Chapter 27
Ellone.
Squall entered Cid's office, throwing the doors open. He quickly walked onto the platform leading to the control deck, and went up. He expected to find Cid there… but there was no one.
"Dammit. Where could he be?" Squall thought.
He stood there a second with Zell and Rinoa behind him.
"He seemed pretty upset with NORG… So where would he go?"
The answer hit Squall like a brick.
"Dr. Kadowaki's…"
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"Do you need to see the headmaster?" Dr. Kadowaki asked, as Squall burst through the infirmary door, followed closely by Zell ,and Rinoa.
Squall gave her a stone cold stare, and answered sternly.
"Yes, now."
"Well, the headmaster is kind of…"
Headmaster Cid's voice came in from behind a curtain.
"I'm ok now doctor" he said.
"Are you sure?" she replied.
"yes," Cid answered. "I believe I'm done crying."
"…Just take it easy, ok?" Dr. Kadowaki encouraged.
She turned around and looked at Squall.
"He's got a lot on his mind." She explained, feeling embarrassed for Cid.
Squall walked past her without so much as a word. He headed straight for Cid in the back corner.
Cid noticed his approach, and scratched the back of his head.
"You all see me in such an embarrassing state" he said. Cid sighed heavily.
"Well… what shall we talk about?" he said. Cid had guessed that Squall probably had a lot of questions.
"… …"
Squall's mind drew a blank. Now that he had an opportunity to ask, he couldn't think of his questions.
Finally, a starting point occurred to him.
"I want to make a report" Squall said.
Cid held up his hand and stopped him.
"No, no… it's not necessary" he said. "I can guessed what must've happened."
"…Well… I…" Squall thought. He wanted to say what'd happened… but the look on Cid's face made it seem as though he really knew what had occurred.
"Well… I have plenty of other things to talk about" Squall thought harshly.
"Please…" Squall began. "tell me about the real meaning of SeeD."
After all of Seifer's questions in the D-district Prison, Squall had begun to wonder if what he thought he knew about SeeD, was really the whole truth.
Cid looked somewhat surprised at this question. He answered in a confused tone.
"SeeD is SeeD. The elite mercenary force of Balamb Garden" he said. "Hmmm, do you know something about SeeD?" he asked.
"I never know anything" Squall thought.
He looked at the ground, contemplatively. Cid folded his arms and his tone changed. He decided to reveal all that Squall did not seem to comprehend.
"SeeD will defeat the sorceress" he explained. "The Garden will train SeeD members."
Squall looked up at him with an odd look.
"The many missions around the world are only training for the final battle against the sorceress" Cid continued. "But now that the sorceress has become a major threat, our true mission has begun."
Squall nodded. Though this was new to him, surprisingly, it didn't make much of an impression. It was a rather substantial discovery, no doubt, but Squall simply accepted the fact, almost as if he was accepting orders for a typical mission. The Sorceress was SeeDs enemy. The world's enemy. She had to be stopped.
But another question, related to the latter, lingered in Squall's mind.
"According to what NORG said… The sorceress is the headmaster's wife… Why would we fight against her…?"
"Please, tell me about sorceress Edea" Squall started. "I heard she's your wife."
Cid's eyes widened at this, but he tried to retain his composure.
"You're quite right…" he said sadly. "She had been a sorceress since childhood. I married her, knowing that."
Cid sighed as his thoughts strayed to the past.
"We were happy. We worked together, the two of us. We were very happy" Cid said. "One day, Edea began talking about building the Garden, and training SeeD."
Cid chuckled slightly at his next sentence.
"I became obsessed with the plan" he said. He continued in a saddened tone, however…
"But I was very concerned with SeeD's goal, that one day SeeD might fight Edea…"
Squall raised his eyebrows at this. Zell and Rinoa were listening intently as well.
"She laughed and told me that would never happen. However…" he trailed off, letting Squall fill in the blank.
Squall nodded, though not completely understanding. Why would Edea want to fight them now? And why would she have built Gardens, only to fight against the SeeD which had been trained there?
Cid seemed saddened with the subject, so Squall let it go for the moment. He had other questions…
"Tell me about Master NORG."
