you," he said, dragging me out of the crowd. "Hey, do you want a go fighting?" he asked. I nodded slowly.

"Right, go up to that table and register. I'm going up to talk to Bernam." I nodded again as he moved to a guarded stairway, and moved over to the table. I watched Ifrit move around the pit, twirling two slim black curved swords around with ease, fighting some sort of horse-like creature. Someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around.

"You're next."

I walked into the quad with a flock of junior cadets swarming around me, gawking at…everything. Quistis and Seifer walked slowly towards us. I waved my hand to catch the children's attention and pressed a finger against my lips.

"Stay here," I said, smiling as they all plonked down on the grass and stared in awe.

Quistis smiled as I met her. "Why didn't I guess…so you're the brave SeeD that volunteered to take care of the juniors," she joked. I looked back at them, still sitting quietly and staring around.

"They're not that bad - they're too busy being amazed to do anything else." I grinned. "In fact I already have most of them wanting to join the Garden Committee…"

"Selphie, do you ask only certain people or do you see everyone as fresh meat?" Seifer asked quietly.

I smiled devilishly. "Do I have to answer that?" He shook his head and the two walked over to the still deathly quiet children. I stopped a step behind them and smiled.

"Hello everybody, my name is Quistis, the guy behind me is Seifer," Quistis said, kneeling down to their level.

"Hello Quistis," the kids said at different paces. She smiled warmly, obviously trying not to laugh.

"I'm the person in charge of this garden. Most of the students call me Headmistress, but if you feel like it you can call me Quistis."

Seifer sat down next to her. "I'm second in charge. I'm the Commander, but I'd prefer you all to call me Seifer."

A boy in the back waved his hand around. "What's the difference between a Commander and a Headmaster?" he asked.

Seifer smiled. "The Commander deals in battles and the Headmaster deals with Garden. In fact if you're lucky, you'll get either Quistis or me as a teacher."

Another boy raised his hand. "What weapon do you use? Can I see it?"

Seifer stood and slowly drew his Hyperion. "This is a Hyperion. It's a type of gunblade. If you want to learn how to use one of these, you have a lot of training to get through before you can even touch one." He raised it to tap it on his shoulder.

"Commander!" A voice yelled. We turned to see a cadet running towards us. He stopped and saluted, then said, "Commander, you have a call from someone called David Frizon. He won't talk to anyone else." Seifer cursed under his breath and ran off without a word.

"You guys should have seen it! Daraneth fought an adult Blue Dragon by himself. Everyone put their money on the dragon - he made us quite a profit," Ifrit said from one of the couches in the GF house. Rydan laughed, snatching the money off him. "You do mean Daraneth made quite a profit for himself, don't you?" Siren said, taking the money off Rydan and handing it to me. I grinned and slipped it into my wallet.

"Rydan's one weakness…the inability to disobey Gina," Ifrit said quietly to me.

"Shut up, Ifrit! She just happens to be right - we can't take Daraneth's money because he's not one of the gang, okay?" Rydan said, sitting down next to his beloved girlfriend and offering her a smile. Ifrit let out a cough that sounded strangely like 'whipped'. I laughed.

"Why isn't he part of the gang?" a voice asked. Everyone's heads shot up. Quezacotl, Cactuar, Shiva and Diablos - A.K.A. Jaom, Haris, Casey and Lariz were walking in from the freezing cold night air. The newcomers sat down - Casey to my left, Haris to my right, Lariz next to Ifrit and Jaom in the spare chair. He settled in then noticed everyone staring at him. He sighed. "Oh, come on you guys! Leviathan and Ifrit have been treating him like their favourite brother, Siren hasn't even yelled at him and she yells at everyone apart from Rydan. Not to mention Shiva…" We all turned to look at Casey, who was leaning on my shoulder. I looked down at her and grinned, wrapping my arm around her shoulders.

"What about her?" I asked.

He shook his head. "I rest my case."

Rydan leaned forward and cleared his throat. "I guess I hadn't really thought about it. Daraneth's already like a brother to me - I don't see why he shouldn't be part of the gang…" He scratched his head and stared at Leviathan's head on the back of his hand.

"Ah, what exactly do you have to do to join the Guardian Force?" I asked finally.

Haris piped up from next to me. "A GF name, tattoo, and a ceremony…"

I looked around. "I can do that."

"You aren't meant to call Garden for another couple of days!" I yelled into the phone.

"Shut up, Seifer," Irvine said tensely. My mouth clicked shut in shock and I sat down in my chair, rubbing my head. I heard a dog barking from the other end of the line.

"What is it …David, what is so important that you had to call me?" I asked quietly.

"Well, I went to visit my sister, but she isn't there anymore. Apparently she had a big barbecue a couple of nights before around midnight, but now she seems to have taken a flight up north," Irvine said, suddenly cheerful.

I blinked. What the hell is he going on about?

He's talking in code, Master Seifer, Ifrit explained.

