Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII...
Unexpected Destiny
Chapter 53: Revelations
By CelestialRage
"Squall... there´s something I have to tell you."
The nervous edge in her voice as well as the frightened look her dark eyes held, told the Commander that whatever information the raven-haired was about to reveal, was definitely not pleasant.
When the brunet remained quiet and unmoving, Rosie took a deep breath, steeling herself for the next minutes. The cold atmosphere around her had suddenly intensified, though the raven-haired knew it was just due to the shivers running down her spine. The entire world seemed to have grown quiet, the laughter and chatting of the nearby students were lost to her ears as she kept her entire focus on the stomy-eyed man in front of her. Rosie´s mind was a complete mixture of feelings, memories, questions and ideas...
How could she even start?
The raven-haired began to fiddle with her hands slightly, an involuntary nervous reaction she had whenever she was facing a very difficult situation. A sudden idea flashed in her brain, an expression she´d heard once.
Truth will set you free...
By experience, she knew it was true. When she´d revealed her secret to Irvine, the weight on her conscience had diminished some, the sensation increasing when Selphie and the rest of her friends had joined the "knowing ones". Though she´d to admit, her heart still felt heavy with guilt and doubt... and it was all because of Squall, because of his lack of knowledge about her origins, about her true self.
But not anymore... right here and now, Rossane Bennett was determined to tell him the whole truth and maybe, she´ll finally be free.
Rosie bit her lower lip again and drew a deep breath before elaborating "I... I´m not who you think I am."
Squall narrowed his eyes "What?"
"I-I am..."
Her voice faded and was replaced by another, more distant female voice "Commander Leonhart!"
The teenagers – except for Rosie and Squall, who kept staring at each other – turned to regard the approaching Thelma, who wore a very heavy long jacket over her otherwise thin clothes. The girl flashed a tiny smile to Zell and stopped in front of the SeeD leader, saluting him briefly before delivering the message she´d been confided with.
"Sir, the Headmaster and Headmistress are looking for ya. They need your presence as well as your squad´s at Ms. Tilmitt´s office right away."
Squall tore his eyes from the raven-haired and nodded, turning to his comrades "You guys go ahead..." returning his gaze to Rosie, he added "We´ll be there in a minute."
A sudden idea crossed the raven-haired SeeD´s mind and she shook her head "We should go with them. What I´m about to tell you concerns Cid as well."
The Commander´s eyes narrowed further, but he nodded "If you say so."
ooo ooo
Her heart beat at double pace as her booted feet entered the Trabian Headmistress´s carpeted office. To her surprise, not only Cid and Ana were waiting for them, but also Xu Dante and Nida.
Rosie´s heart fell. She was hoping her explanation would be reduced only to the Commander and both Headmasters.. but with Thelma taking a seat near the martial artist, the raven-haired just hoped the added 4 SeeDs would be able to keep her secret from Garden´s entire population.
Never had she been so nervous in her entire life! Her resolve started fading, but she forced her fear down. She was not running away, she was not turning back now! Though the consequences of her confession frightened her, Rosie knew she couldn´t keep posposing the moment any longer.
Shakily, the raven-haired took a seat near Selphie whose reasurring smile, incited a very little one of her own.
"I´m glad you finally are here." said the brunette Headmistress raising from her seat. "Cid and I have summoned you, to announce the aliance between Trabia and Balamb Gardens." at Selphie´s delightful squeal, Ana smiled and continued "Though I want to protect the lives of those under my command, I´ve understood that, as SeeDs, we´re involved in this conflict whether we want it or not."
"It is imperative to stop Galbadia´s onslaught and only standing together, would we be able to do it." the Headmistress nodded in Squall´s direction and said "Commander Leonhart, I place under your command whatever resources and SeeD personel this Garden has available." As her words faded, Ana saluted the brunette young man, who promptly stood up from his seat and returned the protocolary formalities.
"Thank you." replied Squall nodding slowly. "How many SeeDs do you have?"
"50. And if you add the senior cadets, Trabia´s combat-capable forces are around 120."
"The SeeDs I dispached before the whole faction incident at Garden have finally returned... 84 in total." added Xu folding her arms, "Which means in Balamb we´ve at least 114 SeeDs and 250 cadets... plus Trabia´s forces, it gives us – discarding junior classmen – around 400 capable units"
"We´re still low in numbers compared to the Galbadians." said Irvine frowning.
