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Chapter 17: Acceptance
Setting: Squall and Rinoa's Apartment, Balamb Garden
One month later

"And then the Knight got down on one knee in front of his Sorceress and said, 'I will protect you with my life, my Queen. For I love you, and you are as dear to me as my own heart.' 'Is that truly so?' asked the Sorceress. 'Then I shall trust you with my life, and I shall, in turn, protect you with mine.'"

Squall watched from other side of the bed as Rinoa read the story to Alexa, the words scrolling slowly up the screen of the computer as Rinoa read them. Alexa's little brown eyes were half-open, but she still listened intently to her mother's story as she lay in bed, her covers halfway up her chest.

"And with the dragon defeated, the Sorceress and her Knight were married by the town friar. They returned to their beautiful palace in the Forest of Life, where they spent the rest of their lives happily in love. Neither of them ever feared another dragon, because their love was stronger than anything else in the world. The End."

"That was beautiful, Mommy," said Alexa. "Wish that could happen in real life."

Rinoa looked up at Squall, whose small smile fell away into a concerned frown. "It does," said Squall. "Only the beautiful palace is Garden. And we're all here together, aren't we?"

Alexa thought for a second, then smiled and nodded. "Yeah, we are."

Alexa looked into her father's eyes, and as she did so, she felt warmth fill her small body. She was so happy that her mommy and daddy were both with her again. She hoped neither of them would leave her again. Not like in her dreams. "But that's all that they are, dreams," her father had told her. "They're not real."

"Time to go to sleep now, Lexie," said Squall, pulling her blanket up to her chin. He leaned over and kissed her tenderly on the forehead, and patted the top of her head.

As he did that, Rinoa started singing the lullaby, "When Dreamers Dream." Alexa looked over at her mother, and instantly her eyes began to fall shut. Rinoa's angelic tones so gently graced her daughter's bedroom that all other sounds seemed to fall away, everything listening to her singing. Even Squall was captivated by the song, and gazed upon Rinoa as if hypnotized.

When the song was finished, Alexa was fast asleep. Rinoa blew her a kiss, and she and Squall left the room for their own bedroom. Once inside, Squall thought to her, Sometimes fairy tales do come true. He sat down on the bed and removed his white shirt.

Rinoa knelt beside him, gazing lovingly into his eyes. Yeah, she replied. Even through everything that's happened to us, here we are together, a family. She grinned, showing off her bright white teeth.

Squall nodded. And then after tomorrow, you'll be back with the Garden family. No more hiding.

I'm glad for that. As much as I love being with you, Lexie, and everyone, I do miss my students. And I miss teaching them.

Squall nodded again, his smile fading. What's the matter? Rinoa asked.

Squall shrugged. I'm not totally sure how Cid'll take all this.

Rinoa stood up, placing her face less than an inch from Squall's. If I know him, he'll be very understanding.

*

Quistis stood in the elevator with Seifer, nervously tapping her foot. She had donned her maternity uniform, and had meticulously styled her hair, as she had done for years of being an Instructor. Seifer, likewise, wore his uniform underneath his gray trench coat.

Quistis looked over to Seifer and said, "How's my makeup?"

Seifer smirked and said, "You look beautiful. You're not going in for an inspection, you know."

"I know, I just…I want to make as good an impression before I…you know…break the news."

Seifer placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. "Everything will be fine. Cid's not gonna jump down your throat. Hell, he let me back in here."

Quistis sighed. "I suppose you're right about him. I just can't help being nervous."

The elevator door opened before Seifer could reply. The couple exited onto the third floor, where they saw Squall waiting.

"You know," Squall muttered when they were close to him, "you don't have to do this."

Quistis shook her head. "Yes, I do. If I'm going to tell everyone, then it has to be everyone. Headmaster Cid has done so much for me, and I have to come clean with him. I have to tell him. I don't want him finding out on his own."

Seifer squeezed her shoulder again and murmured in her ear, "He won't kick you out, Quisty. It'll be okay, trust me. With Edea in your corner, you could get out of Hell."

