Chapter Four
The Finalised Plan
Ellone was sitting on the floor next to him. Her eyes were closed and he could see sweat on her forehead.
He started to get up when she opened her eyes and smiled at him weakly. The sky had turned red while he was unconscious. Squall helped Ellone to her feet and they made their way through garden to the dorms where Ellone had been given a room.
In her room, Ellone asked Squall if he had found out what he needed to. Squall shook his head.
"There are five places that the phoenix wing could be but I don't know any of them," He admitted, "Their locations were in an envelope. I didn't see inside it. Tomorrow I'll go further back and find the locations."
Ellone smiled and nodded.
"Goodnight." she said as Squall left her room and returned to his own.
When he got to his room he found Rinoa lying on his bed reading a book and waiting for him.
"There you are!" she said, sitting up and pointing a finger at him as he entered the room, "Thought you could get rid of me?"
Squall smiled at the accusing look on her face and grabbed her hand, pulling her up off the bed.
"I was with Ellone." He explained.
"Oh," Rinoa said, squeezing him around the waist, "Where did you go?"
"Training Centre."
"That's a cosy place to chat!" Rinoa joked.
"We went to the Forbidden Zone." Squall explained.
Rinoa sighed and hugged him tighter. Squall breathed in the sweet smell of her hair and stroked it with a gloved hand.
Ellone was right though, Squall thought to himself as lay on his bed later that night, I really do care about her. He opened his eyes and saw Rinoa where she had fallen asleep in his arms. Checking the time he got up carefully so as not to wake her up and silently left the room.
*
Rinoa woke up to an empty room. The window was shut but she could hear the birds at the Garden singing to welcome the new day. Stretching and rubbing her eyes she saw that it was 8:30. She groaned and tried to think where Squall had gone. Coming to no conclusions, she yawned, stretched again and went to the Cafeteria to get herself a quick breakfast.
*
At 8:54 Rinoa was standing outside Cid's office. everyone was there except Squall, which was unlike him. She was inspecting her Cardinal when she heard the lift doors slide open with a ping. Her head shot up to see who the person in the lift was.
Squall walked into the hall with Ellone by his side, talking to him casually.
"Are you sure you aren't trying to get rid of me?" Rinoa said happily as he gave her a quick kiss on the forehead.
"We had to finish what we did last night," He said to Rinoa quietly so the none of the others could hear him, "But I'll explain in the meeting."
Rinoa was confused but she didn't bother asking any more questions because she knew that Squall wouldn't answer them.
The doors of Cid's office opened again and the group went inside and sat along the wall where they had before.
"Now, Squall," Cid began once they were all seated, "Are you ready?"
"Yes." was the plain reply.
"Good. Ellone, when you are ready please begin." the headmaster nodded to Ellone.
"Headmaster Cid," Ellone started, "Last night Squall and I already tried it. Squall..."
Squall took his cue.
"I went back to when you met with Mayor Gilbert. There are five identical parcels, only one of which contains the phoenix wing. They are hidden at five separate locations all over the world. The locations were printed on a list but I only saw the top three."
Cid sat up from behind his desk and brought out a pen and a sheet of paper ready to write down the locations. Squall continued.
"The first is a cave in the mountains to the north of the Shumi village. The second is somewhere in the Kashkabald desert. I have co-ordinates for that point."
Squall handed the headmaster a piece of paper with numbers written on it. Cid nodded and copied the numbers onto the paper that he was writing on.
"The third is in the Centra ruins which is on the island to the north east of the orphanage. They're the only places I'm sure of but I have good reason to believe that they are also using the abandoned communication tower at Dollet."
"I turned down his offer." Cid told Squall.
"I know. He wanted you to, which is why he planned the conversation. Everything he said had been pre-planned and all of your answers had been predicted."
"Damn. He knew I'd turn down his offer." Cid said quietly and tapped his fingers on the desk lightly.
"Still," Cid said, addressing the group in front of him, "we have four locations out of five. You will split into three groups. One group will take Ellone to the Safe House and protect her and the other two will search one location each, then join up again to search the Centra ruins and then Dollet Tower. Squall, have you decided the groups?"
"Yes." Squall replied plainly. But I don't see why you couldn't have chosen them, he thought. "Zell and Irvine will go with Ellone. Quistis and Rinoa will go to the Kashkabald Desert and I will go to the Shumi Village with Selphie."
Zell looked like he would complain as Squall had thought he would, but then he closed his mouth and sat back in his chair.
Cid nodded at Squalls choice in groups. "Good, we will meet at the front gate of Garden at 1030 hours. Until then you have free time but make sure you are prepared to go."
