Disclaimer: As the same with all the other chapters, I don't own anything I didn't come
up with. That belongs to Square. I do this for no profit. Blah, blah, blah.
Chapter 10: An Answer That Creates More Questions
Since Ultimecia's reign under Edea had ended, not much had happened to Timber. In all
actuality, the place was the same as it had been before everything had happened. There was no
announcement of independence of Timber from Galbadia so the soldiers were still positioned at
different places in the town. Resistence fractions, like Rinoa's former group the Timber Owls,
were still fighting the good fight. But they didn't know exactly who they were fighting now.
The ruler of Galbadia wasn't clear, and rumors spreading that there was someone else ruling now
made it even harder. For the time being, most Timber residents decided to keep their rebelling
to a minimum. Just until they knew who they were fighting.
Quistis lead Rinoa and Seifer off the train and onto the platform, taking her leader
position very seriously. She led them directly into town, hearing Rinoa sigh with remembrance.
Timber had been her home for quite a while, the people there all knew who she was. In fact, as
the group made their way into town, several people stopped to wave at Rinoa. Rinoa smiled back
pleasantly, asking them to keep it down a little bit; she was on official business.
-So much is the same...and I still haven't seen to Timber becoming independant. What
kind of member of the Forest Owls am I? Can't even keep my promise to Zone and Watts. And now
Galbadia is starting trouble again...I've got to keep my promise. Timber must be set free. I just
hope that what I'm doing now will in some way help them become independant. Maybe this
announcement will be a start for a new era of independance for Timber!-
"Rinoa?" Quistis stared at her for a good few seconds, asking her name for the third
time. Rinoa's thoughts were cut short and she came back to the task at hand.
"What, Quistis? I'm sorry, I didn't hear you." She replied.
Seifer snorted indignantly. "You gotta keep on your toes. This is an official mission
after all."
-Yeah, my FIRST official mission.-
Seifer crossed his arms. Holding up a hand to silence Seifer, Quistis restated, "I was
saying, that maybe it'd be best for you to get us into the TV station. You are still pretty well
known around here. Having connections in these situations is usually pretty beneficial."
Rinoa nodded. "Yeah, I understand. We'll go to the pub and see if they can let us through
the alley without anyone else knowing. You remember the way there, right?"
"Yes." Quistis moved over to a staircast nearby, leading down towards the pub. "It's
this way, isn't it?"
"Uh-huh." Rinoa concured.
Quistis nodded back to her comrades, decending the staircase towards the pub. The place
had been the same since she had last been there...when Seifer had nearly assasinated Vinzer
Deling. What a nightmare that had been for her. Immediately after Seifer had broken out, she
knew where he was going and asked Cid permission for her to go after him and getting the
assistance of Squall's team, if needed. Luckily, he had agreed and Quistis had set off faster
than a speeding bullet. Seifer had been her student, someone she was supposed to be responsible
for. Sure, Quistis had been relieved of her position as an instructor the day before, but she
still felt the heavy burden that it was somehow her fault that Seifer had broken out. Maybe if
she had done something better, had taught him better, maybe he wouldn't have done what he did.
The fresh air Quistis took in reminded her of how hard she had been breathing on the way
to the TV station the last time. Pumping her legs as quickly as she could, gasping in as much
as air as her lungs would allow, Quistis had dashed after Seifer. The calming blue motif of
Timber was all meshed into a blur as she pounded harder to catch up. She had seen nothing of the
town, keeping her mind fixed on stopping Seifer before he did anything. Now, as Quistis decended
the staircase, she remembered all the feelings and sights she had neglected to see the first
time she was here. This almost seemed like a second chance for her, to make up for the past
mistake of what happened with Seifer. He was here with them now, and she could make sure that he
followed her orders. She could help everyone this time.
Seifer's mind was full of thoughts similar to the ones Quistis had; remembering what it
had been like the last time he was there. All of it came back to him; the anger, resentment,
jealousy. It was all flooding back into his mind. How could they only send three rookie's to
Timber?! They could end up fighting the entire Galbadian army! There was no way Seifer would let
those three newbies tackle something like that. Exactly all of those thoughts came back to Seifer
and he promptly pushed them all back from where they came from. It wasn't like that this time.
