::Disclaimer and other things people will probably ignore::
FF8 and it's characters are copyright by Squaresoft. The plot, however, is mine. 
Touch it, 
and eat horrible GF death. I'm serious!
...And finally, this is Rated PG-13-ish for light swearing and suggestive 
themes. Don't 
kill me. Questions? Comments? Flames? Send them to Megami_Yanagi@hotmail.com 
with the subject "FF8 fic" or something similar, or my junk mail folder will eat 
it and say 
"yummy" when it is done. arigatou, and enjoy! ^_^


From Forever to Infinity

Chapter 2: "Shards of Sanity"

***************************************

	"Listen up." Squall began impromptly, as his usual "briefings" usually went.
"We've been sent on another mission. I spoke with Edea yesterday." He paced back
and forth, not realizing that in the back of everyone, Selphie and Irvine were
snickering, and imagining him without a shirt while he was briefing them. 
	"She feels that Ultimecia didn't pass all her powers on to her, and that she
may have potentially saught another candidate that was alive in Adel's time to
receive her powers, but never received them because Adel was jettisoned off into
space. Edea feels that the powers she has are trying to locate the power that is
missing. Edea and Cid would like us to find this "lost candidate" and protect
her from Ultimecia, or if Ultimecia has already found her, to put a stop to her
as well. Any questions?"
	"Why don't we use Edea as a homing device to find the girl and the powers?"
Zell suggested, "That would be the quickest way to handle it."
	"Can't do that." Squall replied. "She's re-opened the orphanage and is housing
some children there. We can't just take her."
	"She re-opened the orphanage? That's wonderful!" Quistis smiled, "She's better
off being 'Matron' anyway."
	"So, where do we start looking?" Rinoa asked.
	"I'm thinking Esthar." Squall mused. "It's the largest city in the world, so
she has a bigger chance of being there. And the smaller the town after that, the
closer we are to finding her. After Esthar, we have a 50/50 chance everywhere
else."
	"You've really thought this through, Squall! Let's go right away." Selphie
piped up from the back.
	"Your excitement wouldn't happen to be over 'Sir Laguna' and his presence
there, would it?" Squall remarked tersely.
	"Oh, of course not!" Selphie beamed her most innocent smile at that cold look.
"They have a wonderful weapons shop there too!"
	"Alright, it's settled. We'll go to Esthar first." Rinoa said, standing up and
fixing her dress. "Squall, call your father and let him know we're coming."
	"You call that idiot." Squall shot at her.
	"He's your father, Squall!" Selphie looked at him with sad eyes. "You should
really try and get along with him, even if you have some grudges."
	"You're so keen about him, then you call." Squall retorted.
	"Stop passing off your father to everyone else. Besides, you can see Ellone as
well." Irvine remarked.
	"Hmmfh." Squall snorted, actually getting angry. The only things that got him
livid were his father, and Rinoa being in danger. He then proceeded to stalk out
of the room, muttering something about leaving promptly at 10 AM and having all
your crap together.



