Break the Enchantment

by whiteashrose

Retells the events of the game where Squall meets Ellone. Stick to general events, but essentially AU. Squall-Ellone romance. NOT meant as a sibling romance, although the step-siblings specter does hang over it (but no worse than Alex/Luna.) Everyone aged 2 years. Not for Rinoa fans. NOTE: after it's done, it will be taken off this site and moved to AO3 permanently.

2. Chapters 6-10

Dreamworld: Deling City

Ellone lay in her bed two nights later, staring at the wall. She had trouble falling asleep. The bright neons that lit up Garden at night with a colorful fire lanced through her window, dimly showing through the texture of the heavy curtain, and she gave on sleeping and straightened, drawing the curtain aside. She opened the window and crossed her arms, leaning her chin upon them and gazing into the night. Her room was high above the cool darkness, and she could discern the faint shapes of trees in the terrace below, and a light wind stirred her hair. She longed to be somewhere else, to go out and explore the blue fields that she could glimpse just beyond the horizon. She hasn't even been permitted to see the nearby town yet, and had heard that it was a wonderful little fishing town. When, she thought, will she be finally free to live her own life, go where she wished, and cease to be constrained by that inborn talent of hers, her gift and her curse?

She was not usually given to self-pity, but tonight she felt the urge to be free more than ever. On the ship, she was used to the humdrum of daily life, the same people she had known for many years, the same daily routine. But the other orphans, the white SeeDs, were all allowed to go out and explore the towns; they did not live as confined to the perimeters of that ship as she had always been; and, if they wanted, they were permitted to leave it for good, and lead their own lives on the continent.

She knew that it had always been done with the best of intentions. Edea had always been worried for her. Ellone remembered Edea's warm smile as she comforted her, both as a child and as a young woman, and told her that her imprisonment will end soon, someday. Edea, a sorceress, understood best what it meant to be shackled by the threat of capture for her natural gifts, and to be kept at a distance from those that she loved most out of necessity rather than by choice. She was, in many ways, the mother that she never had; and Ellone deeply admired and loved her. But her frustrations, instead of being numbed over the years, had mounted. And now, she was beginning to feel like a bottle of a sparkling drink that has been strongly shaken, and was about to explode. Now, more than ever, she wanted freedom.

And what had brought about this sudden unrest? But she knew what it was. The shift in her life had been sudden and drastic. Edea gone, living in Garden for the time, and emotions that had seemed long past recovery stirring up old wounds and new hopes.

It was then when she thought that she captured a faint summon; just a whisper, a call that drifted from within the darkness. She suddenly sat up straight, feeling herself trembling slightly.

Was it… him? Was he trying to call her, as she had told him?

She closed her eyes, her excitement growing, feeling the warmth of hope welling. Yes— he was calling her. She hastily quested in the direction of the signal, and soon captured it. She linked with him.

---

The darkness had not ceased when she materialized inside the now-familiar mind-space. She stood for a moment, gazing around her with surprise. The darkness felt different this time. It was not an empty space, but a feeling of nighttime, much like the one she had left behind her in Garden. She was standing on a street lined with trees, and lit up with tall lamps. The faint shape of a huge arch, rising in the distance, captured her vision.

"Do you like it?"

She turned abruptly. She knew he was present, but had not seen him until that moment. He stood some distance behind her, near a bench at the edge of a green space that neighbored that street, and his dark clothes merged with the night. He stepped into the light.

"Yes, it's beautiful. Where are we?"

"Deling City. I came in last night, and we took a hotel. We'll be having an interview for our next mission tomorrow."

"Oh, I see."

"I thought that you'd like seeing it."

"Yes, thank you!"

There was a brief silence; and, unlike the previous two times, she suddenly felt tongue-tied. He seemed to be waiting for her to speak; but, seeing that she would not, he turned and looked over his shoulder. "Well?" he said. "Didn't you tell me last time that you would like to see more places? Let's explore the city together."

"Yes," she said, trying to keep her voice from trembling at the emotion that filled her at his recollection, and consideration, of her wishes. "I would love to do that."

"Then let's go."

There was little conversation between them. He was never an effusive conversation partner, and his relatively open manner during their last two meetings seemed to be fueled by curiousity, and a need to understand that new, strange situation in which he found himself. But now he relapsed into the manner for which she recalled him best; mostly quiet, expressing himself with short sentences or monosyllables, and seeming to expect her to carry the burden of their verbal interaction. But she was not in a communicative mood, either, feeling rather shy; and she allowed herself to absorb the sights without much more than the occasional soft comment or, when she couldn't help it, an exclamation of excitement. Deling was a large city, and he kept her to the vicinity of the civic center, overseen by the beautiful arched monument of stone and marble, which rose high above most of the other buildings. A fountain sparkled in the middle of the central plaza, lit up with lamps whose orange-gold and red lights played over the shimmering waters. She seated herself on the edge of the basin surrounding the fountain, watching the water and wishing that she could pass her fingers through it. He seated himself at her side, examining her profile. Finally, after a considerable stretch of silence, he observed, "You are thinking of something?"

She understood that he wanted to talk. "Yes," she said, looking up at him and trying to smile. "I was wondering why you called me here tonight."

He made a slight shrug with his shoulders, and crossed his arms, looking down. She did not press for an answer, and returned her eyes to the vision of the sparkling fountain. After some moments he said, "Someone that I know well was killed yesterday."

She looked up quickly. "I'm so sorry…. was it a… friend?"

"Well… actually, we didn't really like each other. But still…" He fell silent for a few moments, and then said, "We did know each other for many years during our training at Garden."

"It's always difficult to face the death of someone that you knew well," she offered quietly.

"I suppose so. It's just…"

"…Yes?" she prompted gently.

"It makes you think of your own death, somehow."

"Yes... that's only natural."

"Makes you wonder… will your next mission be your last?" After another silence, he added, "We're always prepared for this, of course. But it never hit home until it happens, I suppose."

She was silent, allowing him to mull over his thoughts, express them at his own pace. He finally added, "And still… maybe I should be prepared."

She sensed that he was brooding over something specific. "Is your next mission difficult?" she asked hesitantly.

"It's a pretty big deal. Actually… a very big deal."

And YOU, of everyone, are again engaged for such a mission, she thought. Why?

"Well," she said, trying not to falter at a sudden worry that assailed her. "I wish you the best of luck. Is it soon?"

"Tomorrow evening."

"Well, that's… soon."

"Yeah. They barely allowed us time to evaluate the Timber mission, when Galbadia Garden saddled us with this one. I'm not complaining, but I'm still wondering why they were so unprepared for this important mission, that they had to grab us as we were passing by. It's odd, to say the least."

"Yes, I could see that. Maybe you should point it out to them?"

"My job is to obey. And unlike the Timber clients, we're dealing with really important people here." He shrugged. "I guess that we should be honored that they're trusting us to carry this mission to a successful conclusion."

"Yes… I guess so."

There was another long silence. Then he spoke again.

"When we learned that… that the person that I mentioned had been killed, everyone began to speak about him. They expressed what they thought of him, and I… I felt that he would not have liked the way that they spoke. He didn't want to be pitied, or forgiven. And if I… well, if I die on this mission, I don't want them to speak of me that way, either."

She suddenly rose to her feet. "Why are you speaking like this? Don't say such things."

He did not look at her. "I told you. I have to be prepared. We always have to be prepared for the worst. It's well understood, as SeeDs."

She sat down slowly, hanging her head, passing her transparent fingers through her hair in a futile gesture. "Yes… yes, I know."

He did not move, or make any remarks at her obvious agitation; but he was eying her covertly. She was looking at her folded hands; and as he glimpsed her face, his head suddenly jerked a little, as if in surprise; but he remained silent. And when she looked at him again with a wan smile, he quickly averted his face. He heard her say, softly, "I will remember you. And I promise that I will not pity you, or try to eulogize you … I will only… feel about you what I always have felt."

She rose to her feet, extending her hand towards him. He stood up rather quickly, trying to take it; but they passed through each other. She gave a sorrowful laugh, and lowered her head. "Just take care, all right?"

"Don't worry." His tones were soft now. "I will do my best."

"We will speak again, I know it."

"Yes. We will."

"And thank you so much for… this."

"Of course."

She looked up, a tremulous smile on her lips. He was gazing at her, and she thought— or maybe it was her imagination? – that his features seemed a little clearer than before. "Goodbye," she whispered.

Then she disconnected the link with almost a wrench, and found herself back in her bed. She stared at the wall for a long time, her heart beating with worry. No, it can't be… can it? Can he be right, is this new mission beyond them? Should she send them to the past again as soon as she can, this time to the important juncture, when she had been a child, and had been taken away?

And then, when she has done so, could she then see the past with clearer eyes? Could she even, like she hoped, manage to change it?

And, now that they had this new connection, so similar and yet so different than what it had been… did she even WANT to change it?

---

The brown-haired boy was hunched into himself in the corner of the garden, his arms around his knees. He did not look up as a shadow fell on him. A warm hand touched his shoulder, extending something square and bright in front of his eyes. He glanced up at the woman who stood before him; slender, elegant, clad in her pearl-gray dress, her long black hair fanning around her lovely face, her dark eyes smiling at him. It was Matron.

"This is for you," she said.

"What is that?" he asked, eying it.

"It's the book that I promised, to replace the one that fell apart. I couldn't find exactly the same storybook. But I found a new one for you, with new stories."

"I don't want this one. I want the old one."

"Ah," she said gently, her dark eyes shining with warm amusement. "So you're in that kind of mood today."

He was stubbornly silent. She sighed slightly. "I'll call Ellone."

After some time he heard running feet, and Ellone peered into his face. "Hey. Why don't you want the new book?"

"I don't. I want the old one, that I lost."

"That's just the way he is," said Matron, who was standing over them. "He gets used to something, or someone, and then it's an unbreakable habit."

Ellone rose to her feet. "Well, I'm going to play sticks and swords with Selphie and Irvine on the terrace, and we need another person. Want to join us?"

He looked up at this and, after a moment of hesitation, rose to his feet. "Yeah."

"Great. We'll be girls against boys, how about it?"

"No. I want to be on your team, Ellone."

"Oh well, then. We'll play against Irvine and Selphie."

"Great. We'll win easily!"

"I don't know," she said. "Selphie's pretty wild sometimes when it comes to war games."

"Yeah… that's true."

Matron's smile faded as she watched the two children disappearing through the doorway. Not for the first time, she realized that Ellone's time to accompany her to the white SeeD ship was drawing quickly near; and she found herself wishing again that she could take this boy with them. But Cid and herself both knew that this was impossible. He especially, of all these children, HAD to be trained in Balamb Garden as a SeeD. They both knew that the success of the Garden's mission hinged on that one particular boy being trained in Garden. And so, the fate of both children had been sealed.

She asked Cid to delay it for just a little longer, despite the warnings that they were receiving that the search for Ellone had been kicked into high gear in recent weeks. She knew that they were running a risk of discovery, and Cid had warned her that if the situation continues they may be forced to take drastic measures against their best intentions. But she knew her orphanage children, and how attached this one was to Ellone; and, for his sake, tried to delay the inevitable moment of their separation until the choice was no longer her own.

