He'd been a hero, too, once.

When the dust from Time Compression had settled, when all the important trips had been taken and business resolved, when he guided Balamb Garden home and nestled it snugly in the crater it – and the Galbadian missiles – had left behind, people noticed. Xu and Quistis and Squall and Cid stood on the bridge with him and offered congratulations and thanks, and below, in what used to be Cid's office, a small crowd cheered and clapped. They offered smiles and backslaps and high-fives as he stepped off the elevator and walked out of the office, and he drifted off to sleep that night with their cheers still ringing in his ears.

But, for people like Nida, "hero" was a phase, not a title, and soon, the applause died away, the high-fives stopped coming, and he contented himself with settling into the next best role: mentor. He spent the following months teaching a group of SeeDs and eager young cadets the basics of maintaining and piloting a mobile Garden. The trainees looked up to him, at least while they were on the bridge together, and Nida finally felt as if he'd found his place in Garden, a purpose to his SeeD service.

Then Esthar swooped in and took that away, too.

As part of their payment to Garden for defeating Ultimecia, Esthar offered two of their older airships, still in very good condition. Their only stipulation was that Garden build a hangar suitable to house and maintain the airships, and Cid authorized construction of one before the ink had dried on his signature on Esthar's contract. Most of Garden assisted in building the hangar, including all but three of Nida's trainees, and once the first airship arrived, everyone seemed to forget that they'd ever traveled by any other means.

And so, Nida was cut adrift once more. Out of habit, he became something of an assistant to Xu, which usually meant conducting inventories of Garden's supply closets, posting reminders of Garden's regulations on every public bulletin board, reposting those reminders when they'd been ripped from the board and used as scrap paper or projectiles or paper airplanes, signing for deliveries, fetching coffee and paperwork for Xu, and, every once in a while, being loaned out to Squall or Cid for whatever small tasks they needed accomplished.

It was far from the life he'd imagined leading when he signed up to become a SeeD, but part of him knew that he should be thankful for the relative peace, as boring as it was. If he was going to be an errand boy for the rest of his life, though, he wished his errands would at least be more interesting: a little risk, a little excitement, a little something different, something to push the boundaries of what he knew, an opportunity to learn and grow.

As was often the case with these kinds of wishes, however, Nida failed to specify exactly what he wanted to learn, and who he wanted to learn it from.

It was a simple request from Squall: drive into Balamb and pick up a visitor, a potential benefactor that had requested a tour of the Garden and a meeting with Cid.

Nida saluted, then looked around. "Uh … just me?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's a one-person job."

"Oh."

Squall glanced up from the paperwork on his desk. "Is there a problem?"

"W-well, it depends on what you mean by problem," Nida stammered. "It's an obstacle, to be sure, but not a crisis, certainly not after what we've been through …"

"What is it?"

"It's a little embarrassing …"

"Spit it out."

"Um, well, you see, I … I can't … I can't drive." Nida gave a weak smile.

Squall frowned. "You can't drive? You've got to be joking."

"I'm afraid not."

"How did you even get to the SeeD exam? Driver's Education is a prerequisite."

"Oh, I took Driver's Ed! I aced the classroom portion. But in the hands-on portion, I … didn't get my hands on much."

Squall tilted his head to one side, his frown deepening.

"You see," Nida continued, "the instructor always forgot I was there. We'd get into the car in groups of three students, two in the back, one driving, and we were supposed to rotate. But every session, we'd only rotate through two students, and the instructor looked surprised to see me getting out of the car at the end of class."

"Why didn't you speak up?"

"I tried, but it was always, 'wait your turn, Nida.' And then, after my turn never came, it was, 'we'll get to you next time.' Next time never came, either." Nida sighed. "I guess the instructor assumed I picked up enough information from the back seat to qualify for a passing grade."

Squall pressed a hand over his eyes, shaking his head slowly. "All this time … you're telling me that you can pilot Garden, but you can't even drive a car to Balamb?"

"That's correct." When Squall said nothing, Nida went on, "Piloting Garden is easy, though! I only have to watch out for towns and mountains, and I can see those coming from miles away. There's no traffic, and no narrow roads with strange little lines on them to worry about. I got us through that battle with G-Garden, right? I got us wherever we needed to go, and I brought us home. So that's better than knowing how to drive a car, right? It's gotta be!"

"Garden's not mobile anymore."

