Chapter 4-Promises and Beginnings
Squall reentered the cockpit of the Ragnarok and looked around. Selphie sat in
the pilot's seat and as always, Irvine in the co-pilot's seat. She turned around
and looked up at Squall as he stepped off the elevator.
"Ready to go, commander?" she asked him. Squall nodded.
"Let's get outta here," he answered her. "And don't call me that, Selphie." The
engine roared to life and Selphie lifted them gracefully into the air.
"But, that's what you are, Squall. I can't call you any less," she said,
smirking. Squall sighed, putting his hand to his forehead.
"Headmaster Cid let's his friends call him by his name, Selphie, regardless of
*where* he is. Just call me 'Squall', no matter where *we* are, alright?"
"I don't know why you're so against being called by your title, Squall. It's not
anything to be ashamed of," Irvine said to him, propping his feet up on the
control panel.
"..................whatever."
Selphie looked over at Irvine, at his feet, then back at him, obviously annoyed.
He looked at her, an eyebrow raised. ".......what?"
"Get your feet off the control panel, ya ninny! You press a wrong button on that
thing and we all go 'ka-boom'!!" Selphie scolded. She had been made the official
pilot of the ship by Headmaster Cid after the defeat of Ultimecia. She treated
the ship like it was her child.
"Okay, okay," Irvine said, picking his feet up off the control panel. "Better?"
Selphie smiled sweetly.
"Much better."
Squall placed his hand on his forehead once more. (I'm surrounded..........) He
noticed Rinoa looking out the window at the clouds that were now below them.
Leaving Selphie and Irvine to their conversation, he walked up behind her and
put his arms around her neck. She turned her head around and kissed him on the
cheek.
"Are you nervous?" she asked him, gazing out the window again.
".....I don't know. We don't know what we're up against first-hand.....I guess
I'm kind of nervous about that prophecy that Zell told us he saw. It
specifically mentions you and me, Rinoa."
"I'm worried about Zell. I wonder what he's thinking right now? He just got a
lot of responsibility dumped on him. I don't think that's fair of Headmaster Cid
to do that. Zell doesn't have any experience with that kind of responsibility;
he's got to be nervous about doing what Edea and Cid told him. I wonder what's
going through his mind?" Rinoa thought aloud.
"Probably the same thing I thought when Headmaster Cid made me Commander of
Garden. I didn't think I was suited for the job and Zell probably doesn't think
he's suited for this one, either, but it's his necklace, he found the Book, he
saw the prophecy. I don't think it's fair that Cid did that, either, but we've
got to go with it," Squall said to her. "He made me Commander and Garden hasn't
blown up, yet."
Rinoa laughed. "And it probably won't if you stay Commander. I think you should
go talk to Zell. Ask him what he's thinking about everything so far. He doesn't
talk to us that much anymore. I don't blame him, though. We don't listen to what
he has to say half the time, anyway, do we?" Squall considered this for a
moment.
"You're right, we don't, do we? Where is he?" Squall asked, letting go of her.
She turned around to face him.
"He's down in the bunks copying the Book some more. No one else volunteered for
it, so he's doing it, I guess. Go talk to him, Squall. He's just as nervous as
any of us right now."
"I'm going to. I have to talk to him about what Edea and Cid told me outside the
Ragnarok before I got back in the ship. They said if he gives a prophecy he
might have something like a seizure. And I have to talk to him about other
things," Squall said.
"A seizure...? Why didn't they tell the rest of us?"
"I don't know," Squall replied. "I guess they wanted me to be the one to tell
you guys, like always, I guess. Do me a favor and tell everyone else while I'm
gone to talk to him, okay? I'll be back after I talk to him. He'll either come
up here and sit with us or I'll stay down there with him while he copies the
Book. Edea said not to leave him by himself for anything, so I'm not."
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Squall entered the hallway of the bunks. He knocked on the first door he came
to, knowing Zell would be there. He always stayed in the first bunk, no matter
what anyone said. Squall remembered asking him about it earlier and he had said
that it made him feel safer with him in the first bunk. He liked being the first
line of defense, he said.
Squall knew how he felt about that. He couldn't stand it if anything happened to
any of his friends. There was nothing in the world that could keep him from them
if they were in danger.