The Finalised Plan
Ellone was sitting on the floor next to him. Her eyes were closed and he could see sweat on her forehead.
He started to get up when she opened her eyes and smiled at him weakly. The sky had turned red while he was unconscious. Squall helped Ellone to her feet and they made their way through garden to the dorms where Ellone had been given a room.
In her room, Ellone asked Squall if he had found out what he needed to. Squall shook his head.
"There are five places that the phoenix wing could be but I don't know any of them," He admitted, "Their locations were in an envelope. I didn't see inside it. Tomorrow I'll go further back and find the locations."
Ellone smiled and nodded.
"Goodnight." she said as Squall left her room and returned to his own.
When he got to his room he found Rinoa lying on his bed reading a book and waiting for him.
"There you are!" she said, sitting up and pointing a finger at him as he entered the room, "Thought you could get rid of me?"
Squall smiled at the accusing look on her face and grabbed her hand, pulling her up off the bed.
"I was with Ellone." He explained.
"Oh," Rinoa said, squeezing him around the waist, "Where did you go?"
"Training Centre."
"That's a cosy place to chat!" Rinoa joked.
"We went to the Forbidden Zone." Squall explained.
Rinoa sighed and hugged him tighter. Squall breathed in the sweet smell of her hair and stroked it with a gloved hand.
Ellone was right though, Squall thought to himself as lay on his bed later that night, I really do care about her. He opened his eyes and saw Rinoa where she had fallen asleep in his arms. Checking the time he got up carefully so as not to wake her up and silently left the room.
*
Rinoa woke up to an empty room. The window was shut but she could hear the birds at the Garden singing to welcome the new day. Stretching and rubbing her eyes she saw that it was 8:30. She groaned and tried to think where Squall had gone. Coming to no conclusions, she yawned, stretched again and went to the Cafeteria to get herself a quick breakfast.
*
At 8:54 Rinoa was standing outside Cid's office. everyone was there except Squall, which was unlike him. She was inspecting her Cardinal when she heard the lift doors slide open with a ping. Her head shot up to see who the person in the lift was.
Squall walked into the hall with Ellone by his side, talking to him casually.
"Are you sure you aren't trying to get rid of me?" Rinoa said happily as he gave her a quick kiss on the forehead.
"We had to finish what we did last night," He said to Rinoa quietly so the none of the others could hear him, "But I'll explain in the meeting."
Rinoa was confused but she didn't bother asking any more questions because she knew that Squall wouldn't answer them.
The doors of Cid's office opened again and the group went inside and sat along the wall where they had before.
"Now, Squall," Cid began once they were all seated, "Are you ready?"
"Yes." was the plain reply.
"Good. Ellone, when you are ready please begin." the headmaster nodded to Ellone.
"Headmaster Cid," Ellone started, "Last night Squall and I already tried it. Squall..."
Squall took his cue.
"I went back to when you met with Mayor Gilbert. There are five identical parcels, only one of which contains the phoenix wing. They are hidden at five separate locations all over the world. The locations were printed on a list but I only saw the top three."
Cid sat up from behind his desk and brought out a pen and a sheet of paper ready to write down the locations. Squall continued.
"The first is a cave in the mountains to the north of the Shumi village. The second is somewhere in the Kashkabald desert. I have co-ordinates for that point."
Squall handed the headmaster a piece of paper with numbers written on it. Cid nodded and copied the numbers onto the paper that he was writing on.
"The third is in the Centra ruins which is on the island to the north east of the orphanage. They're the only places I'm sure of but I have good reason to believe that they are also using the abandoned communication tower at Dollet."
"I turned down his offer." Cid told Squall.
"I know. He wanted you to, which is why he planned the conversation. Everything he said had been pre-planned and all of your answers had been predicted."
"Damn. He knew I'd turn down his offer." Cid said quietly and tapped his fingers on the desk lightly.
"Still," Cid said, addressing the group in front of him, "we have four locations out of five. You will split into three groups. One group will take Ellone to the Safe House and protect her and the other two will search one location each, then join up again to search the Centra ruins and then Dollet Tower. Squall, have you decided the groups?"
"Yes." Squall replied plainly. But I don't see why you couldn't have chosen them, he thought. "Zell and Irvine will go with Ellone. Quistis and Rinoa will go to the Kashkabald Desert and I will go to the Shumi Village with Selphie."
Zell looked like he would complain as Squall had thought he would, but then he closed his mouth and sat back in his chair.
Cid nodded at Squalls choice in groups. "Good, we will meet at the front gate of Garden at 1030 hours. Until then you have free time but make sure you are prepared to go."