"Is it over...?"
"What happened...?"
"Rinoa......"
"What happened to Rinoa......?"
Squall was lying in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He'd been there for five hours now, just gazing at the same spot. He'd counted all fifty-two tiles on his dormitory ceiling, eighteen times over. Or was it nineteen?
It didn't matter anyway, because just as he started counting again, Quistis' voice crackled into life over the speaker system. She sounded very sombre and dull.
"Squall, can you hear me?" she asked. "We need you up on the bridge. We're going to head to Edea's House. The Sorceress Ede – um, Matron … is back at the orphanage."
It seemed to take all of Squall's energy to heave himself up off his bed, but he managed it, and after wiping his tired, aching and damp eyes, began the long, slow walk up onto the bridge. He couldn't help but overhear students' conversations as he walked, but none of it really sank in.
"Hey...Is it really over?"
"The Garden is becoming so lonely. So many people dropped out..."
"I thought it was the end for me when we had to fight with the other Garden."
"Is the scary stuff over? It's over, right?"
"All stupid talk," Squall thought bitterly. "Everyone depending on each other … look, it's over. No need to talk about it."
He reached the bridge, where Quistis and the others had already been waiting for at least ten minutes.
"Matron is back at the house," Quistis told Squall again.
He nodded glumly, and Quistis whispered something to Nida, who began steering the Garden.
"The Sorceress Edea...Our Matron...I wanna hear what she has to say," Zell mused aloud, then pulled Squall to one side as the others began to chat.
"Uhhh...Um, how's Rinoa doin'?" he struggled to ask. "She still in a coma?"
Squall nodded slowly.
"Look, don't take it too hard. She'll snap out of it eventually," Zell offered, trying to sound as optimistic as possible.
Squall nodded a second time, and Zell turned back to the others, leaving Squall to be alone with his thoughts.
Edea's house wasn't actually that far away. If the battle hadn't broken out between the two Gardens, they would have reached it in only half an hour or so. They just had to fly over the now destroyed forest, travel a little over the rocky ground, and there it was, on the coast next to a lighthouse. The orphanage.
"...I feel uncomfortable seeing her," Quistis admitted as the team approached the desolate building.
"I'll go after you, Squall," Selphie said, pushing him forward. "Ok, ok?"
Without saying a word, Squall lead the group up a path or circular slabs.
"We're meeting the Matron," Zell shuddered slightly. "M-Man, I'm nervous."
"There's so much we want to ask her," Irvine put in, looking around at their surroundings.
Squall pushed open the front door carefully, afraid that the rotting wood might detach from its hinges, and stepped into the house. The smell was similar to rain, and through all the smashed and broken bricks, weeds and flowers had blossomed over the years.
Headmaster Cid was standing in the room, as if he had been expecting them.
"Squall," he greeted him with a handshake. "...Many thanks for your hard work."
He chuckled to himself as Squall frowned at him.
"Are you angry with me?" he asked. "Hahaha...I don't blame you. All I do is talk big, but in times of trouble, I run away. But I was in a no-win situation, you see. Your defeat would be the end of you. Your victory would mean losing my wife. I just couldn't bear to face either circumstance. I don't care about myself, but … please forgive Edea."
Squall paused for a moment to absorb all this as Cid pointed to a door that lead outside, onto the beach. Squall then lead the group outside onto the soft sand, where Edea was waiting.
Her eyes were sunken into her skull; she looked dead. She had removed the exotic make-up she previously wore everyday, but not well, there were black circles under her eyes that aged her greatly. Her skin was pale, and she had removed all the exquisite garments and ornamental accessories, now dressed in a simple, torn, black dress. Squall could hardly bear to look at her.
"My children," she rasped, her throat aching from crying, "Please forgive me. I raised you as my own, yet still, I..." she choked, and held back a sob.
"We feel the same way," Squall said comfortingly.
"We fought you, too, knowing you were our Matron," Zell said.
"You are SeeDs. You cannot back out of a battle, I know," Edea looked up at the group very fondly. "You are magnificent. However, it is not over yet. At anytime, I may..."
Edea broke down, and Cid, who had also come outside, wrapped his arms around her. Squall looked down at the floor, not knowing what to say or do.
