"President Fury Caraway made a diplomatic visit to Timber today to oversee the start of recovery and humanitarian efforts to alleviate the suffering of the population that was just recently subjugated by the terrorist faction known as the Galbadian Military Regime. The GMR's Commanding Officer, Colonel Nicolai Park, was captured last night during an intense firefight inside the TV Station. We have received reports that the hostages are safe and uninjured, and those terrorists that have surrendered themselves have been brought in for further questioning.
"Though the soldiers that captured Park did not give their names or ranks, the people of Timber are indeed grateful, regardless of who saved them or why. However, these nameless figures raise the question, 'who is truly behind the liberation of the city?' Only time will tell. This station will stay abreast of the situation and provide updates when they become available. Reporting live from outside of the demilitarized zone, I'm Stacie Adams for Channel 17 News."
Kanto the Slayer presents
A Final Fantasy VIII Fanfiction
Final Fantasy VIII: LionHearts
In the light of the early dawn, Rinoa sat in Squall's room, her legs folded in lotus posture, hands on her knees with the palms turned upward. It looked uncomfortable. Hell, the first time she had tried it out, it had been uncomfortable, even after stretching for about half an hour beforehand. But after two years of doing it, she didn't mind the strain. As a matter of fact, there was no strain anymore.
She had been at this all night, without sleep, without water, and most of all without distraction, to regain those energies which she had used to aid Squall in his battle. And apparently, she had used a lot of it. It was the first time she had utilized the link between herself and her Knight in this manner, and it was taxing to say the least. She would have to learn how to control what she had been given, she knew that now. But at least she had done it. And the strange part was it felt like the most natural thing in the world.
Now however, she was recovering from the strain via meditation, as Edea had taught her to do.
Her knees were placed perfectly on the bed, without elevation. Her back was straight and aligned, head in harmony with the shoulders and hips. Her breathing was slow and deep, and seeing as she had successfully placed herself in a sort of wakeful sleep, everything seemed more alive. She could hear and feel things that she couldn't before. She swore she could smell things that she couldn't possibly have picked up when she wasn't in this state, and while that wasn't always a good thing, right now it wasn't a bad thing.
She could smell his scent, and it was everywhere in this room. It comforted her and consoled her, and made her wish that she didn't have a room of her own. But she didn't let her mind rest on it, simply let the thought pass and felt everything out by sense alone. When she did this with her eyes open, time itself seemed to slow to a crawl as every detail of every object and person was brought to her attention.
And she could feel the power. Two sorceresses were inside of her, and it felt like they were both warring for dominance. Who would get to control this frail slip of a girl once her will was broken? Yes, they were dead; she had watched them disintegrate before her eyes. But she could still feel them. And not for the first time, she wondered whether she could handle all of this.
But before the thought could disturb her ocean of tranquility, it was silenced, made to pass, brought under control. Her mind released it and let it go, as it was trained to do. As she returned to her state of not-thinking, there was a sudden light-headedness, a feeling of giddiness. Her eyes opened as she felt the rush of excitement.
He's back, was the first thought in her mind, and she let that thought linger, hold and stabilize. Her calm was broken and the feeling evaporated, as well as her meditative trance. But she didn't mind, because he was back. Her other senses, the ones that did not require any kind of focus, were brought into play almost unconsciously. He was all right, he was safe. Sure, there were a few injuries, cuts and bruises here and there, fatigue from the rush of battle wearing off.
But he was all right. Besides, she was a pretty good healer.
Rinoa unfolded her legs and rose from the bed, stretching out slightly. She was excited, certainly – ecstatic. But she didn't have to go anywhere right away. Besides, she was still in a state of major undress. Though she would love to approach him in just a black silk camisole that exposed more of her midriff than the law should allow, and a pair of dark blue lounge pants with the SeeD emblem on the right leg, she would most certainly want to make a good impression.
Besides, we'll have plenty of time to be undressed tonight, she thought to herself as she headed back towards her room. Oh yes, that would be happening all too quickly once they got some alone time, and she fully expected that it would be in the evening. They would probably get debriefed, congratulated on the success of the mission, and some free time to themselves if time allowed.
But the evening would be without distraction. She would make sure of it. For now, she walked through her door in the dormitories, flashing her ID card in front of the reader as she did so. The entryway to her domicile opened smoothly, and as she looked around at her own personal living quarters, she paid no mind to the organized chaos of the stuffed animals on her bed, or the books that she had in a small holder atop the dresser; a dresser that happened to be colored blue with several white wings painted on it (yes, she'd had it custom made).
She headed towards said dresser and opened up the third drawer from the bottom. She still felt strange looking at what was inside of it. She was still fresh, after all. It was her SeeD uniform, and while it wasn't difficult to put on and was comfortable enough, she felt different when she wore it. She felt professional, more mature somehow.
Rinoa laughed. "More mature in the uniform of an organization that's essentially private military," she said to herself. But it was true, she did. She had gone through so much to get it, after all, and she knew it wasn't the clothing that did it. Once, she thought that following orders without questioning them was what military life was about. Keeping everyone in line, remaining blind to what was quite obvious.