And sometimes she wondered whether, in her kindness towards him, she was making the right decision by delaying the inevitable.

---

Tomorrow night, they will have to execute the mission of killing the sorceress.

And he had wanted to see HER again, just before that mission. Because, as he had told her, he was not at all sure that he will emerge from this mission alive.

And now, his mind kept returning to the last moment in which he saw her, when she spoke those softly-uttered words, telling him that she will feel about him what she always had felt.

And just before the link between them had snapped, he could see her features more clearly. And then he knew her to be HER… the young woman from the infirmary.

He had dimly guessed something like this already. The ghost girl mentioned the training center, and, like that young woman, had said that she had known him in the past. Seeing her face had only confirmed it for him.

And again he remembered her smile in the infirmary, and the training center, and he drew in a breath, sharply. He had felt half-stunned at seeing her at the training center; asking brusque questions, wanting badly to discover who she was. But she had left quickly after a brief exchange, refusing to engage in further discussion, as if she's been worried about something; and he felt unable to protest in the face of her sudden rebuff. But now he was beginning to understand what must have happened. She had been shielded all her life due to her unusual talent; and maybe she was forbidden from approaching people who were not privy to her secret.

But… who was she? Where was she? Was she still in Balamb Garden, or had she left already? Wherever she was, she obviously wanted to re-establish contact with him. He had to know… and he will make sure to ask the right questions, and maybe convince her to meet him in person again… someday.

He wanted to remember...

He was starting to remember.

---

Dreamworld: Winhill

It hurts…

The pain, communicated into her mind through another's, pierced through her like a shattering blow. She was jerked awake in the night, perspiring and sweating. It was a signal of distress, as clear and as strident as anything she had ever felt from any of her subjects. And she immediately recognized that it was coming from HIM.

It hurts…

Her mind darted to what she had been worrying about all that past day… that mysterious mission that his team will be executing tonight. Something has happened. Something terrible.

She reached for him, and soon found him; but the signal was faint, as if he barely understood his surroundings. Something has happened to him. She bit her lip, trying to fend off the tears of anxiety that sprang to her eyes.

The pain…

He was still alive; but she could do nothing. She was no healer. Her power was limited to her link to his consciousness, to whisking him away in time, to communicating with him in the dreamscape. What could she do for him, in that moment of distress?

Please help me… please…

She wanted to soothe his obvious agony, and didn't know how. What could she do, with the little power she had?

And then she thought: maybe… maybe if she took his mind elsewhere. Somewhere peaceful, comforting, calming; somewhere she loved, and wanted to share with him… those lovely, warm memories of long ago… maybe, within that serene environment, he will be able to subsume the distress that his body was experiencing.

Was this the right decision?

She didn't know; but the signals were growing fainter. She felt her hands shaking. She had to make a decision, and she had to make it right now. And if… if these were his last moments, it's the most that she could do for him. And maybe it would even be the last time she would have, to speak to him and say her goodbyes.

She found tears springing into her eyes at this thought and, to distract herself from it, she quested for the memory. She found it easily, pulsating as it did with such warmth in her mind; and she took him with her to the past.

---

The snow-capped mountains rose in the distance, forming a misty light-blue and white backdrop to the tiny town nestled amid the lush meadows below. The town winded amid the hilly terrain, its wood-fronted houses with their peaked rooftops of red and brown slates, and their windowpanes filled with flowering pots, creating a spot of color in the surrounding greenness of the meadows. The roads sloped, sometimes steeply, making the path to the town uncomfortable for travelers, and it was relatively isolated; one of the myriad villages of that hilly terrain whose denizens lived a quiet life, and did not mingle much with the world outside.

Where am I…?

A child of three clad in a blue dress now emerged from the local bar, and stole with bare feet into the round central plaza. She ran swiftly to the next house, whose walls were distressingly riddled with tiny, myriad holes, as if it had been, at one time, peppered with bullets, and knocked on its door stridently.

A young man in his late twenties, his long dark hair mussed from sleep, greeted her with blinking confusion after a few minutes of insistent knocks. "Elle…? What the heck— you came ALONE?"

Oh… Laguna… the past.

"Uncle Laguna, I came with a message," Elle said a little primly, obviously dissatisfied with this indifferent greeting.

But the young man grabbed her arm and pulled her into the house. "Does Raine know about this? She's going to blow her top if she knew that you went out alone!" He closed the door behind them and stood with his arms crossed, eying her severely. "What is the meaning of this, young lady?"

"I said," Elle said stubbornly, "that I have a message, Laguna. There's a man in the pub who said that he knows you."

"Oh? Did he say his name?"

"I didn't ask, but he told it to Raine."

"What did he look like?"

"His clothes were funny. But I liked his look. He had brown skin, and long black hair in braids. I think that he's handsome, and Raine thinks so too, or at least I got her to admit it, after I asked and asked."

Laguna whistled. "Dammit! Not Kiros! Not here!"

"Yeah, that's it," the little girl said. "His name was Kiros."

"Then why didn't you say in the first place?!"

"I wasn't listening, uncle Laguna. Pay attention!"

That little girl has a mouth on her, doesn't she?

Do you like that in her?

Oh… ghost girl? I was wondering why you were silent.

I was just trying to observe you. Are you feeling better now? The pain's gone?

Yeah… I think…

Laguna stared at the little girl with disbelief. "And Raine sent YOU alone to let me know?!"

"No," Elle admitted. "I just thought that I would come tell you."

"I would think so! What if a monster attacked you?"

"Don't be silly, uncle Laguna. The pub is right next door."

"Yes, but monsters like to eat cute little girls the best! You better not do this again, Elle, or I'm going to cry."

Elle mulled this over. "I don't want to make you sad," she conceded. "I won't do that again, Laguna."

"Good. Now let's go to the pub together."

She doesn't care about the monsters, but cares about not making him sad?

Yeah. Laguna was like a father to her.

Oh. You… know that girl?

… Yes.

The pub was a wooden structure, with beautiful multicolor glass windows through which the sun shone gently, casting a rainbow of lights on the floor. As Laguna and Elle entered, they made their way to the bar. A young woman in a white sweater, her smooth, light brown hair pushed back with a bow, stood behind the counter. When she saw the two, her eyes widened, then she crossed her arms angrily. "Ellone!"

"Oh oh," Ellone whispered conspiratorially to Laguna. "Raine's mad at me."

"You're in twoooouble," Laguna teased her.

"Laguna!" the young woman called Raine said severely. "Don't use baby talk with Ellone. She just lost her lisp recently, and I don't want her relapsing."

"It's okay, Waine," Ellone said solemnly. "I can speak pwoper Engwish now."

Raine addressed Laguna again. "See what you did? You also taught her to make fun of me!"

"Nobody can make fun of the commander," Laguna said, standing to a salute. Raine rolled her eyes, but she was obviously suppressing a smile. "Well then. Ellone, go to your room."

"Ohhh," Ellone complained. "No fun." But she obeyed Raine, climbing the stairs. Laguna, meanwhile, felt a hand landing on his shoulder from behind.

"Laguna, my man," said Kiros' voice. "So good to see you again, and in one piece no less. It's been, what? A year now?"

Laguna turned, warmly greeting his friend. "Yes, I think so. And it felt like I was in fifty pieces when I came here, so yeah, it's pretty good that I'm all in one piece now."

"Oh? And who put you back together?"

"She did." Laguna indicated Raine. "But it took her and the doctor six months to do it. She saved my life."

"Ah, so you're his guardian angel," Kiros inclined his head to the young woman. "I thank you sincerely, miss."

Raine was busy arranging some bottles at the counter, but she was obviously attending the conversation. "Angel? Not really. Just doing a job. Ask him how I treated him."

"Tough, but fair," Laguna winked at her.

"Well, you could be such a big baby sometimes."

I like that lady. She knows what's up with this guy.

I'm glad that you like her.

Why?

… I…

… can't tell me, yeah, I know.

Well… Raine adopted Ellone after Ellone's parents were killed by Esthar soldiers, even though Ellone wasn't even a relative. She acts a bit cranky but she was a very kind, very strong young woman.

Oh. I see. Sounds like it.

And… she reminds me of someone else that I know.

… Oh? Who?

… I…

… can't tell me, yeah, I know.

Well… not now. But someday soon, I hope.

"Don't be too hard on the man," Kiros intervened. "He was very badly injured."

"No worries," said Laguna. "She talks tough, but she's as gentle as a lamb, trust me on that."

Raine now paused in her task. Her expression was still severe, but her blue eyes contained a glimmer of humor. She crossed her arms again. "Well, then, what about your daily rounds? Did you do that yet?"

"Sorry, commander. I'll do them soon. And, as a bonus, Kiros will be my reinforcement today, free of charge."

"Hey," said Kiros. "What do you mean, volunteering me? What am I going to do?"

Laguna slapped his back. "You'll help me to chase monsters away from the town. Isn't that what you're here for?"

"Well, I was looking for you, actually. After I left the army, I was just killing time. And life is pretty boring without you as entertainment, my man."

Now Laguna crossed his arms. "I'll have you know that I'm a productive member of this community. I'm the Monster Hunter of Winhill."

"Impressive," said Kiros, without a change of expression.

"Actually," said Raine, "he's been very useful to us."

"See? A compliment from Raine can't be taken lightly."

"Well, anyway," said Kiros, looking amused. "I came here to catch up, so might as well, huh? We'll talk on the way."

Some time later, the two men were leaning against a bridge just outside town, which overarched a shallow river running through a meadow, contemplating the bright blue skies and the green grass dotted with tiny white flowers. "It sure is pretty here," Kiros remarked. "I can understand why you stayed."

"So, how's Ward doing?" Laguna asked.

"Last I heard, he's a janitor at that famous Galbadian prison. You know, the one where they hold political prisoners. His throat injury healed, but he lost his voice permanently."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"You should. It's partly your fault."

"Hey, I saved all of us by helping you two go over the cliff into the sea. The Esthar soldiers would have made short work of us otherwise."

"Yeah, from one mortal danger into another. Good work."

There was a short pause, and Kiros added, "You know, Julia got married."

"Oh?" said Laguna, his eyes on the horizon.

"Yeah. You never came back, and she thought that you died. She married some bigwig Galbadian General. Caraway or something."

"Well, that's good for her."

Caraway…? But that's the General who…

What? What is it?

Remember that I said that we were getting our instructions from some important people? One of them was a Galbadian General called Caraway.

Oh…

And remember that scolding girl, our Timber client? Turned out that she's his daughter.

… Oh. That means that your Timber client is… Julia's daughter…?

Yeah. Anyway, maybe I should tell you about all that later.

Kiros eyed his friend. "Well, you're taking it coolly, aren't you?"

Laguna lowered his head, fixing his eyes on the flowers shivering inside the green grasses as a wind passed gently, stirring the leaves. "It's all right. If she's happy, I'm happy for her."

There was a pause, then Kiros said, "…It's Raine, isn't it?"

"She saved my life," Laguna said quickly; still not looking at his friend.

"Seems like a great girl, even if she's too easily taken in by a hotshot."

"Really?" Laguna turned his eyes quickly to Kiros. "You think that she… she likes me?"

