I don't own FF8 or any of the characters. Squaresoft are the ones who
created it all!!!
Liberation
"Squall," someone was calling his name. "Squall!"
Squall opened his eyes to find himself lying on the ground of the Galbadian tower once more. Everything was quiet.
"What . . . happened?" he asked, putting his hand to his forehead, and standing up.
Laguna was standing in front of him, a grin on his face. "It's over," he said happily. "Hyperion is dead."
Quistis came over to stand next to Laguna. "But the thing is, we don't know how or why it happened. We just woke up and found this . . ." she pointed to a large lump of coal-black ash.
Squall noticed Kiros, Ward and Zell were also with him. "What about . . . Irvine?" he was almost reluctant to know the answer to whether or not his comrade was alright.
"Tch," said Zell. "Take a look over there."
Squall turned to look where Zell was gesturing. In the back corner of the tower, Selphie could be seen hugging Irvine tighter than ever. And Irvine was holding her too. He was alive.
Squall was both relieved and puzzled.
Kiros, seeing the confused look on Squall's face, answered the question that was on Squall's mind. "When Hyperion hit Irvine with the metal shard, he also used some of his wild magic, which bonded Irvine's power to Hyperion. Therefore, when Hyperion was destroyed, Irvine recovered fully. If Hyperion hadn't used his magic on Irvine, he would still be . . ." there Kiros stopped.
"But why would Hyperion need to use his magic at all?" asked Squall.
"Because," said Laguna. "If he hadn't, that huge piece of the wall wouldn't have done as much damage to Irvine. By using magic, the castor has a huge advantage over his enemy."
Squall looked at Kiros again. "How do you know all that?" he asked.
Kiros smirked. "Years of training and exploring the world have taught me many things about the geographical and instinctive laws of nature. Not only that, but I have studied the ways of creatures and monsters, and how they react in such situations." Kiros folded his arms. "You see, for the past decade or so, I haven't sat around twiddling my thumbs like our friend Laguna here."
Laguna looked shocked. "Hey! I've done plenty to help myself AND my citizens, so quit baggin' me!"
"YOUR citizens?" questioned Kiros, in a joke-like manner.
"HUH??? You think they're not MY citizens?" Laguna was clearly ready to explode.
"Alright, alright," uttered Kiros. "Calm down now."
Squall put his hand to his forehead and just shook his head. Sometimes, those two acted as if they were still in the Galbadian Army, still mindlessly running around everywhere, and bickering like children.
After a few minutes, Selphie and Irvine approached the others, Irvine's arm around Selphie, and Selphie grinning like all her birthdays had come at once.
"Shall we head off then?" asked Irvine, casually trying to act as if nothing had even happened to him.
"I s'pose there's nothing left for us to do here then," replied Laguna. "So let's go!"
All eight comrades made their way back to the elevator they had used to come up, and waited as they neared the ground level.
Quistis sighed happily, folding her arms around her body. "I'm so glad that that's over with. I thought . . . I really did think that we wouldn't be able to make it through. All of us, I mean. I know I'm just being negative, but I had my doubts. . ."
"It's okay Quisty," said Selphie cheerfully. "We were all a bit worried at first, but now everything is fine and dandy, and we can go back home!"
"Back to Esthar, you mean," said Zell. "Don't forget, we still have to go back and get the love of the lion's life."
Selphie and Quistis laughed, seeing the expressionless look on the lion's face. But everyone knew better than to take the comments further, even though it was quite fun teasing Squall.
Being reminded of Rinoa, Squall wondered what she was doing, although some instinct in his mind made him feel as though something wasn't right. These little impulses came often to Squall, when his thoughts drifted towards Rinoa. He hoped and hoped to Hyne that she was alright, even though he kept reminding himself that she would be - she was with Ellone, so what could possibly happen?
Squall, after so many years, still trusted his Sis like he did when he was five. That hadn't changed a bit, and he knew that she would do everything in her power if worse came to worse - if something threatened Rinoa. For Squall didn't know it, but Ellone felt a special bond with Rinoa; she considered Rinoa to be like a sister in some ways, not only because they both loved Squall in two different ways, but also because Ellone felt as though she could relate to Rinoa. Perhaps because of their personalities, or perhaps because they both possessed two unique different powers. Whatever the case, Rinoa and Ellone truly did seem to be fairly close, even though they hadn't known each other for long.
The eight stepped out of the elevator, and continued 'til they were outside again. It was strange to be outside again, for the light was quite blinding at first, after being cooped up inside for so long. But now, it seemed as though the day was nearing its end, for the sun was beginning to set.
"Well," said Laguna, as they all walked along the path, headed back towards the main part of Winhill. "I really do hope that that was the last time we ever had to face something like that. I know that we've all had to face these things in our lifetimes, but there is a certain amount of bloodshed a person can take."
"I know what you mean," replied Kiros. "Most of my days as a Galbadian soldier, I had been forced to take on enemies of different shapes, sizes and races. While I was in that army, I knew that every day, something horrendous was bound to happen, even if it didn't. I couldn't live the rest of my life like that - living in fear, and always looking behind my shoulder, in a sense. I only hope that none of us ever have to live this way again, although for you others, being a SeeD perhaps means that. I'm sorry if I said too much, though maybe SeeDs don't encounter the things I mentioned, as much as Galbadians."
After this little speech from Kiros, Ward nodded his head slightly, showing that he had taken into account what Kiros had said, and perhaps agreed with him. For their days of fighting were hopefully completely over now. Almost.