She'd hated the idea.
But Cid… he had shown her something different, him and Edea. And even if he hadn't realized it at the time, Squall had as well. Orders were followed because it kept one alive in a battlefield situation. If one didn't pay attention, they would die. It was as simple and cut-and-dry as that.
In fact, contrary to what she had first thought, one did not just follow orders blindly. They weighed the order on emotional and moral scales, almost instantaneously, without thought. Then they made a choice, and followed through with that choice. Thus, those that followed the orders were just as accountable for what they did as the ones who gave them.
There was a line that could be crossed, and whatever the current situation and politics, it was clearly defined by one's own beliefs. If one always followed their beliefs, they would never follow orders blindly. It was how she had come to accept being a SeeD, being a part of Squall's life. Her beliefs were as simple as Squall's were, but on a different plane. She fought to free the oppressed, to keep the peace, because someone had to.
She fought for a place where she and Squall and everyone else would never have to fight, never have to suffer. A world where even a Sorceress, someone who was more feared than respected could live in relative tranquility. The one way that she and Squall paralleled in this regard was that they both fought not to take lives, but to save them. If it meant killing those that threatened that promise of peace, so be it.
Some people, Squall had said, just couldn't be redeemed. She, too, had witnessed that firsthand.
Rinoa realized her mind was wandering, so she shook her head and said, "Come on, focus."
She started putting the uniform on. It fit her perfectly, as it should. The long, navy blue coat that stopped at mid-calf was a new addition, and the silver emblem of Eden on the shoulder and the back of the coat was a nice touch. She decided to leave it open for the time being, hoping that her commanding officer wouldn't mind. The whole outfit ended with a pair of black leather gloves that fit snugly without restricting movement too much, and when she was finished, she posed in front of the mirrored closet door, taking a final look at herself.
Rinoa couldn't help but smile.
I feel… important.
She giggled at the thought before heading for the door again.
As soon as she opened it, she almost ran right into Selphie, who had an identical uniform on. Her coat was buttoned up, though. "Whoa, hey there! I was just about to knock! Squall's-"
Rinoa smiled and said, "Back, I know. Don't tell me you're going to meet up with him too?"
Selphie grinned and said, "Yup! Everyone is, I think. Come on; let's go before we miss him. We're gonna be all formal at first, and then we're going to pounce him like no tomorrow! I just wish I had my camera for all this, it'd be priceless to see the look on his face!"
Rinoa made a mental note to heal his injuries before Selphie carried out her plan.
"Sounds like fun," she said with a matching grin. "Let's get moving, then!"
Squall was tired.
He had just returned from facing the most obstinate enemy that he had ever… well, second most obstinate. This guy had been nothing compared to Seifer, and Squall was grateful that he didn't have to deal with anyone with the caliber of his former rival and arch-nemesis. Now it was over, and he just wanted to sleep. The guy was a tough bastard, but he felt sorry for him when he thought about the withdrawal he was going to experience after taking all those Combat Enhancers.
Squall would never do something as stupid as taking some of those, but he had done the research, as was his nature. Having done so, he had realized what Colonel Park was up to, and was able to capture him without too much trouble. Now that the Colonel was on his way back to Galbadia, he would answer for what he had done, and they would probably get some useful information out of him too.
I am going to bed now. Once I lay down, I am not getting up for anything until tomorrow morning. Not even if Caraway marches into my bedroom and orders me up himself, he thought as he entered the main lobby from the garage. However, what he had waiting for him in the hallway outside was not what he had expected.
The other five Captains were standing line abreast to his right, and apparently they had known he was coming. "Attention on deck," Zell said, and they snapped to attention in sync. Squall came to a halt, and the other members of Bahamut stopped behind him, wondering what was going on.
"Go on without me," Squall said without looking at his squad, "I'll be busy for a bit." So they moved past, shooting the other SeeDs curious looks.
Squall was silent for a few moments. He was still tired, but now they had his interest. "You guys are idiots, you know that? You should be sleeping instead of waiting for me to come back. How long did it take you from the time you heard I was coming to set this up?"
No one bothered to answer that one, much less how they knew he was on his way.
Squall sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Well… I guess what I should say is, 'thank you'. I couldn't have gone through this without your help. In fact, the only reason I got this far was because you all did what you could." He looked towards Rinoa and said, "Even if you weren't deployed."
Squall looked at them again and said, "Oh for Hyne's sake, quit acting so formal. Stand easy," with a sigh. They did. "Now look, we might be doing quite a bit come tomorrow… well, later today, actually," he said when it occurred to him that it was past midnight. "I want you all to get some damn sleep, okay? You don't have to do this. You've done enough already."
Rinoa could feel his exasperation. How could she not? If she had been in his boots right then and had just come back from nearly getting her ass kicked, she would want to go straight to her room and crash, hard. But this was important to everyone. It was nice of him to show concern, but he needed some affection, especially after all that.
Selphie mirrored her thoughts, except she said what she felt instead of thinking it. "But Sir," she said respectfully, "We can't do that."