Eventually Edea composed herself, and wiped her fragile eyes with a cloth Cid had given her.
"...I have been possessed all this time," she revealed gravely. "I was at the mercy of Sorceress Ultimecia."
Everyone gasped, but Squall just looked on at her, waiting for more.
"Ultimecia is a sorceress from the future," Edea explained as clearly as she could. "A sorceress many generations ahead of our time. Ultimecia's objective is to find Ellone. She is after Ellone's mysterious power. I know Ellone very well."
"Ultimecia is a very fearful sorceress," Cid helped her along. "Her heart is filled with anger and hate."
"There was no way I was going to let Ultimecia get a hold of Ellone," Edea shook her head, remembering. "So I surrendered my soul to Ultimecia, and lost control of my mind. That was the only way I could save Ellone. And the end result …" she looked off into the distance, her sentence trailing away. "Well, you all know."
"What can we –" Selphie began, but Edea raised up a hand, asking her to stop.
"Please, let me finish," she asked. "The sorceress that appeared in Galbadia was in fact Ultimecia, inside my shell. Ultimecia has yet to achieve her goal, so I believe she may use my body again to carry out her plans. I plan to make a stand this time, but ... if that does not work ... I may have to face you in battle once again. I ask for your support, young SeeDs."
Everyone looked at each other, not knowing how to reply.
"Have you all heard of Sorceress Adel before?" Edea asked, sounding a little brighter.
"She was the ruler of Esthar during the Sorceress War. No one knows of her whereabouts," Zell recited from a history book. "That's what I learned."
"The Galbadians must have thought I was the sorceress who received Sorceress Adel's powers. However, that is not the case. I received the powers of the previous sorceress at the age of 5," Edea informed the group, who were hanging off her every word.
"I don't quite understand," Irvine butted in, with a confused frown. "What does Adel have to do with it?"
"I believe Sorceress Adel is still alive," Edea told them. "And that Ultimecia released my body in order to use the body of Sorceress Adel. Sorceress Adel is the type who will not hesitate to use her powers for her own selfish desires. Should Sorceress Ultimecia from the future bequeath her anger and hatred unto Adel, their power would be unimaginable..." she trailed off again.
"I've heard enough," Squall said rudely, shocking everyone. There was only one thing he cared about. "Matron, do you know what's wrong with Rinoa?"
"Rinoa is the girl in light blue?" Edea checked, and Squall nodded, with his lips pressed together furiously. "I remember vaguely...What happened to her?"
"She was with us when we fought you. But after the battle…" Squall was struggling to find words.
"Don't cry!" he scolded himself. "Just concentrate on what you have to say."
"H-Her body was cold," he explained, fighting back tears. "She didn't move-"
"Did Rinoa die?!" Cid exclaimed, and Squall lashed out an arm.
"NO!!!" he yelled, but luckily didn't strike anyone.
"Forgive me, Squall," Edea sighed heavily. "I don't think I can be of any help."
"…It's all right," Squall said, calming down. He couldn't believe the way he was acting around Matron and the Headmaster.
"Squall, I understand how you feel. But you are in a position of leadership," Cid reminded the teenager. "The other students at Garden have a right to know about the outcome of the battle and what's to come next. Take the information we have given you back to Garden. Remember, it wasn't just Rinoa. Everyone fought."
"I understand," Squall retorted, opening out his hands in a pleading gesture. "But..."
"But, but, but!" Cid said firmly, stamping his foot on the ground in a move that shocked everyone. "That isn't something a leader should say."
Squall angrily kicked his foot at the ground, lightly spraying sand around his ankles. The others began to return to the conversation, trying to figure everything out.
"Ultimecia's objective is to find Ellone," someone said. Squall didn't see who, he wasn't looking, or even listening.
"The first time we met was the day I became a SeeD. We met again...in Timber..."
"Ellone's mysterious power...Sending one's consciousness back into the past."
"So, Ultimecia wants to use Ellone's power, right?"
"We had a lot of arguments at first. But in time, things began to change."
"Ohh, I get it! Ultimecia wants to send her consciousness from this period further into the past."
"What's she going to do in the past?"
"You were looking at me...You smiled when our eyes met."
"Time compression."
"Time compression?"
