Hell. There was no other explanation. I was in the darkest, hottest bowels of Hell. First came the stomach-clenching nausea, but before I could attend to that, my body doubled over as a burst of fire appeared out of nowhere and engulfed me in a wall of flames. Blisters erupted on my arms, and by the feel of it, my face. Mouth wrenched open, but only coughing came out as smoke billowed inside my throat.

It only must have lasted a second, but in my opinion, it was a second too long, and I tumbled to the ground.

I awoke God knows how long later to find a pair of striking blue eyes gazing at me.

"Okay, that wasn't too bad," Zell said as he offered his hand and pulled me to my feet. "You gotta learn to recognize when a monster is gonna use magic. That way you can be prepared."

Nothing registered other than 'that wasn't too bad.' If that wasn't bad, what the hell is? I opened my mouth to deliver such a retort, but all that came out was a gurgling groan. Attractive. "I'm so nauseous," I managed to say without barfing all over Zell.

"You got poisoned. Hold on." He closed his eyes tightly in concentration, and extended a hand in my direction. When he opened his eyes, a small mist gathered in his palm and came floating towards me. The mist surrounded me in pale sparkles, and instantly the nausea disappeared. Definitely works better than Pepto Bismol.

Zell grinned at me. "Better?"

I nodded. "Thanks." I looked around the small clearing. Behind Zell was a crumpled mass of red, blue, and white that was a mutated mushroom carcass. We were surrounded by trees so tall, they blocked out the sky. It was nice and private for a combat lesson, but the various fruits and vegetables invited monsters. Namely, the mutated mushroom Zell had called a Funguar or something. Did I regret working up the courage to ask Zell to teach me some fighting techniques? Yes, but only because he'd pushed me toward the monster (which had only been minding its own business) and told me to hit it so he could observe my form.

At first I'd just stood there, grimacing as the stench of fungus invaded my nostrils. I'd gagged a little, something the funguar noticed. It mewled, the sound like a cat in heat, and before I had a chance to react, it sent spells flying at me.

"Okay, maybe it wasn't a good idea to send you headfirst into a battle like that," Zell said serenely as he bent over the dead monster. He reached into what had been the creature's mouth, and pocketed whatever he'd found in there. He wiped his hand on the grass and stood up to face me.

"Why do you always take something from a monster's dead body?" I asked, trying to sound curious and not disgusted.

He smiled. "You can find rare items, something you can refine into spells or other, more useful items."

Right. No amount of 'precious items' would ever convince me to shove my hand into a dead anything.

"Alright, let's start over," said Zell. He rubbed his hands together and got into fighting stance. Feet apart, fists held out in front of him, ready to attack.

I had no clue why Zell thought I was even close to a good fighter. "Um, I wasn't very good at those martial arts classes I took way back when," I informed him.

"Tch! That doesn't matter! You gotta start somewhere." He narrowed his eyes and started hopping about, and I assumed that he meant for me to copy him.

I attempted to copy his stance, but probably didn't look nearly as serious as he did. "Now what, sensai?"

Zell narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Sensai? What's that?"

A giggle escaped me. "It means teacher in Japanese, and my brother and I used to call our martial arts instructor sensai."

The memory of the time Noah accidentally kicked our sensei in the crotch when he was ten returned to me. I shook it away before I could burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"Hey, are you listening?" Zell snapped his fingers in front of my face.

I blinked. "Yeah, sorry, what were you saying?"

Zell shook his head. "I was telling you to set up." He gave me a reproachful expression, so different from his usual friendliness.

I cleared my throat. "Set up?"

"To attack. Come on, Nat, that's basic."

Nat? Did he just give me a nickname? "Right." I shuffled around a bit and again attempted to copy Zell's stance.

He nodded approvingly. "Good! Now the first thing you gotta figure out is who or what your opponent is. Focus on the target, and nothing else."

"Um, okay, but I don't have a target right now."

To my surprise, he grinned. "I'm your target."

"What?" When I'd asked Zell to teach me to fight, I'd assumed he'd just show me some techniques or something. "I can't fight you!"

"Tch! Why not? That's how you're gonna learn."

"I thought I would just, you know, watch you do some moves or something…"

Zell gave me a calculating look, as if he was seeing me for the first time. "Y'know, I keep forgetting you're not a SeeD."

Did you also forget that I'm not Izzy?

