Somehow, Zell Dincht didn't feel like celebrating.
The party was in full swing, of course, but there was something in the air, even Zell could feel it. The Neo-SeeDs could feel it too, but they'd been looking forward to it for a very long time.
Things were changing, he'd realised as he took the corner away from the town square and headed for the tavern. Everything was changing, and even if they won the battle against Galen, the world they would be going home to would be radically different. No Gardens left, for one thing.
And that was assuming they even could go home. What if the temporal rift stitched itself back up and they were stuck here forever? Well, not quite forever, when all the air runs out thanks to that Harbinger thing. Yet more heinous shit brought to you courtesy of the Ultimecia family.
It was all changing, too much to control. And where they all finished up when it was over, who could say? Either run Galen through with a gunblade and go home for tea, medals and promotions, or wind up lying dead in a ditch while the world gets stomped under the jackboot of a more powerful force than SeeD could handle.
Wherever they ended up, in no way would things ever be the same…
And maybe that's what everyone knew, and it was giving them a chance to do and say and feel things about each other they never could before.
The tavern doors swung open as he passed through and sat at the bar. He ordered a drink and stared at his reflection in the mirror behind the bar for a while, still lost in his thoughts.
Like Squall and Rinoa… he thought. How much had they been through by now? It just didn't seem fair, like they couldn't get an even break. Someone was always out to get them. Cut 'em some slack, for crying out loud.
And then there was Irvine and Selphie. Zell grinned for a moment. Irvine may be a jerk a lot of the time, but he's got it for her baaaaad. I wouldn't mind being him for five minutes so that my biggest problem is I'm in love with this real great girl. Sheesh. Mister Slick my Balambese butt…
"This seat taken?" came a feminine voice. Zell looked around. Xarsk sat down beside him and grinned sheepishly. She doesn't look much like Seifer… Zell thought. He'd been oddly fascinated with her ever since herself, Squall and Rinoa had crashed through the holo-plates. She was a pretty cool chick, he hadn't encountered anyone like her before. Not much like Quistis, but not like Selphie either. She was tough alright, but totally feminine at the same time. She was …interesting.
"What are you doing here, I thought you were gonna see Seifer?" he asked.
Xarsk took a gulp of whatever the green liquid it was that she was having. "I think it's called 'Trabian Courage'." she replied.
"He ain't that great, you know." said Zell, regretting it as soon as he said it. Xarsk looked at him. "You've never had a family member you revered?" she asked coldly.
"I'm adopted." said Zell, realising it was beside the point. "Okay, my grandfather. He's the person I look up to the most! He played a big role in the last war. Uhm, the last war before the Sorceress War…"
"Which one?" Xarsk asked.
"Huh?"
"Which Sorceress War?" she repeated. "There's been five."
"Which one was the one I was in?"
"The first was with Adel, the second was with Edea, you fought in that one, the third was the one with Alexandra, the fourth happened two hundred years later with Dathela…"
"Don't know her." Zell interrupted.
"…and the last was with Ultimecia. I don't know what they'll call this one, seeing as Galen ain't a Sorceress."
Zell looked a bit uncomfortable and lowered his voice. "I've heard a few people refer to it as the Omega War, because Galen's supposed to be the last to bear the power of the Sorceresses, and I'm not a religious dude, but I've heard the stories about the supposed 'end of the world' you know, and this is eerily similar."
"The stories don't say it's the end of the world exactly, Zell. They just say that the world as we know it will end."
"How do you read much difference into that?"
Xarsk sighed. "So, what was so great about him?"
Zell looked at her. "Who?"
"Your granpa."
"Oh him!" Zell remembered. What the hell's wrong with me? I'm not nervous or anything, am I? "He wasn't just strong. He knew when to attack, when to retreat...Any kind of situation, he maintained his composure and stayed cool…"
"So he was your total opposite, then?" Xarsk said with a grin. Zell rolled his eyes.
"That's just what Squall said." he said, then looked at her funny. "You're not exactly a chip off the ol' block when it comes to Seifer, you know."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah, you're not an anal jerk wad day-in, day-out." he joked. Crap, I am nervous.
"I think there was a compliment in there somewhere." Xarsk replied, nowhere near as offended as Zell was sure she would have been. So she wasn't much like Seifer. She could take a joke.
"You mind a personal question?" she asked, suddenly.
"What? Um, sure, yeah. As long as it's not the one about where babies come from, heh." How in the seven hells does Irvine manage to keep up talking like this and making bad jokes twenty-four-seven!?!
"That's some pretty bad scar you have on your face, there." she pointed out the three lines on the side of his face. "How did you get that, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Ah. Prison fight." he replied, then noticed the look on her face. "Oh! I wasn't a con, if that's what you think! I was a P.O.W. only well, not really, because there wasn't a war on, so it was pretty unofficial, you know? SeeD does a lot of work unofficially. In fact, officially, we do pretty much sod all…"
"Where were you imprisoned?"
"D-District prison. I dunno if that's still around, now…"
"Half-buried under glaciers in Galbadia." Xarsk replied quickly. "I think it's a village now, or something. Whoever lives there are pretty much isolationists. No wonder, really. Sorry, go on."
"Yeah, I got it in a prison fight. These guys were going to kill a guard, and I couldn't be having with that. The guards were bastards sure, but if one of them was killed, the payback on all the prisoners would have been beyond hell, so I jumped in there and taught 'em some manners. And if you think this scar looks bad, you should have seen the other guy. Most people can't tell which way his head is facing when they stand in front of him now, heh."
"I don't think it looks bad." Xarsk replied. "Looks pretty cool. In our world, a scar on the face is the sign of a great warrior…"
"…because of Seifer and Squall." they finished together. Zell grinned despite himself. She thinks I look cool?
"So what were you doing that you got arrested?" she asked. She's actually pretty hot when you think about it… "Huh? Oh! Um, another top-secret SeeD mission. Quistis was leading it, and me and a whole bunch of other SeeDs were part of the team. We were hired to rescue an operative from the prison, by parachuting into the Galbadian desert and infiltrating the complex." Zell paused, hard memories returning. "But something went wrong. My chute didn't open, and I went down. If it hadn't been sand, I wouldn't have lived. Quistis thought I was dead. I suppose I can't really blame her. I certainly looked it. They had to retreat and leave me behind. The Galbadians got to me first. They healed me, imprisoned me and interrogated me, not necessarily in that order. All they wanted from me was to incriminate Garden by signing a document. No matter what they did, though, I never talked and I never gave in. My hopes were that I'd be rescued, but it never came. Garden couldn't do it. Quistis said she wanted to go back for me. Now when I think about it… it must have been hard enough on her already without me adding spite to it…"
"Quistis, the girl in the infirmary with Seifer?"
"Yeah. She said she tried to go back for me. Looking back, I can see where I shouldn't have been such a jerk to her when I got out."
"So you escaped?"
"No, Rinoa's dad became President and pardoned me, although a long while had gone by. I went back to Garden and my life, although not everything was where it used to be…"
"Ah." Xarsk said flatly. "You had a girl?"
"Emphasis on had." he replied nostalgically. "Her name was Fifi, we got together during the Alexandra Crisis. But when I got back to Garden, she was gone. She'd waited for me as long as she could, but it was too hard on her. Last thing I knew of her, she was living in Timber, raising a son with somebody else."
"…Sad story." Xarsk replied. "So, all you have is Garden?"
"That's right." Zell replied. "Got some family back home, but Garden is what I really fight for. It's the only real tangible thing I've got. For now, anyway. After this war…"
"There might not even be such thing as Garden anymore." Xarsk finished for him. "Even if you win. 'End of the world as we know it', remember?"
"That's really comforting, I'm sure."
Xarsk shrugged and drank some more. "Cool tattoo." she said. "What is it?"
"This?" he asked, beaming with pride. She was probably the first girl to ever ask him about it. Although… "Um, uh, well, nothing really. I just figured it looked cool. See, in olden times in Trabia, before going into battle, Trabian warriors would put war paint on their faces. That's where I got the idea."
