All the characters depicted herein are only fictional and are created solely for people who enjoy playing and reading fictional stories of the game: Final Fantasy VIII
In memories of a friend that has departed, I dedicate this work to them in honoring them as best of friends, and colleagues in which our work made us no strangers to each other. This is for you, Kayah and Tyler…May you rest in peace in a better world of *'Promised Land'…
- Quoted from FF7.
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Friendship
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"Zis is spectacular"
Dr. Odine, chief scientist of Esthar is smiling to himself up to his ears. He was greatly pleased with himself that he was about to discover something unexplainable as well as confounding regarding the data that he has collected from his observation and theory- testing on the young SeeD with the weird tattoo on his left face, who now lies motionless on the bed. There were several conclusions to explain the situation. It is something that Odine himself has been studying in the last decade. Different dimensions that were encased in the envelope of time and space that could be entered through Time Compression itself. It has been proven by testimonials gathered from the six young SeeDs that have mysteriously transported through space and time to arrive where Ultimecia resided. He adjusted his glasses on his hooked nose as he stared purposefully at the object that has been hovering over at Tears Point that is massive enough he could see it from his office, quiet as a lone obelisk, waiting for a summoning that was not meant to be, for over a year now or maybe forever. Instead of moving it to another location, as demanded by some of the bureaucratic people that has always been in his way of doing things, Odine had managed to convince them that the Lunatic Pandora should stay where it was under the condition that it should be completely sealed and any attempt of opening it or unsealing it would result in a summary execution. Yes, it might be harsh, but should the Lunatic Pandora falls into the wrong hands. Well, it is unthinkable since what has happened before when Ultimecia was exerting her control over this world. His smile became wider as his wrinkled face would allow, juz a little more.
His thoughts shifted to the frail- looking young woman with pigtails that seemed to accompany the young man who was rolled in a week back. Wat wuz that young man's name anyvay? Not that he could be bothered with such trivial matter as opposed by a great scientist. Such as him! Odine drew himself up proudly. Many of his invention did do the world a lot of good, he smiled to himself. Yet, this girl seemed to generate a weird reading that was registering on the printouts of the machines around the young man. Hmm... zis goin to require a lot of my attention, zis girl, Odine smiled in a feral grin. Yes, so many things to be done.
++++++++
Faeri looked out the window that showed the night side skyline of Esthar city with a mixture of awe, excitement, hope and despair. She couldn't sleep at all. Esthar's view in the night is spectacular as the lights of the city's machinery blinked and moved in different directions in a never ending spiral of activity. Then her expression fell when she thought about Zell. She wanted to be in the waiting room to hear about the latest development on Zell. Currently, the top doctors and scientists were now examining Zell to find the probable cause of his unusual case. But among them all, Dr. Odine is the only one that gives her the shivers whenever she notices him looking her from afar. Unpleasant thoughts formed in her precariously jumbled mind. She didn't need this added tension in her head right now. Anyway, she caught whispered comments from the staffs, speculating that the patient; that is Zell, might have accidentally took some harmful substance and some even joked that he might have eaten just too many hot dogs that his brain just cease to function properly because of excessive amount of junk that the body didn't need. She smiled inwardly, when she remembered the joke that she pulled on Zell when they were on the hills of Balamb. That memory is the best one that she ever had moments whenever she and Zell had dated. She shook herself. It wasn't like Zell's going to pass away, right? Right?? Zell wouldn't do something that might get himself in trouble. But then again… She was going mad if she keeps this up.
She looked at the bedside table where on top of it were two white pills which she was supposed to take earlier on. It has been what... she could even hardly remember what day it was today and the time ever since they arrived to Esthar. She only took short naps and it hasn't helped any to improve her mood and strength. The pills were supposed to make her go to sleep and after a long moment when waking up would make her feeling rejuvenated after a long rest. But she couldn't do it. She might miss anything that might happen if she were asleep. She knows also that she will get the lecturing of the year if Dr. Kadowaki knew one of her students is not taking their health seriously. While she was contemplating her indecisiveness, the door to her quarters slid open with a slight hiss.