Squall raised an eyebrow and said, "And why not?"
Selphie simply continued staring forward as she replied, "Well we can't go to sleep until we do… this!"
She, Zell, and Irvine charged him, cheering exuberantly. Squall's eyes widened, and the single thought that was in his head was, Oh, shit.
Quistis grimaced, knowing that this would hurt, a lot. Then she looked towards Rinoa and noticed that the brunette was performing a series of hand formations behind her back that were so quick and fluid, she could barely see her hands moving. What is she…?
The blonde looked back towards Squall and watched as they pounced, almost knocking him to the floor. He didn't have a grimace of pain on his features, but one of surprise. He wasn't hurting… hell, he wasn't even tired anymore. It was then that Quistis understood. Rinoa knew he was coming, even before they did. She knew he'd be hurt, tired, and not wanting to talk to anyone, just sleep.
She also knew how important this was to Selphie, and how everyone would naturally want to congratulate him in their own way.
Amazed, she looked back towards Rinoa. "The Sorceress Rinoa… and her Knight, Squall." Quistis smiled. "I can't tell whether to be jealous, or happy."
Rinoa shook her head and said, "You're both. And that's what makes you, you. Don't worry; you'll have your own knight someday, hopefully soon. And when you do, he'll probably be able to balance you out like Squall does for me. At least, I hope so."
Quistis looked back towards Squall, who was smiling now and getting his hair ruffled as Selphie hopped up and down , saying 'we did it' over and over again, the epitome of bouncy. And yet they knew that sometimes it was a cover for how unhappy she could be. Squall had been taken. She did not feel anything for him, not even a sense of loss. She was just his big sister.
"Yeah… I hope so too," Quistis said softly.
Apparently, Squall had enough and said, "Okay, come off it guys! I get the point!" They backed off, but they were still grinning. Squall also had a smile on his face, though. "You know… I'm not feeling so tired anymore. Let's go eat something. I'll tell you about the mission on the way."
Rinoa smiled and followed everyone to the cafeteria. She wasn't remotely interested in how the battle went, just that he was back, and everything was how it should be. She knew it wouldn't last forever, but they had the moment, and she would hold on to it for a good long while.
With everyone together like this, she thought to herself, there's no way we can lose, no matter what happens.
She used to hate the military. Now, she didn't think she could leave if she wanted to.
In the briefing room of the Presidential Residence in Galbadia, Fury Caraway stood in front of the darkened wall monitors, peering at the six mercenary captains clad in full uniform. He had always thought of them as just children, young men and women who had no place on a battlefield that could be working for him one day, and his enemy the next.
It was why he didn't trust mercenaries.
But now, he saw clearly. These guys… they were professionals. They knew who their enemies were, morally, physically, and mentally. They would not disobey orders, but were not as foolish as to be used as pawns. Not that he would use them that way anyway – they were more important than that. They got the job done, took care of business, and most of all they had saved lives and paved the way for his troops to gain the experience they needed.
"First, I'm going to congratulate you on the successful capture of Colonel Nicolai Park. To be honest, I didn't think you would be able to bring the Berserker Colonel in alive, but lo and behold, I was once again proven wrong. I have been wrong about you all from the beginning, I think." The President sighed and began pacing. "I won't lie to you – you've been a valuable asset, and I will be making good use of you in the near future. You all know where you're headed next, do you not?"
Squall nodded. "Yeah, we do. My guess is that we're headed for the Dollet Dukedom."
Fury nodded. "So then, you pay attention to current events after all. The entire city is under martial law, though that's all we know at this time. Of course, with the Colonel in our possession, we will learn from him what else is going on, and from there, you are to enter in and clear out the GMR ruffians before they strike at Timber again, or even Galbadia."
Squall nodded and said, "Understood… just one thing, Sir." Caraway looked towards him, an eyebrow raised. "I'd like to request, while you interrogate the Colonel, that we have a moment's reprieve to catch our breath. I'm not saying we can't handle the tempo, only that we just finished saving a whole city from these guys. I'd like to rest before we go off and save another."
The President simply fixed him with his patented glare for a moment. After a while, he smiled and said, "Granted. I expect that this will take longer than the others anyway. But don't go slacking off. Keep yourselves sharp, because he might crack at any time. I want all six of you and your respective teams to be on guard, because I might need you at any time. Understand?"
They all replied, "Yes, Sir."
President Caraway nodded and said, "Excellent. I'll contact you when everything is squared away. And don't worry about your payment – it's already in your account. I don't much care what you do with it at this point, but I would advise you, as a friend, to save it somewhere. It may come in handy one day." He was about to say they were dismissed, but remembered something.
"Ah, just one more thing… I'm afraid I will only be a liaison for support when the Dollet campaign begins. I will be too busy with the reconstruction efforts in Timber. However, should you need air support or supplies, or fire missions of any sort, please contact me. Of course, requesting them will take bites out of your bank account, but you know what they say – spend money to earn money."
Squall shrugged and said, "If that's the way it has to be, then we'll accept it. But if you're only a liaison, what are we going to do with the officers that we capture?"
