Clash of the Gardens
Aware
Upon his arrival, the present SeeDs seemed relieved. They smiled at him as if they hadn't seen the outside world in ages and he was the window.
"Hey, Squall!" One hype SeeD said while rising to meet him at the door of the Center's entrance. Squall only nodded.
"What's the situation?"
"Well…he won't talk to any of us anymore. He said that he would rather talk to the person responsible for bringing him here, and…well."
"That's why I was called…?"
"Yeah. Sorry if you were busy, but we really need to crack this nutcase."
"Okay, I'll talk to him."
Squall was led to Irvine's cell toward the back of the Center. It seemed a bit more isolated than the others, and the noise from outside was barely audible in this room. The doors opened and Squall entered. Irvine looked up and sighed. I didn't think they'd actually call him. Irvine looked at the wall and rolled his eyes.
"How many times do I have to tell you guys, I am done talking?"
Squall grabbed the handle of his gunblade and slightly pulled it from its sheath. Irvine gulped. "Okay, okay. I can talk, but just…don't make it seem like I'm not telling the truth okay, because I am, and I hate to repeat it-"
"Cut to the chase and stop rambling." Squall ordered.
"Alright, alright." Irvine took a deep breath and carefully gathered his thoughts. Irvine already knew that his old orders were to seek the lead SeeD and eliminate him, but he would have instantly been killed if they knew such thing. Instead, he decided to use the girl as a safety course. He mentally laughed when he realized he was lying to them over and over, and had constantly claimed it were true. He could see that the man before him grew more impatient as he took longer to gather his thoughts. Irvine thought now would be a good time to answer, "I'm sure you know that I'm a Galbadian officer…and I was ordered to safely recover the General's daughter from this place."
Squall's heart stopped. "The General's daughter? …The woman you shot today is only a resident of Timber."
"The woman I shot is Rinoa Caraway, you didn't know that?"
"That's ridiculous…"
"It's not. Rinoa Caraway is the daughter of Galbadia's own General Caraway."
"…Heartilly, her name is Rinoa Heartilly." Squall tried to counter Irvine's words.
"Rinoa Heartilly? Well, that's partially true. You see…her mother's name is Julia Heartilly. Are you a fan of music? …She's the singer that married General Caraway a long time ago, famous all over the Western Continent maybe even the entire world." Squall was silent, but became angrier by the second. He let Irvine continue, "Ms. Heartilly kept her last name for career purposes, and besides, Caraway didn't fit her first name anyway. Are you sure you haven't heard this story before?" Squall sighed which Irvine took as sign to go even further in detail. "Well…Julia died in a car accident…apparently she had some real die-hard fans. Some guy saw her in the car and went crazy. The idiot then fainted at the steering wheel and lost control of his car. That's stupid, right? Imagine waking up to discover that you killed your very own hero."
"…But…Rinoa is a resident of Timber…" Still, Squall tried to defend her.
"Yeah, she left her father. I heard he had her locked in his Mansion back in Deling City. Even before her mom died, Rinoa wasn't an ordinary kid. Being the daughter of a General and a Singer brought in a lot of unwanted attention. A source of mine informed me that Rinoa was unhappy for a very long time. I guess…after so many years of living under her father's protection, she couldn't take it. Anyway, she ran away from home when she was about fifteen or sixteen, I think, and Caraway hadn't seen her since. He didn't know where she ran to, and he later hired a group of investigators to search for her." Irvine sighed and realized that he would give out more information if he continued on the topic. He decided that now would be a good time to stop. When Irvine looked at Squall, he saw that Squall had closed his eyes and his hand was violently shaking. "Hey…are you…okay, man?"
Squall was silent and hadn't realized Irvine was still talking. …My name is Rinoa Heartilly. You helped me back there and I just wanted to thank you. He sighed and closed his eyes. Rinoa was so calm when she told me her name. Of course by the time I came around, she'd probably gotten used to saying it to people. That means she was lying to her Faction Members as well. She took on her mother's maiden name in order to throw people off. Wait, that's impossible. If Julia was so popular, then why didn't they know that she was Caraway's wife? Something's not right…unless…
"You know I'm telling the truth, don't you?" Irvine snickered.
"Was the wedding kept confidential, or was it announced to the public?"
"It was kept secret for security reasons, but looking at Julia's death…"
So that's why they didn't know. They only knew that Julia Heartilly was the singer, and Rinoa was her daughter. Rinoa…you're nothing but a…liar." Squall reopened his eyes and looked at Irvine. "Who was your source of information?"