"As far as I can tell? Unfortunately for her, yes."

Laguna was barely able to suppress a pleased grin. "Well, it's hard to tell, with her. But you have an eye for that stuff."

Kiros smiled at his friend's expression. "So, you're prepared to live here, then? I thought that you wanted to become a journalist, travel the world and all that."

Laguna lowered his head again. "Y—yeah… about that…"

His friend eyed him with some attention. "Whoa. You mean that you want to stay here?"

"It's a nice little town," Laguna said defensively.

"And it's got a nice young woman, and a nice little girl."

"I… I care about them," Laguna said, after a moment of silence. "I can't imagine leaving them behind and traveling the world."

"You've changed, my man. And not for the worse. Anyway, you can still write some articles, right? For example, about this town."

"Not a chance! I don't want it ruined with tourists and all that."

"Eh. You're just worried that some other hotshot will try to steal Raine away from you."

After a long pause, Laguna said quietly, "I guess that I'm just scared."

"Scared? Of what?"

"Of going to sleep and waking up… somewhere else. And never seeing either Raine or Ellone again. Every night, before I go to sleep, I pray… I say, please let it be this tiny little room when I wake up… let me be in this bullet-ridden house, in this hard little bed… please…. don't let it all be snatched away from me, and disappear."

So… why are you showing me this?

Well, first, I wanted to calm you down. You were in distress. This place is very peaceful, isn't it?

… Yeah. And…

Yes?

Thank you. For caring enough to answer my call.

… Of, of course I care enough. Why wouldn't I?

I'd like to talk in the mindscape now. I think I've seen enough.

… All right.

---

The landscape changed; but, Ellone realized, it didn't quite. She was in Winhill. They were sitting at the edge of the green meadow starred with flowers.

"You took us… here?"

"I just like this place," he said, and she thought she almost detected a smile in his features, shadowed as they were.

"I do too," she said, her eyes taking in the vision of misty meadows and snowy mountains. "It's a great choice."

He watched her covertly for a moment as she gazed into the hills; then she turned to him again, and he averted his face. "How are you feeling now?" she asked. "I was extremely concerned when I heard you calling to me."

"I'm better. The pain's gone."

"What happened?"

His fingers circled the grass. "The mission was another failure. I tried to fix it, but there was so much that I could do, what with the constant distractions."

He brooded for a moment, and she waited patiently for him to continue. "First," he finally said, "our sharpshooter lost his nerve. Funny, we were just discussing how I'd have to encourage a teammate who may have to perform a task that I couldn't? Well, I tried my best to encourage him, and it worked; but, unfortunately, the target managed to avoid the shot with a magical shield. Then, my Timber client decided to make a nuisance of herself by going solo, to prove her mettle to us or something, and getting caught by the enemy. Almost made us miss our opportunity for the shot, because we had to rescue her. I tried to be patient with her, because she was obviously traumatized by the whole ordeal, but it was pretty difficult since she wouldn't take any responsibility for her own actions. None. She only seemed to consider herself to be entitled to my pity and sympathy, without acknowledging her own part in bringing that situation about."

Something registered in Ellone's mind. "Magical shield?" she echoed. "I'm sorry… I know that your missions are high security, but was your target… magical?"

He was silent. But then he looked up and said, "I can trust you. So I'll tell you everything."

She smiled at him. "So, I finally earned your trust?"

"It's not that hard to trust you."

She caught herself thinking, I'd be blushing if we were in the real world. She thought that she was blushing anyway.

"Our target was the sorceress, Edea."

She sat up straight. "And, and, you failed, right? You, you didn't kill her?!" She knew that she was betraying herself by her reaction, but Edea was too dear to her, and she was now seized by the ever-lurking fear that something terrible would happen to her one day.

"No," he said, after a considerable silence, during which he examined her expression. "We didn't manage to kill her. You know her?"

She sighed in relief, and clasped her hands in her lap. "It's a long story. Please don't ask questions."

Another silence, then he said, quietly: "All right, if that's your wish."

"Thank you," she stammered.

"And…?" he asked, after a short silence. "Why did you show me this memory?"

She turned towards the vision of the meadows again. "Because I wanted you to know about… about Ellone."

"That little girl? Why?"

"Yes. Is that name familiar?"

"…Yes. I think so."

"Really?" She turned to him alertly. "How?"

But he shook his head briefly. "Just tell me about her."

She understood that he wanted to hear more, and began, her eyes on the flowering grass, fingers plucking absently at her dress as she related her story to him. "Ellone's parents were killed by soldiers, and she was taken in by Raine. And when Raine and Laguna got married, she hoped that she could have a new family, the three of them. But then she was kidnapped, and Laguna went to rescue her from her captives. After Laguna rescued Ellone, he sent her back to Winhill by herself, and afterward Raine… Raine died. So Ellone was sent to an orphanage. She hoped that Laguna will return to take her, and adopt her; but he never did."

"Well, that's… that's a sad story."

"Yes, but I thought that maybe you'd be able to change it."

"Me? How?"

"When Ellone is kidnapped. I hoped that you'd be able to be there, and assist Laguna from getting her captured in the first place, by empowering him with your Guardian Forces."

"Oh… I see. Do you think that it's possible to change the past this way?"

"I don't know. But isn't it worth trying?"

"I guess so. But wouldn't it affect others? Not just Ellone, or the other two?"

"Well, I don't know," she admitted. "It's hard to tell what would happen."

"I'd be worried to try to meddle like this with the past," he stated. "It might lead to unforeseen results."

"Yes," she stammered a little. Her project, she thought, had been badly-planned, and a failure. "I suppose that you're right. And maybe," she added, swallowing as the realization came to her, "maybe it's for the best? Maybe it was meant to be. Even if thinking of Raine dying makes me so sad."

She found tears shimmering in her eyes as she said that. He watched her silently, and extended his hand. But he recalled that they could not touch each other, and dropped it back down. He seemed to think for a moment, then said, "But who's to guarantee that Raine wouldn't have died, even if Ellone wasn't kidnapped?"

"Yes, that's true…" Her voice trembled, and she tried to keep her sorrow in check, without, she knew, much success. "I don't have an answer to that, honestly."

"So why didn't Laguna come back to get this girl?" he asked, seeming to try to take her mind off the memories. "What happened to him?"

"I know that he didn't die," she said, trying to smile. "But something kept him away. I don't know what."

There was another silence, and his head was bent towards the grass again; but he was glancing at her, examining her with attention. She had wiped her hands over her eyes, and kept her eyes on the horizon, seeming bound in the memories. Finally, he said,

"Ghost girl…"

"…Yes?"

"Are you Ellone?"

She bit her lip, then bent her head. "…Yes. I'm Ellone."

"I see." After a moment, he added, "And how does all this affect me?"

She hesitated; fighting an urge to reveal everything, not sure if it was still premature. "I'm sorry, but I'm not sure that this is the right time to tell you that. I need to show you more memories, maybe. But I'll tell you—"

"Yes. As soon as you can."

She laughed a little at this, and looked at him, smiling genuinely now. He extended a hand towards her again. "When will I meet you next?" he asked softly.

"When you next call me."

"No… I mean… when do we meet… REALLY meet again?"

She found that her hands were trembling at the tone of his voice, and the way that he looked at her. "I… I don't know."

"Soon, I hope."

"I hope so too."

And then, without a warning, he vanished.

She was startled, and stared at the place where he had been; but then she opened her eyes to darkness. She was lying in her bed, in her room in Balamb Garden.

He had finally woken up, she guessed, and their link disconnected. And she hoped desperately that it wasn't to something that would put him in bodily jeopardy again. But, remembering the way that they just met, she knew that this hope may be futile.

So she remained in her bed, and focused, and prayed for them to establish a connection again… sometimes soon... so she could try to assist him in any way that she can.

---

Don't Change the Past

She had tossed and turned during that sleepless night, and, finally dozing off, was jerked awake when she sensed another call of distress. She answered it at once, barely knowing what she did.

She found herself in complete darkness; the same as the first time that she met him. He was curled up on the invisible floor, head against his knees, arms around himself, and she could see that he was shaking. She ran to him, kneeling before him, extending a hand towards him instinctively before she remembered that they could not touch in the mindscapes. She longed to relieve his distress, and didn't know how. She leaned close. "My dear one," she whispered. "What happened to you?"

He seemed unable to answer for a while. But gradually the shaking subsided, and he raised his head. He was breathing hard, and she could see that he was sweating.

"What? What did they do?" she said again, her heart wrenching for him, passing ethereal fingers over his face. "What did they do to you."

But he silently placed his head against his knees again. Finally, he answered, and she could tell that he was trying to keep his voice calm. "Sei—Seifer," he rasped.

"Seifer? What did he do?"

"Tor—tured me."

Her eyes widened as this registered. "Seifer?" she stammered. "He… he works for… for the opposition?"

"The— Sorceress."

She was silent, biting her lip. She remembered Seifer as a tough, brash little boy who liked to push others around, and was always looking for fights. But she could not quite believe that he would descend into such brutality. He seemed to understand her silence, because he said, "May be… spell… she cast on him. I… don't know."

"Yes," she whispered. "That may be."

There was silence, as she sat next to him. She bent her head against his shoulder, still hoping to soothe him with her presence despite her inability to touch him. He was still now. But, slowly, as she waited patiently, he began to uncurl. The pain was draining, dimming out of him. She could tell that he was feeling a little better. "Maybe if you conjure something that would calm you down again?" she suggested quietly.

"Yes…"

The scenery changed slowly, puzzling into view piece by piece, as if he were making an effort to remember. Finally, they were sitting together in a meadow, yellow under the heat of the sun. The winds whispered through the dry grasses, and she almost fancied she could recall the hot smells that they carried on their wings. "Oh—" she said. "The meadow near the pond."

"Yes. I liked that place as a child."

Something suddenly registered with her. "You remember this place from your childhood?"

"Yes." He slowly shifted into a sitting position. "It was near the place where we lived, I think."

She watched him intently. "And do you remember anything else?"

He lowered his head to his knees, not looking at her. "You're Ellone," he said. "And you are… MY Ellone."

She looked at him. Her heart began to hammer at this possessive phrasing of their relationship, and she swallowed. "You remember me, then."

He nodded. "Yes. A girl who lived with me in that house— the orphanage. There were other children as well, but I remember that girl the best. I remember her smile, and how she had always been kind to me."

"Yes. I'm the Ellone that you knew," she admitted, her voice very soft.

"Yes, I thought so," he said. "There was something so familiar about you— your smile, the way you spoke, the expression in your eyes. I think that I felt this since I saw you at the infirmary; I just couldn't remember. I've been trying to remember ever since, and it gradually returned to me, piece by piece. But, Ellone, why didn't you tell me?"

"They wouldn't let me. They were worried that it would disturb you too much. They said that you need to focus on the mission of SeeD."

"I see." His voice was flat, neutral.

"What else do you remember?" she asked.

"That I knew some of my Garden teammates since early childhood. Seifer, always bullying everyone, and some others… Zell and Quistis, I think. But it seems that we all mostly forgot those days."

"Yes, they were all there. And Selphie too. But you were all very young. Maybe that's why you all forgot quite a bit."