The President smiled and said, "Why send them to Galbadia, of course. Before you ask how I will receive the intelligence, I suggest you let me worry about that. The one thing you will learn about me in these next few weeks is how resourceful I can be. Now then, go and relax. I'm making it an order. You are dismissed."
They had ended up eating lunch in the city that afternoon as they headed out of the Presidential Residence, Zell opting for this one awesome hot dog stand that he knew about while Irvine and Selphie decided to have some alone time at a romantic location. Or at least, one that Irvine thought was romantic. She knew perfectly well what he was playing at though, and thus went along with him. Ever patient, wasn't she?
Quistis, not wanting to be the lone ranger, decided to head out with Zell. She didn't know why, but she had a feeling that he would need looking after more than Squall would. Of course, this left Squall and Rinoa with more alone time than they had expected. Squall didn't hesitate to voice this.
"Hmm… Here I was thinking that at the very least, Selphie would have taken you shopping or something." Rinoa peered towards Squall and he felt her gaze boring into him. "What? I'm just saying I didn't expect that, that's all. She kinda does like shopping."
Rinoa giggled at that point, and Squall's insides seemed to loosen. Hyne, but she was scary as hell when she looked at him that way. Such a look could mean a thousand things all at once and nothing at all. He'd have to learn how to read her… and then he almost smacked himself in the head as he suddenly realized what he had promised himself to do after the mission.
"Rin, we have to go back to the Garden. I have something I need to take care of."
She tilted her head to the left and said, "Well what could that be? It's such a nice day- do we really have to go back so soon?"
Squall nodded. "Yeah, we do." He sighed and said, "Look, I promise it'll be good for both of us, okay? It might not even take that long." Of course, he didn't know how long it would take just to get started, but as long as he had the basics, he could work with that on his own. Of course, Edea could say a lot in a short amount of time- she was good at conveying a meaning in very few words.
I sure hope so… because I don't want to spend another second away from her.
He would spare a few minutes, half an hour at best, because it was Edea, and he thought it was important to understand how this worked before anything else could happen. Even as the thought ran through his mind however, Rinoa placed her right hand in his left and nodded.
"Let's go. Get it over with, so we can get back to what we're doing."
Squall looked towards her, eyes slightly wide. He could tell when she was reading his mind- it felt like someone searched the surface of your brain with their fingertips, and it unsettled him. But she had… guessed? Yes, that's exactly what she had done. She had effectively discerned why he needed to do this, without reading his mind.
"How did you…?"
Rinoa looked away and said with her head down, bangs hiding her eyes, "You felt it, right? You felt the point in the battle when I gave my strength to you."
He fell silent. Ah, that.
She shuddered slightly and said, "I was… scared for you. I could sense from my room in the Garden that you were in trouble. It woke me up in the middle of the night and made my hair stand on end." With a voice akin to a phantom, she recalled every step she took. "My body just moved by itself, you know? It didn't require thought; it wasn't any sort of logic. I just moved, and channeled, and I could feel you. And Squall…" Rinoa shivered as if she had been tossed into frigid water. "I was scared. I was excited and alive and scared at the same time."
She was pulled close by the young man in question, and wanted to cry into his shoulder just from remembering the experience. As he ran a hand through her hair, one thought crossed his mind. Before anything else happens, we have to get through this.
"Come on, I'll call a cab. Let's get this done," Squall whispered softly in Rinoa's ear. She simply nodded. Sometimes, all she needed was someone to hold her. Maybe that was enough to keep her sane. All the same, she needed to learn how to control all this, or else she would fall apart. Edea had told her much, but she hadn't completely prepared her for what exactly she would feel.
She'd have to get ready for it in the future, because it would probably happen more often. Most definitely, she thought to herself. He'll need me just as much as I'll need him. I can't just freak out when I'm needed the most.
They were back at the Garden in less than half an hour.
"You know, this is pretty good," Quistis said as she took another bite of the gourmet hot dog. The stand had been around for a while now, and it was reliable for making the best dogs anywhere in the world. Well at least, as far as Zell enthusiastically advertised. His fellow blond doubted that, but she had to admit that it was rather good.
"What did I tell you? Just you wait," he said with a grin, "I'm going to show you the wonder of the hot dog if it's the last thing I do." His own… well, his pair of hot dogs, to be exact, had the works on them. Everything except jalapeño peppers. Quistis swore that he would get a heart attack from at least one of them, but after watching him down one without a moment's pause, she was inclined to think that he didn't much care about that.
At his statement, Quistis chuckled and said, "I'm sure you'll try. Just don't make me eat one of those- I'd rather not speak of what might happen if I did."
Zell shrugged and said, "Your loss." He bit into the second one before saying, "What do you think we should do with all this free time we have? To be honest, it's gonna be boring without a battle to fight. Not that I like war or anything," he added quickly, "I just need something to keep me moving. Maybe I'll get on my T-Board again, see if I can't get a few practice runs in."
