XIII
"Eccentricy is often a mask for intellegence."
--Anonymous

Waking up in the Garden infirmary, with the overwhelming whiteness flooding his vision to resolve only slowly into sterile walls and fluttering curtains, Squall had a sudden uncomfortable sense that he had skipped back a year. This time, however, the wound wasn't on his forehead--it was at the base of his skull, it was in his side, it was a score of aching bruises across his body. He tried to sit up, but, almost immdeiatly, Dr. Kadowaki was there to push him back down.

"Good to see you're awake," she said. "Say your name for me."

"Squall," Squall answered, wincing at what was probably a concussion.

"Your eyes are focusing," she said, smiling down at him. "Glad to see it. You shouldn't move too much. That's a nasty cut you have."

Squall looked around the infirmary. "How long have I been out?" he asked.

"Only a few hours," Kadowaki said. "It's eight o'clock local time. Night, not morning." She gestured needlessly to the window above him.

"Where--"

"The Garden is outside Balamb, as per usual. You want me to call Quistis for you?"

Squall grunted and shrugged, leaning back and staring at the ceiling.

"You're quite lucky, you know," Kadowaki said. "Everyone here thought you were dead. I hear that girl--Ellone, I think?--was... pretty torn up about it."

(Ellone knows?) Squall wondered how many people he would have to explain his continued existance to. It would be... awkward.

"Quistis?" Kadowaki asked into the Garden phone. "Yes, he's awake. He'll be fine. He should rest for a bit more--what? No, I don't think he will either. Well, make sure he takes it easy. All right," Kadowaki put the phone down and adressed Squall. "Be more careful from now on, hear?" she asked, then tactfully left the room.

As soon as she left, Squall sat up again. He felt light-headed and dizzy, but he ignored it. Hauling himself up to his feet with the aid of the bedside table, he tried to gain at least an appearance of dignity before Quistis came in.

The door slid open, and Quistis moved in. She looked nearly dead on her feet.

"Quistis," he started, concern flashing in his eyes--not only for her, but for whatever circumstances had driven her not to sleep in what looked ot be a fortnight. "Are you--"

"I'm fine, Squall," she said, smiling. "Worry about yourself for once."

"Has anything happened?" he asked. Quistis nodded.

"Yes--quite a lot. But first, are you alright? We all thought you were dead."

"So I hear." He shifted, tried to ignore the aching side wound and the way she was blurry around the edges. "I'm perfectly fine."

Quistis shook her head--but, if anything, she smiled a little more. "You're lying."

(Fine, Quistis. Fine. I have a pounding headache, I'm dizzy, faint, and tired, I need to eat something, and my side hurts like hell,) he thought. (But none of that is relevant right now.) "I'm fine," he said again.

Quistis shrugged. "You scared the hell out of us all, you know that? When we found your gunblade, we really believed you were dead."

"I nearly was. ...Seifer pulled me out." It felt odd to say. Not quite right, somehow. Seifer had never been the type to save people--especially not Squall. Squall was more used to thinking that he was about to die at Seifer's hands than in spite of them.

Quistis seemed just as surprised. "What?" she asked.

(...and Seifer hasn't been bragging. What's come over him?)

"When I went to the teir to confront the Lieutenant, he attacked me. He broke my gunblade, and nearly killed me. Seifer stopped him."

Quistis stared at Squall in disbelief. He had said it normaly enough--without detail, without dwelling on any part, utterly frank and forthright--but to hear Squall giving Seifer credit for anything was... unsettling on a level she couldn't quite place. She was trying not to think of Seifer as The Enemy--but to hear Squall give himthe credit of an ally? "And he then proceeds to beat you senseless."

Squall grimaced, and Quistis winced at her own bluntness. "I think I made him mad," Squall said.

(You think, Squall?) Quistis wondered at him. (You must have driven him into a blind rage! Even Seifer generally has more control than...) A thought occured to her. "Are you defending him?"

"No," Squall replied evenly.

Quistis shook her head. "I don't think I understand this. Anyway, I should tell you--some very odd things have been happening concerning the GFs."

