A Word from the Author: (taken aback) WHOA! Cool down, Sephiroth WILL be in this chapter, so don't murder me, okay? Alrighty, I promise longer chapters in future, like I said, the last one was just to plug in the plot holes. And more canon characters will be joining the story briefly. WARNING: This is only Part One of the chapter! The second part promises to be super long so I wanted to post the first part up first so I don't get murdered by my fans. Some fans you are. Okay, here's Chap Nineteen. Part One, that is. Enjoy.

Chapter Nineteen: Ambitions and Advances, Part One

(Balamb Garden, morning)

The Garden was practically deserted except for a few early birds as he walked through the entrance of the dormitory. No wonder; the rest must have spent half the night in the ballroom and were probably sound asleep.

Sephiroth was concerned over his roommate's malady; Daniel still had not returned last night. Had Avine's attack left more scars than he had imagined? It must be terrible and heartbreaking to have someone you loved turning on you so suddenly. Probably like what he himself had felt in the Northern Crater when Cloud and his friends had beaten up Jenova and she had fled, leaving him alone and anguished in the crater. He had welcomed death, let Strife stab him in the heart, then.

He strolled into the infirmary and Dr. Kadowaki directed him to the right patient. He walked down the aisle, doing his best to ignore the occasional groan emanating from the wards where the injure lay recuperating. He entered and took a moment to adjust to the sunlight streaming through the window. Then he realized that he and Daniel weren't the only people in the room.

Paine stared at him, a shocked look on her face. Then a closed expression shuttered her eyes and she turned away, apparently deciding that the best solution was to ignore him as much as possible. Sephiroth sidled past her, and she jerked away as they accidentally touched. The two stood in uncomfortable silence, gazing upon the still figure in the bed. So white he was nearly transparent, Daniel's eyes were closed, fluttering every once in a while, his breathing deep and even. Sephiroth could practically see the blue veins in the fighter's arms standing out vividly. Comatose like that, the youth looked oddly fragile and vulnerable, and Sephiroth felt immeasurably sorry for him, not to mention guilt. Daniel had already suffered so much; what would the news that his girlfriend was dead, at Sephiroth's own hands, no less, do to his spirit?

"Well," Paine said awkwardly, "I guess I'll be going, then." Sephiroth turned, startled, only to see her black hair whipping out behind her as she fled from Daniel's bedside. He almost called out to her, then changed his mind, letting his hand drop limply to his side. Let her have more time, he told himself, glancing back at his roommate, motionless and looking very much as though he was on his deathbed.

He took a breath and flicked his gaze discreetly towards the camera mounted on its stand at a corner of the ceiling. He shifted his body around so that he blocked its view and leaned over his comrade, long hair falling over his face and brushing against Daniel's torso. He swatted the strands out of his eyes and concentrated, placing his hands on the martial artist's temples.

Be gentle, he reminded himself. The poor boy's gone through a horrible experience and he doesn't need you to damage his mind more.

He reached out his mind, and was instantly speeding out of his body and into Daniel. He winced as he was assaulted on all sides by horrid reds and blacks, swirling crazily in the bleak landscape of grays and purples and brushing against his psyche. He struggled to orient himself, dimly aware of how close he was to insanity himself. With that thought, he leaked more power into his shields and his chaotic movement shuddered to a halt.

He retained his normal shape in the mental representation of Daniel's bleeding mind, and in the gloom the Armlet of the Cetra glowed with beautiful emerald light, the vibrancy of spring brightening up the winter. Just the presence of the Planet was enough to make the whirling madness recoil from its very touch.

You're hiding somewhere in there, Daniel, he thought, projecting his words into the boy's mind. Come out.

The attacking phantasms grew more aggressive, striking violently against the blaze of the Lifestream and Sephiroth's own mental shields. The sorcerer flinched but stood his ground. He sent waves of consciousness warbling throughout, and was rewarded by the faint throb of a sentience somewhere in the distance—metaphorically, of course.

He tightened his focus and the 'ground' rushed beneath his 'feet', and the flicker of life he had contacted grew brighter, a splash of golden light in the air. In it, he could vaguely make out his roommate's features, distorted and warped as the light shimmered erratically.

