Clash of the Gardens

Utile Affiliation

A few days had passed since Squall left Balamb Garden with Laguna, and the others were becoming worried about him. They each annoyed Xu into asking the Headmaster about his whereabouts until he would give in and answer her questioning. Xu finally got Cid to confess that Squall had taken a ride with Laguna and had not returned to Balamb, but he was not expected to return so soon anyway. Satisfied with the little information that was given to them, they each continued on to their daily routines around Garden.

It was later on that day when Selphie received a call from Trabia Garden, and ever since the call, she had been staying more to herself. Unable to withstand depression, Selphie decided to tell them the painful news.

Selphie found them standing near the directory in a group, a place in which became habitual whenever the objectives for the day had been completely. Zell had wondered what took Selphie so long to join them, and just as he looked up to see if he could scan her out from the other people walking around, he saw her approaching them with a smile. Sure Selphie was smiling, but it was a façade, in order to keep them from knowing how she truly felt about her news.

She smiled, "Hey guys, I have to tell you all something."

"What is it, Selphie?" Zell asked with a little concern in his voice.

"…I'm going to have to go back to Trabia soon."

"Why?" They each replied.

"…A few days ago, some SeeDs from Trabia contacted Headmaster Cid. They said that Kent left Trabia on a mission and hasn't returned since. …While he's taken over most of the things that Headmaster Martine left behind, everything else has been chaotic and the poor guy's probably just had enough. They said that there's someone named Nida trying to take over for him, but he hasn't been known for long so they want someone who was beside Martine for a very long time to come back and help take care of everyone. Because of my experience, they want me to return to give a helping hand…right away."

Zell smirked, "…I forgot you aren't a member of Balamb, but it sure feels like it now."

Irvine scratched the side of his cheek and smiled, "Hey, you're not alone Selphie. I'll have to go right back to Galbadia to make my resigning official."

"…Do you think they'll let you go so easily?" Selphie asked while facing him.

"If they don't allow me leave, I'll get out of the door before they can stop me."

"I hope you're not lying about this Mr. Kinneas, otherwise we'll have to send you back as one of those soldiers we recently sent back that were kept as prisoners." Quistis said seriously.

"Relax, Quisty, I'm not going-"

"Quisty!" She complained while folding her arms.

"Whoa…hehe…err…sorry. I don't know what came over me-"

"Oh I'll show you-"

"Hey, It just came natural to me! I'm sorry!" Irvine said as he threw up his hands defensively.

"Aww, I'm gonna miss you guys!" Selphie said while pulling Zell, Quistis, and Irvine into a group hug. They all smiled and laughed a little, but Quistis made sure her arm didn't touch Irvine's in the embrace.

Squall had stayed within the Presidential Residence in Esthar for the last couple of days. Ever since he and Laguna arrived in Esthar, Laguna had been in meeting after meeting for business unknown to all. He had patiently waited several days for a chance to speak with his father about the past.

As he thought and replayed in his mind that he had a father now, he found himself not wanted to believe it were true. As much as he wanted to know about his past, he didn't want to dig deeper. Squall felt he would discover something about himself he would regret ever wanting to know. What is was, he had no clue. After much dedicated thinking, he decided it would be for the best if he learned as much as he could from Laguna; however, there was no way Squall would bring himself to call the man his father just yet. The feeling was unreal.

Squall sat in his room and studied the furniture all around. Esthar was indeed a high tech city, but some of the equipment he found there, like the hovering seat that delivered he and the president safely to the residence, was utterly insignificant. The city had everything, but nothing of interest to Squall; it lacked a Training Center. If there were a Training Center, Esthar would have been perfect. Squall had thought to himself as he sat in his chair. He sighed and stood to his feet.

"…I guess this is better than being glued to Balamb Garden…" He said while stretching his arms out. He received a knock on his door, "Squall?"

"…Yes?"

"It's me, Laguna."

"Come in." Squall said and lowered his arms. Laguna opened the door and walked inside with a grin.

"How do you like Esthar so far?"

"…It's okay, I guess."

"You guess?" He nodded his head and turned away from Laguna. "Come on, it has to be a little better than that? Haven't you seen the sights yet? If not-"

"I saw just about everything because Ward had the pleasure of getting the entire day off from you." Squall said plainly and sat on his large bed.

"…Ward. I knew he was too eager to take up my offer." Laguna said while rubbing his chin.