At once, Squall was more attentive. This was obviously a topic he was more interested in discussing than Seifer's unusal behaviour. "Like what?"

Quickly, Quistis breifed him on what had occured since they had been separated. Though Squall gave no indication that he was surprised at any of it, he did remain silent for several seconds afterwards. Then he began to explain what had happened at Fisherman's Horizon, and why the armies were probably after it. "But with what you just told me," he said, "I think I know what they want with Rinoa and Ellone, as well."

"What?" Quistis leaned forward.

"Well, aside from each's respective powers, each one is very close to the leaders of one of the two most powerful countries in the world. They would be able to... emotionally incapacitate the commanders of two major military powers." He grimaced--Quistis watched him, wondering if he was adding himself and Garden as a third to that number.

She nodded. "Makes sense. But why not just capture the leader?"

"Because someone else would take over until they would found. It would be preferable to have the usual leader with his judgement compromised than have a replacement in complete control. ...Esthar and Galbadia are also the closest powers to Fisherman's Horizon. It would be hard for FH to call for reinforcements if they were invaded."

Quistis nodded. "I guess it makes sense, then," she said. "But they didn't get Ellone. They got Laguna."

"Which is probably for the best--Esthar should be safe enough under Kiros's lead. I assume Kiros is the one who took over?"

"Kiros and Ward are running Esthar until Laguna is found," Quistis said.

"Good. Then I'd suggest--"

"I must zee him!" demanded a voice from outside the room. "It iz of urgency!"

Squall glanced at Quistis, who glanced at the door with a confused expression on her face. Neither one had more than the faintest idea of what was going on.

"Don't tell me--" Squall started, when a short little man with an outragiously large red and white ruff around his neck stepped into the room, followed by Kiros in his normal battle garb.

"Odine?" Quistis asked. The little man nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes! It iz me, Odine, with another dizcovery!"

"How did you know I was here?" Squall asked Kiros. Kiros shrugged.

"We came to see Quistis, but once the little guy learned from Kadowaki that you were here, there was no stopping him."

Odine turned on Kiros angrily, balling both hands into fists and starting to jump up and down. "Vhat? Vhat iz zis 'little guy?' You speak of ze magnificent Odine? You vant to go outside?" he asked. Kiros shook his head.

"Not now, doctor."

Odine turned back to Squall. "Egh. Vonce I heard about zis use of Demi, I investigated. Guess vat I found?"

Squall shook his head. "Just tell me."

Odine looked a little disappointed. "Vell. Zis iz executed vith ze most careful precision. Very vell studied. And! It iz not just Demi they use. They use Demi and shell!"

Squall didn't quite understand. He glanced at Kiros, who shrugged.

Odine stamped his foot once. "See, there iz this world," he gestured to something Squall couldn't see, "And there iz the other world. To get between the two, you use a Demi spell. But there iz more! The Demi spell iz hard to get through! It iz too powerful to traverse without help! You vant to know why?"

Squall nodded.

"It iz because of ze black hole!" Odine said proudly. "It would rip ze traversing object apart! So they use a very strong shell--tventy-three times as powerful as yours--to get past it! Because ze interference pattern of ze shell, in conjunction vith ze Demi..." he trailed off. "Zis is zcience. You vould not understand. But it iz tventy-three times ze amplitude! Ze magic number! Tventy-three!"

Squall shook his head. "What?"

"You would need tventy-three combat shells to get past ze Demi spell," Odine said again. "Twenty-three for each person! Twenty-three for each way! In a very tight layer, no overlap, no space between! It iz very hard to attain."

Squall did the calculation in his head. "That would take ninety-two spells to go in and send two people back," he said.

"Exactly!" Odine said. "But zey use ze Demi spell much, and zey never run out of Shells. You vant to know vhy?"

Squall nodded again. Odine was obviously enjoying his role.

"It iz ze armor! It iz a very powerful shell! And zere are prezicely tventy-three Shell Stones in ze hand: enough to bring one person to or from, but not both! Zis iz how they capture, use ze stones to bring the person, and ze armor to leave!"

"Then it might be useful," Squall said, "to get some armor."

Odine started jumoing again, this time happily. "Odine has ze armor!" he said. "And you vill test it out!"