Rinoa Heartilly stepped into the room slowly afraid that she might wake Faeri unnecessarily. But the moment she went in, Faeri wasn't asleep at all as she saw the young woman's form still in her nightgown, her hair undone to fall in light waves just past her shoulders stood alone at the window. A small frown creased Rinoa's soft face. Apparently, Faeri wasn't taking any rest at all. She walked on the plush blue carpet that sunk her booted feet to stand side by side with Faeri who still stood mutely staring the view outside. Rinoa saw that Faeri's haggard face has taken a toll in her part of not taking any sleep at all. She frowned even more when she noticed the untouched sleeping tablets that lay uselessly at the bedside table.
"You know, even the dead would look a whole lot better than you would right now," Rinoa said nonchalantly, while keeping her face pointed not at Faeri but to the view.
Faeri felt a tug of a smile formed at the corners of her mouth. She hasn't smiled that much lately. Her face felt tight in exhaustion as she touched the glass window that faintly reflected her face against the backdrop of the city.
"Yeah, I guess" Faeri said tiredly.
"Why don't we sit while we chat, if you're feeling up to it" Rinoa said softly while indicating to the nearest lounge chair at the centre of the room which looked really comfortable at the moment. Faeri nodded in agreement while moving towards it when halfway there she suddenly stumbled. Fortunately, Rinoa was quick to catch Faeri's arms to support her from falling.
"I… I'm sorry…" Faeri's voice trailed off.
"No, don't be. You're just being tired, that's all" Rinoa offered sincerely. She sympathize the girl but she shouldn't be like this, ignoring her well- being until this state. Rinoa heard from the staff that Faeri had hardly touched any food during mealtime and has been up and down outside of Zell's ward whenever she could. There's still no sign of recovery or ways for the doctors to explain the unusual nature of the case.
"I know I'm not helping myself and you guys by moping all day and ignoring my well being" said Faeri after Rinoa had helped her to sit down in one of the lounge chairs. She said it guiltily while fingering a fold of her nightdress. Rinoa saw that Faeri was shivering slightly and before Faeri could utter a word, Rinoa had put a thick robe over Faeri which she had found from the wardrobe to keep her warm. Then she moved about at the kitchenette by making for both of them some hot chocolate, after a while set it down and helped Faeri to hold the cup with both of her hands.
"Feeling better now?" asked Rinoa after she and Faeri sipped some of the hot chocolate she made.
Faeri's pale and lifeless face begins to color slightly as she drank some more of the drink. It was her favorite drink. She lowers the cup to her lap and smiled more.
"I don't know how am I even begin to repay your kindness, Rinoa"
"The only reward that I could wish for is for you to start to help yourself rather than seeing you so… lifeless" Rinoa said in a pleading tone. She can't bear to let this go on, so she plowed ahead. "Honestly, you wouldn't want Zell to worry about you. I'm sure wherever he might be now, he would still be wishing to come back to you and assure that everything's alright, and we still know that he isn't dead yet. Hang on to that, Faeri"
On hearing that, the liveliness that was always in Faeri's soft violet eyes begins to shine again as new hope fired up inside her. She knew that it was wrong to live hanging by a thread like the state that she's in now; she thought to herself and later said it softly for Rinoa to hear it.
"Yeah, he won't like it one bit" Faeri said looking up to Rinoa.
Rinoa drew a deep breath of relief. She was glad that went easy. Earlier, she had thought of Faeri confining herself in the room was not very healthy for her, so she debated with herself on how she would approach the situation and had even thought of several scenarios in the event if Faeri proved to be more stubborn than she thought.
Faeri regarded Rinoa from her seat. She wanted to ask something that she's been afraid to voice to Zell. Somehow, she felt silly for this feeling to come forth, but her curiosity won the better part of her.
"Rinoa, may I ask you something?"
Rinoa looked up, broke away from her train of thoughts.
"Yes?"
"Is, err… don't get me wrong. But I noticed that you are close to Zell among the rest of your friends except for Squall, is there… anything that happened between you and him before this?"
Rinoa was surprise by this remark. Sure, she is close to Zell; in fact Zell is her best friend and has helped her out of tight spots form time to time. They were close friends and nothing more, this much she revealed to Faeri.
"Here, let me show you something" Rinoa leaned forward slightly, beckoning Faeri to do the same until their knees touched each other. Rinoa brought up two rings that hung around her neck by a thin silver chain. She let the younger woman have a closer inspection and spoke;
"The plain band is mine while the one with the intricate carving that looks like a lion is a copy of Squall's. When I first saw the ring that Squall wore, I was fascinated and intrigued by it as much as the owner himself" Rinoa said with a giggle eliciting a similar response from Faeri.