For a while, everyone was silent as they walked along, spying the beginning of the abandoned houses in Winhill. But then, Squall suddenly spoke up for the first time since the events in the Galbadian tower.
"Maybe I don't want to be a SeeD."
"What?!" questioned Zell and Selphie in unison, fully taken aback.
"Maybe I don't want to be a SeeD anymore," said Squall slowly. "I've had enough of everything. My whole life, I've lived like Kiros said. Afraid of what'll happen next. Afraid of what might come to pass on my next mission. Afraid that I might have to go through all that pain again, if something ever happened to . . . but no, I was never really at peace in my mind. And I don't think I ever will be."
No one said anything, perhaps because they couldn't. Finally, Quistis decided to speak.
"No Squall. You can't just quit. It'd be like giving up. No, no one would ever understand. There are so many young SeeD candidates, dying to become just like you, and if you suddenly went away, all their hopes and dreams would just be shattered. Are you prepared to live like that? Knowing that you've let so many people down?"
Squall said nothing.
"I'm sorry Squall," said Quistis, after a moment's silence. "I didn't mean it like that. It just slipped out. It's just that . . . well, you're our leader, and we'd be lost without you."
Then Selphie decided to say a few words. "You know, we'd really miss you if you went, Squall."
Squall just stared on ahead, so Selphie decided to keep going. "But, we've also lived like you have. Almost all our lives, even though we probably haven't experienced the pain that you have. Don't forget that. And don't forget that we will always be your friend, no matter what."
"And Rinoa's?" said Squall.
"And Rinoa's what?" asked Selphie.
"You all have to promise that you will never turn against Rinoa, no matter what," said Squall. "Promise me that you'll always be her friends, too."
"Of course we would! Right everyone?" exclaimed Selphie, looking around at the group, surprised at what Squall had just said.
"Always," said Irvine. "She's one of us."
"She'll always be our friend, too! As if we'd think otherwise!" yelled Zell.
"You didn't have to get us to promise that, Squall," said Quistis. "We wouldn't dream of turning against her."
Laguna and Kiros agreed.
"Rinoa will always have a soft spot in our hearts I think," said Kiros. Ward nodded in agreement.
"Squall, we don't care what she does," said Laguna. "She's our friend no matter what. And how could we have anything against the girl who turned you into a bit of a softie?"
Squall kept his emotions inside of him, nodded and was satisfied. Almost.
~ ~ ~
Rinoa looked at Seifer, puzzled more than ever. How could he be doing this for Garden? If anything, he was helping the Galbadians to take over it. It just didn't make sense.
"But how? Why?" asked Rinoa.
Seifer smirked. "Don't worry, you'll see."
Rinoa wondered what had gotten into him. He seemed somehow . . . different, in a way. So she voiced the question in her head.
"Have you changed Seifer? The way you're acting, it's as if you're becoming a better person."
Seifer looked at Rinoa, with an expression that looked halfway between shock and utter disgust.
"Hell, no," he said. "No way, you may think I'm being all nice and mushy, but you're way off. Nah, if anything, this is for my reputation, and I also can't stand Galbadians. They almost make me want to be sick. Oh and one more thing: I'm waiting for my chance to have another go at old Squally boy."
"What?" exclaimed Rinoa. "No, you can't. I don't want him to be in anymore danger than he already is."
"Hey lighten up a bit," said Seifer. "It's not like I'm gonna kill him or anything, although I wouldn't mind . . ."
"Stop it!" said Rinoa. "Just please, tell me what's going on. I can't stand it anymore."
"Well . . ." said Seifer, annoyingly. "I dunno. Should I?"
"Just tell me Seifer."
"Fine. Fine. Well basically, I'm kinda neutral at this point. They think I'm on their side and stuff, but I dunno, it's hard to say what I'm really doing."
"Y-You're not on their side? But that's great! I can't believe it," said Rinoa. "I knew you were never REALLY that evil. So you have changed?"
"Don't get your hopes up," said Seifer, even more casually than before. "I'm only doing this because I'm sick of Galbadians - I told you before; although Garden just happens to be lucky in a way. I just hate to see those scum Galbadians get their way, so you could say that I'm just doing this for me - not you, not puberty boy, not the instructor - ex-instructor I mean, not little messenger girl or cowboy brains, and not even chicken wuss. But don't start thinking that I'm on your side now."
"Okay then," said Rinoa, but she felt a bit of hope surging back. "Do you have a plan of some sort?"
"Dunno," said Seifer. "It's complicated, and your little head wouldn't be able to take it all in. But I could kill those G-Soldiers real easy, see? One swift swing of my Hyperion, and they're gone. . ."
"Well then, where're we going?" asked Rinoa. "We must be going somewhere."
"To Balamb Garden," answered Seifer. "Okay, so I do sort of have a plan, but if I tell you, you're gonna have to keep you're mouth shut. I know that you find it hard not to spill, well, you always did, but you're gonna have to try not to, otherwise everything'll be screwed. Also, in order to carry out the plan, you have to play along with what I'm about to tell you. And those thick, dense excuses for soldiers up front can't hear a word we say so it shouldn't be a problem."
Rinoa looked crossly at Seifer, and then said, "But don't you think the Galbadians will have something else planned? I mean, they might trust that you're on their side, but you know what they're like - always have something else up their sleeve. We shouldn't trust that they will follow whatever plan they have."
Seifer shrugged. "That's a risk we'll just have to take, then isn't it? If they don't follow according to plan, then we'll deal with that when it comes."
Rinoa nodded and listened intently, as Seifer began to tell her what was about to take place. . .