"But one SeeD counts for 20 of them, right guys?" replied Zell bolting to his feet with his trademark hyper atitude and gaining a wide smile from Thelma.
"Yeah! That´s what I´m talking about!" added the skinny, flamethrower-wielding girl "We´ve endured training beyond their imagination, we´ve got GFs, magic and our weapons" at this, Thelma grabbed her huge cannon-like gun and petting it, said "We´ll show them what it means to fight SeeD!"
The martial artist smiled at the girl´s antics and before anyone else could add something else, the hesitant voice of Rosie was heard.
"And we have something more..." when all the eyes in the room turned to look at her, the raven-haired stood up and nodding a little said "... my knowledge."
Cid frowned "What do you mean?"
Her eyes turned to Squall briefly before returning to the Headmaster "I-I know what I´m about to tell you might sound weird, but... I assure you, it´s nothing but the truth."
"Rosie, you´re scaring me." joked Nida, his smile vanishing as he noticed the serious demeanor in the other SeeDs´ faces... Selphie´s particulary caught his eye and made the dark haired SeeD sit down and silently wait for his former squad captain to continue.
Rosie bit her lip briefly before deciding it was best to start as she had done with Irvine "I´m not from Galbadia Garden... I´m sorry for lying to you, sir. But it was the only way I could possibly be accepted quickly inside Garden." The atmosphere was dead silent and the raven-haired could swear the tension was so thick and palpable, one could easily cut it with a knife. Her nervousness escalated as she spared a quick glance to the brunet man seated a couple of feet at her left. Taking a deep breath, she decided to finish with her story as quickly as possible.
"The truth is... I´m not from this world, dimension or whatever it is." Xu, Nida, Cid and Ana looked at her incredulously, while Thelma and Squall remained emotionless, the Commander´s eyes narrowing further as he kept his gaze on her.
"I don´t know how, but I "appeared" in the plains outside Balamb Garden almost a month ago, the same day of the Field Test..." her eyes settled on the floor as she couldn´t bear the glances the rest of the room´s occupants were sending her "I know almost everything about this world, that´s how I managed to pass the written test without effort..."
"Rosie..." Xu´s voice was cut off when the raven-haired vehemently shook her head and continued.
"You have to believe me, Xu! I´m not making this up nor I´m insane." She folded her arms and said "How else would I know you are the CC Group´s Queen while Quistis is the King? She beat Dr. Kadowaki for the title when she was younger... I´m not a CC Group member and only them know this facts, right? So, how can you explain that I know?"
The dark haired SeeD´s frightened gaze settled on Quistis´s for a moment. The blonde ex-instructor nodded and smiled in a reasurring way, but otherwise remained silent allowing Rosie to keep with her confession.
As Rosie´s explanation continued, Squall´s mind abandoned her words and rushed back to the day he met her, suddenly remembering she knew about the Black Widow in Dollet´s com tower before it attacked them. Though the Commander had registered that little detail, the following events had vanished it from his mind, until now...
What else did she know about?
Seifer´s betrayal?
The Sorceress´s rise and her struggle to destroy Garden?
Of course she knew about that... She was the one to try and enter the TV Station, she followed Seifer and fought Edea in that room. She knew about the Brothers, even when Irvine, being a native Galbadian, discarded them as only a legend. She was the one to guide us to where Rinoa was laying when those statues hurt her...
She knew how to get inside the Missile Base...
... She knew Edea was going to attack me in that platform.
Is that why she did it? Why she interposed herself between the Sorceress and myself? So that her conscience was clean?
And all she said at the concert...
... did she know what to say too?
Were her words prepared and empty?
His mind stopped his wandering as Irvine´s voice filled the room "That´s how we managed to get them out of the D-District Prision quickly enough to stop the missiles aimed for Trabia."
Selphie stood up beside the cowboy and added "And she was the one to guide us inside the Base to accomplish that mission... we had a little unseen complications later, but-"
"We were able to enter Balamb town with a little stunt she pulled." said Zell nodding
Squall´s frown deepened. All of them knew! Selphie, Irvine, Quistis, Zell... even Rinoa knew Rosie´s secret.
