A/N - Holy crap has it been a while since I updated this story. On top of that, this chapter is looooong. I just kept writing and writing until I FINALLY found a good place to end the chapter.

Anywho, I stayed up all damn night working on this chapter. Started it at around 7 last night and it's 5:50 AM now. So I was working on this chapter for a long damn time.

Honestly, I'm dead tired right now. So I'm gonna end this Author's Note here. I have something to explain at the end regarding my health, so I'll see you down there! lol

Chapter 14 – A Reunion & Revelations

As the battle started, NORG barricaded himself inside of his pod, thereby making it impossible to target him directly. On top of that particular annoyance, two pods opened up on either side of NORG and seemingly began to charge up for some kind of attack. They didn't know what the pods would do or how exactly they'd attack, but they weren't about to risk finding out.

Squall narrowed his eyes and looked between the pods for a time before saying, "Just to be safe, summon Carbuncle." Looking at Quistis, he saw her nod in understanding. "Rinoa, you and Hinata are the only ones that can snatch things from our enemies, so I want you two to see what you can snag off of NORG and the pods. Of course, we first have to bust open the larger pod to get to NORG."

Grumbling slightly to himself, the gunblade specialist gripped his weapon tightly around the handle, his right index finger resting against the trigger. "Once we're ready, we aim for the center pod. We're going to smash that damn thing and beat NORG before he can even think about harming anyone again!"

"Right!" the girls declared before Hinata and Rinoa aimed their attacks at the pods. While Rinoa attacked one with the Mug ability, Hinata used her superior speed to get in close to the right pod and, upon spotting what she was looking for, snatched it up. It turned out to be Spr Up, which she honestly had no use for. Still, the others might be able to make use of such a thing.

Hinata was a little shocked when the pod suddenly changed colors from blue to yellow. Not willing to risk it, she attacked the pod using her Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists technique. When a crack appeared in the pod and it reverted back to the standard blue color, she leapt backwards, alighting upon the ground next to Squall and Rinoa.

Squall easily noticed what had just transpired. When he went to comment on it, Carbuncle's Ruby Light shined down on them, encasing them in a protective shield. Nodding to Quistis in thanks, the team's leader said, "Don't give the pods time to charge. The moment one turns yellow, attack it and knock it back! For now, we focus on the main pod. It's time to reveal NORG and defeat him!"

Once more, his allies shouted their agreement before they all went on the attack. Hinata, however, pulled out a scroll and poured some of her chakra into a seal inscribed upon it. When a rather intricate bow and a quiver full of arrows popped out of it, Squall eyed them curiously for a moment before he went on the attack. He could ask about her choice of weapon later.

With weapon in hand, Hinata strapped the quiver to her back before notching an arrow, aiming it straight at the pod NORG had hidden himself away in. Standard kunai and shuriken aren't likely to pierce that protective layer shielding NORG. These should do the trick just fine, though. Just wait for an opening and…FIRE! Quickly releasing the bowstring, she watched as the arrow took flight before piercing clean through the pod. When she heard NORG scream out in a mixture of pain and anger, she smirked sinisterly to herself and said, "Good. Once we've destroyed that pod you're in, it'll be time to make you suffer."

It was at this point that both smaller pods turned yellow. Before they could stop it, one of the pods turned red before unleashing a magic spell upon Quistis. However, thanks to her Reflect magic that was in place courtesy of Carbuncle, the spell bounced off and nailed the other small pod, sending its coloring right back to blue.

Breathing a silent sigh of relief, Quistis targeted the red pod and forced it to change back to blue, as well. Afterwards, the sound of glass shattering could be heard. Everyone turned as one to look upon NORG, who looked both terrified and pissed off beyond all imagining.

Squall, as if sensing something, quickly used his Draw ability to snatch the GF Leviathan from the creature. The gunblader still wasn't quite sure what NORG was, but he figured he could worry about that later. Now that the main pod had been broken and the two smaller pods were being dealt with appropriately, Squall glared into NORG's eyes and said, "Surrender, NORG. I would prefer not to have to kill you if I can help it."

NORG scoffed and said, "DO YOUR WORST, BOY. I WON'T GO DOWN ALONE!" Thrusting his hand forward, NORG conjured forth a powerful Fira spell at Squall. Unable to avoid the attack in time or even mount some kind of defense against the spell, Squall found himself screaming in pain as he fell backwards off of the machine.

Rinoa and Quistis grew angry at seeing this and quickly went about battling NORG himself, ignoring the small pods on either side. Hinata, meanwhile, frowned as she looked over Squall's wounds. She had already put out the fire that had consumed him, but Squall still looked to be in bad shape. Frowning to herself, she thought, I thought Reflect would have prevented this. There must be a time limit for how long it will stay in effect. None of us were prepared for this. Sighing softly, she began to make use of her vast knowledge of medical ninjutsu and her training to begin healing Squall's body. You'll be okay, Squall.

As his wounds were miraculously healing at a remarkable rate, Squall opened his eyes and looked into Hinata's. Breathing a sigh of relief, he whispered out, "Thank you. I guess I shouldn't have expected him to give up willingly. But, how are the others…?"

Hinata shook her head and said, "They're fighting angry. NORG can use that to his advantage. Quistis needs to summon Carbuncle again before NORG and his pods can hit us with anymore magic. They need to hit the pods again, too. And Rinoa still needs to steal from NORG. If she can't, I'll take whatever he's carrying off of his corpse." Shrugging, she finished healing Squall and looked at him with a pleasant smile on her face. "Now, I'll focus on the pods. You get up there and give out your orders, Mr. Leader."

Squall chuckled dryly before he rejoined Rinoa and Quistis. Quickly, he gave them their orders before he rushed forward and slashed at NORG. The creature made to dodge the attack, but he clearly underestimated the functionality of Squall's gunblade. When an explosion went off in his face, NORG screamed about being blind. Rinoa gladly took this chance to steal the item NORG had been carrying: a Circlet.

When the battle was finally over, Squall, Rinoa, and Quistis were all breathing heavily, clearly exhausted from such a strenuous fight. Hinata, on the other hand, only had a light sheen of sweat. She was perfectly fine otherwise.

Ignoring Hinata for the time being, Squall turned his attention back onto NORG. The creature appeared to be deceased now, but…

Quistis frowned as she looked down at the beast. "What just happened to the Master?"

Squall shook his head and said, "Forget about it for now. We should discuss this whole situation with Cid. We do still have to give him our report, after all. As for NORG? I really don't think we have anything to worry about anymore."

Rinoa frowned slightly before glancing back at NORG. After a moment of thought, she looked at Squall and said, "That's a little cold, Squall. I think what just happened here is really serious. But…you're right. We should talk to Cid about this."

Squall offered her a barely noticeable smile. "Thank you, Rinoa. I think, as the one who has had the most contact with NORG, Cid is likely to know far more about this whole situation than we ever could by staying here." Shaking his head, he brought a hand up to his face and let out a small groan. "This is all so crazy. I don't know what's going on anymore. Dammit, I wish Naruto was here. He's better with this kind of thing than I am."

Quistis frowned slightly and placed a hand gently upon Squall's shoulder. "Don't let it get to you, Squall. I know how you feel, though. I feel like a helpless puppet being manipulated in some major scheme. I agree, it would be helpful to have Naruto here, but he had his own mission to take care of. I just hope we can reunite soon." I have so much I want to say to Naruto, anyways. Where could he be now, I wonder?

Rinoa walked up closer to Squall and leaned in, whispering in his ear. "Squall…are you okay with this?"

Squall frowned slightly, but nodded determinedly. "Naruto isn't here. It's up to us to determine what exactly is going on and where we go from here. I'm going to go see the headmaster. You three are welcome to join me."

Hinata looked between Squall and Rinoa for a moment before smirking to herself. They like each other. I just wonder if they realize it themselves. With a shrug, she chanced one last glance at NORG's body before saying, "With that settled, can we please get a move on? I want to at least make sense out of all the crazy that's been happening to us lately." And I want to see Naruto-kun again, too. I miss you, Naruto-kun.

