'Gentlemen, it has come to my attention that most of you have -
reservations about going into battle against Aifel Massery. Against a
fierce, brutish leader and commander of an overwhelming military force,
capable of destroying SeeD many times over. I want you all to know that,
off the record, I agree with you. I share your reservations, and your
utmost concern for our soldiers . . . but that's not why I'm here. I'm a
commander, as are all of you standing in front of me. We have a role, a
responsibility to the world, to be bold and strong in situations that would
make other men kneel down and cry for their mothers. Hardest of all, we're
the men who have to make the hard choices. We're the men who have to shape
the lives and destinies of those below us to our will, like pawns in some
twisted game of chess. And, sometimes, we have to make sacrifices for the
good of the game. We're the men who have to lead our soldiers into what
could possibly be their last moments of existence. In war, we truly are
the judge, the jury and the executioner.
'But I'm not the type of man to carelessly throw away lives. I won't do it on a whim. And I ask you now, who would? Who would want to order our courageous young soldiers, the men we spend our lives training, into a war against an enemy that they cannot possibly defeat? Where's the sense in it? If an army of twelve hundred men isn't enough to destroy us, Massery will send ten thousand. If ten thousand doesn't do it for him, he will send fifty thousand. We live in a dangerous world, gentlemen, when a weapon of that power can be so easily controlled, and so easily tossed around a continent, like a rag doll. Like a child's toy.
'I can already see dark days looming on the horizon for all of us, and it's when I look to the clouds that I remember - we're more than a mindless mob. We are SeeD. It's our role, our destiny to stand tall for the weak and uphold the peace in the universe. We have been given the power to vanquish oppression, to conquer persecution, and above all to savour freedom. This is our blessing, and our curse, because if we cannot find a path through the darkness . . . then nobody can. That's why I believe - that's why I know - that we have to do all that we can. For the lives of the people of Timber, and for the future peace of the world.
'We've been asked to defend a city of innocents from an oncoming danger that, without our help, would ultimately seal their own destruction. We've been asked to perform our duties as worthy members of SeeD, and as human beings, to help those dearly in need of it. We have not, however, been asked to declare war on Aifel Massery and the G-Army. We are SeeD. We are soldiers for hire. We have no nation to lose, and no empire to gain. Our only enemies are those that we're called upon to fight against, and we have a role, a duty, to fight those battles that we can, down to the last drops of sweat and blood. This is who we are - this is the destiny that we chose.
'Aifel Massery has dispatched a force of twelve hundred G-Army soldiers to invade, and capture, the city of Timber. Commander Reiken and Commander Gilmore have already shown us that we have the manpower to defeat that force, therefore we must. It's our duty to the world as SeeDs. What if Massery does dispatch another force, to crush what's left of our army, and claim Timber for his own, you ask? A force ten times larger than the first? That shouldn't be our worry for now. What will come will come, and we can decide then whether to meet it or not. I repeat - we are not at war with Aifel Massery. We are not compelled to fight any of his battles. If the SeeD force is outnumbered and overpowered, dishonourable as it may be, we shall have no choice but to cut our losses and remove ourselves from the fray. But until that moment comes, I ask you - no, I beg you - to fight every last fight, to crush every last soldier and to win every last battle.
'Gentlemen, it's time for us to take a vote. To those who would prefer to turn a blind eye to the conflict, ignore our duties as men of integrity, and sacrifice the lives of the innocent to savour our own, vote 'no'. Those who believe that we have the power, the will, the right and the role to stand up to Aifel Massery and fight what he lays before us, vote 'yes' to the battle at Timber.'
* * * * * * *
'So, I guess that's it, then,' Irvine began, in another attempt to penetrate the stagnant fumes of silence that had engulfed the four companions, 'We're going to war again. Just like old times, hmm, Sefie? Guess there won't be any Sorceresses to fight this time around, though. Can't say I'm too bothered.'
'Oh, Irvine, will you just drop it?' replied Selphie exhaustedly, leaning forward on his knee and rubbing her eyes, 'This isn't the time to be thinking about stuff like that! I don't wanna have to fight again, either, but the commander guys made their choice and they're gonna stick to it. We've gotta be there for Squall when he needs us!'