He was a SeeD now, official and real. There was no more breaking out of Garden to assist Rinoa's
group, there was no more Vinzer Deling to hold hostage, and no more sorceress' knight business.
It was true that Seifer had fullfilled his dream, but now he was living the one he had never
made before; being on the same level as Squall's group. Maybe he would take on the entire
Galbadian army this time, along with the rest of the group. Possibly be instrumental at helping
Rinoa's dream of Timber independance a reality. This time he was in the right, Seifer knew that
what he was doing would not get him into trouble again. Seifer would no longer be on the outside
of Squall's little group, he would be there on the inside. He would be fighting the good fight
along side him. It was time for him to put away the thoughts of his romantic dream, his past,
the mistakes that were over with. Now was the time for him to stand up for what was truly right;
now Seifer would continue his second dream, being the best SeeD member that he could be.
The three entered the pub in a rush, alerting all those inside to their presence. Near
the left wall, a woman looked up from the sorting of bottles she had been doing, and saw Rinoa
as one of the three in the group.
"Hey, Rinoa. Long time, no see," she said.
Grinning nervously, Rinoa replied, "Yeah. Sorry, but we're in a hurry here. We have to
get to the TV Station right now. Official SeeD business."
The woman eyed Rinoa with a confused expression for a moment. "What? You still with
SeeD? I thought that stuff was all over with."
"No," Rinoa stated. "I am a SeeD now. Just yesterday."
"Oh. How nice. It's good to see you having such direction in your life too. It reminds
me-"
Seifer interupted with annoyance in his voice, "Hey! We need to get to the TV Station
now. We don't have time for chit chat here."
"I'm afraid Seifer is right here," Quistis agreed. "We have to get there as soon as
possible."
For a second, the woman's face contorted into an annoyed one, almost matching Seifer's.
The next moment, she shrugged and pointed to the back door. "Then you'd better get a move on.
Though, I don't think you're gonna find anyone there. No one's come through here lately trying
to get there and I think this is the only way there."
Trying to be polite, but being rushed by Quistis and Seifer running to the door, Rinoa
quickly called, "Thank you! See you soon!" to the woman, then turning her attention back to her
teammates.
* * * * *
"So like, where is this new TV Station, Zell?" questioned Irvine as the three stood at
the entrance to the Deling City Train Station.
Deling City looked like it always had, eternally nighttime. Above them, transparent
spotlights waved and danced across the dark skyline. All the twinkling lights of the city seemed
to be trying to reach up to the heavens, but only succeeding in casting a golden glow around
the place. If the three teenager SeeDs hadn't been on a mission, they would have found the
beauty of the place all consuming. But time was of the essence and they had to make it to the
new Deling City TV Station as quickly as possible.
Zell held a map to the city in his hand, not being fully familiar with the town in the
first place. Selphie inspected the part he was looking at and smirked knowingly. She turned the
map around in Zell's hands and announced, "It works better when you're holding it right side up."
The boy's face turned a shade of pink as he readjusted the map to its proper position.
For a moment, he studied the map, trying to hide his embarassed face from his friends. After a
brief moment of silence, he pointed to one spot on the map. "Here it is. Two blocks west of the
orphanage."
"Well, like, let's get goin'. We don't have all the time in the world here," Irvine
commented, holding his shotgun on his shoulder.
"Right, right," Zell said and pointed down the long street bustling with people. "Okay,
we head down the main street, past the arch, then head down past the General's mansion. The
orphanage should be on our left and after that, it's just two blocks west. The TV Station is on
the right side. Now, let's all move out."
Selphie suddenly hopped up and down on the pavement excitedly, "Oh, oh! Zell!" She
exclaimed, "If the announcement isn't from here, can we stop by the shopping mall before heading
back to Garden?"
Calmly, Irvine placed his free hand on Selphie's shoulder, preventing her from hopping,
"Honey, next time."
"Awwww," She pouted. "Fine. Let's go." Turning on her heels, Selphie started walking
towards the golden arch down the street.
