Chapter Five: Additional Loss
Edea's house was in a horrible state of disrepair. Cid and his wife had died over thirty years ago, and no one was taking care of the home. One wall had fallen clean off, causing a significant draft. Selphie sat in the main room right now, her head in her hands, looking out at the view of the flower field.
Irvine walked into the room, "Sefie?" She sighed, he sat next to her, "Are you alright?"
She sighed again and stood up, "Fifty years ago, we stood… here. Don't know exactly what we did, but we had fun." She smiled bitterly and turned to Irvine, "Our orphanage gang is short two."
"Two?"
"Quistis and Seifer. He may have turned, but he WAS part of the gang."
Irvine nodded, "Yeah, only four left now."
She shook her head, "My memory still fades."
"We were junctioned too long."
She turned back and looked at the field, "If I live long enough… will I forget Quistis? The only reason I remember the orphanage is because someone is always there to remind me. But…"
Irvine stood and gripped her on the shoulders, "Don't think that way. We'll never forget Quistis. She was always there for us."
She sniffled a bit, "I know, but… I guess I just never expected any of us to die. We're supposed to be immortal, y'know? And so soon after…"
She bowed her head, "The two of them."
"Losing them is tragic, but we have to move on."
"It's just as if… is the ending coming, Irvy?"
"Hey," he said with a laugh, trying to lighten up the mood, "my Sefie does not think that way. What happened to the optimistic Selphie we all knew and wondered about?"
She smiled, "I'm still here. Just old, and starting to wonder."
They raised their heads and looked out at the field together. It only lasted for a moment, as Zell stumbled into the room, "Oh, hey guys." He looked at them, "Oh… sorry."
Selphie turned around, "No, stay, we were just… remembering."
Squall entered the room and took a look around, "What's going on?"
Everyone looked around, and finally, Irvine spoke, "We're the remaining four."
Squall thought for a moment, then he realized what they were talking about, "Yeah." He gave a small grin, "But really, what were the odds that we'd make it to where we are now? I thought we were all dead during the Ultemicia thing. When Seifer pulled the knife on me in Esthar, I could've sworn I was finished but…"
Selphie whispered, "Jasmine."
"Yeah. Then the bomb in Deling, what were the odds that Miles would've gotten Rinoa and me out of THAT one? Zell, there's your escape from Winhill. Selphie, there is your little escapade during the Trabia Crisis. I mean… we're lucky to still be alive."
Zell sat down and bowed his head, "Good thing we all quit the biz, huh? How much longer would our luck have lasted?"
Irvine raised his hands up, "Whoa, wait up. Can we NOT look at this negatively? I mean, we're alive, ain't that good for something?"
Selphie nodded, "Yeah, no good just sitting around thinking pessimistically. Think about what we have. What we've done."
Zell smiled, "Fifty years ago, did you ever think that we'd be heroes, that we'd fight the Second Sorceress War?"
Squall shook his head, "Of course not, I bet most of us were thinking that we'd do anything to PREVENT that war. Most of us were orphans because of it. I was an orphan because it ended."
"Strange course of events, huh?"
"Yeah."
Zell looked around, "Hey, where's Rinoa?"
"She's with the kids."
Selphie smiled, "Squall, they're twenty-seven and eighteen, I don't think they're kids anymore."
Squall nodded, "Yeah, well, when I realize that they've grown up, I realize I'm just getting older, so don't remind me, alright?"
Selphie laughed, "I envy you two."
Squall cracked a small smile. Selphie and Irvine had never had children. They had tried, but it had never happened.
"Well," he said, trying to keep off of a touchy subject, "Maybe we should make sure she hasn't smothered them to death."
He walked out of the room, and headed outside, where most of the others were hanging around. He walked over to Rinoa, who was sitting alone, looking out at the sea.
"Hey, are you alright?"
She looked up at him, "I'll be fine."
"I'm surprised you aren't all over the kids."
She smiled slightly, "Well, I guess I just needed to think."
He backed up a step, "Do you want to be alone?"
She reached out and held his hand, "No, it helps to have you around."
He smiled slightly and sat next to her. She sighed slightly, "I just can't believe she's gone."
"None of us can."
"She was always so… silent, but…somehow…"
"Poignant."
Rinoa laid her head on his shoulder, "Yeah. Thanks."
He looked at her, and then back to the sea, "How're the kids holding up?"
"Julia is taking it kind of hard, I'm not sure about Neos."
"He acts like I did sometimes."
She sighed, "Yeah, but at least SOMETIMES he acts normal."
Squall cracked a smile, "Yeah."
She lifted her head up and stared into Squall's eyes, "Talk to Miles."