Cid nodded slowly as he requested this information.
"He is from the Shumi tribe. A black sheep of the tribe, one might say." Cid cleared his throat, becoming uncomfortable.
"We met while I was running around, trying to find funds to build the Garden. He became interested in building the Garden, and we hit it off. Thanks to his funding, it was completed."
Cid lowered his voice in shame.
"However, we needed an enormous amount of funds to run the Garden. So we began dispatching SeeDs around the world as a means of supporting the Garden." He looked up, knowingly.
"NORG's idea was right on the money. An enormous amount of capitol began flowing into the Garden… And the Garden began to change." Cid sniffled. "Lost sight of our high ideals, the truth was covered up…" He sighed heavily and frowned.
"That's probably enough" he said. "In the end, it was my fault for giving up control."
Squall nodded, beginning to understand.
"What do we do now?" he asked.
Cid lifted his head up, happy to have the subject changed.
"We must stop drifting around soon… I only hope that we can get things back to the way they were."
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Squall, Zell, and Rinoa excited the infirmary slowly, all silent. Squall was staring at his feet, Zell was yawning loudly, and Rinoa simply folded her arms, bored. They were all confused by what the headmaster has told them. It seemed as though the more answers they got, the more questions arised.
"Squall! Squall!" A voice rang out from the elevator.
Xu came rushing down the stairs in an excited flurry.
"Have you seen the headmaster around?" she huffed out.
Squall looked at her blankly, wondering what she could be in such a hurry for.
"He's at the infirmary" he informed her.
Rinoa piped up, happy to have something happening.
"Sounds like trouble. What's wrong?" she asked.
Xu gasped and let out her words with one breath.
"Go to the 2nd floor deck and see for yourself. There's a ship approaching. It could be Galbadians or worse; the sorceress might be aboard, coming to attack us! I have to tell the headmaster right away!"
With that, Xu ran off to the infirmary.
Squall Zell and Rinoa looked at each other with concern. If Xu was right, they were in for a lot of trouble… All three ran up to the elevator, making their way to the 2nd floor deck.
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As they came out of the elevator, Squall immediately noticed several students hovering around the hallway nervously. He made his way past them quickly, followed by Zell and Rinoa.
Squall flung open the deck doors, and ran to the edge of the deck. Though he knew what had been coming, he still couldn't believe it… A Galbadian ship.
"A ship? A Galbadian ship!?" Squall thought with amazement.
He leered over the edge, warily. Squall noticed three youthful figures clad in strange white uniforms approach the ship's edge, and gaze up at them.
A young man with spiky black hair spoke up.
"Is Headmaster Cid here!?" he cried.
Squall bluffed.
"No, he's not here. Are you from …Galbadia?"
"We are SeeDs!" the voice replied. "This is Edea's ship. We are Sorceress Edea's SeeD!"
Squall frowned at this.
"SeeD!? …Edea's SeeD?!"
The young man called out again. His voice gave him an air of command.
"We're coming aboard! We're unarmed!"
Suddenly, though the ship was as far as 15 feet below their deck, the three young men leapt up onto the platform with ease. Squall, shocked though he was, remained silent and frowning. He and Rinoa drew out their weapons, while Zell stood ready to attack with his fists.
"Please" the young man said softly. "We come in peace."
Squall examined him for a moment, and noted that he really was unarmed. They sheathed their weapons, and Squall allowed the young man to continue… but he kept his hand placed near the butt-end of his gunblade, just to be safe…
"We must speak to headmaster Cid" the dark hared youth urged. "Where is he?"
Cid's voice rang out from behind Squall.
"I'm right here."
Squall, Zell, and Rinoa all moved to the side as Cid approached Edea's SeeD, alongside Xu, who glared at the newcomers suspiciously.
"Headmaster, " the stranger began. "we've come for Ellone. It's too dangerous here now."
Cid paused "…Yes, I'm afraid so."
"Ellone?" Squall thought. "…That girl from Winhill?"
Cid turned to Squall, noticing his head hanging down in deep thought.