Quistis took his hand and kissed it. Smiling at him, she said, "I believe you. Let's go."

The three of them walked together past Bowler Fisk's unoccupied desk toward Cid's double doors. Squall pushed the doors open, allowing the three SeeDs to enter.

Inside, Cid and Edea were sitting together on the leather sofa, talking quietly. When they heard the door open, they both looked up and smiled.

"Come on in, I hear you want to speak to me," said Cid, holding out a welcoming hand.

"Yes, sir," said Quistis. Seifer pulled her up a chair, and she sat down as gracefully as possible, with her growing abdomen.

"My wife seems to know what you want to tell me, but she's being rather…cagey." He winked at Edea, who smiled warmly. "I take it that this is quite important."

"Yes, sir, it is," replied Quistis. Seifer silently pulled up a chair next to her and sat down. Squall found a nearby chair and sat in it, slouching forward as always.

After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, Cid said, "Well…?"

Quistis sighed. "Maybe Squall should tell you this first part. It's affected him longer than it has me."

Squall looked up in surprise. He had expected to be more of a moral support than actually breaking the news. Then again, I guess it's only fair, isn't it? I was the first one of us to lie to Cid.

"Squall?" asked Cid. Both he and Edea looked at him expectantly, only Edea knowing what he was to say.

Squall swallowed hard. He felt ashamed, but knew he needed to make his confession. "Rinoa…I…we lied to you…when we said her powers were gone, after Time Compression. She still had her powers, and they weren't affected at all by Ultimecia or Time Compression or anything else. We talked President Loire into having Doctor Odine falsify a report to you, in exchange for him being allowed to examine her once a month." Finished with his monologue, Squall stared at the older man, gauging his reaction.

Cid raised an eyebrow, the mirth almost completely gone from his eyes. After a moment of silence, he turned to Edea and said, "And I assume you knew about this the whole time?"

Edea nodded, holding her head low. As dignified as the woman was, she hated lying, and having to admit such.

Cid nodded, pursing his lips. "I'm glad you finally told me. I was wondering if you ever would."

Everyone audibly expressed their surprise and turned their full attention to the Headmaster. Cid, with mild amusement returning to his features, said, "I knew from the moment Rinoa, God rest her soul, first told me her powers were gone. When she was convincing me to let her enroll in SeeD."

Seifer crossed his arms and smirked. Damn, I really underestimated this guy.

Quistis' face was frozen in confusion and partially veiled anxiety. She hoped that this would make it easier for him to accept her news.

Squall and Edea both stared at Cid, mouths agape. They had both done their best to conceal Rinoa's secret, but obviously they hadn't done a very good job. Finally, Edea said, "How…?"

"You both thought you could pull one over on me, didn't you?" Cid asked, now smiling. "I could tell, just by how Rinoa's eye contact wavered whenever she mentioned that her powers were sealed. Then, I could see how both of you reacted whenever the issue of Sorceress powers was mentioned. I put two and two together, and figured it out. Actually, it was well before Rinoa's field exam that I added it all up."

"So…so then…" stammered Squall. "So, even though you knew she still had her powers, you still let her become a SeeD?"

Cid shrugged. "Why wouldn't I? I of anybody should know that Sorceress powers are only an attribute of a person, not what makes them who they are. That, and where better to keep an eye on, and protect, a Sorceress than in the ranks of SeeD?"

Edea chuckled. "My God, Cid. For all my years, I never imagined you were quite this clever."

Cid arched his eyebrows. "I'll try not to take that personally. I never told you that in my youth, I was called the 'human lie detector'." He then leaned forward, his expression becoming more serious. "I am, however, disappointed that you, Squall, would lie to me for so long. But, I know you did it for the woman you love. Lord knows I've done worse things for the woman I love."

Like abandoning Garden during the fight against Ultimecia, was what Squall read as the unspoken end to that sentence.