Zell kept scrutinizing me. "I guess it's hard to imagine you not being Izzy. I mean you still look like her."

I met his eyes. "So something like this has never happened before, huh?"

"Nope. Nothing I've heard of. I remember learning about sorceresses takin' over other people or passing on their powers and all that stuff in history class, but nothing like this." He absently started to rub his tattoo. "Hell, I would have never thought of other worlds existing if you weren't standin' right in front of me!"

"Tell me about it. It's freaky, I'm still entertaining the thought that I'm in a coma or something."

Zell frowned again. "What? And this is just your imagination?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, it could be."

'Is she saying we don't exist?' Ifrit growled.

That sent me into a fit of giggles. "I'm joking, relax."

"Good. 'Cause I'm pretty sure I existed before I met you."

"But you would still say that if you were imaginary, you know."

Zell put a hand on his hip. "Hey, what if you're a part of my imagination?"

I burst out laughing. Then he laughed. We stared at each other. I looked away and cleared my throat.

Meoeer! Near the base of a tree were three of those mutated mushrooms, standing around and mewling at each other. These were a lot bigger than the one from earlier. I looked at Zell. "Wouldn't you say those monsters make better targets than you?"

"Yup." He started dragging me closer to the Funguars. "Don't worry, they're pretty weak. You just gotta watch them for magic. They'll glow a little when they're-"

"Eep!" I jumped back as a bolt of lightning nearly incinerated me. The patch of grass at my feet sizzeled as it got the brunt of the spell. One of the Funguars stood facing me with doe-like bulbous eyes. It emitted a mewling squeal and its mouth flapped open, as if someone had cleaved a hole from its head to the ground, revealing two rows of razor-sharp teeth.

I turned to Zell with disgust, but he was busy pummeling the other mushrooms to a bloody pulp. He executed a series of punches on one of them until it squealed and crumpled into itself. He sidestepped a thunder spell the second Funguar sent at him, and instead started stomping on the creature.

'Natasha!' I heard Siren yell, but it was too late for me to react. A jolt of electricity shook my body and knocked my breath away. Trembling, I turned to the third Funguar. It yowled again as it bared its teeth. Feeling weak, I did the first thing that came to my mind and dove my foot into the fleshy part between its teeth. It squealed like a cat in heat as it recoiled somewhat. I kicked it again, harder than I had intended, and it went flying back.

I turned my attention back to Zell and my eyes popped. He was still stomping on the second Funguar, but there was definitely something wrong with him. He moved with inhuman speed and was vigorously kicking at the unmoving monster. I called his name, and he turned to me. His face was flushed and his eyes scarlet with rage, his body trembling uncontrollably.

"What else do I kill?" he growled as he looked around with his fists held out in front of him.

'He's under a Berserk spell.' Ifrit told me calmly.

"What do I do?" I asked shrilly. Zell looked at me with bloodlust in his eyes and his chest heaved. I wanted to turn and run the other way, but I gulped and stepped closer to him.

'You don't have any Esunas! You have to draw some from him.' Siren informed.

I watched Zell apprehensively as he started shaking violently, his face becoming redder by the second. I closed my eyes and focused my attention on drawing from Zell. Esuna… I opened my eyes. 'Nothing's happening!'

'You have to have physical contact.'

I rolled my eyes. Now she tells me. I stepped up to Zell and forcefully grabbed his arm. He glared at me with fiery eyes and tried to pull away, growling like a rabid dog. I tightened my grip. "I'm trying to help you," I gritted, and closed my eyes. Esuna, I thought, and gasped as I felt a tug in my mind. This was different than drawing from a monster. It was as if I was inside Zell's mind. I could feel the rage he was feeling, and was momentarily stunned.

'Focus on the spell!' Ifrit yelled.

I clamped my teeth and concentrated. I felt a pull from Zell's mind and opened my eyes as several little orbs of light detached themselves from him. They flew towards me, but there was also some wispy white stuff within them.

The orbs hit me and I was instantly sent into another world.

"I know! You're gonna take this stupid idiot back to garden, right?" He suddenly clamped a hand on his mouth, but the words had escaped. Zell heard Squall yelling, but a sense of dread suddenly incapacitated him. What had he done?

Gasping, I pushed Zell away and took a few deep breaths. What the hell?

