XI
"Only a dream? Say this light is only the sun, or this ground is only the world, but never should you say this dream is only a dream."
--Shumi Elder, remark to a protege

"Ah, my comrade, we have come at last to the end of our journey. And who can say? Perhaps we shall be remembered, in spite of all."

Squall was slumped over, knees digging into the muddy hillside. Just above him was a gleaming, black spire--a twisted outcropping of obsidian-hued stone, shining with darkness--not manmade, but so powerful any human would covet it. Guarding the spire was an abomination--a giant monster with a human's torso and head and the tail of a massive, black snake. Rank upon rank of armored soldiers stood behind him, not so much a part of the night as consumed and bound within it.

"This is it, then," he heard himself say. "Funny. Never expected it to turn out this way."

A Voice spoke--and if it was the clouds, or the spire, or the army, he couldn't tell. "I shall defeat the barrier, my friend. I wish I had your strength, but it would not have mattered. It shall be you who must commit this deed."

"I've been looking forward to it all week," Squall said--a sort of dry, morbid humor that stuck on his tongue and in his throat. It tasted like dust. Like cold abandoned stone.

"My friend," laughed the Voice. "On occasion, death is only the beginning."

Squall pulled up his gunblade, struggling to his feet. Raising the--Hyperion?

Why did he have the Hyperion?

Where was he?

"Beginning?" he asked. "I doubt it."

"Then prepare for the end, my final comrade," the Voice boomed, cracking the world like thunder.

There was a bolt of light from behind him, and--

-

Squall woke to soft, pre-dawn light. The sun was creeping over the horizon, tinting the world with a gentle glow. Seifer was already up, sharpening Hyperion with a grooved rock he had pulled out of his pocket. Sparks drifted down towards the ocean and died, only to be replaced from the stone.

(What was that dream...?) he shook his head. It seemed familiar, somehow...

"Glad to see you're up," Seifer said--usual sneer in place. "Ready to go?"

Squall nodded and got to his feet unsteadily, waiting as Seifer put his gunblade away. Glancing out over the horizon, he forced himself to put the dream out of his mind. Seifer started out briskly, showing none of the sluggishness Squall felt. After about a minute, Squall wondered how long he could keep the pace. It wasn't that he was tiring already, but it was even a bit faster than they had been going the day before. And there was still a long, long way to go before they reached Galbadia.

Squall glanced at Seifer. Deling City would be the logical destination--if there was help to be gained in the nation, DC would be the place to find it. Would Seifer follow him into the capitol city itself? He was sure to be remembered there--as the Sorceress's Knight. They wouldn't welcome him back any more than Balamb Garden would. And to go back into Deling City, to face Rinoa's father... would he? Squall didn't know. He supposed it didn't matter, but the supposition was an uncomfortable one for reasons he couldn't quite explain.

"We'll have to hurry," Seifer said, pointing out to sea with his gunblade. Glancing out, Squall saw a dark blue blemish on the horizon. The ships were nearing.

Squall nodded, and tried to move faster, when Seifer held up hid hand again, motioning him to stop. "Look at the way they're moving."

Squall glanced, and, at first, could not make out anything. Then he saw--slowly, they were moving almost parallel to their course, heading to the coast of Galbadia.

"How far can a Slow spell reach?" Seifer asked.

"Not that far," Squall replied.

Seifer dropped the tip of his gunblade, cursing. "Then cast Haste on us," he said.

Squall nodded, concentrated, and cast it. Then Seifer took off at a jog and Squall followed grimly, side sending sharp complaints to his brain at every move.

-

"We should go to Deling City," Irvine suggested. "See if they have any more clues. Like a ransom note, or something."

"I still say we should be gearing up for war," Zell said. "I bet we'll have to bust in there and get them."

"We don't even know where 'there' is, Zell," Irvine retorted.

Nida looked up from the globe he was studying, and shook his head. "I'll bet a gil to a gold brick--well, not really--that it's the Centra crater," he said. "It says here there's a Demi draw point there--you know, right in the middle of nowhere?"

"Which has always been compelling reason to investigate," Quistis murmured.

"There are Demi draw points everywhere," Irvine said.

"Yeah, but Centra's always been creepy," Nida replied.

"Let's face it," Irvine said, dropping heavily into a chair. "We have no idea where they could be. Deling's the only place we've found any leads so far, so that's where we should go."

"What about Fisherman's Horizon? We actually saw Selphie there!"

"Yeah, and if you want to face off with all those thugs again, be my guest. They'll be ready the next time, and it didn't exactly work out well the first."

There was silence on the bridge. Quistis turned to Edea. "Would you have any ideas?"

Edea shook her head. "I've not been here since the beginning, but even so I would side with Zell. As with Ultimecia, these do not seem the type to be content with negotiations. But I would also advise to visit the girl's father again, in the hopes they may have found something."

Quistis nodded. "Nida," she said, "Set a course for Galbadia. We'll go to Deling City before we stop back at Garden."

"Al right," Nida said.

"I fear I will not be able to acompany you," Edea said. "The Galbadians would not welcome me."

"But we can't just leave you here alone," Zell protested.

"Uhmm..." Nida started.

"The only reason you came was so you'd be safe, right? We can't protect you if you're not with us!"

"I was saying--" Nida tried again.

"I mean, they could just come marching in here and--"

"Hey!" Nida snapped.