"Cool." said Xarsk, then rolled up her sleeve to her shoulder, showing her own tattoo. Zell recognised it as the cross Seifer had on his trench coat. "The Almasy Family Cross." Xarsk said proudly. "All my ancestors wore it on their shields an armour in battle, but I had it tattooed on so I would wear it forever."
"Awesome." Zell approved, with a grin, then emptied his glass. "Another round?"
"By all means."
Ands that where they were seen all night, talking and swapping stories, getting to know each other a lot more. In fact, truth be told, Xarsk almost forgot about Seifer entirely, and Zell almost forgot the last few bad years.
* * *
Good as time as any… Selphie thought as she wandered up the hill, hands behind her back. The party was still in full swing below in the town, but she couldn't wait until after it was finished to confront Rinoa. Besides, maybe Rinoa could help her deal with it, and that couldn't be put off.
For the tallest hill in the place, it wasn't a very steep walk. It had a spectacular view of the whole town, and if the sky cleared, you might just have been lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the stars hanging in the sky.
Rinoa was already waiting for her as she arrived. Selphie sighed and sat down on a boulder beside her. It was a while before either of them talked.
"So, when did it happen?" Rinoa asked, interrupting the distant sounds of music and reverie. "Had to have happened between when we met again in Esthar and now, obviously."
"Oh, a good couple of thousand years ago, actually." Selphie replied. Rinoa looked at her, serious as Squall. Selphie grinned. "At least you're keeping your spirits up, that's good."
"That how you coped when you… changed?" Selphie asked.
Rinoa raised her head and smiled. "I was so glad to be alive, and what with Squall had done for me, I was on a natural high. Knowing I had become a Sorceress paled in comparison to knowing I was going to die, and just be a skeleton in a spacesuit drifting out across the cosmos for eternity. Then Squall came into space for me, it was like a miracle, and against all the odds, we were saved when we discovered Ragnarok."
Selphie grinned. "Uhm, about that, we had a little accident and crashed it into Deling City. It's probably been stripped and sold for parts by now, heh."
"Oh." was all Rinoa could say. "Well, when we got out of the spacesuits, I was just on a rush, it was unbelievable. So, I demanded Squall give me a hug. And he blushed."
"Get out!"
"I'm serious!" she laughed. "Squall totally went beetroot on me!"
"I can't picture it."
"It's quite a sight. I must be the only one to ever see it. Hey, I feel honoured. Of course, we didn't actually get our hug until he pulled me out of the sealing device in Esthar, but it was really beautiful when we did…"
"…and?"
"…and that's all your getting out of me on that."
They burst into laughing, and for a while, they looked just like two young girls, young friends talking about boys and giggling. If someone had told you, there's no way you could believe that they were both near omnipowerful beings would could annihilate whole countries with a wish. Maybe this was something the Sorceresses of every generation before them had lacked; close friendship. Companionship and Knights, sure, but had any of them ever had a laugh with their girlfriends? Didn't seem likely.
"So come on, how did it happen?"
Selphie sighed and told her all about it, how they had gone back in time to create the temporal rift. In one of the time zones, they encountered a powerful Sorceress who Irvine defeated with Maniac Athena (Rinoa was surprisingly glad to hear of it's destruction.) or so they thought. Selphie and Irvine had nearly had their moment, when the necrid Sorceress attacked them and gave it's power to Selphie. They had sworn to keep it a secret, but Selphie had a feeling Edea knew.
"I think Edea had powers even before she became a Sorceress." Rinoa suggested. Selphie didn't argue. "So what are you going to do now?"
Selphie shrugged. "What can I do?" she asked. "I'm a SeeD."
"You're also a Sorceress."
Selphie frowned. "Squall's a SeeD, and the two of you are in love. It doesn't conflict."
"Squall and I aren't one person, Selphie." Rinoa replied. "I'm not being cruel, but someday it could come down to a choice between who you are and what you want."
"Like you did." said Selphie, quietly.
"Yes." said Rinoa. She turned and stared at her friend in the eyes. "But you won't ever have to do the same thing I did. I wanted Squall more than anything else in the world, and my friends too. I had to choose the life I led because to stay would have destroyed you all. I can beat Hyne now, I know I can. I can control her. She's lazy and dying, uninterested in mortal affairs. I took my life back from her and I could do it again tomorrow. It won't be the same situation for you, but one day, you'll feel it, when you need to choose what yourself as a Sorceress is and what yourself as a SeeD must do."
Selphie listened silently to her words. Nobody had told her things like this before. Selphie didn't doubt that a day like that would come. How far away it would be, that was another matter…
"So, Irvine's your Knight, then?" Rinoa asked, trying to bring Selphie's spirits back up. It had the opposite effect. Selphie looked away sadly, back to the town. "Irvine doesn't want to be a Knight like Squall or Seifer, and I don't want him to be. Seifer and Squall can run around and play the hero, but I know Irvine doesn't want that, he just wants to look out for me. And I don't want him to be a Knight, because becoming a Knight means he could turn into an obsessive maniac like Seifer, or worse, kill himself for me like Squall."
She looked away, squeezing her eyes shut. "…We just want things to be simple." Rinoa could hear the emotion breaking in her voice. It just told her what she knew all along.
"You love him, don't you?"
Selphie nodded, her face hidden by her hair.
"And he loves you?"
Selphie almost laughed through her tears, wiping her eyes. "I think it's pretty obvious to anyone with a pair of eyes in their head. Why did I keep him so long? Why didn't we do something about it earlier? Why did we have to wait until something horrible happened to us?"
Rinoa sighed. "Squall had to wait 'til I was comatose to miss me." she said. "You don't worry about losing something until you realise how easily you could lose it, or worse, until it's taken from you entirely."
Selphie said nothing, running Rinoa's words through her mind. "After all, there's no time like the present, such as it is." Rinoa added, with a grin.
"Yeah." said Selphie. "Everyone's working out their feelings to each other. Guess it's because we've been through so much, and…"
"What?"
"Nobody's talking about it, but there's a war coming." said Selphie. "This is probably going to be the last night we all get together, and everyone's taking advantage of it to say things they couldn't say before. …'The future may never come, the past is gone, all that exists is now.'."
"Not like you to be poetic, Selphie."
Selphie laughed. "Not me, that one's Irvine's. He talks in his sleep."
"Maybe you should tell Irvine how you feel?" Rinoa suggested abruptly. "Now, tonight."
"…Maybe I should."
"You said it yourself, there's a war coming." Rinoa explained. "If the two of you are going into one last battle you might not come back from, it would be nice to have some happy memories of your time together. And when you come out of it, you'll have your lives together, hopefully."
"And if we don't come back…" Selphie said. "Well, nobody wants regrets, right?"
"Right." Rinoa agreed.
"You… probably won't be joining us, huh?" Selphie hazarded. Rinoa smiled sadly. "Last time I went into battle with Squall, I ended up falling off the side of the Garden. A lot's changed then. Now, I'm afraid I've become too powerful. If I tried to cast a simple Fire spell, I could end up incinerating both armies. It's hard to explain. It's like there's my power, but there's Hyne's power under it, a thin sheet between them. Whenever I use magic, I can always feel her straining to burst out. Even the smallest fraction of her power dwarfs the strongest spell ten times over. If I was in the heat of the battle, I'd risk losing control. I'll just have to watch and have faith…"
Selphie nodded slowly, looking away. "Yeah." she said without thinking. "A girl in your condition probably shouldn't take part anyway. Might be bad for the…"
She trailed away and caught herself. She hadn't even been aware that she was saying it. Rinoa was looking at her, wide-eyed. "I… I didn't know…" Selphie stuttered. "How did I know? I just… wow, you're…"
Rinoa sighed. "It's your sixth sense kicking in." she explained. "You can sense life around you. Soon you'll probably start hearing thoughts."
"How did you… when did… ummm." Selphie was turning scarlet. "Does Squall know?"
"Not yet." Rinoa replied. "He's got enough on his plate as it is. I've got to tell him sooner or later, though. I'm just worried how he'll take it…"
Selphie gave her a hug and a smile. "There's no time like the present, right?"
Rinoa smiled back. "Right. So, have you decided what you're going to do?"
"Yep!" said Selphie. "I'm going to tell him."
