Chapter 35: Forgotten Innocence
The inside of Garden was chaos.
Controlled chaos, but nonetheless, chaos. Squall walked among a virtual sandstorm of roving uniforms from the dorms to the elevators. All around him swirled the myriad of colors associated with the eclectic fighting force that fate had assembled within Garden. The red and matte black of Galbadia Garden cadets, navy blue and silver of the Balamb cadets, the black and blue of both Gardens' SeeD forces, and everywhere, the omnipresent olive green of Dollet's soldiers. They rushed about, ferrying orders, equipment, or to their various tasks.
Squall spotted one group of cadets and SeeDs checking assault weapons near one of the walkways, while another pair of SeeDs consulted with a Dollet sergeant on some task or another. Zell could be seen near the garage, surrounded by SeeDs and cadets, as well as Dollet army specialists whom he had drafted into refitting duty. From the parking garage a pair of cadets wheeled out crates filled with munitions and explosives, both of them wearing the bandanas Irvine had come up with to indicate those on raiding duty. Rinoa could be seen talking with some of the junior cadets, those too young to serve in combat, and giving them direction. Squall didn't see Selphie, but he suspected she was out in the Quad, doing more work on the insane contraption she had dubbed the Blue Bomber. She had rented some heavy moving equipment while in Dollet and had moved the massive tank - now festooned with dozens of missile launchers of various sizes and capacity - and had plopped the weapon in the Quad at Squall's order. It was a better place, he had reasoned, for the weapon anyway.
Squall entered the elevator, sharing it with a pair of Dollet troopers and a Galbadia cadet, and rode it up. The troopers got off on the second floor, which had virtually become a Dollet field base, the classrooms and gyms and labs refitted to house the 125th Dollet Infantry Battalion. Squall and the cadet got off at the top floor, and the Garden Commander headed to the conference room where the leaders of the disparate force were assembling.
Squall entered the room, and nodded to the Headmaster, as well as Xu and Quistis, who were all seated around the table. Opposite them were a pair of older men, almost the same age as Cid, in the green uniforms of Dollet soldiers.
"Good morning, Commander," Cid stated, and was echoed by Xu and Quistis.
"Good morning, sir," Squall answered by habit, despite the fact that he and Cid were, under the new hierarchy, at the same level.
"You just got back yesterday, so you still haven't been introduced to the heads of our Dollet allies," Cid explained.
"Colonel Randolph," said the elder of the two Dollet soldiers, standing. He offered Squall his hand, and he shook it. "And my executive officer, Major Ellis." Major Ellis nodded. "We're quite happy to be working with you, Commander. Your reputation proceeds you, and all of my men are eager to take the fight to Galbadia alongside yours."
"We're happy you're on board," Squall replied.
"Well then," Cid added. "Let's get this underway. Quistis?"
Quistis nodded and rose, tapping a control that dimmed the lights while Squall and Randolph took their seats. A television screen lit up across from the table, showing the Garden symbol. It then switched over to showing a cross section of Balamb Garden.
"First of all, a report on our troop numbers," she explained. "Our current force numbers at a little over three thousand and seven hundred men. Roughly seven hundred of those are SeeDs, two hundred from Balamb Garden and five hundred from Galbadia Garden. Another thousand are cadets from both Gardens, four hundred from Balamb and six hundred from Galbadia Garden. The other two thousand are Colonel Randolph's 125th.
"Obviously, we've had to hand over the second floor almost entirely to your men, Colonel. We don't have anywhere else to put them."
"That's understandable," the colonel replied. "We're a bit tightly packed, but we can handle it." That was an understatement; Colonel Randolph's 125th had been a secret unit based out of Dollet's mountains. They were used to living outdoors and in rough environments. Having a roof over their heads was a luxury for them.
"How are our forces?" Cid asked, and Quistis shrugged.
"Pretty well. The cadets are assembled on the lower levels, and a lot of the Galbadia Garden personnel have to sleep in the Quad, cafeteria, or library, or in the extra rooms we added. Some of the third floor offices are being converted into living quarters as well. Morale is strong. We can thank Rinoa, Selphie, and Doctor Kadowaki for that."
"What about your peoples' experience?" Randolph asked, curious. "How well can your cadets stand up in a fight?"