Quistis shook her head while he was seemingly occupied and smiled. He was trying his hardest to stay a little kid. Then again, he was eighteen, right? And she was only twenty. Considering how long life was in general, they were still children. "Hey, Zell…"
He looked up at her, and for a moment she wanted to laugh. She had caught him in the middle of another hot dog bite. Fortunately for her, he swallowed and said, "Yeah, what's up?"
She looked down at her unfinished hot dog for a moment, her face hidden from him. "How's your girlfriend? You know the head of the Library Committee?"
Zell was silent for a moment before he scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, um… we don't talk much these days. I mean, it's been two years and all that, and while she's got all sorts of nice things about her… well…" He shrugged and said, "It's getting kinda boring." He shook his head and said, "I mean it's not like I haven't been patient with the whole thing…"
Wait a minute- Zell, being patient? That was news to her. But she didn't comment.
"…And yeah, she's been great. But I just…" Zell shook his head again. "You know when things just seem a bit too perfect? When you just want something to shake it up now and then? About a year and a half ago, it got to that point. Over the past few months here, I've been thinking that I need a change."
Quistis looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. "So it's not working?"
Zell shrugged and said, "If you wanna call it that, sure. But I think it's more like… I dunno, like something's missing. I think she'd make a great girlfriend for anyone else, but there's just something that bothers me specifically about her."
Quistis smiled and intuited, in very rare fashion, "She doesn't argue enough."
Zell's eyes widened and said, "That's exactly it," as he pointed towards his former instructor. "I mean, I'm all for peace around the house, but she doesn't assert herself all that much. It makes me wonder if I made a mistake or something. We might end up better off as friends than a couple. Know what I mean?"
Quistis nodded. She had felt the same way about Squall once. Only that it wasn't that he didn't assert himself- just that he was so cold to everyone, hiding inside his own personal fortress. Interesting, how she could relate with so many when it came to him. Then again, she had been around him for the longest, after all.
Oh yes, I know what you mean.
Zell smiled and said, "Hey… thanks. You know, you've helped me make up my mind. When we get back, I'm gonna tell her how I feel about this whole thing, and we'll see how it goes from there. If it goes badly, tough nuts- I'll have to live with it. If it doesn't, then it's for the better."
The blond smiled and said, "Any time, Zell. If you need to talk to someone, I'll be right here for you."
Zell wasn't stupid- not by a long shot. She knew that now. It was just that when he got excited, all sorts of logic went out the window and he rushed headlong. Whatever was in his way might as well do one of two things- move or get broken. If anyone wanted to follow, they had to be able to keep up. She wondered for a brief moment if she could keep up with him…
What the hell am I thinking? Of course I can.
And then she realized where her train of thought was headed, and blushed for no apparent reason. Was she actually considering it? Well it made sense, right? Seifer was not an issue. He was bound to keep on pissing people off, and she couldn't be bothered with someone who was a constant antagonist. Sure there might yet be something to save, even now, but without further evidence of that, she had to get over it. It was time to move on.
"Come on Zell," She said with a sudden flash of inspiration, "There's this nice pastry shop I want to take you to. Don't worry; it's my favorite, so you know it's all good."
Zell grinned and said, "Right on. Let's go for it!"
"Come on Selphie, I was just joking!"
The usually bouncy young woman pouted and folded her arms, her back facing Irvine. "You certainly didn't seem like you were joking with them, y'know. Sometimes I wonder why I put up with you."
He grinned and said, "It's because you're madly in love with me," with the utmost certainty as he wrapped his arms around her. She couldn't help but smile as he reassured her. Irvine had this habit of hiding his sweeter side behind the role of the flirt. But while he was quite literally an expert on women, he only had one girl in mind.
Selphie knew. The girls that he talked to usually rolled their eyes, thinking that he was joking. And she knew that he was indeed joking. It was his way of not being seriously rejected. The other side of him, that serious, very caring and sensitive side, she had seen for herself. Thus, she knew what others did not, and this gave her something of an edge.
It was why she was so patient with him.
Still, she couldn't help but turn her head to look over her right shoulder and stick her tongue out playfully. "Yeah, well it doesn't mean that I have to like it."
Irvine scratched the back of his head and said, "Well all you had to do was tell me. I'll stop being such a flirt. I promise darlin'."
She grinned and said, "Yeah, right! You know I love you, but I don't think you'll change at all, not for anyone. See, that's why I let you do what you do, because it's part of what you are. And if I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were kidding about being an expert on women… but it looks like Squall and Rinoa are working out perfectly well. I'm going to guess that's your doing."
Irvine shrugged and said, "Maybe." Well it wasn't exactly maybe- she had guessed spot on. Squall, in a few rather uncharacteristic gestures, had come to him once in a while for advice over the past year. He gave his comments quietly, but with the utmost surety that they would work. And lo and behold, Squall returned to him with grudging thanks. Thanks that had become steadily less grudging as time went on.
Selphie nodded as she turned around and kissed Irvine right on his nose. "So then, what do we do now that I've had a good laugh at you being told off?"
Irvine smirked and said, "Always glad to amuse. Unfortunately, I don't really have any ideas on what to do next…" Then he saw them. "…Or not. Check it out."