~ ~ ~
Squall didn't know what had caused that sudden outburst about everyone being Rinoa's friend, but he guessed it had something to do with a dream he had once had, a long time ago. He remembered that he had had the dream around the time when Rinoa was in a coma. The dream hadn't helped his cause in any way, not being able to speak to Rinoa and all. And as if a dream wasn't the least of his problems. But it wasn't exactly a very pleasant dream, although it made no sense at the time:
He could do nothing, and he hated that. He had no power over what was taking place. He saw her running; no one was on her side. Everyone was calling her 'sorceress' and she was crying. He couldn't stand to see this taking place - seeing her like this. But he could do nothing. Only watch as the world became her enemy . . .
The dream had scared Squall so much, which made him even more desperate to help Rinoa. At that period in time, Squall already loved Rinoa, even though he didn't know it, because he didn't know what love felt like; all he knew was that he had to help Rinoa. He had to know what was wrong with her. At that time though, Squall had no idea that Rinoa was a sorceress.
The group continued on in silence, until Selphie decided to break it by saying, "Hey look! I can see the village now!"
Sure enough, numerous houses, cottages and other small buildings started to come into everyone's view.
"So . . . who's gonna tell the villagers that everything's fine now?" asked Zell.
"I'll do it, I think," offered Quistis. "Laguna, would you like to come with me, so that the citizens can see you again?"
"Umm, err . . . well, I -" started Laguna.
"He's afraid that everyone will reject him," said Kiros. "Quistis, I think it's best if you tell everyone that the Galbadians are gone first. Then, you can inform them that Laguna is here. I think it's for the best."
Quistis nodded. "Right. Well, let's go to the house which has the first half of the villagers in it. We asked the whole of Winhill to divide into two groups, to make it easier to speak to everyone."
"Good plan," said Kiros. "Let's go then."
"But hey," said Laguna. "Even if they don't want to see me, I'm still goin' in there to apologize, although it probably won't be enough. Just hope they don't all slaughter me, unexpectedly."
Ward nodded.
"HEY!" shouted Laguna, seeing Ward's silent gesture. "Why're you nodding?! Are you saying that they ARE gonna slaughter me?"
Ward shrugged and Kiros read his eyes.
"Ward says they could probably slaughter you if they wanted to - a whole bunch of Winhill villagers against one measly man," said Kiros.
"Who're you callin' measly?!" shouted Laguna. "I happen to be the President of Esthar you know! You guys should know that you don't just have to be able to bake a pie to be President!"
"But you couldn't even bake a pie," said Kiros calmly.
Laguna walked away from the others for a few seconds. They could all hear him counting, "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 . . . 10."
He then approached them again, obviously calmer than before.
"Ah, number therapy," commented Irvine. "Works every time."
"Gee Laguna," said Kiros. "I haven't seen you this worked up since our days as Galbadian soldiers."
"Yeah well, I guess I was feelin' pretty excited about going on a mission and all. I mean, it was the first time in like, 10 years or so!" said Laguna.
"Well, maybe not that long," said Kiros. "But sure, I guess it has been a long time."
Ward nodded again.
Everyone finally came to the large house that contained half of the villagers. Laguna looked around at all of the houses: the small houses that belonged to some citizens, the florist's shop and house, the item shop, the chapel and even that house where that guy lived - the guy who had kept pestering Laguna while he was staying in Winhill, saying he was nothing but trouble from the moment he set foot in their humble little town. Laguna smirked as so many memories came flooding back into his mind. Memories of the cottages and houses, memories of the friendly citizens, and memories of Raine.
"Err, Quisty," said Selphie. "What about the other villagers? Won't they need to know as well?"
"Oh yes, I almost forgot," said Quistis. "Well, we'll just do the same thing as we do for the first lot. Inform them of our victory, and then see if they'll see Laguna again, after all this time."
Selphie nodded happily.
Quistis stepped up to the door, and knocked politely, while everyone else waited nervously.
A jolly-looking man opened the door this time, and when he saw Quistis, he beamed cheerfully. "Well, err . . . Quistis, yes that's right. You're back. How goes the mission to defeat those Galbadians?"
Quistis grinned and said, "You can tell everyone that we are victorious. Winhill is no longer under invasion."
A few others heard and started shouting and acting as if a miracle had just occurred, which to the Winhill citizens, it was a miracle.
"They're gone! They're gone! Oh I almost gave up hope of ever being free!" some were shouting.
"How can we ever thank you?" a middle-aged woman said.
"We don't require any reward, of any sort," replied Quistis, still smiling. "We performed this mission solely to aid you all, not to gain money or resources of any sort. Besides, we are SeeDs, and are forbidden to receive any gifts of any shape or form from those which we aid."
One old lady almost had tears in her eyes. "But there should be something we can do to help you."
"Oh no, really there isn't . . . unless . . ." said Quistis thoughtfully.
"Yes? Anything," said an old man.
"Well, I know this may be asking a little much, but would you kindly see someone for us?" asked Quistis. "I think I mentioned his name before; he's right here in this village at this moment."
The whole group of villagers hushed, understanding what Quistis was talking about.
Another old man stepped forward. "You speak of Laguna, do you not?"
Quistis nodded, anxiously praying that they would all accept him again.
The old man shook his head saying, "It is true. We have not seen or heard from Laguna for . . . I think nearly 10 years. Maybe more. But not once has he come back to Winhill. Not once did he ever consider us in his President head. Therefore I do not feel that we should see him or -"
"That's not true," said a voice behind Quistis. She turned, and saw with dismay that Laguna was standing right behind her. Unwillingly, Quistis let Laguna through until he was facing the villagers. An expression that said, "What do you think you're doing!?" was seen on Quistis' face. She hadn't planned for him to just come right in.