"Selphie… yes. I also have some vague memories of the places around that house. But I always liked this meadow, so it was easier for me to bring it back. And I have many good memories of you."

Now she looked away, fingers absently trying to pluck at the grass, but unable to touch it. "Thank you."

He turned to face the meadow again, his arms around his knees. Then, after a short silence, in which she was trying to think of what to say, he said, "And you? Do you have good memories of ME, Ellone?"

She was a little surprised at this question, and looked up quickly. "Of course! You were very dear to me. Like a… like a sibling, almost."

WHY did you say that. WHY?! You DON'T want him to remember it like THAT! Quickly, she added, "You were all like siblings to me."

"I see. Yes, I can remember that. We all called you sis."

"I was a little older than the rest of you. Kind of like a big sister, yes."

"So… was that it?" he asked.

She was a little confused by this, and looked at him with a question in her eyes. He glanced at her. "Didn't you always want a family, like you told me yesterday? Didn't you want to change the past so you can have that family?"

"Yes, I did."

"And so, when you came to that house, you adopted me as a little brother. But, Ellone…"

"Yes?"

He was silent; opening his mouth for a moment, then closing it, as if wanting to say more and unsure of whether he should say it. Finally, he continued, "We were very close, before we got separated. Maybe that's why we feel so comfortable with each other now? Because we were good friends back then."

There was something emphatic in his voice when he said the word 'friends.' "Yes," she stammered. "I think so. We were great friends."

"Before we got separated, that is," he then added.

"So you remember that too?"

"I do. I remember feeling very hurt when you left."

"And because of this, you don't want to rely on others anymore?" she asked hesitantly, thinking that this was a good opportunity for them to explore this event together.

He glanced at her. "Well… I didn't want to come to trust and care for someone who will just vanish one day without warning. And… yes, I do know that you didn't have a choice in the matter. I don't blame you for it. But the outcome would still have been the same, wouldn't it?"

His tone was a little distant when he said this, and Ellone was silent for a moment. She knew that she had reached a juncture. That topic, that he had raised in his mind when he had spoken to Quistis, was the root, she now knew, of his behavior around others. Rejecting them before they accept him; distancing others so as not to get close, and get hurt again. What, she thought, should she say?

She finally spoke; slowly, deliberating over what she could say to make him accept her opinion. "If you rely only on yourself," she said, "if you only trust yourself, you will never get close to anyone. And you will have no one else to go home to. No one else to live for. No one else to love."

He was silent, and she scanned him. His eyes were still fixed on some distant point in the hard blue sky, and he became perfectly still, like a statue of darkness against the yellow grass and the blue expanse above. Then he said, almost inaudibly, "That's true."

"Loss is inevitable," Ellone continued, unconsciously extending her hand as if trying to place her fingers on his arm in a reassuring touch as she spoke. "Because… because death is inevitable. It will come to you someday, whether you live your life empty of people, or with them. And if you live life with people, those that you love, there's at least something worth living FOR. And you know the happiness not only of living for others, but of others living for, and with, you."

He said nothing to this, but appeared to meditate over her words. Then he turned his face towards her, and she detected a slightly tilted smile on his features. "You understand me very well, even in such a short space of time."

"Well, I knew you as a child. And you changed in some ways, but stayed the same in others. Just like I did."

"How did I change?"

She bowed her head. "Well, you were always rather reserved, and closed up. You've grown more mistrustful, I think. But I know that it's partly the result of my leaving you so abruptly. And still…" But suddenly she halted, wishing she's bitten her tongue. Her thoughts, she realized, had wandered too much into a difficult territory.

"Yes?" he asked, rather quickly, looking at her intently as if sensing this. "I'd like to know what you think about me now."

Again, the questions; she noticed the dogged pursuit of that same theme, the insistence of knowing how she felt about him at the moment; and they led her along a path that she had sought to avoid, but now knew to be unavoidable. "You've changed… a little, I think."

"How?"

And she remembered the graduation night; how he stood alone, self-isolating; how he shunned direct approaches by others; and his thoughts when Quistis sought his company and advice: thorny, icy, dismissive. And she knew that, despite her new feelings for him— so alike, yet so different, than what they have been— she could not overlook that night.

"I'd like to visit a memory with you," she said softly. "To show you something."

"A childhood memory?"

"Yes. Please listen carefully to how I describe it, and it may come to you. You were playing sticks and swords with Seifer, and…"

And, piece by piece, she reminded him of that day.

---

The two boys faced each other, sticks in hand, their blue eyes meeting each other's with tense antagonism. It was only a game of sticks and swords; but they both knew very well that it was no ordinary game. The simmering hostility that has always existed between them was now bubbling forth, exacerbated by their mutual wish to best each other. Seifer, his blond-red hair falling into his eyes, was grinning ferociously in anticipation, his weapon at the ready. His brown-haired opponent met his gaze with determined coolness.

"Are you ready?"

"I'm ready. I hope that you are."

"I always am!"

But before either boy could make a move, Zel stepped into the room. The blond, slender boy passed his eyes between the two opponents. "You're playing sticks and swords? Hey, can I join too?"

"No," Seifer said curtly, without looking at Zel.

"Why not? Why don't you ever want to play that game with me?"

"Because we DON'T." Seifer's voice was hard, and impatient. "Because you're a crybaby, always whining and crying."

Zel stamped his foot. "I'm NOT!"

Seifer turned on him. "Go away, crybaby!" he snarled. "We don't want your whining here!"

But Zel met his gaze defiantly. "No! I'm not leaving just cause you said so!" He now turned to address the other boy, a pleading note entering his voice. "YOU want to play with me, don't you? YOU want me to join, right?"

The brown-haired boy stood, gazing at Zel for a moment with his blue eyes. Then he said, "No. Go away, Zel. Nobody wants to play with you. And we're having a duel."

Zel's lip trembled for a moment at this callous rebuff. Normally, as Seifer had reminded him, when someone teased him or was mean to him, he would either protest or complain. But not this time. He simply turned around and, very quietly, strode out.

Ellone stormed into the room a short while afterwards. The two boys, focused on their duel, found the sticks abruptly snatched out of their hands and thrown out the window.

"Hey!" Seifer protested, slightly stunned by this sudden attack. But Ellone was standing straight, hands on hips, her eyes flashing. She raised an arm, pointing at the door. "Seifer. Leave. NOW."

"What—" he grumbled.

"NOW!"

Seifer eyed her; but he knew better than to disobey her order. He turned and stomped out of the room angrily. She remained, looking at his sparring partner. Her lips were tight, her dark eyes simmered. He tried to return her gaze, but found that he couldn't. He had never seen Ellone this angry; especially not at him.

"I spoke to Zell," she informed him curtly.

He was silent.

"I found him crying by himself in the corner. Not whining, not complaining. He was CRYING. He looked really hurt."

He still refused to speak.

"He wouldn't even tell me what was wrong. I had to drag it out of him, because I could tell that it was serious."

He remained silent, the look in his blue eyes stubborn. She eyed him, her eyebrows lowering. "Oh, so that's it? You want to be like Seifer?"

He shrugged, hunching into himself.

"Well, then," she said icily. "If you want to be like Seifer, that's fine. But if that's the case, then I'll start treating you just like I treat Seifer, too. Maybe that's what you want?"

He glanced up at her quickly, but said nothing.

"So that's it," she said, turning abruptly. "From now on, you and Seifer are the same to me. Goodbye."

"No, Ellone. Stop. I don't want you to treat me like you treat Seifer. Please, Ellone. Stop."

He had risen to his feet, speaking hastily, almost pleadingly. She stopped in her tracks, but did not turn, and glanced at him over her shoulder instead. "All right," she said, after a short silence. "But on one condition."

He hung his head. "Yes?"

"That's you promise me to NEVER act like that again. You'll never hurt someone so callously. Promise me!"

"I… I promise, Ellone. Don't be angry with me. I promise."

---

The memory faded. He remained still, his head low. Then he said, quietly, "So, this memory… why did you bring it up? Are you telling me that I broke my promise of then? That I'm like Seifer now— that you find me callous?"

"No, I didn't say that. It's just that…"

"Yes?"

And then she decided to say it. She knew that she HAD to say it. "There was that time…"

"What time? Tell me."

"Your manner with Quistis. I heard your conversation with Quistis. Well, some of it."

"Oh." After a silence he added, "Yes, you said that you were at the training center, and heard some things."

"I can tell that you've been pushing people away because you didn't want to rely on anyone," she said softly. It's just that, at some point…"

"It becomes a callous rejection?" he asked, almost inaudibly now.

"Yes. And please understand me, you have been very kind with ME. But…"

"You find me an unpleasant person now?" he asked flatly. "You don't find me as easy to like?"

"I… I do like you," she stammered, embarrassed by his insistence on drawing out her feelings. "I told you that I do."

"But you always did, Ellone, at least when I was a child. You always treated me with a kind of unconditional love, and forgave all my faults, or most of them."

"You were no worse than anyone else," she offered. "Everyone has their faults." Her voice was clearer now, her embarrassment subsiding for a moment before the memories. "You were not an easy child, exactly; but, unlike Seifer for instance, you never tried to bully others on purpose. We almost always got along."

"Well, that's good to know. And that was also to your credit, Ellone. I never sought people out. You sought me out, encouraged me, and made me trust you. But that was then, Ellone. I wanted to know how you saw me now, and I guess that I got my answer. An answer that I… that I deserve."

She looked at him, slightly stunned at this self-condemnation. He continued. "All this time, Ellone, I never cared to make myself liked by anyone, and kept them at a distance. But I like YOU, Ellone. And I want you to like me… to like me as I am NOW." He shrugged, hunching his shoulders. "And it seems like I failed in that."

She was shaking her head, although she did not look at him. "That's not true. What I mean is…"

"You want me to change?" he asked her abruptly.

She looked down at her fingers. "No. I like you the way that you are. Quiet, and a thinker, and responsible, and dutiful, and courageous. But, as for your behavior towards some of the people who want to be your friends… you should do what you feel to be right, for you; it's just that when it became something like the way that you behaved towards Quistis is where I felt that it became… more like Seifer's behavior. Also, I think that keeping yourself lonely makes you less happy than you would like to be."

He was silent, and she continued, "But change can only come from within. I don't want to make you change just for me, because that's NOT a lasting kind of change. You have to change yourself because you WANT to change. For your own sake. And you should remember that no one is perfect, and that we can all try to be better. And that's all we can do."

"That's true," he said, after a short silence.

"And I'm so… so very fond of you, I truly am," she added, trying to keep the embarrassment out of her voice. "I am sorry if I hurt your feelings in any way by speaking to you about this."

"No," he said again. "I deserved it, Ellone. I needed to hear that. And you had the courage to say it to me. So thank you."

She said nothing, feeling the blush stealing into her cheeks again. But he was looking upwards, into the blue sky. "Ellone," he said. "I would like to do something for you now."

"Of course," she said, bewildered at this sudden change in topic. "What do you want to do?"

"Well," he said, slowly, "You did so much for me, during all those times that we met— no, ever since I've been a child. And now, I want to do something for you, for once. Because we're, we've always been friends."