"Our cadets range from ages thirteen to nineteen," she replied. "Basically, from the start of serious weapons training onward. They all have some experience, at the very least fighting monsters, and the Balamb cadets have training in GF usage. Galbadia's cadets have mostly training in firearms, technology, and magic. We estimate that in a straight up battle they should be able to hold their own one-on-one against the Galbadians." Randolph nodded in satisfaction.
"Munitions and supplies?" Cid asked, and that was Xu's turn to stand.
"We're pretty well off, considering we don't have a permanent base of operations," she stated, stepping up to the screen while Quistis took her seat. "As long as we can keep up these pirate raids against Galbadian shipping and have safe harbor at Dollet and Balamb, we'll have all the equipment we need."
"Excellent," Cid stated. Squall nodded in agreement.
"So, Commander, what is our heading now?" Cid asked as Xu sat down.
"Trabia Garden, for now," he replied. "We've picked up extra supplies in Dollet, as well as emergency and medical equipment. I don't know what we're going to find there, but I want to be ready for anything."
"And after Trabia?" Randolph asked. Squall shrugged.
"Uncertain," he replied. "We'll continue raids for now, and begin mounting insurgent operations within Timber once we return. There should be factions within Galbadia as well that are opposed to Edea, maybe even within the Galbadian military. We'll exploit those. We'll also maintain close contact with Dollet in case Edea attacks or tries to take over. I'm also considering trying to get into contact with Esthar."
"Good luck with that," Quistis replied, shaking her head. "We've barely heard anything out of there in the last decade."
"So, for now, to Trabia Garden," Cid said, and Squall nodded grimly.
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Four days passed between the departure from Dollet and finally coming within sight of Trabia Garden. Those four days had been anxious ones, in which the swollen populace of Garden wondered what would await them. In that time, Squall and Quistis had organized a search and rescue detail and a relief effort, giving cadets and SeeDs specific orders and tasks to do when they arrived. It didn't help that when they had arrived at the Trabian coastline, there had been some confusion as to whether the Garden could come back onto land. After some checking of the equipment, it was confirmed that they could, they just needed a gradually rising slope leading back up onto land to do so.
"Basically, a beach?" Nida had asked, and Squall nodded.
They had found a beach a few hours later and a few hundred miles down the coast, but once they had gone up, it had taken some careful navigation, as the Garden could not pass mountains. And the terrain of Trabia was very mountainous.
So, as they had flown about the continent in the Garden, the white plains and the occasional forest passing below them, Squall and Nida had to keep a careful eye on the maps. Eventually, they rounded a wide mountain range, moving around the last spur of the line, and came into sight of Trabia Garden, nestled in a valley between two ranges.
"By Hyne," Cid had whispered when they came into sight. Squall, Cid, Quistis, Nida, and Colonel Randolph had been standing up on the bridge when they had come in, and all of them were shocked.
Trabia Garden looked like a gigantic gutted skeleton. The complex, barely two thirds the size of Balamb Garden, had been badly damaged. Half of the upper floors had either been blasted off or fallen away. The ring, a fixed structure, unlike the hovering one of Balamb, looked like a halo that had been snapped in two, the broken portion scattered around in the snow of the grounds. The lower floor was wide open, one side simply missing, undoubtedly where multiple missiles had hit. Statues and paved landscape around the main building were buckled and reduced to gravel.
However, the good news was that the outer structures of the grounds were still largely intact, and at least three craters were scattered around the outside of the defensive twelve-foot high wall, indicating the damage was not as extensive as it could have been. Squall could see people moving around inside the building and on the grounds, a lot of them; a large portion of the populace must have survived. Even then, he could see the people going about diligent work, trying to clear rubble or begin rudimentary repairs.
"Its not as bad as it could be," Randolph commented. "I've seen a lot worse."
"I agree," Cid replied. "Nida, the intercom."
Nida switched on the intercom, and Cid cleared his throat.
"Attention, all personnel," he began. "We have arrived at Trabia Garden. There appears to be extensive damage to the main structure, but casualties are not as bad as they could have been. It looks like Hyne was on our side today. I want all relief teams to assemble at the front gate in twenty minutes; we'll put down outside their gates and head in to see what we can do. Make sure that those vehicles are loaded with supplies, too."
"Headmaster," Randolph asked as Cid switched off the intercom. "If you don't mind, I'd like to have a few of my people aid with the relief effort if we can?"
"Of course, Colonel," Cid replied with a gracious nod. "Any help would be appreciated."