Found you, Sephiroth thought in satisfaction. He did not break through the globe; doing so could do irreparable injury to Daniel's mind and he did not want to reduce the youth to a gibbering idiot. No, Daniel had to emerge of his own free will. Like an embryo about to be born into the world, he had to be willing to leave the cool darkness and security of the womb and face the harshness of the world outside.

Help me, Planet, he pleaded silently.

The light of the Lifestream intensified in answer, strands of shimmering, gossamer-fine emerald shooting into the darkness and repelling the shadows. Sephiroth threw in his own efforts, chasing the accumulated guilt and self-hatred in Daniel and expanding a second shield, casting it over Daniel's brain to protect his awareness from the harm the darkness was causing him, giving him time to heal and face the facts when he was sufficiently ready to do so.

Blue-green light shot out everywhere, and arched over the amber cocoon that was Daniel. Within, something stirred, and Sephiroth caught a glimpse of wide brown eyes filled with new life, and then he was violently expelled from his host's body as the owner's soul took over his shell with a rush.

Tired but satisfied, he opened his eyes and smiled as Daniel twitched under the white sheets, then settled into a healthier sleep, color flushing his face with vivacity.

The Armlet flared, then the light softened to its usual hue.

"Thank you," Sephiroth said, and left.

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(At Cetra, the Kramers' orphanage)

The children ran around their feet, small faces flushed with happiness, and Squall and Rinoa smiled at each other, bathed in the first reddish glow of the rising sun. They sat on a bench facing the meadow of golden flowers where the orphans romped about with childish pleasure on their faces, their innocence happily no less diminished by the losses that had stolen their parents away from their young lives.

The blissful silence was punctuated only by the joyful squeals of the children as they rolled about in the grass, and the sweet musk of the flowers hung heavy in the air. Then a low growl, the sound of a flight of fighter plane, shattered the fragile peace of the orphanage. Squall looked up in alarm, as the dark, sleek shape of a Mirrormist wheeled above them, a black silhouette against the sun. Rinoa rose instantly, and with many cajoling words and promises ushered the children back inside the orphanage where the walls at least offered a measure of protection. Squall rested his hand on Lionheart and ran outside, where the Mirrormist, gleaming black, descended towards the earth. He heaved a sigh of relief as he spotted the vivid colors of the Balamb Garden logo splashed across its side and his hand fell away from his weapon.

The ramp lowered and a man decked out in a black jumpsuit embroidered with the insignia of the Flight Commander hopped out. He removed his helmet to reveal close-cropped blond hair in a bowl cut and unfamiliar features. Squall supposed that an unfortunate accident had befallen the last one.

"I'm Jafael Freliner, the Flight Commander," the young man introduced himself. "Headmistress Fraden requires a meeting with you, and it's urgent. I have orders to take you to Balamb Garden straight away—" he glanced at the other five Mirrormists circling above— "and my men have orders to stay behind and guard the orphanage. As you have heard recently, Deling's ambitions are fast growing too much to be sufficiently contained, and there is some concern that you may be in danger. In Garden you might be safer. Don't worry, my men will do their job."

"What is it, Squall?" Rinoa asked, arriving at the scene. She rested a hand on her husband's arm, real fear in her voice. "Is it about the children?"

Jafael explained the situation to her again, and in the end she agreed reluctantly to leaving the orphans behind. The Flight Commander led the way to the passenger seats and as they strapped themselves in Squall asked quietly, "Jafael, there's something you're not telling us. What is really going on?"

The Flight Commander paused and looked at him hard. When he spoke, his voice was tinged with sadness. "War, sir. It's going to be the third Sorceress War, the biggest one since the Fall, and Balamb Garden is the only thing standing against the tide."

With that, he strode away to the cockpit, and Rinoa gripped her husband's hand wordlessly, apprehension in her eyes. They sat silently, absorbing what had gone on while they had toiled in the orphanage cut off from the rest of the world.

Squall summed it up best in three extremely vehemently expressed words. "We. Are. Fucked."

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(A few hours later. Balamb Garden.)