****************11:43 AM, Esthar Standard Time**********************

	
	Rinoa, Selphie and Squall had decided to be the three to go for the initial
visit to President Laguna. Everyone else decided to go shopping. Squall had been
against it, saying that as SeeDs, they should have more dicipline, and a longer
attention span, but Rinoa insisted that it would be easier with just the three
of them at first. He had grudgingly agreed, only because it was Rinoa.
	The escort hover pad made it's stop in front of the green, yellow, and blue
iridescent building his father called home now-a-days. It always amazed Squall
how a moron like his father became president. Heroic deeds didn't require
brains. A president should have more brains, and less heroic deeds. In this
manner, his father reminded him of his rival, Seifer. Maybe that's why he
despised him so much...
	As Squall shed light on his inner turmoil, an interior hover pad took the trio
straight to Laguna's office.
	"We're here." Rinoa poked him, while Selphie ran over to the doors and let
herself in.
	"Sir Laguna!" She exclaimed and ran over to his desk, piled high with papers.
"SeeD at your service!" Laguna stood with a start, knocking a good deal of
paperwork to the floor.
	"Um, hello, everyone! Wow, I didn't expect you here so soon and all..." He
stuttered, and placed an arm behind his head, laughing nervously. "I would have
had tea or something ready..."
	"Tea is already on it's way, Laguna." Kiros said from the back of the room.
Ward shot a look at Laguna, and then made some gestures at Kiros.
	"Ward says you'd lose your head if it wasn't already attached." Kiros
translated. Laguna flopped back down in the chair, sending *more* papers flying. 
	"So," Laguna began, "Why are you in Esthar?"	
	'That's where Squall got his inability with words from.' Rinoa thought as
Selphie and Squall briefed Laguna on the situation. Laguna stared off into space
for a second after hearing the news, then turned hard in his chair, knocking
over papers in the process.
	"You don't think it's Elle, do you?!" He jumped up and and picked up the phone.
"Oh gods, you don't think it is, is it?!" He panicked. 
	"Relax, Laguna." Squall said coolly, "It's not Sis." Laguna flopped once again
into the chair with a heavy sigh of relief.
	"That's great news! So why am I involved?" He scratched his head, and half of
his hair came undone from it's tie. It made him look infinitely younger. Rinoa
wondered if Squall looked anything like his mom, because he barely resembled his
father at all. She had never seen a picture of Raine Loire, and probably never
would. Was his mother a warm, sweet, person; Sincere like Laguna, or was she
afraid of people, like her son? Rinoa couldn't remember her mother much. She was
a pianist, and traveled a lot. And her father was a bastard. No wonder she
wanted to unravel Squall. He had so many layers underneath, it was like peeling
an onion. She wrinkled her nose at the thought of raw onions. 
	"I guess that means 'no'." Squall said to her, which brought her out of her
revere. 
	"Huh? What means 'no'?" Rinoa asked dazedly.
	"When you make that face, it means you're not happy." He said to her. "So,
what's wrong with it?"
	"W-what's wrong with what?" Rinoa looked completely confused.
	"I guess you were off in la-la land while we were talking, huh Rinoa?" Selphie
said with a maliceless laugh.
	"I...I was thinking of raw onions, and wondering what Squall's mother looked
like..." Rinoa mused aloud. Then she gasped as a bottomless look of sadness
crossed Laguna's countance. "I-I'm sorry, Laguna!" She looked horrified, "I
didn't mean to-"
	"It's ok, Rinoa." He looked down at the desk, and more of his hair fell down to
frame his face. His fingers drew lines down the desk so hard that his fingertips
turned white against the mohagony as he dragged them downward. "If I don't think
of Raine once in a while, I might forget her." 
	His emotion permeated the air for a minute. "I have a picture in my desk
here..." He murmured as he searched for it in various drawers. Then he seemed to
remember something. "Oh, right, I gave it to Ellone." He turned to Rinoa. 
	"If you see her around, have her show it to you. She loves to talk about
Raine."
	"I'll do that, Laguna. Thank you." Rinoa said quietly. Then she remembered
about the images Shiva had shown her, how one of them was Laguna. Oh well, she
thought, Squall and Selphie probably told him already. Besides, her train of
thought running off with her had already caused enough trouble as it was today.
	"Ok, we're done here." Squall proclaimed as he stood and turned to leave.
"Let's find the others."
	The trio bid their farewells and headed off into the city.

