Author's Note: This is a collaboration between Ceara Ivory and myself. We do not own Final Fantasy VIII

Tears Of The Moon

Disc 3 Part 2:

Arrival

Airlia stared out of the small window on the ship as she was dragged from Galbadia to Esthar. She wasn't even sure of the depths of her power now that her mother had passed on and the seal broke on her. She had heard the plants speak of weak people who could barely eat heading towards the Garden. Closing her eyes, she focused on the fruits picked, "Give them what they have lost… Restore them swiftly… All three need to be revitalized. Please dear plants…" The ambient sorceress jumped as she heard a fist slam on the door.

"The time is nigh my sweet," Martine sneered. "Soon you show your power on the great Estharians and smite all who oppose me!"

Airlia spat at him, "I have never been and will never be your sweet. I will use my abilities, but you will never have me willingly." Oh and you will be so disappointed in my smiting your opponents. You have no idea what I really am you bastard… She pondered her secret weapon of defense. She had never used it straight before on an enemy… The result would be… interesting to say the least.

He traced her face. "If you enjoy your freedom, then you will consent to me. If you love your father then you will be my queen and help me to take this world."

Airlia slapped him, "You're insane! I will never marry you! I promised you the use of my powers, and so I shall. I will never marry you though you selfish pig!" Seifer… I can only hope you're safe my love… Please… protect my father…

Martine grabbed her hand and bent it back. "You love your father? Do you!" He roared as he pushed her to the ground.

She struggled to push herself up even as her hand screamed in pain. "You're going to have one hell of a time trying to hurt my father you selfish bastard! All of this suffering the world has had… It's all because of you! Because you couldn't bear my mother turning you down! I hope you rot in hell!"

Martine beat her head into the floor and snarled. "You will be mine! In fact... I don't think I'll wait until Esthar!" He grabbed at clothes as he started to tear them off of her.

Airlia screamed as she reached out with her mind for help of any kind… Suddenly a yipping sounded followed by a snarl. "Tonberry King! Help!" She didn't need to say more as a large chef's knife was suddenly put to Martine's lower half. Glaring at the man, she stated warningly. "He doesn't understand much… But he understands that I need protection… from you. As I said, I will use my powers to help you, but you will not touch me. Do you understand my terms?" She gave a mental laugh at how little she would actually be doing for him. Moronic human. You're not going to be happy with my little surprise in Esthar.

In Balamb, Laguna finally arrived. He was weak and hungry. "Ellone, I want to see my little Ellone," He pleaded as he was laid in a bed.

Ellone smiled as she rushed into the room with a basketful of fruit and vegetables. "I'm right here father. I was just grabbing things for you to eat. Kiros and Ward are still having to eat very bland items, but the potatoes that Airlia helped to grow are helping them drastically." She brought out a ripe mango. "Eat this first… It's soft while you regain your strength. Please."

Laguna couldn't eat right away. Instead he wrapped his arms around the girl and wept. "It's over. It's really over."

Ellone shook her head. "It's not over yet… That man… Martine… He has Airlia in his clutches and I worry for her safety. She's the one who grew these fruits and vegetables."

Laguna blinked, "Who's Airlia?" He sighed at the thought of another innocent being in that madman's clutches.

Irvine answered, "She's the daughter of Adel and Odin. Odin took her and fled from Esthar while Adel was subjected to imprisonment. Recently… she was found by chance and had remained in our protection since then. Airlia is an innocent who was thought to have only a strong bond with plants… but turns out she was a sorceress. She gave herself up to protect the location of Garden. Now they're coming to Esthar I think since they got you out."

Laguna struggled to push himself up. "I have to help her… It's not right that she continue to suffer because of that bastard…"

Ellone put a hand out to halt his movements. "No father, you will not do anything until after you eat something. Airlia put special effort into her garden… I'm sure it will help you as drastically as it helped Uncle Kiros and Uncle Ward."

He gave in, eating of the sweet fruit, surprised by the energy he gained from it. He didn't feel fully better, but he felt far better than he had first felt. "What's in that fruit?"

Selphie frowned as she came in with Edea and Cid. Edea was the one to explain, "She is an ambient sorceress who draws on the earth and plants for her power. Basically speaking, she's the world's finest green finger gardener. Now that Adel has passed on her powers to Airlia… Her powers have grown exponentially… but she can't weaponize it. I know Martine will demand she do it… but I do not know how he will react when she can't."

Zell frowned, "I remember something about when Seifer first helped Airlia. She had made defensive powders from her plants… To give ailments to the stomach, to blind or make them mindless with rage."

Edea grinned wickedly, "I can only hope she has something on her for that. It will hit him like a sledgehammer when she can finally get back to Seifer and Odin."