The Mirrormist gently touched down on the airway and disgorged its passengers and pilot. Xu was already there waiting for them, and she looked very harassed. In the span of a few days she had grown old; her once bright hazel eyes dulled with exhaustion and despair, lines creasing the skin of her face. But she was as alert as ever. She smiled in welcome, crossing the tarmac and gripping each of their arms vigorously in turn.

"Good to see you, Squall, Rinoa," she said, looking a bit better. She raked her fingers through her messy brown hair, streaked with gray, and yawned widely. "We've got a situation here, and it's not good. You've come just in time for the meeting, hurry up, the old crowd's here."

Squall was surprised. "Did you gather everybody, Xu?"

"I didn't." She gave him a tight, wan smile. "They came themselves. But you'll see." She walked off without explanation and the Leonheart couple followed her to the meeting room. Selphie, Irvine and their daughter Lisa were sitting on a couch, for once bereft of their infectious energy; Zell, ever restless, was pacing up and down the sides of the room; Quistis was sitting cross-legged on the carpet looking very grim; Seifer was staring out the window, hands clasped behind his back, and Arne was leaning against the wall staring at his boots.

For a moment there was a bit of a commotion as everyone recognized Squall and Rinoa and tried to hug them at once, resulting in a gigantic and confusing tangle of limbs. Eventually everything was sorted out, and Xu perched on top of the armchair at the far end of the room. All levity gone, she stated, "As of 0100 hours this morning, I received a call from Deling, asking for surrender. Well, actually he said that all governments would be assimilated into the new republic and if we would not stand down and give up all our arms within twenty-four hours it would be regarded as a hostile action and they would attack without mercy. He urged me to hand over control of Balamb Garden to him with the promise that the citizens of Balamb Town would come to no harm. I think, considering what happened in the last war…" Xu bit her lip in frustration. "This decision is not up to us to make. It is for the mayor of Balamb."

"Hell!" Zell declared in anger, leaping up and throwing punches at the air. "They'll rather die free than live as slaves!"

"But we cannot know that, Zell," Xu said rather coolly, her eyes staring him down. "We cannot choose for them. Right now we are currently awaiting their decision…I sent Deling's message to Mayor Reinhard as soon as I finished checking it for bugs. I…what is it, Fred?"

Arne pulled open the door to reveal a teenaged boy standing uncertainly on the step. He stammered at the sight of the exalted beings before him, "Headmistress, ma'am, the mayor is, uh, here to see you. He just arrived ten minutes ago…"

"Excellent," Xu said briskly. "Send him in." As the boy fled, Squall looked questioningly around. "Guys, what's going on?" he asked.

Irvine managed a bitter laugh. "I would say a lot," he muttered, sounding uncharacteristically pessimistic.

Arne took over. "Ivan Kinneas is in the hands of the Galbadians, so Trabia Garden is holding back. Quistis is no longer the Headmistress of Esthar Garden, and has been replaced with one Loki Calrior by the new President." He stopped a moment, pain in his eyes that was reflected in his parents' expressions. "Anyway, with Coruthary out of the picture, and Fisherman's Horizon lack of arms, we're on our own. The Shumis won't fight. You know them. They won't get involved in the affairs of humans, though some of the younger generation and Moombas are willing to fight for us."

"Shit," Squall breathed with feeling.

At that moment, the door opened to admit a somewhat stout but tall man graying at the temples in dignified fashion. He wore a neat, pinstriped suit, black trousers and his chain of office gleamed around his neck. The mayor held a briefcase and had a very somber expression on his strong features. At his entry, all the SeeDs in the room and Seifer and Rinoa rose to their feet and bowed.

The mayor waved them down and sat heavily on a vacant chair, looking weary. Shifting uneasily, he said in a serious tone, "This…was an extremely difficult decision to make. My advisors and I talked about it for a long time…argued…we could not come to a conclusion. In the end…we gave the choice to the people."

"Some panicked, requested permission to leave Balamb, flee to Fisherman's Horizon, the last safe refuge that we know of. The others remained, but not all were in favor of defying the Galbadians. But there were those who stood strong and said that even if we surrendered and they lived, it would be to live a life of slavery and fear. It would not be worth living then. No, they wanted to fight. To defend their homes and families. Those who can fight are making preparations for tomorrow, while the invalid, the elderly, children and women are being ferried out to the orphanage." The mayor gazed at them with dark eyes. "Do you have your answer?"