She was silent, finding her heartbeat increasing at his soft, almost tender tones. "But what is it?" she asked.

He finally looked at her. "You will see. And for this, I want you to send me back to the past. To a memory."

---

Laguna stood facing the armed soldiers, his muscles tense, his face set. They had grabbed the little girl, who was shaking and crying, and their rifles were aimed at him menacingly.

"Don't move!" one ordered.

"No!" Despite the threat, Laguna took a step forward. "What do you want of Ellone? She's just a little girl!"

"The sorceress wants her. We're bringing her back to Esthar. Now, get back to the house, or we'll kill you."

So… do you want me to help him against these soldiers? You said that you wanted to change the past. You want me to help him rescue you here, in Winhill.

I… I'm not sure anymore, to be honest. What you said about unforeseen consequences… you were right.

But didn't you want a family? So you and Raine and Laguna would be together as one family?

Yes… but…

But what?

That would also mean that things between US would change.

… I see. You mean, that we would never meet, maybe?

… Something like that.

I'll tell you what. Let's test this, just for a little. Let's see if I can even help him out. Let's see if I can truly help you change something— anything.

All right. But stop when I tell you to stop.

Sure thing.

Laguna felt that strange, mysterious power coursing through him once again. He raised his hand, and a command, almost unbidden, rose to his lips. A huge beast, great, rough, shaggy-furred, dark eyes flaring, materialized and rose into the air. It formed a great sphere of fire before it. Then it flung the burning sphere at the Esthar soldiers, who stood gazing at Laguna, stunned by this sudden conjuration. The world became engulfed in flames.

But as the flames surrounded the soldiers, they clashed against a blue sphere that spread over them like a shield. They stood within their cool protection, and the fire could not harm them.

"We are protected by Dr. Odine's elemental shields," the Esthar commander sneered. "Don't try that again, villager!"

… Well, that didn't go well.

Maybe I should try something else?

Okay… let's try that again, then.

Laguna said the summoning spell again. A dark creature, half-bat, half-devil, flew into the air, its great wings unfolding. It conjured a ball of dark matter which, as the fire before it, engulfed the Esthar soldiers. But the soldiers stood without apparent damage, the darkness dissipating quickly. The Esthar commander raised his rifle.

"You can't touch us," he snarled. "These suits protect us against dark and holy magic."

I can't seem to touch them, Ellone. Their technology is just too advanced.

Yes, I can see that.

Would you like me to try another?

No… I think that was enough.

Ellone?

Yes?

I don't think that the past can be changed.

Yes. You were right. The past can't be changed.

---

They were back at the yellow field, in the heat of the summer. "Ellone," he said.

"Yes?" she said softly.

"Would you still have wanted to change the past, if you could?"

Her fingers made nervous circles across the grass. "I'm not sure anymore. Probably not. So maybe it's all for the best."

"Yes," he said. "Ellone, don't change the past. You said that it would change the relationship between us, and… I like what we have now. We were friends then, Ellone. And we're friends again now."

She looked up at him, smiling shyly. "Yes, we're friends now. Good friends."

She saw him gazing at her, then moving towards her, as if trying to reach for her; but then, the link disconnected.

She was lying in her bed, darkness surrounding her. The Garden was still in the early morning, and only faint light showed through the window of her room. She was still, her eyes on the ceiling.

She was trying to sort through her thoughts, and understand her feelings about him, and what he had said so clearly in that last moment.

But she already knew that there was nothing left to understand. She already knew her own feelings. She had known them for a long while but rejected them, refused to acknowledge them. She had realized them as soon as she saw him, but it was just too difficult a fact for her to face: that she never had the family, or the little brother, that she had wanted. That he was, simply, a friend of her childhood that she had loved, and who had, as he all but told her, loved her in return; and that this love had transformed into another kind of longing, once they met again. And that she now wanted him in a completely different way.

And after all, she thought, wasn't that the best realization of all?

She only lay there for a little while, however, when she became gradually aware of a disturbance just out of her hearing. There were noises outside. She rose on an elbow, listening intently for a moment. There was a confused medley of voices below her window. She tried to peer out, into the bright morning, and saw people running in a hectic fashion across the terrace. Something was happening.

After some moments there was an urgent knock on the door. She answered it hesitantly, and heard the voice of a white SeeD. "Ellone? Are you awake?"

"Yes. What's happening?"

"There's some kind of conflict going on," the young woman said. "We don't really understand what, yet, but it seems like an internal thing. Can you please stay in your suite for now, for your own safety, and not answer the door to anyone except us? We're trying to figure things out. We're also sending a call to the ship to pick us up as soon as possible, in case it's serious. We'll bring you your meals in the meanwhile."

"Yes, I'll do that. And please let me know what's going on as soon as possible, all right?"

"Yes, of course."

It sounded serious, she thought, bewildered by the sudden turmoil that seized this place, which had been so peaceful in the days she had spent within it since she arrived. But, just like with him, she'll have to wait, and watch, and hope that she could help to turn things for the better.

NOTES

This chapter was very difficult to formulate since it forms a major emotional transition.

And who's the best FFVIII character, you ask? Selphie, that's who. The best FFVIII character.

---

This chapter was posted on April fools, which is appropriate, since it features a couple of fools.

Third Meeting- Library

Is everything all right with you now…?

Yes, don't worry. We've escaped our imprisonment. There's a lot going on though, we'll speak later.

Despite the noise in the terrace below, and the turmoil, Ellone, having spent a largely sleepless night and several emotionally exhausting conversations with him, found herself quickly sinking into sleep. She knew that if there was a serious danger, her white SeeD guards would wake her up.

She was jerked awake to a feeling of movement. The entire room, she realized, was moving.

No. The entire GARDEN was moving.

She rose quickly, and peered outside the window. It was not her imagination. The Garden was moving slowly across the fields. As she watched in astonishment, there was a knock on the door. "Ellone?" said the white SeeD, opening the door a little.

"Yes, what's going on?" she cried.

"Don't be scared, it's fine," said the young woman. "We got an update from Cid's office. It seems like a SeeD team returned an hour or so ago, with news that the Garden is under attack by Galbadian rockets. But," she added quickly, seeing Ellone's face change, "they managed to figure out how to move the Garden out of the way."

"I didn't know this place could move," Ellone said, puzzled.

Her bodyguard smiled. "Yes, nobody did. That SeeD team managed to find how to do this on Cid's instructions. Amazing, isn't it? But we'll have to jump ship soon, Ellone. Galbadia had made this place a target, and it's not safe for you."

"Is our ship nearby?"

"It'll be here by tomorrow evening, I hope."

"All right. Let me know if anything else comes up."

"Will do, Ellone. Try to rest in the meanwhile."

The White SeeD closed the door. Ellone continued to watch the vista of fields moving under her window. The sea, she realized, was coming closer; and she also glimpsed the shapes of houses drawing near. She finally will, she thought with a slight inward smile, get a glimpse of the nearby town. And, sure enough, the distant shapes consolidated into a small, serene-looking fishing town. The great bulk of the moving Garden drew dangerously close to it, and Ellone felt distressed for some time, watching with bated breath as the edge of the town passed almost directly below her window. But Garden managed to avoid the town, and, with a great lurch that almost threw Ellone out of her bed and made her cling to the windowsill, came to rest on the waves of the sea.

Ellone remained at the window for a while, watching the sea moving under it and the land fading in the distance; a familiar sight to her, as she had experienced it on a daily basis for the last thirteen years. Then, still feeling weary, she sank back into the bed and fell asleep before realizing it; and did not awaken again until the next morning, even when the white SeeD knocked gently on her door, carrying her evening victuals.

---

The next afternoon, Cid sat behind his office desk, and examined the young man sitting opposite. This young man was, as always, a reticent audience; listening, not saying much, barely questioning his instructions. Even now, when he was being elevated into a position of increased responsibility, he still appeared to be more of a receiver of information than an active questioner; and Cid wondered whether he was still too young to be placed in such a station.

But… no. Edea's vision had been clear. This young man was the key to defeating the looming threat of the sorceress. He had been the messenger that she had seen that day, many years ago, when Edea had received that dying sorceress' powers. He had told her of the SeeDs, the group designed and trained to defeat the sorceress. He had been, he said, on the forefront of that mission.

Too young, Cid thought; but responsible, and an excellent soldier. It was he who had saved Garden from the missiles that Galbadia had fired upon it. It was he who had successfully assisted Cid during the subsequent conflict, just that morning, between the Garden Master and himself. And now, it will be him who was effectively destined to lead Garden to its final mission of defeating the sorceress from the future.

But, to Cid's surprise, there was a change today. Because when he finished speaking, the young man directed his blue eyes on him and said: "Sir, I do not object to having additional responsibilities. But could you explain— why me? Why not a more experienced soldier?"

Cid hesitated, mulling over possible answers. How to reveal essential information, while concealing the details that he could not yet disclose? Finally, he said, "It's… it's destiny. I know that this sounds like an evasive answer, but it's true. I consulted a woman with magical powers who had a vision of sorts; and she said that you, yourself, are the key to defeating the forthcoming danger of the sorceress."

"Destiny," the young man echoed. "Are you serious?"

"Yes. Absolutely. You will have to trust me on this."

There was silence, then, "All right, then. I will. But I will have to know more eventually, if you want me to handle my mission with complete confidence."

"Yes, of course. All will be revealed in time."

"All right, Sir. I will await further instructions and orders. And I will do my best to fulfill the task that you have given me."

"I know that you will. We're all relying on you."

The young man rose to his feet, saying nothing at this. But then there was a knock on the door, and Xu came in at Cid's bidding. "Headmaster," she said, "the White SeeD ship has arrived."

"Already?"

"Yes. They were quick since Galbadia is ramping up the search, and after the missile incident they feel that she's no longer safe here."

"I see. I'll send someone to fetch her."

"All right, Headmaster," said Xu. "I believe that she's in the library."

She left. The young man, who was attending this conversation silently, said: "White SeeDs? What's that about?"

"Oh," said Cid. "Well, there is a ship who is here to pick up… someone."

"Who?"

Cid hesitated. "A… a guest."

"What's her name?"

But Cid only raised an eyebrow. "Why all the questions?"

"Nothing, Sir. Just… wanted to know. I'll see you later."

The door opened, and closed. Cid sat in thought. There was something about his young charge's aspect which seemed inquisitive about his conversation with Xu; as if he were seeking an answer that he had already formulated in his mind. And, since this was Ellone…

Cid sent a message to Xu. She was slow to appear, and came in after about twenty minutes. "Yes, headmaster?"

"Xu, can you please go get her yourself? I believe that this is about to get a little dicey, and I'll need you to intervene, just in case."

"Dicey, headmaster? Why?"

He explained it to her. The basics, at least. At the end, she nodded briefly. "All right. The White SeeDs are getting a bit antsy, anyway. I was just having a discussion with them, and they were pretty insistent. At any rate, it's best that I go."

She left. Cid, left alone, sighed to himself. He wanted to avoid this day; but such things always arrive sooner than one wanted; and they did not need any distractions at this important juncture.

---

Most students were relaxing after classes, and the library was silent in the afternoon hours, and mostly empty. The freckled girl at the counter, her brown hair in pigtails, straightened and smiled at him hopefully as he walked through the gate. "Hey…! Hullo!"