"Squall. You know who she is?" Cid asked. He didn't give time to respond. "Please go find her. She's here somewhere in the Garden."
Squall looked up at Cid and nodded. He then gazed over to the white-clad SeeDs from the Galbadian ship.
"Who are these guys? How are they connected?"
Cid looked at him questioningly.
"Squall?"
Squall sighed heavily. He didn't know the first place to look for her, but all the same, he replied "…Yes, sir."
Squall started through the door, but he felt something grip at his jacket.
Xu had grabbed hold of Squall's shoulder.
"I'll help you, too" she said, and she ran ahead of them.
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For the first time in about an hour, Zell spoke up.
"Squall," he started, "Ellone's that girl, huh? Y'know, that little girl Laguna was taking care of."
Squall answered quickly as they walked into Garden again.
"Probably."
"So she's in Garden? Where is she?"` Zell asked.
Squall shrugged.
"…Maybe it isn't even the Ellone from Winhill… Maybe this is all just a coincidence.. Maybe… Maybe…"
Squall hoped that this was a mistake, but Zell's loud voice shattered his hopeful thoughts…
"Let's split up and find her" he said excitedly.
Zell ran off without waiting for a reply. His feet stomped loudly throughout the empty halls.
Rinoa approached Squall slowly. She became curious about this 'Ellone' character…
"Hey, Squall, who's Ellone?" she asked curiously.
Squall looked down at her.
"She's a person in the 'dream world'" he replied curtly.
Rinoa nodded, and winked at him playfully, as if to say, 'oh, I see'. She went off to help search for this girl from the 'dream world'.
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Squall walked through the hallways aimlessly. He peered into a couple of the class rooms, and even in the training center.
"The training center…" he thought, exiting the area. "That's where me and Quistis saved… saved… What was her name? …She didn't say what her name was… those men just came and lead her away…"
Squall stopped in his tracks as he began piecing things together.
"The white SeeD… they were here before… with…was it Ellone? But HOW?! …and… I… I just saw her in the library, didn't I?… she was… not a little girl."
Squall put his hand to his forehead. It seemed that the more he found out, the more he didn't know.
"…Well, if she is Ellone… THE Ellone… She might be able to tell me what the dream world is… why we experience it… Who she is…"
Squall became nervous with anticipation as he made his way to the Library… he could feel his palms begin to sweat, and he wondered whether or not he wanted to hear the answers to his questions.
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He stood behind her, his hand on his hip. Squall was certain that she hadn't heard him come into the library, and he was still considering what to say as she sat at the library desk, seemingly unaware of his observation.
But she knew he was there.
"Yes, Squall?"
Squall took a step back. She had said that she knew him, but being called by his name from her only served to make him wary.
"Are you… Ellone?" he said slowly.
Ellone smiled to herself.
"Yes…"
Squall let go of the breath he'd been holding in.
"You're Ellone? THE Ellone?" he said, nearly exasperated.
The girl in blue nodded, still not looking at him. His upset tone worried her, but she seemed to expect it.
"What is going on?" Squall thought. "How is she Ellone? Ellone was… was…a little girl… and she lived with…with HIM."
"You know… Laguna, don't you?" Squall said abruptly.
Ellone closed her eyes and sighed deeply.
"I do. I really love uncle Laguna."
Squall became immensely upset. Plus, the calmness she seemed to embody only made Squall's frustration more apparent. He wanted answers, and she wasn't volunteering the information readily enough. He yelled out angrily, causing the girl to wince, as if in pain.
"Then tell me! What is it that we experience!?"
Ellone lowered her voice. She turned around to face Squall finally. Her eyes were watering up at the corners, but her mouth remained steady, unshakable.
"I'm sorry, Squall. It's hard to explain" she said. There was a pause as she looked at him.
"But… one thing… It's about the past."
Squall felt some relief at this new information, but he was disturbed all the same.
"…So we were viewing the past?" he thought to himself. "If that's all… then how did Laguna use my junctions…?"
Ellone stood and began walking past Squall. She stood with her back to his, feeling unable to face him with what she now had to say.
"People say you can't change the past."
She turned and looked up at the back of Squall's head.