Nida flinched; it was the reminder he didn't need to hear. It seemed as soon as Garden became stationary once more, all of his achievements and talents were erased from collective memory. "I know that, but it might be again … someday? And when that day comes, I'll be re –"

"That day won't come, Nida. With the signal interference gone, there's no more restriction on air travel. Airships are faster and more agile than Garden, they're easier to operate, and, considering the scarcity of parts for Garden, easier to maintain." Squall shrugged. "The world has moved on, and we have to adapt. Right now, that means that knowing how to drive is far more useful than knowing how to pilot Garden." He turned toward his computer and began inputting data. "And we have to patch that gap in your knowledge immediately. I can sign you up for the hands-on portion of the course starting –"

"No!" Nida jumped toward the desk, then tried to collect himself. "Please don't do that."

"You need to learn."

"But not around the cadets! They'll make fun of me, a grown SeeD who can't drive. I'll lose all the respe – um, I'll look like a big dummy."

"How else do you expect to learn?"

"Uh … private lessons?" Nida brightened as an idea sprang to mind. "That's it! Maybe you can teach me, in your spare time?"

"What?" Squall slid his chair back from the desk, a horrified expression on his face. "No way, I don't have –"

"Come on, please? I told you, I aced the classroom part, and I picked up a lot of practical info from the hands-on portion. I just need actual experience."

"Then ask Xu."

"Xu would probably laugh at me, right before she asks Cid to demote me for it."

"Technically, he should. What about Quistis?"

Nida felt his cheeks grow warm. "I wouldn't want to bother her with something like this –"

"But you'll bother me?"

"Think of what her fan club will say, if they know I'm alone with her! They're vicious!"

Squall groaned and pulled up to his computer once more. "You're just making difficulties. Let's see, the next course starts on –"

"Please, Squall, be a sport! Or a comrade, at least. Remember, we passed the SeeD exam together; we share a bond."

"Not really."

Nida pouted. He didn't want to have to do this, but desperate times called for desperate measures. He took a deep breath and drew himself up as tall as he could. "Well, I'm sure you remember that I saved all our backsides during the battle with G-Garden. I took you guys everywhere you asked to go, except Esthar, only 'cause I couldn't. But I did get us to FH, so you could do the rest." He saw Squall cross his arms on the desk, then licked his lips and took his shot. "Rinoa would be grateful, I'm sure. Maybe I should ask her what she thinks about my idea. I think she'd ag–"

"That's enough," Squall grumbled, leafing through his paperwork but not actually reading any of it. "Fine, I'll teach you. Just a few lessons, though."

"A few is all I need! Thanks, Squall!" Nida saluted and was turning to leave when Squall cleared his throat. "Yes?"

"There's still this assignment."

"I can't do it."

"Find me someone who can." Squall tossed the paperwork onto his desk. "And be ready. Saturday morning, 0500 hours, parking lot. Five minutes late, and the whole thing's off."

⁂

Nida fumbled to catch the keys Squall tossed to him as soon as he entered the parking lot.

"Show me what you remember," Squall said, then slid into the passenger's seat of one of Garden's vehicles.

"Isn't this a little dangerous?" Nida asked as he adjusted the driver's seat.

"You're not going anywhere, yet. I want to see what I have to work with. Go on."

Nida went through all the preparations he remembered from the driver's ed course – adjusting the mirrors, turning the key in the ignition and checking all the gauges, testing the signals, checking the mirrors again. He glanced at Squall expectantly, but got no reply; instead, Squall watched his movements closely, his eyes drifting toward the gear shift. Swallowing hard, Nida grasped the gear shift and tentatively pulled it into drive. He eased off the brake and felt the car drift forward. As the parking lot wall grew closer, he slammed on the brake, sweat gathering on his upper lip, wondering exactly how much of his skill Squall wanted to see, because that had been the extent of it.

"All right," Squall said, opening his door, "put it in park and switch places with me. Now, we're going somewhere."

"So soon?"

"You obviously know your way around the controls, and how to use them. It's time for you to get that practice you were whining about."

Nida slouched in the passenger seat as Squall started the car, and watched as the darkness of the parking lot gave way to the gray-blue light of early morning. Squall drove away from Balamb Garden – significantly faster than Nida thought necessary – and pulled over near a stand of trees. They switched places yet again, and before Nida had a chance to get nervous, Squall ordered him to drive.

"Only as fast as you're comfortable with," he added, settling back.

Nida ran through the preparations once more, took a deep breath, shifted into drive and lifted his foot off the brake. He coasted back onto the road, then tentatively pressed the gas pedal. As the car picked up speed, Nida smiled. The speedometer quivered near its lower end, and any junior classman could've outrun the car, but Nida was driving.

Small steps are still steps, he reminded himself, glancing at the landscape flowing past.