************************************************************

	Raine looked out over the landscape. It was definately Winhill, but how had she
gotten here? All she remembered was walking through that field of flowers until
her weak legs could support her no longer. Then, she had collapsed, and called
for Laguna. Had he brought her here? She scrambled to her feet from where she
had been laying, slumped up against the wall of her house and looked around. 
	"Laguna?!" She called out weakly, "Laguna, are you here? Laguna...?"
	She got no answer. However, two kids playing tag in the street froze in their
tracks, pointed, and screamed in terror, taking off down the street. What had
she done? Did she look scary?
	And then she remembered, she had been dead. 
	She looked at as much of herself as she could without a mirror. She looked
fine. A little disheveled from sleeping in the street, but not like she'd been
dead for 17 years. Her skin even had a healthy-looking flesh tone back to it
now. Why was she in such a good condition? Was it even her body? Was it the
sorceress' body? No, it couldn't be. The sorceress was definately taller than
she, and she recalled the sorceress being a spirit, no longer posessing a body.
What possible purpose did that woman have for bringing her back to life? All she
wanted was to find Laguna. she desperately wanted to see him again, to hold him
again, to tell him she loved him...
	Well, 17 years had passed. No one would remember her here, and Laguna never
would have settled here. It just wasn't his way. It was time to leave. She could
walk to Dollet, and from there, catch a boat to someplace Laguna might have
been. But she should stock up on a couple potions, and some rations, she
decided, and headed to the little shop. Then she stopped, and thought about
something.
	The first thing was that Winhill had it's own docks- she could get a boat
there. And secondly, did she have to eat at all? 
	Raine placed her hands against her face just like she had the first few moments
of her renewed life. She was no longer cold. But her stomach hadn't growled at
all, and she had no fatique from hunger. Maybe her insides were dead. But if she
was warm, then there was blood flowing. And if there was blood, then there were
other internal things. Perhaps she had to make herself eat?
	Before she realized it, she had walked to the docks, taken a boat, and was now
drifting out to sea. Where would she go? Where was Laguna? 
	Laguna, Laguna, Laguna, was all her heart cried out. She wanted nothing else
excpt to see him again. To look into those loving eyes and fall into them.
	"My Laguna..." She murmured, clutching an oar to her chest, and feeling the
tears welling up in her eyes. She keeled over backwards, onto the floor of the
rowboat. Her tears floated upward, sparkling in the sunlight off of the sea. She
closed her eyes as hard as she could to keep the tears in, and wished as hard as
she could to find him. 
	All of a sudden there was a flash of light behind her eyelids, and then Raine
passed out on the floor of that tiny rowboat in the turbulant sea.

**************A few days later*******************************

 	"Well, we've covered all of Esthar." Selphie announced as they sat in a small
restaraunt in the Esthar shopping Center. "Where to next, fearless leader?" She
asked Squall. 
	Squall sat across the table from Selphie, and to his right and left sat Rinoa
and Irvine, respectively. Quistis was between Selphie and Irvine, and Zell was
between Selphie and Rinoa. Zell was wolfing down chili dogs as fast as they
could serve them, Irvine had a steak dinner the size of his hat, and the rest
had club sandwiches except Squall- he had a hamburger, as rare as they would
cook it. 
	"You know Squall, it says 'moo' every time you take a bite." Rinoa razzed him,
watching him take another large bite and chew it violently. He looked at her
expectful face. She was trying to get under his skin, trying to lighten him up
in that way of hers. She wanted him to break, and show some emotion. He was
working on it. Opening up to people was hard. Hell, he still had trouble opening
up to Rinoa! She did deserve something for her efforts though. So he screwed up
some courage, looked at her, and to the ameusement of everyone else, simply
said:
	"Moo." 
	Rinoa clapped her hands in delight while Selphie and Irvine busted up. Squall's
right cheek twitched in what might have been the beginning of a slight smile. 
	"We should look in Galbaldia next." Squall said, "It's the next largest
continent, with the next largest city, Deling."
	"True..." Quistis mused, "And she wouldn't be in Balamb- we know that much. So
we check Deling, Dollet, Winhill, and such?"
	"Yeah." Squall said after a swallow. "Something like that."
	Just then, a waiter approached their table with a small portable communications
device.
	"Is there a 'Squall Leonheart' here by any chance?" The waiter asked nervously.
Squall raised a hand.
	"I'm Squall. Who's asking?"
	"Comm call from President Loire, Mr. Squall. Direct secure line. He says it's
urgent." The waiter said and handed him the communicator. 
	"Yeah." Squall answered.
	"Squall? Come back to the palace as soon as you're finished. Someone is here to
see you, and says it's urgent."
	"Who is it?" Squall asked.
	"She- I mean, *they* asked me not to say." Laguna muttered under his breath,
"Damn."
	"I'll be right back asap." Squall said and hung up the communicator. "Well,
we're gonna be delayed a little. It seems we have an unidentified female guest
back at the palace."
	"Oooh, I hope it's Ellone!" Selphie thought aloud. 
	"I doubt it." Squall said, "He would have just said so, unless this is his idea
of a dumbass prank." 
	"Well, enough talk!" Quistis quipped cheerfully, "We should hurry up and eat,
so that we can find out the identity of our 'mystery guest'."
	"Cheers to that!" Irvine proclaimed as he held up a glass in salute fashion.
The SeeDs then made short work of their lunch and headed back to the palace.