'I know, Sefie, and you know I'll always support Squall, no matter how crazy he ever gets. I'm just trying to lighten the mood here, it looks like you could all use a good laugh.'
'Well, stop trying, okay? We're all really tired right now. Imagine how Squall feels about all this.'
Another short tap from the clock on the cafeteria wall announced to the gang that it was now one o'clock in the morning. None of them noticed the brief intermission that lay between the aeons of silence, and they wouldn't have cared if they had. It had been two long, muted hours since the meeting had finished, and they were all still struggling to catch up with its events. A unanimous decision, from the five main leaders of Garden, to unite with an independent army and defend Timber against the G-Army invasion. At all costs. In just under nine hours, SeeD would be fighting together, as one indivisible force, for the first time in history. Not Zell, Selphie, Quistis nor Irvine could have accounted for the unshakeable feelings of dread that were currently lurking somewhere in the vicinity of their stomachs. They'd all known what Squall's initial intentions were, for he kept no secrets from his closest friends, and this was the eventual outcome that they had all been expecting. But that outcome was war. Was this what Squall had really wanted for them, all this time? Had this been his secret little desire? To lead them all into a playground of terror and bloodshed, wielding a gunblade and his own ruthless persona, to endanger the lives of his very soldiers and companions?
'Yo, guys,' began Zell loudly, raising his head from where it had been resting on his folded arms, 'has anyone seen Rinoa?'
'I saw her at the end of the meeting,' said Irvine seriously, rocking backwards slowly on his chair, 'but she walked off before I got the chance to talk to her. I wouldn't be too enthusiastic about looking for her right now, Zell. If I were you, I'd give her a bit of time to herself. She needs it.'
'What makes you say that?' inquired Selphie, resting her head softly against his shoulder.
'Well, she looked pretty mad,' Irvine continued, 'and this is Rinoa we're talking about. We know how her scales of madness compare to everyone else's. She was fuming. She looked a bit shocked as well. Her face was all white, and she looked like she was about to burst into tears as soon as she got some privacy. I don't know what Squall said to her when he took her into that corner, but whatever it was, it wasn't nice.'
Quistis nodded in agreement. 'I caught a glimpse of Squall's face, when he was talking to her,' she said, 'The look in his eyes . . . I've never seen him that angry, in all the years I've known him. Even Rinoa couldn't compare to that.'
'Yeah, Squall looked pretty pissed!' Zell added, wide-awake now and buzzing with eagerness to gossip, 'What's been up with him anyway - did Rinoa say somethin' bad to him, or somethin'? What's goin' on between 'em?'
The other three turned to stare blankly at Zell, temporarily dumbfounded by his worrying levels of stupidity. They all looked away quickly, collectively groaning and sighing heavily.
'Zell, were you even awake for any of the meeting?' sighed Quistis, a warm smile, nevertheless, beginning to rise at the corners of her lips.
Zell's jaw slackened slightly as he gazed at her dumbly, like a rabbit caught in the headlights of a speeding truck. It wasn't that he was particularly stupid, quite the opposite in fact, but Quistis sometimes got the feeling that if she stared a little closer into his large, blue eyes, currently glazed over with tiredness, she would be looking at the back of his head. Strangely, the thought was quite a comforting one.
'Yeah, of course!' Zell answered loudly, 'I remember what Squall was gabbin' on about at the start! But when those guys really get talkin' . . . man, it makes me sleepy . . .'
Quistis laughed softly to herself, a rare occurrence, even if it was only for a second. Her face, however, remained as it always was . . . strict, proper, organised - an emotionally clean slate.
'But seriously!' Selphie exclaimed. She raised her head from its usual resting place on Irvine's shoulder and looked at Quistis. 'Rinoa can't be mad at Squall now! This is the absolutely baddest time for them to be falling out! If Squall's gonna be thinking about that when we're supposed to be kicking some serious Galbadian butt, he's not gonna have his mind on the battle! What's wrong with Rinoa? I can't believe her!'