A sudden outcry arose from all who were situated in the room, as Laguna was once more seen in Winhill. No one spoke; just gasped and gaped. A few people muttered things like, "Laguna" and "why is he here?".
Laguna gathered the courage to speak to all these faces. "It's not true. I thought of you all every day, waiting for the chance to come back. And that's why I've returned, even if it is for the briefest of moments."
Still, no one said anything, so Laguna spoke again. "I'd like to apologize to everyone. I'm sorry. Sorry for everything. Truly, I never wanted anything to happen to this place. It's where me, Raine and Elle all lived a happy life together. I know that I have made mistakes. Too many, actually. But I want everyone to know that I never stopped loving Raine. She was everything to me. She still is. Just thought you'd like to know that I never intended for it to look like I'd abandoned her . . ."
Laguna looked around, one last time before turning away. He was about to walk out when Emily, the young mid 20's girl stopped him.
"Wait! Please don't go!" she said. "I-I wanted to know how Elle was doing. Please tell me she's happy."
Laguna turned back to everyone. Then he grinned. "Of course. She's as happy as anything. She's living with me in Esthar - the only person who reminds me of you guys, because she often talks about our past life in Winhill."
"So . . ." said the old man who had so easily rejected Laguna beforehand. "You are taking good care of her then?"
Laguna nodded. "Of course. I would NEVER ever let anything happen to 'lil Ellone! She's like, well . . . the only child I ever really had."
"That's not true though," spoke up another middle-aged woman.
Laguna scratched the back of his head. "Well, yeah I know Ellone's not REALLY mine, but it's almost exactly the same."
"That's not what I meant," replied the woman. "My name is Jaclyn Lake and I helped deliver Raine's baby."
Laguna looked away. "Raine's baby . . . I wish it could've been different. I wish that child had . . . survived. But I know that wherever they are, they're both . . . together."
"No, Laguna, you've got it all wrong," said Jaclyn. "Raine's and your baby is alive. He was sent away after . . . Raine passed away."
"What!?"
No one spoke. Laguna stepped back, and slowly turned his head towards Kiros and Ward. Ward looked at Kiros, and Kiros looked back at Ward. Laguna could sense something was going on. Something important.
"Hey . . . you guys?" questioned Laguna. "What's going on here?"
Kiros closed his eyes and opened them again. "Laguna, both Ward and I were informed, a short time after you became president, that Raine had given birth to a child - your child. But tragically, Raine didn't make it after the birth, and this information was passed onto you."
Laguna said nothing, so Kiros continued. "We decided that it was best that you didn't know that your child was alive, because this would most definitely disrupt your presidential duties to Esthar, so we had some Estharian soldiers tell you . . . I'm, we're sorry."
Laguna shook his head. After a long silence, he finally spoke. "Well, you're probably right. I would've gone off to look for my child, so you probably did what you did for the best. But now that I know . . . well, no hard feelings, right?"
Kiros and Ward smiled.
Laguna turned back to the Winhill villagers, smiling. "Thanks very much for everything, guys. Let's just say that us taking care of the Galbadians was my belated apology. Sorry for everything, and next time something like this happens again, just call Esthar's President, right?"
"Right!" a few people shouted. Clearly, some people were still fans of Laguna Loire.
Laguna raised his hand as a sign of farewell, and stepped out of the door. Before he could fully though, a woman said, "Wait, don't you worry about telling the others everything. We'll handle that."
"Thank you very much," said Quistis. "That would save us lots of time."
And Laguna waved his last goodbye to the citizens of Winhill, as he stepped out into the town square. The group of eight fighters walked past the other house, but did not go in. Instead, Zell looked in the window, and a couple of people spotted him. Zell made a gesture - the thumbs-up sign, and everyone knew what had happened.
The citizens from the first house stepped out of their house, and watched as the eight peace-keepers walked away. Soon, the ones in the other house opened the door and came flooding out, each knowing why everyone was smiling.
As Laguna smiled once more to the citizens of Winhill, something strange happened. First, someone started clapping, then another, and another. And soon every single villager of Winhill was clapping and cheering like mad. Selphie grinned and she too, began "woo hooing". Irvine put two fingers in his mouth and started whistling loudly. Everyone waved to the Winhill citizens as they walked back, towards the way in which they had first come. And the citizens waved back, cheering just as loud as ever. The eight liberators knew why.
They had finally accepted Laguna.
A/N: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!! I'm BACK AGAIN! I have finally emerged from the dismal shells of writer's block! And finally, I've updated! So sorry to everyone. I can't seem to update as quick as I used to, and I'm really angry with myself for not being able to do it. But I'd like to ask something: how do you make your writing italics or bold?? Every time I update, it never comes out as italics or bold, when I have inserted them in my Word document. Hmm, can someone please tell me? That'd be great if someone could, but I don't know or don't think anyone else has the same problem! Help!!!
Once again I'd like to thank those who reviewed last time:
The Angel of the Lion - thanks so much for always reviewing!!!! ( (
Renegade Seraph - thanks for giving me good mental support!
Momiji-chan - glad you still like the RPG feel!!
lionhearted - I'd never kill off poor old Irvine!
Erm, I'm not exactly sure whether or not some of these reviewers are still reading this. Well if not, it doesn't matter so much. But reviews are greatly appreciated. Until the next chapter . . . thanks!
Oh yeah and, happy belated Christmas!!! Hope everyone had a great New Year too!!!