All except him.
How she must have laughed at his stupidity! The Commander shook his head angrily. How could he be so blind?! He was starting to trust her and now... this...
ooo ooo
"I´m sorry for not telling you before..." said the raven-haired nervously glancing at the Commander, who seemed not to be listening to a single word she was saying or had said in the last half an hour, his face was covered by his copper bangs and a black gloved hand kept his azure eyes from view. "... but I was afraid."
Bitting her lower lip, Rosie dared to close the distance between her and Squall´s seat. Her dark eyes focused entirely on the brunet as she fought to keep her racing heart from bursting "Squall... I-" her words were cut off when the Commander suddenly rose from his slumping position, almost knocking her over in the process and stood directly in front of her.
Although Squall´s frame was taller than hers by mere inches, the raven-haired couldn´t help but feel as though she was a lot smaller.
"So you knew about the Sorceress? About Seifer´s betrayal? The missiles? NORG? Garden´s navigation system? FH and Balamb´s ocupation? And you didn´t dignify to tell us?! Do you know how many lives could have been lost if something had gone wrong?!" The Commander´s voice had grown in intensity and volume, as well as in anger. His azure eyes pinned her in place with the terrifying rage they showed. Rosie had never seen Squall this pissed off... and it really frightened her...
... more than anything she´d ever experienced before.
"B-But nothing happened!" she said, her reply sounding weak even to herself.
"Just because you were lucky, it doesn´t mean what you did was right!"
"I told you, I was scared!"
"Of what?! For Hyne´s sake!!"
"Of this!" snapped the raven-haired angrily, her eyes shimmering with unfallen tears she fought to keep at bay. "Of your reaction!"
"How am I supposed to react, uh? How should I feel about it?" replied the brunet, his voice gaining volume again before he hissed maliciously "You know everything, right? So, why don´t you tell me?"
"Squall..." her voice quivered and a tear escaped her right eye. What was he implying? Did he not know her intentions and words towards him were true? Did he believe it was all a fake? That she didn´t care for him?
"Squall, man, chill out..." Zell´s hand landed heavily on his shoulder.
"Fuck off!" snapped the Commander angrily, shrugging the matial artist´s arm as his piercing gaze stopped the advance of the the cowboy who was already on his feet and ready to back Rosie up.
"Commander Leonhart!" Cid´s voice caught the brunet´s attention and he immediately bit his tongue. Turning his attention to the raven-haired again, his eyes narrowed dangerously and focused on her for an instant.
His icy stare was colder than usual and she swore her heart stopped for a brief moment as his deadly glare locked with hers. She´d never seen that look on the Commander´s face before... and it made her squirm inside and tears to further gather at the corner of her eyes, for she recognized the feeling behind his stare.
It was hatred...
... and dissapointment.
And it was solely directed to her.
"Squall..."
Her pleading voice was interrupted by his cold, stern tone. "Whatever." Without further words, the Commander turned around and stormed out of the room, not noticing the smaller hand still in the air, which had tried and failed in its attempt at catching the edge of the brunet´s black coat.
ooo ooo
"The best we can do is abort the mission. I think we better return to Timber and wait."
"Wait? For what?"
"I don´t know... there must be something else behind all this."
Like her knowing everything about the events in Timber, Dollet, Galbadia, FH, Balamb... Hell! He could go on forever!
Squall´s steps guided him to the wide courtyard in the eastern part of Trabia Garden, his mind playing for him all the times Rosie had given him excuses why to act one way or another. The pines´ trademark fresh fragance filled his nostrils but did little to make his brain forget her floral perfume. Her shimmering dark eyes flashed in his mind again and Squall could feel his gut tightening, though whether it was out of guilt for causing her tears or still in rage, he couldn´t tell.
His hands clenched into tight fists and the Commander slammed one powerful punch into a nearby tree´s trunk, his GF-enhaced strenght leaving a nice dent on the wooden surface. Resting his forehead on the offended pine´s bole, Squall closed his eyes, trying to calm his racing heart while at the same time keep his mind from wandering in unwanted directions.
But as he already knew, it was like asking Shiva to go take a sunny vacation on Balamb beach with Ifrit as her spring-break partner.
His brain seemed to have special delight in torturing him and the brunet clenched his teeth as Rosie´s words replayed for his mind´s eye like a never ending deja-vú.