"Doctor--" Kiros said. "This hasn't been tested. It's an interesting theory, but--"

"You vould call Odine a fool?" Odine asked, turning to his tall companion. "Ze equations are sound. And you are stupid."

"I'll do it," Squall said.

"What?" asked Kiros.

"What?" demanded Quistis.

"I'll try it," Squall said, facing Quistis squarely. "If there's any way to save them, we have to try."

"Squall--" she began. "There's something Odine isn't telling us."

Odine looked at her. "How you know that? Yes, Odine has one more discovery!"

"What?" Squall asked.

"Ze armor? It iz a very powerful device. It lets ze vearer gain almost... infinite power zhen charged, but it takes much power to charge. The equivelent of one hundred zeventy-five Ultimas!"

"And?" Quistis prompted, reading Odine as skillfully as she read Squall.

"That iz it," Odine said in a painfully false lie. Then he began jumping again. "Okay, zat vas lie. See: ze inside of ze armor hasa jacket vith a very complex array of junction vires. Ze energy activates zese--so, vith more power, the vearer falls more under ze control of the master of zis army! Zis master, he supplies his army with ze infinite power, and zey are infinitely loyal! It vould take someone with great vill-power to even think of resisting ze leader! Marvelous! Original! Zis vill give me enough research for ten papers!"

Quistis sat down on a nearby bed with a thump. "Squall," she said, looking at the leader of Balamb Garden. "You can't do this. We can't risk it."

Squall shook his head. "We can't not risk it," he said. "Whoever is doing this is planning for something big. We have to start foiling his plans, or it's going to balloon into another Ultimecia."

"You think it will get that bad?"

Kiros cleared his throat. "I'm not gonna say I'm in favor of this, but I don't see that we have much choice," he said. "Let's not forget that this person's already captured the president of Esthar, not to mention protected figures in Galbadia and Garden. It wouldn't have to be another Ultimecia. I'm just as worried about another Adel."

Quistis looked down. "All right," she said--and then, to Squall, "But not until you're healed. And try it without the armor first."

"Marvelous!" Odine yelled. "And Odine will be there, to vatch! Marvelous!" turning, the short, eccentric man ran out of the room. Kiros, with an apologetic gesture, ran after him.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Quistis asked Squall, a concerned expression on her face. Squall nodded.

(Do we really have a choice? We have to to get them back.) "Yes."

"Then I guess I can't stop you," Quistis said, standing up. Giving Squall a quick hug, she stepped back. "Get some rest," she said. "We'll talk about strategy."

Squall nodded, and stared at his bed. Trying not to wonder what he had gotten himself into, he went to sleep.

-

It was deep night when Squall woke again. Garden was asleep at this time of night--an enforced curfew ensured that SeeDs got their rest, keeping the hallways outside the Infirmary quiet and still. Squall was restless--he always was, when injuries confined him to bed. There was only so much lying down one could take before one had to get up, move, do something.

Fortunately, he reflected as he slipped out from the pristine Infirmary coverlets, his injuries this time around weren't debilitating. Kadowaki had retired for the night--the infirmary was barren and silent without her watch.

Stepping out of the infirmary, Squall glanced around to note that the Faculty didn't seem to be in their usual positions. There was no one guarding the halls. (Odd,) he thought. Maybe they were having a test? He could remember days like that--scattered sporadically through the year, always unexpected. Almost every junior classman in the Garden would be tempted to explore the areas technically off-limits, and, invariably, those who followed through on the temptation would be caught and reprimanded. It was an official practical joke--meant to weed out people who couldn't obey rules and directives.

But, as Commander of Garden, Squall was immune to most of the rules. He could go wherever he wanted.

(The Quad,) he thought. It would have fewer people than the training center, test or no test.

Walking along the hallways, Squall noted that there were conspicuously few people. Those that were out--junior classmen, of course, who hadn't heard from older SeeDs about the test or were stupid enough to try their luck anyway--paled and ducked down the nearest hallway as soon as they saw him coming. It was almost amusing.

