Chapter 30
The Concert
Irvine walked up onto the center platform of FH's solar panel with a spring in his step. He grinned eagerly as he saw everyone he'd asked to show up, sitting in anticipation for his and Selphie's announcement.
"Zell, Quistis, Rinoa… and Selphie" he thought, smugly grinning.
Selphie stood in front of everyone, waiting for Irvine.
"Hey everyone" Irvine started. He motioned to the yellow-clad girl behind him. "Here's our producer, Selphie."
"Ahem!" Selphie cried, getting everyone's attention. "We'll be holdin' the concert as planned" she announced. By now, everyone had heard that the Quad had been ruined… but a rumor about the performance continuing had spread quickly throughout Garden… the stage tools lying about the platform served as a bit of a giveaway as well, but no one knew exactly what Selphie had in mind.
"The performance isn't just for us, though" Selphie explained. "It's also for Squall. Y'know, to congratulate him on his recent promotion."
Quistis smiled.
"Sounds fun" she said.
Zell raised his hand.
"So, who's gonna perform?" he asked innocently, wondering why they'd even been called there at all.
Irvine gestured toward everyone.
"We are" he replied.
Zell's jaw dropped at this. He glared at Irvine a moment, and shook his head, assuming, and hoping that he was be joking.
"Yeah right" Zell laughed nervously. Irvine merely shook his head.
Quistis put up her hands, and narrowed her eyes.
"You're kidding" she exclaimed, looking up at the young man with caution. Irvine smirked and shook his head again.
"Oh, no way. You can count me out. I have no musical aptitude" Quistis asserted.
Rinoa giggled slightly.
"Oh really?" she said in a disbelieving voice. "I gotta see this."
Selphie pleaded with them, "Let's just give it a try. We have everything ready and all we need is four people!"
Rinoa spoke up, trying to encourage everyone
"This is gonna be fun!"
Selphie looked over to Rinoa, and spoke apologetically.
"Oh, sorry Rinoa. But you're not gonna be a member" she explained.
Rinoa's cheerful expression changed to one of hurt. They weren't gonna let her join? Were they keeping her away because she wasn't a SeeD?
"You're leaving me out?" she asked sadly.
Selphie shook her head 'no'. She began to explain.
"Uh-uh. We have something more important for you to do."
Zell shook his head in exasperation he was still wondering how all of them were going to pull this off.
"So what are we gonna do?" he asked. "I mean basically, we're all amateurs, right? Even if you hand us instruments, we won't be able to come up with anything."
Every Garden student, SeeD ranked or no, was required to take a class in musical composition and performance, at a point to be decided upon by Garden staff. One of the extra classes Cid had implicated, with much duress given to NORG on the matter. However, since most underclassmen were dedicated to full-time schedules, students usually took these lessons late in their years at Garden.
But Zell was worried. He'd passed the class early last year, but just barely. Quistis seemed nervous as well, but Selphie didn't seem concerned in the least… but he knew that she could play the guitar.
"First I wanna ask you guys something" she said. "Ok, you know I took over this event after I transferred to Balamb, right? I have the composition that the last producer recommended to me, but everything got all messed up after the Garden started moving. There's supposed to be only 4 scores that go with the composition, but I got 8 scores here."
Zell was irritated that she was side stepping his question, but he sighed heavily and played along.
"So what does that mean?" he asked.
"It's pretty simple" Irvine butted in. "Four other scores… or the notes for each instrument… from a different composition got mixed up with the 4 scores that Selphie had. There were two songs stored together in a folder, and neither of them had titles on them. So we have to find the 4 original scores to perform the composition that Selphie has… Unless any of you can transcribe the notes quickly enough, the only way we're gonna find out which is which is to play all 8 scores and see."
Irvine smirked, eyeing Zell vainly. He laughed.
"I hope you guys still remember how to at least READ the music…" he said, suppressing a chuckle.
Zell glared at him and was about to give in to an angry retort, but Selphie interrupted him.
"So I want you guys to pick up an instrument, one person at a time, and play it. Irvine knows what the composition sounds like, so he'll choose which 4 are the right ones."
"Let's get started" Irvine commanded.
He turned around, and began bringing the instruments over one-by-one. Guitars, a Saxophone… He even rolled out a large Piano, and Cello.
