Chapter 1: What To Do?
The next morning...
"Knock! knock!"
Squall was still half sleeping so he wasn't sure if he dreamt that noise or if it was real. Until it knocked again.
"Mm… yeah" Squall answered sleepy.
"It's Quistis. Can I come in?"
Squall hesitated.
"Yes," he answered after a while, not to sure if he wanted to see any of his friends.
Quistis opened the door and entered. She closed it behind her when she saw Squall still in bed and went to his chair to sit down.
"What do you want?" he asked while sitting up.
"Selphie said she heard you scream last night," Quistis told him with concern, "Are you alright?"
"Yeah… just a bad dream…"
"You… wanna talk about it?" she offered.
Squall hesitated again. Should he tell her? After all, she is his instructor and his friend. She is older than he is so maybe she can help him. On second thought, he decided not to tell her. After Rinoa, Quistis was the most caring person about him. She would tell everybody, and then he could never leave them.
"No… not really," he finally answered.
"You sure? You look… scared."
He got his legs out of the bed, making Quistis blush a little as she saw Squall only half dressed.
"Well? I think I'll let you dress up a little, huh? Remember there's no class today?"
He nodded.
"Well then take it easy. You don't look too well for me…"
She left the room without forgetting to close the door.
"Damn!" Squall cursed. "How can I hide it from them if it's written all over my face?!"
He got up and went to get his clothes.
"Knock! knock!"
"Squall?" a voice asked without waiting an answer to the knocking.
"I'm up!"
"Yo! You wanna come along with us at the cafeteria for breakfast? I heard there are pancakes and waffles with butter and maple syrup! Believe me: their pancakes are to die for!"
Squall could almost hear his friend slobber behind the door. He smiled and wanted to refuse but his growling stomach taught him his last meal was pretty far. He found the pancakes' s and waffles' s idea quite tasty.
"Alright, Zell!" Squall said, "Go ahead, I'll join you in a few minutes!"
"Ok! And don't worry, I'll leave you some!"
Squall smiled again and waited for Zell's step to fade away. Then he went to wash a bit before dressing up. He put on a grey T-shirt along with his lion-shape necklace, black leather pants and black boots. His usual clothes except he didn't put on his jacket.
He walked to the cafeteria, his hands in his pockets, keeping his head down, focusing on the situation. He was feeling very confused, didn't know what to do! Believe his dream and the voice and leave his home and friends? Everything and everyone he love and care for? Or take the risk of staying and endangering the life of his friends and everyone in the Garden?
His thoughts were disturb as he entered the cafeteria. He stood at the entrance and looked around.
"Squall! Over here!"
Squall turned his head and spotted Zell raising and shaking is hand to show him where they were sitting. Squall answered the sign then put himself in the waiting line to get his breakfast. Once he got it, he joined his friends and sat down with them. Zell, Selphie, Irvine and Quistis. Only Rinoa was missing because she was living in Galbadia.
"Good morning!" Selphie greeted happily, "Feeling better?"
"Huh?"
Then he remembered she heard him scream last night.
"Oh! Yeah… just a bad dream…"
He was trying to hide his concern as strong as he could. He was one of the best to hide his feelings but this time, he could hardly do it. He just tried to act normal. He put a piece of pancake in his mouth and started munching it.
"Hey! It's not everyday we can see you without your jacket!" Irvine teased him kindly.
"It's quite a change!" Zell teased along.
"You two' re just jealous!" Selphie teased the boys back.
She turned to Squall and smiled.
"I think… it suits you just well, Squall."
"Thanks," Squall answered before putting a piece of waffle this time in his mouth.
Quistis was looking concerned too, but without looking at Squall. Guessing she wasn't thinking about him, he decided to ask.
"Is there something wrong, Instructor?"
She granted Squall an angry face. It was just a funny-angry face.
"How many times have I told you not to call me 'Instructor'? I'm not an instructor anymore, remember? Just call me 'Quistis' , please."
"Sorry, Quistis…"
She tried to act angry but giggled.
"There! That's better!"
The others laughed from her funny face. Zell almost choked because of his mouth full of pancakes, waffles and maple syrup.