Rinoa stood up and looked down into the town. Slowly, she began to walk down the hill. "I'm going to go do the same…" she said.
* * *
It was like a jigsaw of memories…
Squall looked around the room at those gathered. Everyone here has a piece of the puzzle he thought. I want to get to the bottom of this.
"We kind of thought you'd be a little happier to see us, Squall." said Ellone. It hadn't been the happiest of re-unions. Squall was surprised as hell to find his family here, foolishly following him into this dangerous world. They could have easily gotten killed because of him.
Squall wasn't mad about it, but he wasn't happy either. He had just greeted Laguna and Ellone like they had walked into the room, with a simple "Hey." as if nothing at all had happened.
Now they were all gathered here, in the chapel. Laguna, father. Ellone, sister. Edea, surrogate mother. And Squall himself, the centrepiece of the mystery. Squall sat on a chair, not looking at any of them.
"If you're up to speed on what's been happening, you'll know we're fighting a Sorcerer called Galen." Squall said. There was something wrong with his voice. He was desperate to get to the truth, but a little anxious of it, too. "There's something else, though." he said. "Rinoa and I saw it, and the people of this time saw it too."
"What is it?" Laguna asked. Edea hung in the corner, silent.
"He looks like me." Squall announced. "Not just like me, though. More of a cross between me, my father and Ultimecia. And he claimed he was my brother."
Silence hung in the air for who knows how long. Then Laguna realised Squall was staring directly at him. "Now wait a minute!" he yelled getting to his feet. "You don't think that I…? That's insane! I don't have any other children!"
Ellone was holding his arm, trying to calm him.
"Not by Raine, anyway." Squall said accusingly.
"Now that's just not fair." Laguna said, in lower tones. "I've always been careful, and the fact of the matter is your mother is the only one I've ever had a child with, and that's the truth of it."
"He says he's Ultimecia's son and my brother." Squall said. "How in the hell is that possible?"
"Why are you asking me?" Laguna asked. "I've never even seen what Ultimecia looks like. And the only 'Galen' I ever heard of was Raine's uncle. He's bald, overweight and dead. Sorta rules him out."
"It seems no matter which way the riddle is turned, it gets no clearer." mused Edea.
"You have to know something?" Squall asked. "You were in Ultimecia's head, she was in yours. You have to know at least something we don't?"
Edea sighed and closed her eyes. "I was always anxious of this day." she announced. "Yes, Squall. I do know something. Through my eyes, Edea foresaw her death, written in time. But she had a lot of time to prepare for her demise, and for her revenge."
They all listened intensely to Edea's story, lost in silence.
"Edea had two children, Alexandra and Galen. She bore neither out of love, but for a dreadful purpose. It's a known fact that there are few Sorceresses in the world. This is because of choice. Most good Sorceresses choose not to have to have children, for they would not wish their lifestyle upon their own offspring. And evil Sorceresses have no sense of love, it has been completely extinguished from their souls. They see raising new Sorceresses as raising competitors. But Ultimecia was different. She believed she was creating living weapons, engines of her revenge in her offspring. The first, Alexandra, was her revenge upon our world, which she could not destroy. But she had not counted on her daughter's strong desire for love, and her revenge failed. But her second child was so much more, Galen, whom she only conceived for her revenge upon you, Squall."
Squall blinked. "Me?"
"You were the one who dealt her the killing blow." Edea explained. "Alexandra was meant to destroy Rinoa and the others, but Ultimecia chose Galen specifically for you, Squall."
"What do you mean chose?" Laguna asked. "Chose from where?"
Edea looked at Ellone. "Ask her."
Squall and Laguna looked at Ellone together. She was trembling. "No…" she gasped. "It's impossible. It can't be, it's just impossible."
"What's impossible?" Laguna asked. Uncertainty rocked his voice.
"Raine never told you…" Ellone began, close to tears. "She never wanted to tell anyone. It …wasn't just Squall. Raine was expecting twins. I returned to Winhill in time for her to tell me. All Uncle Laguna knew was that she was pregnant. But she wanted to keep the details secret to surprise him."
"Yeah." said Laguna quietly. "She was keeping it a surprise, whether it would be a boy or a girl, but I didn't know…"
"Twins." Ellone echoed. Squall stared silently, the colour draining from his face. "Squall and Galen were what she was going to call them, but…"
"…but what?" Laguna asked. He was shaking. This was as much a revelation for him as it was Squall.
"There were …complications with the birth." Ellone explained. "That's later how Raine died, but there was something else too. One of the twins was stillborn …Galen. Squall lived and Galen died, it was as simple as that. It could have been one or the other, and Squall was the one…"
"What happened to Galen's body?" Laguna asked.
"Raine was torn between joy for Squall and sorrow for Galen." said Ellone. "The villagers offered to bury the dead child in Raine's family plot, and I thought that had to be what happened. Soon after, Raine died and Squall and I were sent to Edea's orphanage. The word 'Galen' was never even heard until recently."
"So how the hell does he go from my dead twin to a Sorcerer here in the future as Ultimecia's little nasty surprise for me?!" Squall asked bitterly. So much had been hidden from him in life. He didn't understand it. This was not the way it was supposed to be done. Secrets had no place in a family.
"Why did nobody tell me this?" Squall demanded. "Why?!"
"Because nobody really knew until now." Ellone replied.
"And because of the way you are acting now." Edea added. Squall glared at her. "Cid knew that one day, he would have to face me." she explained. "It tore him apart inside for years, knowing that one day Ultimecia would take me, and that he would have to lead our children to fight me. And as you know, Squall, when the time came, he could not do it, and sent you in his stead. This is why this was kept from you, Squall, to keep you from pain."
"…Having to fight your own flesh and blood…" Laguna gasped.
"He's no brother of mine." Squall said coldly. "He's an evil shadow that wears my face. He's no more of a brother to me than, I dunno, Irvine! Or Zell!"
"Squall!" Edea snapped, like an angry mother. Squall froze, and his demeanour returned. Edea had never snapped at anyone like that before in her life. "Galen is your flesh and blood, you've witnessed the proof with your own eyes."
"It can't be that." said Squall. He was much calmer now, but still in disbelief. "A clone, or a shape-shifter, or some other being, that's all I can accept, but my own brother… I just can't…"
"You've been an orphan your whole life." said Ellone. "Did you accept it so easily when you discovered a mother and a father?"
Squall looked at her, his eyes misted with desperation and hardship. "I don't know…" he said. "Grew so used to being alone, with only Rinoa and now…"
"Now?" Ellone asked.
He looked at them all. "I need to be alone!" he said, and briskly left the chapel, headed for the hills.
"Squall!" Ellone shouted after him. Laguna placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let him go. He needs to be by himself for a while."
"But…"
"Family isn't a tangible thing, but it's there, and you notice it, like love." Laguna explained. "When it comes to things like that, there's no real manual you can read. You just need to wing it. That's what Squall needs to do now, he has to think about his family."
With that, Laguna began to walk towards the back of the chapel, headed for a chair. He sat down quietly for a while.
"What about you?" Ellone asked.
Laguna smiled sadly. "I'm going to think about my son."
* * *
Irvine sighed. "Selphie…" he said. "You know the way it is when got something inside you, and it's always in there, and you can always feel it, and sometimes it's stronger than others, but you always feel it and…" He stopped and looked at the empty space next to him on the dead log he was sitting on. "…and I'll be lucky if she doesn't reply with 'Yes, and the doctors say if they remove it I'll die!' sheesh!"
He got up, sat down, got up, and sat down again. He took off his hat and smoothed his hair, then put it back again. "Okay, I got it." he said to himself again. "Selphie, um, you remember when we were kids, that time back at the orphanage, when you said you wanted to practise kissing because you heard Quistis talking about it, and you wanted to try it with me because 'Zell was icky', well I…"
Then he started talking to the log again. "I've harboured a lifelong love for you because Zell was icky? No, we'll drop that self-inflicted gunshot wound to the brain, please. And of course, she doesn't remember. They've all got so many GFs running around their heads it's a wonder they can remember their own names. Ack. I'm dying here, aren't I?" he asked the log. Amazingly, the log didn't reply.