Selphie eyed the instruments excitedly as she folded the papers in her hand, but Zell and Quistis merely grimaced…
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Squall Leonhart gazed out of his dorm window. From his room, he could just barely catch a glimpse of Fisherman's Horizon's solar panels. Mostly, the view just consisted of the ugly cranes and metal harnesses attached to Garden. The equipment was necessary, as the FH maintenance crew worked long and hard on the exterior damage that the now-mobile academy had undergone.
"I wonder if Cid is having them explain how to steer the Garden, since they seemed familiar with it anyway…" Squall thought. "…Or is that MY job now, too?"
He grumbled softly as his mind returned to the one thing he didn't want to think about right now. He sat down on his bed, and tried to focus on something else.
"Man… these past few weeks have been WEIRD" he thought. Beyond the ensuing political struggle which Squall had unintentionally become a part of, so many odd things had happened…
"These vision s that Ellone sends… are they actually images from the past? Are we really experiencing the past…?" Squall became anxious, and breathed heavily.
"…Are we changing the past?" he wondered. That had been Ellone's goal, wasn't it? Squall wondered, too, about how Ellone seemed to know him… Even during their conversations, she seemed to be familiar with his personality somehow….
"Who IS she…?" Squall wondered. The familiarity which had first piqued his curiosity about her was even stronger now. But he continually drew a blank as to any past knowledge of her.
"…So.. familiar… and yet… I can't even remember ever meeting her…" he thought. A disturbing suggestion arose from the depths of his mind.
"…Does this have anything to do with… My GFs?" he wondered. "Are the rumors true? Do GFs… actually steal your memories? …If so… what else am I missing!?"
Squall had used GFs ever since he first was introduced to the concept of controlling energy. The requirement of Guardian Forces for this activity brought on the obvious need for students to be able junction GFs.
Shiva and Quezectol were the two GFs that had been used for Squall's initial GF training class. As the years progressed, the two GFs were permanently assigned to Squall, as their compatibility with him grew at an amazing rate. But even after that, Squall only junctioned them for short periods of time. Granted, every year at Garden meant more training with Para-Magic, and as a result, more time spent junctioned to the GFs along with more intense training sessions.
Squall realized however, that unlike his years spent in the classroom, he had been keeping GFs constantly junctioned for quite some time. As a matter of fact, Shiva had been permanently junctioned to him ever since he'd acquired Ifrit on the day of the SeeD field exam. He'd rotated the other guardian forces around with everyone fairly well… but everyone seemed to be paring off with at least one of the beings. Squall counted them off on his fingers.
"Selphie had been using Ifrit constantly…" Squall thought. "Zell's been junctioned to the Brothers ever since we were in the Desert-District Prison… Quistis has used Quetzectol off and on… She's had him since we parted at the missile base… So she's had him for at least a week and a half…"
"Whew" Squall breathed out nervously. So much as he could tell, everyone had been juncionted to their GFs nonstop for two weeks, minimum. His junction to Shiva had been even longer… bordering on a month now.
"What Guardians have we accumulated?" Squall wondered. He tried hard to remember their names.
"Shiva…Quezectol… Ifrit…I know we have at least three more." He thought. "Lessee… Siren… Brothers…the one I had Irvine draw… Carbuncle… and…Leviathan, from NORG…"
Squall counted seven altogether.
"My God… there's so many." He thought, shaking his head.
"There's probably no connection…" he thought. "But something weird is going on…"
Squall tried to think of something else for now. He focused on the sorceress.
"The sorceress is Edea… We have to stop her… I wonder where she is." Squall thought. "We'll have to search for her… but we'll have to do a lot first… We need to prepare. But… There's nothing we can do right now. Nothing."
Squall sighed in frustration at the realization. He tried to think of something he could do, but until they left FH. Nothing could be done. His mind drifted back to the sorceress's connection to Ellone…
"…I wish I could stop thinking about this." Squall thought. "But Edea must need Ellone for something… it must have something to do with her ability…"
Squall yawned loudly. He sat down on his bed, and his eyes closed slowly.
"I don't want to think anymore… it's too much… too much…"
He fell asleep, slowly.
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Out on the center platform of FH, Irvine, Zell ,Selphie, Quistis and Rinoa all stood in a circle. Everyone had decided on an instrument, and the song had been deciphered and played all the way through.
