14
CHAPTER 14 – OF LOYALTY AND FRIENDSHIP
The training center's bright fluorescent lighting high above reflected off the surface of the small pond, producing a shimmering effect no different to that of natural sunlight shining across the ocean. Supplemented by the volumes of water brought forth from Rinoa's palm in the past hour, the girl had inadvertently managed to conjure a fair share of rainbows to complement her spellcraft. She had ardently stuck to her daily regimen every day since the Garden had departed Fisherman's Horizon, despite Squall's current unavailability. Although Quistis tended to drop in and out intermittently to check up on her, each session had now effectively become a do-it-yourself affair for her. The new sense of individuality this change brought suited her just fine. Even with the absence of a proper instructor to offer her advice and critique, she could tell her ability to command the Guardian Force was growing exponentially by the day. Neither did she require protection from the local fauna anymore; with food supplies still running low, the training center's wildlife population had already been hunted to near extinction.
Besides her sphere's natural disposition to water, Rinoa had not been one to shy away from the other varieties of spellcraft Squall had shown her. Erecting a defensive barrier had practically become second-nature to her, though she would still always start each day with ten to fifteen minutes devoted exclusively to it as a warm-up routine. Furthermore, whenever she felt the water was quite literally running dry, the very next item on her agenda would be practice with wind conjuration. The process of channeling the energy into her legs as Squall had demonstrated still perplexed her, though her arms ultimately proved to be no more challenging than her standard element. With enough focus and determination, she had managed to send several reasonably strong gusts careening across the clearing, causing the leaves of the trees clustered all around to whip wildly. She was sure Squall would be thoroughly impressed by the amount of progress she had already made, regardless of whether or not he would admit it.
Any yet, despite the satisfaction it filled her with, she longed for something more. To be able to effectively utilize the Guardian Force's power for the purpose of basic offensive and defensive spellcraft was adequate for the time being. If she were to truly master its usage however, she knew she would eventually need to shift her focus to summoning the creature whose essence was tied to the sphere. She remembered the awe she had felt when the towering sea serpent had burst into being right before her eyes. Not even Squall's own horned demon had been able to stand up to its sheer might. She had brought it up to him at one point over the course of the first two weeks, only to be told it would likely be at least a year until she reached the necessary level of expertise. She could accept it would not be an easy task to achieve, but had at least hoped he would give her an inkling as to how the process worked.
For the moment however, she was content to make due with what knowledge she had to further her training. She concentrated the energy into her palm as she had innumerable times before, feeling the rush of the torrent begin to flow through her arm. The next second, it shot out as if from a fire hose, soaring clear across the pond to just barely reach the outer rim of trees. Her range had seemingly increased yet again. She chuckled to herself as she recalled how ecstatic she had been to form only a light spray just weeks ago. With such irrefutable evidence to go by, it surely wouldn't be long before she had earned her place on the battlefield.
"Nice one!"
Rinoa jumped at the sudden congratulations and spun around. The girl's brilliant yellow overall-skirt combo was as glaring a contrast from the surrounding greenery as could be. Her brown boots were significantly more appropriate, carrying her over to talk with a distinct spring in her step.
"It's hard to believe you really just started less than a month ago," Selphie admired her work. "It sure didn't come to me that easy, at first."
"I wouldn't say it's easy," Rinoa modestly downplayed the praise. "I think I just lucked out, having the right guy to show me the ropes and all."
"That's… a good point," the girl conceded. "Kinda makes me wish I'd had someone like that to help me out in the beginning. Either way, keep up the good work! The rate you're going, maybe someday you'll be showing me a thing or two."
"Thanks for the morale boost," she smiled. "But right now, I'm just hoping to one day get on the same level as you all. I'm not even sure how to pull off a summon yet."
"Yeah, that one's gonna take time. Took me like… a year-and-a-half, maybe? At least to be able to sustain it for more than a couple of seconds, anyway. That's the tricky part."
Selphie quickly rummaged through one of her pockets, and fished out a sphere of her own. Rinoa stared at the GF with a moment's confusion as it was brought into full view; its bronze outer casing was a definite contrast to the muted silver of her own and Squall's. The brilliant white light which began to seep out as the halves parted was likewise far more radiant, leading her to ponder which particular element was tied to Selphie's sphere. She momentarily considered lightning, when she suddenly recalled the passing mention Quistis had made in the D-District Prison.