Finally, he stood up and put on his best masculine tones. "Selphie…" he began.
"What?" she asked, coming up the hill toward him. Irvine nearly stumbled back over the log. How much had she heard? Oh CRAP!
She giggled and looked at him, the eternal cheery expression still on her face. He smiled nervously. "Um, hi." he managed.
"Hi." she replied.
Irvine fished for words, but Selphie got there first. "Mind if I sit down?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah!"
She smiled and sat down on the log. It wasn't until she patted next to her that he got the message and sat down beside her. She giggled again.
"What's so funny?"
"I have never seen you so nervous!" she laughed. "You're acting like Zell…"
Irvine blinked. "I'm that bad?"
"Nah." she said, grinning. In reality, her heart was thumping loud in her chest. She'd just learned how to play it cool, thanks to hanging out with Irvine for so long, although he seemed to have forgotten a few of his own lessons.
For a moment, the two of them sat there nervously, looking around, for a way to say words that just wouldn't form.
"I wanted–" they both blurted at each other, then laughed. "You first." they both said as well.
Irvine got to go first. "It's kinda hard to say this…" he explained. "Alright, that's the thing, it's not actually hard to say it, since I've said it lots of times before, but the thing is, I've never actually meant it before, and now I want to say something grand or beautiful like Squall or Seifer would say, that whole 'How can I compare thee to a summer's day' crap, and now I'm just… babbling."
Selphie smiled. "There's no time like the present." she said.
"…Yeah." said Irvine, mirroring her smile. "So the issue now is, how do I say what I want to say without… cheapening it, or worse, it's not what you want to hear."
"Do you know what I want to hear?" Selphie asked.
"I've got a fair idea." Irvine replied. "But if I say them… well, it could change everything for us forever…"
Selphie looked at him, her smile faded and was replaced by sincerity. "Promise?" she asked. Irvine froze. The instant felt like ice ages. His face was now trying to choose between joy and anxiety. They'd done it now. They'd avoided the words they'd chosen altogether, and still found out how each other felt. The two jokers had suddenly gone serious.
Selphie touched his wrist. "You know why I gave you this." she said, indicating her blue band he still wore. "I know." he said. "You know why I'm giving you this?"
She was about to ask what, when he suddenly leaned forward and kissed her.
The world stopped for Selphie Tilmitt and Irvine Kinneas. They had stepped out for a brief private moment, their own moment, and everything else was on hold. SeeDs and Sorceresses didn't exist. No black or white, no light or darkness, no past or future, just their one shared moment. They closed their eyes and forgot the entire world. They could have been drifting in a void together for all they cared of the world around them.
There was only them. Only their love.
Barely a few seconds had felt like hours. They stopped and stared at each other, green eyes and grey. Then they both laughed, and Selphie jumped into his arms. They continued to laugh as he picked her up and spun around with her, no words, just lost in something they had always wanted. Finally, Selphie took his hat and placed it on her own head.
"I wish I could remember meeting you for the first time." she said.
"I don't remember it either." said Irvine. "Too far back, but you were always there."
Selphie placed a finger on his chest. "Always in here, right?"
"Like I'd ever want you anywhere else." he replied, grinning.
"Took us long enough." Selphie giggled.
"Think we need to make up for lost time?"
She didn't reply, they just kissed again. And they didn't come down from the hill for hours…
* * *
"Open your eyes…" she heard a voice, drawing her back to reality. "Open your eyes…"
Her eyelids flickered, unnoticed by the young man in the chair. He was asleep, lost in unconsciousness, where she had just been. Gradually, her eyes opened, and she took in the dark room around her.
Quistis slowly sat forward, clutching the sheets to her body, feeling she was naked underneath. She touched her head, feeling for an injury or scarring. There was none there. What had happened?
There had been Garden, and… Garden had sank, she remembered now. There had been water, lot's of water… Quistis hated water, as she had almost drowned as a child once. So, she was in the water, splashing around, trying to keep calm, and calling out for Seifer… Then she had been under the water, and Selphie was swimming towards her. Then a large dark shape loomed toward her head…
She bolted in panic, startling Seifer out of his sleep. The sight of him yelling out and falling out of his chair strangely calmed her. She watched quietly as he stood up. He was smiling ecstatically.
"You're awake!" he laughed. "Finally! I was almost giving up hope…" Then he caught himself, and returned to his usual personality. "I'm glad you pulled through, Quistis." he said in a lower tone.
"Seifer… What happened?" she asked.
Seifer scratched his head. "This could take some explaining…" he began. "I don't know how to tell you this, but Garden is gone. That Galen asshole got us good. But we're all safe now, you are safe, all of us. In the crash, though, you hit your head, and you were injured pretty bad, but we hooked up with the SeeDs of this time. They got technology like we've never seen, and there were able to save you. No scars or nothing."
Quistis reached for the back of her head again. He was right, not a single scar or piece of imperfect flesh. "Squall…" she said suddenly. Seifer forced himself not to frown. "And Rinoa… are they here? Did we find them?"
"More like they found us." Seifer replied. "They're okay, if you can call them that. Squall's got a bug up his ass about something, but what else is new, right? And Rinoa is well, Rinoa. Still the Sorceress who killed the girl I used to know."
Quistis forced himself not to frown either. But inside, she didn't like Seifer's attitude to Rinoa much. She was still the same person she ever was, and if he couldn't accept that, then what hope would there ever be for her and him if they ever… Not five minutes out of a coma and already you're thinking of him.
"It sounds like there's a party on…" she said, changing the subject.
"The Garden Festival." Seifer said. "Tilmitt's and some of the future SeeDs idea. One last party before the big battle." he sighed.
"Battle?" she asked.
"Like I said, there's some explaining involved." he replied. "Hang on, I'll go get the doc and your clothes, then tell you everything."
"…Okay." She watched him go, then moved over toward the window and looked out at the small town around her. Future and present SeeDs were everywhere, mingling, partying and having a good time. She couldn't see any of her friends, or where Seifer had gone, though.
She sighed and got back into bed. "You fall asleep for five minutes here and you miss everything…"
***
Squall's eyes were on the ground as he slowly walked up the hill. He had his hands in his pockets and the weight of the world on his shoulders. The sounds of the party faded the higher up the hill he went. His thoughts were coming a million a minute now, impossible to sort them all out or get into any proper frame of mind.
As he reached the top of the hill, he raised his head and saw a large dead tree trunk lying on the ground. Something lay behind it. As he stepped further, he saw it was Irvine, standing up and staring at him wide-eyed. "Squall!" he said, surprised. "I, we, uh…"
Squall said nothing, seeing Selphie standing up, equally as embarrassed as Irvine. "Uh, we should probably take off, I think Squall needs to be alone, hm?"
Before anything further could be said, Selphie had taken Irvine by the hand and they were already headed back down the hill. Squall turned and watched them pass and go, a strange expression on his face. What was this… a… sad envy?
Of course, those two didn't have his problems. Nobody had his problems. But Irvine and Selphie seemed to get it right. They let things be simple, and simple things happened to them. Their lives were easy, but his was always a struggle. And just when you think it's over… always another ready to take it's place.
He sad on the log and looked around him sadly. The city lights were off in the distance now, he was alone. A cold wind blew past him, washing over him and through his long hair. The sky was cleared up, and the stars came out. Far away, he could see something moving through the darkness…
The eagle flew out of the night sky, silent and unnoticed by anyone other than Squall. It was a lone sentinel, the symbol of life, waiting to return to a dying world. Of course it would appear to Squall, fate once again choosing him to save it.
"But look who I have to fight to do it…" he said aloud. But the eagle was already gone. Something else was here, though. A force he'd been able to feel ever since his resurrection, stronger than ever now. He could feel it from the heart pounding in his chest. She was so strong in this moment, she would come to him without Rinoa's aid…
"Mother?" he said at the darkness.
The white figure of Raine swam into focus. She was trying so hard no, to appear to him from the afterworld without any help. She would not have long. She reached out an ethereal intangible hand toward him.
"Son…" she said, her was breaking with sorrow. "Please… come with me. Take my hand and come away with me, I beg you."