"I can forgive you, as long as you promise to not keep such things from me again. As Headmaster, it doesn't do me much good if my second-in-command keeps secrets from me."

Squall nodded, and sat up in his chair. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Quistis blew out her lips. "Well, sir, in that case, I hope this news is as little shock to you." She drew in a deep breath. "When Rinoa…passed away, I was the one that received her powers. I am now a Sorceress."

Cid nodded. "I suspected as much. Doctor Kadowaki said you were the closest one to Rinoa when…it happened." He looked at Squall sympathetically. "She told me she saw some kind of magical energies leap between you. She thought it was magic Rinoa had stocked up that flared out, but I again figured out what had happened. I can't blame you for not telling me, I can imagine how confused and frightened you've been."

Quistis nodded emphatically. "It's been getting better, though. I was most worried about our baby, but he's still doing fine."

Cid tilted his head, forming a short speech. "Although the primary purpose of SeeD is to protect the world from Sorceresses that would threaten it, it does not mean that SeeD must be against every Sorceress in the world. That was what I decided when I first started SeeD, because although I knew someday that some power-hungry Sorceress would try to rise up, I also knew that there were good Sorceresses, not the least of whom being my dear wife." He squeezed Edea's hand and gazed at her for a moment, before continuing, "There's no reason not to have a Sorceress in the ranks of SeeD. In fact, that will, first of all, help us have a better understanding of Sorceresses and their powers. Second, it will help serve as a reminder that, despite their powers, Sorceresses are human, just like the rest of us."

Edea planted a kiss on Cid's cheek, which abruptly turned red with embarrassment.

"Sir, there's something else," said Quistis. "This may be a bit harder to understand, but it's something you should know."

Squall glanced at her. She looked back and raised her eyebrows. Squall nodded understandingly and mouthed, "Go ahead."

Quistis took a deep breath. She was getting tired of telling this story. She hoped this would be the last time. "When Rinoa died, her spirit was held back from Heaven. We're not really sure why; we think it has something to do with my powers and my subconsciously not wanting her to leave. However it happened, Rinoa's spirit was pulled back, being halfway between the living world and the afterlife. She's been existing there, able to come back to our world for short visits. With the help of my powers, she can stay longer, speak to people other than me, and even be visible."

Cid's expression switched to one of genuine surprise. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but closed it again.

Quistis looked at Squall, who nodded. She closed her eyes in concentration, and then opened them again seconds later. Almost instantaneously, Rinoa shimmered into view.

Cid opened his eyes as wide as parabolic antennas, unable to believe the sight before him. This, he was not prepared for. "A…a hologram?" he asked.

Rinoa shook her head. "No, sir, it's really me. It's good to see you again. I've missed you."

Cid didn't reply. During the time he'd known her, he'd come to see Rinoa as a daughter, as he had with many of his SeeDs and students. Her death had secretly crushed him, but to find out that her death wasn't entirely final was almost too much for him. He stared straight at Rinoa and blinked repeatedly.

"I can understand how you feel," Rinoa said. "Our friends felt the same way when they first saw me."

After a few more heartbeats of silence, Cid whispered, "Ghost sightings."

"What?" asked Quistis.

Cid looked at Squall. "People weren't hallucinating, or making things up then, were they? They actually were seeing her…you." He turned back to Rinoa.

Rinoa nodded and crossed her arms. "That's something else that we've been trying to figure out. I think maybe it was just something I was doing wrong. I was visiting all different parts of Garden, because it's a much better place to be than where I've been stuck. I didn't mean to be visible, but I must have had some accidents."

Cid exhaled heavily. "Well…huh. I suppose that is 'mystery solved', then?" He looked at Squall. Squall nodded and shrugged.

"And here I thought my students were losing their minds. Then again, I suppose more peculiar things have happened. Oh…sorry, Rinoa. That came out wrong." Cid turned to her glowing form.