'I know what you're saying, Sefie,' said Irvine exasperatedly, stroking her hair absentmindedly, 'and we all agree with you. Squall's got enough problems to deal with right now, without this rearing its ugly head. But this is pretty serious. This isn't something that those two are going to solve over tea and biscuits. It won't go away that easily.'
'Why do you say that?' Quistis asked, frowning.
Irvine slowly turned his head towards her, with a smug and oh-don't-I-know- so-much-more-than-you look plastered across his handsome face. 'Quisty, darling,' he winked smoothly, 'when it comes to knowing what goes on in a lady's head, Irvine Kinneas is always your man.'
Quistis rolled her eyes in disgust. 'I find that hard to believe,' she retorted.
Selphie suddenly snorted in mirth. It was the first time that any of them had seriously laughed, in all the time they had been sitting there. She began to giggle, loudly and uncontrollably, into the depths of Irvine's shoulder. Its owner, on the other hand, looked momentarily stunned.
'Seriously!' he spluttered, desperate to save his argument and, more importantly, his image, 'Hear me out here, guys! I know what I'm talking about!'
'Okay, then, Irvy!' Selphie challenged, struggling to keep a straight face as she stared lovingly into his, 'Give it your best shot!'
'Now, that's the spirit!' Irvine smiled back, 'Okay, then, here it goes. And don't interrupt me in the middle of it!'
'Maybe you should let us all go the bathroom first, then.'
Irvine ignored Quistis' playful quip and cleared his throat dramatically.
'Okay,' he began, slowly. 'We all know that Rinoa and Squall love each other very much - and believe me, that's never going to change. If it hadn't been for tonight's little . . . showdown, we might've been hearing wedding bells much sooner than you'd think. And after what they've been through together, we wouldn't expect anything less from them, right?
'But being in love doesn't mean you change the way you are. It doesn't mean you throw your old personality away. Sure, you might pick up a few extra things along the way, but all your old dreams, your thoughts and feelings, are still tucked away in there. Deep down, Rinoa and Squall are still the same people that they've always been. You following me here, guys? Zell, you still with me?'
'Yo, loud and clear, Romeo.'
'Great. And I hope you can all remember what Squall and Rinoa were like when they were first getting used to each other. You'll know loads more about this than me, Sefie, and you too, Zell - you two've been there right from the beginning. They've been a tricky pair to match, I'll give them that. They've both got their principles, they always have - and they've stuck to them like glue.
'Rinoa feels it's her duty to take care of people. She's always trying to help anyone and everyone who needs it. And Squall . . . Squall's always played the lone wolf, right back from when I first met him. He's an independent kinda guy, trying not to accept help when he can avoid it. I'm telling you, if you went as far as cutting both his legs off, well, you'd have to wait a while for him to ask you for crutches.'
Selphie yawned heavily, finally submitting to the exhaustion and letting her heavy eyelids slide down over her pupils like shutters. She went back to resting her head on Irvine's shoulder. 'What's your point, Irvy?' she groaned.
'Isn't it obvious?' Irvine continued, 'What we're seeing here, guys, isn't just a little squabble over bed-space. This is a fight between two people's solid beliefs - beliefs that they base their lives around. Rinoa'll always try and help Squall as best she can. That's who she is. But Squall's always wanting to be strong for himself, and won't accept her help unless he's got no choice. And him being the head honcho of Garden doesn't help matters. He can't be seen to show any obvious signs of weakness. He's got to be strong- minded and independent. That's his job. Neither of them are ever going to back down over this. I'm telling you, guys, this problem runs deep between 'em. It's not just that they fight over something - they can't actually see how the other person thinks. They don't seem to understand each other anymore . . . and I'll tell you, that's bad. That's really bad.'
Selphie's eyes suddenly flicked open, as though a small imp was operating a switch inside her head, when she realised that Irvine's little speech was over. She slowly sat up on his lap and placed an arm loosely around his shoulders.
'Irvine,' she began seriously, never letting her eyes slip away from his thoughtful gaze, 'I've gotta tell you something. That was probably the smartest thing that anyone's come out with today. All of what you said was, just, so true.'