Zell shook his head, trying to follow her. He leaned his head over to Irvine and spoke
from the side of his mouth, "That was a close save there, Irvine."
Irvine nodded, whispering back, "Thank Hyne I left the credit gil cards at home."
Silently, the three continued to walk through the town, making their way past all the
busy people around them. Deling City teemed with life; everyone seemed to have a place to go
and fast. No one questioned why the three were there, nor seemed to notice their presence at all.
When they had reached the General's Mansion, the three stopped to take a quick look at
the place. All the lights in the windows were on, and a guard was still stationed at the gate.
Though, the guard himself looked quite bored, falling asleep on his feet every few minutes. While
it looked like General Caraway was still around, and in the mansion for that matter, the place
gave off the feeling of being empty. Void of life was a good term for the place. Remembering
they did not have time for this pondering, the three continued on.
On a street not far from the General's Mansion stood a building on the left side that all
of them recognized as the Deling City Orphanage; the sign above the doorway was a dead giveaway.
Irvine and Zell exchanged a concerned look to each other, Selphie taking notice of this.
"What gives?" She asked, "You two were never in this orphanage."
Irvine jutted his thumb up at the sign. "Yeah, but someone we know was."
"Y'mean...Vira lived there?" Unbelieving, Selphie pointed to the doorway, treating the
thought as badly as she would dealing with a monster.
Zell nodded in response, adding, "She said she lived there until she was enrolled in
Galbadia Garden. Never said how it was here, though. Y'know, Vira. Just like Squall, never tells
us what's on her mind..."
Selphie squinted. "Zell, you've only known her for a few days."
"Oh, yeah."
"You gotta give someone a little time to open up...though, Vira's a tough nut to crack,"
Irvine said as the three began walking again.
Zell shrugged. "I'll get to her somehow. I mean, Rinoa got to Squall and we all know how
he can be."
"Yeah, but she's not Squall. It's gonna be different for her, probably," Selphie
pondered. "C'mon, let's hurry up!" She broke into a fast run, leaving the two to catch up to her.
"Hey!" Zell called after her, "I'm supposed to be leading this! Wait for us!"
* * * * *
Dorin was given a proper tour of Garden, provided by Vira and Squall since he had said
he would need it. The two agreed to that, taking him on a whirlwind tour of the place. It had
worked out all right. Dorin did not ask too many questions, to which Squall and Vira were not
too into answering anyway. In fact, the three seemed to be getting along very well. Squall had
asked Vira if there was a problem with her arm and suggested she go see Doctor Kadowaki to which
Vira had answered, "It's fine, really. Let's just go." And no other mention of it had been made
since then.
Slowly, the conversation turned to comparisons between Dorin's homeland Draconia and
Balamb Garden, including Balamb the town itself. Dorin saw Garden as very functional and on time
(all students seemed to be trying harder to be on time these days) but lacked the tall spires
and prestigious statues that Draconia had.
Required to show Dorin battle from Garden, Vira and Squall showed a few techniques with
their weapons. Inside the Training Center, Vira and Squall made sure that no other students were
inside before beginning.
"I guess it's best if we show you some of the moves we use with our weapons." Squall
suggested.
"Yes," answered Dorin. "I have heard that your weapon is a gunblade, one that isn't as
widely used because of the difficulty involved in its handling."
Squall nodded. "Just me and Seifer are the only SeeDs who use the gunblade." He took
out his gunblade, the weapon glinting under the lights of the room. Quickly, he displayed the
range of moves he used and showed Dorin the striking points to each one (to Vira's slight
protest, Squall was forced to point the gunblade at her when demonstrating). Once finished,
Dorin nodded, looking very interested in this display.
"That really is a nice weapon. Do you have to do anything with it afterward?" He asked.
Squall regarded Dorin, confused. "What do you mean?"
"With the Honor Blade, it must shed blood each time it is unsheathed." Dorin pointed to
the scar on his right arm. "I must cut my arm each time I practice."
"Doesn't that hurt a lot?" Vira winced at the thought of doing that each time she had
to train.