'Natasha, focus! He's still under Berserk.' Siren's voice snapped me out of my daze. I straightened myself up and looked at Zell. He was now trembling horribly and looked as if he would combust.

"Right." I closed my eyes and focused on the Esuna spells I had just drawn. I pictured a spell forming in my hand, and opened my eyes to see a ball of energy gathering in my palms. I aimed the light towards Zell and it hit him square in the face. For a few seconds, he just stood stock still as the bluish-pink light of Esuna sparkled around him. The light died down, and Zell blinked a few times before letting out a breath.

"Whoa! It berserked me!" he said as he walked towards me.

Grey spots danced around my vision and I doubled over and took a few shaky breaths. I could still feel an overhanging sense of dread that combined in an alien way with bloodlust, emotions that weren't mine.

"You okay?" He put a hand on my shoulder.

I straightened myself up and met his concerned gaze. "I was you." I blurted.

He scratched the back of his head and looked away. "Yeah, sometimes when your mind isn't completely focused on the magic, you can draw thoughts from other people's minds."

I nodded. "That's kind of freaky."

"Yeah."

I shook my head to clear it. It wasn't every day you were blasted into someone else's mind. It was disorienting. I cleared my throat. "And does it always feel this horrible?"

Zell shrugged. "Depends on what you see."

I gulped. Did I want to remind him of what he'd said? Might as well. I would want to know if someone experienced one of my memories. "I saw-"

"I know what you saw," he snapped, and then grimaced apologetically.

I stared at him, at a loss for words. No wonder he'd been so depressed in Timber. In the back of my mind, I could still feel his shame at having blurted something he shouldn't have. I watched him carefully as he avoided my gaze. "Zell…"

He cleared his throat loudly. "Hey, it happens. You had to get into my mind to draw the Esuna spells. It's fine." His voice was rushed and he shuffled his feet.

I nodded in understanding. It felt as if I had violated him or something. In a way, I kind of did. My stomach rumbled. His discomfort was getting to me.

Meour! I abruptly turned around as another mewling squeal sliced the silence. Before I could so much as take a step toward the Funguar, it shot a spell at me.

I heard Zell call my name, but a thick black smoke had settled on my eyes. I batted wildly at the smoke and rubbed my eyes, but the smoke persisted in blinding me.

"I can't see!"

"Hold on, let me get…some eye…drrrrops," Zell started to slur mid-sentence. I heard him stumble a little.

"What's going- ahh!" Something hard smacked me across the face and stars erupted in my vision. Zell pushed me back and I tripped. "What are you doing?"

Zell slurred something, but I couldn't hear him. Instead, I heard the Funguar squealing as it shuffled around somewhere behind me. Zell jammed his fist into my stomach and all the breath from inside me escaped. I lumbered backwards, wildly flailing my arms behind me to hold on to something steady. Of course, it would have been helpful if I could see.

"Frick!" I tripped on a branch and fell backwards onto… something fleshy and soft! A crunch followed by a low squeal violated my hearing. I caught a whiff of rotting fruit and I could feel something beneath me tremble. "Ohmigod ohmigod ohmigod!" I screamed wildly as I tried to stand up, but something that felt ominously like a shoe hit me in the shin.

"Dude, what the hell!" Enough was enough! I kicked one of my feet and it made contact with what was probably his stomach. I heard Zell groan, but kept flailing my feet at him.

Whatever spell he'd been under must have ended, and I heard him jump back.

I took a few shallow breaths, trying to still my hammering heart. In the calmest voice I could muster, I asked, "So are you back to your senses now?"

"Man! I never saw it coming! That thing totally confused me!"

Then I remembered I was lying on something that was definitely still alive. I could feel it squealing and shaking under me. My heart jumped to my throat and I scrambled to the side, feeling my shirt stick to my back with something thick and liquid. This is going to haunt my dreams. I bolted off the ground and vigorously started rubbing my back and arms. Suddenly, I felt something powerful surround me, and my body tingled as the black smoke started to dissipate. I looked down at the ground, where the Funguar stared at me with bulbous eyes, trying in vain to pull itself up. I screamed and kicked at it, right between the eyes. It let out a pathetic squeal, but I stomped on it until all that was left was a fleshy mess.

I turned to Zell with absolute malice. "Did it totally escape you that I'm NOT A BLOODY MONSTER?" My breathing was deep and heavy, and I could still feel my stomach burning where he'd punched me. I wrapped my arms around my waist.