"Yes," Xu said quietly through the lump in her throat. The mayor gave her a tight smile and added, "Reinforcements will arrive in an hour. The town is being abandoned, and the stores are providing their products for free, in case anything is needed. I shall see you later." He stood up, looking stern.

"Sir!" Xu looked shocked. "You should seek refuge too, you can't…"

"I am the leader of Balamb," Mayor Reinhard stated coldly. "I will not run like a common coward when I can stand in defense of my people." He turned on his heel abruptly, signaling that the conversation was closed, and departed.

"So this is it," Xu said softly. "Everybody. You have until 1000 hours the next day to get ready. Rest, and make sure your weapons are in good condition. Tomorrow the world is going to fall apart." She sighed. "Me? I'm going to have to speak over the comm system. I'll rather wrestle with a behemoth."

The others laughed rather feebly, there was no humor in the laughter, just desperate disbelief and a desire to imagine that everything was just fine. But it never would be. Xu pinched the bridge of her nose in exhaustion. Ye gads. What would she do? What could be done?

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Sephiroth was looking for Paine, to explain, to become friends again, but no one seemed to have seen her anywhere. Thus far he had searched the library, the canteen, the classrooms, and even asked her roommate to have a peek inside Paine's dorm. He figured the girl might be taking out her anger on the monsters in the Training Center when he heard Xu's voice over the comm. His sixth sense prickled uncomfortably and he stopped dead, almost causing the snogging couple behind him to crash headlong into his back. "What's your problem?" the infuriated male snapped at Sephiroth, but he himself froze as the message was delivered.

"Attention, all SeeDs and cadets," Xu said. Outwardly she seemed composed and in control, but Sephiroth thought that he detected a strained note in her voice. "The day we have feared is finally upon us. At exactly 1000 hours tomorrow Galbadia Garden will make an assault upon Balamb Garden. It will be genocide. SeeDs who have gone on the last grad exam, please explain to your fellows why exactly magic cannot be used. Prepare yourselves for battle. I understand that this is something that cannot ever be prepared for, but…" her voice broke. "Be strong. And may Hyne bless us."

She was suddenly all business again. "Flight Commander Freliner, SeeD Instructor-General Proeliator, Commander Wyerheir, Captain Leonheart report to my office straightaway. All SeeDs with even number IDs, you are hereby assigned to guard the Garden from enemy attacks and prevent further infiltration. SeeDs with IDs ending in 5, guard the cadets with your lives. SeeDs wil odd numbers, you will launch a spearhead attack on the enemy…"

Xu continued to spout more orders, but Sephiroth, having heard what he needed to do, began heading for the Training Center. A thought had occurred to him. He plunged deep into the leafy layers of the sweltering jungle, searching for the girl. After half an hour, he found her in the stimulated shooting gallery set up in an upper level overlooking the jungle practicing her aim. She squeezed off a shot, narrowing her eyes in concentration. At first, as he approached, he thought that she had not noticed him, then she sighed and spun to face him, lowering her guns. "What do you want?" she queried, sounding decidedly hostile.

"To talk to you," he answered simply.

She laughed harshly and fired again. She scored the bull's eye. "You probably think I'm some stupid little girl running around for your affections," she said coldly. "Well, don't worry about it. I know your feelings now."

His heart ached for her. He lowered himself to the ground, watching her. "Paine, don't feel like that. It's perfectly natural. You were hurting, and I comforted you, so you just reached out to me. I'm sorry if I did anything to you."

Paine stopped. "I love you," she said sullenly, looking above his head. "I still do. It's not a crush."

"No you don't," he responded. "It was because I could understand you, because I was a sorcerer and I knew how you felt. Because you were feeling different and detached from everyone else. But you can't keep your feelings bottled up forever. The thing is, Paine, in your mind I was the perfect person you always wanted. But you don't really know me. The real me."

"I know all about your past," Paine pointed out.