Liberation
"Squall," someone was calling his name. "Squall!"
Squall opened his eyes to find himself lying on the ground of the Galbadian tower once more. Everything was quiet.
"What . . . happened?" he asked, putting his hand to his forehead, and standing up.
Laguna was standing in front of him, a grin on his face. "It's over," he said happily. "Hyperion is dead."
Quistis came over to stand next to Laguna. "But the thing is, we don't know how or why it happened. We just woke up and found this . . ." she pointed to a large lump of coal-black ash.
Squall noticed Kiros, Ward and Zell were also with him. "What about . . . Irvine?" he was almost reluctant to know the answer to whether or not his comrade was alright.
"Tch," said Zell. "Take a look over there."
Squall turned to look where Zell was gesturing. In the back corner of the tower, Selphie could be seen hugging Irvine tighter than ever. And Irvine was holding her too. He was alive.
Squall was both relieved and puzzled.
Kiros, seeing the confused look on Squall's face, answered the question that was on Squall's mind. "When Hyperion hit Irvine with the metal shard, he also used some of his wild magic, which bonded Irvine's power to Hyperion. Therefore, when Hyperion was destroyed, Irvine recovered fully. If Hyperion hadn't used his magic on Irvine, he would still be . . ." there Kiros stopped.
"But why would Hyperion need to use his magic at all?" asked Squall.
"Because," said Laguna. "If he hadn't, that huge piece of the wall wouldn't have done as much damage to Irvine. By using magic, the castor has a huge advantage over his enemy."
Squall looked at Kiros again. "How do you know all that?" he asked.
Kiros smirked. "Years of training and exploring the world have taught me many things about the geographical and instinctive laws of nature. Not only that, but I have studied the ways of creatures and monsters, and how they react in such situations." Kiros folded his arms. "You see, for the past decade or so, I haven't sat around twiddling my thumbs like our friend Laguna here."
Laguna looked shocked. "Hey! I've done plenty to help myself AND my citizens, so quit baggin' me!"
"YOUR citizens?" questioned Kiros, in a joke-like manner.
"HUH??? You think they're not MY citizens?" Laguna was clearly ready to explode.
"Alright, alright," uttered Kiros. "Calm down now."
Squall put his hand to his forehead and just shook his head. Sometimes, those two acted as if they were still in the Galbadian Army, still mindlessly running around everywhere, and bickering like children.
After a few minutes, Selphie and Irvine approached the others, Irvine's arm around Selphie, and Selphie grinning like all her birthdays had come at once.
"Shall we head off then?" asked Irvine, casually trying to act as if nothing had even happened to him.
"I s'pose there's nothing left for us to do here then," replied Laguna. "So let's go!"
All eight comrades made their way back to the elevator they had used to come up, and waited as they neared the ground level.
Quistis sighed happily, folding her arms around her body. "I'm so glad that that's over with. I thought . . . I really did think that we wouldn't be able to make it through. All of us, I mean. I know I'm just being negative, but I had my doubts. . ."
"It's okay Quisty," said Selphie cheerfully. "We were all a bit worried at first, but now everything is fine and dandy, and we can go back home!"
"Back to Esthar, you mean," said Zell. "Don't forget, we still have to go back and get the love of the lion's life."
Selphie and Quistis laughed, seeing the expressionless look on the lion's face. But everyone knew better than to take the comments further, even though it was quite fun teasing Squall.
Being reminded of Rinoa, Squall wondered what she was doing, although some instinct in his mind made him feel as though something wasn't right. These little impulses came often to Squall, when his thoughts drifted towards Rinoa. He hoped and hoped to Hyne that she was alright, even though he kept reminding himself that she would be - she was with Ellone, so what could possibly happen?
Squall, after so many years, still trusted his Sis like he did when he was five. That hadn't changed a bit, and he knew that she would do everything in her power if worse came to worse - if something threatened Rinoa. For Squall didn't know it, but Ellone felt a special bond with Rinoa; she considered Rinoa to be like a sister in some ways, not only because they both loved Squall in two different ways, but also because Ellone felt as though she could relate to Rinoa. Perhaps because of their personalities, or perhaps because they both possessed two unique different powers. Whatever the case, Rinoa and Ellone truly did seem to be fairly close, even though they hadn't known each other for long.
The eight stepped out of the elevator, and continued 'til they were outside again. It was strange to be outside again, for the light was quite blinding at first, after being cooped up inside for so long. But now, it seemed as though the day was nearing its end, for the sun was beginning to set.
"Well," said Laguna, as they all walked along the path, headed back towards the main part of Winhill. "I really do hope that that was the last time we ever had to face something like that. I know that we've all had to face these things in our lifetimes, but there is a certain amount of bloodshed a person can take."
"I know what you mean," replied Kiros. "Most of my days as a Galbadian soldier, I had been forced to take on enemies of different shapes, sizes and races. While I was in that army, I knew that every day, something horrendous was bound to happen, even if it didn't. I couldn't live the rest of my life like that - living in fear, and always looking behind my shoulder, in a sense. I only hope that none of us ever have to live this way again, although for you others, being a SeeD perhaps means that. I'm sorry if I said too much, though maybe SeeDs don't encounter the things I mentioned, as much as Galbadians."
After this little speech from Kiros, Ward nodded his head slightly, showing that he had taken into account what Kiros had said, and perhaps agreed with him. For their days of fighting were hopefully completely over now. Almost.
For a while, everyone was silent as they walked along, spying the beginning of the abandoned houses in Winhill. But then, Squall suddenly spoke up for the first time since the events in the Galbadian tower.