"What's wrong?"
"He's really taking it hard."
"After Jasmine, I'd imagine." She sighed as he pushed himself up, "I'll be right back." He walked over to Miles, who was sitting up against a wall, flipping around a picture taken long ago. Squall caught a glimpse of it. It featured the entire gang, a few weeks after the FH incident.
Squall sat down next to Miles, "Things were simple then."
Miles slowly turned to Squall, "Seems like forever."
"Only what? Twenty-seven years?"
"Yeah."
"Wow. Who would have thought it? I'm fifty-four, which means half my life has passed since then."
Miles thought for a moment, "Jasmine was seventeen then. She would have been fourty-four in three weeks. Her first half ended at twenty-two."
Squall mentally kicked himself, "Look, I'm sorry."
"For what? For living? Squall, you apologize too much."
"Look…"
"I've stopped being upset, and just started accepting it. I mean, I'll never get over it, but I can't kill myself over her death. What bugs me is that it seems like when I take control; everything goes wrong for the Garden. What am I supposed to do?"
"Wait, Quistis was natural."
"Yeah, but that's not the real point here, the point is that… damn it I don't know what the point is. All I know is that her death, is not only sad, but a reminder that many more are going to die unless I make a move and stop this son of a bitch. Someone out there has a vendetta against Garden, and I don't know how to stop him. I don't know who he is!"
"Vendetta against Garden?"
"Oh yeah, you haven't heard."
"Do tell."
"I'll make it simple. We thought we had the guy who killed Jasmine, and busted down his door. When we got there, he was dead with a note that promised more death. We moved to the next guy, and the next guy, and so one, they were all dead. They all had a similar note."
"By Hyne."
"Yeah. I know I can take him, but we have to get to him first. I mean, this guy is… he knows what we're gonna do before we do it. He's like Harket."
"That was bad."
"Very. This is worse. At least with Harket you knew who you could trust. What if this is somebody within Garden?"
Squall sighed, "Right. Well, do you have any idea?"
"Just that he is somewhere in Esthar."
Squall rolled his eyes, "That helps a lot."
"Yeah."
Squall sighed, "Well, I know you guys can do this. You've pulled off taking down armies. I think one man will be fairly simple."
Miles shook his head, "With the armies, there were two sides. Now," he looked up at Squall, "I can't trust anyone."
Edea's house was in a horrible state of disrepair. Cid and his wife had died over thirty years ago, and no one was taking care of the home. One wall had fallen clean off, causing a significant draft. Selphie sat in the main room right now, her head in her hands, looking out at the view of the flower field.
Irvine walked into the room, "Sefie?" She sighed, he sat next to her, "Are you alright?"
She sighed again and stood up, "Fifty years ago, we stood… here. Don't know exactly what we did, but we had fun." She smiled bitterly and turned to Irvine, "Our orphanage gang is short two."
"Two?"
"Quistis and Seifer. He may have turned, but he WAS part of the gang."
Irvine nodded, "Yeah, only four left now."
She shook her head, "My memory still fades."
"We were junctioned too long."
She turned back and looked at the field, "If I live long enough… will I forget Quistis? The only reason I remember the orphanage is because someone is always there to remind me. But…"
Irvine stood and gripped her on the shoulders, "Don't think that way. We'll never forget Quistis. She was always there for us."
She sniffled a bit, "I know, but… I guess I just never expected any of us to die. We're supposed to be immortal, y'know? And so soon after…"
She bowed her head, "The two of them."
"Losing them is tragic, but we have to move on."
"It's just as if… is the ending coming, Irvy?"
"Hey," he said with a laugh, trying to lighten up the mood, "my Sefie does not think that way. What happened to the optimistic Selphie we all knew and wondered about?"
She smiled, "I'm still here. Just old, and starting to wonder."
They raised their heads and looked out at the field together. It only lasted for a moment, as Zell stumbled into the room, "Oh, hey guys." He looked at them, "Oh… sorry."
Selphie turned around, "No, stay, we were just… remembering."
Squall entered the room and took a look around, "What's going on?"
Everyone looked around, and finally, Irvine spoke, "We're the remaining four."
Squall thought for a moment, then he realized what they were talking about, "Yeah." He gave a small grin, "But really, what were the odds that we'd make it to where we are now? I thought we were all dead during the Ultemicia thing. When Seifer pulled the knife on me in Esthar, I could've sworn I was finished but…"
Selphie whispered, "Jasmine."
"Yeah. Then the bomb in Deling, what were the odds that Miles would've gotten Rinoa and me out of THAT one? Zell, there's your escape from Winhill. Selphie, there is your little escapade during the Trabia Crisis. I mean… we're lucky to still be alive."