'You see, Quisty?' Irvine grinned, his confidence now boosted back to its normal levels, 'You can't deny that there wasn't just a bit of truth in that. When it comes to the woes of a good lady's heart, Irvine Kinneas is good in his art! Quisty?'
But Quistis was now too deep in her own thoughts to listen to Irvine's meaningless ramblings about his emotional conquests. Her jaw dropped slightly, and her sparkling blue eyes began to slide out of focus, as she reflected on what he had just shared with the group. Selphie, for once, had hit the nail right on the head, she thought - it was probably the smartest thing that any of them had said so far today.
Rinoa would always be determined to help Squall, in any small way that she could. And Squall would always be determined to cast aside any help offered to him. In a blink of an eye, a multitude of different thoughts, ideas and worries suddenly wormed and squeezed their way into Quistis' once organised mind. Irvine had been absolutely spot-on. Could Rinoa and Squall manage to put their differences aside before the barriers fell, the trumpets sounded and the real conflict began? Where would Squall's thoughts be lying, when his time arrived to lead his faithful soldiers into battle - with the hearts of the innocent citizens of Timber, or with the worry of the growing divide in his own house? How far was Rinoa really prepared to go to answer her heart, and help the love of her life when he needed her the most? And, most importantly, what could she do to help them? What could she do, in the precious little time that they had left, to bring the two together again and focus Squall's mind on the real issue at hand?
'Quisty? You okay over there?'
'I could go and try to talk to Rinoa,' the angel of her soul piped in. 'I'll see if I can persuade her to make up with Squall, before the battle really begins. It's not like I'd be forcing her to do something against her will. That would be wrong. She doesn't have to follow my advice, but the least she can do is listen to what I've got to say. It's the least I can do, too.'
'This isn't your problem to meddle with,' replied the other, darker side to her heart. 'You can't just go forcing your way into people's lives, bossing them around all you like, to get them to do what you want! It's Squall and Rinoa's problem, not yours. Let them deal with it in their own time. You'd only be getting in the way, as usual.'
'I have to help them wherever I can! I'm their friend! I've stood beside both of them since the very beginning! I can't just sit back and watch their relationship fall apart! It's not right!'
'Are you sure that that's what you really want? To see him embracing her tightly again, all hugs, smiles and kisses, to stand and watch them both live happily ever after? Isn't this what you've really wanted, all along? Isn't this what you've been waiting for? You knew, right from the start, that she was never right for him, that they would never last together. She stole him away from you! Why not just stand back, safely, at a distance, and watch their love for each other fall apart? You know that she would do the same. You know that that's what you really desire!'
'No! That's not true! That was a long time ago!'
'Some wounds never totally heal, Quistis. Their love for each other has scarred you. This feeling will never go away, unless you act now to remove it! Admit the truth! You're still in love with Squall! You always will be!'
'No! I'm not!'
All that Irvine, Quistis and Selphie could do was stare, open-mouthed, as Quistis shouted out those last three, little words at the top of her voice. They all sat, in a momentary silence that was identical to the majority of the past two hours, and gaped as she leaned forward harshly in her chair, breathing rapidly and heavily. It wasn't long before their utmost concern for their beloved companion began to kick in. This was Quistis, the adult of the party - the most emotion that she ever normally showed was a small, cold smile and a brief battering of the eyelids.
'Quisty! What's wrong!?'
'Yo, Quistis, what's up with you there!?'
'You ok, Quisty? Was it something I said?'
It wasn't long before Quistis snapped back to reality. 'What am I doing here?' she thought, wildly. 'What have I been doing? There's only eight hours left until the battle for Timber begins! And I've been lounging in an empty cafeteria, indulging in my own petty worries, while my best friends' relationship falls apart!? What have I been thinking!? I should be doing everything that I can for Rinoa! She needs my help!'
'Quisty?'
Quistis stood up sharply and abruptly, causing her chair to tilt backwards and eventually clatter on the tiled floor, sending a gloomy echo resonating into the deepest corners of the cafeteria. She cleared her throat quietly, trying in vain to breathe slowly and lower her pulse rate. There had been enough talking so far today. The time had come to take immediate action.