"I've never seen anyone other than Commandant Xu utilize holy spellcraft like that before," Quistis commented from her side, re-directing her eyes toward her. "And for that matter, I don't remember there ever being another GF with that kind of elemental disposition on record."
"Yeah, I guess I kinda won the lottery there, huh?" she acknowledged the comment. "For all the good it does us right now."
Rinoa watched on with bated breath as the same shimmering light essence was cast from her hand. The amorphous glow quickly took shape on the grass, just as she remembered it having done so on the train when Selphie had summoned her familiar to dispatch the grotesque body double. The recognizable rabbit-like ears soon outstretched from its head to complete the vague silhouette, before a flash of light prompted her to shield her eyes from the glare. When she brought her arm back down again, the transformation was complete. A coat of short pale green fur now covered the formerly luminous creature, offset only by the bulging ruby gemstone ingrained above its beady black eyes. At roughly two feet tall standing upright on its hind legs, Rinoa could not help but let out a coo of adoration at its sheer cuteness.
"He's friendly," Selphie assured her, not appearing visibly discomforted by sustaining the summon. "Just as long as you don't make yourself out to be a threat."
Heeding her precaution, Rinoa gingerly approached the fidgeting rabbit and slowly extended her arm down to pat its head. As her palm and fingers met its fluffy mane, she was amazed by the warmth and softness she felt. For a purely ethereal presence conjured into being through vast quantities of energy, the sensation of touch was remarkably realistic. It was enough to make her wonder just what the true nature of the energy contained within each sphere was, and how every one happened to have its own unique entity tied to it.
"After I finally learned how to do it, I would always bring him out whenever I got really lonely," the girl explained. "You know, just to have a little company, and something cute to snuggle up with if I was ever feeling down."
"It was the same for me and Angelo," Rinoa smiled, silently hoping that she would get to see her beloved dog again one day.
"Only problem is, it really starts to take it out of you after a couple of minutes," Selphie sighed. On cue, the adorable rabbit's coat began to illuminate, slowly reverting to its previous sheen of pure white. Rinoa stepped back and shielded her eyes again. In a flash, the creature was gone, leaving the two girls by themselves in the midst of the clearing once more.
"And just like that, I'd be all by my lonesome again," she quietly muttered. "But, hey, that's just how life is sometimes, right?"
"I… guess," Rinoa awkwardly agreed. She quickly set aside her initial compulsion to ask Selphie for assistance, realizing that something was clearly amiss about the girl's current demeanor. That her previous statement almost sounded akin to something she would expect to hear from Squall was enough reason for concern.
"So, what brings you here?" she redirected the topic of the conversation.
"Just thought I'd take a little hike to clear my head," Selphie explained. "You know, get some… well, the closest thing to fresh air I can. It helps me to think."
"About what?"
"Well, just all this crazy stuff that's been going on. About everything that's happened around here since me and the guys have been away. About this whole war. About-"
"Trabia?" Rinoa interjected. Selphie's eyes widened the instant the elephant in the room was brought up. She abruptly looked down to her feet, her body language now without question betraying the nervousness she felt.
"That's… that's the one thing I don't want to think about," she stammered, all traces of her usual happy-go-lucky facade falling away completely. "It was about all I could for the two weeks before we got back, and I've been trying really hard not to since then."
"That's not good for you," Rinoa sternly insisted. "Living in denial isn't going to magically make everything better."
"I know that. It's just… I can't even tell you how happy I was when this place came crashing into Fisherman's Horizon that day. It was like a huge weight came off my shoulders. I didn't fail Balamb Garden, after all. That's what really gave me the motivation to get the festival organized, and I'm glad it went over so well. But… whenever I start thinking about Trabia…"
She remained completely still, seemingly at a loss for words. If she continued to speak any at all, they were too faint and breathy for Rinoa's ears to pick up.
"It's hard," she sympathized with her. "It was the same for me when I thought Seifer had been executed. Before… well, everything went to hell. It was hard for me to come to terms with, but I knew it was the only way for me to move on with my life. So, how about this: when Squall gets back from from town, we'll tell him about it, and see if he can put in a word to the commandant about heading up there to survey the situation. If nothing else, it'll give you the closure you need. Better to know what's happened than to keep yourself in the dark forever, right?"
Selphie remained standing still with her head craned down to the soil below her feet. Gradually, her right arm alone began to raise itself up before her, appearing as though she were a marionette tied to invisible strings.