"It made me feel calm, tranquil."
"It's time magic. Past, present, and future get compressed."
"What's going to happen to the world? Why do something like that?"
"Rinoa...Give me another chance."
"I can't even imagine a world where time is compressed!"
"Please, Rinoa…"
"Yo, Squall!" Zell shouted, and everyone turned to look at their leader.
"You're not even listening!" Selphie sighed in despair.
"Yes, I was," Squall lied. "So basically, all we have to do is prevent Ultimecia from getting a hold of
Ellone. No big deal," Squall shrugged.
"Yes, but-" Quistis began, but Squall cut her off.
"We're going back to Garden," he snapped. "We have to let everyone know."
"Hey, we're worried about Rinoa too, y'know?" Irvine told him softly.
"Then why don't you-" he began to raise his voice, then just huffed. "Oh, forget it! I'm going back."
"That about covers the update," Squall was saying through the speaker system. It had been five minutes since he'd stomped off and returned to Garden. "Our task at hand is to find Ellone. Then we'll deal with Ultimecia. I believe that Ellone is on the White SeeD ship. We're setting out to look for it, but we don't know where it is, so we're going to gather information for a while. Be prepared for battle at any time. And ... Sorceress Edea is back at her home. She's not our enemy anymore. Let's just leave her alone."
The microphone clicked off, and Squall was left alone on the bridge with Quistis. The others had gone to eat and rest.
"Is Rinoa in the infirmary?" Quistis asked while innocently brushing a clump of hair behind her ear, even though she knew very well where Rinoa was. But at least she was making conversation. "I think I'll go visit her later."
"Whatever," Squall muttered, and rudely pushed past her, into the lift. Quistis watched him go with a sigh.
Squall knew deep in his heart that everyone just wanted to help and support him, but he just became more and more annoyed at their pointless chatter. He wanted to get away from everyone. He wanted to see Rinoa.
Squall stomped into the Infirmary. Dr. Kadowaki wasn't there – she must have been tending to a student elsewhere in the Garden.
Rinoa was lying motionless on the bed, the same bed Squall had woken up on before all this mess happened, when he had been fighting with Seifer.
"Rinoa," he said under his breath, clutching her delicate hand. It was very pale. "You feel so cold. Are you going to be like this forever?"
Of course, Rinoa didn't say anything. She just lay there, with her hands clasped neatly together on her chest. She looked like an angel.
"Isn't there anything I can do?!" Squall cried out in despair. "You were so full of life! Now you don't even make a sound...I just want to hear your voice."
Squall didn't even know why he was blurting all this out, it was like talking to a wall. But it felt right, somehow.
"Rinoa...Call my name," he pleaded, before he collapsed onto the bed, and entered the dream world.
"Why the heck do I have to do this?" Laguna whined.
"'Cause we have no money," Kiros replied. Ward, as usual, didn't say anything.
Laguna, Kiros and Ward were stood on a large ledge at the bottom of a mountain. The terrain was fairly rocky, but a pathway had been defined over the years.
"Alright!" Laguna surrendered, feeling uncomfortable at them both staring at him. "I'm sorry! Yeah, so it's kinda my fault that we stayed at the hotel so often…But heck, I'm not cut out to be an actor!"
"So you say, but we know you're really quite excited," Kiros smirked.
"Ok everyone! Take your positions!" the movie director called out. Across from the three men, the director and his filming crew had created the set and were just finishing displaying the lights and cameras.
"Man, I can't believe this director - making a movie with me, an amateur," Laguna muttered. "What the heck am I supposed to do?"
Ward looked at him.
"Alright, alright," Laguna said again. "So we were lucky I got the job. As long as we make some money, right?"
Ward reached over and out of a large case, pulled out a knight's uniform made (very badly) out of cardboard and tin foil.
"A-Are you serious!?" Laguna's jaw dropped as Ward handed him the suit. "What kind of costume is this!?"
"Ah, ah, ah...No complaining!" Kiros gave Laguna a shove forward onto the set after he'd pulled on the weird outfit. "Let's go, let's go, let's go!"
"Hey, look at you," the director grinned from behind a large camera. "Not bad."
"This is your co-star, playing the part of the sorceress," the director introduced Laguna to a young woman.