Squall and the others nodded and prepared to set out for the elevator. However, Squall noticed something shimmering in NORG's pod. Walking to the edge of the machine, he reached out and drew in 8 Bio spells from the hidden Draw point. Shrugging afterwards, he followed Hinata and the others to the elevator.

Once they were back on the first floor, Quistis spoke up. "With the condition the headmaster was in, he's probably resting in the infirmary. We should check there, first."

Squall and the others understood her logic and followed Quistis to the infirmary. Seeing Dr. Kadowaki there, standing in front of the nearby patient's room, Hinata asked, "Is the headmaster in?"

Kadowaki looked the four of them over for a moment before her eyes settled squarely on Squall's outfit. "You look like you were charbroiled. You might want to look into getting a new outfit. What happened to you, exactly?"

Hinata frowned distastefully at being brushed off, but didn't comment on it. Instead, she turned to Squall to see how he would react to Kadowaki's question.

Squall rubbed the back of his head and glanced away, unable to look the good doctor in the eyes. "I…was sort of…put on fire?" he said lamely.

Kadowaki immediately began checking Squall for any lingering injuries or maladies. When she found nothing of the sort, she looked at Hinata with a smile. "Considering you're the only unknown variable here, is it safe to assume you were the one who healed him?" Seeing Hinata nod in response, the doctor said, "I'm truly impressed. You are quite the talented healer. And, in answer to your earlier question, yes. The headmaster is currently resting. If you want, you can go in and talk to him for a while."

Hinata smiled in thanks before she and the other three stepped past Kadowaki and into the room. Spreading out, Quistis and Squall stood at one side of the bed while Rinoa and Hinata stood on the opposite side. "Are you okay now, Cid-san?" Hinata questioned kindly.

Cid chuckled dryly and wiped at his eyes with the soft blanket that adorned the bed. "Well, I think I'm done crying now. That's something, at the very least." He joked good-naturedly. "I'm kind of ashamed of myself for allowing you all to see me in such an embarrassing state. Well, what should we talk about now, hm?"

The party chuckled for a moment before Squall said, "I want to make a report. There's a lot we need to tell you."

Cid shook his head and said, "No, it's not necessary. I can guess what must've happened."

Quistis shook her head and said, "You need to hear this, headmaster. A LOT has happened since we last saw each other."

The headmaster frowned for a time before saying, "Very well. Squall, give me your report. I assume your initial mission to Timber ended in failure?"

Squall nodded and said, "Things didn't quite pan out the way we had hoped they would. The resistance group was forced to split up and escape after we botched our mission. Rinoa stuck with us, however, seeing as we were still under contract to give her our assistance."

Cid turned his gaze from Squall to the beautiful ravenette. "I see. That's good, then." Turning his gaze back to Squall, he said, "Go on."

"We decided that getting in touch with the nearest Garden would be in our best interest at the time. So, after escaping from Timber via use of the last train leaving the town, we ventured on foot the rest of the way to Galbadia Garden. Once there, we were given instructions that we originally thought to be from you. We were ordered to assassinate the Sorceress Edea. A sharpshooter by the name of Irvine Kinneas joined us and was to serve as the assassin for our new mission." Squall explained. "Once again, things didn't go quite as planned. To put it bluntly, Headmaster, the mission was one giant clusterfuck right from the beginning."

Cid frowned at the mentioning of Edea, but didn't comment on it. Instead, he waited for Squall to continue. "Naruto and our two new companions: Ino Yamanaka and Hinata Hyuga, were to serve as our trump cards in the mission should Kinneas fail for any reason. And, as you have likely already guessed, nothing on that mission went right. Kinneas couldn't take the shot. He froze. It was then that I learned that he was never able to pull the trigger when given such missions." Frowning slightly, Squall clenched his fists tightly and said, "Naruto…he damn near had her. Edea wasn't able to predict Naruto's movements at all. He stabbed her and would have killed her if things hadn't turned south."

"It turns out that Seifer has joined up with Edea and is proclaiming himself her knight. I fought Seifer off and defeated him to try and give Naruto some time to finish Edea off. However…" Clenching his jaw shut tight, Squall mulled over what he wanted to say. When he finally relaxed, he looked squarely into Cid's eyes and said, "Edea used Naruto's compassion against him. She aimed some spears formed of ice at me. Naruto, being the selfless person he is, took the blow for me. It's a miracle he even survived."

"The next thing we knew, we were sent to the D-District Prison. We were separated, and Seifer decided to have some fun torturing me. Naruto had fully recovered by this point and saved me. Seifer was given no choice but to flee from him. It took some doing, but we managed to break out of the prison and took a couple of cars away from the prison. Irvine, who had come to assist us in our escape, explained the situation to us. Galbadia was firing missiles at Trabia Garden and Balamb Garden. We were too late to stop them from firing upon Trabia. In order to save Balamb Garden, we had to split up into two teams. As the leader of the team, I was to return to Balamb and inform you about the imminent threat. Meanwhile, Naruto's team would infiltrate the missile base and do whatever they could to sabotage them."

Frowning deeply, Squall shook his head and said, "I don't know what became of them, headmaster. Knowing Naruto like I do, I truly believe they managed to do something to give us a fighting chance. I'm also sure they're still alive out there, somewhere. I honestly hope we can reunite once again, soon."

Cid frowned slightly and said, "Damn. So it's worse than I thought. I have a feeling that you've omitted a lot of the details for the sake of time. So, why don't you tell me a little about yourself, Hinata?"

Hinata bowed politely to him and said, "Ino and I are from Naruto's world. We spent a little over 7 years studying fuinjutsu and working out the seal Naruto-kun used to get here. Time seems to pass much more quickly back where we're from. But…" Clenching her fists tight, Hinata soon shook her head to clear it of negative thoughts. "The two of us chose to follow Naruto-kun so we could be with him. We decided a long time ago that we would share him with each other, and anyone else we might have to. We're deeply in love with him and just couldn't let him go as easily as other people did."

Cid nodded in understanding. "Of course. I assume Miss Ino was part of Naruto's team?" Seeing everyone nod in response, he smiled and said, "I wouldn't worry too much. Naruto's an incredibly talented young man. If anyone could do it, it would certainly be Naruto Uzumaki." Turning his gaze from Hinata to Squall, he asked, "Other than giving me your report, what else did you wish to ask me?"

Squall smiled thankfully at the headmaster. The change of subject was very much welcome at this point. Thinking on the question for a time, he looked hard into Cid's eyes and said, "Seifer mentioned something about the 'real meaning of SeeD'. Can you tell us anything about what that might mean?"

Cid quirked a brow, but decided to humor the young man regardless. "SeeD is SeeD. They're the elite mercenary force of Balamb Garden. Tell me, what do you know about SeeD?"

The teenager sighed and shook his head. "I honestly don't know a lot about what it means to be a SeeD or if there's some special purpose behind it all. It's just a subject that has been nagging at me ever since Seifer asked me about it in the D-District Prison. It just made no sense to me at the time."

The headmaster frowned for a moment before patting Squall's shoulder lightly. "Don't worry about it so much. If you want to know more, then here it is. SeeD will defeat the sorceress. The Garden trains SeeD members. The many missions around the world are only training for the final battle against the sorceress. But now that the sorceress has become a major threat, our true mission has begun. Make sense?"

Quistis frowned and asked, "So all this time, we've been training to fight the sorceress? I assumed SeeD was mostly meant to help the people and complete missions that no regular force has the power to do."

Cid nodded and said, "Well, that is part of it, true. But, I recognized the threat the sorceress posed from the very beginning. I feel bad about tricking everyone like this, but I needed a force that was strong enough to stand against even the sorceress. Squall, you and Naruto were the key players in this game of chess. There's a reason I entrusted Naruto to you, after all. You would both push each other past your limits and grow so much stronger as a result. I know you feel inadequate when compared to Naruto, but you need to know that we both trust you wholeheartedly. We've never had any doubt in our minds when it comes to you, Squall."