"Ok, we have until tonight to practice for the performance" Irvine said happily.
Selphie then winked at Rinoa
"Rinoa, that's when you're up."
Rinoa smiled excitedly
"You can count on me!"
Selphie raised her voice and cried out loudly.
"It's gonna be a blast!"
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Hours later, inside his dorm, Squall awoke. It was dark outside now. He shook himself awake, and paced about his room for a few moments. He lay back down on his bed, putting his hands behind his head.
"…I'm bored…" he thought. "What's everybody doing?"
He hadn't heard from anyone since he'd spoke with Cid earlier. He found it odd that no one had come to him for anything… Rinoa hadn't even stopped by to annoy him. He couldn't quite place his finger on it, but something didn't seem right.
He excited his dorm slowly. As he approached the hallway, he heard water-crickets chirping loudly, a traditional evening sound in FH. He breathed in the cool night air carefully, but heard some commotion overriding the sound of his breath. He squinted his eyes, and noticed three figures in the darkness. He would've barely made them out, if not for the glowing lights lining the hall. He heard whispers that were barely audible.
"(here he comes)" one voice said.
"(okay, he's all yours)" another encouraged.
As Squall's eyes adjusted to the light, he saw Quistis and Zell run back into Garden quickly.
"What are they doing…?" Squall thought. He then noticed the other person, a young petite woman in a white dress… Squall cocked his eye curiously as Rinoa stood there waiting for him. He continued down the hall, and approached her carefully, but became wary as he saw her wink at him… he tried to pass by her without making eye contact.
"You're not going anywhere!" Rinoa cried out, stepping in front of him defiantly.
Squall stopped, and folded his arms lazily.
Rinoa brushed back a strand of hair and smiled at him.
"So what's up?" she asked, innocently.
Squall thought for a moment.
"…tired."
Rinoa noticed his frown, and pouted
"You look so down…" she lamented. "Come on Squall, how old are you? You're still a teenager. Why don't you act like one for a change?"
"Because they won't let me…" Squall thought. "…I'm… just tired."
Rinoa huffed somewhat impatiently. Squall wasn't responding and it was irritating her.
"Ok, come on" she finally said. "Let's go to the concert."
"What?" Squall thought. "What concert…"
Squall's curiosity was piqued, but he realized how restless his sleep had been, and besides, he felt agitated… A concert was the last thing he wanted to attend.
He was about to say 'no, leave me alone', but Rinoa seemed genuinely interested in going… and getting him to go. Besides that, her arrival at the dorms seemed suspiciously planned. So he decided to let her down easily.
"Sorry. I'm not in the mood" he said
Rinoa tilted her head, disappointed.
"How come?" she asked softly.
Squall thought a moment. Was he really all that tired? Or was he merely so overwhelmed with his new position as leader over Garden, that he didn't want to do anything? He sighed in frustration
"I'd rather not talk about it" he replied abruptly.
Rinoa laughed… as if she'd expected that reply.
"…Quistis was right on…" Rinoa said, still chuckling. "Oh, you're so predictable."
Squall frowned and narrowed his eyes. He hated it when people said that about him. He turned around and was about ready to head back into his dorm. However, Rinoa stopped him, placing her hand on his shoulder.
"…Ok, I'm sorry. I can understand why you wouldn't be in the mood" she said in a softer, understanding tone. "You're probably still thinking about what the headmaster said today. He put a lot on your shoulders." She looked up at him compassionately.
"It all happened so fast. So we thought it'd be good for you to come and unwind a little. Plus I have something important that I want to talk to you about" she said.
"Who's we?" Squall replied suspiciously.
"Who else?" Rinoa said. "Quistis, Selphie, Zell, Irvine, and, of course, me."
Squall nodded, understanding. But once again tried to turn around and leave. Rinoa stopped him.
"Come on…" she pleaded. "Please, for me? There's no point if you don't show up." Rinoa gazed at him, her eyes wide. She but her bottom lip anxiously.
Squall gazed down at his feet for a moment, grimacing. He was torn… should he go? He didn't want to disappoint Rinoa… But he would feel so awkward at the concert, especially with her.
"I don't know" he thought. He looked at Rinoa, and then back to his dorm.