	Squall and the others made their way without incident to the President's
Office. Selphie once again, let herself in. 
	"So, who is it?" Selphie asked cheerfully as she strode in like she owned the
place. She looked around, and she and all the SeeDs did a double take when they
saw Edea standing there in her traditional black dress and heels. What made them
almost do a triple take, were the two children clinging to the folds of her
skirt.
	One was tall, obviously the older one, a boy of about 6 years of age. He had
dark black hair, and pale blue eyes. The other one, a little girl, was about 4,
and had hair just the opposite of the other child. Hers was white blonde and
wispy. However, her eyes were the same color as the boy's. Maybe they were
siblings? Squall stared at the childen for a moment, and then addressed Edea.
	"Matron, what are you doing here, especially with children? There are still
wild monsters around here from the Lunar Cry." Squall repremanded, "They could
get hurt, or worse."
	The little girl interupted the conversation. "Only we can call Matron that!"
She declared, her pale blue eyes narrowed with what seemed to be pure hatred.
	"Mecia, please behave!" Edea chided the little girl, patting her head softly.
"I'm sorry Squall; They lost their parents very recently in a terrible accident.
So, they are very protective of me, and think I'm going to be gone the next time
they wake up. Forgive them, you know how it is." 
	"Of course." Squall said, understanding full well what she meant. "But what are
you doing here?"
	"I've come to help you track down the new sorceress, of course." Edea said with
a small smile. "And I couldn't leave these two there alone."
	"Does Cid know you're here?" Quistis asked her.
	"No, he doesn't. He refused to let me help you, so I came of my own volition."
She said. "It makes more sense! My power draws me instinctively to it's missing
half, plus we can't have 6 of Garden's finest running around on a wild chocobo
chase."
	Edea looked down as the little boy pulled on her skirt and made some hand
gestures at her. Ward noticed and gestured to Kiros.
	"Ward noted that the boy is signing." Kiros asked Edea, "He wants to know if
the little one is mute as well."
	"He is." Edea said sadly, "Maybe from the same accident that killed his
parents, maybe from day one. I can't understand him, but he seems to know how to
communicate the basic things he needs through hand gestures."
	"Just like Ward." Kiros agreed. "It's strange how I can understand him, even
though he just gestures." Behind him, Ward made motions at the boy, and the boy
shyly made motions back. Soon, the boy had stopped clinging to Edea's skirt, and
was over with Ward, smiling as they "talked" to each other.
	Laguna smiled quirkily at Ward and the little boy's "conversation". "I never
pictured Ward as a child person." he commented to Kiros.
	"They're just kindred spirits." Kiros replied, "It's not everyday that a mute
person can find someone who completely understands them."
	"I guess you're right." Laguna agreed. 
	"...and the children and I will remain aboard the Ragnarok while you confront
the new sorceress." Edea was saying. "That way, we will be safe. If it really
comes down to it, I can protect them myself."
	"Uh uh! Mecia will protect *you*, Matron!" Mecia jumped up and declared. For a
little girl who had just lost her parents, she sure had spunk. Something about
her nagged at Squall's mind though. He couldn't put his finger on what was so
peculiar about her, except the attitude.
	"You know we have to let Cid know where you are." Squall told Edea.
	"I know. But I would like to help in some small way. This is very important; It
must be stopped."
	"I hope we can deal with this quickly and get back to Garden." Zell whined, "I
miss their chili dogs already!"
	"With Edea with us, we'll have her in no time, right?" Rinoa asked the senior
sorceress.
	"Let us hope so, Rinoa." Was all she said.