"It's okay, sir. I understand," Rinoa replied, with a grin. "I actually have something I'd like to ask of you. I know I don't deserve it, with how I lied to you before…"

Cid waved his hand. "Nonsense. I don't really blame you, although I'd be lying if I said I didn't wish I was told sooner."

"What I'm asking is…the Crossroad is so lonely and empty. All I have to do there is sit and wait. I'm getting strong enough to spend the better part of a day at a time here in the living world. Would it be all right if I returned to Instructing? I mean, at least until we can figure out some way to either send me to the afterlife, or let me stay permanently?"

Cid raised his eyebrows. "That one's…a little more difficult. Don't forget, my dear, you died. As far as everyone in Garden knows, you've been dead for months. Explaining this all to them…would be, well, difficult."

Rinoa nodded understandingly. "I know, sir. But if there were some way it could be done…I mean, if it's too difficult, I can do some kind of job that doesn't require me to interact with anyone that doesn't know. I just need something to do, and I miss working at Garden."

Cid sat in thought for a few seconds, everyone watching him. Finally, he said, "I'll see what I can do. Much more unusual things have happened; I'm sure that our faculty and students will be able to handle this."

Rinoa clenched her hands together at her chest, and nearly jumped up and down for joy. "Thank you so much, sir! I promise, you won't regret it!"

Cid chuckled. "I seem to recall you saying that exact same thing when I allowed you to try out for SeeD. I haven't yet been disappointed, and I don't expect I will be."

"Thank you, sir," said Squall, noticeably more comfortable.

With a sigh, Cid said, "Now, if you will all excuse me, I now have much more on my plate that must be dealt with. One thing, though." He stood and walked up to Rinoa, gazing at her in a fatherly way. "It's very good to see you again, Rinoa. I hope you will be able to stay for a while."

Rinoa nodded. "Me too, sir. If it's possible, me too."

*

"Damn, I can't believe he already knew!" Zell's arms were spread wide.

Seifer shrugged. "The guy's a lot more clever than we are, I guess. Kinda sucks…I was hoping on being able to pull more past him."

Quistis sneered at Seifer and elbowed him in the stomach. "Don't start regressing into a troublemaker, or I'll have to punish you."

"Ooh, I'd probably like that too much," Seifer retorted, winking.

Squall and Rinoa both shook their heads. Xu put her palm to her forehead, Zell chuckled, and Irvine said, "Whoa! Didn't know you guys were into that kind of stuff."

Selphie furrowed her brow, looked at them and said, "I don't get it."

Irvine took her by the arm and said, "Come on, let me explain it to you." He led her off to the far corner of the room.

"Well," Xu said, giving Quistis a hug, "I'm really glad it's all worked out for you. You know that you can call on me any time, day or night, and I'll help you the best I can."

Quistis nodded. "Thanks, Xu. I will."

"That's sick!"

All heads turned toward Selphie.

"That's how it is," said Irvine.

"Seifer, you're weird! That's just like…kinky and stuff!" Selphie had her hands on her hips, scolding Seifer.

Everyone put their hands to their foreheads and shook their heads. Squall said, "I'm surprised Irvine never told you before, what with those dirty magazines of his."

Irvine replied, "Oh, those. I don't get them anymore. They're, like…dirty, and stuff…"

Quistis chimed in, "In other words, Selphie made you stop getting them."

Irvine shrugged. Everyone had a good laugh at the cowboy's expense, as he rubbed his beard nervously. "Well, we don't want Maribel or Cyan stumbling across them when they're older."

"Oh, yeah," said Zell. "How are the li'l rugrats?"

"They're great!" said Selphie excitedly. "They're both really smart, and got lots of energy! They're probably wearing out our Garden's babysitter right now!"

"Speaking of which, you two," said Xu, "Our Garden needs to get back to Trabia tomorrow. We need to go with it, but we can stay until tomorrow morning."

Selphie clasped her hands together. "Woo hoo! Then we gotta take advantage of the time we've got! Now that the whole crew's back together, we're gonna par-tay!" She raised a fist into the air and jumped up excitedly.