The Quad was quiet--no one seemed to be there. Tree leaves rustled quietly in the evening night wind, causing the shadows to dance across the floor. Glancing around, Squall made for the lower level. It was even wider than the plaza up here, and open to the air--but the illusion of solitude was stronger, and it had always been a comforting sense.

A noise caught his attention, and he glanced around. Stepping back a pace, he stared at a figure hithero-unnoticed--Seifer was leaning over the edge of the balcony, looking down at the ground below.

For a moment, it gave Squall pause.

Then he noticed how Seifer was standing, shoulders hunched up around himself, moving irrythmically back and forth with tremors that looked to be barely contained.

"Seifer?" Squall asked, watching his rival with a curiosity that wasn't quite sympathy, but wasn't wariness, either.

Seifer spun around, staring at Squall with the same sort of expression Squall would expect from a caged and beaten wolf. Within seconds, however, he had the emotion--whatever ti was--dampened down. His eyes were rough and red--he looked as if he had been either drunk or crying, one unlikely and the other nigh-unthinkable. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"I could ask you the same thing," Squall replied.

"You don't need to know," Seifer growled. "I just needed some time out."

Squall nodded. (Right.) "Whatever."

"You don't believe me?" Seifer asked, and Squall only watched him. There was something going on with Seifer--what, he wasn't sure. Just that he was acting quite unlike the Seifer he had fought and known.

"Should I?"

Seifer turned away from Squall, looking out over the scenery. "Would you if you should?"

(I feel like a diplomat,) Squall thought. (Dancing around the point so much that eventually I forget what it is.) "What are you doing here?" he asked again, bluntly.

"Breathing. Standing. Talking to you," Seifer snapped. "What does it look like?"

"And?" (There has to be a reason you're here.)

Seifer turned around. "Welcome to Garden," he said. "Great place, really. Wonderful hospitality. Between the friendly greetings in the hall and the very generous promises of slow, painful death, I'm surprised anyone wouldn't want to stay here."

"You can't expect them to welcome you," Squall reasoned.

"Of course not. Why should they? I'm Seifer." His voice held more bitterness than Squall had ever heard out of him.

Squall made an odd, half-shrug. "No one is used to you being here."

"Yeah, and I never planned on living the thousand years that would take," Seifer snarled.

"It wouldn't take that long," Squall said.

"You don't think?"

Squall shrugged, gesturing meaninglessly with one hand. "They're SeeDs. They'll see pragmatics eventually."

"Oh." Seifer spat the word. "So I'm a pragmatic now. Well, I guess that's a step up."

Squall exhaled. "There isn't any point in holding grudges."

"Enlightened, aren't we?" Seifer asked. He walked up, close enough to bowl Squall over if he took another two steps. "Seen the light? Got eternal peace of heart and mind? Somehow I don't think Garden is going to be so forgiving."

He stood over Squall, glaring down at the Commander and scowling.

"But no, you're right, as always." He stuck out his hand. "Let's make up, right here. Put all of this behind us. Deal?"

Hesitantly, Squall took it.

Seifer shook his head, tightening his grip on Squall's hand until the SeeD could practically feel the bones rubbing together. Still he tightened it, until Squall almost winced. Seifer had the strength to crush every bone in his hand, he knew--but he wasn't going to show weakness, wasn't going to back down. He said nothing.

"It doesn't work like that," Seifer hissed into his face. "It just doesn't work. People don't just forget."

The pressure on Squall's hand tightened, and his nerves screamed. He gritted his teeth. (Let go...)

With a final, wrenching twist, Seifer spun away and stalked towards the hall. Squall grabbed his hand, trying to massage some of the feeling back into it. (What was that about?) he wondered, turning to see Seifer disappearing into the hall.

There was a flicker of green-gold from above, flashing like lightning, and a vague sense of saddened disappointment flooded Squall's mind before seeping out with as little explanation as it had come. The emotion was obviously not his, but he couldn't place where it had come from.

Squall looked up. There weren't any clouds in the sky, weren't any on the horizon on behind the curve of Garden. The stars fluttered weakly, as they always had. There was no lightnign in the midnight black.

Putting the mystery out of his mind, he headed back to the infirmary before Kadowaki could find out he had been missing.