Trey rolled his neck and worked out the kinks caused by the awful experience that was finding this place in the twisting, nether space between here and the Historia Crux. On top of that, Noel and Irvine's friends were not happy to see them.
"I'm gonna mangle you in your sleep!" shouted the tattoo-faced man that strained against the arms of his orange-clad lady friend. "You hear me?"
"You really shouldn't push yourself," said his friend. "You just got out of the hospital yesterday."
"Yeah, and Irvine's dead! No way in hell am I gonna let them go without paying for it!"
"I think you're the only student in all the gardens that actually believes he's dead."
Trey turned away from the kid that seemed bent on making the biggest possible spectacle of himself and joined the two guys with the least natural hair colors possible and a couple likely sane locals. "How's the connection?" Trey asked.
"Well," said Rinoa, who apparently served for a space as Cosmos' champion, "it's not exactly like connecting a phone line. But Raine is almost here."
"Why do we need another spirit?" Quistis asked before finally releasing Zell in time for Gadot to tackle him. "Was Vivi not enough?"
Vanille looked up from where she watched Amarant's frozen body, preserved in a flickering slice of time. "I think they want to figure out what's wrong with the world."
"But not everyone is used to connecting like this," said Rinoa, who refused to look at Amarant's broken moment. "Raine's never interfaced with the living before, much less in her original world, and it will take time for her to settle."
Fang asked, "Can't we got something done while waiting?"
"If you can find something," Eight said. "We're sitting ducks, but there's nowhere for us to go until we get this done."
"Says you."
Zell finally calmed down enough for Gadot to let go of him.
"I'm not leaving," Yuj said. "Not before we find Maqui."
Cait Sith said, "I want to see some of these other paths."
Trey grimaced. "Leaving this planet isn't advisable. The odds of finding a single dimension among countless, random side paths are small. If you value your current life, you'll stay here until a proper exit is established." He cleared his throat and struggled to speak again. "The gods create safety measures against this very thing for a reason, and it's quite distressing that they've slipped up here. Or, I should say, that the chaos of our plight has loosed threads such as this."
"But is that really what happened?" Deuce asked.
"I speak of it as the most likely scenario and assume nothing."
"My foot," muttered Fang.
Vanille looked about her and made a "hm?" sound before kneeling by Rinoa. "Anyway, any progress here?"
"It'll be some time. Perhaps you should coordinate with Headmaster Leonhart on politics for now."
Squall shook his head. "Politics can wait."
Gadot scoffed. "So can the rest of us, going by the looks of things. You know what, screw it. We're gonna go find our friend. Y'all keep dinking about with this wayward sprite or whatever it is, and we'll work without it."
Yuj followed Gadot out the room and Trey watched them go. Deuce cast them an uncertain glance.
"Aye," Cait Sith said, "mayhaps we'll find some peace and quiet for once."
Eight shook his head. "Stupid."
Trey's throat closed again, and he put a hand over it as if he could smooth it out. He wanted to follow them and get away, but duty remained.
"Hey," came Cinque's muffled voice. "Trey, it's so hard to reach you. What's going on over there?"
He cut off the link and ran his hands down his face. He could only pretend for so long before he'd inevitably break off from the rest and need alone time.
"Got it!" Rinoa clapped and something akin to relief filled the room before a new presence entered and borrowed Squall's body. "How's that feel?"
"Strange," Squall said. "How will we speak with her? … Oh. Rain—sorry, Mom—do I really have call you that?"
"She's in," Eight said before coming to Trey's side. "And our job here is done."
"We're leaving?" Trey asked.
"Not like there's a whole lot else for us to do."
Trey looked between him and the new spokesman for the dead. "We have—ahem. We hold responsibility for this world."
"Possessees are either dead or reclaimed. Bhunivelze's failed here and I doubt he'll come back any time soon. Come on—you clearly need rest."
"I can still work."
"Clearly, going by that haunted look in your eyes. Remember what Mother did when we returned from a mission like that?"
Trey looked away.
"Exactly. It's time we took you back to the basics if this is gonna keep bothering you."
"I don't need a refresher course."
"Then what?"
"I'll join you later. Just… go back to Valhalla and I'll wait here for now."
"I can stay with you," Vanille said, joining them. "It couldn't hurt to stick around a little longer, could it?"
