Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, or any of the characters…that's it.

The Imposter Chapter 25

Unwanted Alliance

"So what did they ask you?"

Squall sighed lightly and looked about the room once more.

"They asked for alliance,"

"Alliance?" Seifer scoffed in disbelief, "Are they crazy?"

"Yeah," Laine agreed, "Obviously, you're gonna say no."

"No," Squall shook his head, "There's a catch."

"What?" Chriselle said, "Your life. How quaint."

"No, no," Squall almost smiled, "Not just my life."

"What?" Seifer asked incredulously, "They threaten all of us as well?"

"Yeah," Squall said, "I'm kinda worried, actually. They asked…they asked if I joined with them, then the safety of all the people I know will be guaranteed."

"You know us," Raijin said, "We can take care of ourselves."

"No, not just you guys," Squall said quietly, "ALL the people I know, which means…"

"The instructor, the petite girl…" Seifer began, "Chickenwuss, the sniper, the Headmaster and his wife…and…"

Silence suddenly fell, and Seifer sucked in a breath as if he was afraid to say whatever comes next.

"His wife?" Laine asked innocently.

"Oh, no," Laguna laughed, "I don't think my son would marry without my consent first."

"Frankly, I would," Squall cut in, "You haven't been…"

"OK," Seifer cut in, "You two can have your lovely conversation at another time."

"This is more important, Commander," Chriselle said calmly.

"Yes…" Squall muttered.

"Rinoa," Fujin suddenly blurted out.

"What?" Just as unexpectedly as her comment, everybody's head turned her way.

"I said," Fujin maintained her stiff pose, "Rinoa."

"Caraway's daughter," Laguna muttered, "She looks just like Julia."

"Come again?" Laine asked.

"Nothing," Laguna waved his hand, "Nothing that concerns this. Continue, Squall."

"Yes, well," Squall began again, "Rinoa…"

"Say," Seifer said, "Whatever happened? I mean, the murder, tell us everything…"

"How it happened?" Fujin said bluntly.

Squall turned silent suddenly, his eyes downcast.

"Leonhart," Seifer urged.

When Squall made no move to answer, Chriselle stood up and walked over to his side. She opened her mouth to begin saying something in his defense.

"He doesn't have to," a different voice spoke in her place.

She looked up at Laguna.

"Squall might not know a lot about me," Laguna stood up, "It's been seventeen years…But I, I know him, and I KNOW he would never do something like that. So he doesn't have to explain himself, because it never happened."

For a long while, nobody spoke. Chriselle proceeded to putting a hand on Squall's back and stroking it gently, as if trying to comfort him.

"Chriselle…" Laine began to notice.

"What?" she stared up at him with blank, white eyes.

"Your chick…" Seifer started.

"No emotions?" Raijin laughed, "I think she's showing some love right now."

"What?" Chriselle still harbored the same confused look.

"That's enough," Squall stood up suddenly, "Thank you, Chriselle."

"Chriselle?" Laine asked again.

"What?" she shrugged, "I still remember…you used to do that to me when we were little. It's what people who care do for each other, right? So I thought it'd be proper if I do the same thing."

"Did you feel anything?" Laine asked, his hope deflating.

"Feel?" she shook her head, "Don't make fun of me, brother. You know I can't anymore."

"So…" Seifer interrupted, "Chick here was only doing it 'cuz she thought it was a rule or something."

"Isn't it what people supposed to do?" she asked, "Or was it wrong?"

"No, no," Laine quickly said, "It was…really sweet."

"Sweet?" she asked.

"No," he shook his head, "Forget..."

"So what now?" Seifer let out a sigh, turning towards Squall.

"They threatened all of you guys," Squall said calmly, folding his arms, "All of the people I know."

"We got that part," Seifer raised an eyebrow, "And Rinoa is top of your worry list, right?"

"And about what we heard," Raijin cut in, "About the setup…"

Again, Squall sucked in another breath and silence enveloped them once more.

"It's OK…" Laguna began.

"No, it's not," Squall slid down the wall he was leaning on, "It's all a setup. And now I'm a murdered in everyone's eyes."

"Not everyone's," Laguna said, "There's gotta be someone who believes you."

"Yeah, Laine and Chriselle," he replied tonelessly, "They're the only ones because they're the ones who told me it was a setup in the first place."

"We knew, too, we ain't dumb," Seifer said, "Even if we are runaways, we still hear of news here and there. Gotta admit I'm quite shocked when I heard the Commander of Balamb murdered someone. But of course…"

"I didn't do it!" Squall shouted, "And I'm no Commander."

"Ain't gonna help if you whine about it!" Seifer countered, "Besides, I was just gonna say of course, I knew you didn't do it."

"Leave Master Leonhart alone!" Chriselle jumped in front of Squall.

"I'm not a Master, either," Squall brushed her away.

"Commander," Laine joined in, "If you won't let us help you…"

"Help?" Seifer scoffed, "The only time I'll see he ask for help…"

"That's enough, Seifer," Squall glared at him.