He inclined his head slightly without answering. She seemed to hesitate. "Uh, um, is Zell with you?"

"No."

"Oh." She tried to conceal her disappointment, and he could tell that she wanted to say something else; so he waited, reminding himself to be patient despite the pressing urge to move on. Sure enough, she then blurted out, "Could you please, um, tell him to come see me? I found this booklet that, uh, I thought that he would like…"

"Sure."

"Thanks!" she beamed.

He advanced into the library, scanning it. The few students around gave him a look as they passed, likely wondering what an initiated SeeD needed to do in the library. He halted for a moment. The sun was sinking in the orange skies, turning the environs of the room a dim shade of fire.

And then he saw her.

She was sitting in an obscured corner, behind some bookcases, in the orange sunlight that streamed through the window. He approached her slowly. He could see her from the back, her smooth brown hair falling to her white shoulders, the gauzy green scarf about her waist, her dress sky-blue and white. She was inclining forwards slightly, her face cupped in one hand, watching the sunset with a slightly dreamy expression. Her other hand was holding a cup full of drink, its cherry and white foam swirling together to create a pink froth. It was the girl who had always been kind and loving to him as a child, the ghostly girl from his past, the young woman from the infirmary…

It was Ellone.

He stood frozen in place. He felt his heart hammering in his throat. He felt like a boy, he felt like a fool, he felt in love.

He finally shook himself into action and approached her slowly, not wanting to startle her. But she had sensed his approach; and when she turned and saw him she gave a start, almost spilling the drink in her hand. She settled it hastily on the counter, staring at him with an almost stunned look.

He walked towards her; awkward, hesitant, self-conscious. He seated himself next to her, folding his hands over his knees and not looking at her. She was following his movement with her eyes, otherwise almost immobile. Since she had remained silent, he looked up.

"So…" he said. "We finally meet again."

He saw a smile flitting palely across her face at this echo of her own words to him at the infirmary. "Yes. I wasn't aware that you returned. How did you know I was here?"

"Cid let it slip. Unwillingly, of course."

They were both silent for a moment. Their physical proximity to each other, they both knew, made everything different than the dreamworld. It was a jolt, an awakening from dream into reality.

He saw her trying to smile again. "I'm really glad that you're safe. So, when did you come back?"

"Yesterday. I was the one who helped the Garden to move out of the way of the missiles."

"Oh. Always the hero, I see."

Her tone was gently teasing; but he sensed her acute embarrassment, and his own discomfort grew. He lowered his gaze again. "No. Just doing a job."

"Yes. Just like you. So, how did you get away?"

"Zel managed to escape from the cell, and released the others. We also had some unexpected assistance."

"Oh. That was lucky."

"Yes."

"And…. the rockets? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I tried contacting you… you were unresponsive."

"Yes, I fell asleep," she said, feeling guilty. "I didn't sleep all night, and—"

"No need to apologize," he said, cutting her off. "There was such a mess here with the internal Garden conflict, that I doubt anyone would have listened to you, especially with Cid temporarily missing. They barely listened to us when we came in with the news, and we had to find where Cid was hiding before we could formulate a plan. It was a huge mess, and I'd say that we just barely escaped by luck."

"I'm so glad," she said again, softly, now scanning his face. "So glad to see you again, and well, after everything that happened."

"It's always good to meet a good friend, again," he said, after a pause, still looking down at his hands.

She averted her face. "Yes. A good friend."

"I'm glad that you agreed," he said, knowing that he was becoming slightly flustered, and not daring to look up at her.

"Oh? Why?"

He was at that juncture. And he had to say it; he HAD to. He recalled what Xu had said. They were looking for her. She may leave soon. He HAD to know, NOW, that she felt the same way that he had, in some way, always felt about her. And he said it.

"I'm glad that you didn't say that you're meeting your… your adopted little brother."

She bit her lip, reddening for a moment. It was out between them, and she had to respond. "That's because… because you're not my adopted brother. And, you… I now know that you never really were."

He glanced up at her. His heart began to hammer again. Her face was averted, her cheeks flushed. But he wanted to make perfectly sure that he understood her. "But isn't that how you felt about me, as a child?"

"I… I loved you dearly, as a child," she stammered, her fingers smoothing her skirt.

"I'm not a child anymore."

"Yes…" she faltered, her confusion flooding back and tainting her cheeks at his pointed questioning. "You are not a child anymore. You… you're… someone else. We're… it's a completely different relationship now. That early relationship hasn't existed for years."

"Ellone," he said, finally raising his head to look directly at her.

"Yes…?"

He spoke slowly, and she sensed that he was voicing a thought that he had turned within his mind for a long time. "I think that I finally understand how you felt."

"You do?"

"Yes. You wanted to change the past. And you wanted to do this because you wanted a family. You lost your parents. And then, you lost the new family that you hoped to have. That must have hurt you badly. And this is why you tried to turn me into your brother. Wasn't it? To replace the family that you wanted, and lost."

"Yes," she stammered. "I… I loved you for their sake, really."

"You mean," he said slowly, "Laguna and Raine?"

"Yes."

He said nothing. "So…" she continued, her voice faltering, "I tried to replace them, and to turn you into my family. But we were just two lonely orphans, seeking each other, weren't we? And… and it did help us develop a great friendship, didn't it…?"

"Yes. It did."

And, after a moment, he said again, "But, Ellone…"

"…Yes?"

"I never wanted to be your adopted brother. And I never viewed you as my adopted sister. Not more than anyone else in that orphanage."

"I know," she said softly. "And…"

He gazed at her, the muscles of his body tense. "Yes…?"

"I tried to force you into a role that, I know now, you didn't really want. And I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. You meant everything for the best."

"But now…" she continued, stumbling over her words, "it's different, now. I have not thought of you as a brother since I've seen you again. I… I couldn't, it was no longer proper. You were someone else… familiar… but also a stranger to me. Although, of course, you were all still dear to me, and I was very happy to see you all again." After a pause, she added, almost inaudibly, "But especially you."

He inhaled a breath softly. Then he said, very slowly. "In a way, Ellone, it was NEVER different for me. I always felt the same way about you… and I still do. Not as my adopted sister, but as the girl that I liked more than anyone else. Because YOU are still the same. The same kind girl that I… that I liked."

She finally raised her head. She smiled at him fondly, through misted eyes. "And I feel the same as I had then. Because you are still very dear to me." And, almost unconsciously, she extended a hand, placing a finger on his cheek and caressing it, very lightly.

He gave a jump at this; but then he sat still, without moving, his eyes fixed on her. She snatched her hand away as if it had been burned, and opened her mouth to speak; but no words came, and he saw the hot red coloring returning to her cheeks vividly. He gazed at her for another moment. Then he leaned forward, extending his hand to her. She moved slightly in place but did not withdraw, and gazed at him fixedly. He placed his fingers on her hair, and smoothed it down her cheek gently. He saw her biting her lips, felt her trembling a little. He moved closer, and, leaning forward, kissed her.

She still sat unmoving; not responding, but allowing him to kiss her. And after a moment, he withdrew from her slightly. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I… I wanted to do this since I saw you again."

She was gazing at him with half-closed eyes. "N-no," she whispered, after a moment. "Kiss me… kiss me again."

He leaned forward, and kissed her again. Intensely at first, with a barely controlled fervor, as if seeking to swiftly snatch the passing moment; but then he sank into the rhythm of it and his movements slowed, softened, his lips gently exploring hers. She sat with her eyes closed, the aftershock of their sudden closeness still trembling through her with an electric verve. He moved his hands to the back of her head, sliding his fingers through her hair, stroking it softly. After some moments he halted again. "You taste like vanilla and cherries," he whispered.

She couldn't help a sudden laugh at this observation. "It's… it's from my drink."

"It's sweet. I like it."

The humor of this exchange seemed to break her out of her thralled suspension, and she began to respond to him. Their lips met again, this time with mutual fervor, and their hands clasped each other. He grasped her fingers, caressing them as he kissed her lips, the warmth of her hands brushing his skin and sending a pleasant shudder through his body.

"Ellone," he whispered.

"Y—yes…?"

He moved his mouth to the curve of her neck, kissing it, breathing in the scent of her hair. Her arms rose to encircle his back, her fingers pressing into it in response to his movements, her breathing labored. He felt warm, wrapped in a haze, submitting to the heat that gripped him as he tasted her, breathed her, explored her.

"Elle— Ellone…"

"Yes…?"

He wanted to rise to his feet, and take her with him somewhere else, somewhere private, where he could explore her more closely; but felt unable to tear himself from the here and now, now that he had her in his arms, as he had wanted her since he first saw her smiling at him, at the infirmary.

"Will you… come with me…?"

"I— I—"

He tugged at her hand. "Come with me… come with me… Ellone."

"I…"

There were footsteps approaching, that stopped abruptly, and someone said, "Excuse me."

The new voice behind them, like a shower of ice shards, shocked them both and made them jump. He released her abruptly and withdrew; sitting very still, his hard breathing audible in the ensuing silence as he gazed before him through half-closed eyes. He did not turn his head to look at the newcomer.

A figure came to stand before them. Xu.

"Are you Ellone?"

Ellone looked upwards briefly. "Y—yes, that's me."

"Please follow me. It's urgent. The White SeeDs were very emphatic."

"I see," she stammered.

"They say that you have to come with them. Right now."

"All right, but…. can you… can you give us a minute to say goodbye…?"

"Sure thing," said Xu, her face expressionless. "I'll wait for you at the library gate."

Ellone felt herself trembling, trying to still her heartbeats as she met his eyes. He was still leaning back in the chair, gazing at her.

"I have to go," she whispered.

"No. Stay with me."

"We'll talk again— you know that we can—"

He drew a breath. "Ellone," he said, slowly. "We already talked. We talked, and we talked, and we talked. I don't want to talk to you anymore. Not now. I want to be with you."

"You…. you heard her. I can't stay."

He was looking at her steadily. "You're going to leave me again?"

"That's not a fair thing to say. I have no choice, and you know it. I never did."

He was silent. He knew that Galbadia was looking for her, and that they were hunting Garden down. "Then let me come with you, to the ship," he finally said. "Let me stay with you there. I'll become a white SeeD."

"But you can't leave now, can you...? You have your duties here. But… some day soon, maybe."

He was silent. He was gazing at his hands, which were clasped on his knees; but he recalled Cid's words, and knew this to be more true than she guessed. She tried to smile. "Haven't you always been the model soldier? Duty before… before desires."

After a short silence he said quietly, "Yes."

She rose to her feet, a little shakily, still trying to quiet her trembling frame. Then she extended her hands to him. "Please… I don't want you to be hurt by this. You are very important to me." He raised his hand to his forehead abruptly at this, then passed his fingers through his hair slowly, but said nothing. "I'll return as soon as I can. I promise."

"Ellone, I… you know how I feel about you. And I thought that you felt the same."

She bit her lip, closing her eyes. Then she whispered, "I do feel the same."

"Then stay with me. Just this once."