Selphie blinked and looked in the direction that her boyfriend indicated. There, walking towards a certain pastry shop, were Zell and Quistis. Selphie smiled and said, "I wonder where they're going? No, never mind where; let's follow 'em!"
Irvine nodded and said, "Well that was the plan in the first place. Besides, it looks like they're having an awfully interesting conversation..." They looked at each other and grinned at the same time. Oh, this would be fun. In the most clandestine manner they could, the two of them followed the two blondes towards their destination.
They looked entirely absorbed in the conversation, and as they got closer it was heard that they were talking about Seifer again. It appeared that they didn't really have anything nice to say about him at all, though they sounded like they were trying to find something, anything…
"Umm… he was always… confident about his abilities?" Quistis attempted to add to the list, which was still far too small. Zell laughed and said, "More like overly confident. Do you know how many times he's failed the SeeD exam for one reason or another?"
The instructor rolled her eyes and said, "Four. Okay, so we can rule that one out. He was overconfident, arrogant, a rude little snot who only wanted to cause his own brand of chaos. So what's there left?" She had to think about that. Is there anything left at all? Are some people just that incorrigible?
Then, for the third time that day, Zell displayed his remarkable intelligence. His response was quick and had a certain note of wisdom to it. "He always had two things that he could never be without: his posse and his brother."
Quistis' eyes widened. Zell was right- Seifer was never seen anywhere without Fujin and Raijin. They were always together as the Disciplinary Committee. They were more bullies than rule enforcers, yes- but they were never seen separated from each other. She also thought back to the actual speech, the words that Fujin had chided Seifer with.
"You're being manipulated, Seifer. You've lost yourself and your dream. You're just eating out of someone's hand. We want the old you back!"
She had lost him as well, even before she tried. The way she figured it, if Fujin of all people could say more than a handful of words with such concern and disappointment, then she really truly cared for him. Perhaps, she suspected, even loved him to an extent. It was something that she had never thought of before, until now.
"I get the posse part, but I don't know about him having a brother. The only thing close to that is Squall, and they don't act very brotherly. In fact, I would call them more like a pair of archenemies than anything resembling siblings." Quistis sighed and said, "I had to break up more fights between those two than I can count."
Selphie and Irvine were still behind them, and apparently they had not been noticed yet. This conversation was getting quite interesting.
Zell shrugged and said, "Well if that's the way you feel, you should hear the sudden buddy-buddy conversation they had on the field exam, just before we headed towards the communication tower." He smiled at the memory. "If I recall, Squall said this: 'Thanks to you, I feel like I can take on anyone, even if they do fight dirty, like you.' Of course, Seifer put on that cocksure grin of his and said, 'You'll thank me when the time comes.' And you know something?" he added with a grin of his own, "I think Squall is thanking Seifer, without even realizing it."
Quistis raised an eyebrow, but did not interrupt Zell. She needed to hear this.
Thus uninterrupted, Zell continued with, "I mean, think about it. Every time he fights, he's ready for those same dirty tactics. They just kept on pushing and pushing each other, training and fighting not just because they were rivals, but because they wanted to improve. And then there's the fact that except for Rinoa, he's the only one of us who could get under his skin and get him to talk. Have you noticed that, or is it just me?"
Quistis thought about it for a moment… then her eyes lit up. "Hyne… I think you're right." She looked towards him and said, "How do you know Seifer so well anyway?"
Zell placed a hand underneath his chin and paused to think about that. After a while, he said, "You know, I can't really explain that in any definite way." He shrugged and said, "The only way I can say it is that sometimes, you hate someone for long enough that you begin to understand how they think, how they work. And then once that happens, you don't hate them so much anymore- you understand what could have been used against them. And you feel sorry for them instead of feeling angry."
Quistis smirked and said, "Seifer wouldn't have wanted to hear that."
Zell grinned and said, "I know. That's why I love saying it!"
Suddenly, from behind them, "You love saying what, now?"
Before they could say anything in response, or even turn around, there was darkness. Of course, it wasn't a black bag or anything, just a pair of hands over their eyes. And yes, they were sufficiently surprised. "Ambush," Zell said as he placed his hands on the hands that happened to be blinding him… and felt something familiar: a pair of gloves, similar to his own. Quistis was about to break something on the person behind her when she too felt the smooth skin of the last person she wanted to maim.
"Dammit, don't do that!" Zell yelled in exasperation, "You're gonna give me a heart attack one day!"
Irvine grinned as he ruffled Zell's hair. "Loosen up, spiky. Just be lucky that Sefie here didn't bring her camera- the look on your faces right now is priceless."
Quistis handled it with a bit more grace than Zell did. "Yeah, you got us pretty good, though I thought you both to be beyond such childish tricks." Then she laughed and said, "Which means you can expect double from me in the near future."
She had to remember that they were still children, in the long run.
Squall stood before Headmistress Edea Kramer's office, his nerves a wreck. Why did he always feel wound up when he was about to talk to the woman he used to call Matron? But then when he asked himself the question, he always answered it himself. The memories always came back. And each one threatened to break down what little of that secure wall he had left. He had grown used to it, and decided to keep just a bit for himself, just in case something happened.
