Author's Note: Yada yada disclaimer stuff… you know about it… Um, this chapter has very graphic language in it so if you're offended by that sort of thing, watch out for the end. Geez this is a long chapter… Enzyvay… this chapter has half of one of my favourite parts in it… :D MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…*ahem* ^_~ Oh yeah, if anyone can catch the anime reference that I make in this and tell me what anime it is, they'll get a hug and a cookie. ^_^ Okay, R&R, blah blah blah… :P -Rhyein

***

Four years earlier…

"Squall! What have you done!?" Cid gasped, staring at the scene in front of him. Squall had curled up into a ball at the base of the rapidly dying tree and was crying. Lily was lying a little ways away, staring blankly at the sky. Cid took a few steps forward.

"Squall? What… What happened?" he whispered, knowing full well what the answer was.

"She… She's dead," Squall sobbed. Cid wanted to comfort the boy, but he was frightened of what he had seen. Squall's power was still very raw and untrained. Ever since Edea had disappeared, Squall hadn't had anyone to teach him how to use his gift properly. He knew that Squall hadn't meant to do what he had just done, but…

"Squall, stand up." The thirteen-year-old boy obeyed, quietly sobbing. "Go back to your room, and stay there." Squall looked up at Cid's kind face and nodded solemnly. He was dangerous, he shouldn't be allowed to be near people at all… maybe that was why everyone he loved always left him.

Cid watched the boy turn slowly around and leave. Then he looked at Lily. Cid was a little afraid to touch her after what he had seen happen. After a few minutes of internal debate, he finally bent over and picked her up. Nothing happened. Cid sighed in relief and carried her quickly to the infirmary.

***

Squall wandered the halls of Garden silently. His thoughts were in a jumble and his head hurt. Cid had told him to go back to his room, which way was it again? He couldn't remember, the only thing he could remember was Lily's icy skin, and her blank stare. He couldn't shake the picture out of his head. Squall wandered around more and finally found himself in the elevator. His body was moving without his mind's consent, he didn't know where he was going, he just knew that his head hurt and that he was cold. After a few seconds, the elevator stopped and Squall stepped out onto the third floor. He walked numbly toward the large oaken doors that were cracked open and stopped outside. Inside of the office, Squall heard voices arguing loudly.

"He CAN'T stay here!" Instructor Akira Hayashi's voice insisted.

"I agree, he's much too dangerous," Instructor Yahiko Aki's voice concurred.

"Gentleman, please-" Cid's voice started.

"Don't tell me that you're defending him, Cid. You saw him kill her for Hyne's sake," interrupted the voice of Instructor Derryn Yamoto.

"Derryn, please. He's just a child. It was an accident, and throwing him out isn't going to help him or us," cut in the quiet voice of Instructor Aoshi Shinomori.

"What do you mean, 'help him or us'?" Derryn asked suspiciously.

"Where is he going to go, Derryn? If we throw him out, he has nowhere to go and he'll either end up dead, or end up somewhere we'd prefer him not to be. How would you feel if in two years he showed up again, in much better control of his powers, and under the influence of someone like President Deling? Then there is the public. If he's found, there's a chance that whomever finds him will discover his power and report it to the world. Do you have any idea what sort of hysteria that could cause? Adel is gone, and suddenly this boy shows up with sorceress powers… That will definitely not go over well," Aoshi argued quietly. Squall had always liked Instructor Shinomori, he was calm and collected, nothing ever got to him. Even when he was angry, he was exactly the same. Squall heard Cid sigh.

"That is exactly my reasoning," Cid huffed at the other three Instructors. "I agree with Aoshi completely. He should stay here, not only for his own good, but also for the good of the world. It could be very dangerous if he should leave Garden."

"But-" Akira began, but stopped. He was staring at the door; the others followed his gaze and saw Squall standing outside the door with wide, sad eyes.

"Squall, I told you to go to your room," Cid said anxiously. Squall stared at him and shivered.

"I'm cold…" he said softly before passing out. Instructor Shinomori was closest to the door, and jumped out of his chair, catching Squall.

"He's in shock," Aoshi said quietly, looking up at Cid.