"Huh?" Zell said, turning to look at Nida.

"I'll be here," Nida said simply.

"What? You?"

"I am a SeeD," Nida said with a slightly offended air. "Just because I fly most of my time doesn't mean I'm out of practice. I've gotten more assignments in the last three months than you have in the last year."

Zell looked at Quistis, then at Edea.

"I would feel quite safe with Nida here," the former Sorceress said.

"It's a good idea," Quistis said.

"All right," Zell said. "Can't argue, I guess. Let's just get going!"

-

Rinoa watched Laguna pace back and forth in the weird little room just tot he side of nowhere, trying to shake the feeling that she would never get out. She missed everyone, missed Zell's over-enthusiastic good nature, missed Quistis's too-mature presence, missed Irvine's coy, flirting one. But, most of all, she missed Squall.

She guessed he would be reverting back to his old, stoic self about now, guessed that her father had contacted him to find her, guessed that he would be taking the whole thing far too seriously. She sighed, it had been over eight months since she had seen him last, when she had gone off to meet with her father and try to reconsile with him. She wondered if Zell and Quistis were trying to keep the (relatively) open personality that she had uncovered, wondered if they were suceeding. Watching Laguna, she remembered the first four lines of the last two verses of a song--written about him, if what she knew was right; one called "Eyes On Me," that she had taken to heart in thinking of Squall:

Darling, so share with me
Your love if you have enough
Your tears if you're holding back
Your pain if that's what it is...
...Darling, so there you are
With that look on your face
As if you're never hurt
As if you're never down---

(Squall is a lot like Laguna,) she thought. (But he'd never admit it. "What, that moron?" then he'd give me that look, the one that tells me I'm going insane. I miss that look.
(Of course, no one who didn't know him would guess. But they're a lot like each other, Laguna's just more open. Right?)

Somehow, her thoughts drifted toward Seifer. If it wasn't for Seifer, she would have never met Squall. He was the one who had introduced her to Headmaster Cid, who had in turn dispatched the three SeeD members to help her resistance group, the Forest Owls, "until Timber gained independence". Squall had headed that group, accompanied by Selphie and Zell. From the start, not one thing had gone right.

Oh, their plot to hijack the train that President Deling had been on went perfectly--except that it wasn't President Deling on the train but an undead body-double whom they had ended up fighting. Then the President went to the TV station when Seifer busted in, held him at swordpoint--swordblade--and Zell had accidentally revealed the fact that they were from Garden on international TV. Then Seifer had run off with the Sorceress who had appeared, and from there, things just went downhill.

But, with the Sorceress's fall from power and General Caraway's ascention to leadership of the country and the recall from troops to defend the main cities of Galbadia in case one of the enemies that they had made decided to attack, Timber had gained independence. Up until then Squall had managed to hide his feelings for her under the polite lie that he was still under contract.

Not much had happened since then truthfully--nothing world-shattering, nothign for the history books. Irvine had transferred to Balamb Garden, and had passed his SeeD test in record time (though he'd had to take the written test three times before he got it). But the team that had defeated the Sorceress hadn't had much action--there were no missions so important that they couldn't send another group, and Garden preferred to hold them in reserve for the highest-paying clients, the ones who demanded the best. The heros. But then the odd, blue/black-armored men had come into Deling city and abducted her, placing her in Diablos's odd netherworld. Selphie had filled in what she knew, and Laguna what he knew. If Diablos knew anything, he wasn't telling.

Suddenly the room warped and shifted, interrputing her reverie, and an odd hole gaped open in one side. Thrust through the portal was an odd, robed, yellow-skinned alien: a Shumi. Its huge hands (one holding a tiny, round light) were flailing, and it was protesting loudly.

"Guard doesn't want to be here! Guard did nothing! Why are you--"

The dark hole closed, leaving the Shumi to wail at the darkness. Laguna looked over, and cleared his throat.

Guard looked over, then stepped back. "Master Laguna," he said, voice all shades of layered confusion. "Why are you here?"

"I don't know," Laguna said, blinking in the sudden light, decidedly brighter than the sickly stuff cast by Diablos's eyes. "We were all captured. What happened to you?"

The Shumi's face dropped. "Guard was guarding our Ultima draw point. A man in big armor walked in, and made several unreasonable demands. Guard protested, and was captured in a strong spell. I was brought here."

Laguna nodded. "The same thing happened to us, except with me, they were trying to get Ellone."

The Shumi brightened. "Ellone was found? Elder will be joyous to hear of this."

Laguna nodded. "Yeah, I found her in Esthar. This is Rinoa, daughter of General Caraway of Galbadia, and Selphie, a SeeD from Balamb Garden."

"SeeD?" the Shumi asked, practically glowing. "Master Squall is a SeeD! Do you know of Master Squall?"

Selphie nodded. "Yeah, I know him! I'm in his team."

Guard got even happier, if that was possible. "Guard is honored to be with Master Laguna and one who was with Master Squall," he said humbly.

"Heeeey!" Selphie said. "Maybe once we get out of here, I can take you to meet Squall!"

The Shumi made a sort of odd, shuffling dance. "Guard would be honored to meet Master Squall," he said happily.

"Do you have any magic?" Laguna asked. Guard nodded.

"Guard has many magics," he said, holding up the glowing sphere. Laguna smiled.

"Great," he said. "With this, we might be able to escape..."