"You know that I can't. This is bigger than either of us. If they catch me, it could affect everyone." And seeing him silent, she added: "But we'll see each other again. I promise. As soon as I can arrange it." She opened her arms to him. "Please, please, say that you're not angry with me!"

But he averted his face, and said nothing. His face had the same set look that she had seen on him before; a repellent, distancing air. She sensed his frustration, and his disappointment; and knew that, to make matters worse, this one has stirred up old hurts.

Maybe Cid had been right, after all. Don't open old wounds, he had said. But she wouldn't listen, and allowed her desires to over-ride her judgment. After all, nothing in HER situation has changed. She was still fleeing from danger, banished to wander until… when?

For a long, long time. Maybe even until death.

She waited for another moment. But, seeing that he would not look at her, she began to slowly walk towards the gate. She threw a glance at him over her shoulder before she left. He was leaning forwards in the chair, his eyes fixed on the ground before him, not speaking, his head in his hands. But he raised his eyes when he noticed her looking at him. She whispered "goodbye," and turned her eyes quickly away.

He stayed sitting for a little while longer, simmering in unhappy emotions. It was, he thought, worse than it felt as a child. Then, he felt emotionally abandoned. Now, he felt both physically and emotionally abandoned.

He knew that it wasn't her fault; that it wasn't anyone fault. But he also knew that it was not anyone's fault last time. But it had hurt him badly then, and it was hurting him again now. He knew that he should accept this as a grown man would. But he couldn't.

He finally rose to his feet abruptly, and left the library.

NOTES

Hey, FFVIII plot. You had these two meet in a library one last time before the big plot turn, so the makeout scene is going to happen in the library. I take neither responsibility nor credit for this.

And you know how when you write AU, you are always in a danger of writing yourself into a corner? I kind of did, here, with the Balamb garden missile emergency. But, this whole story is a bit of an unplanned experiment, so… let's ignore this and move on, shall we?

---

The Enchantment

Ellone lay in her bed, looking out the window at the moving waters. She had been feeling like this for many days; listless, lethargic, and unable to muster energy for more than basic daily activities. Most of the day she was tucked inside her bed; waking up late, going to sleep early; feeling dejected, dispirited, and lost. Like her life no longer had a goal, or a meaning. For thirteen years, her life had constituted of one lengthy, ongoing journey of escape, without an end in mind. And, not for the first time, she felt her unwilling submission to her fate acutely, and wondered whether she could bear to continue this way.

After leaving, she had tried to contact him through the usual channels, and all her efforts had been met by a determined silence. Finally, on the third day, she heard a reply.

"I need time. I need to think all of this over."

"All right. Please let me know if you want to talk. And remember that I care about you."

There was silence.

She knew that he was angry. She knew that he felt hurt. But his cold, persistent avoidance pained her more than she could sometimes bear. She tried contacting him again after a few more days had passed, and was again met with silence, and a mind closed to her attempts. Finally, after a week had passed, she heard a reply.

"I can't... not now. Please leave me alone."

She did not dare to try again after this, and had sunk into listless inactivity; hoping that he would change his mind; although every day which passed, as the silence persisted, had dimmed this hope.

For the first several days, she also agonized whether to ask to go back to Garden. But when she mentioned this to the white SeeD leader, he shook his head. "No. It's too dangerous. And anyway, they're floating in a completely different direction. And Galbadia's after them."

"It's after us, too."

"So it would be better not to approach too close to their second target, wouldn't it?"

She did not argue further; but she felt the same hopelessness welling in her as she turned away. He noticed it because he said, more gently, "I understand your feelings, Ellone. But Galbadian ships had been after us ever since we left Garden, and our first priority is evasion and concealment. If they discovered that you were in the Balamb area, it will be one of their primary targets."

She nodded. She knew that the leader, too, had a wife and children whom he only saw infrequently, when they came ashore, and could understand her situation. But she still felt imprisoned by her own fate.

After a while, she got an update on Garden from the white SeeDs. It had been drifting aimlessly, and had finally stopped at a location where a fishermen's town had grown over a land-bridge between two continents. The town mechanics had agreed to fix Garden, after which Cid planned to move it back to its original location, especially since, as the white SeeD leader had predicted, Galbadian soldiers had moved to occupy the nearby town.

Now she looked through the small window into a sky full of light. It was a breezy, bright afternoon, and she knew that she was missing out on the long summer days in the sea. But nothing could change her mood, or her feelings.

She had closed her eyes, drifting into one of those frequent instances where she was half-asleep, half-awake, when a noise roused her. There was a confused medley of voices, then her current bodyguard opened the door, and peered in.

"Ellone," he said, "stay in your room. There's a ship after us, maybe even two."

"Which?"

"I don't want to alarm you, but we think that at least one ship is Galbadian. But don't worry, we managed to evade them before. Just stay below, and we'll update you."

She said nothing, sinking back into her bed.

The point of conflict arrived sooner than she expected; and, for a while, listening to the noises of what sounded like firing projectiles and the medley of shouting outside, she felt genuinely worried and peered through the window to try and see what was happening. The ship sometimes shook alarmingly, and she had to cling to the bed to keep herself steady. Although it seemed to last for hours, no more than three hours passed when things seemed to quiet down; and when the door to her room opened again, she sat up straight, blurting, "What—"

"Don't worry, Ellone; don't worry," the guard said hastily. "We're safe. We were saved from the Galbadian ship by a battle ship from Esthar. They blocked them off, and chased them away before the Galbadians could catch us."

She clasped her hands. "Thank goodness! But... Esthar? Do you think they're after us, too?"

"We weren't sure, at first. But they have some important person on board, and he assured us that they're helping us out of goodwill. The leader is talking to him right now."

"All right. I'll keep to my room, though."

The guard nodded and left; but then, unexpectedly, returned quickly. "Ellone! You are requested on board. That important person who was speaking to the leader wants to see you. He says that he knows you."

She sat up straight. "He knows me? How could that be?"

And then, a sudden hope struck her like lightning. She didn't ask more questions. She scrambled off the bed, to her feet, energy filling her for the first time in over two weeks. She rushed up the stairs, spurred by her premonition. She felt it now; the familiar, warm, comforting energy; the lively mind of a man who was ever-optimistic, ever-caring, and had been so well loved by her as a child.

She emerged into the deck. He was standing with his back to her, wearing an Estharian uniform; but his dark brown hair, now shot with silver, was still long, his frame still vigorous. When he turned to face her, she saw that time had etched lines on his face; but he was still the same; still the man with the dark, smiling eyes who had been such a loving, playful presence, a co-conspirator and a friend; still the man who had rescued her from her imprisonment in Esthar.

She stood opposite him, trying to smile, although she felt more like crying. He opened his arms.

"Little Ellone! How you've grown in twenty years. It's been too long, my dear girl. Too long."

She rushed into his arms, and he clasped her fondly. But when he distanced himself, placing his hands on her shoulders and looking into her face, he only said two words:

"I'm sorry."

"What for?" she gulped, wiping her eyes, although she knew the answer.

"For never coming to take you home to me. Ellone, I will explain everything. I promise."

"All right."

"And, I'd like to take you to Esthar with me. We were looking for your ship, and it seems like we arrived just in time. With Galbadia tracking you now, I think that it would be best. I spoke to your leader, and he agreed."

"But," she said, "what about—?"

He understood her at once. "Don't worry, they won't do a thing to you this time. I finally have enough influence to make sure of this. After twenty years," he sighed, more to himself.

"All right," she said, stunned by this sudden alteration in her circumstances. "Yes, I'll go to Esthar with you."

"And when you're on the ship, I'll explain everything."

---

That evening, as they both sat on the deck, gazing into the starry night, he told her how he stayed in Esthar to assist its citizens to throw off Adel's shackles, and placed that sorceress in stasis in space; how he became the president of Esthar after Adel's fall; and why he couldn't contact her, and decided to leave her in Edea's care.

"You see, my dear girl," he said, "the president of Esthar is not as powerful a figure as, say, the president of Galbadia. My decision-making powers are limited, and many tasks are delegated to elected officials and lawmakers. Even worse, Doctor Odine is still an extremely influential presence in Esthar, since we rely on his inventions heavily for our defensive technologies; and although he doesn't hold an official elected position, it's well known that most Esthar officials will bow to his will as quickly as they bow to mine. And, all these years, he was still interested in finding you and experimenting on you. I wanted to make sure that this never happens, Ellone. When I found out that you are under the care of Cid and Edea, I thought that it would be the best place for you. It hurt me to do this, but too much contact with them would have meant risking discovery."

"So, what now?" she asked, closing her coat around her as an evening wind rose, and trying to suppress a shiver at the thought of going to Esthar with Odine around. "If Doctor Odine is still alive, should I really come with you?"

But Laguna shook his head. "I already spoke to him, Ellone. He is, of course, still interested in doing his research; but, as a grown lady, you can make informed decisions about what you can do the help us out. We will approach this matter discreetly, and won't reveal anything until I'm sure that you're completely safe. And if anyone tries to capture you against your will, I'll make sure to have a plan of escape. Kiros and ward are at Esthar with me, and fully briefed on this matter. But, at this point, Galbadia under the sorceress is a much greater risk to you than Esthar."

"All right," she said, softly. "When I think it over, Odine, while a heartless man, did not really experiment on me in a manner that harmed me physically. And, at any rate, if I can help out in some way to fight against the sorceresses, I would be happy to do this. And I think that Esthar would be the only power that could withstand Galbadia."

"Exactly," said Laguna. "I see that my precocious little Ellone had grown to be a very smart young lady."

And then, hesitantly, feeling the pricking in her heart as she spoke of him, she told Laguna of his son. She told him how she had grown up in the orphanage with him for his first five years, and how they were close to each other; and how she had to leave him more than thirteen years ago, for Edea's ship. She had never seen Laguna crestfallen before; but, at this revelation, he sat still and silent for many minutes, looking thunderstruck. "Raine… Raine had a baby… a son... and he's nineteen."

"Yes." Ellone tried to smile at him reassuringly. "He's a lot like her, in many ways. He even has the same personality. But, except in some of his facial features, especially his eyes, he's got your general looks."

Laguna sat, gazing at the sea silently. Finally, he said, "Well, serves me right."

"What, Laguna?" she asked gently, hearing the remorse in his voice.

"For not asking more questions. But I thought that it would be risky to have too much correspondence, and only anonymously asked for, and received, reports that you're doing well. So I didn't ask other questions. I didn't want to be discovered."

"Yes, that's understandable," she said. "And it's not too late, Laguna. I'm sure that you'll be able to meet and to get to know him some day."

"And you, Ellone?" he asked. "How was it for you, to meet him again after all these years? Did he remember you, when you met?"

She bit her lip and looked down. "Not at first. But… eventually. We were good friends, in the orphanage. I loved him for Raine's sake, and for yours."

"Well, that's wonderful. And now you can become good friends again." He turned his eyes on her, and, in the faint light of the ship, she could see that he was trying to smile. "And maybe you'll finally have the family that you wanted, Ellone?"

But she only looked down, and said nothing.