"It's… It's bad enough not knowing what's happened to the people you love," she mewled in a broken voice, her eyes fixed firmly to the bronze sphere she still held clenched in her hand. "That's a feeling I already know too well. But… actually going there, and having to see it all with my own eyes… it's too much. And when I think that it's all my fault… for not being fast enough…"
The tears began to roll down her cheeks before she could finish. Rinoa stepped forward as soon as she noticed them, and wrapped Selphie in a tight embrace. The heartbroken girl began to bawl in her arms, bringing her own around Rinoa's back and resting her chin on her shoulder. The two stood locked together for minutes on end, Selphie proceeding to let out every ounce of pent up frustration and sadness she had no doubt kept bottled up for weeks on end. All the while Rinoa remained the caring, gentle confidant she understood she needed to be, just as she had been for Squall on the night of the festival.
"It's not your fault," she finally reassured her. "You did everything you could. You're one of the strongest people I've ever known, and a real inspiration. To all of us. So, please, don't cry. We'll be right by your side when we get there, and whatever we find, we'll face it together. I promise."
Selphie sniffled beside her ear, and finally withdrew herself from the embrace. She wiped away the last of the tears from her puffy eyes, and turned them to Rinoa's again.
"You mean it?" she looked to her with hope.
"Of course, I do," Rinoa affirmed with a smile. "As soon as Squall gets back, we'll set course for Trabia right away. I'll tell him it's an order from his client if I have to."
In reality, she had already discussed the details of canceling the contract with Cid, and knew better than to expect Squall would still hold himself to such an obligation even if she hadn't in lieu of his new appointment. All the same, she figured the quip would at least help to lighten Selphie's spirits. Like clockwork, a faint smirk crossed her lips.
"You know, you still haven't told me how things went that night," she reminded her. Rinoa felt her face become flush at the comment, caught off guard by the abrupt change in subject.
"Er, well, um… it went fine," she stumbled over herself. "Nothing major."
"Oh, come on, spill it!" Selphie pouted. "I want dirt!"
There's the Selphie I know.
"Really, it was nothing big," she insisted, unable to resist letting a chuckle of relief seep into her words. "I just told him what we talked about, we danced, and watched the bands play together. That's it."
"Well, it's a good start," the girl smiled in return. Her momentary loss of composure appeared to have finally passed, leaving her looking significantly more radiant than when she had first strolled up.
"And how about you and the lone gunman?" she fired a taste of the girl's own medicine back at her. On cue, she too blushed embarrassingly.
"N-not much different," she responded in kind. "Anyway, thanks for listening, and for the pep-talk. If you need anything, just let me know."
"Well, if you're not too busy, I could probably still use a training partner," Rinoa hinted.
"Say no more!" Selphie agreed to the request on the spot.
"Thanks," she grinned. "And, actually… maybe there's one other thing you and the others could help me with…"
The gentle ocean breeze and the fresh scent of saltwater were more refreshing now than Zell could ever recall. He had lived by the Balamb seashore for as long as he could remember, and had long since become acclimated to its familiar elements. His prior month abroad, half of which he had spent living in disguise right under the nose of the enemy, had put into perspective just how easily he had come to take such simple comforts for granted. Though the state of affairs in town had changed drastically in the time since, he could at the very least take solace in his mother's safety. Having freshly changed out of the Galbadian uniform and into a set of his own clothes, he had left the house well in advance of the others and made his way down to the shoreline as they had discussed.
Much like the wind whipping through his spiked blonde locks and the light spray of water licking at his exposed ankles, the lengthy slab of metal he balanced upon was a source of sentimentality unto itself. It had been just as long since he had last ridden one of his T-Boards, before the one he had kept in his room at the Garden had been confiscated the evening they had set out for Timber. Both had been a product of his own handiwork, constructed and specially modified to suit his recreational desires. Capable of function over land and water alike, the board was kept perpetually aloft by a pair of turbine engines ingrained into the fore and rear, both powered by the generator fixed behind his right heel. The accelerator was set at the front, to be manually controlled with his left foot. The absence of a corresponding brake pedal necessitated that he be mindful of his speed at all times to avoid potential collisions. He presently kept his foot floored to the board, kicking up a trail of waves across the shallows as he sped toward the docks just ahead.