"C'mon in," Zell called from behind the door. Squall pressed the button next to
the door and it slid open silently, revealing Zell on the bed. He was copying
down the Book into a blue notebook. He looked up from his writing. "Yeah?"
Squall sat down on the other bed in the room and slouched over, looking down at
the floor. "I need to talk to you about something." He didn't look up.
Zell put the Book and notebook on the bedside table next to the lamp. He swung
his feet over the side of the bed. He looked at Squall uneasily. "What'd I do?"
A smile appeared on Squall's face, but was gone as quickly as it had appeared.
"You didn't do anything, Zell," Squall said to him reassuringly. Zell breathed a
sigh of relief.
"You scared me for a second there. What's this about, then, if I didn't do
nothin'?" he asked, leaning forward and putting his hands together.
"Edea told me, before I got back on the Ragnarok, that if you give a prophecy,
you'll probably....have something similar to a seizure. Why she left it up to me
to tell you is beyond me. I don't know why she didn't tell you herself, but she
didn't. You're to stay with me or one of the others from now on. You can't be
left alone," Squall said, still not making eye contact with Zell. Zell stared at
him.
"A seizure.....? Is there a way to stop it, I mean, keep me from having it?" he
asked.
Squall looked up at him. "I don't know. The only way to stop it, that I know of,
is to stop wearing the necklace. And that means 'no necklace, no prophecy' if
you even we knew you could give one. I don't want you to get hurt, Zell, but I
*do* want anything that can help us with this next battle we go through. I'm
making it your choice, though, whether or not to wear the necklace, Zell. But,
if you want to keep wearing it, you'll have to stay with one of us all the time
because I don't want anything happening to you if you do have a seizure. If you
choose to wear the necklace, that's *my* order. You won't be left alone."
"I'll keep wearing it, Squall. I have to and you know that," Zell stated
harshly. His expression softened and he looked away at the floor. "But.....I'm
glad you asked me first. I didn't expect that. You could've just ordered me to
keep wearing it and I would've done it. We gotta beat this guy."
Squall looked at the floor and sighed. He closed his eyes. He was so tired of
the fighting. Over the past few months, he had fought so many battles with
people he loved and alongside people he loved, he was sick of it. He had seen
his friends near death from wounds inflicted by physical force and magic. Each
time he cast a life spell or used a phoenix down on a friend, there was a moment
of despair that he hoped it would work and that they were not too far gone. He
couldn't help but plead with them quietly to get up and be alright. He was tired
of having to worry about them when they went off alone by themselves without him
to the pub in Timber or back to the hotel that they were staying at. He was
tired of it all.
Zell reached his hand over and put it on Squall's shoulder. "You alright,
Squall...? You can talk to me, man, I mean if it's anything I said......"
"No, it's nothing you said....this situation's just getting to me already. I'm
just sick of the fighting. I haven't been a SeeD for half a year yet and look at
me. Would you trade me places? You play leader and I'll play prophet," Squall
asked, his face every bit as serious as it had ever been. Zell laughed.
"Me be leader? No way, Jose. Nobody's more suited for the job than you. Besides,
I wouldn't take orders from anyone else. I'd follow you to the end of the world,
man."
Squall looked down at the floor once again. What was it like to trust someone so
completely like that? He didn't trust anyone *that* completely, except Rinoa. He
had told her that even if she became the world's enemy, he would protect her. Be
her knight. He had made an oath to her and he would keep it. If a man couldn't
keep his word, he was no better than an animal.
He didn't want Zell saying that. He didn't know about the vow that Squall had
made to Rinoa; if he had, he wouldn't have made such an oath.
"Don't say that, Zell. Don't," Squall said, looking up at him seriously. "You
don't know me like you think you do." Zell cocked his head very slightly.
"What do you mean 'you don't know me like you think you do'? I don't get what
you're sayin'. What're you talking about?" he replied. Squall looked away. He
felt sorry for him. Zell tried so hard to understand things that seemed so
simple to Squall. He trusted people too much; that was the only mistake Squall
saw in him. Was it a mistake to trust people so much?