"You never learn, don't you, Zell?" Selphie asked tapping his back.
"But it's… so good…!"
Squall went back to Quistis.
"So, you didn't answer my question."
Quistis kept silent for a while, then sighed.
"I didn't want to tell you here but now…"
Nobody talked, starting to worry. They continued eating while waiting for Quistis to continue. Zell was eating faster than the others were.
"The headmaster got a request from somebody who wants to come back here. He asked me to tell you, Squall, since you're in charge but though you're all here, I want your opinion as well."
Zell raised his fist.
"Everyone is welcome at the Garden!" he exclaimed between two munches. Quistis raised an eyebrow and looked at him very closely.
"Really? Even… Seifer?"
Zell spitted his food on the floor. Exclamations of disgust were heard in the cafeteria. The others didn't even bother.
"Se… Seifer?" Zell asked coughing.
Squall frowned.
"Seifer…" he said under his breath.
"How?" Selphie asked.
"He came in person early this morning to deliver the message to the headmaster, then he left back to Balamb."
"After what he' ve done?" Irvine asked with wide eyes, "He got guts!"
"According to the headmaster," Quisitis continued, "Seifer has changed. He looks happy and sounds well… He doesn't want to become a SeeD anymore! Just getting back in the disciplinary committee with Raijin and Fuujin. Like in the old time."
Everyone looked at Squall who was keeping his head down, his fork on his hand.
"Squall?"
He looked at Quistis.
"You're in charge here… the choice is yours…"
Squall thought.
"I warn you!" Zell threaten, "If you let him come back here, I'm not your friend anymore!"
"Ah! Eat your breakfast, chicken-wuss!" Selphie said putting an entire pancake in Zell's mouth.
"Chelphie!!" Zell complained.
"Well?" Quistis asked again.
"Back when he was our enemy," Squall started, "He was under the Sorceress' s control. I'm the one who knows him the best, I think"
"Do you really think he has changed?" Irvine asked.
"Don't know. What I know is that he's not our enemy anymore. He can still wanna fight me and may keep calling Zell 'chicken-wuss'…"
"Hey!"
"But I want to give him a chance."
"The Hell!!"
"You sure?" Selphie asked.
Squall nodded.
"Alright," Quisits said. "We'll send somebody at Balamb Town to get him. We' ll call you at the headmaster' s office once he' s here."
"Ok…"
Squall got up, his breakfast finished and put his plate on the counter. Then he went back to his room and looked outside the window.
"Seifer… another life that will be endangered by my fault… was it a good idea?"
"Um… Squall?"
Squall turned round. Zell was standing at then entrance of the room.
"Sorry, man but it was open," he explained.
"It' s ok."
"I' m sorry, Squall. I' m judging Seifer only from my personal experience. Even when we were kids, he was teasing me…"
"Don' t worry, Zell."
Zell smiled, all happy again.
"Wanna go for training?" he offered.
"Good idea!"
Zell did some punches and kicks.
"Let' s go kick some monster butts!"
"Give me a second."
Zell got out of the room doing a back flip, making Squall recalled the day he went to the field exam with him. Back then, he was thinking badly of Zell… now he' s one of his best friends.
'I sure have changed…'
He put on his jacket and then felt better, felt himself. He too his gunblade out of its case and followed Zell to the training centre.
"Got some potions?" Squall asked.
"Yeah! And GFs equipped too!"
"Which?"
"Siren, Leviathan and, of course, Quezacoatl. What you got?"
"Ifrit, Shiva and Carbuncle. I got some potions and magic too."
"Ok! Here we go!"
They entered the training center. Squall got his gunblade ready and Zell kept his guard up. A few grats appeared from behind some bushes and attacked.
"Grats!? Pff! Too easy!" Zell said loud.
"Keep it down! You' ll attract a T-rexaur!" Squall warned.
"Anytime! It will make some kind of challenge!"
"Just take care of these first, ok?"
Squall slashed the grats and Zell punched it. They were defeated in no time. Zell was disappointed. "We should talk to the headmaster about getting new monsters here…" Zell said.
"There are SeeD candidates who train here, Zell. They' re not as strong as we are."