A looming bronze-skinned man was seated on the nearest pier jutting out from the waterfront, a fishing rod clasped in his hands as he rested with his back up against the right-hand post. He visibly stirred as the sound of the turbine engines drew closer, and swiftly sat upright. His bearded face darted to and fro, all about the surrounding area to deduce its origin, only settling on Zell as he made his final approach. Deftly maneuvering himself around the fishing line, he sped along the inside and bent his knees down to dip his gloved right hand into the ocean. He splashed the saltwater squarely into the man's face as he ripped on past, only then releasing his foot from the accelerator and pivoting back around to face him.
"What the hell!?" Raijin angrily shouted, dropping the rod as he shook the wetness away. His upper body bore no clothing other than his signature vest, left unbuttoned to prominently expose his abdominal muscles. Though his wardrobe was not any worse for wear from the unexpected soaking, his glowering stare radiated sheer fury all the same as it landed on Zell.
"Long time no see, y'know?" the blonde irately greeted him as he drifted closer. "You and your pals better start packin' and get the hell outta my town, if you know what's good for you!"
"Well, if it ain't the chicken-wuss!" the hulking bronze giant shot back from the pier as he reached down to take hold of his over-sized fighting staff. "Seifer told us to give you guys a whoopin' if we saw you, y'know? Get up here so I can knock that spiked head o' yours off!"
"Hey, not so rough, ya hear?" Zell taunted him with a finger raised to his temple. "Lotta info stored up here you might want. Like, say, where Ellone's hiding out."
Raijin's menacing eyes bulged at the bluff, just as Squall had predicted. Not waiting for a response, Zell tilted his T-Board in the direction of the docks and flashed him a knowing smirk, silently daring him to follow after. He floored the pedal again, sending him lurching forward toward the seemingly impassable raised waterfront. Carefully maneuvering his right foot at the rear of the board into position, he depressed a small switch with his heel and braced for lift off. The board shot up vertically as it neared the stone barrier, carried over and onto the docks courtesy of a sudden burst of additional thrust from the turbines on the underside. Zell stuck the landing as he had practiced countless times over the years, and tore off down the stretch back in the direction of the town.
He momentarily took his eyes from directly ahead to glance back over his shoulder. A fair ways behind, the towering muscle-head charged after him, his boots pounding rapidly along the docks. Even weighed down by the staff now fixed to his back, the sheer speed with which he moved was intimidating. While Zell knew that their plan necessitated that he not completely outrun Raijin, he found it hard to justify taking his foot much further off the accelerator. Had the chase been on foot, he would surely have caught up to him already.
The T-Board zigged and zagged along the waterfront, Zell before long making a sharp turn up the winding roadway leading into town. The street remained completely free of traffic all along its length, as it doubtless had for the last several days since Galbadia's arrival. Only once he swung around the corner and emerged onto to the straightaway upon which the Balamb Hotel sat were there finally a contingent of soldiers for him to dodge. He ignored their frenzied demands for him to pull over, blowing by them without a second thought. Turning his head back again, he saw the rampaging captain come careening down the street, himself nearly bowling over the congregation of stationed guards. He cracked a smile as he watched the soldiers stumble to right themselves, utterly taken aback by the intensity with which their 'captain' gave chase. Should they head inside to inform the 'commander' of the situation, it would all but certainly serve to draw her out into the open.
All according to plan, so far…
He continued to lure Raijin along the roadway up to where it intersected by his own house, and abruptly turned down the opposing road leading further into the heart of the town. He flew by roughly two dozen infantrymen and sorceress knights along the way, very nearly slamming into a fair few as he navigated each closely cut corner. The buildings on either side melded together in his peripheral vision, rendered barely distinguishable from one another after a short while; his long-time familiarity with the town's layout was all he had to guide him onward to the designated rendezvous point. With each cursory glance behind, he saw the fearsome blowhard come barreling after at top speed, taking no more care in avoiding his comrades lining the streets than those outside the hotel. Though the anxiety could not compare to when the terrifying spider-robot had trailed him and his squadmates down from the Dollet communication tower, the commotion wrought reminded him of the prior close brush with death all the same.
At last, he turned the corner into a dead end alleyway, and took his foot off the gas to slow himself. The T-Board gradually decelerated as it continued along past the dumpsters and assorted piles of trash lining either side, swiveling back around at Zell's command to face the entrance. He stepped off with one foot onto the grime-covered cobblestone, killed the ignition with his other, and kicked up the board into one hand just as Raijin came around the corner to face him. A pair of armed Galbadian soldiers followed him into the narrow alley from behind, precisely the number Zell had hoped to see.