Squall nodded slowly, but didn't say anything for a brief while. When he was finally ready again, he looked into Cid's eyes and asked, "I want to know more about Sorceress Edea. NORG mentioned something about the two of you being married. Please, headmaster, tell us what you know."

Cid smiled at the young man and said, "You're quite right. She has been a sorceress since childhood. I married her, even knowing that. We were happy. We worked together, just the two of us. In truth, we were very happy together. One day, Edea began talking about building the Garden and training SeeD. I became utterly obsessed with that plan. But, I was very concerned about SeeD's goal. One day, SeeD might end up fighting Edea…" Sighing sadly, he said, "She laughed and told me that would never happen. However…"

Hinata frowned at him and said, "If it's too painful for you, you don't have to say anything more. Squall, let's ask our next question."

Cid smiled thankfully at Hinata before turning his gaze to Squall. "What other questions might you have for me?"

Squall didn't even hesitate as he said, "Tell us about Master NORG."

The bespectacled headmaster said, "He is from the Shumi tribe. He's a black sheep of the tribe, one might say. We met while I was running around trying to find funds to build the Garden. He became interested in building the Garden, and we hit it off. Thanks to his funding, it was completed. However, we needed an enormous amount of funds to run the Garden. So we began dispatching SeeDs around the world as a means of supporting the Garden. NORG's idea was right on the money. An enormous amount of capital began flowing into the Garden. And then…the Garden began to change." Shaking his head in disappointment, Cid soon continued on. "We lost sight of our high ideals and the truth was covered up…" Shaking his head once more, he looked into Squall's eyes and said, "That's probably enough for now. In the end, it was all my fault for giving up control to NORG."

Taking a moment to think on it, Squall went over everything they knew so far. He was comparing it to a mental checklist to see if there were anymore questions that needed to be asked. He considered discussing the dreams that he and the others were having, but decided against it for now. So, instead, he looked into Cid's eyes and asked, "What's our next move, Headmaster?"

Cid chuckled and said, "I think our first order of business is to stop drifting around soon. I just hope that we can get things back to the way they were."

Squall chuckled lightly for a time before saying, "Here's hoping, Headmaster. I know that I, for one, would love to see Naruto and the others again. I want to know that they're okay. I need to see it with my own eyes. For now, however, we're going to go. You should try and get some more rest, sir."

Cid said, "Sure. I still feel a little sore. I could really use a little R&R."

Smiling at the man, Squall and the others left the infirmary to have a look around. They weren't quite sure what they should do now besides take a walk and wait. Thankfully, as they neared the directory, a familiar voice called out to them. "Squall! Squall!"

Looking at the person running towards them, they smiled when they saw it was Xu. "Have you seen the headmaster around anywhere?"

Squall nodded once and said, "He's at the infirmary."

Rinoa frowned and said, "This sounds like trouble. What's wrong?"

Xu glanced away from them towards the elevator. Immediately afterwards, she turned her gaze onto them again. "Go to the 2nd floor deck and see for yourselves. There's a ship approaching. Chances are that it could be the Galbadians, or worse…" Shivering in dread, she said, "The sorceress might be aboard, coming to attack us! I have to tell the headmaster right away!" And with that, she ran off towards the infirmary, leaving Squall and company to head for the elevator. They were curious and wanted to see exactly what all the fuss was about. They also hoped sincerely that it WASN'T the Galbadians, because they weren't sure that they were in any shape to really fight back this time.

After reaching the 2nd floor deck, they frowned at the incoming ship. Squall frowned and reached for his gunblade, a nervous sweat trickling down the back of his neck. "The Galbadians?"

Hinata shook her head and said, "I don't think so. At least, they don't look like any of the Galbadians I've ever seen." When they looked at her curiously, she pointed towards her eyes and said, "I can see virtually everything with these eyes."

"I see. Sounds useful." Quistis said. Turning her attention to the ship coming their way, she frowned and asked, "If it's not the Galbadians, who could it be?"

It didn't take much longer for the strange ship to reach them. When it did, three people in white uniforms ran up and asked, "Is Headmaster Cid here!?"

Squall frowned and shook his head. "No, he's not here. You're not from Galbadia, are you?"

The apparent leader of the white-clad folks shook his head and said, "We are SeeDs! This is Edea's ship. We are Sorceress Edea's SeeD!"

Squall and company's eyes widened in shock at this bold proclamation. SeeDs!? Seriously!? Squall wondered, clearly feeling a little panicked.

"We're coming aboard! We're unarmed!" the lead white SeeD said. Shortly after saying this, they jumped up onto the deck of Garden. When Squall drew his gunblade on them, the leader waved his hands placatingly in front of him. "Please! We come in peace." When Squall put away his weapon, the white SeeDs breathed matching sighs of relief. "Please, we must speak with Headmaster Cid. Where is he?"

It was at this point that Cid stepped out onto the deck and said, "I'm right here." Glancing briefly at Squall and his team, the headmaster nodded once, giving them the signal to stand back and lower their guard. Approaching the lead SeeD, Cid asked, "What is it?"

"Headmaster, we've come for Ellone. It's too dangerous here now."

Cid frowned and nodded his head in agreement. "Indeed. I'm afraid that is the case."

Squall frowned as he thought back, trying to recall if he had ever heard the name before. Shaking his head, he realized that he really couldn't remember a girl by that name. Unless that woman…

It was at this point that Cid turned to Squall and said, "Squall, please go find her. She's here in the Garden somewhere."

The gunblader frowned and thought, She's here? Just who are these guys? What the hell is going on here?! Sighing, he nodded to the headmaster and turned, leaving the deck with his teammates.

After heading inside, Quistis stopped the group and looked straight at Squall. "Any idea where we can find her? It's most likely someone that we don't usually see around Garden. Can you remember anyone like that being here recently?"

Squall's first instinct was to deny it and say that he really had no clue. After a moment, however, he did remember something! "There is that one girl, in the back of the library…"

Rinoa smiled brightly and said, "Well then, that's where we'll go! But, do you have any idea who this Ellone girl is supposed to be? Why's she so special?"

Squall frowned and shook his head. "Hell if I know. I feel like I know that name, though. She seems to know me, but I'm not sure how. If only I could remember…"

Hinata placed a hand upon Squall's shoulder and said, "Don't stress yourself out by thinking too much on it. If it helps any, it's not that your memory is bad or anything. From what I understand, the longer one junctions and partners with a GF or multiple GFs, the faster their memory degrades. I think the only one who might be immune to that particular problem with be Naruto-kun, but that's because he's, erm…'special'."

Quistis blinked and said, "I never thought of that before. We make use of our partnerships with GFs, but never really stopped to think of the consequences of our choices. But…"

Squall nodded and said, "Without the GFs, we wouldn't be able to fight anywhere near as well as we do now. So, it's essentially a damned if you do, damned if you don't type of thing."

Hinata nodded and said, "Unfortunately, you are right. Speaking of GFs, though, would anyone object to me junctioning with Leviathan for a time? It wouldn't be permanent, but it might help me out in the long run."

Rinoa frowned at her in confusion. "But, you just said…"

The pale-eyed Hyuga smiled at her and said, "I know what I said, Rinoa. But I see the benefits of junctioning with a GF and believe that they outweigh the negative effects. I'm willing to risk it if it means I can grow strong enough to keep Naruto-kun and his loved ones safe."

Quistis smiled at her and said, "Go ahead, Hinata. Just be careful, okay?"

Hinata simply nodded before she went through the process of 'equipping' her new GF. She knew she'd most likely end up trading her GF for another one down the line, but for now, she was content to partner up with Leviathan.

With that out of the way, Squall looked at the girls for a moment before he led them to the elevator. Once back on the 1st floor, he took a left at the bottom of the stairs and walked straight into the library. Once inside, Squall paused for a moment and thought to himself. I feel like this girl's really important to me, but I don't know why. If only I could remember!