Zell scratched the back of his head and sent a Cure spell my way.

The magical mist surrounded my body and took a deep breath as I felt some of the strength returning. Well, the pain in my stomach and face was gone.

"Thanks," I muttered, still angry that he'd used me as a human punching bag.

Zell watched me for a few seconds and then broke out in a grin. He snapped his fingers. "I forgot to tell you about status effects."

I glared at him. Did I want to listen to him talk? No. Did I want to smack that stupid grin off his face? Yes, yes I did. But I grit my teeth and asked, "So what are status effects?" And it better be good.

Zell rubbed his tattoo for a few seconds, and then entered teacher-mode and launched into a lesson on status effects. I listened intently, and faintly wondered what made him forget to provide me with this information before.

"So how do you get rid of status effects?" I asked when Zell paused.

"I'm gettin' to that part!" he said.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

Zell continued. "Most of them can be cured by medicine, or Esuna, as you know." He started to list the different medicines for different effects. I smirked when he mentioned Holy Water for something called Zombie. I didn't even want to know what Zombie would do.

I nodded and sighed. "Man, there's so many things you guys have to remember."

"It ain't so bad once you get used to it," he put a hand on his hip and crossed his legs. "Plus, you cast a spell already. It took me way longer to cast my first spell. You're doin' good!"

I smiled. "Really?" A part of me lit up in pride. I did just cast my first spell!

He nodded. "Yeah! I remember the first time I-"

Rustle rustle. I pulled Zell away before another monster could pop out of the bushes. "Let's get back to the others," I said immediately.

He nodded and we started walking back to the clearing.

"By the way," I started as I matched his gait, "Nat is a terrible nickname."

He laughed.

"What? It is!"

"Aww, Natasha's too long."

"You're really too lazy to say three syllables?"

He put his hands on his cheeks and gasped. "Do you know how long that is?" Then he…giggled, at his own joke no less. Like a little boy laughing, not entirely girly, but not manly either.

"You're strange," I replied.

"Made you laugh though."

I nodded, because he had made me laugh, and had been unexpectedly nice to me. "Hey, thanks for helping me today."

"No prob!"

For a while, we just stood there smiling at each other, more out of politeness than anything else, until Rinoa walked up to us.

"I hate to break this up, but I think I saw Squall stirring," she said.

As if on cue, Squall groaned. He sluggishly pulled himself off the ground and rubbed his head. From the corner of my eye, I saw Selphie struggle to get up and immediately went over to help her up.

"Sir Laguna's in big trouble!" Selphie declared as soon as she brushed herself off. She looked at Squall with wide eyes. "I hope he'll be okay!"

Who?

I turned to Squall to ask who Laguna was, but Quistis started talking.

"Doesn't seem like the first time for you all," she glanced at Zell, who nodded, and then turned to Squall with furrowed brows, "what is this?"

What is what?

Everyone turned to Squall, as if he had an answer. He looked around uncomfortably before crossing his arms. "We'll just be wasting our time trying to figure it out." He shrugged. "Let's just keep going."

Zell answered, "You're right, let's go! I think we're almost there." He scuffed Squall's arm before crossing the clearing and on the path that looked like it led outside.

The air was stagnant with dust and dryness as we stepped out of the forest. It must have been late afternoon, but the weather showed no signs of cooling. Talk about temperature whiplash. The cracks in the ground crunched beneath our feet, as if it hadn't met water in a long time. In the distance, I could see a round, red structure that seemed to be surrounded by golden rings, looking like they were on fire in the setting sun.

"Wow," I whispered.

"We should be there in about ten minutes."

I turned to face Quistis, who had been walking beside me. She smiled. "The first time I saw Galbadia Garden, I was speechless too."

"It's beautiful," I sighed. I looked at Galbadia Garden again.

Quistis didn't respond and we fell into an uncomfortable silence. Or maybe it just felt uncomfortable because of the heat.

The lack of a breeze was sweltering hot, as in, I wanted to stick my tongue out and start panting.

'Except you're not a dog, and have sweat glands,' said Ifrit.

'Yeah, so panting is completely unnecessary,' Siren added with a giggle.

I coughed and rolled my eyes. 'I was just joking.' Shouldn't they have known that anyway?

"Wowzers! Galbadia Garden is bigger than Balamb and Trabia Gardens put together!" Selphie said. She walked into step beside Quistis and me.