Having already begun channeling the GF's energy into his arm in advance, he forcefully slammed his clenched fist down just before him. The ground shook as the steel knuckles of his glove connected, prompting a small faultline to erupt and begin snaking its way forward like a fuse. Raijin halted in his tracks as the gap passed directly between his legs. The two infantrymen to his rear casually sidestepped to either wall of the alley, seemingly unsurprised by the sudden conjuration. As the crease finally reached the intersection with the road from where they had entered, Zell willed the energy to surge upward. At his command, the ground violently sprung up to form an earthen barricade, barring all passage in or out of the alley. Raijin craned his neck back to the newly erected wall of hardened soil that had trapped him, smothered in a billowing cloud of residual dust. With his face presently turned away, Zell was left to imagine his look of shock as the two infantrymen suddenly trained their weapons on him.
"Hands up!" the nearest one ordered the hulking captain. "Get down on yer knees, an' don't move a muscle!"
After a moment of what looked to be disbelief on Raijin's part, he quickly complied to the demand. He turned his attention back toward Zell, placed his hands over his head, and lowered himself to his knees. The incognito soldier approached the kneeling captive, keeping his weapon trained to him with one hand as he gestured to his comrade to take the fighting staff strapped to his back. The second soldier stepped forward, gingerly holding one of Zell's grandfather's rifles in his grasp, his body language betraying a noticeable lack of assertiveness. That the old-fashioned weapon held no ammunition was one explanation for his hesitation. That he was in fact an untested cadet without experience in the field was another. As he reached forward to take hold of the staff, Raijin's right leg abruptly shot out.
The sweeping kick traveled in a full one-hundred-eighty degree arc in the blink of an eye. The pair of infantrymen toppled from their feet with a single united cry, inciting Zell into action. He cast aside the T-Board from his left hand and charged into battle, just as Raijin hefted the staff into his grip. In preparation for the inevitable clash, Zell conjured a set of earthen gauntlets to surround his fists and leapt forward to engage. His first two jabs were deflected with ease, the sturdy construction of the fighting staff not budging in the face of his amplified strength. It came whirling around the next moment from the side, prompting him to raise his left gauntlet for a block. The impact was immense, forcing Zell to bear down as his sneakers skidded several inches across the ground. He immediately followed with a right hook before Raijin could release himself from the parry, provoking him to step backward out of range of the blow.
As the fist whizzed harmlessly through the air, Raijin glanced back over his shoulder to see the pair of soldiers both rise from the tumble they had taken. He began to turn back in their direction, whirling his staff wildly to keep Zell at bay, when a third suddenly fell from the sky directly into the divide between them. A clanging of steel echoed throughout the sealed alley as the newly arrived soldier's gunblade halted the spinning weapon in mid-motion.
"Drop it!" the swordsman sternly commanded. "You're outnumbered, with nowhere to run. Just do as we say, and nobody has to get hurt."
The two stood locked in a stalemate for several moments, Zell taking the opportunity to further encroach on Raijin's rear so as to severely limit his mobility. Flanked in both the front and back as he was, it should have been obvious that he could not hope to singlehandedly fight his way out of this ambush. Seeming to recognize this, the toned muscleman begrudgingly released his hold on the staff, allowing it to fall to the litter-strewn ground below. Zell placed a single magically reinforced gauntlet on his upper back and forced him to his knees once again, holding him in place as Squall removed his helmet. Irvine and Collin maneuvered themselves around him in either direction, both keeping their respective weapons fixed to Raijin from either side of the alley.
"Dammit", he cursed his luck as Irvine knelt down to secure his forfeited weapon. "It's jus' not fair, y'know?"
"If you want to make it out of this in one piece, then answer my questions," the swordsman menaced, lowering his blade to where it hovered threateningly beside his neck. "Why have you decided to swear your allegiance to the sorceress?"
"Get real!" he spat in defiance. "Me an' Fujin don't give a rat's ass 'bout her, y'know? We're only in this for Seifer's sake."
"What's the fucking difference!?" Zell raged, strengthening the pressure he exerted on Raijin's back to force him down further. "This thick-headed loyalty you've got for that guy has to stop, now! Can't you understand that he's lost his mind?"