'This has gone on for long enough,' she said firmly, 'I'm going to go and find Rinoa. We need to talk some sense into those two, before Trabia's SeeDs arrive and our real worries begin. They don't understand! More lives than their own could depend on this now!'
* * * * * * *
Okay, I know that this story's trailing at a snail's pace, but the battles are going to be starting soon enough. This stuff's all pretty essential to the main plot as well . . . you'll realise why a bit later on.
'But I'm not the type of man to carelessly throw away lives. I won't do it on a whim. And I ask you now, who would? Who would want to order our courageous young soldiers, the men we spend our lives training, into a war against an enemy that they cannot possibly defeat? Where's the sense in it? If an army of twelve hundred men isn't enough to destroy us, Massery will send ten thousand. If ten thousand doesn't do it for him, he will send fifty thousand. We live in a dangerous world, gentlemen, when a weapon of that power can be so easily controlled, and so easily tossed around a continent, like a rag doll. Like a child's toy.
'I can already see dark days looming on the horizon for all of us, and it's when I look to the clouds that I remember - we're more than a mindless mob. We are SeeD. It's our role, our destiny to stand tall for the weak and uphold the peace in the universe. We have been given the power to vanquish oppression, to conquer persecution, and above all to savour freedom. This is our blessing, and our curse, because if we cannot find a path through the darkness . . . then nobody can. That's why I believe - that's why I know - that we have to do all that we can. For the lives of the people of Timber, and for the future peace of the world.
'We've been asked to defend a city of innocents from an oncoming danger that, without our help, would ultimately seal their own destruction. We've been asked to perform our duties as worthy members of SeeD, and as human beings, to help those dearly in need of it. We have not, however, been asked to declare war on Aifel Massery and the G-Army. We are SeeD. We are soldiers for hire. We have no nation to lose, and no empire to gain. Our only enemies are those that we're called upon to fight against, and we have a role, a duty, to fight those battles that we can, down to the last drops of sweat and blood. This is who we are - this is the destiny that we chose.
'Aifel Massery has dispatched a force of twelve hundred G-Army soldiers to invade, and capture, the city of Timber. Commander Reiken and Commander Gilmore have already shown us that we have the manpower to defeat that force, therefore we must. It's our duty to the world as SeeDs. What if Massery does dispatch another force, to crush what's left of our army, and claim Timber for his own, you ask? A force ten times larger than the first? That shouldn't be our worry for now. What will come will come, and we can decide then whether to meet it or not. I repeat - we are not at war with Aifel Massery. We are not compelled to fight any of his battles. If the SeeD force is outnumbered and overpowered, dishonourable as it may be, we shall have no choice but to cut our losses and remove ourselves from the fray. But until that moment comes, I ask you - no, I beg you - to fight every last fight, to crush every last soldier and to win every last battle.
'Gentlemen, it's time for us to take a vote. To those who would prefer to turn a blind eye to the conflict, ignore our duties as men of integrity, and sacrifice the lives of the innocent to savour our own, vote 'no'. Those who believe that we have the power, the will, the right and the role to stand up to Aifel Massery and fight what he lays before us, vote 'yes' to the battle at Timber.'
* * * * * * *
'So, I guess that's it, then,' Irvine began, in another attempt to penetrate the stagnant fumes of silence that had engulfed the four companions, 'We're going to war again. Just like old times, hmm, Sefie? Guess there won't be any Sorceresses to fight this time around, though. Can't say I'm too bothered.'
'Oh, Irvine, will you just drop it?' replied Selphie exhaustedly, leaning forward on his knee and rubbing her eyes, 'This isn't the time to be thinking about stuff like that! I don't wanna have to fight again, either, but the commander guys made their choice and they're gonna stick to it. We've gotta be there for Squall when he needs us!'
'I know, Sefie, and you know I'll always support Squall, no matter how crazy he ever gets. I'm just trying to lighten the mood here, it looks like you could all use a good laugh.'
'Well, stop trying, okay? We're all really tired right now. Imagine how Squall feels about all this.'