Squall was about to give an argument, but Rinoa interrupted, "That sounds like fun!"

Squall looked at her, and she replied telepathically, Squall, everybody's been under so much stress lately. Especially Quisty and Seifer. We need something to take our minds off of everything. Quisty looks a lot better, but I still think she's about to collapse from all the stress.

Squall thought for a second, and conceded, Okay, you're right. With the queen of parties here, it'll probably be a spectacular one.

Rinoa winked. I have a few ideas myself.

Quistis could tell that Squall and Rinoa were conversing, but could not pick up the words; it was obviously a private conversation, and Rinoa didn't want Quistis overhearing their telepathic link. However, she could tell from their expressions that Rinoa was convincing Squall that a party would be a good idea. Quistis agreed. Although she'd shed a lot of stress in revealing her secret to her friends and to Cid, she needed a good diversion to relax her mind.

*

"Woohoo! This is great!" Selphie gyrated and leapt about the dance floor, her baby blue party dress swishing around her knees. SHe obviously didn't care whether or not she was actually moving to the beat of the music. Irvine, who had shed his overcoat and hat, was making a better attempt at actual dancing than his excitable wife. Both were grinning widely.

Seifer, Quistis, Xu, Zell, and Rinoa all watched them with great amusement. As always, Squall only watched with less of a scowl than normal. Good thing the apartment's soundproof, he thought, as he watched Selphie repeatedly jump into the air, her high heels clacking on the floor every time she landed. He then glanced at Alexa, who was also having the time of her life, dressed in her best outfit and dancing with her Aunt and Uncle. He gave a small smile, glad to see that his daugher, who had been through so much as of late, was having fun.

Seifer and Quistis' apartment had been hastily decorated with streamers, cutouts of chocobos, and a small disco ball hanging from the ceiling over the living room. The furniture had been moved into the next room, and a makeshift dance floor laid down on top of the carpet. Selphie had brought over her extremely loud stereo system, and was making full use of it. She had also brought over her infant twins, Maribel and Cyan, who lay in a bassinet next to Squall and Rinoa. Squall gazed down at the fraternal twins, sleeping soundly with the protection of a magical silence barrier that had been cast around them. We've all changed so much, he thought. Now Selphie and Irvine are parents, and Quistis and Seifer will be soon. He turned back to the dance floor. Looking at them, it's hard to believe, but we've all grown up. But have we really changed from back then?

Rinoa, in her perpetually glowing SeeD uniform, looked up from Alexa to her husband. He was swishing his drink around in the glass, and although is eyes were on the mad dancers, she could sense his thoughts were elsewhere. Gil for your thoughts, she asked telepathically.

Huh? Oh, sorry, he replied, taking a gulp of his drink. Just remembering.

Remembering what?

Squall looked down at her, his eyes now soft and warm. Our first dance. Lexie still loves to hear that story, you know. And I still like telling it.

Rinoa blushed slightly and turned away for a second. Then, peeking from around her flowing hair, she said, Wanna go for it?

Squall raised his eyebrows. How can we dance if I can't touch you?

You can do it, cutie. You're coordinated enough, Mister gunblade expert. She walked out toward the open floor where Irvine, Selphie, and Alexa were still fast-dancing to the music. Rinoa immediately broke into rhythm, doing quite well at keeping the beat.

Squall followed, drawing upon his dance classes from years before. Be prepared, he thought, remembering Garden's reasons for teaching candidates how to dance. Be inconspicuous.

Squall started out grooving lightly to the music, afraid of looking too ridiculous. Then, he started swaying more widely, finally breaking out into a full dance. Those that were still not dancing laughed out loud at Squall's out-of-character attempt at fast dancing. Selphie and Irvine then noticed Squall's strange moves and barely avoided falling over with laughter themselves. Even Alexa was making fun of him.

Squall saw their mirth, stopped dancing, and glared at them. "Hey, did you hear me make fun of you two?" He glanced back at Rinoa, who, to his dismay, was covering her mouth to stifle her own giggles. Squall shook his head. "Thanks." He started walking off the dance floor.