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The populace of Trabia Garden had seen them coming - Balamb Garden was hard to miss, after all - and as they approached the wall that ringed the grounds, a section of it parted and split in two, widening into a gap, behind which stood a group of about twenty surprised but extremely happy Trabia Garden students, led by a single SeeD, all of them clad in light blue and white uniforms of thick cloth, befitting the cold Trabian climate. They appeared to be confused, especially at the presence of not only people from both Balamb and Galbadia Garden, but Dollet soldiers as well.
Squall was bedecked in a heavy white coat and trousers, as were the five hundred and more people gathered behind him, many carrying supplies or driving vehicles laden with gear. As Squall approached, he gave a quick salute to the SeeD standing guard.
"SeeD Commander Leonhart of Balamb Garden, requesting permission to enter," he stated, and it took a second for the SeeD to nod. He said something to the rest of the cadets with him, and most of them turned and bolted back into the Garden to deliver the news. As the doors widened and allowed the relief forces to enter, the SeeD glanced to Squall again, and at the flying Garden, bewildered.
"Sorry we're late," he stated. He looked back at Balamb. "It's a long story."
"Very long," said the Headmaster, covered in thick swaths of clothing to hold off the Trabian cold. "Is Headmaster Rosalyn available?" he asked the SeeD standing guard. The man sadly shook his head and nodded inside.
"Administration wing was hardest hit," he said. "Eighty percent of the faculty are dead, and the rest are all wounded. The Headmaster was killed instantly."
"I see," Cid replied, regret filling his voice. He sighed heavily.
"Headmaster Kramer, it's a miracle your people came here when they did," the SeeD added. "We're running out of supplies, and our HD line has been severed, and none of the Gardens sent a response when we tried contacting them from the nearest town."
"That's because none of the Gardens can be contacted," Cid replied.
"And Headmaster, may I ask . . . why are there Dollet troops here too?"
"It's a long story," Cid echoed Squall. "Who's in charge?"
"The student council, actually," the SeeD replied. "We don't have any faculty qualified to help us out anymore. Its been rough over the last few weeks."
"I'll need to meet with them, as soon as humanly possible," Cid stated. "There's much that everyone here must know."
"Hey, Squall!" came a call from behind them as the Headmaster and the SeeD continued to talk. Squall turned to see Quistis and Zell making their way toward them across the snowy expanse between the two Gardens.
"What is it?" he asked.
"We couldn't find Selphie," Quistis explained.
"Selphie?" the SeeD behind them asked, and Squall turned, nodding. "She passed through with the first group," he said. "With a tall guy right behind her."
"Squall," the Headmaster said quickly. "See if you can find her. This will probably be hard on her, if the casualties are as bad as I think they are."
"I understand, sir," Squall replied with a salute, and headed off into the ruined Garden.
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"This place looks pretty bad," Quistis commented as she and Squall surveyed the inside of the main Garden structure.
The outside had indeed looked bad, but the interior was even worse. Internal damage was far greater than external, as the damage that had been dealt to the building had been contained and concentrated inside the walls. However, in spite of the damage, there was a lot of life within the Garden. In one corner, Squall could see a group of cadets working to remove collapsed debris from a doorway to one of the dorm complexes. Elsewhere, they ferried supplies. There were no injured, or at least, none seriously. The students and SeeDs had evacuated the wounded in the only remaining snow-capable vehicles to the nearest town with a hospital in the barren wasteland, thirty miles away. Squall, upon learning this, dispatched a group to go to the town to check on the wounded and provide any assistance.
The Trabian populace was quite receptive to the arrival of the combined Garden and Dollet relief force, and greeted them with joy. In a very short time the Garden ruins were swarming with dozens of the heavy white-coated uniforms of Garden personnel in cold weather gear, and the bulkier white uniforms of Dollet's soldiers, providing assistance with whatever was needed, as directed by the Trabia Garden SeeDs. But as Squall roamed across the damaged terrain, ducking through partially collapsed frames, hastily constructed bunks, and even an undetonated missile which was being carefully extracted from a performing stage. As he surveyed the damages, Squall thought that things, despite how bad they were, were not as tragic as they could have been.
Then, as he approached the eastern end of the Garden grounds, he saw the graves.
Squall had seen death before. He was used to being around corpses . . . but those were of his enemies, faceless opponents he had to kill or be killed by. SeeDs did not die very often. There was a small plot near Balamb, overlooking the ocean, that Garden did use as a final resting place for those killed in action, but only a half dozen markers had sat there. Here . . . .