"Then what about another section? One for beginners with easy monsters and another for expert with strong and dangerous monsters…"
Squall was thinking it wasn' t a bad idea when an angry growl was heard not far. Squall took his gunblade with two hands, and Zell got his fists ready. An angry T-rexaur emerged from the swamp.
"Is it me or this one is bigger than the others we fought?" Zell asked.
"It' s the same size. It' s just been a while since we fought one." Squall answered. "But this one looks pretty angry to me!"
"Guess it missed breakfast…"
"Or it just found it!"
The Rex dashed to the duo, forcing them to jump different ways to avoid the mouth full of teeth.
"Watch the tail!" Squall warned.
Zell avoided it very closely. The monster growled again. He was in a rage the two SeeDs never saw from a T-rexaur!
"Guess I have no choice: Blind!" Squall called.
The monster was blinded by the magic but it only made him angrier. Squall saw Zell concentrating, his eyes closed.
"Talk about a time to summon!"
He tried to keep the Rex busy to let Zell summon his GF. He was done in no time because he got good compatibility with that GF.
"Thunder Storm!" Zell called.
The GF appeared and zapped the T-Rex with thunder. Of course it wasn't enough to finish it…
The monster tripped and fell on its side, giving Squall the opportunity to summon as well.
"Diamond Dust!"
Shiva appeared and froze up the dino. Weakened, the Rex got up and let go a loud growl.
"Let' s finish it!" Zell said on Squall' s side.
The two attacked with their weapons. The Rex tried to counterattack. It missed all the time until it swung it' s tail.
"Down!" Squall shouted.
He let himself fall on the ground to avoid the deadly tail. He could sense it passing above his head. Zell wasn' t that lucky. He was hit by the tail and threw away. He landed against a tree before falling face first on the ground. He didn' t got up.
"Zell!" Squall called.
He took his gunblade and chopped the Rex furiously. It fell but was still alive. Squall finished it then ran to Zell.
"Zell!"
He helped him sit against the tree.
"Are you ok?" Squall asked with concern.
"I' ve… been better…"
Squall could see his friend was suffering.
"Maybe it wasn' t a good idea, after all…" Squall said.
He took Zell' s arm to put it around his neck to get him out of that place.
"You kidding?! Training… with you… is the… best thing… I can do…"
"Stop talking. I' ll take you to the infirmary. The doctor will help you better than some potions."
Keeping his fingers crossed, hoping not to meet another T-rexaur, Squall got Zell out of the training centre, then at the infirmary.
"My!! What happened to you?" Kadowaki asked.
"T-rexaur," Squall answered simply, helping the doctor to put Zell in a bed.
"Oww!"
"Stay calm," the doctor ordered.
Squall sat down on the chair while the doctor was examining Zell.
"You were lucky! Nothing broken! Take a rest for a few hours. I' ll examine you later again just to be sure."
She looked at Squall.
"You should let him sleep."
Squall nodded and followed her out of the room. When he was passing the door, Zell called him.
"Yo, Squall!"
Squall turned round.
"It was fun… let' s do that again…"
Squall smiled and let his friend rest. He walked back to his room, put his gunblade back in its case and lied down on his bed, his hands under his head.
"How can I leave all this? The breakfast time, training with Zell… It became a part of myself. I can' t live without it! As I can' t live without Rinoa…"
Her smiling face appeared in his mind.
"Rinoa…"
He kept silent, thinking about nothing for a while.
"Damn! They or whoever it is won' t attack without warning, no?!"
He remembered how they were attack by Galbadia Garden under Seifer' s orders.
"Well… Seifer didn' t warn before attacking… He was a fool!!"
He started thinking about Seifer.
"Has he really changed? …Man! Here I go again: talking to myself about anything! I didn' t change on that point…"
He thought again about his situation. After a few minutes, he sat up on his bed.
"Whatever! I take the risk! Besides the Garden is equipped in case of surprise attacks! I' ll just have to make sure Rinoa doesn' t spend too much time here or anywhere else with me and she will be ok!"
His mind made up, he got out of his room to see his friends, tell them about Zell and then go back to see him.