"Sorry," he sighed. "I just don't feel like it."
Rinoa put her hands behind her back, and gazed up innocently.
"Fine…" she said, mocking compliance. "I guess I'll have to bug you for the rest of the night."
Squall's eyes went wide at this. She wouldn't… would she?
"And I'm gonna keep chanting' concert, concert, concert' and drive you nuts" she explained. "Is that what you want?"
Squall put his hand to his forehead… of course she would. This was Rinoa who was talking to him.
"Oh man…" he lamented. Rinoa smiled happily at this.
" I'm getting to you already, huh? Looks like you have no choice!"
Squall looked up at her, and smirked. It amazed him, how much he's gotten used to her.. and even enjoyed her company. He was too embarrassed to admit it, though, and he still was irritated with her giddiness…
"…All right… it's not such a big deal" he thought. "…I was bored after all…"
"Fine" he agreed. Rinoa clapped happily, and grabbed him by the arm, dragging him to the concert.
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Squall and Rinoa approached the top of FH's solar panel. Squall looked down and noticed large impressive stage had been built down near the mayor's house, and Garden student's lingered around FH, waiting for the performance to begin.
Irvine, who'd watched them approach, came up to Squall and smirked.
"So she convinced you, eh?"
Squall, merely shot him a glance, and turned his eyes away. But Irvine persisted. He placed his arm around Squall's shoulder, and pulled him aside.
"(Looking good together)" Irvine whispered, excitedly. Squall rolled his eyes.
"(So like…)" Irvine continued in a sly voice, "(I found this place. It's perfect for you guys.)"
"Give me a break…" Squall thought. "We're not on a date…"
"(It's by the stage. You can't miss it. I left an old magazine there.)" Irvine explained. "(You can thank me later Have fun. Just let it all out tonight.)"
It took Squall a moment before realizing what Irvine's tone was implying. He glared at Irvine in disgust.
"Oh man. This guy is sick" he thought.
"Are you finished?" Squall asked impatiently.
Irvine winked knowingly.
"I might be there later with a special someone, too" he said, his eyes raising his eyebrows.
Irvine finally released Squall, and approached the stairwell. Selphie was standing there, observing the stage.
Irvine came at her from behind, looking like he was preparing something to say. However, Squall grew impatient, and poked Irvine in the back, wanting him to move so that he and Rinoa could go down. Irvine glared back at him angrily.
"Come on man, I'm about to make my move" he said.
Selphie's ears perked at this, and she turned around, eyeing Irvine suspiciously.
"What's up?" she asked cautiously. Irvine turned to her, flustered. It was all he could do to wink at her nervously.
Selphie cocked her eye at this, and took off down the stairs.
Squall laughed as Irvine mumbled angrily.
"Oh well…" he said, mocking sympathy.
"Geez… Thanks a lot!" Irvine muttered sarcastically. He ran down the stairway, following Selphie.
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Squall decided to remain on the upper level for a moment. He and Rinoa gazed down at the bright, colored lights of the stage. The speakers on each side were large… and the stage was built with an intricate pattern. Each instrument on a different level.
"…That looks… kinda cool" Squall thought. Suddenly, he saw Selphie, Zell, Quistis and Irvine all mount the stage, and gather instruments.
Squall squinted to make sure that he was seeing what he thought.
"…Are THEY the band!?" he wondered. "That's weird…"
Rinoa saw that everyone was getting ready to play, so she rushed Squall down the stairs.
"Come on! They're about to start!" she cried.
Down below, Squall gazed up at the stage raising an eyebrow. This was going to be interesting. All the students and onlookers clapped as Selphie approached the microphone. She had a guitar placed around her shoulders, ready to play.
"Squall!" Selphie cried. "You big stud! This is for you! Congratulations!"
Squall became thoroughly embarrassed. He blushed and averted his eyes.
"Enjoy the show!" Selphie continued. "Rinoa, don't let him get away!"
"Whatever…" Squall thought with disdain.
Selphie lanced back toward the rest of the 'band', and raised her finger.
"Ready!? A-one, two, three…"
As she counted off the beat, the music began. With Selphie on the electric guitar, Irvine playing the piano, Zell on the saxophone, and Quistis playing a bass guitar, the group played a romantic slow dance, and actually performed quite well. Squall was impressed, but he still averted his gaze, embarrassed at Selphie's words to him.)