"No, wait!" said Rinoa, instinctively reaching out for his arm. Her hand passed right through it, but Squall stopped, having seen the movement in his peripheral vision. He turned around and faced her, not with annoyance, but with sadness in his face. Her face returned the expression.

Everyone else saw the exchange of sad looks, but quickly looked away and pretended to be minding their own business. Selphie and Irvine slowed their dance down a little and looked into each other's eyes, both seeing the pain their friends were going through.

Seconds later, the fast song ended, and was supplanted by a much slower, more romantic one. Squall and Rinoa both nodded. They approached each other and mimed a dancing embrace. Rinoa held her hands up high around Squall's neck, and Squall held his hands low at Rinoa's waist. They did their best to pretend that they were making actual physical contact, and attempted to enjoy the dance.

Irvine and Selphie saw this, and although they had started their own slow dance, they kept glancing at the obviously saddened Squall and Rinoa. Selphie leaned into Irvine and laid her head on his shoulder. "I love you, Irvy. I never wanna lose you."

"Me either, Sefie," Irvine replied tenderly. "Me either."

Zell, who had taken Xu's hand and had started leading her out onto the floor, said, "That's really sad."

Xu nodded. "I wish there was something we could do for them." She put her arms around Zell and started leading him in a dance. Zell, more skilled at combat footwork than dancing, fumbled his way through it the best he could.

Quistis finished her glass of water and placed it on a nearby table. She felt like dancing, but knew Seifer wasn't very comfortable with it. Instead, she simply stood with his muscular arms around her, holding her tight and lovingly. "Look at them, Seifer. They're glad to be together, but can't you just see how much they miss being able to hold each other?" She looked up at him. "I don't know what I'd do if you couldn't hold me."

Seifer shrugged. "That would be pretty bad. But…maybe there's something we can do for them."

Quistis frowned lightly, in thought. "What?"

"I don't know," Seifer replied. "But, I mean, you guys were the ones that figured out how to travel through time to get to Ultimecia and beat her ass. Why can't we all think of something to fix this?"

Quistis was stumped. Why can't we? I guess I've been so exhausted that I never stopped to think about that.

"Maybe there's some way we can get her another body. Like a robot or something." Seifer shrugged.

Quistis scowled. A robot. That would be very strange, not to mention grotesque when she and Squall want to get intimate.

"Or maybe you can do something with your powers, now that you're getting more comfortable with them," Seifer suggested.

Quistis tilted her head. "I really don't know. This has all been uncharted for me since the beginning."

"Well," Seifer replied, "I say we do our best to figure something out. I mean look at them. They're happy and all because they're together, but, well, I don't want to imagine what that would be like for us."

Quistis nodded thoughtfully.

Seifer chewed on the inside of his cheek for a second. "I say that we talk to everyone about this later. Between all of us, someone's got to come up with a good idea."

"Yes, that's a great idea," Quistis said, straightening her yellow, cactuar-emblazoned maternity shirt. "Except, we shouldn't tell Squall or Rinoa. If I know them, and I do, they'll say they're perfectly happy and they don't want to make trouble for us. But you're right. We have to be able to think of something. There has to be a way."

*

As the weeks went past, things began to normalize themselves for Quistis and Seifer. No longer having to keep the secret of Quistis' powers, they both found themselves more at ease. After the news of her powers had been leaked to staff and students, some had avoided her, even feared her. They also began to fear Seifer, who once again was a Sorceress' knight. However, as time passed, all could see that Quistis was the same Instructor Trepe she'd always been, and most came to accept her as she was. Those that didn't kept quiet, for Cid and Squall showed no tolerance toward disrespect.