***

Squall felt seasick. The whole world was moving up and down, up and down. He opened his eyes cautiously and found himself staring at the ceiling of the Infirmary.

"Oh! You're awake," Dr. Kadowaki exclaimed, moving toward Squall. "How are you feeling?" Squall sat up slowly and shook his head.

"…Better," he answered.

"Good. I have to let Headmaster Cid know that you're awake, he wanted to talk to you."

"Why do I feel seasick?"

"You do? Oh, yes… It seems the Garden can fly. Quistis and Irvine went down to the third level basement and found something interesting that Cid thought could save us from the missiles, and it did save us. It was pretty close though… Now, since you're feeling better, tell me why you're so tired to begin with."

"…Too much at once."

"Ah. I see. You've been fighting a lot lately so your healing capabilities are sucking out all your energy, is that it?" Squall nodded.

"That's part of it."

"Let me guess, you've been using a lot more magick than usual too?"

"Yeah. We've also been having strange things happen to us lately that seem to contribute to it."

"What kind of 'strange things'?"

"I'm not sure… It's like we fall asleep and then we're inside of someone else's head… Kinda weird. I'm not sure why it makes me tired though…" Dr. Kadowaki frowned.

"Hmmm…. Well, you're alright now. You'd better go report to Cid." Squall got out of the bed slowly and complied, walking toward the door. Just as he reached the door, it slid open and he ran into Quistis and Irvine.

"Squall! You're alright!" Quistis exclaimed happily.

"Nice to see you up and about, Squall," Irvine said, smiling a little.

"Hi… I hear that you two saved Garden," Squall replied quietly. Quistis grinned.

"Yes. It's really interesting, the inner workings of this Garden, there was a whole control room on the third level of the basement that enables the Garden to fly. It's absolutely fascinating!"

"Oh, Garden Master NORG, or whatever his name is, wants to see us…" Irvine said suddenly. Squall raised an eyebrow.

"Who is Garden Master NORG?" he asked. Irvine and Quistis shrugged.

"We don't know," Quistis answered. "Let's go, shall we?"

***

"Please listen to me!" a voice cried. Squall, Irvine, and Quistis all saw Headmaster Cid being dragged toward the elevator by one of the Garden Faculty.

(What the hell?)

"Let go of me! I'm not finished! You greedy son-of-a-bitch! Why did I even bother talking to you! The SeeDs were brought up for the future and that future is now! Why the hell can't you understand!?" The three SeeDs watched as the Headmaster fought with the Faculty member futilely and then fell to his knees. "Dammit!" Cid looked up and saw that he was at the feet of the teenagers.

"…Squall!?" he whispered softly. Squall bent down and helped the Headmaster up.

"...Yes."

"I'm glad you're alright," Cid said, standing up. He looked Squall in the eyes. "I'm sorry." Then he started toward the elevator, leaving the three SeeDs behind.

"Sir, I still have to give you my report," Squall said suddenly.

"Come to my office and give it to me later," Cid answered as he got onto the elevator. Squall stared after Cid for a second and then turned to the Garden Faculty member in front of him.

"You're the SeeDs who just returned from Galbadia, correct?" he asked. Squall nodded. "Finally, Master NORG has been waiting for you. Follow me."

"Fushururu... I'VE-BEEN-WAITING," said a loud voice. The three SeeDs found that the voice came from a large machine that opened at the top to reveal a huge person with yellow skin. He didn't look human at all. "FushifuruFushifuru...GIVE-YOUR-REPORT-ON-THE-SORCERESS." Squall blinked.

(Report to him?)

"Answer him quickly, and be concise," a faculty member suggested quietly to Squall. The teenager nodded and came to attention.

"...We failed to assassinate Sorceress Edea. Confirmation of Headmaster Cid's order was made at Galbadia Garden. After that, Irvine Kinneas of Galbadia Garden joined our party... We set off to carry out the 'Sorceress Assassination' order from both Balamb and Galbadia Gardens-"

"Bujurururu! BALAMB-AND-GALBADIA'S ORDERS!? …Bujurururu! YOU-WERE-FOOLED!" NORG interrupted.