Squall and Rinoa stood, listening to the music for a moment. Rinoa smiled happily… the song was a favorite of hers. But soon, she wanted to speak with Squall, alone… She motioned for him to follow her.
As they walked over to an isolated corner of the platform, Squall noticed a crumpled up magazine laying on the edge.
"This looks like the place he was talking about." Squall thought.
Rinoa looked down, and giggled.
"Ohh, a naughty magazine" she said between laughs.
Squall slapped his forehead in annoyance.
"I thought he was kidding"
Squall looked around, and saw that they were alone. So he asked her; "You wanted to talk about something, right?"
Rinoa nodded, and they both took a seat on the edge of the platform. Rinoa remained silent for a moment, gathering her thoughts.
"What is it?" Squall asked.
Rinoa turned to him, and gave an unconvincing smile.
"Umm… well it's about your promotion" she began. "…Things are gonna get real tough for you, huh?"
Squall closed his eyes and breathed deeply.
"I don't want to think about it" he thought. "I've been thinking about it all day…"
"Squall," she started again, "I'm sure there'll be a lot of difficult things that you'll have to deal with from now on. We were talking about that, and saying how you'll probably try to handle everything on your own."
Squall gazed down at the solar panels for a moment. He contemplated her words, and lifted his head, looking off into the distance.
"I probably will" he thought, nodding.
Rinoa smiled at his agreement. Even though he wasn't speaking, he was at least responding.
"They know you too well" she continued. "I do, too, although I haven't been around you that long."
Squall frowned, and rested his head on his closed fist. It was true what she'd said… but it seemed like she'd been around him for a long time. But mainly, it bothered him that she seemed to think she knew him so well… that everyone did. They didn't know him… not really… or did he just not want them to? Squall sighed in frustration at his own feelings.
Rinoa gazed at him a moment, thinking about how she'd gotten to know him. She giggled a little, and imitated his irritated expression
"Y'know, when you start thinking, you tend to frown like this" she said. Squall ignored the comment for a moment, but once he realized what she'd said, he looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
Squall became irritated, and narrowed his eyes angrily. He shot his hand back, faking a swing at her. Rinoa fell back, and rolled over, still giggling wildly.
"I'm out of here" Squall growled. He placed his hands on the sedge of the platform, ready to lift himself up.
Rinoa stopped laughing and pleaded with him seriously
"Oh come on! I'm sorry!" she said.
Squall breathed carefully, and released his grip. His anger subsided, but he was still annoyed.
Rinoa noticed his change in temperament, and began speaking again.
"But really, we were saying that… well…" she began, walking up to him from behind. "You can't handle everything on your own."
Rinoa squatted down behind him, carefully, and quietly, and thrust both hands into his back, sending Squall flying down to the paneling below.
Squall landed, barely able to catch himself. And looked around in shock.
"What the hell was THAT!?" he thought.
Rinoa leapt down after him. She landed, amazingly, perfectly in her high heels. And approached Squall smiling mischievously.
Squall threw back his hand with a look of anger on his face. He yelled out something that even he couldn't understand… he just felt like yelling.
Rinoa winced, but seemed to expect it.
"That's it! Just let out anything!" she encouraged, strangely. "Anything…"
Squall folded his arms, and shook his head, calming down. Rinoa was really pressing his buttons tonight, and he couldn't figure out why…
Finally, Rinoa began to explain what this was all about.
"We want you to talk to us a little more. That's all" she said, her voice becoming soft and calming.
"Y'know, if there's anything you want to tell us, or anything we can do, don't hesitate to let us know. I know it's not easy but I wish you would trust us and rely on us a little more."
"So… this is what tonight is all about?" Squall wondered. " …All this… just… for me…? Why?"
Squall put his hand to his forehead, thinking to himself. He turned away from Rinoa, nervously. He did tend to try and do things by himself… he'd taken the lead inadvertently during his SeeD exam… and when Quistis arrived in Timber… He'd even run ahead of Selphie and Quistis during their escape from the desert prison, because he thought that they'd slow him down. He never took anyone along with him with the idea of them helping, unless he absolutely had too. Everything he did… he wanted to do on his own. He didn't trust anyone to do anything… He didn't even trust the headmaster.