Zell sat down and bowed his head, "Good thing we all quit the biz, huh? How much longer would our luck have lasted?"
Irvine raised his hands up, "Whoa, wait up. Can we NOT look at this negatively? I mean, we're alive, ain't that good for something?"
Selphie nodded, "Yeah, no good just sitting around thinking pessimistically. Think about what we have. What we've done."
Zell smiled, "Fifty years ago, did you ever think that we'd be heroes, that we'd fight the Second Sorceress War?"
Squall shook his head, "Of course not, I bet most of us were thinking that we'd do anything to PREVENT that war. Most of us were orphans because of it. I was an orphan because it ended."
"Strange course of events, huh?"
"Yeah."
Zell looked around, "Hey, where's Rinoa?"
"She's with the kids."
Selphie smiled, "Squall, they're twenty-seven and eighteen, I don't think they're kids anymore."
Squall nodded, "Yeah, well, when I realize that they've grown up, I realize I'm just getting older, so don't remind me, alright?"
Selphie laughed, "I envy you two."
Squall cracked a small smile. Selphie and Irvine had never had children. They had tried, but it had never happened.
"Well," he said, trying to keep off of a touchy subject, "Maybe we should make sure she hasn't smothered them to death."
He walked out of the room, and headed outside, where most of the others were hanging around. He walked over to Rinoa, who was sitting alone, looking out at the sea.
"Hey, are you alright?"
She looked up at him, "I'll be fine."
"I'm surprised you aren't all over the kids."
She smiled slightly, "Well, I guess I just needed to think."
He backed up a step, "Do you want to be alone?"
She reached out and held his hand, "No, it helps to have you around."
He smiled slightly and sat next to her. She sighed slightly, "I just can't believe she's gone."
"None of us can."
"She was always so… silent, but…somehow…"
"Poignant."
Rinoa laid her head on his shoulder, "Yeah. Thanks."
He looked at her, and then back to the sea, "How're the kids holding up?"
"Julia is taking it kind of hard, I'm not sure about Neos."
"He acts like I did sometimes."
She sighed, "Yeah, but at least SOMETIMES he acts normal."
Squall cracked a smile, "Yeah."
She lifted her head up and stared into Squall's eyes, "Talk to Miles."
"What's wrong?"
"He's really taking it hard."
"After Jasmine, I'd imagine." She sighed as he pushed himself up, "I'll be right back." He walked over to Miles, who was sitting up against a wall, flipping around a picture taken long ago. Squall caught a glimpse of it. It featured the entire gang, a few weeks after the FH incident.
Squall sat down next to Miles, "Things were simple then."
Miles slowly turned to Squall, "Seems like forever."
"Only what? Twenty-seven years?"
"Yeah."
"Wow. Who would have thought it? I'm fifty-four, which means half my life has passed since then."
Miles thought for a moment, "Jasmine was seventeen then. She would have been fourty-four in three weeks. Her first half ended at twenty-two."
Squall mentally kicked himself, "Look, I'm sorry."
"For what? For living? Squall, you apologize too much."
"Look…"
"I've stopped being upset, and just started accepting it. I mean, I'll never get over it, but I can't kill myself over her death. What bugs me is that it seems like when I take control; everything goes wrong for the Garden. What am I supposed to do?"
"Wait, Quistis was natural."
"Yeah, but that's not the real point here, the point is that… damn it I don't know what the point is. All I know is that her death, is not only sad, but a reminder that many more are going to die unless I make a move and stop this son of a bitch. Someone out there has a vendetta against Garden, and I don't know how to stop him. I don't know who he is!"
"Vendetta against Garden?"
"Oh yeah, you haven't heard."
"Do tell."
"I'll make it simple. We thought we had the guy who killed Jasmine, and busted down his door. When we got there, he was dead with a note that promised more death. We moved to the next guy, and the next guy, and so one, they were all dead. They all had a similar note."
"By Hyne."
"Yeah. I know I can take him, but we have to get to him first. I mean, this guy is… he knows what we're gonna do before we do it. He's like Harket."
"That was bad."
"Very. This is worse. At least with Harket you knew who you could trust. What if this is somebody within Garden?"
Squall sighed, "Right. Well, do you have any idea?"
"Just that he is somewhere in Esthar."
Squall rolled his eyes, "That helps a lot."
"Yeah."
Squall sighed, "Well, I know you guys can do this. You've pulled off taking down armies. I think one man will be fairly simple."
Miles shook his head, "With the armies, there were two sides. Now," he looked up at Squall, "I can't trust anyone."
