Echoes of Time
Chapter 2: Missions
By Sephiroth_4000

Squall woke to a light tap on the door, and the muffled voice of Instructor Trepe.  "Squall!  The Headmaster wants to see you in an hour." 

Mercifully, after that she left.  He sat up and rubbed his rumpled brown hair, then rolled out of bed to get dressed.  If the Headmaster wanted to see him in an hour, then he had better be ready well before then. 

Cid nodded to the group of newly made SeeDs.  "This is, of course, not the norm.  Usually, I would not think of risking my new SeeDs before they have had some time to adjust; however, this is an easy enough mission.  You are to go to Timber and assist a resistance group there, the 'Forest Owls.'"

Seifer grinned slightly; so, the ever-charming Rinoa Heartilly had managed to convince the old man.  Amazing, considering hiring SeeD normally cost an arm and a leg, as it should be.  They were the best.  But he knew Rinoa wasn't all that rich.  Just your average run of the mill Timber teen, although, if you came from Timber it was pretty much certain you were part of the "resistance."  Unless of course you were Galbadian. . .

            With a shake of his head, he cast aside all those little niggling thoughts, and jerked a thumb at Raijin and Fujin.  "Hey, Headmaster Cid?  Can I take my posse with me?"

Cid shook his head, but more in resignation then in actual negation.  "Could I really stop them from coming with you Seifer?"
Seifer grinned even more widely, as he heard Fujin's answer to the Principal.  "NEGATIVE."

Zell was not happy.  It was bad enough that he had already been assigned to a mission, so soon after his graduation.  There were after all a lot more senior SeeDs who constantly loitered around Balamb Garden.  But that was fair enough, he was now a SeeD, and under the Headmaster's orders for as long as he was a SeeD.  He could deal with that. 

But, why, in the name of Hyne was he stuck with Seifer, and his bloody posse?  True, that girl Selphie was coming along, and she seemed friendly enough.  He already knew she was competent with her nunchakus, having fought by her side at the Dollet campaign.  But, stuck with Seifer?  And Raijin and Fujin?  Tell the truth, he didn't really mind the last two that much, they were all right on their own.  It was just that when they were around Seifer, they ceased to be Raijin and Fujin, and instead became some weird extension of the Great Almasy himself.  They were his posse.  How pathetic.  They probably would have become SeeDs if they weren't so hung up on that ass.

"Hey, Chicken-Wuss."

Speak of the devil.  He would so not reply to that name.  He could feel a flush starting up the sides of his neck, and could see Selphie fidgeting uncomfortably next to him. 

"Look at me when I speak to you, Chicken-Wuss."

He was getting irritated now.  "Look, Seifer, give it a rest."

The blonde raised his eyebrows mockingly.  "Oooh, I'm so scared."

Zell lapsed back into silence.  Seifer was bored that was all.  It was always like this once he climbed into a car, Zell had known that from a long way back, from countless field trips when they were younger. 

He wondered where the hell Squall was.  Out of all the recently promoted SeeDs, it was only him, and that other guy; Nida, he thought, that weren't here.  Seifer picked on Squall even more then he picked on Zell, amazingly.  The only difference was that Squall didn't even seem to hear it. 

Zell wished he had that talent.

"Squall," the Headmaster greeted him gravely.  Squall saluted him, then stood ready at attention.

"At ease," Cid said somewhat absently.  He looked somewhat preoccupied, and seemed to searching for some elusive paper on his desk. 

At the command, Squall eased up somewhat, and let his gaze rest upon the room he had only seen once before.  Although all of Balamb Garden was beautiful, (rumours were that it had been fashioned by the legendary artisans of Esthar) this was by far its' most impressive room by Squall's reckoning.  The entire ceiling was fashioned of glass, edged and ornamented with some delicate metal filigree, and beyond he could see the clouds lazily drifting across the deep blue sky.

"Squall."

"Yes sir?" Patiently.

The Headmaster tossed him a sheaf of papers.  "Deliver this to Galbadian Garden for me.  You will be briefed further on your mission there.  SeeD Quistis Trepe will accompany you.  Meet her at the Front Gate."

"Yes sir."  SeeDs don't ask questions.  

Galbadia Garden. . .The most formal of all the Gardens.  While Trabia tended to take on most of the very young cadets, and Balamb the SeeDs-in-training, the Galbadian Garden was a lot bigger, having a lot more cadets then the remote Balamb and Trabia Gardens.  

Squall sighed, and reviewed everything he could remember, and then scanned the minute brief Cid had given him. The messages to the Headmaster's Galbadian counterpart, were of course sealed. The Headmaster might as well just send it in the post.  He sighed disgustedly, then headed for the front gate.  He might as well get it over and done with.