"Hi, nice to meet you!" she greeted him friendly.
"All we need now is someone to play the dragon," the director murmured thoughtfully. Just then, Kiros unknowingly followed Laguna onto the set.
"Oh, perfect!" the director couldn't believe his luck, and pointed to Kiros and Ward. "Hey, you two back there!"
"Yes?" Kiros asked, and Ward looked up.
"I'm kinda in a squeeze here," the director explained anxiously. "The guy playing the dragon is sick...Do you think you could put on the dragon costume and kinda just...walk down here? I'll pay ya…"
"Uh, I guess so," Kiros agreed reluctantly, but he could hardly say no after the lecture he'd just given Laguna about needing money. He lead Ward off the set to go and collect the dragon costume.
"Ok, just be on standby over there," the director instructed them as they left, then disappeared again behind his camera. "Ok people, here we go. Scene 12, Death of the Sorceress. Ready......ACTION!!!"
"Oh, Sir Knight," Laguna's female co-star cooed. "Save me from the wicked dragon!"
"Oh...Ok...I...I'll s-save you from the dragon," Laguna stammered, impressed by his co-star's brilliant acting.
"...Darn it!" he scolded himself. "I'm gettin' all nervous here. And what's with this gunblade? Haven't used one of these since training. Kinda like this, I guess…?"
He swung the gunblade around, a little clumsily, but convincingly enough.
"Hey, not bad. Uh, I'll just put in some voice overs," the director explained. "Ok! Bring on the dragon!"
There was no appearance from Kiros and Ward for a few moments. The cast and crew looked around for the two men.
"Hey! Come on, guys! The dragon!" the director shouted impatiently.
Sure enough, a large red dragon stomped onto the set.
"Alright! Here we go!" the director said excitedly.
The dragon let out a ferocious roar.
"Wow!" the director gaped, impressed. "Just like the real thing! Excellent work, guys! Wait a minute...Was the costume THAT big?"
"Whoa!" Laguna thought, gazing up at what he thought was his friends in a dragon costume. "Kiros n' Ward are takin' this seriously. Man, looks like the real thing..."
The dragon let out another roar, and swiped a long-fingered claw at Laguna.
"Erghhh!!!" Laguna yelped, jumping backwards, then leant forward and whispered. "G-Geez...! Take it easy, Kiros!"
The dragon let out a puff of smoke through its nostrils, and as the clogs in Laguna's head slowly ticked, a wave of realisation suddenly washed over him.
"I-Is this thing real?" he yelped.
"WHAT!!! No wonder!" the director shouted. "W-What am I doin'...? I'm getting' outta here! W-Well, Sir Knight...It's all yours!"
The cowardly director and his crew ran off, leaving their equipment behind.
"S-S-Sir Knight," the co-star said, still in acting mode, "I must bid you farewell!"
The co-star too, ran off, leaving Laguna alone.
"H-HEY! Don't just leave me here!" he called after them, but it was no use. The dragon opened its jaw and took a playful snap at Laguna. "Tch! It's not gonna let me go. Hmm, the gunblade..."
Luckily, Laguna's weapon was real, and not just a badly constructed prop like his costume. He struck out at the dragon a little awkwardly, but did manage to do some damage, even though he was much more used to using a gun.
"Hyah!" Laguna brought the gunblade up again and sliced the crown of the dragon's head. It roared in pain, and batted at its head with its claws.
"Now's my chance!" Laguna said to himself, and raced down the path onto a clearing. "RUN!"
He ran off the mountain and further into a canyon, and was about to make his escape when the ruby dragon leapt down of the mountain and blocked his way.
"Darn! Stupid dragon!" Laguna raised his weapon up again. "Where the heck are Kiros and Ward?!"
"Laguna, did you call me?" Kiros asked from above him, then jumped down and stumbled onto his knees. "Yahhh!"
"Wait long enough?" Kiros joked to Laguna, as Ward jumped down after Kiros and landed on his backside.
"Here!" Kiros threw Laguna his machine gun and he tore off the ridiculous costume.
"Alright!" Laguna span round and did his usual battle pose, "Time to kick some dragon butt!"