Seeing that he was having difficulties, Hinata poked his cheek a few times to get his attention. "Don't just stand there, Squall. Let's go say hello and let Ellone know that those SeeDs are waiting for her."

Squall simply nodded and led the part into the back of the library, where, sure enough, Ellone was waiting for them. Walking up to her, Squall said, "Hello again, Ellone."

Ellone smiled sadly at him and said, "So you know my name, now. But you still haven't remembered me, have you?" Seeing Squall shake his head, she nodded and said, "I figured as much." Looking at the other party members, she smiled at Quistis for a time before looking at Rinoa and then Hinata. "And who might these lovely women be? It would seem you've become quite the ladies man in our time apart, Squall."

As Squall blushed at the teasing, Hinata offered the younger woman a smile and said, "My name is Hinata Hyuga. I came to be with Naruto-kun. This is Rinoa Heartily. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ellone-san."

Ellone smiled kindly at them before looking back at Squall. "So, what brings you to me, Squall? I assume you needed me for some reason?"

Squall frowned for a time before nodding his head. "A ship with SeeDs garbed in white has come asking for you. Apparently it's too dangerous here for you to stay any longer."

Ellone sighed, but nodded her head. "I figured as much. Well, before I go, what do you know about Uncle Laguna?"

Squall's and Quistis' eyes widened in recognition of the name. Squall said, "Not much. He seems like kind of an idiot to me."

Ellone giggled to herself at that before she looked at Quistis. "And you?"

Quistis shook her head and said, "I've seen him in those dreams, visions, whatever they are. Laguna seems like a good man. But, what exactly are we experiencing, Ellone?"

The brunette frowned slightly as she thought over how best to explain it. After a time, she decided to simply bite the bullet and get it over with. "It's connected to the past. It's…hard to put it into words that would help you to understand it completely."

"So those dreams, the one that Naruto-kun had of you and Laguna…those are them viewing the past?" Hinata questioned uncertainly. It sounded insane, but, if you eliminate the impossible, then whatever is left, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. So, frowning to herself, she asked one last question, "Just how is Naruto-kun connected to you and this world as a whole? It was no accident that led him here, was it? Naruto-kun was always meant to return here, wasn't he?"

Ellone quirked a brow as she looked Hinata in the eyes. "You're a sharp one. Then again, you shinobi were always special. Yes, Naruto lived in this world for a time. He is as connected to this world, Laguna and his friends, and even to the sorceress as Squall and the others are. This is Naruto's true home. He was always meant to return here, just as you said."

Hinata frowned and shook her head sadly. "If Neji could hear this now, he'd probably go on and on about fate this and fate that. To think, Naruto's fate would lead him here not just once, but twice. This is way too much to try and deal with right now."

Ellone giggled softly and said, "You needn't worry so much. As Naruto so likes to say, we all make our own fate. Destiny and fate are funny things, Hinata Hyuga. Was it Naruto's destiny to return here, after all that time away? Perhaps. But it was his choice and by his hand that he returned here when he did. He got to choose when to come home. It was never preordained that he would return here on (blank) date and (blank) hour. All that was truly certain is that he would eventually find his way back home."

"Anyways, what's happened has happened. People often say that you can't change the past. But even still, if there's a possibility, it's worth a try, right?" Ellone questioned.

Quistis frowned for a moment and asked, "But, there's no telling exactly what could happen if you really were to change the past. The Butterfly Effect would come into play. By changing something in the past, you might change the present in an unbelievable way. You could make things worse or make them better. Or you might prevent your own birth. Any number of things could happen."

Hinata nodded in agreement and said, "Trying to change the past in such a way is dangerous. I understand the desire to go back and make things right, or to completely redo an entire segment of your life all over again in the hopes that you could make things better. However, the consequences could be dire and quite possibly irrevocable. There's just way too much risk involved when it comes to time travel. I doubt even Naruto-kun would take such a risk."

Squall had been frowning for a time as he listened to all the exposition. After a time, he finally spoke up once again. "So, are you the one responsible for what's been happening to us? Are you the one taking us to that 'dream world'?"

Ellone frowned and glanced away. "I'm sorry, Squall." was all she said in response to his question.

Squall clenched his fist for a time before saying, "I don't understand any of this! Why us!? What is the purpose in putting us through everything?"

Again, all Ellone could do was say, "I'm sorry."

Squall grit his teeth for a moment before he took a seat away from Ellone. "Dammit." he said.

It was at this point that Xu walked up to them, asking, "Hey. Did you guys find Ellone, yet?"

Ellone spoke up as she turned to face Xu. "Umm…I'm Ellone."

Xu offered her a smile before she turned her gaze onto Squall and his team. Seeing the state they were all in, she couldn't help but ask, "Are you all right? You look like you've been through hell and back."

Hinata frowned and shook her head. "No. We're far from being all right, Xu-san." Turning to stare into Xu's eyes, she said, "You should probably get going now. Don't want to keep them waiting, after all."

Ellone didn't follow Xu right away. Instead, she walked over to Squall and whispered to him, "You're my only hope now, Squall. You and Naruto both." And with that, she left with Xu, leaving Squall and the others to stew in their turmoiled thoughts.

Later that night

Squall couldn't help but toss and turn on his bed as he struggled with his emotions and all that they had learned today. The day had been hectic enough as is, what with them having to battle NORG and then the startling revelation about Naruto and their connection with one another. Nothing was making any damn sense anymore! It was at this point that Squall started to doze off, images playing in his mind in another kind of dream sequence. However, rather than the dreams that would take him and the others into the Laguna dream world, this dream seemed more like a memory.

Frowning slightly, he watched and listened as a younger Squall pitifully stood out in the rain, muttering to himself. "…Sis…I'm…all alone. But I'm doing my best…I'll be okay without you, Sis. I'll be able to take care of myself."

As Squall came to a while later, he brought his hand to his face and chuckled dryly to himself. Heh, making it on my own, huh? I couldn't do anything these days were it not for my friends. At first, I didn't understand that relying on others isn't a bad thing. I wanted to become self-dependent and take care of everything by myself. It took Naruto coming here to help me change for the better. Relying on others doesn't make you weak. Instead, it gives you something to fight for. True strength comes from the heart, or so Naruto likes to say.

Chuckling again, he slowly sat up and stared at Rinoa, who was simply smiling at him. "Hey."

Rinoa waved and said, "Hey, again."

Squall blushed a bit as he muttered, "I wasn't asleep…"

Rinoa smirked at him and said, "Oh really? I think I heard you talking in your sleep. I'm not telling you what you said."

The scarred teen shrugged and said, "Just some old memories coming to the surface. It's nothing important."

"Well, alrighty then. Hey, let's go for a walk." Rinoa suggested.

"Again?" Squall questioned in disbelief.

Rinoa pouted at him and said, "That was a guided tour! This time, it's a walk."

Squall's initial reaction was to tell her to go by herself. However, he quickly squashed that negative line of thinking down. With a sigh, he stood up and looked her in the eyes. "Very well. Though, I'm afraid I wouldn't make for a good conversationalist."

Rinoa smiled a bit and said, "You know, you're deep in thought waaay too often. You need to lighten up a bit. It's not good to think so hard all the time. I guess what I'm trying to say is: I would be honored to accept your company, your highness, in the hopes that I may help get your mind off of everything. How about it, your highness?"

The brunette chuckled half-heartedly and said, "Fine, fine. Maybe a nice walk will do us both some good."

"Yay! Thank you, your highness!" Rinoa cheered excitedly. "Now let's get going!" And with that, she grabbed one of Squall's hands and began tugging on him, trying to pull him along with her. "So much to do and see! This'll be fun."

Shortly after exiting into the main hub, they heard Cid begin speaking over the intercom system. "Hello everyone. This is the headmaster speaking. The lines have been fixed, and I'm glad to be back on the air. Hurrah! UM!? WHOAA!"

Squall and Rinoa looked at one another and nodded as one. "That doesn't sound good."