There were dozens, in long, haphazard lines, across a wide field. Many were made from rough, flat rocks, or pieces of masonry and ceramic that had fallen down. A few were simple, with mere marker or chalk writing on them, but several had roughly carved names, indicating those who had lost their lives that day. Squall paused by one grave, upon which someone had laid an assault rifle. He crouched beside it, looking at the name marked in chalk.
In Loving Memory, Trevor Spence
This is that rifle you always said you wanted, little bro. Your birthday gift. You're with Dad, now, in a better place. Wait up for me.
Squall slowly rose, and felt a chill hit him, and not from the frigid Trabia wind. He stepped slowly away from Trevor's grave, wondering how old the kid must have been. As he crossed the graveyard, looking at the names of the dead and the occasional memento left sitting out - a book here, a pendant there, and in one case, a leather jacket not that dissimilar from his own - he heard someone talking quietly. Stopping, squall looked across the snow-covered graveyard, and saw a figure at the other end, sitting before a pair of graves. He recognized the voice.
"I did it," Selphie whispered, running a hand across the carved names. "Our band. The one we wanted to make, remember? I was able to finish our dream. You all saw me, right? You heard us play." She stopped speaking, and lowered her head into her arms, sobbing quietly.
Squall then spotted someone else, near her, watching just as intently. He recognized Irvine, though he was hard to make out in the cold weather gear. The sharpshooter crossed the graveyard slowly, approaching Selphie where she sat. Squall understood the basic human nature working there, the need to comfort others in their times of grief. Irvine walked next to Selphie as she cried quietly, and slowly set a hand down on her shoulder. She started slightly, and looked up to the sharpshooter. He didn't say anything; he didn't need to. Her red-lined emerald eyes met his, and he crouched beside her. She then wrapped her arms around his torso, pulling him close, and he hugged her tightly too as her shoulders shook with each teary gasp.
Squall silently departed from the graveyard, leaving the two alone.
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Squall passed through a garage where a group of Trabia Garden's technical squad were working with two Balamb techs to repair the school mainframe, and were making good progress. He continued his tour of the facility, observing the minor damages to the outer grounds over the next few hours. Every now and then a cadet or SeeD would approach him with reports on what they had found or the status of the Garden. He also encountered Quistis and Zell a few times during the check, doing what they could, and spotted Rinoa again inside a basketball court, though it was hard to make her out in her cold weather gear. He crossed the grounds to where she sat on one of the benches, looking up into the sky. It had grayed over while they had been surveying the damages, and looked as if a storm was brewing. Not too good.
"Its pretty bad, isn't it?" she asked as he entered, and Squall nodded tiredly.
"All told, nearly eighty dead," he stated. "And twice that injured. The Garden's running on half its strength with no administration. We may have to leave part of our forces here to help with the relief effort. But it could have been worse. Only eight of the twelve missiles hit the Garden itself. If they had been more accurate, I don't think anyone would have survived long enough for us to get here."
"How is Selphie holding up?"
"Not too well," Squall said. "She's in shock, I think. I found her in the graveyard. Some of her close friends must have been killed in the attack." He considered that for a moment. He had said "close friends" as if he actually understood the meaning of that term. But until a few weeks ago, he didn't have friends. But then, a few weeks ago he hadn't been fighting a guerilla war against a mad Sorceress aided by his own former rival. Amazing what could happen over a short time frame.
"Irvine's with her right now," he added. "Or, he was. I haven't seen them for a few hours."
"They're fine," came a call from outside, and Squall saw Quistis and Zell step into the court, both of them looking equally exhausted. "We saw them heading this way," Quistis continued. "She asked us to meet us here at the basketball court." Squall nodded.
"Once she gets here we'll head back to Garden and figure out what we'll do here," Squall explained, and they all nodded assent. Squall got up and started pacing around the basketball court, while Zell, despite his exhaustion, still had a lot of excess energy, spent his time shadowboxing.
"Man," he muttered. "I don't get it. Why did she appear now? Was the Sorceress waiting for this time?
"She might," Quistis replied. "Its impossible to know what she may be planning. She might have been living a normal life until just a short while ago. Then, she just suddenly appears and starts this war. Why?"
"We know she wants Ellone," squall replied, and she nodded.
"But why?" Quistis asked.