"What are you gonna do?" Seifer backstepped, "Sick your chick on me."

"This man keeps calling me 'chick'," Chriselle turned to Laine.

"Don't worry about it," Laine waved her away.

"He's just being a crybaby just because no one believes him," Seifer said.

"I didn't kill anybody!" Squall shouted one last time and headed for the door.

"Slow down!" Laguna jumped in, "Calm down! All of you."

At first, everyone stared at him awkwardly as if he was in no position to give orders. But slowly, they lowered their heads or turned their eyes elsewhere, as if pretending they never had anything to do with the conversation that went out of control. Squall sighed and stepped back from the doorway.

"Silly," Fujin mumbled.

"What?" Seifer started.

"Calm down!" Laguna began again, "The girl's right. This is silly. Let Squall talk."

"Well?" Laine raised an eyebrow, indicating for Squall to begin.

"Well…" Squall licked his lips, then looked at the floor, "As you all knew, there was a fake videotape…recording everything at the murder scene."

"You were in it," Laguna nodded, understanding, "And it was…"

"You've go to believe me," Squall began, his tone desperate, "I…"

"We know," Laguna stopped him, "You didn't do it. We do believe you."

"Well…" Squall continued, "Anymore you want to know about these pawns of Ultimecia, Laine and Chriselle can tell me."

"Laine and Chriselle," Laguna pondered, as if taking note of the names for the first time, "So these are their names."

He paused, then reached out a hand.

"My apologies," he said, looking at Laine, "I never properly introduced me or asked for your names."

"Oh…" Laine stepped forward and shook hands with him awkwardly, "No need to be all formal with us."

"I remember someone mention something about hundreds of years ago…" Laguna began, "Care to elaborate."

"They died," Squall said bluntly.

"Eh?" Seifer asked.

"Geez…" Laine scratched his head, "Yeah, that's to be just simple and straightforward. But to elaborate…Let's see, I bet none of you have forgotten Ultimecia."

As if the name carries a curse, a sudden, suffocating silence fell upon the room.

"Well," Laine went on, "She existed 200 years back, also."

"Our Kingdom," Chriselle nodded.

"She wiped it out, you see," Laine said, his eyes downcast, "But we were the only ones left."

"How so?" Seifer asked.

"We made…kind of a deal, you know," Laine scratched his head, "With one of the most powerful Guardians, the Phoenix…"

"Guardians?" Seifer turned to Squall, "Didn't you have one yourself? Griever, wasn't he?"

"He hadn't spoken to me in awhile," Squall shook his head, "He hadn't entered my mind yet."

"Griever can't be controlled, ya?" Raijin said, "How strange. I thought we as the summoner gets to junction them whenever we want."

"Griever listens to no one," Squall explained simply, "In fact…I don't think Griever's presence with me is to help me, but for me to enhance his strength and abilities."

"So you are under Griever's…" Seifer said.

"No," Squall cut him off, "I'm under no one's control, either."

"Well, whatever," Raijin said, "Go on."

"So of course all evidence was against me," Squall went on, "And I was forced on the run."

"And that's how you met up with these two?" Laguna asked.

Squall nodded, deciding to leave off the part about the prison. He did not want Laguna to begin his father fuss again.

"I've been meaning to ask," Laguna began, "You do look a pit paler…"

"It's nothing," Squall waved it off immediately, "It's nothing."

"But…"

"It's nothing," he said firmly, then shook his head.

"All right," Laguna shrugged.

"So now you've decided to come here," Seifer asked, "To ask Daddy for help, is that it?"

"Shut up, Seifer," Squall glared.

"It's true," Laine said, then turned to Laguna, "Mr. President, we've come here to seek alliance with you."

"Oh, no," Laguna said.

"You refuse?" Squall asked, raising an eyebrow incredulously.

"No, no," Laguna said quickly, "I was…I was just thinking of something I've been afraid of since you started your story."

"Afraid?" Fujin said.

"The Third War," Squall said, and Laguna nodded in confirmation.

"So it's true," Seifer said, smiling, "There'll be action again, then. Good, I was itching from just running around for so long without anything to do."

"This is serious," Laine said, "You have no idea."

"But we are a strong force, right?" Squall turned to Laine, "With the President's alliance, we can stand a chance, right? And your abilities…"

"Abilities?" Seifer asked, "They don't look like they can do anything."

"Oh, is that so?" Laine laughed, "Sorry, didn't introduce ourselves properly."

"Don't need to," Seifer scoffed, "I can just tell you're just some wanderers."

"Wait, Seifer," Raijin said, "Didn't they say something about 200 years ago…and the Phoenix?"

"Oh, yeah," Laine said, "We never finished."

"The Phoenix," Chriselle said, "The Phoenix gave us life, through the souls of two Element Masters."

"Earth," Laine folded his arms proudly, and the floor beneath them shook lightly.

Laguna gasped and jumped back as if he was afraid a hole might crack from under him.