Outside

A lone man sat on a pier at a place known as Fisherman's Horizon. As per the namesake, the Master Fisherman checked his cast again before saying, "Boy has it been a slow day, today. Come on you son of a gun, gimme a big one."

It was at this point that a rather loud commotion distracted him. Turning, he blinked a couple of times as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. Panicking, he stood up and went to run away, only to feel something tugging tightly on his rod. "Ah shit! To hell with this! I ain't gonna die today, dammit!" And with that, he ran like hell to escape the destruction caused by Balamb Garden crashing into the Fisherman's Horizon.

Squall

"Squall! This is the headmaster speaking! Please come to my office! Repeat. Please come to my office right away!" Cid exclaimed over the intercom.

A short time later, Squall joined Cid up by the controls and listened as the headmaster spoke over the intercom once more. "Everybody, please remain calm. Also, please do not leave the Garden under any circumstance until you are permitted. We will try to get things back in order A.S.A.P. Thank you for your cooperation."

Turning around, Cid smiled at Squall and said, "Ah, Squall. Thank you for coming. Here are your orders. We've landed on Fisherman's Horizon. Please go ashore with Quistis, Rinoa, and Hinata. Find the local mayor and apologize for this accident. Tell them that we come in peace. Take a look around the city while you're there, too."

Squall gave a quick salute before saying, "Yes, sir."

Cid frowned, easily noticing how distracted Squall seemed to be. "Do you have something you want to tell me, Squall?"

Squall shook his head and glanced away. "Not really. I've just had a lot on my mind lately. I am beyond stressed out at this point, so throwing this on top of everything else? It's just a bit hard to deal with. But I'll follow your orders to the letter, Headmaster. No worries."

Smiling at the younger man, Cid said, "I can only imagine. If it helps any, I want you to know that SeeD is not just a special force for combat. I want you to get out and see the world. I want you to broaden your horizons. I have high expectations of you, Squall. Well, Naruto as well. I'm afraid that I still have no idea where Naruto might be."

Squall sighed at that and lowered his head glumly. "I'm not surprised. It's hard to get any kind of information when you're adrift at sea for so long. He's my best friend and I've been worried about him. I just want to know that he and the others are okay."

Cid simply smiled at Squall and said, "Go on, Squall. Remember, speak to the mayor and explain the situation for us. But be careful. There's no telling what could happen, even on a seemingly simple mission such as this one."

Squall chuckled and said, "That reminds me of Naruto's luck with missions. Namely the ones that he talked about back that he took in the Elemental Nations. Almost every mission he went on outside of the village, things would become incredibly chaotic and almost nothing would go as planned. I have a feeling that some of his luck has rubbed off on me. I'll try not to make any waves, Headmaster. I can't make any guarantees, however."

Cid chuckled good-naturedly and said, "Indeed. Just do your best, Squall. I believe in you."

"Thank you, Headmaster." Squall said before he proceeded to go down into the main area of Cid's office. Once down there, he looked at the girls and listened as Quistis asked, "A new mission?"

Rinoa giggled and said, "We're here and raring to go! Just tell us what to do, Squall."

Hinata smiled and said, "What are our orders, Leader?"

Squall looked at them for a moment before saying, "We'll land at Fisherman's Horizon. We'll make an official apology, then observe the town."

Quistis nodded in understanding before she said, "We can go out the 2nd floor deck to get to Fisherman's Horizon. We should be able to use it as an exit now."

Nodding as one, the party of four made their way to the 2nd floor deck. Once outside, a nearby man said, "We've come to warn you before you go ashore. Do not engage in any type of armed conflict in the city. We do not tolerate belligerence here. Do you understand me?"

Squall nodded and said, "Yes. We are representatives of the Garden and we come in peace."

The same man frowned for a moment before saying, "Welcome to Fisherman's Horizon. We just call it FH for short. You should go visit the mayor. His house is in the middle of the city. He's the head of FH."

"We'll do exactly that. Thank you." Squall said as politely as he could.

"Good. It looks like we understand each other." The man said before he walked up the ramp a ways. When Squall joined him, the man said, "Man, this is a hell of a mess."

Squall winced in sympathy as he looked at the damages. "I'm truly, terribly sorry. We didn't intend to do this, I swear. Sadly, it was bound to happen eventually. We lost complete control of the Garden."

The man shook his head and smiled at the teenager. "Nah, don't worry about it. What's important is that nobody got hurt. Heh, we love fixing stuff anyway. So kick back and enjoy your stay." And with that, the man and his buddies left, leaving Squall and company to their own devices.

"Well, that went better than expected." Rinoa said. "Here I was, worried they'd bar us entry and tell us to pack up and leave. Not like we really know how to do that just yet."

Squall breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I think we should just be grateful that things aren't as bad as they could've been. If somebody got hurt because Garden was out of control…"

Hinata shook her head and said, "Don't think about the what if's. We've got a mission to complete, so let's get on that."

Squall nodded in thanks. Together with his teammates, he proceeded along the wreckage, working his way towards the center of FH. Still can't help but wonder exactly how this mission is going to go wrong. Damn Naruto's luck rubbed off on me, I swear.

As they walked along, they saw another man standing in their path. "Hey, that's Balamb Garden, right?"

Squall nodded and said, "Yes. How did you know?"

"Those markings on the wall. We painted it a long time ago. Ahhh, those were the good old days. Go ahead and tell the mayor I said 'hi'." The man said, a smile on his face.

Before Squall could say anything else, the man that had confronted them earlier shouted, "Yo! Let's go already!"

Squall watched as the men ran off towards FH. Shrugging his shoulders, he motioned for the girls to follow him. "Let's get going. Might as well get this over with."

Proceeding along into the next area, they encountered an old man who said, "I heard Balamb Garden lost control. That's why you have to keep up with your maintenance."

Hinata frowned and said, "Kind of hard to when we don't even know what half of this stuff even is. We don't quite know how it all works just yet."

"Ah. That makes sense." The old man said. "Well, you lot will figure it out soon enough, I'm sure. For now, enjoy your stay at FH. Have some fun!"

Squall smiled in thanks before he led the way downstairs and into the next area. Seeing a ladder leading downwards, Squall stared ahead at the upper walkway, noticing a gizmo of some kind ahead. He assumed it would likely lead them into the main area of FH. So, for now, he and the girls climbed down the ladder to explore a bit down below. Of course, he made damn sure NOT to look up, lest he sneak a peek on accident.

Following along the path, climbing up and down a few more, thankfully shorter ladders, they finally came upon a fisherman. Upon noticing the party, the old gentleman stood up and turned to face them. "Will you look at this? Lot of the places I've been fishin' fer years, all gone. Terrible shame, that."

Squall, deciding to try and play it off like it was nothing, asked, "What are you talking about?"

The fisherman looked hard into Squall's eyes and said, "Very funny, boy." Laughing for a moment, he soon said, "You're one helluva character. Hell, I like you kid. I feel like rewarding you with a little something. Here, take it." Here, he gave Squall a magazine called [Occult Fan III]. Afterwards, he plopped himself back down and said, "Okey doke, then. Back to mah fishies."

However, rather than leave immediately, Squall looked down at the man and went to say something, only for the fisherman to look up into his eyes and say, "What do you want now, boy? Huh, wait a minute. Think you can do somethin' for me, boy? My pupil is at the docks. I haven't spoken to him for a while. If you happen to go there, talk to that lonely twerp will ya? Please and thank ye!"

Squall released an inaudible sigh before turning and motioning or the girls to follow him. Together, they made their way back to the upper walkway and proceeded to the gizmo at the end of the path. When they reached it, they quickly realized that it was connected to an elevator that would, naturally, take them up and down. When the man operating it asked if they were going down, Squall nodded once before he and the others stepped aboard the elevator.

Before flipping the switch, the man asked, "So, you guys going to Esthar?"

Squall blinked in confusion for a moment. "Huh? Esthar?"