"Maybe she wants to see the past," Zell growled, launching a flying forward kick at an unseen opponent. "Squall said she can send us back to the past. Maybe the Sorceress wants something back there?"
"But what would she want in the past?" Rinoa mused. "Why would she try so desperately to get back there, that she'd take over a nation and lead armies into war?"
"Whatever it is, like hell I'm letting her get it," Zell stated. "She invaded Balamb, and's trying to burn everything in her way. No way! Nuh-uh! Not gonna happen if I have anything to say about it!"
Zell was cut off as a basketball rolled into the court, chased by Selphie and Irvine. Selphie definitely seemed to have improved since her moment in the graveyard, though Squall could see a lingering redness about her eyes. Irvine trailed behind her, smiling as always, but maintaining a careful watch on Selphie.
"Thanks for waiting," she said, offering a smile to them. "I'm glad I got to come. I was so worried about everyone here . . . ." She paused, and then looked to Squall. "I'm coming with you guys for certain now! I want to get even with the Sorceress! I want revenge for everyone here!" Squall nodded, certainly understanding. Zell and Irvine had grudges in this as well, Zell because of the attack on Balamb and Irvine because the enemy was using his Garden. Quistis and Squall, as SeeDs and Balamb Garden students, also understood the importance of this war, especially for their own survival. The only one who didn't have a stake in this battle was Rinoa, but Squall knew she was going to stick with them regardless.
"Umm," Rinoa began to say even as he considered her, drawing everyone's attention. "Do we have to fight her?" she asked.
"Wha?" Zell said, blinking. "What are you talking about now?"
Squall looked at her, as confused as Zell.
"Its just . . . I don't know," she said quietly, looking down at her shoelaces. "I . . . I guess I'm getting scared. When we're together, like this, I feel like I'm on the same wavelength as you, understand?" Squall nodded as she spoke. The others listened.
"But, when the fighting starts, everyone else's tempo starts to pick up, but I can't keep up with you," she continued. "I get left behind when the action starts. It was like back when we were in the Garden's basement, fighting the monsters. I couldn't keep up, everything was happening so fast. And that scares me. What if I can't react fast enough? What if someone is hurt, or worse because I couldn't keep up? When that happens, when I start thinking like that . . . ."
"Rinoa, I understand," Irvine replied suddenly. "When you catch up, it may be just to see someone else die. Someone you love could be lost even as you begin to move. Its very frightening, and its tough to live a life devoted to situations like that - like us. But that's part of the reason why I think we all fight, and especially why I fight. I fight and live because I choose to."
The sharpshooter bent down, scooping up the basketball and dribbling it across the court as he walked.
"When I was a little kid, really young, maybe about four or so, I was in an orphanage." Irvine released the ball at one of the baskets. The orange ball shot over the SeeDs' heads and sunk directly into the basket, a perfect shot. "There were a lot of kids there, with no parents. It was after the Sorceress War with Adel and Esthar, and a lot of people had been killed or separated from their children. Anyway, that's where I was. And of all the kids there, there was one girl who was special to me. Of all the kids, she was the only one who, by talking to her, I could feel really happy."
"A stone house?" Selphie suddenly, asked, and Irvine turned to her, smiling.
"Yeah," he said, tone leading.
"A old stone house," Quistis added, her brow furrowed in concentration. "By the ocean?"
"Bingo!" Irvine confirmed, nodding with a wide smile. "I knew it! As soon as I saw you guys! You were at the same orphanage as me, thirteen years ago!"
"But, why?" Quistis asked. "You never said anything."
"Because, you guys had forgotten!" Irvine replied. "I thought you guys recognized me at Galbadia Garden, but you didn't. So, I kept quiet about it. But I knew I recognized you two. Spunky Sefie and bossy Quisty."
"This is weird," Selphie commented, looking toward Zell, who nodded after a moment.
"Do you remember fireworks?" she asked him, and he nodded.
"Yeah, I remember telling you guys not to use them, too," he replied. "So, yeah, I was there. It was nighttime, and I threatened to tell on you guys."
"But we all got in big trouble for that," Quistis added.
"But, if that's true, what about my parents in Balamb?" Zell asked, confused.
"The Dinchts probably adopted you," Quistis said. Zell frowned, but nodded after a moment.
"Ma always said I looked a little different from her," he said after a second. "Hm. I was always trying to keep everyone else out of trouble. But there was always . . . ." Zell's eyes widened.
