---Disclaimer: Everything is © Square.

~

"So . . . the angel returns."

Seifer Almasy's voice rumbled deep in his throat, a sardonic grin crossing his face wickedly as he leaned heavily on the mop that he was supposed to be wielding. He had seen her as the Garden gates flew open to admit her, bags clutched tightly in her hands as she bustled in, looking around with bright eyes and mouthing the word that he had used so lightly on this place:

Home.

For her, it was a true home because she had people here who would care for her if she was dying and couldn't be helped. She had friends who would be there for her until the day that she died, and even after then - people who would give their life for hers, people who would risk everything they had for a single emotion coursing through their body. People who would leap out in space just to revive a dying Sorceress and possibly not even save her at all. People like Quistis, people like Selphie, people like Zell - people like Squall.

However, Seifer had nobody. Nobody here would even blink an eye if he died from the noxious fumes that he was scrubbing across the shining, tiled fumes. He would be another dead SeeD, another life taken for a cause that wasn't worth it. And the thing was that he wasn't even a true SeeD - as of now, he was a cadet, completing public service to gain a spot on the field exam register. He only had one week left, and his attitude had improved greatly, all things considered . . . yet every now and then, he couldn't help but voice a snide remark.

He cursed blackly as Quistis wrapped her arms around Rinoa's back, followed by a huge glomp courtesy of Selphie and the formal SeeD salute of Xu. Both Irvine and Zell gave her a polite kiss on the cheek, although Irvine's was quite extended, earning him a kick in the shin from Selphie. Nida had snatched up the young Sorceress' bags and was motioning with his head towards the guest dormitories, but Rinoa quickly insisted that she see Squall first.

"I . . . need to patch up some open wounds," She said uncomfortably, somehow managing a small smile. Quistis looked at her concernedly, but Xu nodded, handing her an officer's keycard, which could gain entrance to any of Garden's resident's dormitories, even other officials. Rinoa thanked the brunette, taking it and tucking it into one arm warmer and hurrying off.

The blonde snarled, spitting after her and turning around, continuing to push his ragged mop across the floors. The quick click of heels signaled the presence of the most unwanted body -

"Seifer, please clean that up," Quistis said calmly, folding her arms in traditional SeeD fashion. He grumbled something before turning the mop quickly, maneuvering it over to where his saliva splattered the tiles and scrubbing it firmly.

"Satisfied, Ice Queen?" He scowled, waving his arms out to the side. Quistis smiled smugly.

"Quite," She said firmly, walking away with a sheer note of confidence in her overly-high boots.

~

The card slipped through the lock quickly, and the familiar click echoed in the near-empty hallways as Rinoa exhaled; the door had granted her permission to enter the Commander's dormitory. Stupid little machine-driven piece of plastic . . . to think that something that insignificant could stand between two people destined for each other. She scowled at it, shoving it back nonchalantly into her arm warmer and creaking the door open slightly, peering inside.

It was nearly completely dark, if not for the small desk lamp still being on. A stack of papers sat on the blotter on the desk, a few pens next to them and a hump of manila folders beside the pens. She sighed, shaking her head; he never did stop working.

Stepping cautiously into the room, she nearly tripped over something. Bending down quietly, she picked it up, closing her eyes and holding the leather jacket close to her chest. Six months felt like such an eternity at that particular moment, caressing the war-torn jacket and smoothing the fur on the collar back. Her fingers ran over dried blood, accustomed now to the shape of the jacket, and rips and shreds that could only have come from the stress-brewing Ultimecia plot. Cautiously placing the jacket back onto the floor, she stood back to her full height, walking gently over to the bed and cocking her head at an angle that the light could easily show his features.

He was little changed, not that she expected anything less. The same scar ran diagonally between his eyes, closed softly, although his chest rose and fell with the pattern of deep sleep. His chestnut hair dangled over his closed eyes, more unruly than ever. The comforter was lying in a heap on the floor at the foot of the bed, showing that he had fallen asleep in his heavy pants and white T-shirt. Griever was tangled tightly around his neck, making Rinoa choke slightly; she slithered her fingers under the links, gently undoing the clasp and sliding the cool metal off of his skin and dropping it into a metallic puddle on the desk.

Gingerly placing her weight on the bed, she reached up, smoothing the hair back from his cool face. The heat had fled for the night, and he looked right now the same as after time compression when she found him, and she couldn't help but smile softly; at least she hadn't woken him up yet.