"Wait until we go inside," Quistis said with a smile. Her gaze fell on me, and her smile turned into a questioning frown.

I cleared my throat. I'd been staring at her awkwardly because I didn't know what to say to her. Just come out with it. "Hey Quistis," I trailed off, trying to gather my thoughts.

"What do you need to say, Iz-" she shook her head, "Natasha?"

I cleared my throat again. "It's just, I don't know how to thank you for helping me," I blurted. Well, that sounded better in my head.

She scrutinized me for a few seconds, but I didn't turn my gaze away. "I never would have guessed you weren't Izzy. I thought something happened to her during the SeeD exam, and that's why you were acting differently," she finally said.

I nodded. "It's just so bizarre, like Freaky Friday, but creepier."

"What?"

I smiled and shook my head. "Nothing." Reminder: Earth references don't work here. "So do you know Izzy well?"

"Not too well. She's in some of my classes, a good student, but really quiet." Quistis put a hand on her chin and pursed her lips in thought. "I wonder how she's faring."

"Yeah… I hope she found a way home-my home, I mean." I added when Quistis gave me a confused look.

She watched me with curiosity, and I fiddled with my hair and cleared my throat. "So what's home for you?" I blurted into the uncomfortable silence.

Quistis's eyes went wide, as if she hadn't expected that to come out of my mouth. "Balamb Garden," she said stiffly.

I narrowed my eyes in confusion. "I meant, where your parents-"

Quistis shook her head. "It's Balamb Garden. I've lived there since I was very young." Her expression was guarded, her eyes emotionless.

I nodded. "Oh, okay. I won't pry." I grinned weakly.

She softened and exhaled. I looked away from her. Everyone has a past, and if she didn't want to talk about it, who was I to force her?

We fell into silence again.

We soon reached the gates of Galbadia Garden. The building was a lot larger up close. It loomed over us so that it blocked off the sight of anything else behind it. We walked inside the gates and onto a platform that led into the entrance. A soft whirring could be heard, and I looked up to see several people flying around on giant jet-pack looking things, except they had robotic limbs. Quistis seemed to be the only one not fazed by any of it.

We silently walked down the platform and soon reached the entrance, which was blocked off by a row of turnstiles. Beyond the entrance, I could see the huge lobby of Galbadia Garden.

The floors glistened, and I was sure I could see my reflection in them. The place smelled very… clean, like sanitizer and floor wax, and something springy that I assumed must be air freshener.

"Wow, completely different!" Selphie exclaimed.

"Sure is quiet," added Zell. I followed his gaze to see a bunch of students walking around quietly. But where Balamb Garden's students had walked around lazily and with chatter, these students walked as if they had sticks shoved up their spines. There was no warmth in their interactions.

Squall strode up to one of the turnstiles. "I like it," he declared.

Rinoa attempted to hide a giggle.

Quistis stepped up next to Squall. "Could you leave this one up to me?" she looked around at the rest of us. "I've been here several times, and I know the headmaster pretty well." She turned and walked through the turnstile into Galbadia Garden. She paused and faced us with a grim expression. "I'll go and explain the situation," she whispered before walking off down the hall.

The rest of us stood around awkwardly. The atmosphere between us changed considerably. None of us knew what would happen. I picked at a loose thread at the hem of Izzy's shirt. What would happen? And what would I do after everything settled down? I felt a prickle at my neck and looked up to see Squall studying me. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"You and Rinoa will have to pretend you're from Balamb Garden," he said.

I nodded. "It shouldn't be too difficult."

He kept watching me with pursed lips, as if he was contemplating saying something to me. I stared at him questioningly, and he shook his head, as if at a private thought.

Beep! "Attention, SeeD party from Balamb Garden. Please wait in the Second floor Reception Room," spoke a man's voice over the PA system.

"Well, let's go," said Squall as he led the way through the turnstiles. We followed him quietly down the hall.

Like Balamb Garden, four pathways intersected in the middle of the building. But unlike Balamb Garden, there was no fountain that provided the soothing sounds of flowing water. Instead, a beam of golden sunlight poured into the center of the circular platform. The whole place had a sense of discomfort around it. The students were too disciplined, and the entire building had an unexplainable coldness. I supposed it had something to do with the quiet way everyone walked around, as if there was no time for socialization. I found that incredibly odd.