"Yeah," Irvine said with a nod. "A mean little kid who always picked on you, named Seifer."
"Seifer was there too?" Quistis asked. Irvine opened his mouth, but was cut off.
"Yeah, he was, always picking on Zell," Squall stated. "And if I remember, then I was there too." He closed his eyes, tracing the path along the memories that Irvine had stirred in all of them.
"I was waiting for Sis to return," he said after a moment. "My big sister. Not related, but she treated me like I was. Sis-" He opened his eyes.
"Ellone. Sis Ellone," he whispered, her words not even two weeks past suddenly clear. "Then Ellone was there too. That's where I knew her from. She was the oldest one there, and we all called her Sis. Irvine, Selphie, Zell, Quistis, Seifer, and myself. I'm not sure what the meaning behind all of this is, but we were all definitely there." he considered it for a long moment, recalling the ancient stone house, partially crumbling, homemade meals, a wide beach, a lighthouse in the distance . . . .
"Everyone was fond of Sis," Irvine added a moment later. "But Squall kept hogging her." He grinned.
"You have a good memory," Squall replied. "But this is strange. I don't think I was adopted, because I've been in Garden for a long time."
"Probably since you were five or so," Irvine said. "Same with Seifer. You both disappeared at about the same time."
"But he's never mentioned living there," Squall said, thinking back. "And this has never crossed my mind when I saw him. I know it should have, especially if we lived together in our childhood."
"That is strange," Selphie added. "I think I was sent to Trabia at a young age, like you guys. I had loads and loads of fun once I got to Trabia. I think that's why I must have forgotten. But that doesn't explain what's up with you guys? Why would you forget?"
"I'm not sure," Quistis replied, shaking her head. "I remember that I came to Garden at about ten years or so. My foster home wasn't working out, so I came to Balamb. That was when I first noticed Squall and Seifer."
"We were always fighting," Squall said, nodding. "But you would keep breaking us up."
"Yes! That's right!" she exclaimed. "Seifer was a kid who always needed to be the center of attention. But Squall would ignore him, and he'd get mad. Then you two would end up fighting. You could have ignored him, but you wouldn't walk away. You wouldn't let yourself."
She paused for a moment.
"I think I was trying to take Sis' place, without even realizing it. Being a big sister to you two. Even after I became an instructor, it was all I really cared about. I thought for a while I was in love . . . but it was just feelings of being a childhood sister lingering. I think it must be the same with Seifer. He's forgotten his childhood too, but whenever he sees Squall, his memories start to boil over and they have to compete with each other."
"That's why he always picks fights with Squall?" Zell asked, and she nodded.
"Probably you too. He loved to pick on you, Zell."
"If we can remember so much now," Squall interjected, "then why didn't we remember beforehand? What made us forget ourselves?"
"Well, that's easy," Irvine replied. "The difference between Balamb and Galbadia Garden. Guardian Forces."
"But, if that's true," Zell said, frowning. "Then all the fears that GFs have a bad effect on the human mind are true?"
"Maybe not," Irvine replied. "but memory loss is one of the side-effects proposed. You guys junction Guardian Forces. They give you their power, but in return, they take a place in your brain, as has been proven."
"And that place interferes with memory retention?" Zell asked. Irvine shrugged.
"No," Squall replied. "It interferes with your ability to recall on your own, but when prompted, like we've been, we can remember."
"Cid would never allow for such a dangerous thing!" Quistis exclaimed. Squall nodded.
"No, he wouldn't, but NORG would," Squall said. "But as long as we have something to prompt our memories, we should be fine."
"At least, you guys," Irvine said. "I don't need it. I've never used a Guardian Force or magic before. But . . . ." He glanced at Selphie. "Trabia Garden doesn't use many GFs, does it?"
"No," Selphie replied. "We focus on using magic by itself. But I never used on . . . Except for once, when I was twelve. I was in a field training class. I drew a GF from a monster and used it for a while. But I can't remember its name."
"So, if they do cause memory loss, should we stop using them?" Quistis asked.
"No," Squall replied, shaking his head. "Nothing at all."
"What do you mean?" Zell asked.
"Exactly that," Squall said. "We can't stop using them now. it's the only thing that allows us to do what we do, and why we stand a chance against Edea. If my past is the price I have to pay, I'll pay it."
"Yeah, well, my past wasn't too happy, especially with Seifer being so mean to me," Zell added. "I don't mind forgetting that. I want the power that they give me, so I can protect Balamb and my friends!"