The news about Rinoa had been a little more difficult for them to understand. Ultimately, Cid had told a white lie, saying that because she had traveled through Time Compression and had held the powers of Ultimecia at that time, that she had actually existed partly outside the space-time continuum, and that, upon her death, she continued to live on in a noncorporeal state. As no one truly understood Time Compression, the lie was accepted, and the presence of Rinoa's "ghost" became viewed as normal. She had even begun teaching classes again with the assistance of an aide, for manipulating physical objects.

Rinoa was often seen walking the halls, greeting and even conversing with students and faculty, as she had when she was alive. Since she didn't require sleep, she often toured Garden during the night, and even assisted the faculty in monitoring the halls. Also, Quistis had become much more attuned to her powers, and now that her mind was cleared of much of her worry, she had been able to train herself both to keep Rinoa visible almost constantly, and to almost completely eliminate the physical discomfort of pregnancy. She chose not to pursue her powers beyond that, at least until her son was born.

Yet, as happy as things had become, people could not help but continue to see Squall and Rinoa's silent sadness. Their minds were still linked as strongly as ever, but they both missed the physical contact that came with their intimate love. Although they complained openly neither to each other nor to anyone else, each could feel the sense of missing from the other. That sense of missing also unconsciously radiated out from them, a telltale sign to those that loved them that they did not feel complete. Their friends all could see that there was only one way to give them back their happiness. Rinoa needed a body.

The problem was, none of them had any clue as to how to get her one. Although they considered that Rinoa could possess a living person, Rinoa would never have agreed to use another person's body so she could be intimate with her husband. And Squall, no matter whose mind was in the body, could not be intimate with any other body than Rinoa's.

Zell in particular had spent every free waking moment trying to find a solution to the problem. Squall was the brother he'd never had, and Rinoa, therefore, was his sister. He loved them both more dearly than he'd ever let on (since men, especially warriors, don't do that kind of thing), and he wanted them both to be happy.

Therefore, on this night like nearly every night for the past several weeks, Zell sat at the desk in his dorm, poring over volumes of Sorceress lore, magical tomes, and back issues of Occult Fan. He was desperate for any clues that would offer a solution to their problem.

Zell's head slowly dipped, and his forehead came to rest on page 151 of Sorceresses Throughout the Ages, a textbook used in Trabia public colleges. It was usually employed in classes on mythology and legend, but the more Zell read about the legends, the more he had recognized from seeing Edea, Adel, and Ultimecia in action. He had had close contact with more Sorceresses in the past five years than most people would in five lifetimes. Although some of the "facts" were more rumor than hard evidence, much of what he read was well within the spectrum of believability for powerful Sorceresses like Adel and Ultimecia. And, from what Squall had told them, Quistis held the powers of all Sorceresses that had lived before her, as well as those of Ultimecia herself. He left nothing outside the realm of possibility.

As Zell's breathing slowed, his arm, hanging limply at his side, began to relax. A metal pen that he had been holding slipped out of his grasp. When it fell to the carpet, it bounced once and struck the metal chair leg with a sharp *ping*. Zell started, immediately sitting up and opening his eyes wide. He looked around for the source of the noise, and caught sight of the clock on the wall.

Quarter after midnight, he thought, running a hand roughly through his hair. I'll have to keep going in the morning.

Zell stood up, stretching his arms and back, and yawned widely. He had spent nearly seven hours straight, with only a ten-minute hot dog break, looking through the books he had borrowed from the library and had purchased from a bookstore in Balamb. And not a damn thing to show for it, he thought, glancing at the notes he had scrawled on the yellow paper on his desk. He couldn't even read some of the remarks; he must have been half asleep when he wrote them.

I just don't friggin' believe this. He kicked his chair, knocking it onto its back and under the desk. He turned toward his bed and brought down his fist, causing the cot to jump up in the air and fall back down with a clatter. How the hell am I gonna do this? I can't let them down! Why can't this be as easy as making that Griever ring for Rinoa was…

Zell stopped his tantrum. He spun around and looked at the desk, piled high with papers, books, and magazines.