Though I can hardly blame the guy. Squall thought as he smiled to himself.

"Oh well." Laguna sighed and walked toward Squall, "I have the rest of today off. If you want to go out and talk, we can do so."

"…Honestly, we don't really have to leave. I just want to know about my mother… about Raine."

Laguna frowned inside, but was able to force a smile, "…She was a very proud woman. She was also brave enough to accept strangers into Winhill. By the way, everyone in Winhill looked up to her too. They were fascinated by the fact that she was still a young woman, yet had gained so much respect from everyone… I guess that and every other reason…was why I fell for her. Before I went to Winhill, I thought I knew everything, I thought I had all of the skills to survive…but being with Raine, if but for that short amount of time, I realized I knew nothing." Laguna said as he took the empty chair in Squall's room. Squall saw him move, but had not paid attention to him; instead, his mind was elsewhere.

Why does this sound familiar to me?

"Not only did I learn things from her, but I understood her in every way possible, and she understood me."

…That's right… Squall smiled and looked at the floor. It sounds like Rinoa and me.

"Eventually, I showed her and the other townspeople techniques for scaring away enemies and such. They were all grateful for my input; although, my comrades didn't like the idea of villagers learning our secrets. Anyway, after some time had passed, we received word that it was safe to return home. We were told that Deling had ordered his troops back to Galbadia, and our stations in the towns were futile. So…it was back to Esthar I went."

Laguna's big eyes had saddened, and he frowned as his eyes dropped to the floor. "…Two years after I returned to Esthar…I found out that Winhill had been attacked, and suffered a few casualties. Little did I know…Raine was one of those few. When I found out that Raine died in the attack, I argued that there should be protection for those survivors in Winhill. Because I was so dedicated to helping out Winhill, I grew in ranks and soon…I became the President of Esthar. The people recognized me because I first recognized them. My proposals were applauded, and eventually were practiced throughout Esthar and wherever else we had occupied." He took a breath and smirked, "Haven't you ever wondered just why Winhill hasn't been in any serious danger for the last decade or so?"

Now that he mentions it…I haven't heard much about Winhill…but only about that one particular attack. Is that why is seemed to be isolated? What kind of treatment are they receiving from Esthar? Why wasn't the public informed of this movement?

"Because I was not around at the time of the attack, I felt that Winhill deserved the extra protection from future attacks. It was kept confidential to further aid the protection of Winhill's people.

Squall's eyes shot up from the floor, and he glared at Laguna. "What about Raine? Did you leave her when you found out she was expecting?"

"No. I had no idea Raine was pregnant when I left. If I had known about it, I wouldn't have left in the first place."

"…You had to follow your orders, under any circumstance."

"…That's true, but are you trying to say that I made it my excuse to leave her alone in Winhill with a baby on the way?"

"I wouldn't know."

"Squall, don't draw that conclusion. I didn't know Raine was pregnant…I'm not even certain if she discovered it at that time, herself."

"…Even so, it was wrong for you to leave her."

"As I said before…I didn't want to… I only found out about you a few days ago, when you were in Winhill with the others. I had looked up information about you, and found out when you were born…and by whom. The report stated that you were approximately one year and a few months, and that your mother was Raine, but no father had been documented. When I calculated your age and Raine's birth cycle…I realized I had to be your father seeing that I was the only one Raine was ever with…and the time fit so perfectly. I knew without a doubt that I was your father. Squall, you look so much like your mother…you don't ever have to wonder how she might have looked."

"…Don't you have any pictures?"

"…Not really, but I'm sure Raine has a few of herself back in Winhill. Maybe someday we can go there together and look for those pictures?"

"…Maybe." Squall sighed and folded his arms.

The two had fallen silent and Squall went into deep thought about all that he had just heard of his past. …He was following orders, and so…he left her behind. Following orders? If I ever had to leave for some reason, would…would anything like this happen to Rinoa? …I would never choose work over Rinoa…I care about her too much to let something like that happen, no I won't allow it! I could never forgive myself if Rinoa died. …Squall, what are you thinking? Rinoa…she's…she's too strong on her own; I know she'd be okay if I weren't there, but then…I can't really trust her on her own and alone.

"Squall, are you alright? You seem a bit worried…"

"Rinoa." He said instantaneously, but he hadn't intentionally planned to speak of her aloud to Laguna.

"…Rinoa?" Laguna repeated for him.

"It's nothing." Squall said, obviously embarrassed. He rose from his bed and paced the floor.

