Disclaimer: You've heard it all before.
As Squall came to the next clearing, he slowed down, he wasn't sure he should hurry this ritual. He dismissed his doubts decisively from his mind and entered the clearing
Here stood a lonely figure upon a pedestal, with hair tied back, black boots, a pink dress and her whip. The plaque read:
"Quistis Trepe, Aged 19, her young life cut short on a SeeD mission that should have been easy to do, 16 months after the final battle. One of the six heroes who ended the last sorceress war. A good instructor and a dear friend to all who knew her. Especially Zell, Selphie and Squall, her presence will always be felt here."
As indeed Squall could feel her soul with him now, he always felt strangely calm here, safe from harm. He thought it was because she was like the elder sister he never really had. He touched the plaque gently and removed the book from the opening that formed in the pedestal.
"Quistis, you were like my older sister, as indeed you tried to be when Ellone left. I wish I'd known it then as I know it now." Squall looked up at the pedestal, the late afternoon sun lighting up the clearing with a golden glow, making the image of her seem alive, but just for an instant. Squall opened the book.
"We decided to keep diaries so we don't forget. I don't really know what to say, or what to call it. I confessed that I thought I loved Squall, but it was only childhood feelings as a big sister, why can't I remember these things?"
"Matron is on our side now, but we have to fight Adel, she's very powerful, and not nice, we have to get Ellone to compress time, but some of us may not make it."
"Its all over, we defeated Ultimecia. Squall finally beat me at cards too, but in another sense everything is over, we'll never be the same. Rinoa died, and Squall disappeared after her funeral, I found him in the secret area, where he was crying. Not out loud, but crying all the same."
"We had to recover Irvine's body today, he was killed by a chimera, but according to a cadet named Roger, Seifer turned up with some henchmen and held him still so he couldn't fight the monster off. Selphie is devastated. He was the one who helped us remember our childhood at the orphanage, Irvine brought us together, he shouldn't have died like this."
Squall paused for a moment to look at the cover of her book. In comparison to the other two, her book was simply decorated, just one colour, pink, to match her favourite outfit. Unlike Irvine's which was covered in various pictures from random "girl next door" issues, but the most prominent being one of Selphie dressed in her SeeD uniform after the inauguration ball, she looked happy there. Rinoa's was light blue, and had an image of the wings she had on the back of her outfit, Squall thought it was the best way to describe her personality, and was glad she'd decided to put that on her book.
The events concerning the death of Quistis had been closer to Squall than any of the others except for Rinoa's. The "simple" mission she had been sent on was to be Laguna's personal bodyguard while he was visiting Raine's grave in Winhill. A simple job you'd have thought...escort him to Winhill aboard the Ragnarok, protect him during the daytime and guard his room at night. At this point Laguna had still been the president of Esthar, and he needed protection because of a new terrorist group who were unhappy with the way Esthar was keeping its technology to itself, while the other nations struggled to keep up. Of course this wasn't Laguna's fault, only a president in name since the defeat of Ultimecia, the actual running of the city was left to his new Aide. Kiros and Ward having retired shortly after the battle with designs on running a tame mesmerise farm.
Squall re-opened the book and turned to the last page, usually Quistis said everyday things, like "we are all okay here" or "Raine says Hi" but today the message was very different.
"Squall, I know we can't change the past, Ellone couldn't, but we've been thinking up here, how about changing the future? I was looking over Laguna not long ago, he was talking with Dr. Odine, his machine, the one he called "Ellone" is now working apparently, maybe it could be used...no, it can't be, what's happened has happened, it can't be changed, I'm sorry, sometimes I wish things had been different somehow, and I just had to "voice" my idea, but it can't work. Oh your mother says Hello, I'm sure you'll hear from the others soon."
Squall remembered...Quistis had willingly accepted the mission, she got along very well with Laguna and needed some time away from being an instructor at the garden. From the reports Squall received from other SeeD's sent to investigate, he had discovered that all was going well until two days before they were supposed to leave Winhill. Occupants of the sleepy village had seen a mysterious figure skulking around an alleyway, having heard of the terrorist group, and fearful for Laguna's safety, Quistis went to investigate while leaving him under the watchful eye of an old lady who lived in the village. She had heard a noise and went towards it, unaware that it was a trap, someone had thrown a stone to entice her into the alleyway and then shot her, one bullet, through her heart. Of course there wasn't any "real" proof as to who did this, except for the only other mark on her body, an gunblade wound between her eyes, just like Squall's, the instant Squall saw this he knew who the culprit was, Seifer.