"You don't have to explain, Squall," Zell amended. He faltered. "I mean, if you
don't want to. Ummm, I...I just thought, y'know, I-" Squall grabbed him by both
shoulders.
"Don't be so nervous, Zell. I'm not a stranger. You can talk to me without
stuttering like that," Squall said to him, looking him in the eyes. "I said that
because I made a promise to someone and if I ever have to fulfill it, I don't
want you following behind me.
".......If I ever do anything to hurt anyone, an innocent person, you have to
stop me, alright? Swear to me you'll do that, even if you have to kill me. I
can't tell you who I made the promise to, but you have to swear that you'll stop
me."
Zell looked at him uneasily. "I....I guess so....I swear. I'll do it. B'but, why
me? I mean, why not Quistis or Irvine? Or-"
"I picked *you* because I trust *you*," Squall said quickly. "If the time comes,
I know you'll do the right thing and kill me if you have to."
"I don't know if I can-"
"You doubt yourself too much, Zell. I've been meaning to talk to you about that
for a while," Squall said. "If I could pick one person to watch my back in a
fight, it would be you. You know how to get the job done and you know how to
follow orders like a real soldier. You think about other people's safety before
your own. I know what it's probably like listening to me tell you you might have
to kill me, but it's if I didn't, no one would be prepared for it. Just do that
for me if the time comes. That's all I'm asking."
Zell swallowed. "I'll do it," he said in a small voice. "Only if I absolutely
have to, I'll do it. But, you're asking a lot of me," Zell held out his hand and
Squall shook it.
"I knew you'd understand." Squall let go of his hand and sighed. "I'm glad I got
that off my chest. Now, I can breathe. Are you coming up to the cockpit or
staying down here?"
"I still have to finish copying this Book to the notebook," Zell said, waving
his hand toward the bedside table. "I was going to try and finish as much as I
could before we got back to Balamb."
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Squall and the others walked down the main hall of Balamb Garden at about 1
o'clock in the afternoon. Zell yawned and popped his back. "God, I'm tired. Is
anybody else hungry?"
Selphie put her hand up, index finger pointed at the ceiling. "That would be me.
I didn't eat much at breakfast. Matron's cooking hasn't improved since we lived
there. I still remember the times we raked the food out into the dogs' bowls.
There were good meals, though. You guys remember the spaghetti?" she asked as
they continued down the hall toward the cafeteria. Zell smiled.
"If I remember anything, it's the spaghetti. But, my Ma's is better, though. You
guys gotta come over one Sunday and eat with me and *my* family. There's nothing
better than eating a big meal with *big* family strown all over the house an' in
the yard. You guys gotta come over the next Sunday we get together like that.
There's like, 15 people that come already."
"Hey, that would be great, don't you think, Squall?" Rinoa asked.
"Maybe," Squall replied, keeping his eyes on where he was walking. "But, we
still have to save the world before we do that, remember?" he said, chuckling.
Irvine, who stood behind him, moved forward and looked at Squall's face.
"Did you just laugh?" Squall gave him a sideways glance.
".........whatever." Irvine spread his arms wide.
"There's hope, people!! There is hope for this man!" Irvine cheered.
Xu's voice suddenly seemed to spring from the ceiling.
#Squall Leonhart, Zell Dincht, Selphie Tilmitt, Quistis Trepe, Irvine Kinneas,
and Rinoa Heartilly report to the bridge immediately. You have a new mission.
That is all.#
Zell looked at Squall, a worried look in his eyes. "You think.....this is
it....? I mean, Galbadia Garden.....?"
"It might be," Squall answered. "We'll find out soon enough. Let's go get this
over with, you guys."
________________________________________________________________________________________________
The group stepped into the elevator and Squall inserted his security clearance
card into the slot to reach the third floor. The computer beeped and the third
floor button lit up, acknowledging the group's clearance to continue. The motor
whirred and they were lifted from the first floor. They stood silent, each one
having his own thoughts about what lied ahead for them.
This was the beginning of a new mission. A new, harder mission that put the
crusade to defeat Ultimecia to shame. Squall's thoughts were on Rinoa and her
being a sorceress. How would this battle and being in the prophecies affect her?
Irvine's thoughts were on Galbadia Garden. He silently prayed for the safety of
his friends that lived there.