"Anyway, I just couldn't ask Squall to hand it over so that I can make another copy for myself. So, I asked Zell instead. You wouldn't believe how hard I have to coax him to do it for me. At first, he was very reluctant as at that time Squall was not as friendly yet with anybody but Zell was one of the few people that Squall was ok with, so I asked him to get the ring for me"
"Hmm, would the 'coaxing' be involving buying him the hotdogs from the cafeteria?"
Rinoa smiled cryptically and both of them laughed while chorusing 'As if he could resist that'
"By the way, where's Miss Trepe? Is she around?" Faeri asked after they quieted down. Now her features has return to its normal radiance, Rinoa can't help but saying to herself that Faeri has a certain depth in character than she ever let others see back at Garden. Strong and determined, yet there was a hint of emptiness in her eyes that occasionally show when she speaks about Zell.
"Quistis has returned to Garden yesterday along with Squall" Rinoa said, but went softly as if longingly when she mentioned his name. "Headmaster Cid wanted a briefing of her assessment on the situation in Balamb, plus the news about Zell, may I ask why?"
"Oh! Nothing, just wanted to thank her for what she has done for Zell" Faeri said while pausing inwardly. She noticed the falter in Rinoa's voice when she mentioned the Commander's name. Just like me, except that I'm longing for someone who... she shook her head. She didn't ever want to think of it. But somehow that black thought keep on surfacing again and again.
"I feel indebted to her when she comforted me when I don't know who to turn to." Faeri added lastly. Her features turn glum again.
Rinoa's face broke into concern. She knew that Faeri's still worried about Zell. She has to change the subject.
"Don't worry about that. I'm sure Quistis understands. Well, since I'm here, do you want a tour around the city? You look like you could use some fresh air" Rinoa said while getting up, obviously meaning it.
Faeri's face brightened at the offer. She wanted to go out and see the city for herself, not from the high window of the palace. She made her way slowly towards the wardrobe to change to her normal clothes which consists of white blouse with purple skirt and matching light jacket that echoed the color of her eyes. After she pulled an ankle length soft boots, she took Rinoa's offered hand, heading towards the door.
"By the way Rinoa, where's the President?" Faeri asked as they walked down the enormous hallway to the palace's entrance. There were two ceremonial guards of Esthar who stood vigilantly with their shining ceremonial blasters of plated gold slung at the shoulders, at the ready watchful for any sign of trouble. Their armor is different from the standard issued armors that the regular soldiers were wearing. The ceremonial guard's armor gleamed strangely, as though it refracted light in different directions. They stood mutely as both girls passed them.
"Funny you should ask… because Laguna was asking about you this morning. Oh, I forgot to mention it to you. That you are needed at the Medical Facility when you're ready" Rinoa said as- matter- of- fact.
"Really…? What would they want from me?" Faeri asked ponderingly. Rinoa tried to smile a little but failing it miserably when she noticed Faeri's face that says Ok, I know it's bad, but how bad.
"Why don't we head to the facility, where the experts could explain it better to you about the procedure on how it's going to be done?"
Faeri nodded in agreement. So they made their way to the medical facility which is located near to Esthar's established university. As they were walking, Rinoa began narrating the things she was supposed to tell the young woman.
"I heard something like an experiment they want to test their theory on, and oh, you going to love this. They might have found a way to cure Zell" Rinoa added with a smile. Rinoa was very excited when Dr. Odine said that he might have found a way to solve Zell's mysterious condition, but it may prove to be dangerous. But there was no other way to do it. This, Rinoa explained to Faeri. The chance of success is fifty-fifty and the odds add up as the condition prolonged further.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Faeri demanded. She was surprised that she never heard any progress until now. She wasn't mad or anything, but her nerves were nearing to a breaking point that made her voice sounded harsh. She patiently waited for Rinoa to explain knowing that Rinoa wasn't the one who would purposefully delay something like this.
"Don't take it wrongly Faeri. I'm all up and can't wait for Zell to return as much as you are" Rinoa said quickly to soothe the anxious girl. But seeing Faeri still under control, she continued cautiously.