"I know you, Squall. That´s just the way you are."
"You don´t have to face this alone, Squall."
"I´ll always be there."
"You´re not alone, Squall."
"Squall... there´s something I have to tell you."
"I... I´m not who you think I am."
No kidding...
"Don´t push us away."
"The truth is... I´m not from this world, dimension or whatever it is."
"... I´m not going to lie to you, because I know you wouldn´t like that."
But she still did...
ooo ooo
As his frame dissapeared through the door, slamming it shut in the process, Rosie´s control vanished like smoke and the raven-haired couldn´t help the river of tears running down her cheeks. Her heart felt just like back at the Inaguration Ball, only the feeling was ten times more potent. Back then, she´d felt heartbroken, yes... but she barely knew him and even though there had been love, it was nothing compared to what she´d grown to feel for him as time had passed and all the dangers they´d survived together, along with their fears and uncertainties had taught her just how precious he was.
And now, she´d lost him...
Squall hated her.
She´d seen into his eyes, witnessing the unforgiving coldness of his stare. Even if she´d never been able to read his expression, the brunet´s eyes were always an open book for her, his emotions concealed within their grey-blue depths, only available to those who know where to look.
And the emotions she´d seen reflected in them just a mere moment ago were devastating.
Rosie´s heart ached so much she could swear she´d felt just the moment when it had broken inside her chest. Her lithe frame quivered due to her forceful sobs as her entire breathing capacity seemed to have vanished along with her hopes and – had it not been for Selphie´s aid – the raven-haired would have fallen to her knees as her legs felt so weak it was no surprise they couldn´t support her weight. The brunette girl´s arms tightened around her friend as the distraught girl burrowed her face on her shoulder, holding onto the tiny SeeD as though she was her only link to sanity.
ooo ooo
Cid´s eyes turned from the girls´ barely standing frames to the door, the Commander´s enraged face flashing in his mind and making the Headmaster frown. He had never seen Squall make that kind of emotional display before... the teenager was cold and had mastered keeping his emotions at bay.
Why did Rosie´s confession make him so mad?
Unless...
The Headmaster shook his head and sighed slightly a very faint smile ghosted past his lips as he prayed to Hyne that Squall was able to get pass this, least he wanted to lose something that is very hard to find.
ooo ooo
"Rosie..." Selphie´s voice made the girl close her eyes and try to control her shivering frame, racing heart and quick, ragged breath in the process... only to fail misserably. The tiny brunette´s hand ran up and down her back in a soothing manner "Sh... everything´s going to be ok."
"I-I´m sorry..." whispered the raven-haired between sobs as she untangled herself from her friend, who just shook her head slightly to dismiss her apology and smiled warmly.
"I´m going to knock some sense into his thick skull!" said Irvine adjusting his hat and grabbing his beloved Valiant.
"I´m right behind you, pal." added Zell craking his knuckles.
"No." Rosie´s voice made both SeeDs stop and turn to regard the still sobbing girl. She shook her head and said "It´s my fault. I should have told him earlier... you all warned me, but I didn´t listen." Her eyes turned down to the carpeted floor as she let out a sharp breath "It´s all my fault..."
"It was very brave of you." all the presents shifted their attention to Cid, who now stood, smiling at the raven-haired in a very father-like way. "I know it must not have been easy to tell such a secret to us, and still you did." Adjusting his glasses on his nose, the elder man continued "Though I´m sure you know that your actions will have consequences, Ms. Bennett."
Rosie nodded slowly, trying to dry her drenched cheeks with the back of her palm "Yes, sir. I´m aware of that."
"What?" Zell exclaimed "But sir, she´s helped us a bunch!"
"And we´re in great debt with her, Mr. Dincht." replied the Headmaster placing his hands behind his back "However, she lied her way into Garden and that´s a very grave fault."
"Sir, I´m sure we could-" Quistis´s voice was interrupted by Rosie´s calmer tone.
"It´s okay, Quisty." When her friends turned to look at her, she smiled weakly, the action making the tears standing just at the corner of her eyes to fall down her cheeks "Thank you, guys... but I´m not backing down now. I´ll face whatever outcome this may bring... I´m tired of running away..."
I finally feel free...