Quistis only thought about the innocent lives that would be lost in this new
war. How many were they going to be able to save? And how many would die
mercilessly, without cause and hope of survival? She weeped inside for the
children who would lose their parents and the parents who would lose their
children. The survivors of couples who would be destroyed. Many would perish
very soon, that was the only thing she was certain of.
Rinoa thought of the prophecies and how they were going to follow the right path
that lead to salvation. But, she, too knew only one thing for certain: events
caused by people always lead either to temporary salvation or eternal damnation.
Selphie wondered how they were going to beat this new force. They had fought
three sorceresses, but not a sorcerer. Was he going to be that much more
powerful? She prayed he wouldn't be. She had lost enough friends in the disaster
at Trabia Garden when the missiles struck a direct hit.
Zell's mind was on his family. He had family near Galbadia Garden and would not
see them hurt for anything, adopted family or not. He swore to himself on his
life that if anything happened to his family and friends, they would be avenged,
regardless of the cost on his part. The people near him he would watch over in
the upcoming battles and make sure nothing happened to any of them. They were
also his family.
The bridge itself not being Headmaster Cid's office anymore, the room had been
refitted into a briefing room of sorts, complete with rows of blueseats and an
oak podium with the sky blue-colored seal of Balamb Garden on the front. The
entrance to the actual bridge was behind the podium. Xu sat in one of the seats
in the front row. She looked back and stood up as the elevator came to a halt
and the doors slid open. She spoke.
"Please sit down," she said to them as the group got off of the elevator. They
all obliged her and sat down in the front row of seats, all leaning forward
anxiously awaiting their orders.
She stood in front of them all and spoke. "......Galbadia Garden has been taken
over. The students have been kicked out, all with injuries of some sort. None
dead, that we know of," she said, speaking to Irvine. He let a sigh of relief.
"They were nearly electrocuted, most of them. Others were frostbitten and even
still others with physical injuries. All done by one man, seemingly not over
twenty years old. We have reports that his name is Danda and he has openly
declared himself to be a sorcer*er*. I have not ever heard of there being such a
thing as a sorcerer, only a sorceress. Not even Edea took Galbadia Garden by
herself: she needed the help of Seifer and students that had allied themselves
with her. We've got a dangerous mission on our hands once more. Will you go to
Galbadia Garden, you and the others, Squall? You're the Commander, it's your
decision."
"Yes, we're going. We knew about this before now," he said to her. "Don't ask
how, don't ask why, we just did. Understood?" Xu was taken aback.
"How could you.....? We just got the call this morning....."
"I said don't ask any questions, Xu. We just did," Squall said. "We're leaving
now." They all got up from their seats and headed for the door. Zell punched the
air.
"Time to kick some sorcerer butt!!!!" Squall turned to him.
"You're staying here." Zell's jaw nearly hit the floor.
"But, Squall, I-"
Squall made his way back through the group to where Zell and Xu stood. He
pointed a finger at Zell. "No 'buts'. You said you didn't see yourself in the
prophecy,"
"What's this about a prophecy?" Xu piped up.
"If the prophecy is kept from happening, the world ends," Squall said, ignoring
Xu.
"End of the world? What are you talking about?"
Zell looked up at him desperately. "Squall, I want to go. I'll stay in the
Ragnarok, just in case, okay? I'll-"
"NO!!!" Squall barked harshly. "That's the end of it!!! It has to happen, Zell,
whether or not you want it to!! You're staying here and that's the end of it!!!
You're not going to mess this up." Squall looked down at him angrily. He didn't understand
their situation, the danger they were in. How could he not? "This isn't going to end like Timber did."
Rinoa and the others stood wide-eyed behind Squall. They had never seen him
strike out at anyone like that, let alone Zell.
Zell stared up at him, stricken by his words. His mouth was open slightly, forming an
'O'. He searched Squall's hazel eyes for any sign of unsincerity in what he had said. He swallowed slightly, afraid to even make a sound. He only wanted to go to
make sure everyone would be alright. How wrong was that?
Squall turned back, walking through his more-than-surprised friends and getting
on the elevator. "C'mon, everyone. Let's get to Galbadia Garden," he said
tonelessly.