Eight said, "It could. Let's not fight this."
Vanille looked at Trey. "I'm sorry."
"Follow us when ready," Eight said. "Deuce, let's—oh, where'd she go?"
Trey didn't notice her disappear.
"Okay," Gadot said as they faced the twisting, abandoned halls of Galbadia. After the attack, everyone was ordered home. "We gotta approach this the right way. If I were that little brat, where would I let them take me? Let's split up and triangulate. We can cover ground three times faster and corner him. Deuce, take the entrance and Yuj, you move from the back—"
"Or," Yuj said, "we can do this the not-hard way."
Yuj walked over to a panel on the wall and got fiddling with it.
"What are you doing?" Gadot asked.
"I just told you—the not-hard way."
Gadot watched him key something in and say, "Yo, my bro, Maqui. Where are you at? I said, Maqui, get your butt over here to the eastern quarter with all the windows and the fancy eatery off to the side. From the entrance, you can follow the tiles of grey and salmon and from the back, take the cream and fuchsia headlights toward the library."
His voice echoed through the building and Gadot grunted. "That's a smart idea, kid."
"That's why I'm the brains of our group."
After a few minutes, Gadot said, "Shoot. Maybe he didn't hear the announcement?"
Yuj made to respond before Maqui appeared around the corner. His clothes were weathered, but not as much as that man that died. His footsteps were unsteady, and he watched Gadot and Yuj with large, wild eyes. Once he stepped into the light, it illuminated cuts and bruises that littered his exposed skin. Lip chapped, eyes red, fingers swollen, barely standing—
"What in the hell?" Gadot hissed before rushing toward him. Maqui scrambled away at his approach, but he didn't run. "Kid, what happened to you?"
"I—" Maqui's voice came hoarse and thick. He cleared his throat and fidgeted with the hem of his jacket. "I killed Noel. And—"
"You were possessed," Yuj said, approaching him slower. "Right?"
"He wasn't the first! A-a-and he wasn't the last!"
Yuj moved slower than a young puffball, one hand outstretched. "We don't care about that, Maqui."
"Don't lie to me!"
"He's right," Gadot said. "We just care that you're okay, got that?"
"I'm not okay!"
Yuj got a hand on Maqui's and that startled the kid, who stumbled back, eyes on Yuj.
Gadot said, "You still found us. That means you care about us, too."
"Do I?" Maqui barely spoke straight through that blubber of his. "Or will I kill you too? I—I shouldn't have come, I—"
Yuj reached again but kept his distance. "We're not stupid enough to let you do anything like that again. You're safe, Maqui."
Gadot bit his tongue against the rage boiling under his skin. "Lebreau's looking for you, too, kid. Once we find her, let's just settle down with some food and talk about this, alright?"
"Yeah," Yuj said. "Just a bit of food is all we need."
Maqui broke and doubled over, sobs filling the hallway. Yuj rushed to his side and Gadot followed suit. Up close, he made out precise lines of uncleaned cuts and the swelling that came with physical assault. He hadn't seen those on any of his kids since their first days on Pulse and protecting their l'Cie friends.
"It'll take time," Gadot said to Yuj. "Don't rush it."
Yuj nodded and guided Maqui to a bench in the hallway. "Does it hurt to walk?"
Maqui nodded and choked out a breath of an answer before his wails turned to hiccups. Yuj kept glancing Gadot's way with something akin to determination in his visible eye that served as a reminder to keep calm.
"Tall order, kid," Gadot said.
"It hurts," Maqui managed. "I can't… I can't feel my toes."
Yuj pulled a bottle from his belt. "Here, take this and we'll show you to the hospital."
Maqui started and scrambled to get away. Gadot caught him, but the kid wrenched free of him with startling strength. "No hospitals!"
"Why not?" Yuj asked.
"No!"
Gadot rolled his shoulders. "That's it."
Yuj shoved the bottle away and grabbed at him. "No, Gadot—!"
"They knew, didn't they?"
"We don't know that!"
"I'm sorry!" Maqui cried. "I didn't—!"
"You!" Gadot said with a jab the kid's way, "You don't apologize! Don't think for one second you've done anything to warrant sorries!"
"But—!"
Yuj placed himself between them. "Gadot, you can't just—!"
Gadot found the rest of the party in the same room where he left them, like damn motorcycles parked at their designated locations.