"I...don't understand what-"

"Fushurururu...EXPLAIN-TO-THEM," NORG interjected impatiently. A Garden Faculty member stepped forward.

"Master NORG has known about the alliance between the President of Galbadia and the Sorceress Edea. He heard about it from the Galbadia Garden master himself," he started.

"Fushururu... THE-MASTER-OF-GALBADIA-GARDEN-IS-A-SUBORDINATE-OF-MINE-NAMED-MARTINE."

"Yes. In fact the Sorceress and Garden are closely connected. That is why the Sorceress will definitely try to gain hold of all the Gardens. So, Master NORG sent an official order to Galbadia Garden to kill the sorceress. An assassination was thought to be the best means, but-"

"Bujurururu! THAT-SLY-WEASEL-MARTINE-USED-YOU-AS-A-LAST-RESORT-FOR-THE-ASSASSINATION. HE-GAVE-THAT-ORDER-TO-PLACE-THE-BLAME-ON-ME! THAT-BASTARD," NORG interrupted again. Squall looked at NORG sceptically.

"Are you saying that Balamb Garden had nothing to do with that order?" he asked.

"You just happened to show up just before the mission was to be carried out, so they used you. The operation failed. The sorceress is still alive and she retaliated. Just as we suspected that she would. No doubt, it was the sorceress who ordered the missile attacks. Something must be done to calm the Sorceress's anger," the faculty member continued.

"Wait a minute. That's just..."

"In order to do so, we needed to hand over those involved in the assassination to the sorceress. We had to show Balamb Garden's sincerity."

"Bujurururu! OFFER-THE-SeeD's-HEAD-ON-A-SILVER-PLATTER-AND-PRETEND-WE-OBEY-THE-SORCERESS!" NORG reaffirmed.

"What the hell? Why aren't we fighting the sorceress!? What about all the training we endure everyday!? What good is it if we're just going to leave her alone!?" Quistis exclaimed suddenly. Squall stiffened and closed his eyes.

"WHAT-DID-YOU-SAY!? YOU-HAD-A-SORCERER-WITH-YOU-AND-YOU-STILL-LOST! QUIT-YOUR-WHINING!" Quistis blinked.

"Sorcerer?" she repeated quietly. Quistis glanced at the two boys. Irvine looked as confused as she did, but Squall was wide-eyed and staring stiffly at the ground. She wondered if he knew what NORG was talking about. Quistis thought for a second and then regained her composure.

"…Then what is Garden for? Headmaster Cid built this Garden to fight the sorceress and the sorceress is here and all we're going to do is sit back and watch?"

"Quistis… Be quiet," Squall whispered softly.

"Bujurururu! CID!? THAT-IDIOT-CID-DISPATCHED-SeeD-TO-KILL-THE-SORCERESS? AND-WHAT-IF-YOU-FAIL? THIS-GARDEN-WILL-BE-DONE-FOR! MY-GARDEN! IT-WILL-BE-ALL-OVER! THAT-IDIOT-CID. HAS-HE-FORGOTTEN-THAT-IT-WAS-I-WHO-PUT-UP-THE-MONEY-TO-ESTABLISH-GARDEN!?" NORG snapped. "I-WANTED-TO-OFFER-THE-SORCERESS-CID'S-HEAD-ALONG-WITH-SeeD'S. I-ORDERED-THE-STUDENTS-TO-FIND-CID-BUT-THEY-SIDED-WITH-HIM! Bujurururu! Bujurururu! THIS-IS-MY-GARDEN!"

"NO! It's not just yours!" Quistis exclaimed.

"Bujurururu! THEN-WHAT-IS-IT!? IS-IT-CID'S-AND-EDEA'S!? THAT-PATHETIC-MARRIED-COUPLE'S!?"

"What...?" Quistis said, her mouth dropping a few centimetres.

"Bushurururu...NOW-I-UNDERSTAND. CID-AND-EDEA-ARE-TRYING-TO-TAKE-GARDEN-AWAY-FROM-ME. YOU'RE-ONE-OF-CID'S-FOLLOWERS-AREN'T-YOU!? PREPARE-TO-DIE!" NORG shouted, preparing a spell.