Another short tap from the clock on the cafeteria wall announced to the gang that it was now one o'clock in the morning. None of them noticed the brief intermission that lay between the aeons of silence, and they wouldn't have cared if they had. It had been two long, muted hours since the meeting had finished, and they were all still struggling to catch up with its events. A unanimous decision, from the five main leaders of Garden, to unite with an independent army and defend Timber against the G-Army invasion. At all costs. In just under nine hours, SeeD would be fighting together, as one indivisible force, for the first time in history. Not Zell, Selphie, Quistis nor Irvine could have accounted for the unshakeable feelings of dread that were currently lurking somewhere in the vicinity of their stomachs. They'd all known what Squall's initial intentions were, for he kept no secrets from his closest friends, and this was the eventual outcome that they had all been expecting. But that outcome was war. Was this what Squall had really wanted for them, all this time? Had this been his secret little desire? To lead them all into a playground of terror and bloodshed, wielding a gunblade and his own ruthless persona, to endanger the lives of his very soldiers and companions?
'Yo, guys,' began Zell loudly, raising his head from where it had been resting on his folded arms, 'has anyone seen Rinoa?'
'I saw her at the end of the meeting,' said Irvine seriously, rocking backwards slowly on his chair, 'but she walked off before I got the chance to talk to her. I wouldn't be too enthusiastic about looking for her right now, Zell. If I were you, I'd give her a bit of time to herself. She needs it.'
'What makes you say that?' inquired Selphie, resting her head softly against his shoulder.
'Well, she looked pretty mad,' Irvine continued, 'and this is Rinoa we're talking about. We know how her scales of madness compare to everyone else's. She was fuming. She looked a bit shocked as well. Her face was all white, and she looked like she was about to burst into tears as soon as she got some privacy. I don't know what Squall said to her when he took her into that corner, but whatever it was, it wasn't nice.'
Quistis nodded in agreement. 'I caught a glimpse of Squall's face, when he was talking to her,' she said, 'The look in his eyes . . . I've never seen him that angry, in all the years I've known him. Even Rinoa couldn't compare to that.'
'Yeah, Squall looked pretty pissed!' Zell added, wide-awake now and buzzing with eagerness to gossip, 'What's been up with him anyway - did Rinoa say somethin' bad to him, or somethin'? What's goin' on between 'em?'
The other three turned to stare blankly at Zell, temporarily dumbfounded by his worrying levels of stupidity. They all looked away quickly, collectively groaning and sighing heavily.
'Zell, were you even awake for any of the meeting?' sighed Quistis, a warm smile, nevertheless, beginning to rise at the corners of her lips.
Zell's jaw slackened slightly as he gazed at her dumbly, like a rabbit caught in the headlights of a speeding truck. It wasn't that he was particularly stupid, quite the opposite in fact, but Quistis sometimes got the feeling that if she stared a little closer into his large, blue eyes, currently glazed over with tiredness, she would be looking at the back of his head. Strangely, the thought was quite a comforting one.
'Yeah, of course!' Zell answered loudly, 'I remember what Squall was gabbin' on about at the start! But when those guys really get talkin' . . . man, it makes me sleepy . . .'
Quistis laughed softly to herself, a rare occurrence, even if it was only for a second. Her face, however, remained as it always was . . . strict, proper, organised - an emotionally clean slate.
'But seriously!' Selphie exclaimed. She raised her head from its usual resting place on Irvine's shoulder and looked at Quistis. 'Rinoa can't be mad at Squall now! This is the absolutely baddest time for them to be falling out! If Squall's gonna be thinking about that when we're supposed to be kicking some serious Galbadian butt, he's not gonna have his mind on the battle! What's wrong with Rinoa? I can't believe her!'
'I know what you're saying, Sefie,' said Irvine exasperatedly, stroking her hair absentmindedly, 'and we all agree with you. Squall's got enough problems to deal with right now, without this rearing its ugly head. But this is pretty serious. This isn't something that those two are going to solve over tea and biscuits. It won't go away that easily.'
'Why do you say that?' Quistis asked, frowning.