Squall didn't move an inch. "…Where?" he asked.
"Home." was all she said.
Squall looked away, into the wind. "I can't." he replied. Raine looked at him with heartbroken eyes. "Please, Squall. I can only do this now, this one time, this one miracle. I need to take you away from all of this."
"…So your sons won't try to kill each other." he said, understanding. Her eyes said it all. He was right. Even in death, she couldn't sit and watch her only children destroy each other.
"Why me?" he asked. "Why not him? Why did you never go to him and ask him this? From what I gathered, he'd probably welcome it."
"I tried." said Raine, almost in tears. "I tried so very hard to find my son, I searched across an ocean of time to find him. But I can't come to Galen like I can with you. That… demon Ultimecia always surrounds his soul, the same way I've always been with you, Squall. She stops me from being near him so she can further poison his heart…"
"How is it even possible?" Squall asked. "If he's my twin, how is he also Ultimecia's child?"
That did it. Raine was openly crying now. "It was Draven." she sobbed. "Draven took my son from me and gave it to her. He was my child and he gave it to her. Even if he was dead, he was still mine. He was your brother, Squall and they… stole him from our family."
Squall understood it all now, and hung his head. "Ultimecia took Galen and… brought him back to life?"
Raine nodded through tears. "She brought my baby back to life, then reversed his age nine months so he could grow again inside her dark womb…"
"…and become a Sorcerer…" Squall gasped.
"So now you know."
"He is my brother…" Squall said, somehow finally accepting it. "So he had two mothers, but only the one he knows about."
"And knowing this…" said Raine. "The two of you will still try to slay each other."
"If there were any other way, I'd take it, but–"
"There is another way." said Raine, holding out her hand again.
Squall stared for a few moments, then shook his head. "I can't. No, I can't go with you. There's too much to do here. My… my friends need me." he said the word like it was the first time he had ever said it and meant it. "These people need me, and I need to be there for them. Rinoa needs me, and I can't ever leave her again."
"So you'll go into battle tomorrow." said Raine. "You'll keep on fighting until one of you dies."
"This is the way it has to be, mother." said Squall. "I'm not happy about it, but this is the way it has to be done. And I've got to do it, for everyone here and for myself."
Raine's reaction wasn't the one he thought it would be. She was smiling. "You're growing, Squall." she said, proud through sadness. "You're becoming a man…"
Squall said nothing. He had a strange thought just now, one he hadn't had in years. They always said home is where the heart is. He'd spent many years in Balamb Garden, but now it was gone, and he didn't really seem to miss it as much as he should. And his heart certainly wasn't in Winhill. Although he was from there, it wasn't his home. Come to think of it, nowhere really felt like home. No, where home felt was where his heart was, and his heart was…
"Everyone's here." said Squall. "I'm always moving around this world, but they're all always with me. I don't think I've ever really been thankful for them 'til now. I think I understand now. With them, that's where I belong. That's where my heart is…"
Raine looked at him, understanding. "…Squall."
"You said you wanted to take me 'home', mother?" he asked, a strange smile appearing on his lips. "I'm with my friends, and I'm with Rinoa. I am home."
She smiled and reached out to touch her son's cheek, then froze. Suddenly, the air grew very cold. Raine slowly began to pull back, as if being forced away by a flowing tide.
"Mother?" he asked, as she began to fade into the distance. "What's wrong?"
"She's here!" Raine cried. "I've used up all my strength coming to you, Squall. I can't fight here. She's here… with him."
Soon after Raine faded, there was an explosion, down in the village. Squall took off, running back down the hill towards it.
***
Galen pierced the dark clouds and came to earth like a rolling fire. He hit the ground in a quiet part of the town and emerged from the small crater unscathed. He still looked like Squall, only now his was grinning with mad determination.
"So this is where the ants have been hiding all these years." he mused. "I feel like crushing an anthill."
With that, he strode out of the shadows and walked among them as Squall, unnoticed by anyone. He did, however, have to duck behind a building to avoid detection by Rinoa, who felt something strange. When she looked to see where it was coming from, there was just an empty space.
Irvine and Selphie were next to see him, making his way through the town toward the saloon. "He, is that Squall?" Irvine asked. "How'd he get back down here so fast, Selphie? …Selphie?"
She felt it. A strange rush in her head. A whispering, scratching, ringing sound in her head, telling her another like her was nearby. What Rinoa had felt when she discovered Selphie was…
"Quick!" she gasped. "We gotta find Rinoa!"
Galen didn't know about Selphie, and thought the rush he had felt in his head upon discovering the presence of another was Rinoa. Still, he made his way to the saloon and saw what he was looking for. Xarsk, the traitor, enjoying drinks and laughing with some blond idiot with a bad haircut and even worse tattoo.
"Kill them…" suggested a voice far beyond the range of mortal hearing. And he would have done, had his father, Laguna Loire, not appeared around the corner.
"Squall!" he said. Galen froze, afraid to turn. Laguna's hand landed on his shoulder. Galen was almost trembling, but just in control. He turned and looked into his father's eyes. "…What?" he asked. He sounded just like Squall, although it wasn't through intention.
The same height, the same hair, the same eyes…
"Nice saloon, huh?" said Laguna. "I know we've never been really, you know, close, but what with all you've been through, and what's to come, what do you say to a few drinks with your old man?"
"Kill him!" that evil voice beyond mortal ears screamed at Galen. "Destroy him! Tear his throat out, but feed him his own eyes, first! Make him beg for his life as you squeeze it from him!"
For the first time in his life, Galen ignored his mother. "Another time, perhaps…" was all he said to Laguna.
"Okay, you're not up for the father/son thing." Laguna replied, shrugging. "But hey, we're both soldiers. Can't one soldier by another a drink on the eve of a big battle?"
I won't kill him… Galen thought. I… can't do it. I can't kill my father. But… if he falls in battle, it is out of my hands.
"I have to go." said Galen, walking away briskly. As Laguna's voice receded into the distance, his mother spat insults at him. He ignored them, running to a more quieter part of the town. Laguna, meanwhile, was soon approached by Irvine and Selphie…
Galen soon found something interesting, though. The control room for their little transporter. The guards had let him through easily, thinking he was Squall. The SeeD who was on duty was happy to have him interested in the device, and showed him how the transporter worked.
"And without this…" Galen began. "How would SeeD cross out into the world?"
"Well, there's still many hidden tunnels and caves through the mountains." said the SeeD. "It would be a lot slower, but we'd make it. We're lucky to have this piece of technology, though."
"I know." said Galen, then quickly turned around and crushed the SeeD's skull with a powerful blow to the head. He then turned back to the console and began to channel his power into it. The two guards, alerted by the sudden noise rushed in to see what was happening, only to be struck down by lethal fire blasts. Galen didn't pay them any further attention, merely continued forcing power into the computer console before him.
There was an almighty surge, and the terminal began to glow fiercely. Finally, a blast of Galen's power burst from the satellite dish on the roof and fired skyward, like a reversed Bahamut summon, shot into the heavens and disintegrated the transporter satellite in an instant.
SeeD's teleporting days were over. If they were going to move an army to stop him now, they would have to move on foot. And now, to add insult to injury…
A group of SeeDs came running toward him as Galen exited the building. The last thing they thought they saw was Squall casting Ultima on them and exploding the satellite control station behind him. The alert suddenly sounded, the party was over.
Galen vaulted, soaring high over the small buildings and landing in the town centre among the partying SeeDs. He grinned as Squall's group arrived, ready for a good show. He throw his hands up in the air, and hundreds of SeeDs were sent flying in many directions, like a bomb had gone off. All but one, who crawled on the floor, cowering before him.
Galen regarded him, then grinned wickedly. He picked the lone SeeD up by the hair and whispered something in his ear, then cast him aside like a rag doll.
"What's going on with Squall?" Zell cried.
"That's not Squall!" Rinoa yelled.
Galen smiled and hovered up in the air, addressing the fallen SeeDs. "You didn't invite me, but I came anyway!" he laughed. "I never get invited to parties, but I'll invite you all to one of mine! My army is already moving towards the Esthar plains, and nothing stands in the way of us! Resist us and you will all certainly die. Stay here, and you might get to enjoy what's left in this dying world."