"But there is something that you must be clear about" Rinoa paused for a while for the words to sink in. When Faeri nodded and held her gaze, Rinoa continued.
"Like I said, the chances are slim and you might get hurt when you are subjected to the process" Rinoa added concernedly. When she heard that the process was difficult and dangerous, she was alarmed and disturbed by it, from what she understands. It is a complicated process which Faeri will enter the Time Compression to look for Zell, where he is believed to be lost in there, not physically but his mind. Possibly even his soul.
"But Rinoa, you've been in there already. What possible danger could it cause to me when I enter it myself?" Faeri protested mildly. Rinoa felt both relieved and scared for the younger woman. Relieved because Faeri seemed to take it well since she's so eager to do whatever she can to bring Zell back from wherever he might be. You are so lucky Zell, Rinoa said to herself. Now, on to the bad news, she thought grimly.
"The… bad part of the deal is…" Rinoa said haltingly. But when she saw Faeri listen with rapt attention indicating to Rinoa to continue, she smiled grimly and continued.
"What we know is, we need some kind of energy that resonates the same as a sorceress powers do. The thing is, as you already know that I became once myself a while back" Rinoa's expression darkens at the memory. She always does when it happens. She felt an assuring hand on her shoulder as Faeri smiled at her empathically. Rinoa nodded gratefully and again continued.
"While I would gladly put my life on the line to save Zell, they said the only person that could and should be doing this is you"
That remark earned Rinoa a raised eyebrow from Faeri and nodding for her to continue.
"They say that you could somehow create a field that was identical from a Sorceress and Dr. Odine mentioned that we could use this as an alternate source to enter the Time Compression. By doing so, they were hoping to simulate the same technique to open a rift to enter and hopefully to retrieve Zell." Rinoa had said it slowly as to make the meaning clearly to Faeri which now had slowed her pace to a stop in the middle of the University's park.
"Y-y- you don't mean to say, t-t- that I'm a S-S- Sorceress?" Faeri stuttered while looking at Rinoa with a nervous twitch at the corners of her face.
"Hey, nobody said that you're one." Rinoa said comfortingly while giving Faeri an embrace which the younger woman was entirely speechless when she realized the dawning truth.
"It's just a coincidence that this happens to you." Rinoa added lamely. She knew there wasn't much to say about it, as she was also in the dark as to what's happening. First, it was Zell, now it's back to the Sorceress business; she had enough experience in it that she wasn't so eager to repeat it again. Now that Squall's left for Garden and she was missing him already. Not that she wanted to whine a lot, just that… she missed his comforting presence. She felt Faeri slowly withdraw from her hug and smiled shakily.
"But, what if I really am a Sorceress? What if I lose control and start doing things that don't intend to do like the stuff that I've heard…" abruptly Faeri stopped. She didn't mean to say the last part aloud. Her impulsiveness to say things she didn't mean to happens when her mind is in a jumble like how she is right now.
"I, uh, sorry…"
Rinoa's eyes twinkled with pity and understanding as she stood there facing Faeri with her lips compressed together giving the impression that the memory of it had not abated from her mind. She understood what the younger woman in front of her is feeling right now, she had been, a sorceress herself. Rinoa inhaled deeply and when she slowly exhaled she said;
"When I became a sorceress, I asked myself. If I would cause death and destruction without me realizing it, it would be best that I die. I didn't want to live anymore; the pain of loneliness is unbearable. But, I had a Knight that I could place my hopes and be the guiding light for me so that I would not be lost in the darkness"
Faeri was about to open her mouth in reply but stopped short when Rinoa put up her right hand to signal she was not done yet.
"Zell is somewhere near us Faeri, I can feel it, don't you? He's my best friend and never a day goes by that I want to think that he's not coming back and I'm positively sure that he wouldn't want to leave someone as cute as you right?" Rinoa teased lightly which earned her a smirk and a hotly blushing face.
"Thanks, Rinoa for that." Faeri said sincerely. She couldn't blame Rinoa for trying hard to make everything easier to bear. She was feeling better actually.
"Why don't we see what the creepy doctor wants with me," Faeri said, again flushed in embarrassment when she slipped her tongue. Rinoa raised an amused eyebrow with the twinkling smile that she always have. At least, the she wasn't being cross about it, thought Faeri.