Irvine slowly turned his head towards her, with a smug and oh-don't-I-know- so-much-more-than-you look plastered across his handsome face. 'Quisty, darling,' he winked smoothly, 'when it comes to knowing what goes on in a lady's head, Irvine Kinneas is always your man.'
Quistis rolled her eyes in disgust. 'I find that hard to believe,' she retorted.
Selphie suddenly snorted in mirth. It was the first time that any of them had seriously laughed, in all the time they had been sitting there. She began to giggle, loudly and uncontrollably, into the depths of Irvine's shoulder. Its owner, on the other hand, looked momentarily stunned.
'Seriously!' he spluttered, desperate to save his argument and, more importantly, his image, 'Hear me out here, guys! I know what I'm talking about!'
'Okay, then, Irvy!' Selphie challenged, struggling to keep a straight face as she stared lovingly into his, 'Give it your best shot!'
'Now, that's the spirit!' Irvine smiled back, 'Okay, then, here it goes. And don't interrupt me in the middle of it!'
'Maybe you should let us all go the bathroom first, then.'
Irvine ignored Quistis' playful quip and cleared his throat dramatically.
'Okay,' he began, slowly. 'We all know that Rinoa and Squall love each other very much - and believe me, that's never going to change. If it hadn't been for tonight's little . . . showdown, we might've been hearing wedding bells much sooner than you'd think. And after what they've been through together, we wouldn't expect anything less from them, right?
'But being in love doesn't mean you change the way you are. It doesn't mean you throw your old personality away. Sure, you might pick up a few extra things along the way, but all your old dreams, your thoughts and feelings, are still tucked away in there. Deep down, Rinoa and Squall are still the same people that they've always been. You following me here, guys? Zell, you still with me?'
'Yo, loud and clear, Romeo.'
'Great. And I hope you can all remember what Squall and Rinoa were like when they were first getting used to each other. You'll know loads more about this than me, Sefie, and you too, Zell - you two've been there right from the beginning. They've been a tricky pair to match, I'll give them that. They've both got their principles, they always have - and they've stuck to them like glue.
'Rinoa feels it's her duty to take care of people. She's always trying to help anyone and everyone who needs it. And Squall . . . Squall's always played the lone wolf, right back from when I first met him. He's an independent kinda guy, trying not to accept help when he can avoid it. I'm telling you, if you went as far as cutting both his legs off, well, you'd have to wait a while for him to ask you for crutches.'
Selphie yawned heavily, finally submitting to the exhaustion and letting her heavy eyelids slide down over her pupils like shutters. She went back to resting her head on Irvine's shoulder. 'What's your point, Irvy?' she groaned.
'Isn't it obvious?' Irvine continued, 'What we're seeing here, guys, isn't just a little squabble over bed-space. This is a fight between two people's solid beliefs - beliefs that they base their lives around. Rinoa'll always try and help Squall as best she can. That's who she is. But Squall's always wanting to be strong for himself, and won't accept her help unless he's got no choice. And him being the head honcho of Garden doesn't help matters. He can't be seen to show any obvious signs of weakness. He's got to be strong- minded and independent. That's his job. Neither of them are ever going to back down over this. I'm telling you, guys, this problem runs deep between 'em. It's not just that they fight over something - they can't actually see how the other person thinks. They don't seem to understand each other anymore . . . and I'll tell you, that's bad. That's really bad.'
Selphie's eyes suddenly flicked open, as though a small imp was operating a switch inside her head, when she realised that Irvine's little speech was over. She slowly sat up on his lap and placed an arm loosely around his shoulders.
'Irvine,' she began seriously, never letting her eyes slip away from his thoughtful gaze, 'I've gotta tell you something. That was probably the smartest thing that anyone's come out with today. All of what you said was, just, so true.'
'You see, Quisty?' Irvine grinned, his confidence now boosted back to its normal levels, 'You can't deny that there wasn't just a bit of truth in that. When it comes to the woes of a good lady's heart, Irvine Kinneas is good in his art! Quisty?'
But Quistis was now too deep in her own thoughts to listen to Irvine's meaningless ramblings about his emotional conquests. Her jaw dropped slightly, and her sparkling blue eyes began to slide out of focus, as she reflected on what he had just shared with the group. Selphie, for once, had hit the nail right on the head, she thought - it was probably the smartest thing that any of them had said so far today.