"U-uh…I don't know if…"
"You had best give me an answer, or else…" He revealed his Gunblade again.
"Alright, alright! The guy's a fellow comrade of mine, nothing more. We exchange words from time to time, you know, strictly army duties."
"A name."
"Geez, Seifer's gonna kill me…but either way, I'm already dead. Still…it really wouldn't matter if they got a name or not, we're in war…" Irvine looked at the floor. "…He's about as tall as I am, blonde hair and…" Irvine looked at Squall's face, making Squall uncomfortable for a second. Irvine found himself whispering his words now. "An old scar on his forehead just like yours…you…You're the SeeD he was talking about!" Squall glared at Irvine, and Irvine began to laugh until Squall cleared his throat.
"What are you talking about?" Squall asked.
"The war from a year ago, you of all people should remember that war, right?" Irvine tipped his hat forward and confidently sat up in his chair. "The guy who gave you that scar."
…Of course I remember him. He was the reason so many lives were lost on the battlefield. I saw him murdering SeeDs left and right, and I thought it was up to me to stop him. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't take him down. I was too weak, but not anymore…that's all going to change now. Squall tightly bawled his fist.
"I know you know who I'm talking about, so I'll just carry on." Irvine cracked his knuckles and wiped his chin. "…Because I'm not in full agreement with Deling, I was already considering leaving the army. In other words-"
"You care about what's going to happen to you once you've disclosed this information to me."
"Yeah, exactly. So, will you keep that in mind?"
"I'm not promising anything."
"Well, that's better than a yes or no…Not saying that you have to answer that way because you would most likely prefer-"
"You're rambling again." Squall said coolly, which seemed to intimidate Kinneas.
"Yikes! Ha ha, uh…" Irvine cleared his throat. "The guy's name is Seifer Almasy, he's one of the top soldiers of Galbadia's Military, and a high ranked SeeD of G-Garden. He was assigned to the search party of Rinoa, and it was he who discovered her scheme. That's how he knew all the info on her."
"Why did your army attack Timber?"
"…They were told to go in and find Rinoa, but when the President found out that Trabia's SeeD had been spotted in Timber as well, he got a little carried away. Almasy said that he and everyone else had no idea that missiles would be fired. It was a complete surprise, and apparently, Deling ordered these missiles just hours after sending the search party out on the mission. No one knows why he pulled the extremes to get the girl out of the city."
It wasn't about Rinoa at all…He wanted to get rid of Trabia's source of order. Rinoa was so sad about the attack…wait a minute, how is it that every last Faction Member died in the attack and Rinoa is still alive? Did she know about the missiles beforehand? No…Even that crew didn't know about the launch until it was happening…unless, Seifer's not a good source of information?
"I tell you, you aren't the first to blame the missile attacks on me. Those people in Timber…they went crazy." Irvine took a breath. Squall knew how bad the scene was and preferred not to think about it again.
"Did Almasy meet with Rinoa?" He quickly changed the subject.
"Not that I know of, although even I have to admit that he knew some very intriguing details about her life."
"Is it possible that he could've lied to you about the mission?"
"There's no doubt in my mind that if a mission is secret, it is always kept secret; even after the mission is over with. Seifer was always dedicated to his orders despite what others may think or say of him."
"What exactly was Galbadia doing in our war?"
"We were taking a test, that's all. Sure, things did get out of hand, but we were only performing our best to become a member of the President's Elite Soldiers. We did what we had to do, and I guess Seifer took advantage of that."
Squall looked at his fist. Irvine smirked and scratched the side of his cheek. "In case you're wondering, Seifer is really looking forward to seeing you again." Irvine spoke in a comical tone that made Squall growl. Before Squall could get out of his seat to choke the impish man seated before him, someone stepped into the room.
"Leonhart, I think that's enough for now!" Squall turned around and saw a fellow SeeD in the doorway. He nodded and stood to his feet.
Irvine rubbed his bottom lip with his hand and thought aloud. "Leonhart?" Squall looked back at him and put his hand on his hip. "Where have I heard that before?"
"…What's that?" Squall asked him.
"Sorry." Irvine scratched the side of his head and sighed. As Squall began to walk out of the door, Irvine gasped. "Oh yeah! It's the name from the tombstone in Winhill."
Squall stopped at the doorway, his heart pounding intensely in his chest. He slowly turned his head to Irvine and swallowed his breath. Irvine put his hand over his mouth and nervously looked at the wall. He hadn't meant to blurt out his thought.