Squall reentered the cockpit of the Ragnarok and looked around. Selphie sat in
the pilot's seat and as always, Irvine in the co-pilot's seat. She turned around
and looked up at Squall as he stepped off the elevator.
"Ready to go, commander?" she asked him. Squall nodded.
"Let's get outta here," he answered her. "And don't call me that, Selphie." The
engine roared to life and Selphie lifted them gracefully into the air.
"But, that's what you are, Squall. I can't call you any less," she said,
smirking. Squall sighed, putting his hand to his forehead.
"Headmaster Cid let's his friends call him by his name, Selphie, regardless of
*where* he is. Just call me 'Squall', no matter where *we* are, alright?"
"I don't know why you're so against being called by your title, Squall. It's not
anything to be ashamed of," Irvine said to him, propping his feet up on the
control panel.
"..................whatever."
Selphie looked over at Irvine, at his feet, then back at him, obviously annoyed.
He looked at her, an eyebrow raised. ".......what?"
"Get your feet off the control panel, ya ninny! You press a wrong button on that
thing and we all go 'ka-boom'!!" Selphie scolded. She had been made the official
pilot of the ship by Headmaster Cid after the defeat of Ultimecia. She treated
the ship like it was her child.
"Okay, okay," Irvine said, picking his feet up off the control panel. "Better?"
Selphie smiled sweetly.
"Much better."
Squall placed his hand on his forehead once more. (I'm surrounded..........) He
noticed Rinoa looking out the window at the clouds that were now below them.
Leaving Selphie and Irvine to their conversation, he walked up behind her and
put his arms around her neck. She turned her head around and kissed him on the
cheek.
"Are you nervous?" she asked him, gazing out the window again.
".....I don't know. We don't know what we're up against first-hand.....I guess
I'm kind of nervous about that prophecy that Zell told us he saw. It
specifically mentions you and me, Rinoa."
"I'm worried about Zell. I wonder what he's thinking right now? He just got a
lot of responsibility dumped on him. I don't think that's fair of Headmaster Cid
to do that. Zell doesn't have any experience with that kind of responsibility;
he's got to be nervous about doing what Edea and Cid told him. I wonder what's
going through his mind?" Rinoa thought aloud.
"Probably the same thing I thought when Headmaster Cid made me Commander of
Garden. I didn't think I was suited for the job and Zell probably doesn't think
he's suited for this one, either, but it's his necklace, he found the Book, he
saw the prophecy. I don't think it's fair that Cid did that, either, but we've
got to go with it," Squall said to her. "He made me Commander and Garden hasn't
blown up, yet."
Rinoa laughed. "And it probably won't if you stay Commander. I think you should
go talk to Zell. Ask him what he's thinking about everything so far. He doesn't
talk to us that much anymore. I don't blame him, though. We don't listen to what
he has to say half the time, anyway, do we?" Squall considered this for a
moment.
"You're right, we don't, do we? Where is he?" Squall asked, letting go of her.
She turned around to face him.
"He's down in the bunks copying the Book some more. No one else volunteered for
it, so he's doing it, I guess. Go talk to him, Squall. He's just as nervous as
any of us right now."
"I'm going to. I have to talk to him about what Edea and Cid told me outside the
Ragnarok before I got back in the ship. They said if he gives a prophecy he
might have something like a seizure. And I have to talk to him about other
things," Squall said.
"A seizure...? Why didn't they tell the rest of us?"
"I don't know," Squall replied. "I guess they wanted me to be the one to tell
you guys, like always, I guess. Do me a favor and tell everyone else while I'm
gone to talk to him, okay? I'll be back after I talk to him. He'll either come
up here and sit with us or I'll stay down there with him while he copies the
Book. Edea said not to leave him by himself for anything, so I'm not."
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Squall entered the hallway of the bunks. He knocked on the first door he came
to, knowing Zell would be there. He always stayed in the first bunk, no matter
what anyone said. Squall remembered asking him about it earlier and he had said
that it made him feel safer with him in the first bunk. He liked being the first
line of defense, he said.
Squall knew how he felt about that. He couldn't stand it if anything happened to
any of his friends. There was nothing in the world that could keep him from them
if they were in danger.