"Protecting family," Quistis said, nodding slowly. "Speaking of family, do you remember Matron?"
"Our guardian?" Squall asked, and he thought back. Yes, he remembered Matron. The beautiful, kind woman who had run the orphanage. Squall remembered someone else who had worked with her, her husband.
"What was her husband's name?" Squall asked.
"Her husband was-" Irvine began to reply, but then paused. His eyes went wide.
"What?" Selphie asked. Irvine blinked after a long moment.
"Cid Kramer," Irvine whispered after several long seconds. "Cid Kramer was Matron's husband. Matron is Sorceress Edea."
There was a long moment of dead silence. Squall closed his eyes, feeling the numbing cold of the icicle in his chest once more. He pictured her face, the one that had reminded him of something. Matron had always been pale-faced, avoiding makeup, and clad in simple black dresses and long hair, but he recognized an undeniable similarity between the woman who had raised him and the brutal Sorceress he had fought in mortal combat. The woman who had speared him, killed Deling, and launched missiles at a helpless target and threatened to burn towns to the ground was the same woman he had loved as a child.
"But she can't be Matron!" Zell protested.
"She is," Squall replied darkly. He repeated more silently, as if to convince himself. "She is."
"I don't think we can figure out why," Irvine added. "But that's what she is. Matron is now our enemy. We're SeeDs, right? Cid assembled us for the express purpose of fighting Sorceresses. Why is not important. We're just enemies. Its how we ended up in life." He rapped his chest.
"I'm going to fight," he stated. "I'm going to stay true to what I believe in. This war found us. I know you've heard the saying that there are unlimited possibilities in life. That's bull. I came from limited options. There were only a few paths to choose, and sometimes, only one. That's life. I've come this far on my own, through my own choices. I want to hold true to the path that had to be taken." he sighed. "I know who our enemy is, and that we may lose something very precious due to the Guardian Forces, but I don't care. It's not like I drifted to this place in my life because of the tides of fate. I'm here because I choose to be here. And even more importantly, we were there, together. As kids, we didn't have many choices. We couldn't do much on our own. We couldn't help it that we were separated, but now, we've come back together, not because fate brought us together, but because we chose paths that reunited us. Its just like old times, except there's a lot that's different. We're adults now, and we can make our own decisions. And we're confronting a big one now. Do we fight Matron or do we not?
"I say we do," he finished. "Shoot for a common goal. Together."
"I agree," Zell said, clenching his fists. "It's the only choice we've got. We can't run from her."
"But what a bummer," Selphie added.
"But Zell's right," Quistis added. "We can't run."
"Head on," Squall stated. "We will challenge her. It's the only way we can resolve this." He turned to Rinoa, who had sat on her bench through the whole conversation.
"Its up to you," he asked her. "If you want to come with us or not. But we're fighting. It's the only way." She slowly nodded, and looked up into the gray, overcast sky.
"Yo," Zell added. "We should see if we can find the orphanage. We might find something there, maybe a clue as to why Matron changed."
"Agreed," Squall said, nodding. "We'll head out as soon as we finish up here. We'll find out what caused her to become like this, and if we can do something with that, we will." The others nodded, and began to file out of the basketball court, leaving only Squall and Rinoa behind. She rose slowly from her bench, and looked to Squall.
"I guess that's it then," she said. "You guys are fearless."
"Fearless?" Squall echoed. No, far from it. He could see it on everyone's faces, the fear of the coming battle and facing the only woman many of them had considered a mother.
"No, we're not," he added. "I'm like you. I wish we didn't have to fight either . . . ."
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Ah, done. That was fun to write, though it was also a bit difficult, especially to convey everything without having to resort to the flashbacks and such. Hm. Not much else to say about it all, really. The Dollet colonel will play a big role in the upcoming battle, however.
And yes! The battle is next chapter! Trust me when I say this: You will love it. My editor has already gone ballistic over how much he loves the chapter. Said he read it twice before he even settled down to edit. XD And by the time you read this, the second chapter of the battle will have already gone out to him, and I may be finished with the third and final chapter of the war. Insanity!
Anyway, shout-outs!
-Kimahrigirl: Wow, reading over a four-day sitting? I don't even think I could do that. XD
-NolianStorms: Wow . . . Just, wow. That's the kinda thing I aim for with this fic, for it to be accessible to people who've never played the game before. And that my fic would actually make people want to play the game after reading it . . . Well, let's just say that is what I consider one of the highest compliments to me as a writer.