"Ah… David, hang on for a moment," I said, then put the phone on my desk. Code…sister would be Ellone…Ellone isn't in Esthar anymore. She had a barbecue…fire? There was a fire a couple of nights ago, and she has taken a flight up north…flight… up north…heaven! There was a fire, and Ellone's dead. I bit hard on my lip, cleared my throat and picked up the phone.

"Sorry, I was just finishing a puzzle a cowboy gave me - boy, did it take me a while," I said with fake cheerfulness. Irvine laughed.

"What about her husband? Is she still with him?" I asked.

Irvine took a second to answer. "Yeah. Too bad, eh? She seems to like this one - maybe it's because she can't bear to be apart from the kid."

Gary and Zephyr are also dead… "…Well I hope they have a good trip," I said slowly.

"Yeah. Anyway, you know the girl that took your brother's ring? Have you heard from her lately? I think she was at the barbecue too… She seems to have left without her dog, so I'm taking care of him." Brother with a ring…Squall. Girl that took it…Rinoa? Rinoa may have died in the fire… Irvine has Angelo.

"No, I haven't heard from her lately. Maybe she's busy. If you want, I'll check in on her," I said.

Irvine paused again. "That would be great. She isn't answering her calls from me so maybe she'll answer yours," he said sarcastically.

I sighed, "Okay, call me in a couple of days - I wanna hear about our old uncle next time. Bye." I hung up. I hit the intercom. "Xu? I'll be in my room for the rest of the day. Hold all my calls, please."

I looked at the phone, bewildered. "Seifer, why didn't you let me finish…?" I sighed and threw the phone on a nearby desk. Angelo whined, sat up on his hindquarters and begged. I picked up a doggy treat and threw it to him.

The place I was living in wasn't exactly amazing. I had to be able to leave in a minute's notice without a trace. I couldn't even leave fingerprints; full fingered gloves were now a necessity. And even though I had Garden's money supply in my grasp, I couldn't even buy a lousy TV.

I flopped onto my bed; Angelo jumped on next to me.

I patted his head. "You're not so bad. Selphie's always wanted a dog. You'll be a surprise for her when we head back…if I ever get to go back. 'Til then, you'll keep me company, won't you?" Angelo licked my hand.

I rolled of the bed, picked up my phone and dialled Marx's number. Marx answered with a low moan and a giant yawn. I grinned. All the more fun for me, Marx.

"Hey, my old friend. Great to hear that you're awake. What news have you got for me?" I said happily.

Marx groaned. "I swear you're on some sort of happy pill," he mumbled.

I dropped my voice. "And which one would that be? You're the dealer, aren't you?"

Groaning again, Marx answered, "Not anymore. As soon as I get back to Galbadia and get my promotion, I'll stay the hell away from that stuff - if only to avoid you knocking on my door again!"

I sighed. "That's not a good way to talk to your old best friend, is it?" I asked again.

"You haven't talked to me since you left Garden and became a hero. I was gonna transfer there when I got into SeeD but I didn't make the cut, ended up in the army and was raised to greatness. Now answer this: why are you so annoying?"

I laughed. "I say things to get a rise out of some people. You used to be able to put up with it." He grunted. "Now let's get down to business. What have you got?" I asked, sitting down.

"Like you said, I got the street name. In a couple of days I can tell you how it works, maybe a month and I can discover the ingredients so I can trace its origins... Incendie de Interieur," he said slowly.

"Wow, sounds uh… kinda too poetic to be dangerous," I breathed.

"Irvin…David, I know you're trying hard to be part of Esthar 'cause I can hear that accent coming through and you almost have it. But the Esthari also have their own language. Incendie de Interieur means 'fire from inside'. All I know so far is after being dormant for a amount of time, it will suddenly start burning away your insides," he said calmly.

I bit my lip. "Oh."

"Well, the rest of the gang has agreed that you can join," Leviathan announced. "Do you have any preferences for a name?"

I shrugged. "My mind is blank, as always." He looked at the rest of the gang then back to me.

"How 'bout Odin?" Cactuar said. "Unless Rydan lied and you don't have him."

I nodded. "It's fine with me." Rydan frowned at Haris.

"Okay, Odin, are you up for the tattoo?" Ifrit asked, smiling.

I looked at everyone. "I've only ever seen Rydan's tattoo - where are all of yours'?"

Cactuar waved his fist around, showing a little Cactus. "We all have em', don't worry," Ifrit said.

Rydan gripped my shoulder. "I think you should go get yours if you wanna finish this tonight. I think Shiva will go with you." He patted my back and pushed me out of the house - Shiva after me - and closed the door.

I waggled my eyebrows at her. "Where's your tattoo?"

She rolled her eyes. "On my shoulder."

I pouted. "You just ruined the mystery for me."

She laughed and punched my arm. "Pervert… come on, this way, Odin."

We entered a small shop. A short balding man smiled and waved at us.

"Hello there, Casey. Who's your new friend?" he asked, slipping on a small pair of glasses.

I stepped forward. "I am the next victim of the Guardian Force. After tonight, I will become known as Odin. Can you help me?" I smirked.

The man nodded and flicked through a small black book. "Ah yes, I've been wanting to try Odin out; he's a magnificent thing to draw. Are you ready?" he asked, peering at me.