"C'mon in," Zell called from behind the door. Squall pressed the button next to
the door and it slid open silently, revealing Zell on the bed. He was copying
down the Book into a blue notebook. He looked up from his writing. "Yeah?"
Squall sat down on the other bed in the room and slouched over, looking down at
the floor. "I need to talk to you about something." He didn't look up.
Zell put the Book and notebook on the bedside table next to the lamp. He swung
his feet over the side of the bed. He looked at Squall uneasily. "What'd I do?"
A smile appeared on Squall's face, but was gone as quickly as it had appeared.
"You didn't do anything, Zell," Squall said to him reassuringly. Zell breathed a
sigh of relief.
"You scared me for a second there. What's this about, then, if I didn't do
nothin'?" he asked, leaning forward and putting his hands together.
"Edea told me, before I got back on the Ragnarok, that if you give a prophecy,
you'll probably....have something similar to a seizure. Why she left it up to me
to tell you is beyond me. I don't know why she didn't tell you herself, but she
didn't. You're to stay with me or one of the others from now on. You can't be
left alone," Squall said, still not making eye contact with Zell. Zell stared at
him.
"A seizure.....? Is there a way to stop it, I mean, keep me from having it?" he
asked.
Squall looked up at him. "I don't know. The only way to stop it, that I know of,
is to stop wearing the necklace. And that means 'no necklace, no prophecy' if
you even we knew you could give one. I don't want you to get hurt, Zell, but I
*do* want anything that can help us with this next battle we go through. I'm
making it your choice, though, whether or not to wear the necklace, Zell. But,
if you want to keep wearing it, you'll have to stay with one of us all the time
because I don't want anything happening to you if you do have a seizure. If you
choose to wear the necklace, that's *my* order. You won't be left alone."
"I'll keep wearing it, Squall. I have to and you know that," Zell stated
harshly. His expression softened and he looked away at the floor. "But.....I'm
glad you asked me first. I didn't expect that. You could've just ordered me to
keep wearing it and I would've done it. We gotta beat this guy."
Squall looked at the floor and sighed. He closed his eyes. He was so tired of
the fighting. Over the past few months, he had fought so many battles with
people he loved and alongside people he loved, he was sick of it. He had seen
his friends near death from wounds inflicted by physical force and magic. Each
time he cast a life spell or used a phoenix down on a friend, there was a moment
of despair that he hoped it would work and that they were not too far gone. He
couldn't help but plead with them quietly to get up and be alright. He was tired
of having to worry about them when they went off alone by themselves without him
to the pub in Timber or back to the hotel that they were staying at. He was
tired of it all.
Zell reached his hand over and put it on Squall's shoulder. "You alright,
Squall...? You can talk to me, man, I mean if it's anything I said......"
"No, it's nothing you said....this situation's just getting to me already. I'm
just sick of the fighting. I haven't been a SeeD for half a year yet and look at
me. Would you trade me places? You play leader and I'll play prophet," Squall
asked, his face every bit as serious as it had ever been. Zell laughed.
"Me be leader? No way, Jose. Nobody's more suited for the job than you. Besides,
I wouldn't take orders from anyone else. I'd follow you to the end of the world,
man."
Squall looked down at the floor once again. What was it like to trust someone so
completely like that? He didn't trust anyone *that* completely, except Rinoa. He
had told her that even if she became the world's enemy, he would protect her. Be
her knight. He had made an oath to her and he would keep it. If a man couldn't
keep his word, he was no better than an animal.
He didn't want Zell saying that. He didn't know about the vow that Squall had
made to Rinoa; if he had, he wouldn't have made such an oath.
"Don't say that, Zell. Don't," Squall said, looking up at him seriously. "You
don't know me like you think you do." Zell cocked his head very slightly.
"What do you mean 'you don't know me like you think you do'? I don't get what
you're sayin'. What're you talking about?" he replied. Squall looked away. He
felt sorry for him. Zell tried so hard to understand things that seemed so
simple to Squall. He trusted people too much; that was the only mistake Squall
saw in him. Was it a mistake to trust people so much?