... heartbroken, but free none the less.
My freedom is all that´s left and I´m not going to lose that too.
I had to pay a high price to obtain it.
"We better call it a day." said Cid sighing slightly and looking at the SeeDs. Turning to Ana, he said "I´m very sorry for this..."
The Headmistress smiled and dismissed his apology with a shake of her hand "It´s okay, sir. I understand there were certainly "unexpected" circumstances." Turning to the raven-haired girl, Ana said "And don´t worry, dear. As far as Trabia Garden is concerned, this issue won´t leave this office. It´s the least I can do for helping my sister through all the ordeals you´ve faced and for saving this facility."
Rosie nodded her thanks, smiling shyly as she did and amazing at how similar Selphie and Ana were, though they were not blood-related.
"This reunion will continue tomorrow at 1300 hours. And all of the Balamb SeeDs present must take a silence oath regarding this issue." said Cid, gaining emphatic nods from all those under his command. "I´ll talk to the Commander... we need his presence too." Added the Headmaster sparing a glance at the raven-haired SeeD, whose eyes closed tightly and remained completely silent.
"C´mon, darlin´." said Irvine grabbing Selphie´s hand with his right hand, while his left surrounded Rosie´s shoulders "Let´s go back to Garden."
ooo ooo
His booted footsteps were barely audible thanks to the thick layer of snow covering the metallic floor. Gunblade in hand, his stormy eyes scanned the place, looking for something to take his anger on. After almost punching the poor pine down, the Commander had unsheated Revolver and stormed towards Trabia Garden´s training center, wishing to rip open a few monsters to help settle himself.
His eyes detected a faint movement to his left, spotting a powerful-looking, blue, scaled tail. It´s sharp ending promised death to whoever dared to challenge its owner. A deep gutural growl made the SeeD´s hands tighten around the hilt of his gunblade as azure eyes locked with big, mean-looking yellow ones.
The Blue Dragon stood as straight as it could, a challenging roar leaving its throat before its agile and strong body lunged towards the human. Squall met the dragon´s lunge with one of his own, but before they made contact, the SeeD´s body rolled pass the monster before bringing his gunblade backwards, its sharp edge piercing the dragon´s back. Normally, Squall would have squeezed Revolver´s trigger to finish off his opponent, but in his irate state, he looked to do as much harm as possible before delivering the final blow.
The blade left the monster´s body in a downright angle, ripping open the resistant scales and soft meat underneath them. Black, thick blood tainted the purity of the snow covering the combat field as a painful growl echoed through the chamber.
Squall whirled around, meeting the enraged monster´s sharp tail with his gunblade. The anchor-like end met the silver blade twice before the SeeD rolled aside to avoid the dragon´s feral punch.
The Commander stood, holding Revolver ready as he charged.
ooo ooo
Rosie closed her dorm´s door and walked towards her bed. Despite her friends´ efforts to cheer her up, the raven-haired wanted nothing more than to be alone.
Collapsing onto the mattress, she couldn´t help the tears flowing again from her eyes as Squall´s eyes flashed in her mind again. The hatred she´d seen in them was overwhelming and her heart ached again at the memory.
The only thing that eased her pain a little was the fact that at least, she´d be able to help him to plan their strategy against Galbadia Garden... thing that she wouldn´t have been able to do without telling him the truth first. He´d have learned about her true self one way or another, so in the end, it was inevitable.
At least, her friends were there when it happened.
Drying her tears with the back of her palm, the raven-haired couldn´t help but wonder what would be her penalty for lying her way into Garden... maybe a time in the disciplinary rooms?
I don´t care...
The only thing she cared about right now was trying to explain herself to Squall... but... what if he refused to listen? What if he didn´t believe her anymore?
Well, she had it come.
ooo ooo
"Take a seat, Squall."
The Commander sighed inaudibly and walked into the Headmaster´s office. Xu had been the one to deliver him Cid´s message after looking all over both Gardens for him.
As Squall got nearer, the smell of powder, hot leather, blood and sweat indicated the Headmaster the young man´s whereabouts for the last three hours. Adjusting his glasses over his nose, Cid finally spoke.