"You know Faeri; we have much to talk about." Rinoa said while trying to contain her laughter after a moment of silence and added.
"Personally, I think that Dr. Odine…" Rinoa added while they walked together, chatting merrily now that their moods had improved considerably, towards the medical facility that looms over them as it is one of the tallest buildings around Esthar besides the Presidential Palace.
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Today is a special day for Quistis as she put on her SeeD uniform back again. She beamed proudly when she remembered upon returning to Balamb few days before that Xu was overly excited with the news that she could hardly contain to herself when she received a letter from her best friend with her name on it. The envelope was the ones with an official Garden logo stamped on its beautifully decorated gold linings to signify this was an important letter. After a moment's hesitation, Quistis carefully opened the letter and was surprised again when she read the lines in the letter which says:
After careful consideration, with recommendation from the Commander of Balamb Garden and agreed with the current Headmaster. SeeD ID No. 15489, Quistis Trepe is fully reinstated to Instructorship status after being deemed qualified to resume responsibility after the recent event which shows good morale and leadership at moment's need. This directive is effective in two days upon receiving.
Signed,
Cid Kramer
(Headmaster)
Squall Leonhart
(Commander)
When Quistis saw the second name signed in the letter, she wanted to hug and kiss Squall but caught herself and was blushing because of two things; firstly because the letter had come unexpectedly, second; when she nearly made a complete fool of herself. Well, that was then. Not anymore.
She straightened herself back again when her thoughts were brought to the present when the P.A. system called out an announcement.
"Attention, Squall Leonhart and Quistis Trepe. Kindly proceed to the Headmaster's office right away," said the announcer in a crisp but pleasant woman's voice that rang throughout the Garden.
"Well, looks like the Master is summoning us mortals," Xu teased while waved her hand towards the elevator in an exaggerated bow to Squall and Quistis.
Squall just shook his head while Quistis simply shrugged and lead them towards the elevator to take the floor up to the Headmaster's office.
After reaching the office, a short ceremony of awarding the Instructor's license, the deep red tie with a signet of an Instructor, Quistis bowed to Headmaster Cid in salute. After dispensing with all the preliminary of congratulations and thank you's then Cid cleared his throat signify its back to business.
"So, Miss Trepe what do you have on the latest news concerning Zell's predicament?" Cid asked as he made himself comfortable in his seat.
"Sir, I have received a communiqué from Esthar saying that they are no closer than before in finding the way to cure him. But we may have a possible chance with the help of one of our students which incidentally radiated a weird energy reading on Dr. Odine's machines. The energy has been confirmed to be a similar type of a sorceress" Quistis paused to let the weight of the words to sink into the moment.
Cid abruptly turned to her with a mixture of surprise and worry written on his face.
"Has this been confirmed by the experts in Esthar? Has it been exposed to the public?"
"At the moment, only Dr. Odine was able to give out any explanation while others were suspicious but not enough to convince them yet as they still collecting DNA samples from her. Answering to your second question, we have made sure that it's not going to be leaked to the public since Advisor Kiros has given his personal assurance that it will be known to only select people who are concerned at the moment"
Cid nodded in understanding as his mind worked when he remembered a report done by the scientists of Esthar on a research about sorceresses' powers and abilities. As they have found out from the two people that have become a sorceress that is his wife Edea and that young woman by the name of Rinoa Heartilly, which showed a sorceress didn't need a Guardian Force to be able to control magic or energy as it is their nature to be able to do so. The discovery of another sorceress in the making was sure going to agitate a whole lot of people since Edea and Rinoa had last been one. Until then they were keeping an eye on the girl which Cid was wondering that it might be when Quistis spoke;
"The girl's name is Faeri Artwright." Quistis informed him as if she had read his thoughts.
"She is currently the new Chief Librarian since Akemi has left to become a civilian. Heard the old librarian's settling down with someone. Currently, Faeri is found to practice White Magic as similar to my craft that is Blue Magic." that fact caused a raised eyebrow from the headmaster. Cid had heard that White Magic is an ancient craft as it happened to have disappeared from existence and its usage is still widely unknown.
"Things have certainly taken a turn in its tidings" Cid Kramer concluded the meeting when Quistis had done giving her report while getting up from his seat with hands clasped at his back. He paced around the room in thought. Squall who was also present in the room has been keeping quiet all the time since there was no input needed from him as Quistis have already filled in most of the report at the moment.