"Even if he has, we still gotta-"
His explanation was cut short by a sudden explosion. Zell's eyes shot up from Raijin's kneeling figure to the makeshift barricade he had erected at the alleyway entrance. Large chunks of dirt and cobblestone shot forth from a newly incised opening, followed by a small platoon of three infantrymen and two knights. Each stepped forward one after the other into the narrow, cramped alley and froze on the spot as they took notice of the hostage situation in progress. That a pair of fully outfitted Galbadian soldiers had likewise drawn their weapons on the captain was perhaps the most perplexing element of all for them to rationalize. As the squadron spread out from one another as far as they were able, a sixth figure stepped forward into the fray from the streets. Her lone functional eye swiveled back and forth beneath her head of silver hair, widened in shock to find her second in command in such a state of affairs.
"Tell them to wait outside," Squall craned his neck back to address Fujin, his gublade still held inches from Raijin's throat. "We're just looking to talk."
The terse young woman stood motionless for several contemplative moments, before finally gesturing for the platoon to exit back through the hole. One by one, they obeyed, taking their leave from the alley as quickly as they had filed into it. As soon as the last had extricated himself, she turned her menacing glare back to the scene at hand, her face rife with anger.
"Release!" she ordered in her usual absurdly concise manner.
"Not until we get an explanation," Squall countered, keeping his sword close to Raijin's neck as he circled around so as to more comfortably face her. "I don't care what way you two try to dress it up, siding with Seifer is siding with the sorceress."
"False!" Fujin denied the allegation.
"Then why are you doing her bidding? How can you be alright with holding this town hostage?"
"You think we enjoy this!?" Raijin exploded. "Don't go gettin' things twisted, y'know? Seifer put us in charge o' this town, an' told us to keep an eye out for this 'Ellone' girl. An' when we took that responsibility, the first thing we did was tell all the troops they couldn't put a finger on the townspeople 'less they get permission straight from us. They wanted to round everybody up for interrogation, y'know? We said that wasn't right, and we weren't gonna stand for it. We knew if we were gonna do this, we were gonna try an' make it as painless as possible for everyone here, y'know?"
"Tell that to this guy standing right here!" Zell motioned to Collin by his side. "What about him, and all the other Garden students you've been hunting down for days? His shelter family was nearly executed this morning for hiding him!"
"That's not on us, y'know?" Raijin pleaded. "Seifer's the one who gave the order for all the knights to go after them. We don't got the authority to go against that, y'know?"
"Yes, you do!" Squall vigorously insisted, his usually stoic face becoming more fraught with emotion than Zell had ever seen it before. "You can put your foot down and tell him how you really feel about it. You're not obligated to follow Seifer in every single thing he does."
"Choice," Fujin quipped in return.
"So, you know it's wrong but decided to go along with it anyway, huh?" Zell muttered with disgust. The temptation to slam Raijin into the pavement with all the might of his Guardian Force was now almost too much to resist.
"Jus' listen to me," Raijin begged, obviously straining under the weight of Zell's constant pressure. "We're not followin' him because we have to, y'know? We do it because we're his friends… his only friends."
"Aw, aint' that sweet," Irvine sarcastically growled through gritted teeth.
"Truth!" Fujin insisted.
"Yeah, I mean, jus' think about it. Seifer has a lotta followers now, but we're still his only friends. We're a posse, y'know? The soldiers and the knights, they only go along with him because they're afraid of the sorceress. Without us, Seifer wouldn't have his posse. He wouldn't have anyone to help him keep bein' the guy we know he is, deep down, y'know? You don't gotta tell us this sorceress lady's bad news. We jus' wanna make sure Seifer doesn't lose who he is along the way. We're friends, and sometimes friends do things they don't want to for each other, y'know?"
"Yeah, I do know," Squall cut him short. Zell momentarily shifted his attention away from Raijin at his words, amazed they had indeed come from the man widely regarded as the temperamental lone wolf of Balamb Garden.
"What I want to know is why if you stand behind him so much, you just go along with all this like it's nothing!" he continued to admonish them. "If you really believe he's still the same friend you've always known, then you need to be the ones to help turn him back from this road he's started down. Take a stand for what you believe is right. Order the army to withdraw from town, and tell him he needs to stop this nonsense! Either that, or we bring in SeeD and do a clean sweep."