"What the hell? He's gonna attack us!?" Irvine said, pulling out his shotgun. Quistis cracked her whip in NORG's direction, trying to break the demi-human's concentration.

"So what do we do, Squall?" Quistis asked, backing away from the Garden Master.

"I don't know!" Squall shouted angrily. Suddenly everything became very calm and the world seemed to go in slow motion as NORG finished his spell. Fire exploded all around Quistis, cutting her off from the two boys. Squall could hear her scream loudly as the flames encircled her. He pulled his gunblade out of the sheath and glared at NORG.

"What have we done to deserve this!?"

"Bujurururu... THIS-IS-MY-GARDEN! YOU-CAN'T-DO-AS-YOU-PLEASE!" NORG exclaimed, as he threw another spell in the SeeD's direction. Squall watched as Irvine was surrounded in ice. Squall rushed toward NORG, only to be thrown back by the force of a wind spell. He coughed and pulled himself off of the ground. Squall's eyes grew wide in horror as he realised that NORG had separated them only to give him time to call upon a GF. Squall watched NORG fall into intense concentration, and he could feel the power of the GF readying itself to be thrust upon them.

"Somebody! Draw the GF!!" Squall pleaded helplessly, but Irvine couldn't hear Squall through the ice and there was no way that Quistis would be able to concentrate with all that fire around her. He stood there in shock for a second realising that he couldn't do anything. Suddenly an idea hit him. Squall hesitated for a second and then removed his right hand glove. He then thrust his hand toward Quistis.

"DISPEL!" he shouted. Immediately the fire around Quistis died down and she was free.

"Squall, how did you…?"

"Just draw the GF before he summons it!" Squall snapped as he dispelled the wall of ice around Irvine. Quistis nodded and concentrated on the demi-human. Squall could feel the power of the GF growing stronger as he pulled his glove back on.

"DRAW LEVIATHAN!" Quistis commanded. Abruptly, NORG was pulled out of his trance and small blue particles rushed out of him and toward Quistis. Squall took his chance while NORG was still dazed by the abrupt end of his summoning spell, and jumped up next to NORG inside of the machine.

"Fushururu...I'M-DONE-FOR! I'M-AFRAID-OF-YOU! WHY-ME?" NORG cried as Squall brought the gunblade down. The three SeeDs stood there for a few minutes in shock.

"Squall, why didn't you draw the GF by yourself!?" Quistis demanded angrily. "You could have gotten us all killed!" Squall turned away from her and crossed his arms; he wasn't talking. Quistis narrowed her eyes, but didn't push him.

(I'll find out sooner or later…) she thought, annoyed. She turned toward NORG's lifeless body. "I wonder why he did all this…" Quistis mumbled to herself.

"Haven't the foggiest… Interesting Garden you got here…" Irvine said, raising an eyebrow. Quistis turned to Squall.

"Do either of you know what he meant by 'You had a sorcerer with you and you still lost'?" Squall turned around to face her.

"I have no idea," Squall answered quietly.

"It's weird though… I mean-"

"Quistis, you of all people should know that men cannot inherit the power of a sorceress," Squall interrupted. "Let's go report to the Headmaster."

"Uh, yeah…" she replied uncertainly, exchanging a suspicious glance with Irvine as they followed Squall out of the basement.

***

"Hmm…" Cid put his hand to his mouth after Squall finished his report of the assassination attempt.

"Um, sir?" Quistis ventured.

"Yes Quistis?"

"I wanted to ask you about some things that NORG mentioned," she stated. Squall stiffened.

"What?"

"He said that you and Edea are married…"

"Yes, we are… I knew she was a sorceress when I married her, and we were okay, until…" Cid sighed. Quistis nodded. "The other thing?"

"He mentioned something about us having a sorcerer with us during the mission?" Cid's eyes grew wide and he quickly glanced at Squall, who had stopped breathing. Suddenly the door to the small conference room, which had been temporarily converted into an office for Cid, swung open and Xu appeared.

"Sir! A Galbadian ship has just pulled up next to us!" Xu exclaimed.

"What do they want?" Cid asked, happy for the interruption.

"They are on the second floor balcony and said that they're Edea's SeeD and that they're here for Ellone," she answered, fidgeting. Cid nodded.