"Maybe I don't want to be a SeeD."
"What?!" questioned Zell and Selphie in unison, fully taken aback.
"Maybe I don't want to be a SeeD anymore," said Squall slowly. "I've had enough of everything. My whole life, I've lived like Kiros said. Afraid of what'll happen next. Afraid of what might come to pass on my next mission. Afraid that I might have to go through all that pain again, if something ever happened to . . . but no, I was never really at peace in my mind. And I don't think I ever will be."
No one said anything, perhaps because they couldn't. Finally, Quistis decided to speak.
"No Squall. You can't just quit. It'd be like giving up. No, no one would ever understand. There are so many young SeeD candidates, dying to become just like you, and if you suddenly went away, all their hopes and dreams would just be shattered. Are you prepared to live like that? Knowing that you've let so many people down?"
Squall said nothing.
"I'm sorry Squall," said Quistis, after a moment's silence. "I didn't mean it like that. It just slipped out. It's just that . . . well, you're our leader, and we'd be lost without you."
Then Selphie decided to say a few words. "You know, we'd really miss you if you went, Squall."
Squall just stared on ahead, so Selphie decided to keep going. "But, we've also lived like you have. Almost all our lives, even though we probably haven't experienced the pain that you have. Don't forget that. And don't forget that we will always be your friend, no matter what."
"And Rinoa's?" said Squall.
"And Rinoa's what?" asked Selphie.
"You all have to promise that you will never turn against Rinoa, no matter what," said Squall. "Promise me that you'll always be her friends, too."
"Of course we would! Right everyone?" exclaimed Selphie, looking around at the group, surprised at what Squall had just said.
"Always," said Irvine. "She's one of us."
"She'll always be our friend, too! As if we'd think otherwise!" yelled Zell.
"You didn't have to get us to promise that, Squall," said Quistis. "We wouldn't dream of turning against her."
Laguna and Kiros agreed.
"Rinoa will always have a soft spot in our hearts I think," said Kiros. Ward nodded in agreement.
"Squall, we don't care what she does," said Laguna. "She's our friend no matter what. And how could we have anything against the girl who turned you into a bit of a softie?"
Squall kept his emotions inside of him, nodded and was satisfied. Almost.
~ ~ ~
Rinoa looked at Seifer, puzzled more than ever. How could he be doing this for Garden? If anything, he was helping the Galbadians to take over it. It just didn't make sense.
"But how? Why?" asked Rinoa.
Seifer smirked. "Don't worry, you'll see."
Rinoa wondered what had gotten into him. He seemed somehow . . . different, in a way. So she voiced the question in her head.
"Have you changed Seifer? The way you're acting, it's as if you're becoming a better person."
Seifer looked at Rinoa, with an expression that looked halfway between shock and utter disgust.
"Hell, no," he said. "No way, you may think I'm being all nice and mushy, but you're way off. Nah, if anything, this is for my reputation, and I also can't stand Galbadians. They almost make me want to be sick. Oh and one more thing: I'm waiting for my chance to have another go at old Squally boy."
"What?" exclaimed Rinoa. "No, you can't. I don't want him to be in anymore danger than he already is."
"Hey lighten up a bit," said Seifer. "It's not like I'm gonna kill him or anything, although I wouldn't mind . . ."
"Stop it!" said Rinoa. "Just please, tell me what's going on. I can't stand it anymore."
"Well . . ." said Seifer, annoyingly. "I dunno. Should I?"
"Just tell me Seifer."
"Fine. Fine. Well basically, I'm kinda neutral at this point. They think I'm on their side and stuff, but I dunno, it's hard to say what I'm really doing."
"Y-You're not on their side? But that's great! I can't believe it," said Rinoa. "I knew you were never REALLY that evil. So you have changed?"
"Don't get your hopes up," said Seifer, even more casually than before. "I'm only doing this because I'm sick of Galbadians - I told you before; although Garden just happens to be lucky in a way. I just hate to see those scum Galbadians get their way, so you could say that I'm just doing this for me - not you, not puberty boy, not the instructor - ex-instructor I mean, not little messenger girl or cowboy brains, and not even chicken wuss. But don't start thinking that I'm on your side now."
"Okay then," said Rinoa, but she felt a bit of hope surging back. "Do you have a plan of some sort?"
"Dunno," said Seifer. "It's complicated, and your little head wouldn't be able to take it all in. But I could kill those G-Soldiers real easy, see? One swift swing of my Hyperion, and they're gone. . ."
"Well then, where're we going?" asked Rinoa. "We must be going somewhere."
"To Balamb Garden," answered Seifer. "Okay, so I do sort of have a plan, but if I tell you, you're gonna have to keep you're mouth shut. I know that you find it hard not to spill, well, you always did, but you're gonna have to try not to, otherwise everything'll be screwed. Also, in order to carry out the plan, you have to play along with what I'm about to tell you. And those thick, dense excuses for soldiers up front can't hear a word we say so it shouldn't be a problem."
Rinoa looked crossly at Seifer, and then said, "But don't you think the Galbadians will have something else planned? I mean, they might trust that you're on their side, but you know what they're like - always have something else up their sleeve. We shouldn't trust that they will follow whatever plan they have."
Seifer shrugged. "That's a risk we'll just have to take, then isn't it? If they don't follow according to plan, then we'll deal with that when it comes."
Rinoa nodded and listened intently, as Seifer began to tell her what was about to take place. . .