Dorin shrugged a little, commenting, "Not much. It heals immediately afterward. Just this
little scar is left." Again he pointed to the scar. "What about your weapon, Vira?" He turned to
Vira. "I had only heard stories of those kamagunblades, I didn't believe they still existed."
She picked up her weapons, looking at them shine brightly. "I didn't hear too many
stories around them. I've had them for as long as I can remember. One of the only things I've
ever truly owned. No one really knows how to train me with these, so I've learned a lot of the
moves from..." Vira stopped. She didn't really know where she had learned her moves from, she
just always seemed to know them. Like they were instinct.
"You might be the last person on this planet to know how to use those," Dorin seemed
almost proud to say something like that.
He was really beginning to understand why the Head Magistrate had decided to send him
here. The SeeDs were really not quite the bloody mercenaries he had pictured them to be.
Generally friendly, with what appeared to be a code of honor, and a better professional manner
than he had originally thought. Dorin was beginning to believe that the SeeDs really were the
people to help his country, and almost reminded him of some of the army soldiers back at home.
These SeeDs, while having their difficulties, still had an air that they were always ready to be
assigned to a mission, always on call. He respected that, knowing how regimented life can be
when you are always on call for someone. The veruchii were not as bad as he had believed them
to be.
Vira shrugged off Dorin's comment. "I might not be. It doesn't really matter."
"This Training Center is really remarkable. Live monsters in here must do wonders for
hardening to battle early on." He decided to change the subject, noticing Vira's apathy.
"Yes," Squall replied. "But you are only allowed to fight something that is at your own
level of expertise. It could prove deadly if you take on something you can't handle. That's why
students do not take this place too lightly."
Dorin nodded. "A proper attitude to treat this place with. When do the students start
training for battle with the monsters here?"
For a moment, Squall scanned his mind looking for the answer. "Probably 9, or 10. You
want them to be strong enough first." He finally answered.
"Well, I do believe you have showed me everything in the Garden now. I think we should
move on to the business of getting the Galbadian ruler out of my country." Dorin half suggested,
half ordered.
Vira concured. "Yeah, that's a good idea. Besides, no one needs to hear about the rush
for hot dogs in the cafeteria. It's very irrelevant to what we're doing."
"Yep," Squall's voice took a slightly lighter tone. "Especially since that's something
Zell knows a lot more about."
The two SeeDs chuckled a little, Dorin looked at them a tad bemused. "Zell?"
Squall cleared his throat to explain. "He was one of the SeeDs you ran into when you
stepped off the elevator earlier. He's the blonde one. Zell loves the hot dogs and will try to
get one every chance he gets."
The three began walking down the long corridor to the main hall of Garden. Students were
now beginning to enter the Training Center again, knowing the coast was clear. A few of them
saluted Squall when they passed by, but most decided to not acknowledge their presence too much.
That suited them just fine, not being interested in the etiquette of the students at this point.
While Dorin had at first noticed the respect that the SeeD commanded and had thought it was a
point in their favor, now he was uninterested in that tiny fact. They stopped when they reached
the intersection of the main hallway.
Squall turned to Dorin. "Well, we are hired by you to get the new ruler of Galbadia to
stop building the embassy in your country. We are supposed to follow your orders, whatever they
may be."
"It is up to me? Alone? You just follow my orders?" Dorin asked.
"Bingo," Vira answered. "You just tell us what to do and we'll do it. We will not be
released from your contract until our mission has been completed."
A cheery three toned bell sound rang across the entire Garden, stopping everyone in
their tracks. Over the PA system in a loud voice, Headmaster Cid announced, "Squall, please
bring Vira and Dorin Vachon up to my office immediately. The announcement from Galbadia is
starting."
Without another word, the three rushed up to Headmaster Cid's office. All three knew that
whatever Galbadia had to say now, it would not be good for them.
* * * * *
With Quistis in the lead, the three rushed up the stairs to the TV Station. None of them
noticed the lack of people in sight; only concentrating on completing their objective. Quistis
suddenly stopped dead in her tracks when she reached the doors to lead inside the building.