"Today´s reunion was interrupted due to the circumstances." he didn´t have to be especific, Squall´s slightly clenched jaw told the older man that much. "Tomorrow we´ll resume it at 1300 hours. Same place." when the Headmaster said nothing more, the Commander nodded and was about to move to get up from his seat when Cid´s voice made him freeze in place "Ms. Bennett will be present too... we need to analyze how to adress that issue in a way that will benefit all parts involved."
Squall´s icy eyes settled on the older man "Are you sure that´s the best thing to do, sir?"
The Headmaster shrugged "What do you suggest?"
"I´d suggest we discharge her." The brunet´s tone was cold enough to drop the temperature in the room a couple of degrees. "She´s not reliable. She hid important information from us, endangering not only those around her, but also Garden itself."
Cid sighed "I agree with you, Squall... to a certain degree." The older man´s eyes closed "Though I do not conceide her behaviour, I have to take in consideration the benefits her knowledge has brought us."
"That was luck." muttered the Commander angrily.
"Maybe. But there was also a brave heart behind." when the SeeD didn´t reply, Cid sighed and said "I´ll take your advice into consideration, Commander."
Seeing it as a cue to finally leave, Squall nodded and got up, covering the distance between the Headmaster´s desk and the door in a few steps. His hand grabbed the knob and just as he was about to turn it, the older man called his name, making him turn his head enough to regard him.
"Don´t drop it away... you´ll regret later."
Without replying, the brunet dissapeared behind the door.
ooo ooo
Rosie´s head rose when the familiar heavy footsteps reached her ears. Her dark eyes focused on Squall´s approaching frame. She could see his eyes narrowing in return and felt her legs trembling slightly at his reaction.
The raven-haired had spent the last 60 minutes thinking of a good apology-explanation for the stoic young man and after going through the issue numerous times, she´d decided the best way to adress the matter was being completely honest with him.
Baring her heart to him was the best choice she had...
If she managed to make him understand how much he meant to her, then maybe the Commander would finally comprehend her actions and find forgiving her easier.
Or at least, that was what she was hoping for.
Bitting her lip, the raven-haired stood up from her sitting position in front of his door and nervously said "Squall... I want to-"
"It´s after curfew, Ms. Bennett." His tone was as cold as Shiva´s skin and the fact that he´d used her last name didn´t help matters any "You shouldn´t be outside your dorm."
"I need to talk to you."
"..."
"Look, I´m sorry... I wanted to tell you earlier but-"
"Whatever"
"No! Don´t "whatever" me about it! And for once in your life, listen!" snapped Rosie angrily, tears gathering again at the corner of her eyes though she refused to let them fall. No way she was going to seem weak right now. "I told Irvine first because he was the only one who could actually remember the orphanage... those facts were the ones that made him believe me. How was I going to tell you about your earlier years or your dear Sis if you didn´t even remember them a couple of days ago?" her voice had grown louder as she talked, echoing in the entire hall by the time she´d finished.
"I-I know I dissapointed you..." Rosie had noticed her altered state and tried to settle herself. "... and I´m really sorry..."
"If you continue with this Ms. Bennett, I´ll have to get you into the disciplinary area for breaking curfew."
"You would do what?" asked the raven-haired, half incredulous and half angry at his threat.
Squall didn´t reply, his icy stare holding that hateful look she´d seen earlier that day. Silence stretched for a couple of minutes, until Rosie let out a sharp breath and shook her head in disbelief "I can´t believe you... Here I am trying to explain myself and you just..." despite her efforts, tears were already rolling down her cheeks.
"You know what..." said the raven-haired taking a step backwards "... fuck you, Squall!" with that, she turned around, quickly entering her dorm and slamming the door shut.
ooo ooo ooo ooo O ooo ooo ooo ooo
Author´s whining:
OMG! She snapped!
Well, but can you blame her? What´s with the "curfew" and "Ms. Bennett" thing anyway?!
(sigh) Just hope they can work it out in the end... well, we´ll have to see what happens next ;D So stay tunned, please!
Thanks to all those who reviewed and also to all those who are following this story. Your patience and endless support are what keeps me going :D I´ll try to update more often, I promise... this chappie was actually ready this quick, ´cause honestly I couldn´t stop writing... the Muse of Inspiration has been quite benevolent with me lately :D So please pray she stays that way!
Anyway, gotta go!
Lots of hugs,
Celestial Rage
