"This is bad," Laguna said, speaking to no one in particular. "This is really bad."

Kiros and Ward watched as their longtime friend paced the length of his office. Periodically, Laguna would flop into one of the chairs, jumping up and continuing to pace the room only moments later.

"I mean, we've gotta do something, right?" He paused for a second, seeming to invite a reply. "Of course we do!" he exclaimed, answering his own question. Ward turned to look at Kiros, the giant's expressive face telling the smaller man exactly what he wanted to say.

"Ward wants to know," Kiros began, acting as translator for his speechless friend, "why you're making this kid your personal charity case."

Laguna whirled around. "Because he's not a bad kid. He isn't a war criminal, like everyone seems to think he is. Because he got tangled up with the Sorceress, and she played him for a fool, just like she played everyone else. Because she promised him everything he ever wanted and he, not surprisingly, jumped at her offer. Because he's already endured whatever awful torments she saw fit to inflict on him and even though it's all over, he still can't get away from her. Because no one else has ever bothered to take a chance on this kid before, and maybe that's why things happened the way they did. Maybe… maybe all he was looking for was… a place or a person that needed him and he thought he'd finally found it."

"Because… what does it say about us if our bloodlust is so strong that we can't offer impartial justice to an eighteen-year-old kid who's been ruthlessly manipulated? Because… well, because what if it were Squall in that room? What if my son had been the one the Sorceress chose to take advantage of?"

Laguna paused to catch his breath. Up until Squall's name flew out of his mouth, Laguna hadn't realized how strongly he felt about the issue. Kiros and Ward continued to watch him with such nonchalance that, for a moment, Laguna began to wonder if he'd actually spoken or just imagined it. He felt something inside him click, almost like the turning of a switch and Laguna knew he'd just committed himself totally towards pulling Seifer out of that waking nightmare.

"And because I'm the President, damn it, and I say we're going to help him. So you can either stand with me, like old times, or you can walk out that door and go your own way, but my mind is made up. So which is it?"

Ward looked at Kiros and nodded slightly, smiling.

"Ward says you're our leader. He says you always have been, and that he'd follow you anywhere."

"And you, Kiros? What do you say?"

"I say Ward's got the right idea."