Seifer and Rinoa nearly stumbled over her in an attempt to stop. When all three were stable on
their feet, Seifer and Rinoa looked to what Quistis had been. The gray double doors that led
into the TV Station were padlocked with silver colored chains. Quistis walked over to them,
grabbing at the lock and shaking the chains. All she gots in response was a jingling, jangling
sound. They were sturdy. Above them, the three spotted a sign displaying the message, "Timber
TV Station closed until further notice. Any productions have been moved to the Deling City TV
Station."
"Oh that's just great," Seifer threw his hands up in disgust. It perfectly matched the
angry expression on his face. "That means Chickenwuss and his team are where all the action is.
He could be running away from the entire Galbadian Army as we speak!"
Quistis placed a placating hand on Seifer's shoulder, trying to calm him down. "Shut up,
Seifer. We have to get back to Garden immediately and tell them."
"Heheh, if you're good, maybe we'll be able to go to Deling City. Maybe then you'll get
some 'action.'" Rinoa mocked, rolling her eyes at the same time.
Seifer took a menacing step forward towards Rinoa, but was stopped by Quistis stepping
in between the two. "Let's go back to Garden. Now. We have no time to waste arguing."
Throwing daggers at each other with their eyes, Rinoa and Seifer silently agreed,
following Quistis back to the stairs. The black screen beside them jumped to life. It sputtered
and coughed with the snow on display, a picture coming in slowly. The three SeeDs stopped to
look at what Galbadia had to say this time.
* * * * *
An errie silver glow surrounded the Deling City TV Station. There was a presence about
it that felt wrong. The building itself was only two stories covered in black obsidian stone.
Double doors that were wide open, led into a large room for taping. Rolled out to the sidewalk
was a scarlet colored velvet rug, trimmed with silver. The roof of the building twisted and
swirled into a shape like the top of Garden, but sharper. A sign above the protruding alcove
read in bright red letters, "Deling City TV Station." The announcement was obviously going to
be from there. Inside, the lights gave off a low gray glow. Zell, Selphie and Irvine ignored
it all, entering the building cautiously. Stealth was probably the best route for them to use
and not alert anyone to their presence.
Inside, General Caraway stood stiffly in front of a light wood podium. On the front of
it was a symbol for the country of Galbadia. The curtains around the room were of the same color
as the carpet, complete with the silver trimming. Strangely, there were torches of fire hanging
from the walls, but the fire itself burn in silver and gray tones. General Caraway shuffled
through a few of his papers, not noticing Zell, Selphie and Irvine sneak into a dark corner of
the room. The brights lights being shown on General Caraway blocked some of his sight, leaving
other parts of the room in near complete darkness. In front of him stood a camera, being manned
by two cameramen. Finally looking up, General Caraway addressed the camera with a droning voice.
"People of the world, last time an announcement was made over television, it was to
announce Sorceress Edea to the position of Ambassador for Galbadia. Much has happened since then.
One result leaving us without a president. As everyone knows, I have taken the position of
president until a substitute could be found. The time has come for me to step aside and go back
to doing what I do best. People of the world, the new president for life of the country Galbadia
is Sorceress Naxa Noerliw."
From the right side appeared Xana, dressed as she had in Esthar. She was alive. The
silver ornament adorned her back, accompanied by the flowing silk black sheets. Ebony feathers
jutted from her neckline, nearly covering the scarlet choker she wore. At the base of the
neckline was a small button clasp of silver that depicted a strange symbol...something that was
very familiar to Zell, but he couldn't quite remember where he had seen it before.
-Hyne...I just can't remember where I've seen that before. And I know it was just
recently. Aw, dammit!-
"Zell, stop moving so much," Selphie scolded him, whispering.
From where Xana's silver button clasp expanded an ocean of deep crimson that reached
down to the floor, leaving the top part of her dress a shining black and the rest blood red
fabric. Her luminous dark brown hair reached down her back and was braided in the front, her eyes
a sickly yellow. Xana's face was cold and cruel looking, nothing like the feign of concerned look
she had on her face back in Esthar. Whatever it was that she was going to say, you could
guarantee that it would not be good for anyone who dared to oppose Galbadia. Xana cleared her
throat and began, "Greetings to all. I am pleased to be chosen to be the new president for
Galbadia. I will lead you all into a new age. One of prosperity and productivity. I would like
to first announce that we have found out the location of the once mysterious country of Draconia
and plan to build an embassy there for better relations with our lost friends. I am personally
taking my newly build airship, the Silver Siren, to Draconia to speak with the people there
about the issue. This is the first, in many steps to be taken to bring this country back into our
world. Thank you."