---

Xu was passing in a quiet, tree-lined corridor, when she saw Zell sitting on a bench at the side of a black-haired girl, both appearing to titter over something held in Zell's hand. She halted, raising an eyebrow. Zell was holding a ring of curious inscription, and she thought that she caught a distinctive shape that she could instantly recognize. She also recognized the black-haired girl as Rinoa, a young woman who had been associated with Zell and his group for a while now; first as a client, but then seeming to become part of the team. She did not know her well, but they've spoken several times before. And lately she had noticed that Rinoa had assumed a very particular manner around… well, around the owner of the very ring that Zell was holding. And, noticing that, she couldn't help recalling what she had seen in the library not too long ago.

Not that it was her business, of course. She had no interest in becoming involved in such things, knowing so little about all persons concerned; and she was about to continue walking when Zell, who had noticed her fixed attention, waved her over. "Hey, Xu! I see that you're wondering about this ring?"

"Zell!" Rinoa whispered, elbowing him. "We agreed that it'll be a secret! You're already showing it off?"

"C'mon, everyone will see it eventually! And I'm really proud of it, let me brag a bit!" He continued to wave Xu over enthusiastically, and she felt compelled to approached them. "Does it look familiar?" he asked her, grinning at her with a pleased air.

Xu eyed the object in his hand. "Yes. It does, in fact."

"You think that it belongs to someone else, huh?"

"Well, as far as I know, it does."

"But it doesn't," Zell said triumphantly. "It's a duplicate." He handed it to Xu, to allow her to examine it more closely.

Rinoa, who was watching them both, seemed to give up on the pretense of secrecy, because she now nodded vigorously. "Yes! It's a copy of the original. Zell made it for me. Isn't it great?"

"Actually, it's pretty amazing," Xu acknowledged, scanning the ring. "I wouldn't have known it to be a copy, rather than the original."

"Of course, I had to take the ring from him by stealth," Zell admitted. "Otherwise, I couldn't get all the details right. But I returned it as soon as I could, and I don't think that he was too angry. Well, Rinoa told me that when she told him about the duplicate, he said that he'll kill me. But other than that, he couldn't have been very angry, I think."

Rinoa smirked. "Oh, no! It's just like him, Zell, he's just shy. And he wouldn't say it, but I could tell that he liked it. Now we have matching rings."

"Zell made the ring for you, so you can have matching rings?" Xu echoed, raising an eyebrow.

But Rinoa only glanced at Zell conspiratorially. "Well, now that you've seen the ring, I can explain. Because I'm sure that people will ask questions. It's so easily identifiable."

At this, Zell sprang to his feet. "Well, I see that you two may want to have some girl-talk about this," he observed, before Xu could deny that she wanted any such thing. "I'm going to the cafeteria. Maybe I'll get lucky today, eh? See you later, Rinoa." And on this, he strode off, waving a genial goodbye at the two young women.

Xu remained, looking at Rinoa, who had slipped the ring on her finger and was eying it with a pleased air. "It's a great copy," she said, neutrally. She wanted to end the conversation as soon as possible.

"Oh, yes," said Rinoa. "I mean, I don't want anyone to take it the wrong way or anything, but," she tapped her cheek, smiling, "we've become great friends, overtime."

"I see."

"Well." Rinoa swung her legs, now grinning at Xu. "There's been things happening, is all I will say."

"Oh," said Xu, flatly. "That sounds nice."

Rinoa eyed Xu for a moment. She sensed her reserved tone, because she added quickly, "I'm not saying that it's official or anything, you know."

"That's none of my business," Xu said. "But it's a nice ring. Anyway, I'll be going."

She turned, and was about to stride off, when Rinoa's voice stopped her. "Hey, Xu…"

Xu halted, and looked over her shoulder. "Yes?"

"Well…" Rinoa seemed to hesitate. "You work with him a lot now. Does he ever… does he ever talk about me?"

"He doesn't talk to me about such things," Xu said, wishing she'd never approached those two, or agreed to involve herself in this awkward conversation. "Honestly, I don't think that he's one to talk about such things to anyone."

"Yes, that's true," Rinoa mused, although more to herself. "It's good that I can ask his close friends, like Zell, about it."

"So you think that they would know?" Xu felt compelled to ask, despite herself.

"Oh, sure thing! I mean, they've known him forever."

"Yes, but he's always been known around Garden to be a pretty closed-up person, without close friends."

Rinoa looked at her questioningly. "But I thought that Zell and Quistis, at least, knew him well?"

"I don't know about his new teammates," said Xu. "But I didn't get the impression that they were close until recently. I can't imagine him confiding in them on such matters, though."

"Oh." Rinoa eyed her, a dubious gleam in her eye, and Xu could tell that she was starting to catch the drift of her words. "But he's changed so much over time, didn't he? Didn't you notice… a change in him recently?"

Xu shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I don't know him that well. But he had a lot of new responsibilities. People do change quickly under such circumstances. I've seen it more than once. But the ring is really nice. Anyway, I better be going."

She turned and walked away without waiting for a response. She felt that she said enough, and knew that to stay further would be to risk being queried; and she had no wish to involve herself in these matters.

Rinoa stared after her. Something about Xu's manner shook her confidence, and she felt her satisfaction slightly disturbed.

The last four weeks or so, she had thought, were really great. They had conversations that she considered very productive; they went on a sort-of-date during the concert; and, just two days ago, he had rescued her from falling to her death when Galbadia tried to invade them. Everything was going as she wanted things to go; they were pretty friendly now, and all his friends seemed to think that they'd make a great couple, and were enthusiastically endorsing the progress in their relationship. She thought that she was really making a difference for him. And she LIKED him. It all seemed to be so perfect; and now, a sudden doubt seemed to throw a chill over her emotions.

"She acts… almost like she doesn't think that he likes me that way," she muttered to herself. "And he DOES like me that way. I mean, what does SHE know?" Without knowing it, she was turning the ring on her finger as she spoke. "He DOES like me. He does, he DOES like me. I can tell!"

But the discontented suspicion wouldn't leave her. Something about Xu's manner indicated to her that Xu knew some crucial piece of information that Zell and the others may have missed. And she wasn't one who could stay happy without things being out in the open.

She rose to her feet, and walked slowly down the tree-lined corridor. For a little while, she appeared to be wandering aimlessly through the pathways of Garden. But then she seemed to regain her focus. She made her way through the inner plaza to the elevator, and took it to the offices located on the third floor. She strode down a side-corridor, where he had been allotted an office by Cid to reflect his new position; to lead the plans of opposing the sorceress. She knocked on the door.

He told her to come in, and she pushed the door open slowly, peering in. He was sitting at the desk, seeming to review some papers and maps. When he saw her he nodded briefly, and looked back at his papers. She seated herself on the chair opposite to him. But she remained silent. After a moment, he looked up again.

"Yes? What's going on?"

She was silent for another moment, biting her lip. Then, she tilted her head. "I was thinking," she said.

"What about?"

"We have been such good friends lately, weren't we?"

"Yes, of course," he said. "We are all friends now."

"Yes, we are." She bit her finger, glancing at him sideways. "But you and I… aren't we even better friends than this?"

Her manner and tone drew his attention now. He gazed at her for a moment. "We're good friends," he repeated, his voice now carefully neutral.

"And the ring?" she asked, her voice soft now, and almost caressing. "Don't you think that it means something… something else?"

He was silent for a moment. He was beginning to catch her meaning, and seemed to debate within his mind how to best answer it. "It means that you liked that ring?" he finally asked, his tone lighter now; almost as if he was trying to pass her question off humorously.

She scanned his expression. It now occurred to her that his manner, when she first showed him the ring earlier that day, had been rather cagey; but she had attributed it to his habitual reticence, and had not allowed any other possibilities to disturb that impression. And his manner now was not more encouraging. "Well," she said. "I wanted a copy of your ring because of a very specific reason…"

He looked down now, shifting his body slightly in the chair. She eyed his expression, biting her finger again. "Don't you want to know the reason?" she finally asked.

He said nothing. Noticing this, she debated within herself. This was as far as she ever went in speaking openly, except during the concert date, when she told him that everyone loved him. She thought that he had understood her since then. And… maybe he did? And if he did, she now realized, his manner has not, overall, altered greatly. It was friendlier, yes; but it was not exactly… the manner that, for example, Seifer had around her when they dated last summer. And she just thought, and his friends had assured her, that it was because he was so reserved. Could his friends had been wrong?

And now this… after all his friends had known about it, and were pushing for their relationship… after she had asked for a copy of the ring…

And after she… she CHOSE him.

She didn't know why that thought rose into her mind. It had risen almost unbidden. But she suddenly knew it to be true. He had been chosen by her. But, it seems, he was refusing her? How… how DARE he refuse her?

She took a deep breath, trying to control the tears of anger and humiliation that rose into her eyes. This was it. She had thrown much more than hints his way by now. And now, she had to make sure, and have it out in the open. She HAD to know. So she said it.

"Well, I'll tell you why I wanted that copy. It's because I… I like you."

He averted his face, as if trying to fend off her words; but, again, did not make a response, and his stance reflected discomfort. She continued. "You know what I mean, right? I really…. really like you."

There was a long silence. "I'm sorry," he finally said, very quietly. "I like you as a friend."

She became very still for a few moments, staring at him. Then she began to breathe hard as this outright rejection confirmed her new doubts with a jarring certainty. "But you," she began. Then she said, "You, do you like someone… someone else?"

He did not reply. The lines of his body still reflected tension and discomfort, and he still would not look at her. She could see this, and, rising to her feet, turned away abruptly. The sudden end to her belief in what had been building between them was a jarring blow to her feelings; and, equally so, to her pride.

"I'm sorry," she heard his voice, speaking quietly behind her again.

She hung her head. The vexed tears had returned, but she was smiling now; something told her what she should do. Yes… she knew EXACTLY what she should do. She CHOSE him. She would NOT be humiliated this way. How dare he refuse her? And how… how DARE anyone interfere between them? Once she was in control, she'll make sure to bring THAT to an end.

Her back still to him, she turned the ring on her finger and murmured softly to herself, in an almost inaudible whisper. "But you are going to like me… and as more than a friend. You are going to like me. You are going to LIKE me. You are going to like ME."

As she spoke, a glowing wave of energy issued out of the ring; a sparkling spell, almost invisible to the eye, but invested with the tremendous potency of a newly-fledged sorceress who had chosen her knight. And although she was murmuring the words audibly, she did not need to give them a voice. The spell was so raw, so primal to her as a sorceress-born, that it knew exactly what to do.

Behind her, he had risen to his feet, sensing that something was wrong. "Rinoa…?" he said. "Are you all right?"

She swung around abruptly, and smiled at him through her flushed countenance. "You are going to like ME," she said softly. "ONLY me."

"What…? Rinoa…?"

The spell crashed over its target like a bright tsunami, enveloping him with its irresistible power.

"You like ME. ONLY me."

"Y…yes."

NOTES

Well, and there we are. Some think that sorceresses may go a little crazy with power without even meaning to, and I guess that it's a bit like this, in this story.

There is no adequate explanation as to why Laguna did not contact Edea and Cid, and/or kept in touch with Ellone. I tried my best to excuse him because he's one of my favorites, but it still doesn't feel right. It's just another one of those details that show how the story of this game must have been put together piecemeal, or maybe just changed a lot during production.