He set his chair upright, sat down and swiped heaps of materials onto the floor. He switched on his terminal, and was grateful to see it wink to life instantly. After quickly signing in, he looked up the reports that had been filed after the Ultimecia affair. Each SeeD that had fought Ultimecia had filed their own report on the events they witnessed, and in which they participated, in the future. When the document listings came up, Zell opened his own report. He scanned down a page, eyes eventually resting on a particular paragraph. His mouth dropped open, and he let out a short laugh. Is that it?

He quickly pulled up the other reports, scanning each for the same event. Yeah, that's it, he thought. That's it! I can't believe we didn't think of it before! I must be frickin' stupid!

Zell jumped up out of his seat and ran out the door, not even bothering to close it behind him. The halls were empty at this hour, as regulations stated all students and faculty not on duty must be in their dorms. He didn't care about being punished for breaking that rule; his status as SeeD Deputy Commander afforded him a few such liberties. He didn't break rules often, but certainly this time he felt it was very important.

He ran out of the dorm sector, through the circular corridor of Garden proper, and to the elevator. He mashed the button, waited a second, and then pressed it repeatedly as he rapidly tapped his foot. When the door finally opened, Zell jumped inside and again pounded the button for the second floor, muttering curses under his breath at the elevator's slowness.

When the elevator deposited him on the second level, he sprinted toward Quistis and Seifer's apartment. He knocked on the door furiously, and put his hands to his hips as he waited impatiently for an answer. After a moment, the door opened, and Seifer's scowling, droopy-eyed face greeted him. His close-cropped hair was slightly unruly, and he was glaring at the younger man.

"Zell, what the hell? You know what time it is?" Seifer asked in a forceful whisper. "This better be freakin' important."

"It's important, believe me." Zell squeezed his way into the apartment, ignoring the angry look on Seifer's face, which was becoming more taut by the second.

"Sure, come on in, Zell," Seifer said, his voice high with sarcasm. He threw the door closed, tightened the knot in his bathrobe's belt, gritted his teeth. "Can I get you some coffee? Sleeping potion? Malboro Breath? I think Quisty would love to give you some of that…"

As if on-cue, Quistis stuck her head out of the bedroom and stared icicles at Zell. She sighed loudly, closed her eyes, and put a hand to her forehead.

"No, I'm fine," Zell replied, missing Seifer's facetiousness completely. "Look, I just had to tell someone this, and you were the easiest."

Seifer groaned. He glanced up at Quistis, who was walking into the room, closing her bathrobe. Quistis summoned up her energies, and managed to wash the sleepiness out of her head and off her face with flickers of golden energy. However, her mood was not lightened in the slightest. "Zell, there'd better be a damn good reason for this. You know, some of us have to work in the morning."

Zell looked up at her and began to stammer. He saw the traces of golden light work their way across her body and vanish; he was caught off-guard. He'd never before seen her actually use her Sorceress powers.

Finally, Seifer said impatiently, "Ok, Zell, I'll bite. What's important enough to wake us up so late?"

Zell rubbed his palms together nervously, all previous traces of his fatigue gone. "I think I figured out how we can get Squall and Rin back together again."

"What do you mean?" asked Quistis, sitting next to Seifer. Seifer rubbed some sleep out of his eyes, and then narrowed them as he tried to focus his tired mind on Zell.

"I mean, I think I figured out how to get Rinoa a body. I can't believe we didn't think of it before."

Quistis started to ask Zell how, but Zell immediately launched into an explanation of what he'd found, and what his idea was. When he was finished, Quistis leaned back in the chair and stared off into the distance.

Seifer opened his mouth to speak, but shut it again. He couldn't think of anything to say. Finally, he uttered, "That's…that's…crazy."

Zell shrugged, "But ya gotta admit it could work!"

Seifer looked at Quistis, and was surprised to see the haunted look on her face. He took her in his arms and said, "Quisty, you okay?"

Slowly, Quistis turned her eyes toward Seifer. Blinking twice, she said, "That's…frighteneing."

"I know, I…"

"But," she interrupted, "it could work."