"If what you say here is true Miss Trepe, we might find ourselves the next sorceress" Cid spoke in a serious tone. It was bad enough when they had tangled with the last sorceress; Ultimecia. Now looks like they're heading into another one. Cid's brow furrowed further, he remembered Ellone was able to tap her powers to enter the Time Compression as she had helped Squall's team to defeat Ultimecia a year ago. But that didn't make her a Sorceress. Issues like this, is a sensitive matter. Nonetheless, it's possible that this girl; Faeri won't be needed to be exposed as another potential subject of terror and scrutiny by the masses. While he was thinking this, Quistis beat him to it.
"Ellone can't be included in the operation, sir. She needs a certain degree of affinity with a person to use her powers to enter Time Compression. Plus, the fact of the uniqueness of the situation of which Zell's physical form still exists in this world but his soul is believed to have 'transported' somewhere that we're not sure of" supplied Quistis. She had inquired earlier and asked for Ellone to help them in this matter, but after considering their options, they still have to rely on the pig- tail haired librarian girl.
Now that Cid had stopped his musings while pacing around, he noticed that although Squall was still standing in attention, his mind was apparently on something else.
"Do you have anything to share with us, Squall?" Cid asked mildly as he turned towards the young man. Squall kicked himself mentally as his musings had been noticed by the headmaster.
"Nothing sir, it's just that what had happened to Zell is disturbing. Sir" Squall replied in a crisp manner. Cid Kramer shook his head and adopted a more paternal voice when he spoke next:
"You know, if I didn't know you better young man, I would've thought that you're some kind of a robot disguised as a person standing in front of me. This isn't a mission briefing so… at ease soldier" Cid said while moving closer to place a hand to Squall's left shoulder. Squall felt his cheeks go warm when this happened and from the corner of his eye he saw Quistis was trying very hard not to laugh at him. She was holding her hand in front of her mouth to stifle her giggle from escaping. Squall was staring daggers to Quistis when Cid spoke again.
"I know that Zell is a friend among the people that you happened to befriend and trust, he's a fine yet a very lively fellow I must say, although he seemed to have toned down a bit since last year" While talking Cid had turned around to the view outside.
"While I was a bit surprised to see you actually have been bothered by this event, I believe this is a good sign for you but I don't have to remind you that you do have a duty here as a Commander of this Garden. So, I hope any incident such as 'missing' from here would not happen again" Cid added with a knowing smile.
Squall was taken aback a little at the remark. His long years of passiveness managed to keep his face cool even though he felt thoroughly embarrassed by the comment. Yes, it was foolish to have carried Rinoa away in hopes of finding the best possible way to cure her. There were other ways, he knew. But what he felt at that time was never admitted to anyone except of course to Rinoa. He cleared his throat and just nodded his head in understanding.
"By the way, I haven't seen Rinoa around here. What happened to her?" asked Cid in a curious tone. He's been wondering ever since Squall's return to Balamb without the sight of Rinoa since she's around, the whole place have become much more livelier than before
"I thought it would be necessary for someone from Balamb to be in Esthar to watch out for Faeri, in case any new development happen"
"Alright, since the situation has not yet been verified for its mysterious happenings, I want an investigation to be done to ascertain the nature of this mystery. I place Instructor Quistis to head the investigation and all the support or materials that Garden could provide will be in your disposal and update me of any information that you might find, that is all"
Quistis cleared her throat and nodded to Cid, who turned to her and listened.
"There is the matter about Balamb, sir. As you know, Zell was sent there in the first place to neutralize the increasing threat of monsters that's roaming that part of the land"
"Oh yes, good thing that you brought up that subject Miss Trepe"
Quistis only smiled while Cid continued;
"I've been thinking of arranging the upcoming SeeD test candidates to be deployed in that region. Will that be good enough for them?"
Quistis's face brightened at the suggestion. Nowadays, arranging a challenging test for the cadets is hard since the last test, where Squall, Zell, Selphie and others passed it. There were hardly any hostilities that required a large group of SeeD's to be deployed. There are some places where a small band of SeeD's could be placed but none of them is suitable for a deployment of more than three at a time. Currently, as Quistis understand from reports that she had read from the files that Squall has been receiving from Xu, there were several groups of SeeD's are being deployed is towns that needed protection from usual monsters that occasionally appear in towns like Winhill, Dollet and Timber.