~ ~ ~
Squall didn't know what had caused that sudden outburst about everyone being Rinoa's friend, but he guessed it had something to do with a dream he had once had, a long time ago. He remembered that he had had the dream around the time when Rinoa was in a coma. The dream hadn't helped his cause in any way, not being able to speak to Rinoa and all. And as if a dream wasn't the least of his problems. But it wasn't exactly a very pleasant dream, although it made no sense at the time:
He could do nothing, and he hated that. He had no power over what was taking place. He saw her running; no one was on her side. Everyone was calling her 'sorceress' and she was crying. He couldn't stand to see this taking place - seeing her like this. But he could do nothing. Only watch as the world became her enemy . . .
The dream had scared Squall so much, which made him even more desperate to help Rinoa. At that period in time, Squall already loved Rinoa, even though he didn't know it, because he didn't know what love felt like; all he knew was that he had to help Rinoa. He had to know what was wrong with her. At that time though, Squall had no idea that Rinoa was a sorceress.
The group continued on in silence, until Selphie decided to break it by saying, "Hey look! I can see the village now!"
Sure enough, numerous houses, cottages and other small buildings started to come into everyone's view.
"So . . . who's gonna tell the villagers that everything's fine now?" asked Zell.
"I'll do it, I think," offered Quistis. "Laguna, would you like to come with me, so that the citizens can see you again?"
"Umm, err . . . well, I -" started Laguna.
"He's afraid that everyone will reject him," said Kiros. "Quistis, I think it's best if you tell everyone that the Galbadians are gone first. Then, you can inform them that Laguna is here. I think it's for the best."
Quistis nodded. "Right. Well, let's go to the house which has the first half of the villagers in it. We asked the whole of Winhill to divide into two groups, to make it easier to speak to everyone."
"Good plan," said Kiros. "Let's go then."
"But hey," said Laguna. "Even if they don't want to see me, I'm still goin' in there to apologize, although it probably won't be enough. Just hope they don't all slaughter me, unexpectedly."
Ward nodded.
"HEY!" shouted Laguna, seeing Ward's silent gesture. "Why're you nodding?! Are you saying that they ARE gonna slaughter me?"
Ward shrugged and Kiros read his eyes.
"Ward says they could probably slaughter you if they wanted to - a whole bunch of Winhill villagers against one measly man," said Kiros.
"Who're you callin' measly?!" shouted Laguna. "I happen to be the President of Esthar you know! You guys should know that you don't just have to be able to bake a pie to be President!"
"But you couldn't even bake a pie," said Kiros calmly.
Laguna walked away from the others for a few seconds. They could all hear him counting, "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 . . . 10."
He then approached them again, obviously calmer than before.
"Ah, number therapy," commented Irvine. "Works every time."
"Gee Laguna," said Kiros. "I haven't seen you this worked up since our days as Galbadian soldiers."
"Yeah well, I guess I was feelin' pretty excited about going on a mission and all. I mean, it was the first time in like, 10 years or so!" said Laguna.
"Well, maybe not that long," said Kiros. "But sure, I guess it has been a long time."
Ward nodded again.
Everyone finally came to the large house that contained half of the villagers. Laguna looked around at all of the houses: the small houses that belonged to some citizens, the florist's shop and house, the item shop, the chapel and even that house where that guy lived - the guy who had kept pestering Laguna while he was staying in Winhill, saying he was nothing but trouble from the moment he set foot in their humble little town. Laguna smirked as so many memories came flooding back into his mind. Memories of the cottages and houses, memories of the friendly citizens, and memories of Raine.
"Err, Quisty," said Selphie. "What about the other villagers? Won't they need to know as well?"
"Oh yes, I almost forgot," said Quistis. "Well, we'll just do the same thing as we do for the first lot. Inform them of our victory, and then see if they'll see Laguna again, after all this time."
Selphie nodded happily.
Quistis stepped up to the door, and knocked politely, while everyone else waited nervously.
A jolly-looking man opened the door this time, and when he saw Quistis, he beamed cheerfully. "Well, err . . . Quistis, yes that's right. You're back. How goes the mission to defeat those Galbadians?"
Quistis grinned and said, "You can tell everyone that we are victorious. Winhill is no longer under invasion."
A few others heard and started shouting and acting as if a miracle had just occurred, which to the Winhill citizens, it was a miracle.
"They're gone! They're gone! Oh I almost gave up hope of ever being free!" some were shouting.
"How can we ever thank you?" a middle-aged woman said.
"We don't require any reward, of any sort," replied Quistis, still smiling. "We performed this mission solely to aid you all, not to gain money or resources of any sort. Besides, we are SeeDs, and are forbidden to receive any gifts of any shape or form from those which we aid."
One old lady almost had tears in her eyes. "But there should be something we can do to help you."
"Oh no, really there isn't . . . unless . . ." said Quistis thoughtfully.
"Yes? Anything," said an old man.
"Well, I know this may be asking a little much, but would you kindly see someone for us?" asked Quistis. "I think I mentioned his name before; he's right here in this village at this moment."
The whole group of villagers hushed, understanding what Quistis was talking about.
Another old man stepped forward. "You speak of Laguna, do you not?"
Quistis nodded, anxiously praying that they would all accept him again.
The old man shook his head saying, "It is true. We have not seen or heard from Laguna for . . . I think nearly 10 years. Maybe more. But not once has he come back to Winhill. Not once did he ever consider us in his President head. Therefore I do not feel that we should see him or -"
"That's not true," said a voice behind Quistis. She turned, and saw with dismay that Laguna was standing right behind her. Unwillingly, Quistis let Laguna through until he was facing the villagers. An expression that said, "What do you think you're doing!?" was seen on Quistis' face. She hadn't planned for him to just come right in.