"Gadot!" Vanille said. "That was fast! Did you find—?"
"Can it, snuffleuff!"
"What?"
Gadot grabbed Eight and twirled him to face him. "Did you know what happened to Maqui?"
"We had an idea," Eight said. "But no."
"Bastard!" Gadot punched him in the jaw and Eight stumbled back a step. "Did you know where he was?"
"No."
"Could you have found out?"
"Yes."
"Then why in the hell didn't you go find him?!"
"We had other work to do."
"Work that's more important than the lives of these damned vessels that get abused and thrown away?"
"Work that's more likely to save the rest of the galaxy, yes."
"Screw the rest of the galaxy!"
"Could you all quiet down?" Fang said. "We're trying to talk to a dead spirit here!"
Gadot shoved at Eight, but the kid didn't give. "I won't let you endanger my friends anymore, pal. Yuj!"
"Yeah!" came a yell from the hallway.
"We're leaving!"
"And going where?!"
Gadot jabbed a finger at Eight. "Don't follow us, you hear me?"
"Wait!" Deuce burst into the room. "Don't you want to see Snow first?"
"Snow can catch up once we're off this accursed planet. Just tell him—"
"—That he needs to come here now! How would you even leave?"
"There's these things called roads—"
"—That would kill your friend! Don't leave, Gadot! Please."
He rounded on her but drew up short at her diminutive height.
"Wait!" Maqui entered the room with Yuj at his heels, looking cleaner and stronger than before. "Don't!"
"Whoa!" Zell said. "What's he doing outside the hospital?"
"You're one to talk," Raijin said.
"Um." Vanille looked about her. "We're in a hospital, aren't we?"
Fang approached the kid. "Look. He had shards."
"Don't touch him!" Gadot said. Eight grabbed him by the wrist and Gadot twisted out of his grip.
Maqui screamed and rushed Eight, prompting panic from Yuj, who pulled a shotgun free and got tackled by Raijin.
Gadot threw himself between Maqui and Eight and yanked the two apart, but not before Fang stepped in and tapped Maqui on the head. "Calm down, kid."
Maqui choked and writhed like she stuck him with something.
"Hey!" Gadot yelled at Vanille. "You know white magic, don't you?"
"Sort of, but—!"
"Help me with him!"
Vanille lit up her hands before joining him. Gadot lowered the thrashing kid to the ground and pulled what remained of his first aid kit from his pack.
Maqui's eyes went wild and he grabbed at his throat.
"We're not losing you!" Gadot searched him for an open wound or anything that threatened the kid's life, but he found nothing that could trigger him like this.
"This happens when people remember their mortality," Vanille said. "It's all that keeps them standing. You know when you stick a needle in a water ball? So long as the needle remains, it doesn't leak. But the moment you take it out, then it explodes."
"Why'd you take it from him, then?!"
Fang said, "I'd rather not have any more raging kids trying to rip my throat out, thanks."
"It feels like there's a lot of medicine in his system already," Vanille said. "Where was he when you found him?"
"In the halls."
Maqui managed shallow breaths and gripped Gadot with all the strength of a starved cat. Choked out sobs between breaths and spasmed at irregular intervals.
"I said let me go!" Yuj ripped free of Raijin and Zell and dropped to join Gadot. "Maqui, can you hear me?"
"Just a little further," Vanille said. "Just make it a little further."
Yuj summoned his own white magic. "You'll make it, buddy. Just keep accepting it, okay? You're doing great."
"You learned magic?" Gadot asked.
"I already knew some from Eos, man. It just took supplementing on Blue Terra to get more than the basics down."
Gadot gripped Maqui tighter. "Good," was all he thought to say. "Perfect."
They kept going until Maqui's eyes slid closed and the room smelled of old leaves from all the white magic.
The others eventually opted to leave them alone and when Vanille finally considered it done, she got up and left them to themselves as well.
Gadot and Yuj said nothing as they held each other and waited for Maqui to wake up.
Despite the kid looking worlds better, Gadot still couldn't calm the residual pang of worry in his chest. There was gonna be hell to pay when Lebreau and Snow heard about this. Deuce had stepped out to call Snow when they went looking, apparently, but he was distracted with something else and would take a bit to reach them.
So they'd find something else they could put their minds to here until Maqui recovered enough to travel.