"Ah yes… Tell them I'll be there in a moment. Squall, you know Ellone don't you?" Squall nodded. "Good, can you go find her then?"

"…Yes, sir."

"Thank you. I'm coming Xu," Cid said, following the girl out of the office.

"Ellone? That girl from the dream world?" Irvine wondered. Squall blinked, she was wasn't she? He hadn't even made the connection. Sis was the little girl in the dream world. Then they were looking at the past?

"I don't know, but wasn't she the girl in the training centre after the Inauguration Dance, Squall?" Quistis replied, shrugging.

"Yes to both of you," Squall answered finally. "We should split up, the chances of finding her are greater." The other two nodded and left the room. Squall stood there for a second trying to get his pulse back down to a normal level after what Quistis had just asked the Headmaster. After a minute, he walked out of the conference room and headed for the library. Just as he had suspected, Ellone was sitting in the library reading room with a book in her lap.

"…Ellie?" he murmured quietly. Ellone put the book down and turned to him.

"Squall?" she answered, surprise registering on her face as she stood up to greet him. He took a step back in order to keep her at arm's length. Ellone stopped uncertainly and looked at the ground.

"Thank you for saving me in the Training Centre," she said after an awkward silence.

"Yeah, you're welcome… Um, Ellone?"

"Yes, Squall?"

"Tell me about Laguna."

"Uncle Laguna?" Ellie blinked. What could she tell Squall about Laguna? She could tell that Squall was uncomfortable and confused. Ellone made a mental note to find out why. "Well… He's uh… Laguna…"

"…Well then could you tell me why I keep having dreams about him?" Ellie smiled.

"That's not any easier to explain. I can tell you that it's the past, you're viewing the past through Laguna's eyes," she answered. Ellie softly started prodding at Squall's thoughts, trying to figure out what he remembered and why he was uncomfortable being near her.

"Get out of my head, Ellone." Ellie jumped in surprise. His voice wasn't angry or upset, but it wasn't exactly a request. It took Ellone a second to realise he hadn't spoken aloud. He just stared at her with his cold, blue-grey eyes.

(How did he know I was in there? And how did he tell me to get out without talking?) Ellie suddenly felt very naked, and she wasn't sure why, there was just something about the way Squall was looking at her that made her very uncomfortable.

"At least tell me why? Why do you show me and the others this?" Squall finally said aloud. "Why are you relying on me? I have enough problems as it is, Ellone. Why?" His eyes were full of emotion. Ellie stared into his eyes. She'd never seen so many emotions in conflict at once before.

"I'm sorry, Squall-"

"Squall? Have you found Ellone?" Xu interrupted, entering the reading room. Ellone turned to Xu.

"I'm Ellone."

"Good, could you come with me please?" Xu asked. She glanced over at Squall who seemed to be having a battle with his thoughts. Ellone nodded and followed Xu to the door. When she reached it she turned to Squall.

"I'm sorry, Squall, but you're my last hope."

***

"How do you work this thing?!?" Selphie exclaimed, frantically pressing buttons.

"How the hell should I know?" Zell shouted back. Rinoa just sighed and looked out the window of the large Galbadian contraption.

"Um guys?"

"Not now Rinoa! We're trying to figure out how to stop this thing!" Zell growled.

"But-"

"Just wait a second, Rinoa!" Selphie whined, pressing more buttons, obviously frustrated.

"But guys, we're shooting at Squall, Quistis and Irvine!" Rinoa bellowed.

"WHAT?" Zell rushed over to Rinoa and looked out the window. "Shit! We are! Selphie! Quit pushing-" Suddenly there was a loud explosion and the machine started to shake. "Ahhhh! We need to get out of this thing!"

"I wonder if this will help," Selphie mumbled, pressing a button marked "Escape." Behind them a hatch popped open and they could see daylight through it. "Let's get outta here!" she cried, and they sprinted to the hatch.

"Is that Selphie?" Irvine asked, as the BGH251F2 fell into the ocean.

"What?" Quistis said, glancing around. "Where?" Irvine pointed.