"Am I that untrusting…?" Squall thought to himself. He gave himself an honest examination, and had to admit that he came across as uncaring and untrusting, even to himself.
"Maybe I'm this way because I'm scared" he thought. "Nothing lasts in this world. It feels great to have friends who believe in you, and adults you can rely on…" he stopped himself, not allowing his mind to entertain the thoughts too much.
"…That's why it's so dangerous, especially if you become used to it" he lectured himself.
"Someday*, you're bound to loose everything. Everybody around you will be gone. Then what are you left with? Nothing. Nobody…" Squall's emotions arose, reminding him of the disturbing dream which had been plaguing his sleep lately… a bad memory gone worse by his trying to suppress it.
"It's so miserable. And It's inevitable" Squall concluded. "It's so hard to recover from something like that. I never ever want to deal with that again. I can't" he thought. He did, however, have to admit the consequence of his resolution…
"Even if it means being alone…"
Rinoa had been pacing back and forth impatiently, waiting for Squall to reply. Finally, she let out an exasperated breath.
"I don't get it. What's going on?" she cried.
Squall snapped back to alertness at the sound of her voice.
"Huh!? What?" he thought, looking around. Then he realized how long he'd been standing there, without replying to her.
"… Oh me?"
Squall turned back around and looked at Rinoa apologetically.
"Sorry about that" he said, feeling slightly embarrassed.
Rinoa was till pacing about… she seemed to be listening to the music.
Squall continued.
"So… are we finished here?" he asked, hopeful.
Rinoa stopped and shot a glance at him.
"What? No, I didn't mean you." she explained quickly. "I was talking about the music. I love this piece but it's been terrible for the last few minutes." She huffed impatiently.
"Geez, what's wrong with them?"
Squall listened to the music for a moment… it sounded okay to him, but he didn't consider himself an expert on the subject.
"Oh" he said lazily. "Well… I'll see you later, alright?"
Squall tried to walk away, but Rinoa called out after him.
"Wait! You're not gettin' off that easy" she said. Rinoa seemed genuinely upset now… Squall was surprised at the tone of her voice.
"You still owe me an answer" she continued.
"Answer for what…?" Squall thought. Then he remembered. "Oh…"
Squall stuttered a bit, trying to come up with some kind of explanation, but he didn't feel like talking about this anymore.
"Fine" he said plainly. " I'll ask for help when I really need it. I'll try to trust everybody more often. Ok?" He gazed a Rinoa, waiting for her response… Squall hoped to end the conversation at that, because he didn't feel like conceding any further.
But Rinoa just glared at him, seeming to become even more upset. She yelled at him angrily; "What is your problem!? Why do you have to be like that!? Are you mad or something?"
Squall was taken aback by her yelling. He'd never seen her angry like this… sad, yes. But never had she been this upset, and this emotional around him… He felt uncomfortable, but he also felt like he was actually getting to know Rinoa, which merely increased his uneasiness.
Rinoa rolled her eyes, and gave an exasperated sigh.
"Tell me you are, because this really can't be you!"
Squall's voice cracked when he tried to speak. He wasn't quite sure how to respond to her.
"I'm sorry", was all he could say.
Rinoa just became even more upset at this. She snarled at him in outrage
"You're not sorry! You just wanna get the hell out of here, that's all!" she cried. "Geez! Why does it have to be like this!? Why!?"
Rinoa's exasperated yelling gave way to a heavy breathing. Her eyes remained narrowed angrily at him, but her mouth changed from a scowl, into a pout… her lips began to quiver, and she choked back tears. Rinoa wiped a sparkle of water away from her right eye with the back of her hand, as she turned away from Squall and ran off to be alone.
Squall felt bad. He'd obviously made her cry… but he wasn't sure why exactly. He rubbed his face with his palms in anxiety
" …Oh well" he thought. "This won't change anything… I think I was honest. I prefer to be alone, right?" he tried to convince himself.
" …yeah…"
Squall sighed heavily, and continued listening to the music.
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It was about midnight, and Squall had been in bed for nearly an hour. However, his sleep had been restless, as it had been for the past few nights… he was dreaming again. And he spoke aloud in his sleep.