Laguna frowned, "But what if they try to attack her? What if they put her into the confines that Adel was put in? I know they used synthetic magic – a draw pool if you will – to hold her hostage on top of Kiros and Ward. Even if I had gotten them out, I couldn't just leave her there to suffer."

Ellone hugged her father. "There's also Tess to worry about. I heard Esthar has… weapons of synthetic magic. The power she has is incredible. When Airlia can't do what Martine demands. When she's of no use to him… and when he sees what Tess can do… what will he do then?"

The first soldier gladly helped to put the aides in a prison cell for their crimes against their beloved president. The other loyal soldiers rounded up all those without those emblems. They were careful to avoid the ones they knew had recently been accepted into Officer's Candidate classes. From there they were able to easily gather all the officers who were so shocked by the sudden rebellion by their subordinates.

The first soldier used the city's emergency alarm to call everyone to the Presidential Palace for an important conference. They knew they had little time, but they wanted the support of everyone. They wanted their peers and the other adults to know what was really going on behind the doors of this palace.

Everyone looked around, confused by the sudden events. However, the town's 'mayor' came forward. "Michael, what's this all about?" Bouchard asked as he looked about and was alarmed by the guards at every exist. "What's going on that you would have everyone gather for?"

Michael Piccard may have been a simple private, but he knew right and wrong. And this was just plain wrong. "Mayor Bouchard, something terrible has come to light that I think you and the rest of these people need to know."

Bouchard frowned, feigning curiosity perfectly. "What terrible matter is that Michael?"

"Our President Laguna Loire...It has come to my attention that he was actually being coerced into ruling over Esthar… I do not want to go into details, but finding out about this coercion… I fear we have earned the animosity of innocent people and it must be rectified. Furthermore, I fear we will now be forced to do battle with Galbadia Garden. A man who was thought to have lost his life to the Sorceress Adel… lives. And what's worse is that he took this poor woman with him and attack innocent bystanders." Piccard explained, trying to guage for reactions from the crowd, incase there were more who wanted to attack them.

Bouchard sputtered and stammered, feigning ignorance to the matter, ignorance and surprise, even skepticism. "Michael, what are you talking about? President Loire was not coerced into anything. He is the brave hero who helped to defeat the evil Sorceress Adel and drove her… abomination of a husband out of Esthar."

Piccard worked hard to not show a singular expression. "So what of this Galbadia Garden whose forces I hear are now on the way with Laguna's flight to freedom?"

Bouchard shook his head. "Lies, they must all be lies. Who told you this fiddle faddle? Where is our beloved president? What have they done with him? They are the villains here!"

Piccard tried to not laugh. "I saw it with my own eyes as I rounded up those who were holding him against his will. The reason we couldn't see our president anywhere except from afar was their attempt to hide his exhaustion, his pale and thin form. His hair is more grey than brown these days. His eyes were shallow and dull. Oh and you all must have noticed that our shield has finally failed us… I don't think it's a coincidence that Galbadia is coming now that it's failed."

Bouchard looked out among the people and reassured them. "I honestly had no idea our President was so ill. But it sounds as though he has been kidnapped. We need to round up a force to retrieve him…"

Piccard raised an eyebrow, "Funny thing Mayor Bouchard, you mentioned about how our president was kidnapped. Galbadia has a Headmaster… by the name of Martine. I somehow don't think that's coincidence do you? That the 'attack' that Adel launched on a man with a unique name is now the headmaster of this attacking country."

Bouchard shook his head. "It must be, or maybe the name is simply similar. Martin is a common name outside our country. They must have misheard and thought it was Martine. I want to know who dares to accuse our people of holding our dear President hostage! I think we the people have the right to meet our accuser?" He looked out among them and said into the microphone there. "Don't you think?"

Piccard frowned as he nodded, "You two may come out." A young woman with long and wild red hair came out with a young man with brown hair in a black leather jacket with fur lining the top. He held to his side, his gun blade.

Tess and Squall took the stage beside Piccard. "You called Michael?" Squall asked putting himself in front of Tess. He didn't like this Bouchard fellow.

Bouchard responded instead of Michael, "Yes. We want to meet the accusers who claim we were holding our beloved President hostage! Where is your proof?!"

Tess frowned and stepped in front of the man. "Are you calling me a liar?" She demanded to know.

Squall tried to move back in front of her but the woman was stubborn. He had a bad feeling about this man. "Tess… move back…" Tess refused to obey.

Bouchard glared at her, "I'm honestly angry that you would dare accuse me of making you into a liar. But prove to me that our President Loire was a prisoner! I will then enforce the actions of our military to make sure these people pay for their crimes."

Tess knew this was probably a foolish move. These people were taught since day one that her kind was evil but she needed to prove her words. She looked around for a suitable surface and found one on the large entry building. "Look over towards the flat surface on that building over there," She pointed as she threw up her hands to show them all their beloved president being cared for by his daughter in Balamb's infirmary.