"I'd say that Zell and Rinoa are with her too…" Squall said, watching as a very ragged Selphie, Zell and Rinoa pulled themselves onto the platform in front of the Fisherman's Horizon train station.

"You guys are okay!" Selphie exclaimed, jumping up and down. She ran over and hugged the first person she could get her hands on, which was Irvine. Quistis covered her mouth and tried not to laugh as Irvine blinked in surprise. She could tell he was thoroughly enjoying being hugged by Selphie.

"We should get back to Garden… Come on," Squall said. Zell looked confused.

"Garden? But we're in FH?" he said.

"Come on Zell… We got a lot to talk about…" Quistis started leading Zell, Irvine and Selphie away. Rinoa stayed behind as Squall walked over to an older man who was sitting on the ground a little ways away. "It's okay now… I'm sorry that we had to fight, but…" Squall sighed. "I… I'm sorry." He turned away from the man and started to follow the others but Rinoa stopped him.

"Hi. I missed you," she said, winking. Squall blinked.

"Um… I uh… missed you too? …Sorta… Kinda…" Squall said, stumbling over the words.

"Squall?" Rinoa's mouth dropped open. "I can't believe you just said that! I'm so happy! Wow..." She exclaimed in surprise. "We better get back to Garden, huh?" Squall nodded. The two followed Quistis and the others slowly back to Garden. Rinoa walked silently next to Squall. He was very quiet.

(Edea wants to find Ellone and will do anything, including burning cities, to find her… But Edea should know that Ellone is on the White SeeD ship… I don't get it. Last time I saw Edea was when she disappeared, when I was nine… Cid had said that she died, but then she just now shows up, and is nothing like the Matron I remember.)

"Squall?" Squall blinked out of his thoughts and found himself standing next to Rinoa in the second floor hallway.

"Huh?"

"Aren't you going with Xu?" she asked. Squall blinked again. "She was just standing in front of you and said that the Headmaster wanted to see you and you said 'ok.'"

"Oh… Um… Yeah," he answered uncertainly and started off toward the Headmaster's office.

***

"I've been thinking about your report, Squall, and adding in the recent events at the train station in FH and I've come to a conclusion. Most likely, the sorceress will not stop until Ellone is found. She will continue to hunt for her, and burn everything in the way. We can't wait any longer…" Squall nodded his head.

(...So he's finally gonna tell everyone about the true meaning of SeeD… About time.) Cid turned and pressed a button, turning on the Garden's intercom system.

"This is Headmaster Cid speaking. I have an announcement to make. I have important news that I must tell all of you. Garden is being repaired at the moment and we will have to leave FH as soon as it's finished. We are beginning a journey. This is a journey to defeat the sorceress. Garden will now be used as a mobile base. The staff, and myself, will run the administration of Garden as usual. This journey will involve many battles, and a well-qualified leader is needed for this… Therefore, I am appointing Squall as your new leader. From now on, Squall will be the boss. He will decide upon our destinations and battle plans." Squall stared incredulously at the Headmaster.

(Are you serious?)

"Everyone, is to follow his orders without question."

(I can't believe this...)

"If there are any objections, please come see me in person."

(…I object!) Cid turned and looked at Squall, turning off the intercom.

"Squall, we are all under your command from now on," Cid noticed the disgusted look on Squall's face and sighed. "This is your fate, Squall. It's your destiny to lead the way to defeating the sorceress." Squall opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He put his head in his hand and closed his eyes. Cid watched as he started to shake with emotion. Suddenly, Squall looked up with tears in his eyes.

"Do have any idea what the hell you're saying?!? …I'm a fucking sorcerer Cid! I can't 'lead the way to defeating the sorceress'! I barely lived through the first fight with her!" Squall shouted, shaking with anger. He turned away from Cid and put his hands on either side of his head. "You didn't even ask if I wanted to do this!! Dammit Cid! …Don't talk about this like it's been decided since my fucking birth!" he yelled through his teeth. Abruptly, Squall calmed and turned to Cid, staring at him through tear-stained eyes. "Fuck you, Cid." Squall stepped backward and the elevator went down. Cid stared at the floor, absorbing everything that just happened.

(…I don't know what you're going through Squall… But whether you like it or not… I'm right.)