Sephiroth sighed. "But have you come to terms with what I did? I have killed innocent people in cold blood, among other atrocities." He saw her flinch back a little, and the vivid image of Avine's grisly decapitation shone clearly and redly in his mind, flashed from hers to his in a moment of string emotion. "And I have not told you the whole story. There are many other things buried in here too personal to be shared. You have only known me for two weeks. At your age, it is a bit too young to say you love someone. Save it for the right person. Lastly…" He glanced at her sadly. "Even if you love me, I couldn't love you back. I would just break your heart."

Paine swallowed. "Is there…is there someone else?" she asked softly.

Sephiroth shook his head, long hair fluttering around his head. "No…but the point is, we can still be friends. Like we were before. I still like your companionship. Do you think you can deal with that?"

She nodded, and they shook hands. Her palm was cool and callused against his. Sephiroth looked at her steadily. "Remember what I said about keeping everything inside? You should tell Xu you are a sorceress."

"But then she won't trust me!" Paine protested.

"She will. I am who I am, yet she accepted me. Xu is very fair; she will not give up on someone without a full trial. You cannot keep something so important a secret forever," he admonished. "Your powers, after all, will be needed. As will mine be."

Paine looked surprised. "Why?"

Sephiroth explained. "The Sting can be calibrated to absorb magic even at this distance. I have observed that normal humans are unable to summon or cast anything except minor spells when the Sting is in effect. Somehow, though, the Summons are able to draw the needed energy from the bodies of sorcerers and sorceresses and emerge on this plane without danger of being sucked from existence. I surmise it is because we are directly connected to the planet's energy source and it is impossible for the Sting to drain everything. Therefore, we are Balamb Garden's last hope! Should Balamb fall, the summons could turn the tables for us. You cannot hide your gift, Paine, for the sake of your own fear! You cannot be selfish. Not now."

He spoke animatedly, gestured forcefully, splotches of pink in his pale cheeks. He looked very hard at her, as though wanting to check whether she had absorbed his words properly. She had. She looked very nervous, but determined too.

"Fine," she said shakily. She slid her pistols into her hip holsters, and smiled tentatively at him. "Let's go, then."

END PART ONE

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Author's Ending Note: I'm so sorry, I know I promised longer chapters! But then, this IS only the first half. Be assured, I have roughly written out the summary of the next few chapters and I have a feeling I actually know where everything is going. I'm not dead, I just went on holiday so I didn't really work on Chap 19. SO SORRY!!! Oh yeah, if anyone is interested, the Chronicles have been updated, this time it's from Hojo's point of view. (shudder) Stay tuned for part two, which will cover the War of the Gardens, and include a lot of dazzling action and major ass-kicking. Or so I hope. Also, I hope that the opening scene isn't too cliché. (Rolls eyes) Sometimes I think that if Sephiroth wasn't so cool and a canon char he would be such a Gary Stuart! ANYWAY…See all of you cool readers later, and leave loads of nice reviews for me to cuddle, k? Thanks!

T. Axile signing off

Thanks to:

TheWyldeWestWind: Loads of nice, mushy sephy scenes in here. Oh Hyne…I mean, oh gosh, what had I come to?!!! I've made Sephy a sissy!!! To think he was once an insane murderer…

Zack M. Strith: Man, I owe you a giant apology. This chapter is even shorter than the one before it! But I reeeeaally reeeeeealy promise that next chapter will be LONG! Insanely long! I sincerely hope so, because it's not written yet. But then I'm writing about a major battle, right? Should be a long one…

Anasazi Darkmoon: Ooh. Nice to know my villains are so horribly despicable. Anyway, I have some stuff planned out for Loki. Evil stuff, of course. Wouldn't you like to know? Yeah, and though Seph won't face them directly, he'll probably do his best to throw a spanner into the works.

Hopeful Wings: is shocked. You HAVEN"T FINISHED THE GAMES YET?!!! Oh my gad, you need to drop everything and start both straight away and DON"T GET UP UNTIL YOU SEE THE WORDS 'THE END'! Ahem. But so far they're great, huh? I hope I'm not giving away any spoilers…ok, I probably am. How come you aren't bothered by the spoilers? And I'm glad to know people understand the plot.

Noacat: Welcome back! Whoa, I really sympathize with you. There's no way I could stand living without a PC an access to fandom for a prolonged period of time…I'm so happy too you're enjoying the chapters! But perhaps next time you should pull on some socks…

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