She let her eyes wander the room, something else that was little-changed. However, she noticed the framed picture hanging over the desk; crooked, of course. Squall never was much of a handyman, even if he was the cleanest man the world ever saw. Her eyes seemed glossed as she examined the fine features of the photo: his thread-bear smile, her deep red dress, Laguna's smiling eyes, Selphie's overuse of green . . . everything about that day was perfect. Then, of course, she had ruined it.

| "I can't do this anymore . . . I just can't. Please, Squall, don't be angry with me."

He stared at her, disbelieving.

"You said you . . . you said you loved me. I thought you meant it. Hyne Rinoa, don't pull an Ellone on me!" He groaned, running a hand down his face. His eyes truly held panic, and they darted to and fro from her own sad, brown orbs to the bags she held in her hands.

"I can't be the butt of everyone's suspicions. I don't want to leave you, honestly Squall! But I won't be subject to this anymore; get them to calm down, and maybe I'll come back. But remember, it's not because of you. I just need . . . a little air. Some room to grow." She had tried to get her words to sound as least harmful as possible, although she failed miserably.

"You're the only one I ever . . . Hyne, I went into space for you Rinoa, and you're leaving me now?" He asked, his mouth dry. His lips could hardly form the words, let alone could he get his will to force them out of his throat.

"You don't understand . . ." She moaned, feeling the tears flow.|

Suddenly, she wondered if they ever had put up that mosaic of the photograph in the Quad. Gently rising from the bed, she brushed her hands one last time through the Commander's hair, clicking off the light quietly and crossing the room in two strides.

Her swift feet led her down the passages of Garden as if she had been living there her whole life. It truly was her only real 'home'; Caraway's mansion had barely qualified for 'house'. The sign for the Quad loomed up ahead, and she broke out into a sprint, anxious to see if the would-be memorial was there. But when she got there, she was blown away.

The mosaic was up, and it was beautiful. It adorned a whole wall, a smart- looking silver plaque underneath reading off the names and the event.

[Left to right: Instructor Quistis Trepe, Sorceress Rinoa Heartilly, Commander Squall Leonhart, Selphie Timlitt-Kinneas, Zell Dincht, Irvine Kinneas, and President Laguna Loire celebrate the victory against the Sorceress Ultimecia and the ceasing of time compression.]

Everything was there. Everything; it was like a monument to those who fought even though none died. Rinoa was taken aback that Squall had plucked the Lionheart chain off of the hilt of his Gunblade and dedicated it to the exhibit, and it sat happily on a plush cushion behind a glass sheet. Irvine had gladly dedicated a small box of Exeter ammo to the display, and Selphie's contribution was a tie from Adel's long, red hair. Quistis had somehow managed to snag a cutting of a portrait from Ultimecia's castle, and Zell had given a real live hotdog from Ultimecia's realm; how he had found one, none ever knew.

A wave of guilt rose in the pit of Rinoa's stomach as she realized that there was nothing in the glass tank under the mosaic that had a silver plaque above it with her name on it. Her hand instinctively flew to the two rings around her neck; she closed her eyes softly, trying to block out anything but thoughts of what she could give to the display.

"You didn't wake him up, I take it?" Seifer's malicious voice rang in her ear, and her eyes snapped open, now a vibrant shade of violet. Her hand snapped out and she abruptly shouted a spell inaudible to Seifer, but he was thrown back against the far wall of the Quad and lay there, gasping and clutching his chest. She had struck him with Flare, the first spell she realized she had on her.

"Don't get near me, you slime," She said savagely, pointing a threatening finger at him. "And even before that, don't you dare talk about Squall." He held up his hands in defense, feigning a look of repentance.

"Sorry, sorry, didn't realize it was such a sensitive subject. Anyway, I wouldn't suggest doing it in the first place." He pushed himself casually to his feet, dragging up his mop and leaning on it for support. Suspicion flickered into Rinoa's eyes.

"W-what do you mean?" She asked hesitantly, surveying his form. He had changed little as well: same ragged trench coat, same military cut, blonde hair, same silver chain around his neck, same smug smile.

"I mean that he hasn't been doin' to well lately. Ran out and randomly attacked a T-Rexaur; they got the crap beat out of them, Commander Puberty, Chicken-wuss and the girly boy with the ponytail," He said nonchalantly, waving it off as he dunked the mop into the pocket of sterilized water and slopping it over the already-clean floor. Inside he was smirking; depriving her of information was the best way of torture for this little angel.

"Is he okay?" She breathed, taking a cautious step closer to him. He blew some air out between his teeth, waving his hand dismissively and rolling his eyes. The mop staggered across the floor, slapping on the tiles of the Quad.

"Well, you saw it for yourself, didn't you? He's alive, right?" He asked, starting to get annoyed by her over-protectiveness. It bothered him that Squall had somebody who cared about every step he took, and he had nothing but a mop.