I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess." He stood up and walked me over to a padded bench.

"Off with your shirt," he commanded. I undid my white jacket and took off my shirt.

"Cold!" I mumbled as I laid on my stomach.

"Oh, the cold will numb the pain… Now hold still, this will hurt. Casey, maybe you could help." I sighed and closed my eyes. Hyne, could the guy have made his fingers any colder? I opened my eyes.

Casey sat down in front of me. "I like you this way - I don't have to look up at you," she said, smiling.

I snorted, poking her stomach. "You just wait till I get- Ahh! Fucking Hell!" I yelped as the red-hot needle slid across my back.

"Please don't move, otherwise I may make a mistake," the man said calmly. Shiva laughed. I winced.

"Shut up, it's not funny. I bet the tattoo you got isn't as big as the one I'm getting. It really hurts," I whispered.

She ruffled my hair. "Aww, poor baby."

I reached over and grabbed her hand, pulling her ear down to my mouth. "If I die, you have to avenge me," I insisted.

She laughed and turned her head to look at me. "You're over-dramatic."

I smiled weakly, despite the excruciating pain all over my back. "You gotta love me, sweetie," I answered.

After what seemed like hours, the needle stopped. The man moved into my vision, washing blood off his hands and smiling. "Now that wasn't so bad was it?"

I sat up. "You just wait till I get my hands on that thing, then we'll see how bad it is!" I growled.

He smiled, grabbed a potion bottle and a rag and moved behind me. He gently cleaned my back. "I'll have to bandage it - you can take it off in a day," he explained. "Would you like to see it now?" I nodded and looked back at a mirror. A white warhorse raised on its back hooves pawing at the air with its front legs; Odin held his sword ready to attack. Everything was very detailed.

I looked back at Casey. She smiled. "Wicked."

"Xu? Where's Seifer?" I asked, walking into her office.

She smiled knowingly. "Commander Almasy went to his room, he didn't want any calls or disruptions." I nodded and walked out of her office and into the elevator.

I strode down the hall towards Seifer's dorm. I brought out my card and the door slid open. Seifer sat at his massive computer, completely absorbed, typing. I looked around the room - apart from the walls completely covered in posters, it was no different to any other dorm. It was surprisingly tidy.

I walked over beside him, placing my hand on his shoulder. "Hey," I whispered.

He cocked his head towards me, but didn't take his eyes away from the screen. "Hey," he murmured.

I grabbed a chair and watched the screen. "What are you doing?" I asked, completely lost in the speed of his progress.

"Hacking…" he answered.

I squeezed my eyes shut and rubbed my temples. "Hacking into what Seifer?" I squeaked, trying not to go into hysterics and kill him.

"Hacking into Rinoa's bank account," he droned. Suddenly he gave a start, whirled around and seemed to notice me for the first time.

"I, ah, I mean, I'm…um…oh shit," he groaned, covering his eyes.

"Seifer, you have ten seconds to give me a reason not to kill you for hacking into my best friend's bank account!" I yelled. It seemed like the whole of Garden went silent.

Seifer looked at me with wide eyes. "Ellone, Gary and Zephyr are dead; their house burnt down - it wasn't an accident. Irvine told me all of this - he's in Esthar and he couldn't contact Rinoa…he thinks she was in the fire. I offered to try and track her down just in case," he rushed.

I bit my lip and felt the tears rolling down my face. He pulled me onto his lap and let me cry on his shoulder.

"Why is everyone I care about dying?" I sobbed.

Seifer leaned his head against mine. "It's just because of the assassin, it's not you. We'll find them and make 'em pay," he whispered into my hair. He wrapped his arms around me. "You okay, Quisty?"

I nodded slowly, wiping my eyes. "Yeah, I just need a drink of water." He nodded and pointed towards a cupboard. I wandered over and poured myself some water.

"Quistis!" he hissed. I moved to look at the screen where he was pointing.

"What? I don't get it," I said, confused. He scrolled up to the top of the screen. "Esthar banking… you're in!?" I choked, surprised.

He turned to smile grimly and nodded. "When I still didn't have the guts to come back here I had to learn certain skills…" He grimaced. "Look here." He pointed at the screen again. I stared at the screen.

All Rinoa's money was withdrawn three days ago at three am.

"Didn't you say that was the night the fire started?" I whispered.

Seifer nodded. "All of Rinoa's money was taken three hours after the fire started."

He continued typing rapidly as I paced the room thinking. He waved his hand at me.

"Here, I've hacked into the security camera - it's right behind the ATM," he explained.

I watched the screen. Someone in a long, tattered black coat ran up to the machine and hurriedly typed in the PIN. Seifer hit some buttons; the picture froze and zoomed in on the person. They had short black hair about down to their ears. The rest of the picture was too fuzzy to recognise.

Seifer leaned back in his chair. "That's it, no one would be stupid enough to steal her money while she was alive. All we can do is hope that Irvine works it out." He sighed.

Hmmmmm… don't think it's a good idea to trust Irvine? I sure as hell don't! I'll try and have a new chapter up soon.