He unleashed his weapon on the dragon, firing a round of six bullets into it's chest. The dragon roared in pain, then took a swipe at Kiros with it's claws. Luckily Kiros, being as agile as he was, dived out of the way before he got hurt. If he hadn't, the wound could have been fatal.
"Man, this thing is strong!" Laguna concluded. "We're outta here!"
He fired up at the dragon's head, blinding it temporarily, and the three quickly ran under it's belly and didn't stop running until they reached an open area, similar to a desert.
"What…is THAT?" Laguna gaped, pointing up at a huge floating object, far in the distance. No, it wasn't huge – it was positively, extremely enourmous. It was like nothing the three had ever seen before, although there were some quite unusual things in their land.
The giant structure was most definitely man-made, they could tell that from the perfect straight lines and right angles. It was basically a cuboid, with some sort of decorative feature at the top of each face. And it was just floating in the air, silently, and very mysteriously.
It was dark. What Squall was seeing now was the inside of his eyelids.
"I can't disconnect," said a female voice in Squall's head.
"What is this … 'connect' thing?" Squall found himself thinking without even meaning to.
"Is it you, Squall?" Ellone's voice sounded in his mind softly.
"Yeah," Squall 'said' to her.
"Connect is just what I call it," Ellone said, and he could tell that wherever she was, she was smiling. "It's when I use my special power."
"Oh, I know," she said brightly. "I must be asleep. That's why I can't control it. I'm sorry, Squall. Just let me use your spirit for a little while longer."
"Let me go back," Squall pleaded.
After a few seconds of silence, the darkness faded and Squall found himself seeing the orphanage.
"She ain't here, either," Laguna sighed.
"If I may ask, what happened to this Ellone?" Edea queried politely.
"She was kidnapped by Esthar soldiers," Laguna explained grimly, not looking at Edea and pulling his long hair into a loose ponytail. "I've been travelling, tryin' all I can to get inside Esthar, but..."
"They were looking for a successor to the Esthar sorceress, Adel?" Edea guessed.
"Yeah, yeah!" Laguna clicked his fingers. "Exactly it!"
"Is she your daughter?" Edea continued with her questions, trying to find out as much as she could.
"No," Laguna blushed a little. "But she's just so cute! Oh, I wish I could hear her voice!"
"I want to hear Rinoa's voice," Squall thought bitterly.
Laguna's ears perked up and he started looking over his shoulder.
"Is something the matter?" Edea asked, puzzled at his sudden movement.
"No, just thought I heard something," Laguna admitted, then laughed a little. "Must be the faeries."
"I don't care if it's in the past or what," Squall thought, with determination. "I want to hear Rinoa. I want to see Rinoa. That way, there might be a chance to save her."
"You can't change the past. I just found that out," Ellone informed him kindly. "When I was kidnapped, Uncle Laguna went on a journey to find me, but because he did, Uncle Laguna wasn't able to be by Raine's side when she died. Raine wanted to show Laguna her new born baby. Raine kept calling out for Laguna. So no matter what, I wanted Laguna to stay in the village…But it didn't work. I can no longer make it back to that moment...And also...I can only send you inside someone I've met before. I'm sorry, Squall. I'm about to disconnect. I'll try again to speak to you this way."
"Sis! Ellone!" Squall called out helplessly. "I'm..."
Squall woke up suddenly in a cold sweat, still hunched over Rinoa's lifeless body. He pushed himself up and mopped his brow, taking in deep gulps of air.
"What's happening to me?" he asked himself. "Rinoa … I need you. I need to hear your voice."
"I can see you if we go back in time! Maybe even change things!" he blurted out loud, then shouted up at the ceiling. "Ellone! Ellone! Can you hear me? Send me back to the moment Rinoa went into a coma!"
There was no answer, only a light fluttering from the curtain as it was blown by the salty sea breeze. Resting his head in his hands, Squall slumped into a small chair beside the Infirmary bed.
"Ellone, you won't answer me?" he thought miserably. "I know she's on the White SeeD ship. White Seed...Edea's SeeD...Edea's SeeD?"
His eyes widened as he came to a conclusion, and without helping himself, shouted aloud: "Maybe Edea would know the whereabouts of the ship! Then I can see Ellone. Then maybe I can go back!"