He saw Squall rush into the town square and stare at him bitterly.
"Well, well." said Galen darkly. "The guest of honour…"
"I know the truth about you!" Squall yelled up at him. "I don't care! Do you hear me!? I said I don't care! I'm not going to let you or Ultimecia use my family as a human shield anymore! I'll fight you to judgement day if I have to!"
Galen's expression changed at his words, becoming altogether darker. "Then it's war."
"No!" Squall yelled back. "Just you and me!"
"Would if that were possible." Galen replied. "But look around you. So many here who are looking for your leadership in fighting me…" Squall followed his words, looking at all the faces looking at him. "…and there are hundreds more looking for my leadership in fighting you. Because you and I will fight, they'll battle each other."
"One way or another…" Squall assured him. "It's going to come down to just me and you."
"To the death!" Galen agreed, suddenly shifting back to his own form and clothes. Squall stared at him darkly. "As for you all!" Galen yelled, addressing the SeeDs. "I warn you again, resist me and you ALL die tomorrow!"
Before anything further could be said, Galen vanished in a thunderclap, sending further heavy blasts out as he went, destroying houses and killing SeeDs in the process. When it was all over, silence hung in the air, followed soon by injured cries and the sound of burning.
"…I take it that's Galen…" Squall heard Quistis say. He turned around and faced them all, looking at him. Quistis' revival could have come at a better time, only nobody could try a smile now even they were forced to. They were all here, Selphie, Irvine, Seifer, Quistis, Laguna, Edea, Ellone, Zell, Xarsk and Rinoa.
"What happens now?" Zell asked quietly.
"What do we do?" Seifer echoed. "We fight, that's what we do!"
Squall turned away and looked at the burning town. Rinoa was the only one who noticed him while the others argued. She came up behind him and put her arms around him.
"You heard the man! Fight and we're toast!"
"We can still beat him! Squall can fight him!"
"And what about the rest of us?"
"The guy said it himself, there's an army on the way to our world right now!"
Rinoa hugged him, feeling he needed it. "They're all looking to you again." she said.
"I thought I quit." Squall replied sadly.
"As long as there's SeeD, they'll always think of you."
She came around beside Squall and held his hand. "You said you know the truth about him." she said. "Is that what's been bothering you?"
Squall led her out of earshot of the others. "Yes." he said. "I'm not sure how to say this, Rinoa, but… there's a reason why Galen looks like me. I didn't believe it when he told me, but now I know…"
Rinoa could see it was a hard subject for him, and held his hand in her two. "Galen is my…" he managed. "…he's my brother."
Rinoa stared at him silently. "…you don't have a…"
"That's what I always thought." said Squall. "But I do. He's my twin. He was born the same time as me… only stillborn. He shouldn't have lived but Draven… took him from my mother and gave him to Ultimecia. This is all her doing. She's using my family against me…"
"And now she has you fighting your own flesh and blood to the death."
Squall nodded sadly. "He knows this, and he hates me because of it. He won't stop until I'm dead."
Rinoa hugged him softly, trying to comfort him. Then said "Then you're probably going to have to fight."
Squall looked at her. She's never said anything like this before. She stared back at him with sincere eyes. "You have to fight, Squall Leonhart. It's your family. You have to fight for them as much as for yourself. When I first met you, you had nobody. Now you've got a family, and they need you. They all need you."
Squall nodded, understanding. "My family…" he said slowly, as if saying the words for the first time.
"Your family." Rinoa echoed, giving him the smile he needed to see. "You can't let Ultimecia take them away from you. They're what you have now. Your family that came before you, your family that's here for now and…"
She turned away, unsure of herself. Squall could see she was holding something back. Something that was slowly dawning on him. "…and?" he asked uncertainly.
"…And the family you're going to have with me." she said, with a smile that was a mixture of bravery and joy. Squall's face could have been framed and mounted on a mantle. Rinoa smiled and guided his hand down towards her womb, and the life that was growing there.
Squall trembled, not knowing what to say. "I'm going to be a…?"
"If we win the day." Rinoa replied.
Squall's head was spinning. So much was happening all at once, so many things. Up to this, they had all been predicaments, situations, betrayals, confusions and the like. But now, there was something different. Something shining through all that, that was… hope?
He found himself then, in a moment of clarity. All the while, he'd been rushing around things all this time. Fate had been leading him around by the nose, selecting what he had to be in that moment. SeeD, soldier, Sorceress Knight. But now it was time to be something different. It was time to take charge and find himself, and fight for himself. It was time to be Squall Leonhart.
He kissed her hands and walked away, back to the others. She watched him go, smiling, and knowing just why she loved him.
He found the others still arguing. All this time they'd been debating what to do under his leadership without asking him, just like it had always been. Now it was time for a change.
"Squall." said Irvine. They all turned and noticed him as if for the first time.
"What do you think, Squall?" Zell asked. "We're pretty much split here. Some of us say we should go and fight Galen's army, the others say we should try and make it to the temporal rift before them so we can warn our world, and some say we should just scatter to the wind, let Galen win and then fight him the old-fashioned way when he gets comfortable." He said that last one like it was a joke, and nobody really believed in it.
"I don't care what's best to do." said Squall suddenly. "I just know what I want to do. I want to go out there tomorrow and fight for myself and my family. All the rest doesn't matter. If you wanna come with me, that's fine, but make sure you're doing it for yourself and your own reasons. I know we're all in this together, but you all got your own reasons for being here too. Those are the reasons we should fight for."
They were all quiet at his words. They'd never heard him speak like this before. It was Irvine who broke the silence. "Right!" he cried. "I know what brought me this far, and I'll still fight for you. I'll go with you, Squall! I'll fight!"
"Me too!" yelled Selphie. The two looked at each other. They were the other one's reason for fighting, and that had brought them this far and into tomorrow.
"If you're fighting for your family, you better believe I'm there too." Laguna said to Squall. There was no debate about it. "And me." said Ellone, stepping forward, determined. Squall stared at her.
"I know what that bastard done." said Seifer. "He tried to break us, but it's just not going to be that easy. I know what I'm fighting for, and I'll fight for it with my life if I have to."
"Right on!" shouted Zell, feeling the same way. Xarsk was quiet. This was the first time she'd ever met Seifer, but she might as well not have been there. But Squall's words had stirred something in her. "I'll be fighting for my family…"
She said nothing, but knew what it was she was going to go into battle tomorrow for.
"I'll fight too." said Quistis. A few of them looked at her, especially Seifer. Before they could stop her, she said "I don't care about the injuries, or not being up to speed on events, or whatever. This isn't about causes or making a stand, it's about fighting for who we are… and what we love. I'll fight for that."
"I think the rest of the SeeDs here feel the same." said Zell. "Galen wanted us to believe we can't beat him, but it's not working. If anything, it's got us thinking that he can't beat us!"
"It won't be easy." said Squall.
"Since when has anything ever been?" Quistis asked.
"We'll have to get ready." said Squall, a determined look on his face. "First things first, we gotta get these fires out. Then find out how many are injured or dead. When that's done, we'll get the highest-ranking SeeDs together and form a plan. If we're going to move against Galen's army, we move tonight. We'll meet back up in an hour. Let's get to work."
They scattered, running off in multiple directions, already getting to work. As they moved, Irvine looked at Selphie and grinned. "I always knew that guy had potential." he said.
* * *
Some time later, Seifer was busy taking stock of the amount of weapons in the armoury, comparing it the estimated number of SeeDs available for battle. There were a number of SeeDs, both present and future helping him, as well as Xarsk.
"One hundred and twenty rifles." said Seifer. Xarsk seemed distracted. "I said, one hundred twenty."
"Oh, I'm sorry." Xarsk apologised and made a note of it. Seifer eyes her suspiciously.
"Nervous, soldier?" he asked.
"Yes, sir." Xarsk replied, trembling. "First time in my whole life, sir." There was something odd about the was she kept referring to him as 'sir'. For one thing, she wasn't a SeeD…
"Everyone gets nervous going into battle first time." said Seifer.
"I've been in battle before, sir."