*******************************************

	The sun was shining brightly in the aqua colored sky as he walked down the
shore with her. She was just as beautiful as ever, the sun catching the same
brown gold streaks in her sepia hair that their son had. He couldn't help but
look at her, a deep sadness in his chest, even though he felt infinitely happy,
like everything was perfect again. She turned to him, and spoke.
	"What if you had never left, Laguna?" She looked at him with beseeching eyes.
Her image blurred slightly around the edges for a second, then stabalized. He
didn't find anything wrong with this.
	"Would you still be here today...?" He finished. It was the same question he
had asked himself over and over again for the past 17 years. Would he have been
able to save her? At the very least, if he had been there, their son wouldn't
have been brought up with such pain and sorrow in his heart. And he wouldn't
feel the animosity toward him he felt today.
	He wished Squall felt a little differently toward him. Yes, he could understand
how he felt, but at the same time, wouldn't he want to establish a rapport with
the few he had left? Perhaps that was his way, but not Squall's.
	Squall. Squall...who had named him, anyway? Had Raine lived long enough to see
the face of her only son? Long enough to name him? Or did the caretaker of the
orphanage name him this? He turned to Raine, but she was looking out over the
sea. He began to ask that question, but she turned halfway, and he saw her face. 
	It was contorted and twisted in a way that disturbed him deeply. Her eyes had
turned blood red with slitted pupils, and they were ringed with shadows, her
lips turned up in a twisted sneer.
	"R-Raine?!" Laguna yelped and jumped back. "What the hell...?!"
	"La..gu..na..." She whispered, and the hideous expression faded from her face.
The red shadowed eyes drooped down in sadness, the mouth turned down in a sorrowful
expression as he reached for him, tears starting to fall.
	"You're not Raine!" Laguna cried out, the peaceful waves suddenly roiling into
a storm behind them, the skies turning dark and ominous.
	"Lagu...na...!" She sobbed, "Please, see me!"
	"You're not Raine!" Laguna screamed, and grabbed his head in his hands. "Go
away! Raine is dead! I can't-! You're not Raine, Raine is dead! Why are you
doing this to me?!" He cried, "What do you want, and why use her?" Laguna
suddenly had his gun in his hands, and he shot at the twisted Raine marrionette.
	"Leave Raine out of this! Show your true form!"
	"I am me! This is me, please, see me! Please...!" She cried out as bullets
grazed her shoulders, tearing wounds across her flesh.
	"Laguna! Laguna, find me! Help me, I, please...I can't..." She lunged at him,
and together they rolled down the wet sand and into the waves.
	"Why are you doing this!?" Laguna cried out as they struggled in the roiling
water.
	"I'm here, Laguna!" Raine pinned him down in the shallow water. "Please,
please, you'll find me here, just find me! Find me, I'm scared, Laguna! LAGUNA!"
	Laguna sat bolt upright in his bed, looking frantically around for the
storm-riddled shores, only to find his darkened palace bedroom as it usually
was. He was panting heavily, and his sheets, not to mention himself, were
drenched in sweat. He felt his chest, his heart was beating madly; Why after all
this time, have a dream about Raine? Was it because Rinoa brought it up? And why
was her message to find her? He knew where she was, sleeping in the grassy
field, her body gently wrapped in Shiva's icy embrace, keeping her as perfect as
when she was alive. Why? Why did she look like that, like she was...
	A monster? A demon? What was going on? He thought frantically as he paced in
front of a window. Maybe he should get out more, he mused, take a trip with
Squall and Elle sometime, go to Trabia maybe, or some small island and camp out,
like he and Kiros and Ward used to do back in the "good old days". Something had
to change though, if these dreams were going to continue. Perhaps, he could even
convince his son to let him sneak along with them to look for the new sorceress.
It would be more fun than he'd had in ages, he mused, and if Squall put his foot
down, he knew Selphie or Rinoa would always be glad to sneak him aboard.
	He would ask them before they left for Galbaldia in the morning.

*************************************************

End chapter 2! ^^;