Squall's ultimatum hung in the air for an uncomfortably long time. Zell swiveled his eyes between Raijin below him, Collin and Irvine on either side, Squall to his fore, and Fujin standing still as a statue by the hole in the wall. He could reasonably expect that a force far greater in scale than the small regiment that had initially come through lay in waiting on the other side. Given that the threat to bring in the entire SeeD army to retake Balamb was contingent on their escape, he mentally prepared himself for the fight of his life should Fujin refuse to listen. While it was entirely likely that Squall had made arrangements with the commandant to send in reinforcements after a set amount of time had passed, such a prospect did not guarantee they would live to see it come to fruition. The silence remained for several awkward moments before Squall spoke again.
"Ellone isn't in this town, that I can tell you for a fact. You have nothing to gain by keeping your forces stationed here. Tell your men, and order they withdraw back to Galbadia aboard the intercontinental line. It'll save a lot of unnecessary bloodshed, and based on what you've told us, I get the impression you'd want to avoid that, too."
Fujin's eye, downcast to the ground in contemplation, finally rolled upward to meet his. She promptly snapped to attention and performed the Garden salute.
"Affirmative."
"Yeah, we ain't lookin' to turn this place into a war zone, y'know?" Raijin agreed. "If that's what it's gonna take, then fine. We ditch this place, an' you guys don't follow after, y'know?"
"Sure thing," Squall accepted the terms. "So, for the record… you and the others want nothing to do with Balamb Garden now? If it comes down to this again, we're not going to hold back, understand?"
"I guess we'll see what the future holds, y'know?"
Appearing satisfied enough by the response, Squall finally motioned to Zell for him to release his hold on Raijin. He complied, allowing the hulking man to finally rise to his feet. Irvine and Collin likewise lowered their weapons, the former handing the guard staff back to him.
"Three days," Squall firmly set the time constraint. "We'll be back to check in on this place. If you're not gone by then, we bring in the troops."
"Fair," Fujin agreed.
"Yeah, don't worry 'bout us, y'know?" Raijin insisted. "We'll be gone by tomorrow."
"I'll hold you to that one," Zell remarked.
He disengaged his conjured gauntlets and turned back along the alley to retrieve his T-Board. Placing the heavy slab of metal under his arm, he followed his fellow Garden operatives both current and former out through the hole in the raised earthen barricade. As he stepped on through, his eyes bulged at the sheer amount of infantry and knights crowding the vicinity, easily thirty or more with their weapons all raised to them.
"Listen up!" Raijin announced. "Everybody stand down. We've had a good little chat, y'know? Turns out we were lookin' in the wrong place all this time. This town's clean. So, start packin' your stuff, 'cause we're headin' back to Galbadia tomorrow mornin'!"
The congregation of troops lowered their arms as commanded, and began to mutter with confusion among one another. Evidently none could believe the words their newly appointed captain had just spoken to them.
"Dismissed!" the commander belted at the top of her lungs, startling many among them.
"Yeah, move your asses! Go, go, go!"
Soldiers and knights alike scattered as Raijin began to twirl his staff every which way, just barely missing several of those who had been standing on the inner rim. Zell stifled a chuckle at the unwieldy and downright brutish manner in which he enforced the rule of law. Given the remarkably quick reaction time of many among them, he could guess it was not their first time having been shepherded about in this fashion. Not waiting for express permission of his own, Squall donned his helmet once again and began back down the street.
"You sure 'bout this?" Irvine asked him skeptically. "You're really alright with jus' lettin' 'em go like that?"
"They genuinely believe they can bring Seifer back to his senses," he stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "I'm not so sure it can be done, but… if there's anyone who could…"
He trailed off without bothering to finish his thoughts, instead gesturing for the three to follow after him. Zell fell in line, likewise taken aback by just how determined Fujin and Raijin were to become Seifer's source of salvation on the dark path he had chosen. Almost equally as startling to him however, was that for what animosity had been shared between them even before the emergence of Sorceress Edea, Squall was still willing to hedge his bets on a chance, however slim, that he could be saved. The lone wolf of Balamb Garden, who had routinely presented himself as a self-absorbed, uncaring husk of human being for as long as Zell had known him, had for a brief instant shown genuine concern for his sworn rival's fate. It was perhaps the most remarkable change of heart he had ever seen, and he intuitively knew without a doubt to who it was owed.
I swear, before this is all over, I'm gonna make sure those two get together…