A sudden outcry arose from all who were situated in the room, as Laguna was once more seen in Winhill. No one spoke; just gasped and gaped. A few people muttered things like, "Laguna" and "why is he here?".
Laguna gathered the courage to speak to all these faces. "It's not true. I thought of you all every day, waiting for the chance to come back. And that's why I've returned, even if it is for the briefest of moments."
Still, no one said anything, so Laguna spoke again. "I'd like to apologize to everyone. I'm sorry. Sorry for everything. Truly, I never wanted anything to happen to this place. It's where me, Raine and Elle all lived a happy life together. I know that I have made mistakes. Too many, actually. But I want everyone to know that I never stopped loving Raine. She was everything to me. She still is. Just thought you'd like to know that I never intended for it to look like I'd abandoned her . . ."
Laguna looked around, one last time before turning away. He was about to walk out when Emily, the young mid 20's girl stopped him.
"Wait! Please don't go!" she said. "I-I wanted to know how Elle was doing. Please tell me she's happy."
Laguna turned back to everyone. Then he grinned. "Of course. She's as happy as anything. She's living with me in Esthar - the only person who reminds me of you guys, because she often talks about our past life in Winhill."
"So . . ." said the old man who had so easily rejected Laguna beforehand. "You are taking good care of her then?"
Laguna nodded. "Of course. I would NEVER ever let anything happen to 'lil Ellone! She's like, well . . . the only child I ever really had."
"That's not true though," spoke up another middle-aged woman.
Laguna scratched the back of his head. "Well, yeah I know Ellone's not REALLY mine, but it's almost exactly the same."
"That's not what I meant," replied the woman. "My name is Jaclyn Lake and I helped deliver Raine's baby."
Laguna looked away. "Raine's baby . . . I wish it could've been different. I wish that child had . . . survived. But I know that wherever they are, they're both . . . together."
"No, Laguna, you've got it all wrong," said Jaclyn. "Raine's and your baby is alive. He was sent away after . . . Raine passed away."
"What!?"
No one spoke. Laguna stepped back, and slowly turned his head towards Kiros and Ward. Ward looked at Kiros, and Kiros looked back at Ward. Laguna could sense something was going on. Something important.
"Hey . . . you guys?" questioned Laguna. "What's going on here?"
Kiros closed his eyes and opened them again. "Laguna, both Ward and I were informed, a short time after you became president, that Raine had given birth to a child - your child. But tragically, Raine didn't make it after the birth, and this information was passed onto you."
Laguna said nothing, so Kiros continued. "We decided that it was best that you didn't know that your child was alive, because this would most definitely disrupt your presidential duties to Esthar, so we had some Estharian soldiers tell you . . . I'm, we're sorry."
Laguna shook his head. After a long silence, he finally spoke. "Well, you're probably right. I would've gone off to look for my child, so you probably did what you did for the best. But now that I know . . . well, no hard feelings, right?"
Kiros and Ward smiled.
Laguna turned back to the Winhill villagers, smiling. "Thanks very much for everything, guys. Let's just say that us taking care of the Galbadians was my belated apology. Sorry for everything, and next time something like this happens again, just call Esthar's President, right?"
"Right!" a few people shouted. Clearly, some people were still fans of Laguna Loire.
Laguna raised his hand as a sign of farewell, and stepped out of the door. Before he could fully though, a woman said, "Wait, don't you worry about telling the others everything. We'll handle that."
"Thank you very much," said Quistis. "That would save us lots of time."
And Laguna waved his last goodbye to the citizens of Winhill, as he stepped out into the town square. The group of eight fighters walked past the other house, but did not go in. Instead, Zell looked in the window, and a couple of people spotted him. Zell made a gesture - the thumbs-up sign, and everyone knew what had happened.
The citizens from the first house stepped out of their house, and watched as the eight peace-keepers walked away. Soon, the ones in the other house opened the door and came flooding out, each knowing why everyone was smiling.
As Laguna smiled once more to the citizens of Winhill, something strange happened. First, someone started clapping, then another, and another. And soon every single villager of Winhill was clapping and cheering like mad. Selphie grinned and she too, began "woo hooing". Irvine put two fingers in his mouth and started whistling loudly. Everyone waved to the Winhill citizens as they walked back, towards the way in which they had first come. And the citizens waved back, cheering just as loud as ever. The eight liberators knew why.
They had finally accepted Laguna.
A/N: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!! I'm BACK AGAIN! I have finally emerged from the dismal shells of writer's block! And finally, I've updated! So sorry to everyone. I can't seem to update as quick as I used to, and I'm really angry with myself for not being able to do it. But I'd like to ask something: how do you make your writing italics or bold?? Every time I update, it never comes out as italics or bold, when I have inserted them in my Word document. Hmm, can someone please tell me? That'd be great if someone could, but I don't know or don't think anyone else has the same problem! Help!!!
Once again I'd like to thank those who reviewed last time:
The Angel of the Lion - thanks so much for always reviewing!!!! ( (
Renegade Seraph - thanks for giving me good mental support!
Momiji-chan - glad you still like the RPG feel!!
lionhearted - I'd never kill off poor old Irvine!
Erm, I'm not exactly sure whether or not some of these reviewers are still reading this. Well if not, it doesn't matter so much. But reviews are greatly appreciated. Until the next chapter . . . thanks!
Oh yeah and, happy belated Christmas!!! Hope everyone had a great New Year too!!!