"You don't have to explain, Squall," Zell amended. He faltered. "I mean, if you
don't want to. Ummm, I...I just thought, y'know, I-" Squall grabbed him by both
shoulders.
"Don't be so nervous, Zell. I'm not a stranger. You can talk to me without
stuttering like that," Squall said to him, looking him in the eyes. "I said that
because I made a promise to someone and if I ever have to fulfill it, I don't
want you following behind me.
".......If I ever do anything to hurt anyone, an innocent person, you have to
stop me, alright? Swear to me you'll do that, even if you have to kill me. I
can't tell you who I made the promise to, but you have to swear that you'll stop
me."
Zell looked at him uneasily. "I....I guess so....I swear. I'll do it. B'but, why
me? I mean, why not Quistis or Irvine? Or-"
"I picked *you* because I trust *you*," Squall said quickly. "If the time comes,
I know you'll do the right thing and kill me if you have to."
"I don't know if I can-"
"You doubt yourself too much, Zell. I've been meaning to talk to you about that
for a while," Squall said. "If I could pick one person to watch my back in a
fight, it would be you. You know how to get the job done and you know how to
follow orders like a real soldier. You think about other people's safety before
your own. I know what it's probably like listening to me tell you you might have
to kill me, but it's if I didn't, no one would be prepared for it. Just do that
for me if the time comes. That's all I'm asking."
Zell swallowed. "I'll do it," he said in a small voice. "Only if I absolutely
have to, I'll do it. But, you're asking a lot of me," Zell held out his hand and
Squall shook it.
"I knew you'd understand." Squall let go of his hand and sighed. "I'm glad I got
that off my chest. Now, I can breathe. Are you coming up to the cockpit or
staying down here?"
"I still have to finish copying this Book to the notebook," Zell said, waving
his hand toward the bedside table. "I was going to try and finish as much as I
could before we got back to Balamb."
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Squall and the others walked down the main hall of Balamb Garden at about 1
o'clock in the afternoon. Zell yawned and popped his back. "God, I'm tired. Is
anybody else hungry?"
Selphie put her hand up, index finger pointed at the ceiling. "That would be me.
I didn't eat much at breakfast. Matron's cooking hasn't improved since we lived
there. I still remember the times we raked the food out into the dogs' bowls.
There were good meals, though. You guys remember the spaghetti?" she asked as
they continued down the hall toward the cafeteria. Zell smiled.
"If I remember anything, it's the spaghetti. But, my Ma's is better, though. You
guys gotta come over one Sunday and eat with me and *my* family. There's nothing
better than eating a big meal with *big* family strown all over the house an' in
the yard. You guys gotta come over the next Sunday we get together like that.
There's like, 15 people that come already."
"Hey, that would be great, don't you think, Squall?" Rinoa asked.
"Maybe," Squall replied, keeping his eyes on where he was walking. "But, we
still have to save the world before we do that, remember?" he said, chuckling.
Irvine, who stood behind him, moved forward and looked at Squall's face.
"Did you just laugh?" Squall gave him a sideways glance.
".........whatever." Irvine spread his arms wide.
"There's hope, people!! There is hope for this man!" Irvine cheered.
Xu's voice suddenly seemed to spring from the ceiling.
#Squall Leonhart, Zell Dincht, Selphie Tilmitt, Quistis Trepe, Irvine Kinneas,
and Rinoa Heartilly report to the bridge immediately. You have a new mission.
That is all.#
Zell looked at Squall, a worried look in his eyes. "You think.....this is
it....? I mean, Galbadia Garden.....?"
"It might be," Squall answered. "We'll find out soon enough. Let's go get this
over with, you guys."
________________________________________________________________________________________________
The group stepped into the elevator and Squall inserted his security clearance
card into the slot to reach the third floor. The computer beeped and the third
floor button lit up, acknowledging the group's clearance to continue. The motor
whirred and they were lifted from the first floor. They stood silent, each one
having his own thoughts about what lied ahead for them.
This was the beginning of a new mission. A new, harder mission that put the
crusade to defeat Ultimecia to shame. Squall's thoughts were on Rinoa and her
being a sorceress. How would this battle and being in the prophecies affect her?
Irvine's thoughts were on Galbadia Garden. He silently prayed for the safety of
his friends that lived there.