"So what is it then?" Seifer asked, looking directly at her. Xarsk glanced away nervously. "You're not a SeeD, are you?"
"No sir." Xarsk replied. "You might have heard about me. I'm a defector. I came over with Squall and Rinoa Leonhart, sir."
Seifer frowned. "Heartilly." he said. "She's not married to him."
"I'm sorry, sir." Xarsk apologised. "I keep forgetting. I was raised on the legends, sir."
"Oh right, I've heard about them." Seifer snorted. "Never fails to give me a good laugh. You heard the one about me?"
"…I believe I have, sir."
"I'm supposed to be the head of a great and noble family." Seifer chuckled. "Yeah, right. I done a little 'research', you know. My dad was a big-ass Galbadian general called Shojora, who had a penchant for war crimes. Especially if there wasn't a war on. And my mother was a 14-year-old Timberan prostitute called Laura. How's that for good breeding?"
Xarsk wasn't laughing like he expected her to. Something was wrong, even he could tell that. "Something wrong?"
"Yes, sir." Xarsk replied. "I never knew you felt this way about your own family, sir."
Seifer shrugged. "I don't have a family. There's only me. Why, you big into your family or something?"
"Yes sir." Xarsk said proudly. "I would fight and die for my family name, sir."
Seifer was admittedly impressed. He allowed himself a grin, which soon vanished. "So what's your family, soldier?"
Xarsk lifted up her sleeve and proudly showed him the tattoo of a cross matching the one on Seifer's jacket. "I'm an Almasy, sir."
Seifer stared, rooted to the spot. Xarsk continued to smile, proud as ever. "And I'll fight for you and by you tomorrow, sir. You can count on that."
"…Wow." Seifer gasped. "Descendant, huh? Pretty cool. How big's the family?"
"We were mighty down the ages, sir." Xarsk replied. "Right now, there's just me, but I'll be damned if I'm leaving this world without a full litter of kids before I go, sir."
Seifer grinned. "It's great to have an ambition."
Xarsk laughed, and from that point on, the nerves were gone. She was talking to her idol, and he was just as human as her. They'd always been family, but it was now strange how close they felt it.
* * *
"What are these things?" Irvine asked, picking up a strange metallic armband. It was one out of around a hundred. A Neo-SeeD picked it up and demonstrated it to him. "These are personal defence shields, sir." she explained, pressing buttons. The side of the wristband expanded, becoming as tall as a man and filled with a strange rainbow-like colour. Irvine noticed his hand passed right through it.
"The can stop things like arrows and bullets, as well as certain spells like Fire and Ice." the SeeD explained. "But their force of repellent is only equal to the velocity of the projectile."
"Huh?"
"It won't stop relatively slow-moving objects like rocks and throwing blades, but it'll stop fast-moving things like bullets."
Irvine looked at it again, noticing how light it felt. "Could come in useful…"
"How about this?" Selphie asked. They were rummaging around storage, looking for weapons that had been filed away that may be of some use in the coming battle. There were rows and rows of crates, stacked ten feet high. Right now, Selphie was peering into one of the crates containing a strange device. It looked like a giant metal slug.
"That's useless." said another SeeD. "That was built in Esthar about three hundred years ago. It was supposed to be capable of creating an explosion far greater than ever believed possible. It was a total flop, however, they couldn't make it work. Can't be done, I guess. But who cares, right?"
"What's it called?" Irvine asked.
The SeeD shrugged. "I think it was called the Atomic Bomb or something like that. It's a paperweight now, though. Pretty useless. Let's pack it back up, we gotta lot more crates to get through."
Selphie shrugged and closed the crate back up. "Got anything that'll vaporise an entire offensive army in a heartbeat?" she asked sarcastically.
"Zell's chilli breath, if we can get him to eat some." Irvine joked. "You guys got any chilli sauce in this place?"
The SeeD blinked. "What's that?"
Irvine moaned. "You mean you guys don't have chilli here in the future?!? I thought you were supposed to be more advanced than us!"
"When this is all over," said Selphie. "We gotta give these guys a little tour around our world."
"I thought stopping these guys from touring around our world was the plan?" Irvine asked.
"Not these guys!" Selphie giggled. "The bad guys. These guys are welcome to look around, as long as they look but don't touch."
Then they suddenly noticed how quiet the future SeeDs had become. "Hey, what's wrong?" Irvine asked.
"We've heard many things about your world, and how beautiful it is." said a Neo-SeeD. "They say the sky is blue there, and there are things like music and art and beauty and flowers, and living trees and many other miracles. And when this is all over, you'll return there, and we'll stay here to die…"
Irvine and Selphie fell silent, feeling bad for what they had said.
"That's why Galen has so many followers." the SeeD explained. "So many more than us, because they just want to live in a beautiful world…"
"Hey." said Irvine. "If we let things go Galen's way, thousands of people are going to die, and our world ain't going to look even a quarter beautiful as it does now if he's ruling it. But if we win tomorrow, I'm pretty sure Squall's not going to leave you all high and dry."
"What will happen to us, then?"
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
At this, the doors of the storage warehouse swung open. Rinoa entered, followed by Edea and Laguna.
"Hey, what are you guys doing?" Selphie asked.
"Laguna has an idea." Edea explained.
"We gotta check it out first, before we can bring it to Squall." said Rinoa.
"So what is it?" asked Irvine.
"Well," Laguna explained. "Back when I was President, I was no slouch. I used to read all the papers that went over my desk, especially the stuff from Research & Development, and boy, those guys had some cool ideas. And I remember one those ideas was for making these big-ass lightweight but strong catapults, that could be stationed at any terrain in the world. They didn't exist in my time, but they might have been built and you guys just might have them here. What do you think?"
"Could be tricky." a SeeD replied. "Galen's forces took Esthar apart. They got all the 'cool stuff' like the fighter jets, missiles and all that. What we got mostly is leftovers. You know, when I heard Squall Leonhart was here, I went looking to see if we had his bike? Turns out Galen's troops stole it from the Esthar Smithsonian years ago. It ain't the real thing, of course, but I think–"
"Hey guys!" Irvine yelled from the back of the warehouse. He was standing next to a vast dark shape under a dust cover. He yanked the cover away, throwing up years of dust to reveal the giant metallic catapult sitting there. "There's about four others here! Talk about not noticing the wood for the trees! Where would ya like 'em delivered?"
"Moving them out of here could be hard." said Edea.
"At least we got an ace up our sleeves, nes pas?" said Irvine, grinning.
Rinoa went to say something, then stopped. Something was wrong.
"What is it?" Edea asked.
"Someone is here who should not be…" Rinoa whispered, her thoughts and her voice one. Her roving eyes found one SeeD, one from Balamb Garden. He looked at her terrified. The others began to surround him
"What do you mean, Rin?" Selphie asked.
"Hey, I know you." said Irvine. The SeeD turned and looked at him, not far from soiling himself. "You're that guy Galen said something to, and he didn't kill ya. I saw it with my own eyes…"
"Why not?" Laguna asked. "What did Galen say to him?"
"He said…" Rinoa began, closing her eyes and fishing inside the SeeD's mind, discovering what Galen had said to him, and who he really was. "…he said 'I'm not going to kill you. I'm going to cast you to the wolves'…"
"Please…" said the SeeD, speaking for the first time.
"No way!" Irvine cried in disbelief. "I know that voice."
"We all know that voice." said Selphie.
"You… son of a bitch!" Irvine roared, stepping forward and starting the choke the SeeD, who struggled. Irvine reached under his neck and pulled the latex mask away, revealing Drew Gain's true face. "It was you on the tape! You killed them all in Galbadia Garden!" Irvine growled. "And you were hiding among us the whole time! The whole damn time!"
"Please…" Drew choked. "You need to know… why I came with you…"
Irvine wasn't having any of it. He stopped choking drew and threw him into a batch of crates. As the traitor struggled for balance, Irvine grabbed him by the collar and pulled him out of the warehouse. Gains was half dragged, half pulled towards the town square. Already a small crowd was gathering, watching Irvine and Drew. Irvine was deathly silent and determined while Drew pleaded with him, as well as the people watching.