So, this is what it felt like; this is all it took. It wasn't so hard. He probably could've even taught himself, if he hadn't been so timid. Why had he been worried, anyway? All that time lost, all that freedom he could have had, all those adventures …

"Speed up." Squall cut into Nida's self-congratulatory reverie, his arms crossed and the shadow of a frown creeping into his features. "Give it a little more gas, and speed up until you reach that next bunch of trees. Then, turn around and head back."

"Okay." Nida slid his foot over to the gas pedal and gently, gently lowered his weight onto it. The car lurched forward, Squall cursed, and the appointed trees seemed to rush toward the them. Panicking, Nida hit the brake, causing another lurch, another curse, and a mild squeal from the tires.

When he at last reached the trees, Squall talked him through a clumsy U-turn, and instructed him to drive the car back into the parking lot, where Nida backed crookedly into the parking space.

"We'll work on that," Squall said, exhaling slowly and shaking his head, "and on your confidence behind the wheel. But you've got a pretty solid grasp of the basics, so it shouldn't take too long."

"Really?" Nida handed over the keys, grinning like a madman, adrenaline still thrumming through his veins.

"Yeah. A few more sessions, and you should be able to pass your test, and make the occasional run to Balamb. That's all we really need you to do."

"Great! So, when's our next lesson?"

"Same time, next week. Try not to forget anything you learned today." Squall walked toward the exit.

"No, sir, I won't! I promise!" Nida saluted, but Squall didn't look back. No matter; he only needed a teacher, not a friend.

And, pretty soon, he wouldn't need anybody.

What a thrilling thought!

⁂

Nida was usually aware of people watching him. It drove Xu crazy. She would try to sneak up on him, to peer over his shoulder to ensure he was doing his work, but she never got closer than a few feet from him. He would ask, without even turning around, what she wanted, then present a stack of completed papers, or an updated spreadsheet, or a new flyer design to prove that he was, indeed, working.

"You're no fun," Xu grumbled, retreating to her desk, muttering an unused lecture under her breath.

Nida prided himself on being extremely aware of his surroundings, and thus, prepared for nearly any turn of events.

Maybe it was the early hour, or maybe it was his excitement – he'd driven all the way to Balamb last week, and Squall was considering letting him drive into the town this morning – but Nida did not notice Zell coming out of the Training Center as he turned toward the parking lot, and he did not sense Zell following him the rest of the way. In fact, it wasn't until he saw Squall's grimace that he thought to look back.

"'Sup, guys?" Zell said, smiling and waving. "What're you doin' up so early? And in the parking lot? I didn't know about any missions!"

"There aren't any," Squall answered tersely. "What are you doing up so early?"

"Woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. I figured I might as well put my morning to use and get some training in before the cadets swarm the place. Then I saw Nida and wondered where he was goin'." Zell looked from Squall to Nida, his smile growing uneasy. "So, if there aren't any missions, why are you guys down here?"

"Training."

"On what? Repairs? Why didn't you ask me to help? You know I'm good with this kind of stuff!" Zell approached the car, cracking his knuckles and rolling his neck. "So, what's your problem?"

Squall pursed his lips against the obvious answer. Nida, meanwhile, chuckled nervously and tried to find a more diplomatic one.

"Oh, there's no problem," he said. "Not anymore. We were checking the tires. Yesterday, someone complained that the tires felt low, and Squall was showing me how to check the pressure. That's all."

Zell hiked an eyebrow. "At five in the morning?"

"Better to get it out of the way early, right?"

"Yeah, I guess. But where's your pressure gauge? Where's the maintenance log?" Zell huffed. "C'mon, guys, I know I'm not the sharpest person in Garden, but I'm not an idiot. Somethin' else is going on here. Why won't you tell me? Is it that bad?" A corner of his mouth turned up. "Is it something Rinoa should know about?"

"She already knows," Squall said. "She thinks it's a good idea."

Nida buried his face in his hands with a groan. Was Squall really that oblivious to the nature of Zell's question?

"Oh." Zell looked more confused than ever. Nida sighed. Beating around the bush was making the situation weirder by the moment. Better that he tell the truth and face his embarrassment here and now than be the subject of salacious rumors for the remainder of the foreseeable future.

"The truth is," he said, "that Squall is teaching me how to drive."

"Hah! Good one!"

"It's true, unfortunately."

"Wait a minute, you really don't know how to drive?" Zell cocked his head. "How did you even get to take the SeeD exam?"

"It's a long story," Squall cut in, tossing the keys to Nida. "One he doesn't have time to tell you."