Quistis only thought about the innocent lives that would be lost in this new
war. How many were they going to be able to save? And how many would die
mercilessly, without cause and hope of survival? She weeped inside for the
children who would lose their parents and the parents who would lose their
children. The survivors of couples who would be destroyed. Many would perish
very soon, that was the only thing she was certain of.
Rinoa thought of the prophecies and how they were going to follow the right path
that lead to salvation. But, she, too knew only one thing for certain: events
caused by people always lead either to temporary salvation or eternal damnation.
Selphie wondered how they were going to beat this new force. They had fought
three sorceresses, but not a sorcerer. Was he going to be that much more
powerful? She prayed he wouldn't be. She had lost enough friends in the disaster
at Trabia Garden when the missiles struck a direct hit.
Zell's mind was on his family. He had family near Galbadia Garden and would not
see them hurt for anything, adopted family or not. He swore to himself on his
life that if anything happened to his family and friends, they would be avenged,
regardless of the cost on his part. The people near him he would watch over in
the upcoming battles and make sure nothing happened to any of them. They were
also his family.
The bridge itself not being Headmaster Cid's office anymore, the room had been
refitted into a briefing room of sorts, complete with rows of blueseats and an
oak podium with the sky blue-colored seal of Balamb Garden on the front. The
entrance to the actual bridge was behind the podium. Xu sat in one of the seats
in the front row. She looked back and stood up as the elevator came to a halt
and the doors slid open. She spoke.
"Please sit down," she said to them as the group got off of the elevator. They
all obliged her and sat down in the front row of seats, all leaning forward
anxiously awaiting their orders.
She stood in front of them all and spoke. "......Galbadia Garden has been taken
over. The students have been kicked out, all with injuries of some sort. None
dead, that we know of," she said, speaking to Irvine. He let a sigh of relief.
"They were nearly electrocuted, most of them. Others were frostbitten and even
still others with physical injuries. All done by one man, seemingly not over
twenty years old. We have reports that his name is Danda and he has openly
declared himself to be a sorcer*er*. I have not ever heard of there being such a
thing as a sorcerer, only a sorceress. Not even Edea took Galbadia Garden by
herself: she needed the help of Seifer and students that had allied themselves
with her. We've got a dangerous mission on our hands once more. Will you go to
Galbadia Garden, you and the others, Squall? You're the Commander, it's your
decision."
"Yes, we're going. We knew about this before now," he said to her. "Don't ask
how, don't ask why, we just did. Understood?" Xu was taken aback.
"How could you.....? We just got the call this morning....."
"I said don't ask any questions, Xu. We just did," Squall said. "We're leaving
now." They all got up from their seats and headed for the door. Zell punched the
air.
"Time to kick some sorcerer butt!!!!" Squall turned to him.
"You're staying here." Zell's jaw nearly hit the floor.
"But, Squall, I-"
Squall made his way back through the group to where Zell and Xu stood. He
pointed a finger at Zell. "No 'buts'. You said you didn't see yourself in the
prophecy,"
"What's this about a prophecy?" Xu piped up.
"If the prophecy is kept from happening, the world ends," Squall said, ignoring
Xu.
"End of the world? What are you talking about?"
Zell looked up at him desperately. "Squall, I want to go. I'll stay in the
Ragnarok, just in case, okay? I'll-"
"NO!!!" Squall barked harshly. "That's the end of it!!! It has to happen, Zell,
whether or not you want it to!! You're staying here and that's the end of it!!!
You're not going to mess this up." Squall looked down at him angrily. He didn't understand
their situation, the danger they were in. How could he not? "This isn't going to end like Timber did."
Rinoa and the others stood wide-eyed behind Squall. They had never seen him
strike out at anyone like that, let alone Zell.
Zell stared up at him, stricken by his words. His mouth was open slightly, forming an
'O'. He searched Squall's hazel eyes for any sign of unsincerity in what he had said. He swallowed slightly, afraid to even make a sound. He only wanted to go to
make sure everyone would be alright. How wrong was that?
Squall turned back, walking through his more-than-surprised friends and getting
on the elevator. "C'mon, everyone. Let's get to Galbadia Garden," he said
tonelessly.