"Relax," Squall muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Air…" Chriselle whispered, and the room atmosphere suddenly dropped.

Everyone except the two siblings and Squall panicked slightly. Seifer pulled his coat tighter over his chest. Then just as quickly as it came, the air settled down to a welcoming warmth again.

"Geez," Seifer rubbed his arm, "Who are you peo…Never mind, WHAT are you people?"

"Dead souls," Laine said casually, "Brought back through the powers of the Earth Master and the Air Master."

"Two of the Seven Element Masters," Laguna observed.

"Excuse me," Squall said.

"Yes, there are seven," Laine said.

"How did you know, President Laguna?" Squall asked.

"I read a lot in my days," Laguna grinned, "Writing and reading are always my passion. To write, first you gotta read."

"Whatever," Squall muttered.

"So you 200-year-old people are here…" Seifer began, "For what purpose?"

"We're tracking down Ultimecia," Laine said, "And Chris here is thirsty for revenge."

"The Phoenix," Raijin commented, "And didn't we say that Squall has Griever? I mean, with Phoenix and Griever on our side, how can we lose?"

"Phoenix?" Laine said, "It hasn't entered our minds since…We supposed it has given its all in the pact-making."

"The pact," Laguna repeated.

"The pact that Chris here lost her emotions," Laine said sadly.

"Anyways," Seifer said, purposely interrupting the oncoming sad conversation, "A Phoenix can rise from its ashes, didn't you know that? It can always have a rebirth."

"You can summon it again sometime," Raijin suggested, "Give it a try."

"I should," Laine said, "Man, you guys know more than we do, it seems. I guess our 200-year-old civilization needs a lot more knowledge."

"The Third War," Laguna said suddenly, "We're gonna face off against Ultimecia again?"

"No, not quite" Laine said.

"Because you said…" Laguna questioned, confused, "You said so yourself these two pawns are from Ultimecia herself."

"That's just it," Laine laughed, "She split into two, and much more powerful."

"Huh?"

"It's true," Laine said, "She is a despicable witch with too much power harbored inside of her. But in one body, the powers were too suppressed to grow. But when she split in two, each source of power gets its own body to strengthen…"

"Strength and magic," Chriselle added.

"I see," Laguna nodded.

"This is not good," Laguna said, "So the Third War will really begin, eh?"

"What do we do?" Raijin asked.

"I have to make sure everybody's safe," Squall said, pinching the bridge of his nose, "I can't protect everybody at the same time, and they know it, especially since I'm separated from everyone at Balamb. That's why…that's why they lured me to join their side, to guarantee everybody's safety."

"It's all in their plan," Laine said, "Since the setup to get you to be a criminal. And now without you to protect them, Balamb is gone."

"I can't let them!" Squall said, balling his hand into a fist and slammed it into the wall, "Dammit, we gotta do something quick."

"You have my alliance, son," Laguna said firmly.

"Good," Squall said curtly, as if he had expected the cooperation.

"Now what do we do?" Laine asked.

"We gotta split," Squall said, eyeing Laine sternly, as if he was about to give an order.

"Yes, Master," Laine said, "Oh, sorry, Commander."

"How should we split?" Seifer asked.

"You, Seifer and your posse, Raijin and Fujin," Squall turned to look at them, "I want you to go around, since that's what you've been doing mostly."

"Go around where?" Raijin asked.

"Anywhere," Squall said, "Warn anybody of any nearby villages or towns. Warn them of the next war…"

"Like anybody will believe us," Seifer said.

Squall gave a sigh.

"But we'll do it," Seifer continued, "Then we can look back and laugh and say that 'we told you so'."

"Seifer!" Fujin warned.

"All right, all right," Seifer said, proceeding towards the door, "Let's go, let's go."

"President Laguna," Squall said, his voice calm and firm, "I want you to prepare your troops. Tell them to be ready for anything."

"Sure thing," Laguna nodded.

"What about us?" Chriselle asked.

"You, me," Squall looked at Laine, then at Chriselle, "And you, too, Chriselle, we're going back…"

"Back?" Laguna frowned, "You can't mean…"

"Yes, I do," Squall said, "We have to check on Balamb. Criminal or not, I still have to make sure my home's still safe. Or at least, alert them."

Without another word, Squall turned towards the door and walked off. The three remaining stood among each other, at a loss of what to say.

"Laine…" Chriselle began.

"Hmm?"

"He said home, didn't he?" she asked.

"Yes, Chris, he did,"

"Strange…I thought it was a Training Facility for Mercenaries,"

"Well…"

"Our home was nothing like that, this world's strange, isn't it?"

Laine sighed, then shook his head.

"Yes, Chriselle, yes, it is…"

Author's Note: Whew! Been waaaaaaaaaaay too long. I'm sorry because all I could say is I'm sorry. I've just gotten back up on my feet again after a big crisis. So…I don't wanna waste anyone's time by listening to my long story, so just enjoy the chapter now.