"Maybe. But the longer story is why you're teaching him. Hey, Nida, why didn't you ask me? I'm a good teacher, and a great driver! Plus, I'm a helluva lot more fun to learn from than Squall." Before Nida could answer, Zell clambered into the back and slid open the door dividing it from the driver's compartment. "Here, I'll prove it to ya! Get this thing started and show me what you can do. If you've got any questions, just ask good ol' Know-It-All Zell!"

Squall began to protest, but Nida assured him it was all right by him. Any argument would be cutting into his driving time, after all. Besides, Zell was a nice guy. What harm could it do to let him tag along?

Plenty, apparently. No sooner had Nida pulled out of the parking space than Zell offered his first piece of advice.

"Hey, don't go too fast in here, man," he said, crouching in the doorway and grasping the backs of the driver's and passenger's seats. "And watch out for that speed bump near the exit. The Squad B driver on exam day sure didn't. He hit that thing at a pretty good clip – the car launched itself out of here, and when it landed – hoo-boy! Nearly shoved my molars into my brain! Remember, Squall?"

Squall groaned.

"I'll be careful," Nida said politely. "It kind of rattles my teeth, too."

Zell nodded, but was far from done contributing to this driving lesson. As Nida emerged onto the road, Zell leaned over his shoulder to inspect the gauges. "Uh, you can pick it up a bit, now," he said.

"You just told him to go slow," Squall muttered.

"Yeah, in the parking lot! It's dark and cramped. But out here, he's got plenty of room."

"Yes, and he's making sure to drive under the speed limit."

"Not that much under! Going too slow can be just as dangerous as going too fast. You hafta keep up with the traffic."

"What traffic? Look around, Zell, we're alone."

"Just 'cause that's the case now, doesn't mean he can form bad habits. C'mon, Nida, take it up a few, it's all right."

Nida glanced at Squall, who had already given up on the conversation, then honored Zell's request. Zell had plenty more comments in store, however; at various points during the short drive to Balamb, Nida was, according to him: driving too close to the median, driving too close to the shoulder, not keeping his eyes on the road, not keeping his hands in the proper position, slouching in his seat, driving too fast now, not watching out for wildlife, and had turned off his headlights before the sun rose over the mountains.

Nida nodded at each reminder, his neck muscles tense, his teeth clenched in a frozen smile.

Squall, on the other hand, had had enough.

"Zell, shut up and let Nida drive!" he said.

"Hey, I'm only lookin' out for him," Zell replied. "For all of us. Safety first!"

"Says the guy who's not even in a seat, let alone in a seatbelt."

"I can't supervise properly from all the way back there. Hey, Squall, how's about we switch when we get to Balamb?"

"You're not supposed to be supervising anything. You're not even supposed to be here!"

They continued squabbling as Nida approached the entrance to Balamb Town. He made a few feeble attempts to catch Squall's attention, but as the archway drew closer, he steeled his nerves, adjusted his grip on the steering wheel, and guided the Garden vehicle through.

Squall and Zell grew silent as they registered their surroundings, and Nida continued to progress down the narrow streets, toward the harbor. Though most of the town was asleep, delivery trucks rumbled past, and one of them caught Nida by surprise coming around the hotel. Squall must have sensed his nervousness, because he began to quietly encourage him.

"Stay calm," he said, "and don't forget to breathe. Hands on the wheel, stay in your lane, the other driver will stay in his. Just keep going ... that's it."

From the corner of his eye, Nida saw the other driver nod in passing, and as the road opened up to the parking lot of the harbor, his heart grew light. He'd done it!

"Way to go, man!" Zell shouted right behind his ear, slapping him on the back. "You did it!"

The sudden noise and contact startled Nida, and he inadvertently pressed his foot harder onto the gas pedal. Realizing his mistake, he slammed on the brakes. The tires squealed, the car fishtailed, and in a panic, he turned the steering wheel far to the left. Zell tumbled to the back with inarticulate grunts, Squall gripped the armrest and shouted vague instructions, and Nida screamed as the car ran through a low fence and came to rest in some shrubs.

With the smell of burning rubber seeping in through the vents, Nida stared straight ahead, heart pounding, while Squall and Zell started arguing again.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Squall shouted.

"How was I supposed to know he'd freak out?" Zell scrambled to the front again.

"You slapped him on the back. What did you expect?"

"I dunno, a thank-you, maybe? It was a compliment!"

"Yeah, of the kind only you give. Now we're stuck, and –"

"No, we're not. It's not a slope. Nida can ease us out in reverse." Zell nudged open the door and got out. "Here, I'll guide ya. Just don't run me over!"

"No promises," Squall muttered under his breath before turning to Nida. "You all right?"