Zell jabbed me in the back. "Hey, I forgot to give you this." He handed me Izzy's Balamb ID.

"Where did you-" I stared at him and grinned uncomfortably. "Thanks," I said, and put the card inside Izzy's wallet.

"Yeah, now it makes sense why you hightailed it from the cafeteria the other day."

I nodded. "Just for the record, I don't usually run away from people."

He smirked without saying anything.

Siren suddenly called my name. 'Just so you know, there's a draw point near you.'

'Really? Where?' I looked around the circular platform.

'It's directly under the beam of light.'

I walked over to the light, and sure enough, there were tendrils of golden ribbons lapping over each other on the ground. 'Is that it, Siren?'

'Let me draw it for you.' Then I momentarily felt her spirit leave my body. She returned a few seconds later. 'You've stocked twelve Hastes!' She offered a brief explanation of the magic before junctioning it.

I turned around to see everyone except Squall watching me.

"Siren told me there was a draw point there." I shrugged.

Squall had his hands on his hips and stood gazing at the three platforms that led off into adjacent hallways. "I think we have to go this way," he called behind his back, and turned left. Rinoa, Selphie, and Zell started to follow him, but I stood back. I had a feeling he didn't really know where we were going.

It probably made him hate me more, but I had to speak up. "Hey, Squall," I called.

Everyone turned around.

"What?" asked Squall.

"Do you know where we're going?"

He opened his mouth, but the announcement cut him off. "Attention, SeeD party from Balamb Garden. Please wait in the Second floor Reception Room," the voice blared over the PA again.

Squall put a hand on his hip. "Second floor Reception Room."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks, Captain Obvious," I muttered. I looked around at the students milling around. "Maybe we should ask someone."

Squall protested, but I didn't listen. I spotted a boy sitting on one of the benches that was perched on the area below the platform. He watched our group with casual amusement. Well, he looks friendlier than the other students.

"Excuse me!" I waved at the student.

His eyes traveled over to me and he nodded in acknowledgement.

I walked over to him. "Hi there, we're kind of lost."

He raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess, the SeeDs from Balamb Garden?" his voice was a deep drawl, and he had an accent that sounded familiar, but I couldn't quite place it.

I nodded. "Can you tell us where the Reception Room is?"

He slowly scanned each person in the group before his eyes found mine again. He smirked, and then he stood up and stretched. "Aye. I'll take ye all there," He led us down towards the opposite hallway where Squall had wanted to go. We followed him quietly. I didn't trust myself to talk to Squall, since I didn't want to rub it in his face that he'd been leading us the wrong way.

We reached the second floor, and the Galbadian student stopped right in front on a gray sliding door. He turned around. "This is the reception room,"

We all thanked him and he saluted with a smirk before walking off down the hall.

Squall pulled the door open and the rest of us piled inside.

The room was grand, with a high ceiling, and a full-sized window that covered an entire wall. Selphie immediately walked over to it and put her hands on the glass. I followed Zell as he sat down on one of the off-white leather couches. There was a glass coffee table in the center of the room, and I had a sudden urge to rest my feet on it. Along the right side wall sat an oak armoire, and above it hung a generic painting of a fruit bowl. I took a deep breath and sunk back into the couch. The cool scent of hydrangeas drifted over and I noticed there was a pot of them in the center of the coffee table. The room reminded me of a nicer version of a hospital waiting room, but it was just as cold and uninviting.

Zell fidgeted impatiently next to me. "How long are they gonna make us wait?"

Squall grunted from his spot at the door and shrugged at Zell.

A few minutes later, the door slid open and Quistis walked inside, claiming the attention of everyone in the room.

"How'd it go?" Squall asked.

Quistis grinned. "They understand our situation." She bit her lower lip and turned to Zell, "And Balamb Garden is safe," she whispered.

Zell gave a sigh of relief and sunk deeper into the couch.

Quistis continued, "The attack on the president was classified as an independent act."

Independent act? That means Seifer's being blamed. The Sorceress must have turned him in or something.

"There was an official notice from the Galbadian government," Quistis continued.

"What did it say?" asked Zell. He wiped his forehead, which had started sweating.

"Balamb Garden is not being held responsible," Quistis answered.

"So, Seifer's taking all the blame?" Zell whispered.