"What did you say?" He spoke slowly, but Irvine stood silent. "Answer me!" Demanded Squall, he was not about to let this guy withhold that kind of information from him. Irvine let out a loud sigh and looked at Squall.
"…I said, I remember that name from the tombstone in Winhill. Raine Leonhart. It didn't occur to me until a little while ago, that the name was familiar. …I haven't heard her story in years."
Raine Leonhart? Who? Her name doesn't even ring a bell, except for her surname…my name. Squall looked at the floor. "How in the hell did that happen?"
"Unlike so many soldiers that come from Deling City, I'm originally from Winhill. Anyway, I think the story goes that Deling started his control around her time. He attacked Winhill and killed all that opposed him, almost like what he did in Timber. To tell you the truth, both incidents were horrible and terrifying, but I guess my hometown suffered less casualties than Timber's. Well, of those that opposed him, Raine Leonhart was the Ring Leader. She was the first person that was slain by Deling's wrath."
This was talked about in history, but the woman who died was never named in our books. It happened about twenty years ago.
"Raine…was a single mother and had recently given birth to the baby of some traveler a long time. The guy left before she gave birth…I guess he didn't know about her pregnancy. After Raine's death, everyone thought it was a good idea to send the infant away. It was disrespectful of the traveler to leave so, maybe to keep him away from Winhill forever, they sent the baby away somewhere."
"What…what sex was the baby?" Squall was surprised with himself when he had asked.
"Male."
"…Raine Leonhart." Squall refused to listen to anymore of this nonsense. He turned to the door and Irvine whispered.
"My dad always told me about that story because her tombstone was near my grandfather's grave. Guess he wanted me to see that everyone suffered a lost."
Squall still heard Irvine's voice but exited the room instead. Squall didn't want to face anyone at the moment. Could he have been the child that was sent away? He ran a hand through his hair and walked to the dormitory hallway. Raine Leonhart…? Raine…? There's no doubt that she was my mother. Why else would I have her last name? …So she's dead? Of course she is, how could she still be alive? All orphans don't have parents, unless they were dropped off. I…guess I wasn't one of the lucky ones, was I? I never even got a chance to meet her. Raine…
Squall angrily walked to his dorm room and slammed the door shut.
Why did he join Galbadia if they were responsible for taking control of Winhill? Of course, this is Deling we're talking about…no doubt; he had the kids automatically sign up for G-Garden. Forcing people to do the things that they choose not to do and meaningless battles for power that causes unnecessary death are all that Deling stands for. His little quest for control and authority…but who am I to talk? I participated in a battle to protect the rights of a town that I didn't even know about, let alone care about, despite Balamb's rights. I took charge in the fields and killed…all for the sake of power. I'm a hypocrite, aren't I? I've taken orders to bring death to others, and I complained about Death itself.
He sat on his bed and fell back intothe comfort it supplied.
…That dream. It really does make sense to me now. I'm no better than Deling! I shouldn't even be a member of SeeD! But who I am without SeeD? This place is my home…at least, that's how I learned to see it. It was the either staying at the orphanage or Balamb. That's kind of like Rinoa's situation…she didn't want to be around her father anymore, so she left to find something new. Rinoa…why did you lie to me? Why did you give me that entire speech about speaking of the past and finding comfort in it, when even you weren't honest about your past? You lied to me, and you expect me to give you pity?
He folded his arms and closed his eyes while lying on the bed. So much on his mind, he knew it would be impossible to get any sleep. There was pressure on his chest and his heart began to ache. This kind of pain only came when he thought about his first days in Balamb. The pain of having to learn from the basics and do everything for himself, Squall was afraid to feel this way again. Although he referred to Balamb as his home, it was merely a place where he got an epiphany of life. Life was scheduled, but never perfect. If he didn't like something or someone, he could do something about it. Keeping his mind focused in books and battles was the only important thing to remember.
Squall hadn't always had a perfect life, it would never be perfect, and that's why so much of his time had been consumed in the Training Center. Eventually, he became one of the best of his class and even better than some of those who had been at Balamb longer than he. He took pride in his accomplishments, but had never boasted himself to anyone. Those accomplishments were missions that trained his mind to take on any complicated situation.
For every problem there is an answer, and Squall's answer was simply to fight. He placed his hands behind his head, but kept his eyes closed. There was no way he could let anyone else get as close as Rinoa did. Even though he knew that her life was a mess, the fact that she lied to him was still hurting him. She ran from the only person she had, her father. She had a father but ran from him. Squall could feel himself becoming upset again. He took a deep breath and put a pillow over his face to hide his watering eyes.