"But even still, if there's a possibility, it's worth a try, right?"
Squall rolled his eyes almost instinctively
"Change the past? Is she serious? Give me a break…"
He put his hand to his forehead in annoyance. However, his eyes became wide as he realized the significance of her words. Laguna sensing his junctions… That somehow affected the past. Ellone wanted to change the past… Squall looked up and his eyebrows became slanted with fury.
"Are you the one responsible!?" he cried out hysterically. "Are you the one taking us to that 'dream world'!?"
Ellone turned around. Had Squall seen her face, it would have been one of utter shame and sadness. Ellone felt as if her heart had just been run through.
"I'm sorry" Ellone said, confirming his assumptions.
" ...Not again" Squall thought. "So much I don't understand"
Squall turned around, and forced Ellone to look into his face.
"Why me!?" he cried out angrily. "I have enough problems as it is! Don't get me involved in this!"
Squall sputtered in frustration. Why did she do this to them? What did he have to do with it?
"… Why… why is she relying on US?!"
Ellone's lower lip now began to quiver, and she fought hard to choke back the tears.
"I'm sorry."
Squall began to step back in fear. He gazed at Ellone with horror.
" D-Don't …count on me…" he said. He became worried, and distraught. Squall sat down where Ellone had been sitting previously. He felt sick to his stomach.
Suddenly, as they sat there, Xu walked in the library study area to find Squall sitting with his head between his knees, and a girl in blue on the other side of the room.
"Squall, did you find Ellone?" Xu asked.
Ellone turned around, her eyes red, but otherwise recovered from the confrontation.
"Umm… I'm Ellone."
Xu nodded respectfully, but looked at Squall.
"Are you all right?" she asked. He didn't seem to be doing very well, but he didn't respond.
Elllone gazed at him sadly. She approached his slowly, and placed her hand gently on his shoulder. She whispered…
"(You're my only hope.)"
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Squall tossed and turned in his bed. He felt as if he was on the verge of tears, but they never came. Though pleased, Squall felt that he somehow needed the release.
"Why do people depend on each other? In the end your on your own. I've made it this far by myself. Sure I couldn't do a thing when I was a kid. I've depended on others, but…"
Squall huffed heavily, frustrated that he couldn't even defend his opinions against his own logic very well. He went through his thought process to reassure himself of his stance.
"I'll be the first one to admit that I'm here because of other people. I'm fine by myself now. I have all the skills I need to survive. I'm not a child anymore."
He smirked contentedly for a moment, but only before realizing how untrue the thoughts were.
"That's a lie. I don't know anything. I'm confused." He turned over squeezing his eyes tightly.
"I don't want to depend on anyone. How can I do that? Someone tell me…" Squall hoped desperately that someone would just enter his room right then and there, and give him all the secrets, all the answers he didn't have. They didn't come. Squall was left alone with the irony of his own mind.
"Someone? So I'll end up depending on others after all." He chuckled sadly, despite himself.
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A little boy stood out in the rain, shivering against a tall marble pillar. His brown floppy hair was soaking wet, and clung to his forehead. He sneezed loudly as the rainfall became heavier and heavier.
"…Sis…"
The weather replied with a soft rumbling of thunder off in the distance. The little boy's bright yellow shirt contrasted with the weather, and his mood. He kicked at the ground and noticed that his shoelace was untied.
"I'm… all alone" he thought dejectedly. "But I'm doing my best…" the little boy reassured 'Sis' that he would be okay. He sniffle loudly.
"I'll be okay without you, Sis. I'll be able to take care of myself."
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End Chapter 27.
Aw. So sad.
Next time, we get to witness more crazy adventures, as Squall + co. 'Visit' FH! Won't that be fun! ^_^ …Seriously, though, at this point, I think the game really takes off. I think I'll be able to finish this thing in about 20 more chapters… mind you, I'm not going to be going over A LOT of the sidequests and stuff, because, well, hell, I just want to have a completed story up.
Boy this fic is taking a long time. It's been nearly 9 months since I started it… Isn't that sad? Pheh. Give me good reviews so I don't give up on this. I need some encouragement or something' …
Cio!
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