"Oh, you know…that hi-tech city? It's just beyond the train tracks." Seeing their confused expressions, he shrugged and said, "Oh well. I guess you're not going there. A lot of people who stop here go there. Unfortunately, the trains are down, so the best way to get there is to walk from here. Tch. What a joke, huh? Aaaanyway… You guys had an accident and came here, huh? I guess I shouldn't keep you any longer. Everybody on?" When they confirmed it, the man gave them a smile before flipping the switch, sending the party down to the lower path.

Once down below, they proceeded past the operator at the bottom and stepped up to another man behind him. "Hey, are you guys SeeDs?"

Squall frowned for a moment, but nodded in confirmation. Soon enough, the man said, "I heard that you guys are, like, mercenaries, and basically fight anybody for money. Are you really happy with that kind of life?"

The scarred teen frowned and thought, What's his problem? Is he trying to pick a fight or something?

Hinata narrowed her eyes on the young man and said, "It's not as bad as you might think. Technically, I'm not a SeeD. But, I am an experienced mercenary of sorts. It's not all about fighting monsters, killing people, or whatever you might be thinking of. Sometimes, mercenaries get paid to protect people or save a nation or something else like that."

Quistis nodded and said, "Squall and I are SeeDs, though. We're hired to do a variety of jobs, but it's usually to help people. Fighting people and killing monsters is only a small part of the job. It's not an everyday kind of thing."

The man frowned for a time before shrugging. "Never mind, then. The way you all live your lives is none of my business. Just don't cause us any problems."

Squall simply shrugged and walked by him. They could see a long walkway leading way down to a rather big house. They ignored it for the time being and spoke to the portly fellow nearby. "There's the mayor's house down there. You see it?"

Rinoa blinked a couple of times as she looked at the really long walkway leading down to it. "That's…an interesting place to live. So long as he's happy, I guess."

Hinata smirked at her and said, "I hope you're prepared for a long walk. This could take a while."

Rinoa slumped over comically and whimpered pitifully. "This sucks." She said.

Together, they proceeded down the really long walkway leading to the mayor's house. However, rather than go inside, Squall noticed a familiar face sitting off to the side. Walking up to him, he was a little surprised to see Martine was the man sitting there! "…A lot has happened since then. I was banished from Galbadia Garden… Everything I built up…gone, just like that. After wandering around mindlessly… The people of this town welcomed me with open arms. The townspeople encouraged me to start over. Very kind, even towards a man like me who has nothing." Here, he broke down in tears and shouted, "I…I'm so damned ashamed of myself!"

Squall wasn't sure what the hell he could say to try and cheer the man up. Hinata seemed to be on top of it, though. Walking up to Martine, Hinata sat down beside him and smiled kindly at him. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Martine-san. Believe me, I can understand what you're going through. But you're stronger than this. Stand up, believe in yourself, and make a living here with these kindhearted people. They won't let you down, Martine-san. Heck, if Naruto-kun were here, I'm sure he'd give you some kind of super pep talk or something that would get you right up on your feet again." She said with a giggle. "You'll be just fine, Martine-san. I promise. So cheer up, okay?"

Looking into the kindly woman's eyes, Martine couldn't help but return her smile. Nodding his head determinedly, he said, "Thank you, Hinata. Hmm, would any of you happen to be interested in playing Triple Triad with me for a bit? If you win, I'll give you an entire set of the level 7 Boss Cards. Fair deal, right?"

When everyone looked at him, Squall chuckled nervously for a moment before he sat down and began to play with Martine. Yeah, they had some work to do, but stopping for a game was always a nice way to relax.

Once they were finished, Squall shook Martine's hand before he led the team inside the mayor's house. Once inside, they looked around and couldn't help but marvel at the setup and how everything looked. It wasn't too flashy or gaudy. In fact, it seemed like quite the humble little home. However, they did notice a lot of machinery on the first floor, but they weren't going to question it or the mayor's choice in interior decorating.

Once they got their fill of the first floor of the house, they proceeded up the nearby stairs where they met Mayor Dobe. Upon stepping closer to him, he said, "Please have a seat." Once everyone was seated before him, Dobe narrowed his eyes on them and said, "Allow me to get to the point. When are you leaving?"

Squall blinked a couple of times as he thought to himself, Damn. He's really not wasting any time. This isn't good… Taking a breath, he looked the mayor in the eyes and said, "We'll leave as soon as the Garden is capable of moving again."

Mayor Dobe frowned and asked, "Any idea when that will be?"

Squall shook his head. "I'm afraid not. We only discovered that our Garden is mobile a short while ago. Therefore, we don't even know how to move it. We're still in the process of understanding everything."

Dobe nodded in understanding and said, "Very well. Our technicians will assist you. They should be able to repair and service everything. How does that sound?"

Squall frowned slightly as he thought over his options. If I agree to his demands, that means we'll have to let outsiders into the Garden. This isn't a decision I can make alone.

As if sensing Squall's thought process, Mayor Dobe waved his hand dismissively and said, "Go consult with your leader if you don't have the authority."

Squall nodded and stood up, only to freeze when Rinoa asked, "'Scuse me. Why do you want us to leave so bad, anyways?"

Oh shit. Rinoa…no! You couldn't just keep your mouth shut, could you? This isn't going to be pretty… Squall thought as he dragged his hand down his face.

Mayor Dobe looked into Rinoa's eyes sternly and said, "We don't want military organizations in FH. You rely on force to solve your problems. That s in direct defiance of our principles."

His wife, a woman by the name of Flo, spoke up at this point. "We firmly believe that any problem can be settled by discussion. If you reach a mutual understanding, there is no need to fight."

Squall smiled slightly and thought, Oh, if only they knew. Not every problem can be resolved peacefully like that. Still, it's a nice approach. Trite, and dull as hell, but it's a nice way of thinking.

Hinata frowned deeply as she looked at the married couple. "You remind me of my Naruto-kun. He would love to find a peaceful solution to all the world's problems. Unfortunately, sometimes there is no option that leads to a peaceful resolution. Sometimes, we have to act in defense of our loved ones. No matter what it takes, we fight to protect those dear to us. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate your views and don't mean to criticize them. But…" Sighing sadly, she shook her head and said, "I… Ugh. Let me tell you about an incident from my past. You'll see what I mean then."

Mayor Dobe and his wife frowned at this, but motioned for her to continue. When she got the okay, she smiled softly and said, "I'm from a village that essentially raised child soldiers, sent out to fight for their home from an early age. There were numerous villages like that where I'm from. One day, a man that came under a banner of peace…he later tried to kidnap me to take me to his village to…" Shivering for a moment, she shook her head and said, "I…I can't even say it. Just know that it was NOT for good reasons. I was only three at the time, and I had no way of fighting back or freeing myself from my captor. My father killed this man to save my life. Sadly, because we had killed their 'good will' ambassador, the enemy village demanded we give them the body of my father. Otherwise…our villages would go to war and a lot of people would have died."

Shaking her head sadly, Hinata said, "Our village's leader at the time, a man named Hiruzen Sarutobi, tried the peaceful route and meant to give them the body of my father. However, my uncle, my dear, sweet uncle, gave up his life instead. All to protect my father…and to save the village from a potential war." Looking into Dobe's eyes at this point, she said, "Sometimes…there is no peaceful resolution to our problems. Because sometimes…no matter what you do, it will have lasting consequences that can lead to deep, emotional scars."

Seeing Dobe about to say something, Hinata spoke up again. "I only fight when I have no other choice. If someone is trying to hurt, perhaps even kill my loved ones, I won't just stand by and let it happen. I fight to protect. I never fight for the joy of it, nor do I have any interest in hurting other people. You may think that talking things out will lead to peace every time…but it doesn't. Not always…"

Dobe and his wife frowned at this and looked into one another's eyes. They seemed to share a silent conversation with one another. After a time, he turned and looked back into Hinata's eyes. "As much as it pains me to admit it…I recognize your words for what they are. You are…right. Believe me, we can see that plain as day. But we will allow no conflict within FH. Please try to respect that."