First a train to Timber from Balamb.  Then from there, he could get to the nearest stop to Galbadia Garden, and hike the rest of the way.  Damned if he was going to hire a car for this. 

The train station was busy.  Selphie bounced lightly up and down on her heels, trying to see the timetable over the crowd.  It wasn't her fault she was short.  "Ten o' clock, train to Timber!" she sang out to her companions.  "We have to wait at least an hour.   Another train comes half an hour later."

Seifer nodded, from where he was slouched against the wall.  Looking, or rather trying to look cool calm and collected.  Selphie snorted softly.  What a poser.  She didn't mind Seifer, but he could be a bit. . .well, annoying with his constant pretensions.  Like he was a knight or a general or something.  What a laugh.  He was as new to being a SeeD as any of them, and rumours were that he had come very close to not being selected.  And of course since he was eighteen, he would have been kicked out Garden after that.  With money of course.  Garden took care of its' children.  He probably would have had to find work as an ordinary mercenary.  Oh, that would have taken a bite out of his arrogance.

She shook her head.  Why was she being so malicious?  It wasn't like her.  She firmly put all such thoughts out of her head, and made her way through the thick crowd toward the rest of the group.  "Why don't we get something to eat?" she suggested brightly.

But no one was listening to her.  Seifer had straightened, and was looking at the crowd, eyes narrowing.  Raijin and Fujin wore looks of impeccable blandness, while Zell just looked incredulous.  "Of all the luck. . ." he muttered.

Selphie turned.  What on earth were they all so worked up over?

Her eyes widened.  Making his calm way through the crowd as if no one else existed, was Squall Leonhart.  Although it didn't look like he had seen them yet. . .She really hoped he wasn't taking the train to Timber.  Not that she had any personal objection to Squall.  While he was a bit to silent and cold for her taste, she could see why a lot of the female cadets at Garden sighed and giggled behind their hands when he went by.  And he wielded his gunblade with impressive ease.  No, she didn't want him on the same train as her because she would be on the same train as Seifer. On the way back from Dollet in the submarine. . .Well, there was obviously bad blood between the two.  Bad enough that they had actually wounded each other in training.  Both young men's scars were raw and livid looking.

He finally saw them, though only the slight flick of his eyes told her so.  He actually turned his back, ostensibly to look at the timetables.  While he was shorter then Seifer, he didn't have to jump to see over the crowd.  He was a nice height to Selphie's thinking. . .

"What is he doing here?" Seifer said angrily.

"Catching a train maybe?" Zell suggested.  He lent back and crossed his arms in response to Seifers' glare.

"Very funny, Chicken Wuss."

The library was quiet and deserted.  With students anxiously studying for the next SeeD exam, which rumours had would be in Galbadia itself, no one had much time for the library anymore.  Most were in the Training Centre, levelling up, and trying to increase their skills.  But it was perfect for her.

Squall. . .Did he even remember her anymore?  She had gone to visit him in the Infirmary, but he had been too woozy from the drugs Dr Kadowaki had given him.  She hadn't had the courage to see him before that.  It had been so long, and her little brother had grown up so much. . .without her.  And her greatest fear was that he had forgotten her.  He had only been five when he had last seen her.

Ellone Loire was very lonely.  Uncle Laguna was long gone, absorbed in Esthar's presendential duties.  Matron was gone. . .she shuddered away from the thought of Matron.  No, Edea was no longer safety for her.  Edea had her own trouble, much to Ellone's sorrow.  It was after all her fault.  And as for the other children from the orphanage. . .they were all grown up now.  No one needed her, or looked up to her.  And the White SeeD ship had sailed back to Galbadia for repairs.  Without her.  It was too dangerous for her to enter the Sorceress' Country. 

It was so lonely here.  But not as lonely as wandering through Garden.  She knew that Anju and Isamu, the two White SeeDs who had been left to guard her were some where around, but they were no comfort.  They longed to be back on the ship, and she was only a burden.

If only. . .as always, her thoughts strayed back to the past.  And her unconscious power writhed out, and made it so. . .If only she could see. . .

What the. . .Squall clutched his head, and rocked forward.  A pain. . .and a ringing in his head.. . .his vision was slipping away. . .vaguely he could hear alarmed cries all around him, even as he fell hard to the ground.  

*   *   *   *   *

"Laguna, don't tell me we're lost again," Ward growled.

Kiros groaned at his sheepish nod.

"Come one guys!" Laguna protested.  "I do know where we are. . .sort of."

"Just what I needed," Kiros grumbled.  "Stuck in the jungle with two madmen."

Ward mock scowled at him.