Quistis looked down at her feet. "The trial's over," she whispered, "and the sentence has been carried out." She sent Rinoa a sad look. "He's being punished as we speak…"

I turned to Rinoa, who had her back to the rest of the group. She turned around, her eyes swimming with tears. "He was executed?" She took a shaky breath before her legs gave out and she sank to her knees on the ground.

Oh man…

Quistis nodded morosely.

Rinoa hugged herself. "Of course he was…he attacked the president." She shook herself and stood up, her eyes glazing over. "He sacrificed himself for the Forest Owls!" she muttered.

I stared at her. I didn't think it was fair she was blaming herself for Seifer being executed. It had seemed to me that Seifer knew what he'd been doing. I didn't particularly like the guy, but he must have known that his actions would have repercussions. Plus, hadn't he disappeared off with the Sorceress? I shook my head. How was Seifer even connected to her?

"It was your group that got Seifer involved in all this," I heard Quistis say. She walked over to Rinoa. "You're a resistance faction, right? You must have been prepared for the worst." Quistis's voice was strained, as if she was trying hard to sound warm. "I'm sure Seifer was prepared too," she whispered.

Rinoa turned away forcefully, and I could see tears glistening on her cheeks.

Quistis bit her lower lip and watched Rinoa with narrowed eyes. She cleared her throat. "Don't think of it as Seifer sacrificing himself for you." She looked away from Rinoa and sat down with a deep breath. "Sorry," she said softly, "I know that wasn't much consolation."

The room went into silence once again. I absently pulled at my hair. Was Seifer really dead? How old had he been? Seventeen, eighteen? I shuddered. Sure I hadn't really known the guy, but I could somewhat understand what Rinoa was feeling. The thought of never being able to see someone again…especially when they're such an important part of your life. I shook my head and blinked back tears. Instead, I diverted my attention to Squall who was pacing back and forth by the door. Hadn't Seifer and Squall been rivals? I wondered what he was feeling.

Selphie suddenly turned around from her place at the window. "You really hated Seifer, didn't you Zell?"

Zell looked up at her sadly. "Yeah, but…" he exhaled. "He was from Garden, one of us…" he trailed off. I watched him as he picked at a loose thread in his jeans. "I wanna get revenge, if I can," he mumbled.

"I don't have any good memories of him," Quistis spoke up. "I've seen some troubled children, but he was beyond troubled." She shook her head and hung her head. "But he wasn't really a bad guy."

Rinoa sniffed. "I really liked him," her voice was heavy, and she wiped tears from her eyes. "He was always full of confidence, smart. Just by talking to him I felt like I could take on the world…" She sighed and sat down next to Quistis.

"He was your boyfriend, right?" I asked softly.

Rinoa looked at me with such a sad expression, I got teary eyed. "I don't really know… I, I think I was in love… I wonder how he felt." She wrapped her knees to her chest and put her head down.

I thought they were going out…

"Do you still like him?" asked Selphie.

Rinoa shrugged. "If I didn't, I wouldn't be talking about it." she sniffed again. "It was last summer that we… I was 16…lots of fond memories…" she trailed off and rocked back and forth a little, her eyes glazing over again. The rest of us watched her quietly.

I wanted to say something to her, but I knew there was nothing I could really say to make her feel better. What was there to say to lessen the pain of bereavement?

Bang! Everyone jumped a bit as Squall banged his hand on the table.

"What's wrong?" Quistis asked.

"I won't have it!" he hollered. He looked around at us with narrowed eyes, and ran a shaky hand through his hair.

Selphie stepped up to him and grabbed his arm. "Are you mad!"

Squall shook himself out of her grip and ran to the door. "I'm not having anyone talk about me in the past tense!" he screamed before slamming the door behind him.

Is this normal Squall behaviour? I looked around at everyone to try and make sense of what had just happened, but everyone looked as shocked as I felt.

Finally, Quistis broke the silence. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to take a break." She went back to her seat, sat down and crossed her legs. "Someone should probably go get him after a while though."

Well, it's not gonna be me. I went back to my seat and sunk into the leather, my head reeling with thoughts I didn't want to have.

A/N: Didn't want to put this at the beginning, because I like the beginning of this chapter and didn't want to distract from it :)

Some notes: Thank you Hikari No Aijou for the lovely review and adding to Favourites/Alerts! I'm so happy you're enjoying the story so far.

Thank you everyone for reading, alerting, and favouriting. You all give me inspiration for writing more!

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