As Squall came to the next clearing, he slowed down, he wasn't sure he should hurry this ritual. He dismissed his doubts decisively from his mind and entered the clearing
Here stood a lonely figure upon a pedestal, with hair tied back, black boots, a pink dress and her whip. The plaque read:
"Quistis Trepe, Aged 19, her young life cut short on a SeeD mission that should have been easy to do, 16 months after the final battle. One of the six heroes who ended the last sorceress war. A good instructor and a dear friend to all who knew her. Especially Zell, Selphie and Squall, her presence will always be felt here."
As indeed Squall could feel her soul with him now, he always felt strangely calm here, safe from harm. He thought it was because she was like the elder sister he never really had. He touched the plaque gently and removed the book from the opening that formed in the pedestal.
"Quistis, you were like my older sister, as indeed you tried to be when Ellone left. I wish I'd known it then as I know it now." Squall looked up at the pedestal, the late afternoon sun lighting up the clearing with a golden glow, making the image of her seem alive, but just for an instant. Squall opened the book.
"We decided to keep diaries so we don't forget. I don't really know what to say, or what to call it. I confessed that I thought I loved Squall, but it was only childhood feelings as a big sister, why can't I remember these things?"
"Matron is on our side now, but we have to fight Adel, she's very powerful, and not nice, we have to get Ellone to compress time, but some of us may not make it."
"Its all over, we defeated Ultimecia. Squall finally beat me at cards too, but in another sense everything is over, we'll never be the same. Rinoa died, and Squall disappeared after her funeral, I found him in the secret area, where he was crying. Not out loud, but crying all the same."
"We had to recover Irvine's body today, he was killed by a chimera, but according to a cadet named Roger, Seifer turned up with some henchmen and held him still so he couldn't fight the monster off. Selphie is devastated. He was the one who helped us remember our childhood at the orphanage, Irvine brought us together, he shouldn't have died like this."
Squall paused for a moment to look at the cover of her book. In comparison to the other two, her book was simply decorated, just one colour, pink, to match her favourite outfit. Unlike Irvine's which was covered in various pictures from random "girl next door" issues, but the most prominent being one of Selphie dressed in her SeeD uniform after the inauguration ball, she looked happy there. Rinoa's was light blue, and had an image of the wings she had on the back of her outfit, Squall thought it was the best way to describe her personality, and was glad she'd decided to put that on her book.
The events concerning the death of Quistis had been closer to Squall than any of the others except for Rinoa's. The "simple" mission she had been sent on was to be Laguna's personal bodyguard while he was visiting Raine's grave in Winhill. A simple job you'd have thought...escort him to Winhill aboard the Ragnarok, protect him during the daytime and guard his room at night. At this point Laguna had still been the president of Esthar, and he needed protection because of a new terrorist group who were unhappy with the way Esthar was keeping its technology to itself, while the other nations struggled to keep up. Of course this wasn't Laguna's fault, only a president in name since the defeat of Ultimecia, the actual running of the city was left to his new Aide. Kiros and Ward having retired shortly after the battle with designs on running a tame mesmerise farm.
Squall re-opened the book and turned to the last page, usually Quistis said everyday things, like "we are all okay here" or "Raine says Hi" but today the message was very different.
"Squall, I know we can't change the past, Ellone couldn't, but we've been thinking up here, how about changing the future? I was looking over Laguna not long ago, he was talking with Dr. Odine, his machine, the one he called "Ellone" is now working apparently, maybe it could be used...no, it can't be, what's happened has happened, it can't be changed, I'm sorry, sometimes I wish things had been different somehow, and I just had to "voice" my idea, but it can't work. Oh your mother says Hello, I'm sure you'll hear from the others soon."
Squall remembered...Quistis had willingly accepted the mission, she got along very well with Laguna and needed some time away from being an instructor at the garden. From the reports Squall received from other SeeD's sent to investigate, he had discovered that all was going well until two days before they were supposed to leave Winhill. Occupants of the sleepy village had seen a mysterious figure skulking around an alleyway, having heard of the terrorist group, and fearful for Laguna's safety, Quistis went to investigate while leaving him under the watchful eye of an old lady who lived in the village. She had heard a noise and went towards it, unaware that it was a trap, someone had thrown a stone to entice her into the alleyway and then shot her, one bullet, through her heart. Of course there wasn't any "real" proof as to who did this, except for the only other mark on her body, an gunblade wound between her eyes, just like Squall's, the instant Squall saw this he knew who the culprit was, Seifer.