"…Rinoa Heartilly, right?"

Squall stopped and looked at Laguna, "…Probably."

"…Ah…so you plunged yourself into battles and Caraway's Mansion…for her?"

"What do you care!" Squall angrily yelled while giving Laguna his full attention. Laguna smiled and rubbed his forehead.

"…I understand."

"…What are you talking about?" Squall asked as he calmed himself down.

Laguna smirked and stood from his seat, "…I know exactly how you feel about her, Squall and that's all I'll say, because I'm certain you already know the rest."

Squall stood speechless as he stared at Laguna.

The next day, Irvine's train ride to Timber, which he grew accustomed to, ended after what felt like a few minutes of travel. He stretched his body as he stood from his seat, then gathered his case and exited the Train. He remembered there was a certain stop he had to make before he could go back to Deling City to speak with Caraway. Now that the General was in charge, he knew his resigning would be taken rather lightly.

The others all were skeptical about his departure at first, but soon realized that Irvine was of no threat to anyone but himself. It would be he that would face the wrath of the new president for wanting out of such a vast and powerful military; nevertheless, Irvine still kept his high hopes and decided to travel onward anyhow.

He and Selphie had left the same day, but she was picked up by vessel from the shores of Balamb Garden; the fancy way of leaving the scene, Irvine had thought to himself. Everyone thanked her for her help and saw her off, and then shooed him from the Garden. He was thankful to see that Zell and Quistis had eased on him, and waved him off at least.

"Now…where could she be?" He said as he walked into Timber once again. It was filled with men working on rebuilding the Pub and a few other buildings that had been knocked down. Irvine noticed that there was construction underway for another building as well as a small area where the children tugged on the shirt tales of workingmen and pointed around every so often. Irvine smiled and looked around once more.

"Guys, don't overdo it. We've already got three people on the injury list, we don't need anymore!" Rinoa yelled out as she watched a few men pick up scattered rubble from the damaged Timber Maniacs building.

Irvine ran through the town until he heard her voice above everything else, and when he saw her, he called out to her as if he were her long lost relative. "Rinoa!"

"What the…" She said as she turned around to find out who had called her name. When she saw that it was only Irvine, she seemed to become a little disappointed, but she managed to smile and walk over to him anyway. "Irvine, what are you doing here?"

"…On my way back to Galbadia to speak with the General."

"Oh yeah? About what?"

"I'm quitting the army. If there was one thing I admired about Seifer…it was his eye for soldiers. He told me before that I wouldn't always be in the army. I guess I'm starting to realize it's true."

"…Seifer."

"Yeah, it's been awhile since anyone brought him up, hasn't it?"

"You're right. It's almost as if he was forgotten."

"That guy…he would've hated to be forgotten…but there isn't a thing he can do about it. Anyway, I was just checking up on you for everyone else. They begged me to come here and talk to you, Rinoa. Back in Balamb Garden, you're truly missed."

"…Really?"

"Why would I make that up?"

"…I wouldn't see any reason for you to make up something like that, but…it's good to know they're still thinking of me." …Everyone else and…Squall… Rinoa's cheek turned a bright red and she quickly turned away from Irvine to hide her blushing, "…How is everyone?"

He smiled, "They're fine actually. Quistis and Zell are handling their duties as SeeDs, and Selphie's left for Trabia."

"…Trabia? I hope her trip went safely."

"She should be okay."

"…Irvine?"

"What is it, did I leave out someone?"

"Yeah!" Rinoa said wanting to resist the urge to push him back a few feet. "…Um. What about Squall?" She asked nervously.

"…Squall?" Irvine chuckled and touched the tip of his hat, "To tell you the truth, I really don't know how he is. All I know is that he's in Esthar right now."

"Esthar!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah. They said he took the Ragnorak Airship with President Loire, and they flew to Esthar. That's about it."

"…But why?"

"I have no idea."

Squall…Rinoa mentally sighed to herself and looked at the ground.

"Hey, cheer up, Rinoa. I'm sure he's okay. What could possibly happen to that guy anyway."

"You're sure you don't need a lift on the Airship?"

"I'll be fine, but…thanks anyway."

"Okay, it's your lost."

"Not really…"

"…You know you want to fly again."

"Whatever."

Laguna laughed and nodded his head, "Very well…and as far as Cid knows, you're still in Esthar."

"…Thank you." …Dad