"You're no help. Just get back to the janitorial work, Seifer," Rinoa spat, hurrying back up the stairs.

~

"Stop doing that to yourself!"

The low voice was barely enough to penetrate the thick mess of thoughts and words that was his brain. It was so clogged that he could barely figure out how he managed to breathe, let alone sleep the way he did. Then again, it might have been the Sleep spell in the first place that made his brain the jumbled concoction that it was. He tried to open his eyes, only to find that the after-effects of the spell were taking their toll, and fatigue still plagued him.

He heard an angry sigh, and then, louder, "Firaga!"

His eyes snapped open immediately and he clutched his chest in pain, rising into a sitting position although doubled-over. Dr. Kadowaki was standing next to the bed and looking at him reprovingly, but handed him a Hi-Potion all the same.

"I'm serious, Squall. You have to stop putting yourself to sleep with those spells; they're extremely dangerous. If you had too much power on you one day, you might cast yourself into sleep that you would never wake up from," She lectured, then sat down in his desk chair and pulled up a clipboard. "Drink that."

He glanced unappetizingly to the potion in his hands and back to the stern doctor in the chair. He decided that the latter was worse, then dumped the whole potion down his throat at once and felt his eye twitching from the horrible taste.

"What do you want?" He asked in a no-tone voice, sitting up straight. Peering closely at his clock, he managed to decipher that it was four in the morning. "I really didn't sleep that long, you know," He added, motioning with his hand.

"Squall, you've been sleeping for nearly a day. You cast that spell on yourself yesterday, and people were starting to get worried when you didn't start kicking and screaming to be let out," Kadowaki said, setting down the chart. "However, I want to talk to you about more than your overuse of magic. Commander, sir . . . Rinoa's back."

The expression on his face was literally unreadable, and she thought that he had gone into shock. However, he managed to blink a couple of times, shaking his head and trying to comprehend what he heard.

"Wh-what?" He managed to choke out, his throat gone dry.

". . . She's coming here, to your room, in a few minutes to 'mend open wounds', whatever that means. I'll leave you two to it." The doctor nodded solemnly to him, pressing the button on his door to open it. "And no more sleep spells! Come get me if you can't fall asleep!"

"How am I supposed to come and get you if I'm not allowed out of this condemned room?" He shouted after her, thoroughly enraged on the subject.

He was lying on his back for a while, eyes set angrily and arms folded tight across his chest when he decided that it was pointless to sleep for another two hours. He sat up stiffly, feeling blindly in the dark for side of the desk, which he used to pull himself to his feet. His legs were like unstable beneath him, but he felt that if he stayed in that bed for much longer he was going to explode. Collapsing would be worth it if he made it out the door.

Pride showed clearly on his face as he managed to get his legs working smoothly, and soon Squall was taking deep strides down the hall. He wasn't headed anywhere in particular, just wanted to get out and see somebody. He knew that Zell wouldn't prefer any visitors, and he supposed that Irvine had all the visitors he could take, and more; the Commander didn't feel like intruding on one of the cowboy's 'sessions'.

Somehow he ended up at the Quad, deserted - perfect. He dropped down on a bench, gripping his knees and staring at the opposite wall. The mosaic greeted him, looking the same way it did the day the Garden Festival Committee finished it; Squall pitied the person who was paid to keep the shine on that thing, as it never lost its sheen. He found that he had lost himself in the fine features of it, how well it had been put together, not missing a single detail. Someone had put a great deal of effort into that blasted thing . . .

He didn't realize how tired he was until he was practically asleep, deaf to the gentle clip of heels along the tiled floor. Even when Rinoa came down the last few steps, she didn't notice him at first; his still position would have evaded even the most careful eyes. She didn't understand what she sought down here, when not a single person seemed to be there. Until she noticed him.

She didn't realize that she had let out a sort of frightened yelp when she noticed his form, stepping back a pace and uncertain at what to do. Even if her heels had managed to slip past him, her voice couldn't - he had heard it far too many times, both real and unreal, in his room and in his mind, not to have his head snap up and his eyes focus suddenly.

"Rinoa?" He said automatically, just as he had all of the times when he thought he heard her, hoping to hear a reply. The Sorceress groaned, sinking to the ground and holding her knees.

"Hello, Squall."

~

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED ME! YOU ALL ARE GREAT!

My internet was down this morning, so I had this complete shock when I came home and saw that it said fourteen reviews. That never happens to me, because I can't write - I never have that much great input in just ONE CHAPTER. That's why I'm thanking everyone - you made my day!

Next chapter's all memory. Total, complete flashback; I was too lazy to do it in this chapter. I shall have to kick my lazy butt into action.