Bouchard gripped the handle of his gun quickly and drew it, and got one perfect shot… well semi-perfect… into the sorceress before he was tackled by the people around him, and held the gun to him.

Tess gasped as the magic-bullet entered her back. She could feel no pain, she noted… but that's what scared her. She pitched forward until she fell from the stage entirely.

Squall screamed as he jumped off the stage to run to her side. "No! Tess!" He looked at the wound and remembered Airlia's wound… "Damn you Bouchard! It's a magic infused bullet." He remembered the ripping he got and how they had to remove the bullet to begin trying to save Airlia. "Not again… I'm not losing anyone else… Never again…" He crudely removed the bullet as he screamed out to the crowd, "Anyone have any sort of antidote? Anyone have a real potion to heal injuries?!"

A man came forward shaking his head. "I have an antidote, but that looks to be a stronger poison than what it's meant to handle. Maybe… just maybe it can buy time." He offered it to the man. Squall nodded before accepting it. "Thank you… Hang on Tess. Don't leave me… you understand?" He applied the antidote and watched some of the color recede, but not all of it.

Tess took sharp, painful breaths and looked up at Squall. "It's… it's alright… Please…" She tried to console him. She knew there was no way to get all the poison out. The one who might have a chance was a prisoner of the enemy. Now she wouldn't even be able to help save her. "Please…"

Squall growled, "You're not dying damn it. I'm not losing you. My actions may have nearly cost another her life, but it will not cost you yours." He didn't need to think this through. The moment he saw her get hurt… he knew what these emotions that had been bubbling up in him were…

She looked in his eyes and could see the feelings there, but she wouldn't say it. She wouldn't tell him the way she did. She wouldn't manipulate his heart that way. "Squall, please… please, it's okay… I'm okay…" She put her hand in his, squeezing as best she could. "500 years is a long enough time don't you think?"

He shook his head, "No, not nearly long enough Tess. I love you. I'm not losing you. Airlia's on her way here – Seifer said so himself. We will get her free of Martine's grasp. She can heal you Tess. Please!"

Tess felt her lip tremble and laid her head against his chest. The only one to ever love her was her brother. She was sure Airlia loved her, like a sister. But, this was different. "I love you too…"

Squall nodded, "Then it's settled. You're going to live Tess. I'm going to make sure that you survive."

"Piccard, never in my wildest dreams would I have thought this possible." An older man said as he glared at Bouchard. "Our poor president… all of this time… a prisoner…" He wept into his hands with angry tears for a moment before pushing them away to look squarely at Squall. "We will help however we can. What do you need?"

Squall thought about it. "What if you all hide in the houses lining the main street. We're going to cause some chaos you see… If you can get Airlia away from Martine in the confusion, then back to Tess… We can save her that way."

Tess tried to move, tried to stand. She wanted to save her friend before she had to pass on her powers. "I… I want to… help…" She was almost the crux of the whole plan.

Squall shook his head, "No way. You're to remain here, safe from them. Please Tess. I can't lose you."

Tess trembled, she would not get her hopes up. She was a realist not a dreamer. "Squall, please… don't fight it… If I'm done for anyway, I want to see my best friend safe…"

Squall shook his head. "No way. I know Seifer and Odin have a plan, and if we all work together, it can work! Please!"

Tess bit her lip and leaned in, kissing him experimentally. She wanted to know what it felt like.

Squall sighed happily as he held her closer to him, careful of her back as he returned the kiss tenderly, passionately. He could feel her soft, gentle lips against his like silk. But her lips were so warm, like her fiery personality.

She pulled away, breathing funny. She had never felt anything like that before. Even the exhilaration she got from big magical works had never felt anything like this. His lips were so smooth, and cool against her own. "I've never felt that before…" She fell against him, breathing weakly. The poison was swift and painful.

He frowned, "I'm not losing you Tess. Stay here while we get her back. Okay? I'm going to hurt that bastard for this." He refused to lose this woman… the woman he loved… It hit him even harder how what he felt for the other woman had been out of obligation, making him work doubly harder to save her life.

Tess leaned against him. She knew she needed one more thing. Now if only he would accept what she knew was true. "Squall, I need you to do something for me?"

Squall nodded, "Anything…"

Tess drew her eyes to his. "I need a...young lady...or girl..." She panted.

Squall shook his head, already knowing where she was going with this. "No! No way! Not happening Tess!"

Tess put a hand to his cheek, her eyes pleading with him to be reasonable. "I love you."

He held her hand to his cheek, stroking it with his thumb. "I love you Tess, and I'm not losing you. We're getting Airlia back and you're going to be fine. I swear it."