Hinata smiled kindly at the man and his wife. "Thank you. We'll adhere to your rules and your beliefs while here. We'll return to Garden and discuss your terms with the headmaster. Thank you for having us."

Squall frowned for a moment before pulling out his deck of Triple Triad cards. "Umm, excuse me, sir? Do you happen to play?"

Quistis and the others giggled a bit, but they let Squall have his fun. When he won the Quezacotl card after a few games, Squall pumped his fist in victory. "Thanks Mayor. You were a tough opponent."

Dobe chuckled softly and said, "You beat me fair and square. That card should serve you well enough. Now get going. You've spent far too much time humoring an old man like me."

Squall chuckled before thanking the man again. Afterwards, he left the house with his teammates. "Well, that was an interesting experience."

Quistis nodded and said, "Indeed. I was worried for a while there. But it seems he understood us in the end. All thanks to you, Hinata. Thank you."

Hinata smiled at them and said, "I merely spoke the truth. As they said, talking usually helps to settle things in a peaceful manner. I'll admit, I was a little nervous about whether what I said was going to backfire or not. But, I'm glad things worked out alright in the end."

"As am I." Squall said. Then he turned to face Rinoa. "I know you mean well, but please, please think before saying something like that. Sometimes, it's best to leave well enough alone and not question another person's customs. They don't really want us here because they're worried that our presence will only bring violence and death to their doorstep. It's a valid concern. Not one I share, but a valid concern nonetheless."

Rinoa pouted slightly and shuffled her feet. "Sorry. I didn't realize."

"It's okay. Just, try to be more careful next time, okay?" Squall said as he walked up to her. Reaching up, he gently pet her head and offered her a small smile. "I'm not mad."

Rinoa blushed a bit, but found herself smiling at him in thanks. "Thanks, Squall! Now let's go! We still have the second part of our mission to take care of, right?! Or did you want to return to Garden first?"

Squall frowned for a moment before saying, "We'd best report in to Cid before we do anything else. It's best not to overstay our welcome or get on the mayor's bad side."

Everyone nodded in agreement as they proceeded up the walkway leading back up top once more. Sadly, as they reached the halfway point, a man went by screaming about Galbadian soldiers invading FH!

"Tch. This isn't good. God, I hope we can settle this without any senseless violence. After everything we just talked about with Mayor Dobe, this is the absolute last thing we needed. Dammit." Squall said, sounding genuinely angry.

Once they reached the top, they prepared to go and have a look, only for Flo to call out to them. "Wait!" Walking up to them, she asked, "The Galbadians are here because of you, right? They're after you."

Squall frowned and shook his head. "Maybe. I have no conclusive proof either way. They might be here because of us…or they might be after something else. If it is our fault, then I sincerely apologize. We'll try to resolve this with as little bloodshed as possible. Hopefully none will be needed. But…if they threaten your people and attack your people, do we have your permission to fight them off?"

Flo went to say something before Mayor Dobe walked up, interrupting them. "Sweetheart, we have to try and settle this our own way first. We can't just resort to violence without understanding the whole situation."

Squall frowned as he watched Mayor Dobe walk off to go and talk to the Galbadians. This cannot end well. Shit. Well, we might as well follow him. Can't let our new 'friend' get himself killed, after all.

Entering the next area, they noticed that Galbadian soldiers and their 'toys' were roaming about, wreaking havoc and scaring the poor townsfolk. Naturally, the party of four killed every enemy they stumbled across. After a bit, though, they heard a nearby fisherman shout out that the mayor went off in the direction of all the chaos.

Frowning, Squall wanted to rush right on over there, but he decided against it. Going to the far end of the nearby pier, he talked to a person running a junk shop. At first, it didn't seem like anything special. Then, when he realized that they could modify their weapons here, he paid the cost in both Gil and materials to upgrade Quistis' weapon to the Slaying Tail and Rinoa's weapon to the Rising Sun. Both were great improvements over what they were previously equipped with.

Once that was taken care of, Squall led the party back onto dry land, so to speak. This time, he led them into the nearby hotel and decided to browse the items available for purchase. Seeing nothing of interest for the time being, he led the party upstairs where he found an old copy of Timber Maniacs. After reading its contents, he shrugged and proceeded to lead the way back out of the building.

Once outside, he looked in the direction the mayor walked off in. Taking a breath, he said, "Well, let's see what we can do to solve this problem. If they won't listen to the mayor or to us, we'll have to fight."

Hinata nodded and said, "Right. I just hope the mayor doesn't get himself killed. This is way too dangerous for him to be getting involved in."

"Agreed. But we have to respect their principles and allow them to try at the very least." Quistis said, though she had a deep frown on her face. "Doesn't mean we have to like it, though."

Upon entering the next area, they spotted Mayor Dobe trying to reason with a Galbadian Soldier. Frowning at this, Squall held up a hand and said, "Prepare to move on my signal. If things turn sour, we move in. I refuse to let any harm come to Mayor Dobe."

Quistis and the others nodded before she said, "He may not want our help, but we might as well."

Slowly lowering his hand, Squall frowned to himself and thought, Why are they wasting their time with the old man if they're after us and our Garden? I wonder what they're talking about?

Directing his team to crouch down, Squall said quietly, "Let's listen and see if we can't get some answers here. If I say we move in to protect Dobe, then we move."

Listening in, they heard Mayor Dobe say, "I already told you. I've never even heard of this girl, Ellone. There is nobody here by that name."

Ellone? the party members each wondered. I wonder what they want with her.

What they heard next caused their eyes to widen for a moment before Squall began counting down on his fingers. "Fine then. We'll just have to torch this city. Unless you want to start being more cooperative?"

Mayor Dobe's eyes widened and he began to plea with the soldier. "Please, wait a minute! I'm telling the truth goddammit! I've never even seen this girl!"

The soldier laughed darkly and said, "Too damn bad, old man. Not like it would have mattered either way. We're gonna burn this place anyway. Edea's orders."

"No, please! I beg of you! Don't do it!" Dobe pleaded as he fell to his knees, desperately grabbing the soldier. "Please…!"

"I'll start wi—" the soldier began to say, right before an arrow pierced his eye, shooting clean through his head and embedding itself in the ground behind him. When the soldier fell, he could only mutter, "W-What?" before he died.

When Squall's party arrived on the scene, Mayor Dobe stared at them in horror. "T-They…they plan to destroy our home! Y-You were right. I can't believe people could be this cruel. Why?"

Squall frowned and shook his head sadly. "It's just the way of the world, sadly. I don't really know the answer to that question. What I do know is that we're not about to let them have their way. We're going to chase them out of your city. Do you have a problem with that, Mr. Mayor?"

Mayor Dobe clenched his eyes shut tight and said, "J-Just…do it! Do whatever you need to do! Just save FH, please!"

Squall grinned wickedly. "That's what I wanted to hear. Team, let's try to do this neatly. We don't want to make a mess of this fine city."

Rinoa giggled and said, "Then they shouldn't have invaded an innocent little fishing location."

Quistis nodded and cracked her whip as two soldiers clad in blue armor rushed towards them, screaming about their deceased commander. "Come on, make this fun for me."

Needless to say, the two soldiers weren't able to put up much of a fight, especially with their commander lying dead behind the good guys. Unfortunately, as soon as the battle was finished, the ground began to quake and rumble. Rinoa frowned as she and the others (except Hinata) struggled to maintain their balance. "Um, guys? Something's coming."

Squall chuckled and said, "Stating the obvious there, Rinoa. No matter what it is, we'll destroy it and save FH."

They watched as a giant machine rolled up high on the bridge before dropping down to their level. Quistis frowned as she stared at it. "This looks like Galbadia's latest weapon. Top of the line stuff. But…"

Rinoa nodded and said, "It looks like somebody's already smashed this thing up pretty badly. I wonder who could've done that?"

Hinata smirked and put her bow away. "One guess as to who's responsible for this."