She glided back off stage and began whispering to an aide. General Caraway went back to
droning on about a closing speech. Zell, Selphie, and Irvine snuck closer to hear Xana's
whisperings. The aide standing next to her looked like someone from the Galbadian Army. Her voice
was low, spoken in cruel, sharp sentences.
"Plan A has failed. The Draconians do not want an embassy and there's no way to convince
them otherwise. Because of that, we move to plan B. Ready every soldier in the Galbadian Army,
get every robot suit functional, everything. I want all the resources of the Galbadian Army ready
at my command. We leave immediately on the Silver Siren for Draconia. I want to make it clear
to them all that my command is waste the entire country. That means everything. Leave no one
alive and burn all the houses. Destroy everything."
"Yes, ma'am." The aide nodded quickly and rushed off to his task.
Silently, Xana began gliding towards the back of the room, being followed by Zell,
Selphie and Irvine. All of them with shocked faces.
* * * * *
Headmaster Cid sat at his desk waiting for Squall, Vira and Dorin. He looked quite
distressed as he watched General Caraway speak to the world. A far off ding from the elevator
signaled that the three had arrived. Their face paced footsteps assured Cid of that and the three
entered his office, opening the door with great force. Without speaking a word, Cid pointed a
finger to the television screen nearby, the three turning to watch. They saw General Caraway
finish his speech, waiting for Xana to appear.
"He seems more stiff than usual..." Squall quietly noticed.
When Xana walked up to the podium, both Squall and Vira had their jaws dropped in shock.
Dorin glanced at them, confused to why they wore the expressions they did. But Dorin immediately
turned his attention back to the screen when Xana mentioned Draconia.
"What?" He exclaimed, "She can't do that! We must go after her. Right now."
Vira stared at the screen, trying to read Xana's expressions. Her gaze went into Xana's
eyes, and Vira froze. The eyes...they were the eyes she was seeing. Everything she had been
seeing was some sort of spell from Xana or something like that. There was no other explaination
for it. Xana's eyes seemed to look right to Vira, searching her very soul for sins. A little
intimidated, Vira backed away from the television screen slowly. With each step she took she
whispered, "It's her...it's her..."
Squall looked at Vira questioningly. "Yes, it's Xana. I don't know how she survived."
"No," Vira argued. "I mean, it's her. She's been haunting me. In Dollet...with the
Galbadian soldier...her face was on his....she's been haunting me for some reason. I killed him
by accident, she unleashed something in me." She paused, not sure if she wanted to say anymore.
Dorin's almost disgusted look nearly kept her from adding, "I must stop her from doing this. If
you're going to Draconia to see her, I'm coming with you."
Before Squall could reply, a drop of blood hit the slick part of the floor in Cid's
office. Everyone was silent for a moment, looking as Vira's scar began to bleed again. Drip.
Drip. Drip. Drip. She took her other hand and placed it on the scar to silence the dripping, but
it just flowed through her fingers. Drip. Drip. Drip.
Author's comments: Sorry that it took me so long to write this one too. But I finally
got a job which I start next week so things have been a little hectic. Don't worry, I'll still
find the time to write. :) The next chapter will feature Squall, Vira, Dorin, Quistis, Rinoa
and Seifer heading to Draconia to talk to Xana. But only Zell, Selphie and Irvine are aware of
what she has in store for Dorin's homeland. War breaks out and our heroes are too late.
Prejudice, anger, hate, resentment and a new revelation next chapter. And this one's a biggie.
Please stay tuned and R&R this chapter. I would really appreciate it. Thanks. Oh, and if anyone
is interested in a little extra thing, I have some drawings I've done of Vira in her SeeD
uniform and Xana. If anyone wants to see them, just email me. Thank you. :D