Nida swallowed hard and nodded, still looking forward.

"Okay, first things first, relax. Nobody got hurt, and these Garden vehicles are sturdy. So, get a hold of yourself, then straighten the wheels."

Nida did so. He shifted into reverse; then, watching Zell in his side mirror, he slowly eased the car out of the bushes, over the flattened section of fence, and into a proper parking spot.

"Good job." Squall got out to survey the damage, and Nida followed. While there was no major damage to the vehicle, it had sustained some nasty dents and scratches. The fence and bushes fared far worse.

"We can't take it back to Garden looking like this," Squall said. "Zell, go fetch the mechanic."

"Can't." Zell was trying fruitlessly to get the broken part of the fence to stand again. "The garage doesn't open 'til ten." The fence clattered to the pavement.

"It's only 5:53. What are we supposed to do until then?"

"Well, we can swing by my house, see what Ma's got cookin' for breakfast." Zell moved on to inspect the bushes. "I don't know about you, but all this excitement whipped up my appetite!"

"Isn't it kinda early?" Nida asked. He didn't want to stop anywhere for breakfast; he didn't want to stop anywhere at all. He wanted to run back to Garden and burrow under his sheets, and maybe hide there for the next week or two.

"Nah, she's always up by this hour. Pa's boat casts off early, and she always has breakfast with him before he leaves." Zell shoved a few broken branches into the ground at the base of the bushes and stepped back to admire his work, before wiping his hands on his pants and starting toward town. "Come on, you guys!"

Nida pointed to the fence and shrubs. "But what about –"

"Don't worry," Squall said, following Zell. "I'll make sure he pays for all the damages … in more than food."

⁂

Despite his shaky beginning, Nida eventually passed his driving test. He hoped it might earn him a modicum of respect among his colleagues, but it only resulted in more work. Driving SeeDs and students and donors and dignitaries back and forth between Balamb Town and Garden became a common task for him, and soon the thought of driving lost its sheen, its illusion of freedom fading before Nida's eyes.

This afternoon, Xu slid a piece of paper across his keyboard as he was working on inputting student enrollment figures.

"Cid's two o'clock appointment," she said, walking back to her desk. "A prospective client. All his info's there, his train gets in at noon."

"Noon?" Nida perused the paper. "What about my lunch break?"

"Take it now, or when you get back. Just be at the station on time."

Nida frowned, mentally grumbling at Xu, and he continued grousing until the train pulled into Balamb Station and he introduced himself to the client, an older gentleman from Galbadia.

"You're a lot friendlier than I imagined you'd be," the man said as he fastened his seatbelt.

Nida cast him a curious glance. "Courtesy and openness are the foundation of a good working relationship," he said.

"Oh, definitely! I was a bit … apprehensive, though, considering the nature of SeeD. Highly regimented, I presume, very serious, a lot of heroic types. I was worried I'd run into an unchecked ego."

"I was heroic, once."

"Once?"

"I piloted our Garden in combat. Now, I'm just an errand boy and driver."

"I wouldn't say that."

Nida turned to him as he drove out of Balamb Town. "What?"

"You're underselling yourself."

"But that's what I do: run errands and drive."

"Exactly. And that's called 'logistics and transportation.'" The man laughed at Nida's skeptical expression. "I did my stint in the army, years ago. We have important-sounding names for even the smallest tasks, because even the smallest tasks are important." He tapped his wristwatch. "Take this watch, for instance: it's full of little gears and tiny springs, some you can barely see. But lose any one of those parts, and the whole thing stops working.

"Same with SeeD, same with you. Your job might not be flashy, but it's necessary. There's no just about it!"

"Wow," Nida chuckled. "I'd never thought about it like that. Thanks!"

"Don't mention it. I did plenty of grunt work in my day, too."

The man's words stuck in Nida's head, long after he escorted him to Cid's office, long after he'd driven him back to the station. Though he said nothing to Xu and Cid – his newly-rekindled confidence was still too fragile for whatever condescending remarks they might make – he began to refer to himself in more dignified terms. At first, only in his mind; then, quietly, to his reflection as he was getting dressed for the day. Finally, several weeks after his conversation with the Galbadian client, he said it out loud, to the family of a prospective student, proudly, and with a smile.

"Hi, I'm Nida, Balamb Garden Logistics and Transportation. I'll be your driver today. How are you doing?"

Among the warm responses and reciprocal questions, Nida's smile grew brighter, because, for the first time in a long time, he didn't have to lie for the sake of being courteous.

For the first time in a very long time, hetruly was doing quite well, himself.