Laguna scratched his head thoughtfully, while his two comrades continued to bicker good-naturedly.  How did he always manage to get them into these messes?  Oh well, he always got them out of them as well, and that was what counted by his thinking.  He grinned.  "Let's go guys!  There is a path, so let's follow it!"

He set off at a dead run, and heard Kiros mutter something truly baleful under his breath as the two hurried to catch up with him. 

Thick green foliage went past in a blur.  He easily navigated the narrow bridge over a sludgy green stream, and continued on.  Truth was, the heat was starting to get to him.  A bit.  The heavy Galbadian Army uniform didn't help.  The damn thing was always itchy.  At least he had. . .lost. . .the helmet somewhere during the fighting before, outside the city Timber itself.  The citizens had been rioting, when the Galbadians had bought in the first of the logging companies.

No matter.  He smiled, vindicated, as he spied a deserted van in front of them.  "There, what did I tell you!?  Huh?  Let's take off for Deling City men!"

Ward eyed him dubiously.  "Laguna, are you sure?  I mean, can we really just take off?"

Laguna smirked, deliberately obnoxious.  "Ward, buddy, pal, of course I'm sure!"

Kiros frowned.  "Why does that not make me feel better?"

"Aw, shaddup the two of you, and get in the car."

They piled in, Laguna swinging into the driver's seat.  Predictably, the car took off with a squeal of tires, and a cloud of dust.

It had been a long day.  Julia Heartilly stretched, and smoothed the folds of her red velvet dress.  She had been all over town, trying to get another job.  Unfortunately, there wasn't much work in Deling City for a musician.  She had just made it to the Galbadian Hotel in time.  The manager hadn't been too pleased. 

She made her way down the curving stairs, her heels sinking into the thick ruby carpet.  She looked around the room as she made her graceful way down, and her heart skipped a beat as she saw him there.  As usual, his two friends were with him.  She looked away, and continued to the piano, and lifted the lid up in a practiced motion.  She pulled out the chair, sat carefully, and began to play.

Although she usually played something upbeat and modern, or something fairly laid back and jazzy; it was that kind of place; tonight she was daring.  She played something of her own composition.  Oh, it was a simple little thing, easy to finger, the chords unadorned, but the music was soft and the melody true, something that only she had ever heard, and now she would let others hear.  A gift, though that was too arrogant a term for it. 

He had approached the piano.  Stunned for a moment she played on automatically, though she watched him covertly from beneath her lashes.  His eyes, a clear deep almost emerald green were fixed on her.  Suddenly with a small groan, he doubled up, clutching up his leg, and she was hard pressed to stop herself from laughing.  He began walking in small circles.  Obviously this was something he was used to.  She watched, even as she neared the end sequence of notes, and he limped back to his table dejected.  She smiled secretly even as the last chord reverberated softly through the piano. 

Greatly daring herself, she rose, and approached the table.  His friends saw her, and thankfully left, discreetly.  Even as he looked after her in bemusement, she tapped him gently on the shoulder.  "Mind if I sit here?"

He jumped, and spun around.  "Wha-. . .er n-n-not at all!"

She smiled, at sat, running a hand through her smooth cap of hair.   He smiled back uneasily, and quickly moved over.  "Say. . ." She began, not sure how to phrase it so he wouldn't assume things.  "Would you like to go up to my room to talk?"

"W-What!?  Y-your room?"

"Well, yes.  It's a bit hard to talk here; everyone's listening."  And they were, though they were trying not to look obviously.  Several moved away at once, looking dubiously innocent.  She made a small face.

"S-sure!"

She inclined her head, and told him how to get there.  He nodded vigorously, and she turned and left.

He came up soon later, and they talked.  Once she was past his shyness, he proved to be quite a talker.  He revealed his ambition, to be an itinerant writer for Timber Maniacs, a fairly well known company who usually gave young journalists a chance.  Just as abashed, she revealed her secret ambition, to compose a song.  All through the night, they talked.  It was unlike anything Julia had ever had before.  And near the end, before his friend banged on the door, she realised she could in fact write a song now.  About him.  She knew him deep, and he was her inspiration just like that.  The stanzas and rhythms and the lyrics were singing in her head right now.

She told him so.  And he rubbed his head, and blushed.  "M-me?" he had asked, disbelieving.  And then his friend had banged on the door, and he had to go. 

Laguna looked at her one last time.  There was no need to say anything else.

*   *   *   *   *


Author's Note: A little long that chapter.  And I know I didn't do the Laguna dream precisely.  However. . .well you know.  Thanks for reading!  And sorry if you got bored during the Laguna bit, I did try to follow the game pretty exactly there.  Nothing much happened in this chapter.  More should happen in the next chapter.