"It's perfect, sir. I shall work on the details needed. In the meantime, in my assessment on Balamb indicate that the encounters with the monsters have been kept to a minimum since we've placed a few of our high ranking SeeD's there. But I've heard that their numbers increases abnormally than any other region. So the tests need to be done as soon as possible.
"Very well, I shall be in my office or strolling around in case you need me" ordered Cid after Quistis had obviously summed up everything.
Both Squall and Quistis nodded their heads and saluted in unison as the headmaster dismisses them. Outside, both of them saw Xu standing right at the elevator. Xu had a look that she knew what was happening as they neared her.
"It's going to be great having you again Quistis, congratulations" Xu said while shaking Quistis hands excitedly.
"Oh! Squall, here's today's modus operandi that you asked me earlier to prepare" Xu added as she handed Squall a datapad which the latter accepted with a curt nod. Then Xu led them to the elevator where they stopped at the 1st floor.
Squall looked over the directives that he was supposed to check for today's agenda. He shook his head as he scrolled his datapad in which he held in his hands when one item caught his eye:
1200 hrs: Line- up inspection of SeeD candidates.
It means now, five minutes to be exact. He hated this task because to him all of them are capable of looking out for themselves. Mentally, he felt someone nudged his rib, suddenly he remembered hazel brown eyes that sternly looked to him with arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently, telling him that a leader should socialize with his men to maintain respect and comradeship. It also didn't help when all of his rather small circle which now he could call friends, were all supporting Rinoa's statement, where later when only both of them were by themselves, Rinoa made Squall promised to her that he would open up a bit. Even if the process is slow to undertake, Rinoa was giving no quarters insisting that the world is not just black and white to Squall.
Well… it's a good change I suppose, Squall thought inwardly while not noticing the corners of his mouth twitched a little to form a not so much a smile.
"Hmm… looks like our commander is thinking something more pleasant nowadays, don't you think, Quistis?" Xu said a little too loud while suppressing a giggle standing next to her best friend who also bore the same expression. Squall stumbled out of his reverie, looked at both of them standing in rapt attention waiting for him to finish up on reading the report. Now he realized that they were now standing at the center of Balamb Garden's great circular hallway near the directory board where some of the students were walking around like on any normal day. Even though the strict and despicable Garden Faculty members were not around anymore, Garden's code and regulations were still being observed and exercised. After all, this is a military academy, not some boarding school in some cities.
Datapad lowered to his sides, Squall put a hand on his hips to look at them to show his irritation when suddenly both women said 'Whatever' in unison when Squall was about to say it. That generated a louder giggle from them and a growing irritation from Squall.
"Am I really that transparent?" Squall asked in a serious tone. But among his friends now knew that Squall always sounded serious even though he just meant it lightly.
"No, like before, you were always predictable… in some ways" Quistis chimed in while looking sideways to her friend with a knowing smile. Xu nodded in affirmation.
"If you're done predicting me, I need to go somewhere now" Squall said disdainfully as he made his way towards the Quad where the inspection was taking place. He heard more giggles from both Quistis and Xu, no doubt had launched themselves into probably more girl talk. He shook his head again and took a deep breath. Shoulders and back straight to attention he walked purposefully towards the hall leading to the Quad.
Hopefully, I won't run into another eager- eyed kid again this time. Squall told himself meaning if he meets another person like Zell again, it would be… a pain in the neck.
All in all, deep inside Squall can't help but wonder what is happening to Zell at this moment. Is he still alive or even worse, dead was too much for him to handle. He hoped to get in contact with Rinoa soon to get any new updates. He's starting to miss her presence already. As he approached the lines of the candidates that were at the attention, he began addressing them the requirements on the upcoming field tests.
"As you might have already know, no outside help…"
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Sorry that I took a very, very long time in writing this chapter. It is very hard to figure out where this story is developing but this story will develop into something more promising. Hehe… wait and see… Flames and reviews… c'mon lets hear it… and I don't know why, FF.net seemed to have reset my settings of the story to have a left indent on it. I've tried to adjust it but alas , seems like it stays that way… oo well…