Rinoa would always be determined to help Squall, in any small way that she could. And Squall would always be determined to cast aside any help offered to him. In a blink of an eye, a multitude of different thoughts, ideas and worries suddenly wormed and squeezed their way into Quistis' once organised mind. Irvine had been absolutely spot-on. Could Rinoa and Squall manage to put their differences aside before the barriers fell, the trumpets sounded and the real conflict began? Where would Squall's thoughts be lying, when his time arrived to lead his faithful soldiers into battle - with the hearts of the innocent citizens of Timber, or with the worry of the growing divide in his own house? How far was Rinoa really prepared to go to answer her heart, and help the love of her life when he needed her the most? And, most importantly, what could she do to help them? What could she do, in the precious little time that they had left, to bring the two together again and focus Squall's mind on the real issue at hand?
'Quisty? You okay over there?'
'I could go and try to talk to Rinoa,' the angel of her soul piped in. 'I'll see if I can persuade her to make up with Squall, before the battle really begins. It's not like I'd be forcing her to do something against her will. That would be wrong. She doesn't have to follow my advice, but the least she can do is listen to what I've got to say. It's the least I can do, too.'
'This isn't your problem to meddle with,' replied the other, darker side to her heart. 'You can't just go forcing your way into people's lives, bossing them around all you like, to get them to do what you want! It's Squall and Rinoa's problem, not yours. Let them deal with it in their own time. You'd only be getting in the way, as usual.'
'I have to help them wherever I can! I'm their friend! I've stood beside both of them since the very beginning! I can't just sit back and watch their relationship fall apart! It's not right!'
'Are you sure that that's what you really want? To see him embracing her tightly again, all hugs, smiles and kisses, to stand and watch them both live happily ever after? Isn't this what you've really wanted, all along? Isn't this what you've been waiting for? You knew, right from the start, that she was never right for him, that they would never last together. She stole him away from you! Why not just stand back, safely, at a distance, and watch their love for each other fall apart? You know that she would do the same. You know that that's what you really desire!'
'No! That's not true! That was a long time ago!'
'Some wounds never totally heal, Quistis. Their love for each other has scarred you. This feeling will never go away, unless you act now to remove it! Admit the truth! You're still in love with Squall! You always will be!'
'No! I'm not!'
All that Irvine, Quistis and Selphie could do was stare, open-mouthed, as Quistis shouted out those last three, little words at the top of her voice. They all sat, in a momentary silence that was identical to the majority of the past two hours, and gaped as she leaned forward harshly in her chair, breathing rapidly and heavily. It wasn't long before their utmost concern for their beloved companion began to kick in. This was Quistis, the adult of the party - the most emotion that she ever normally showed was a small, cold smile and a brief battering of the eyelids.
'Quisty! What's wrong!?'
'Yo, Quistis, what's up with you there!?'
'You ok, Quisty? Was it something I said?'
It wasn't long before Quistis snapped back to reality. 'What am I doing here?' she thought, wildly. 'What have I been doing? There's only eight hours left until the battle for Timber begins! And I've been lounging in an empty cafeteria, indulging in my own petty worries, while my best friends' relationship falls apart!? What have I been thinking!? I should be doing everything that I can for Rinoa! She needs my help!'
'Quisty?'
Quistis stood up sharply and abruptly, causing her chair to tilt backwards and eventually clatter on the tiled floor, sending a gloomy echo resonating into the deepest corners of the cafeteria. She cleared her throat quietly, trying in vain to breathe slowly and lower her pulse rate. There had been enough talking so far today. The time had come to take immediate action.
'This has gone on for long enough,' she said firmly, 'I'm going to go and find Rinoa. We need to talk some sense into those two, before Trabia's SeeDs arrive and our real worries begin. They don't understand! More lives than their own could depend on this now!'
* * * * * * *
Okay, I know that this story's trailing at a snail's pace, but the battles are going to be starting soon enough. This stuff's all pretty essential to the main plot as well . . . you'll realise why a bit later on.