"I'll be damned…" muttered Quistis. "Drew Gains. Your proverbial wolf in sheep's clothing."
Squall turned his head and looked at the mention of the name. Of course, he could stop this. Not like had he had any plans in doing so, however.
Drew was still pleading as Irvine tied him to a post. Irvine wasn't listening, just stood back and loaded a clip into his gun, already aiming right between his eyes. It was Selphie who stopped him.
"Irvine…" she said, softly. "If you do this, you'd be no better than him."
Irvine scowled. "Who says I want to be better?"
"What he did was wrong." said Selphie. "But so is this…"
"Listen to her, Kinneas." Drew begged. "I didn't want it to happen, that's why I came with you. I have information, I can help you find the ones responsible. I have a list, their names and where they are…"
"Begging for your life…" Irvine hissed. "The ones in Galbadia Garden never even got that much…"
"I didn't know there was going to be a massacre." sobbed Drew. "I thought we were just going to disable the Garden. Draven said Galen had other plans…"
"I've had enough of this." said Irvine and cocked the rifle, unleashing a full round upon the screaming traitor. When the sound of the shots died away, all that could be heard was Drew sobbing bitterly. Irvine ejected the clip and thrust it in his face.
"Blanks!" he snarled. "Not like what they used in Galbadia Garden. What you just saw, that's the last thing they saw, you bastard."
Irvine threw the rifle down and walked away, followed by Selphie, trying to comfort him. It was Seifer who strode forward, only to look Drew square in the eyes, with a look of utter contempt. "Get this piece of shit out of here and put him in the lock house." he growled, as a bunch of SeeDs untied Drew and led him away. "We'll find out what he has to say, but we still got a lot of work to do first."
* * *
Sometime later, they were all gathered in the meeting hall. A lot had happened. Drew Gains was being questioned, and he had given them all the information needed in revealing the Galbadia Garden conspiracy. Considering how quickly they would all have to make an evacuation of Gabriel City, it was likely he'd have to be taken with them. This didn't settle well with a number of SeeDs. Also, Luminous, the leader of the Neo-SeeDs had been killed in Galen's attack. It was Squall and Seifer in charge now.
But here they all were, packed into the meeting hall. Some SeeDs were on the rafters. Teenage parents were holding their babies and standing by their kids. It looked like a scene straight out of Orwell's "Animal Farm". In the middle of it all were Squall's group, with Squall standing just that little bit back in the distance. They were crowded around a large table that showed an ancient-looking but accurate satellite photo of the Esthar plains. Battle plans were being drawn on it.
"So that's it." said Seifer, standing away from it.
"It's a bit of a gamble…" said Quistis.
"You ever seen a battle that was sure-fire victory?" Seifer asked sarcastically.
"Galen's army probably has…" said Irvine.
"Through all the simulations, this is the one that works out best." said Laguna.
"Alright, everyone listen up!" said Seifer, addressing the crowd. "Galen's attack cost us 12% of our fighting force. We're down to about five hundred troops. From what Xarsk has told us, Galen's army numbers around a thousand, so the odds aren't in our favour. Everyone will be taking part, except of course, for the children, and Rinoa and Edea. They'll be taking care of them."
"We are in the fight of our lives here." said Quistis. "Nobody will thank any less of you if those of you with children want to scatter while you can. We can promise you won't be followed. But if you do fight and you do fall, I can swear Rinoa and Edea will protect your children."
"If you lose tomorrow, we'll take your children somewhere safe, where Galen will never find them." said Rinoa. "Don't worry, with our protection, he won't find them. I know how much your babies mean to you. Believe me…"
"So, if anyone has any suggestions or ways you think you can increase our chances of winning…" said Seifer. "We're all ears."
Squall took the opportunity to step forward and point out a few things the others may have missed while making their plans. "Get everyone kitted out in White SeeD uniforms." he ordered.
Seifer glared at him. "Why?"
"If we all show up wearing different outfits, then Galen's forces will be able to tell us all apart. They'll go after the Balamb SeeDs foremost, since we're the ones they really want. They're used to fighting the Neo-SeeDs. If they can't tell us apart, we'll have the advantage of surprise."
"Like what?"
"Well, what if you couldn't tell someone you've beaten before from someone who could probably beat you to a pulp. Wouldn't you be anxious?"
Seifer and the others grinned. "Right. It's White SeeD uniforms for all."
"And have different SeeDs assigned to different SeeD platoons, each with specific qualities and skills." Squall suggested. "Have those who are proficient with firearms report to Irvine, hand to hand combatants report to Zell, you know the rest. We can tell each other apart, but Galen's troops can't. Different SeeD units with different specialities will give us an advantage, over Galen who's just strewn randomly skilled soldiers together, right Xarsk?"
Xarsk looked at him. "I'm impressed."
"We have to move as soon as possible," said Squall. "Through the tunnels and out into the Esthar plains. Take only what you can carry, and one of them had better be weapon, of course. This is it, people. Get packing. We meet in the town square and move out in one hour."
Silence hung in the air. Squall was already wondering why they hadn't scrambled, until Irvine tapped him on the shoulder and whispered in his ear. "They're waiting for you to say something cool."
"For crying out loud…" Squall muttered under his breath, then looked at them all again. "Move out!" he yelled, and rolled his eyes as they stampeded. Rinoa giggled.
* * *
An hour later, they had all gathered in the town square. Squall was tying a white bandanna on his head when Rinoa stepped out in front of him, smiling.
"What is it?" he asked.
"That uniform is really you, Squall." she laughed. "Seriously, white is definitely your colour."
Squall shrugged and tightened the bandanna. Rinoa reached up and freed some strands of his hair from their grasp. "Plus, you look cool."
Squall shrugged and adjusted the sling that held a longsword on his back. "It's not exactly my gunblade…" he muttered. "But I'm used to weight and handling, so…"
"You'll get your gunblade back." said Rinoa, with certainty.
"Is everyone here?" Squall asked.
"Everyone's here and ready to go, Squall." said Irvine. He was also dressed in the White uniform, but there was only one person who could ever take his hat away. "They can take my coat," he had said, grinning. "They can take my shirt, but no, they can't take my hat."
"We all set to get underway?" Squall asked.
"Ready when you are, Squall!" Zell shouted over. Next to him was Xarsk, also in the whites. "This feels odd…" she muttered.
"Could be worse." said Zell. "You could still be wearing what the bad guys are."
"Squall!" yelled Ellone, running up to him. Squall glared at her, decked out in a uniform like everyone else.
"What do you think you're doing?" he asked.
"I'm going to fight with you." she said. "So many people have been making a fuss over me for years. I need to make a stand for myself too, you know. Besides, I'm family, isn't that what you're fighting for?"
Squall sighed and shook his head. "This is for people with training and battle experience, and you–"
"May I see that?" Ellone asked a passing SeeD, taking his machine gun. She held it perfectly, aiming this way and that, before ejecting a clip, slamming a new one into place and loading the chamber in one liquid movement. Squall, Rinoa and Irvine stared.
"You think all Uncle Laguna and I ever talked about was you?" she laughed. "Hello? I was kidnapped as a child and rescued by a guy who really knows his machine guns. I can strip down and clean on of these things in a matter of minutes."
Squall sighed. He and Ellone really had to talk sometime about whatever other things she could surprise him with. "Alright, report to Irvine's unit."
When she was out of earshot, Squall turned to Irvine and talked to him in a way he never had before, that surprised him. "Take care of her, Irvine. Put her in the back or something, make sure she's safe."
"I'll watch out for her, man." Irvine replied, patting him on the shoulder.
"We all set to go?" Squall called out.
"The tunnels are clear!" a Neo-SeeD yelled out. "It's now or never, sir!"
"Okay." said Squall. "Let's go."
Slowly but surely, they all began too head off en masse as the exodus began. For most of them, it was leaving their home behind, but for all of them, it was leaving it for the chance to leave this place in order to fight for a dream of paradise. For others, it was to fight for their own reasons. Tomorrow, there would be a battle. But for now, there was a strange feeling in the air. Not one of anxiety, but one of determination.
They were all leaving the past behind, and marching forth into their destiny.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*