But of course, Rinoa could sense his trepidation. Her right hand tightened around his left as she smiled softly. "I'm nervous too." Well there, at least she said it for the both of them. But this had to be done. Squall nodded and said, "Doesn't matter, does it? It's just a door, and it's just Edea."
Oh yes, just Edea. She was just the woman who used to take care of him and six others who had formed more close-knit social bonds than he could count. She was just the woman who used to be the most powerful figure in the world at one time. She was just a woman who used to be a Sorceress. She was all sorts of things to him, but she was nowhere near normal.
Rinoa could sense his thoughts, but more importantly she could pick up his emotions. "It does matter, to both of us." She squeezed his hand just a bit tighter. "Don't pretend like it doesn't."
He nodded again, but it was one of those things that his heart just wasn't into. His right hand reached for the call panel and pressed it inwards. Edea's calm, sure voice called out in response. "Is that you, Squall? Please, come in. I've been expecting you, actually."
So she knew they were coming. Squall wasn't surprised.
The door slid open and there, dressed in a simple black dress that looked absolutely elegant on her figure was Edea Kramer. She looked right at home, sitting behind that desk, and appeared not to mind having this kind of job. "Please, have a seat. I bet I can take a guess at why you two are here."
Squall tried not to fidget too much. Her brown-eyed gaze was soft, and yet intense, as usual. It seemed that she was one of the few who could actually get him to say what he felt without any sort of restrictions. He still held some part of himself back from Rinoa, even though he had improved significantly over time. But there was no holding back in this office. As long as Edea was within the same space, he couldn't hide.
"I bet you can," he said softly, "But I'm going to tell you anyway, because it needs to be said. It's about last night…"
Edea nodded and said, "About what happened along the link between yourself and Rinoa. I know. I had a feeling that it would happen sooner or later. And before you ask, I still have a few methods I can use to obtain this kind of information."
Squall went silent, but Rinoa spoke for him. "Um… was it supposed to feel a bit frightening? I mean, it felt good- it was the best thing in the world, actually. But at the same time, I was scared."
Edea smiled and said, "That, to be honest, is normal. This power you have… that I used to have… it's tainted. You can actually feel the taint." She grimaced and said, "It's like oil on top of water- your mind has to sift through the filth in order to reach that which is clean underneath."
Rinoa nodded as she recalled what she herself felt. It was a primal, unrefined power within her, something that she had to put under her control first in order to use properly. And it was something that fought her every step of the way, like a wild thing. And then once that wild thing was put on a leash, it had to be guided to its target with a focus so great, it left those that used it needing some serious downtime.
Or at least, that's how it was to her. She imagined that it would be the same for Squall if he tried it.
Rinoa nodded and said, "Exactly like that. It's there, but… you have to go through so much to get it. But that night, I wasn't thinking at all. I just did it, and it came, but I could still feel something happening. I couldn't tell if it was good or bad, and that made me afraid."
Edea replied effortlessly. "And because of that fear, the rest of the time you fight it, do you not? It's as if you don't really accept yourself as a Sorceress, even after two years of holding the power." Before Rinoa could say anything, Edea continued onward. "Squall, have you tried to reassure her about this?"
He smiled and said, "Well yeah. It hasn't always been that easy, but I've managed to convince her that she's not a bad Sorceress. And as long as I'm around, I won't let her turn into one. Still, hearing that she was afraid the whole time… I can understand why, with the way you're explaining it."
Edea nodded thoughtfully. "Then you are doing your part quite well. But there is a trick that you should know about, Squall, to this whole knight thing. I will explain later." She turned towards Rinoa gain and said, "In the meantime… I agree that you need a more refined control over your abilities. What you did for Squall was both the right thing, and extremely dangerous."
Rinoa bit her bottom lip. She could guess why. "It's because we're linked, aren't we? During that whole thing, I could feel him; I knew what was going on, where he was, what he was doing, what he felt. If something happens to me or him when we're connected like that…"
Edea nodded grimly. "I can see I do not need to explain." She sighed and said, "It does sound morbid, but it can happen. For now, you will need to learn how to let go of what is left of your fear. The power is not something that needs to be mastered, as I said before, but the emotions behind that power."
Rinoa nodded, but did not respond. Being a Sorceress was not easy.
Edea stood and walked around to the side on which her two favorite children sat. Though to be honest, she didn't have a favorite out of the bunch, really. These two simply needed her attention more than the others. "Rinoa, listen to me. Have you ever heard of 'yield and overcome'?"
Rinoa placed a hand on her chin and said, "Um… I think so. It's the theory of submitting to something in order to get past it, or something like that. I forgot what it was exactly."
Squall simply listened in, understanding in his own way what exactly Edea was talking about. Yielding and overcoming was something that he did naturally in a fight. It involved deliberately inviting an attack, moving out of its way, and countering in the opening that was left. But he didn't see how it connected with Rinoa.