" …Sis… I'm …all alone. But I'm doing my best… I'll be Ok without you, Sis. I'll be able to take care of myself…"
Squall's eyes squeezed tightly shut as he spoke. He frowned and mumbled, all the while tossing and turning in bed…
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A loud voice awoke Squall from his sleep the following morning.
"Squall! Squall!! Please report to the bridge immediately."
It was Xu, over the Garden P.A. system. Her voice sounded urgent, but Squall was just irritated.
"What is it now?" he wondered.
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As Squall came up the bridge elevator, Quistis, Xu, and another SeeD all stood at attention on the control panel deck. Squall recognized the other young man as the student he'd graduated with… Nida.
Quistis smiled at Squall proudly.
"Greetings commander!" she exclaimed.
Squall glared at her.
"Don't call me that" he said.
"We thought you should have a title" Xu explained. "So Quistis and I decided on commander."
Squall rolled his eyes, and yawned.
"Anyway…" Quistis started. "Sorry to carry things out on our own, but Xu and I assigned duties."
Squall eyed her curiously. What did she mean?
Xu spoke up.
" I'll take care of all the supplies needed in the Garden" she explained.
"And I'll help take care of the students with Dr. Kadowaki" Quistis said. "You can just focus on our destination and battle plans."
She looked back and forth warily before continuing, she leaned in towards Squall.
"And, ah… Will you let Selphie rest a while? I think she's exhausted from the missile base mission. She could use some rest" she said. "How does that sound to you?"
Squall thought a moment. It seemed alright to him
"Fine…" he said.
" All right," Xu said. "I have some reports for you already... whenever you get a minute."
Squall nodded. Nida then spoke up.
"Hey, Squall. By the way, you know the FH technicians were fixing the Garden, right? They just finished, meaning… The Garden's ready to go anytime." He explained happily.
"Oh yeah. I'll be piloting the Garden. FH technicians taught me everything about piloting this thing. Let me know when you want to go."
Quistis looked at Squall curiously.
"Any suggestions on where we should go?"
Xu raised her hand quickly, and spoke up
"Hey, why don't we head back to Balamb? We don't know what's happened since we left. Besides, Balamb may be their next target. It's a harbor town, just like FH."
Quistis nodded nervously
"You're right. Squall, what do you think?"
"…sounds good to me." Squall said, nodding. "We can leave in just a minute then."
Squall took a moment to look around the bridge. He noticed that a large white shaft and been fixed into the control paneling. Nida leaned up against it. There were some buttons on it, but other than that, it just seemed to rock slightly back and forth… a steering mechanism, squall assumed. As he inspected it, Quistis and Xu were engaged min conversation.
"What does the sorceress really want?" Quistis asked. "It doesn't seem something as simple as world domination…"
"I dunno…" Xu lamented. "And what about her ship? The ship that took Ellone.. Where do you think it is? I mean, who are all those people on that ship?"
neither of them had answers. The whole situation became more and more confusing with each new bit of information. Quistis just sighed, and turned to Squall.
"I wonder if Selphie's feeling better?" Quistis said. "She's actually a real sensitive type."
Squall merely shrugged, as Quistis knew he would, and approached Nida, finally ready to depart.
"Are we ready to go?" Nida asked.
Squall nodded.
"We're taking off. I'll direct you to our destination. Announce the departure" he commanded.
"Roger!" Nida complied, flicking a switch to turn the P.A. system on. His voice sounded throughout Garden.
"May I have your attention please. This is the bridge. The garden will be leaving FH shortly. Prepare for departure. I'll now hand the mic over to our leader, Squall."
Squall's voice now sounded as well.
"A speech…? Forget it. Cut the mic!" he cried angrily.
On the bridge, Xu and Quistis laughed at Squall's reaction. He merely folded his arms.
Xu looked out to the open sea, as Garden began shifting away from the FH dock.
"Oh Balamb…" she said to herself. "Feels like a long time since we left."
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End Chap. 30
Whoo-hoo! Moving ever foreward…
Is Squall changing AT ALL? -_-… he'd better be. Anyway, next time around, Balamb garden visits it's hometown… but this is no pleasure cruise as we all know… Something bad happens, but Squall and co. get to fix it right up! So read on, leave a review or two, or three or four… and keep on gamin'.
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