Rinoa opened her eyes and found that she was lying down in an incredibly bright room. She sat up and looked around, but found that she could only move so far up. Her body felt stiffened as she lay in bed. Slowly, Rinoa found herself more functional and was able to sit all the way up.
"What happened to me?" Her voice was ashy due to the length of her sleep. She moved her legs to the side of the bed, and touched the floor with her feet. "Where am I?" She stood up and stretched her stiffened body.
Walking out of the bright room, Rinoa encountered a familiar looking woman, Dr. Kadowaki. She then realized that she was still at Balamb, but in a place she wasn't too familiar with. The Infirmary.
"Oh, you're awake! How are you feeling, dear?"
"I'm okay. …Can you tell me what happened?"
"You were shot with a Tranquilizing Dart by a Galbadian Soldier. You're lucky Squall was there, he caught the soldier and brought you guys back here."
"…Gee, I don't remember anything before all that."
"It'll come back to you, just give it a little time. Do you want to rest here?"
"I think I'll go to my room, someone might need the bed for later, you know."
"Yeah…with that soldier around, everyone's starting to prepare for battle."
"I hope there won't be another war…"
"I'm afraid it's too late for hope."
Rinoa's spirit was broken, but she managed to smile to the woman anyway. She tried to get her mind on something else that was important, which was obviously Squall. "Dr., do you know where Squall is?"
Dr. Kadowaki smiled and giggled softly, "He was here earlier, and I think he would've stayed if it weren't for the sudden order he received. I'm not sure where he may be right now. Why don't you try the Training Center? Lots of SeeDs are there"
"Well, that's just it. With lots of people in one place, I'm sure he isn't there."
The doctor laughed again, "Yeah, I suppose you're right. He never was the type to enjoy a lot of company."
"Oh well, thanks anyway. I'll find him."
"You're in no condition to run around this place in search of someone. You should rest."
"I will, and I won't go around looking for Squall." Rinoa said while walking out of the doors to purposely avoid the feedback of the doctor.
Rinoa had lied again. She was walking around Balamb, dizziness and all, on a search for Leonhart, who was once again nowhere to be found. She came across the woman who welcomed her to Garden before, Quistis. Quistis looked different this time, almost like she was angry. She stopped Rinoa's frantic search for Squall.
"Rinoa…how are you?"
"I-I'm fine." Rinoa received an intimidating glare from Quistis.
"You were sure that I hadn't seen you somewhere before, weren't you?"
"What? What do you mean?" Rinoa hadn't understood Quistis' words.
"Caraway. I knew I heard your name from someplace before, Rinoa. You thought you could get away with it by using your mother's maiden name, right?"
"…How did you know-"
"I really understand your situation, and I'm terribly sorry for your lost, but we do not tolerate liars in this Garden, do you understand?"
"I wasn't lying."
"You introduced yourself as Rinoa Heartilly, and you withheld the fact that your father is the General of Galbadia."
"…I wouldn't have been safe if I used that man's name."
"Rinoa…You could have said something to the Headmaster. He would have listened to you regardless of your background. Because of you, the entire Galbadian Army could be on their way here. This place isn't safe any longer." Quistis' eyes softened. "I really wish you had told us about your father before."
…Because of you, the entire Galbadian Army could be on their way here. Because of you… So, it's my fault. Yeah, I guess it is my fault, isn't it? I was responsible for those missiles back in Timber, and now I'm responsible for the destruction of Balamb. Squall told me to be aware that everything around me is happening, but…I don't want to be around everything anymore. I hate this place. Rinoa looked at Quistis, and her eyes were beginning to water. "…Quistis, do you know where Squall is right now?"
"…I think he's already left from the Detention Center. He may be in his room."
"Where is his-…you know what, never mind. Thank you, Quistis." She broke off the conversation and quickly paced toward the Dormitories. Quistis watched the girl and heavily sighed. She didn't want to angrily go off the way she had on Rinoa, at least, she wasn't planning to. But everything was beginning to raise her pressure level higher.
Working with Xu gave her access to more information than she wanted to know. Every piece of detailed information about Galbadia had ticked her off, and because Rinoa was a part of Galbadia…she felt that Rinoa was the easiest target to blame at the moment. Of course, Quistis felt guilty when the girl walked away, but she was also satisfied that it had happened and told herself that it was bound to happen.