Edea smiled and said, "Then let me give you a refresher course. Imagine your power as a storm, a great wind inside of you, threatening to blow everything apart. It tears roofs off, it uproots trees from the ground, and it throws cars off of the road. But what remains? What is there left after?"
Rinoa blinked for a moment and said, "Anything that bends. The wind isn't going to do much to something that moves along with it."
Edea was silent for a while.
Rinoa's eyes widened in realization, and then she immediately shook her head. "No. If I do that, then I'll go bad, right? I won't do that. It'll be another Sorceress War if I go through with this; you know it. So why would you even suggest it?"
Edea looked at her with that unflinching gaze. "Because Ultimecia, Adel… they did not have Knights."
Rinoa looked over towards Squall, her brown eyes still wide with fear at the realization of what she had to do. Squall simply smiled. He didn't say it outright, but he didn't have to. He told her with his eyes that he wouldn't let anything happen o her. She could trust him. In this case, she had to.
Seeing the looks between them, Edea nodded to herself. "In order to obtain control of the power within you, you must embrace it, yield to it. But this requires a state where you are empty- devoid of anger, fear, ego, or doubt. Devoid of discursive thought. And when you are empty…"
Rinoa finished the sentence. "The power fills me. But what will happen when it does?"
Edea sighed and said, "Did you not hear me? That is what your Knight is for. You must trust him. But it goes both ways." She looked towards Squall and said, "You cannot be around Rinoa forever. Circumstances will prevent you sometimes from watching over her. The good news is that the bond can stretch outward for miles. She could be on the other side of an ocean and you could still know exactly where she was and how to find her. But the strength of that link depends on trust."
Well, that hit a nerve. He knew what that meant- Squall had to break what little of his wall was left. But once he did, he would be entirely vulnerable to her. Was he ready for that? Even after two years, was he honestly ready to be entirely open?
Squall nodded to himself. He may or may not be ready, but he sure would give it a try. He had to, for her sake, as well as his own. "I understand, Headmistress."
She laughed and said, "Rinoa is right; you do need to stop being so formal. What happened to just 'Edea', or 'Matron'? I feel much more comfortable with you calling me that."
Squall scratched the back of his head and said, "Sorry… I'll try, Matron."
Edea nodded and said, "Good. Now then, if there is nothing else… please, go about your day. Rinoa, we will speak more of this later- tomorrow, I think. It's getting rather late, and I have much to do before the day is over. Shall we reconvene then?"
Rinoa nodded and stood, just as Edea did so. "Thank you again, Edea."
The former Sorceress nodded and said, "Any time, my child."
Squall looked towards Edea while Rinoa stood frozen. Neither of them had ever heard her call Rinoa that before. It made the young descendant of Hyne's heart twist in all the right ways. She nodded and began to walk out of the room, trying to contain herself until Squall led her toward the sliding door. They both walked out without saying another word, but once they walked approximately five meters from the office, she latched onto Squall's left side.
"She called me 'her child'…" Rinoa said softly.
Squall nodded. "Yeah, she doesn't call too many here that. If you have a problem with her calling you a child, then just tell her so next time you talk to her. I'm sure she'll understand."
The brunette shook her head and looked up towards Squall, tears brimming at her eyes. "It's not that. It's just that she only calls you all that… and I mean you and your orphanage gang." She sniffled. "I don't think I'll ever have anyone else call me that but her, not even my father. She's the only one now that can call me 'her child'."
Squall understood then, and ran a hand through her hair. "Welcome to the club, Rinoa."
Rinoa laughed, trying not to cry too much. She had a reputation to protect, after all. "What nickname do you think Selphie will give me?"
The Commander of Balamb Garden and leader of the LionHearts rolled his eyes and said, "I'd rather not think about it. Matter of fact, I'm not going to tell anyone about this until you're good and ready for them to know."
Rinoa giggled and nuzzled against Squall's neck. It was sort of an odd habit she had developed over the years, an affectionate gesture that she had started doing while he was asleep and she was not. But now here she was, unconsciously doing it in plain sight and with both of them quite well-rested. "Let's go somewhere and get lost," she purred contently.
Squall nodded, understanding perfectly. "Does your room sound good?"
She nodded and said, "Perfect. Besides, I have to introduce you to my plushy collection."
As one of her comments usually did, it got him to laugh. And right now, that was all she needed to hear as they headed towards the dormitories. Sure enough, no one was able to find them for the rest of the day.
Chapter 20: Timber Denouement
Denouement means, for those who do not know, the end; the finish, the finale, the resolution of previous events. This is how it all ends for Timber. And as you can see, our heroes are certainly coming around. But hey, I'm going to save the rest of it for the Aftermath chapters. Yes, there will be more than one.
In any event! Yes, I am going to do the next story arc soon. How soon depends on a few things, the least of them reviews. Still, the more reviews I get, the more hype I'll be about writing it. And I want to be excited about writing this story again. I'm truly sorry for being away for so long. It's just that I haven't really been all that active due to circumstances beyond my control.
Worry not though, we ain't done. Not by a long shot.
Ja ne.