Heh, my other stories aren't much. Foreshadow will likely never get off the ground until I'm done here. Bittersweet Synthesis would actually be something good to read while waiting for me to update. Its an interesting experiment, and the only reason why I don't update it is because I'm so inspired right now to do Gunblade.
Diablos slipped into a crack and never got seen. XD I dunno what I'll do with him. One of a lot of minor ideas that I never got to implement.
-Wolf of Light: Squall's rage takes on different forms, and he has a tendency to be able to control when he does and doesn't get angry. His limit is very potent in that aspect, as he can almost willingly turn it on or off. Of course, sometimes he does lose it, as when he fought NORG.
-Daniel Wesley Rydell: Hm, interesting suggestions, but I'm probably not going to have them wait or anything. And no Ultima Weapon battle. Sorry.
I actually have a few fics planned after this one. Basically, Gunblade is just the first part to a series of fics I plan to write.
-DBZ Fanfiction Queen: Indeed, a lot of good authors have quit. But they leave some great stuff, too. Like Daz Sheir and his fics , especially "The Omega". Wow . . . Now that story is superb. Possibly one of the best stories on , period. You don't even have to have read Kate Lorraine's stories to understand it.
Cactaur? XD No, probably not. I forgot to include the lovable little needley bastard in that list. I probably won't do him. I might do, after the story ends, a thing I call "side quest" chapters which will cover behind-the-scenes stuff that never got seen in the regular fic . . . But maybe not. You never know.
While, yeah, Trabia doesn't train SeeDs, they have them in my fic. The SeeDs are just graduates of Balamb Garden and then transfer back. I'm thinking that Selphie would probably be one of those SeeDs later on. Maybe the Trabian SeeDs have to commit to Balamb for a while before returning? Hm. Might be interesting to comment on later.
Don't you mean month? XD I do get plenty of sleep, but lately I've been toiling away in front of my PC to type up the Centra battle, which is just insane. You'll love it, trust me.
-Chris Ganale: Ah, you've caught me. Yes, I do much Star Wars referencing in that chapter. Oh, how I love the X-Wing series! The whole damn chapter was inspired by the X-Wing series. The pirating was inspired by Bacta War, and Rinoa's reunion with her father was like a similar scene in Bacta War where Mirax met Booster again. (though certainly changed, of course)
The hydrospanner was obviously one ("No, give me the hydrospanner!" XD) reference, but interestingly enough, Zell is a lot like Kell. Martial artist, good with machinery, blonde, etc. He can even fly! And yep, that scene where Seifer talks with Edea was inspired by Vader and the Emperor. And anyone who's read Solo Command will see the parallels between Cid and the Duke's meeting and the one between Face and Admiral Rogriss.
Doubtlessly I've put off all the non-Star wars fans out there by this strange babble about crap you've never heard of. XD
-Kaiser-kun: I do sleep. Occasionally. When the fancy hits me.
And never fear. Garden will still be important after the war. But they won't be as important, because after the battle, Garden's importance in the storyline does decrease, and instead the story shifts to more of a focus on Squall's love story and away from the war, and brings Ultimecia into the plotline. So, Garden may be left by the wayside after all, because its part in the story is giving way even more so to the individual characters.
-Rusty Knights Productions: Indeed. I liked doing the 'behind the scenes' stuff too. After all, much of that is "the art of war." XD Thus, my chapter title.
-Prodigy: Darn commanding officers. Don't they know fanfiction will save the world one day? XD
And don't give up. You're actually better at than I am, but I have to admit, you and Nique were the ones to get me started on this bout of insanity.
-Dragoon Swordsman: Yeah! Someone caught the 'Blue Bomber' reference! Actually, I'm not a Megaman fan at all, but the name popped in my head and kind of stuck. I didn't even realize it was Megaman until much later. (when my editor pointed it out to me)
Seifer may be allowed back in, maybe not. I know he's reconciled with his past, and I may do a bit where he realizes he screwed up pretty badly later on.
-Akira Stridder: I love putting in depth, actually. Part of the reason I love writing this.
-Xephon: Wow. You're quite the speed reader. XD And happy Halloween to you, too!
-Aaron: Heh, true. Don't worry, I've come too far with this to let it end abruptly!
Anyway, peace out, people! At least until next week, then peace will be long forgotten!