Rinoa and the others were confused for a moment before they heard a familiar voice shout out, "Sorry ya overgrown tin can, but it's time to dispose of you. You served your purpose well enough." In an instant, a certain blonde shinobi burst out through the top of the BGH251F2 before it could even fire off a single shot.

Waiting for his teammates to exit the crappy machine, Naruto smirked to himself and formed dual Rasengans, one in each hand. "Take this ya stupid piece of crap!" And with that, he charged forward and slammed both Rasengans into the machine, sending it flying and shredding it into tiny metal chunks that rained down on the ground below.

Smirking to himself, Naruto turned to face Squall and company and gave them a thumbs-up. "I just love doing that. Yo! How's it going? Looks like you've been doing well for yourselves."

Squall couldn't help but chuckle to himself. "You're definitely going to have to tell me the story of how you ended up here on that thing. I've missed you."

Naruto walked up to Squall and gave him a fist bump. "Sounds good to me. We'll have to swap stories when we get a chance. Nooow, where exactly are we? Certainly not any place I've ever seen before."

Before Squall could say anything more, Hinata ran up to Naruto and hugged him tight. Kissing him, she relished in the feeling of his lips on hers. When they separated, she rested her head against his chest and smiled happily. "I've missed you so much, Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiled at his girlfriend and held her close, gently running his fingers through her hair. "I missed you, too, Hina-chan. Hopefully we won't have to be apart like that again anytime soon."

Meanwhile, Quistis watched the scene with a hand over her heart, clutching the fabric of her outfit tight. Naruto…I need to talk to you so badly. But…I'm afraid. What if you've gotten over me already? I don't want to lose you! Ugh, what the hell am I supposed to do?!

Selphie and the others smiled at the happy reunion. They were glad to see their friends again. Breathing a sigh of relief, Selphie walked forward and saluted Squall. "We're back from our mission Mr. Squall! Hope you've been well."

Squall chuckled a bit and said, "I'm glad you're all safe. We missed you. All of you."

Irvine looked around at their surroundings before tilting his head quizzically. "Say, what happened to the Garden?"

Hinata smiled at them from her position next to Naruto. "The Garden is perfectly safe. Everybody's alive and well. But boy, do we have a story to tell you. We're definitely going to need to swap stories. Whatever it was you all did, it saved Balamb Garden. Thank you."

Ino smirked and pointed at Naruto. "We didn't really do anything. Naruto-kun handled most of it. He's still as clever as we knew him to be."

Hinata giggled at that and said, "I'm glad. You're still as amazing as ever, Naruto-kun." Leaning up, she kissed his lips again and relished in the feeling. "I'm looking forward to getting you alone soon. I need some Naru-snuggle time."

The blonde chuckled at that and said, "Sure thing, Hina-chan. But we can't go too far. Selphie wants my, erm…my first time."

Hinata smirked at him and poked him lightly on the nose. "You can say it, you know? But you're so cute when you're bashful like this."

Naruto blushed more and quickly glanced away. "I-If you say so, Hina-chan. Um, anyways! I hope everything's okay over here. Sorry if we scared you with that nasty machine. We pretty much just hitched a ride." He said with a casual shrug of his shoulders.

Meanwhile, Selphie fell to her knees and breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Garden's safe. I'm so, so glad. I was so scared that I was going to lose my home. Thank God for miracles like this."

Naruto walked over to Selphie, Hinata still glued to his side. Helping his girlfriend up, Naruto tilted her head up before leaning in close, capturing her lips with his. When they parted a moment later, she was a blushing mess. "No matter what it takes, Selphie-chan, I'll always work as hard as I can to keep you smiling. That's a promise."

Selphie giggled cutely as she twiddled her thumbs. After a short while, she leaned up and kissed him lovingly on the lips. "I love you, Naruto. I always will, too."

"I'm glad to hear it, sweetheart. Because I love you, too. All three of you." He said, smiling at each of his girlfriends. "So long as we're all together, we'll all going to be okay. Though, right now, I really wanna smash Edea's face in. First she skewers me with a bunch of ice spears, then she tries to blow up the Garden. She's pretty much number one on my shit list at this point."

Squall couldn't help the smile that now adorned his face. "I'm so glad you're all okay. I worried about each of you, wondering if I should have assigned the teams differently or if I had gotten you killed…"

Naruto smirked at him and said, "Oh ye of little faith. You really gotta believe in us some more, man!"

Squall chuckled and said, "You have a point." At this point, the scarred teen looked at Rinoa and Quistis. "Rinoa, Quistis? Can I entrust you two to take everyone back to the Garden? Naruto and I are going to have a look around town. Once we're sure everything's clear and everyone is okay, we'll return to the Garden as well."

Rinoa and Quistis both nodded, though Quistis couldn't help but spare a glance at Naruto. When he looked her way, she offered him her best smile. When he smiled at her in response, she breathed a huge sigh of relief. Okay, that's a good sign! He doesn't hate me, at least!

It was at this point that Quistis realized she had spaced out for a moment. Looking at Squall, she nodded and said, "Of course, Squall. We'll see you two later. We'll be waiting."

After everyone walked off, Naruto walked up to Squall and patted him on the back. "You've been busy; I can tell. You're definitely gonna have to tell me all about your adventure while we were gone. Now…" Before he could continue, Naruto and Squall were a bit surprised to see Rinoa approaching them. "What's up, Rinoa-chan?"

Rinoa blushed a bit and looked shyly at Squall. "U-Umm…can I speak to Squall…alone, for a little while?"

Naruto nodded in understanding before turning to his friend. "I'll wait for you over there. Don't take too long now, lover boy." He teased good-naturedly.

Once Naruto was out of sight, and hopefully hearing distance, Rinoa smiled at Squall and said, "You sounded really happy to see everyone again. It looked like a huge weight was taken off of your shoulders at that moment. I think that's the most comfortable you've ever been around us. It was really sweet to see. I'm sure they're all just as happy to see you as you were them."

Squall blushed a bit and scratched his cheek for a moment. He was unable to look her in the eyes at the moment. "I'll admit it, Rinoa. I was scared. I had so many questions playing over and over again in my head. I was plagued by doubts and worry for them. I could barely concentrate on our objectives, it was bothering me that badly. Seeing them again…I felt relieved. You are right. It does feel like the weight of the world has been lifted from my shoulders. I think I can finally relax for a while."

Deciding to test the waters a bit, Rinoa leaned closer to Squall and asked, "What if it was me that had gone with Naruto? Would you worry about me, too?"

Blushing just a tad worse, Squall eventually sighed and nodded his head. "Of course I'd miss you. You're…important to me. Hell, even when we're together, I can't help but worry."

Rinoa pouted cutely at him and said, "That better not have been meant as an insult."

Squall chuckled softly and shook his head. "I didn't mean it like that. But…I am glad you're okay, Rinoa."

Rinoa found herself blushing at this point. However, rather than dwell on his response, she walked closer and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. "You're sweet, Squall. I'll see you later, okay?" And with that, she turned around and began to skip away. She was clearly quite happy with how things played out. Hehe. He's so cute when he gets like that. I can't help but want to tease him.

When Naruto rejoined him a few seconds later, Squall smiled at him and said, "Welcome back."

It was at this point that Mayor Dobe looked at them and spoke up. "You saved my life, and the lives of my people. Thank you."

Squall rubbed the back of his head and said, "I'm sorry for butting in like that. We just couldn't watch as they assaulted you. As Hinata said, we fight to protect. Not for the sake of the battle itself, but so we can see our loved ones live to see another day."

Dobe nodded and said, "I understand. I still stand by my principles, though."

Squall nodded in response. "Of course. And, to be perfectly honest with you, I wish everything could be resolved without the need for violence. But so long as someone like the sorceress is in power, we have to fight. Too many innocent people could be hurt, like you almost were."

The mayor nodded and said, "I…understand. I don't have to like it, but I won't fault you for doing what you need to do."

"That's all I ask of you." Squall said before he began to walk around with Naruto. As they approached a man standing nearby, they heard him saying something about Balamb Garden and how worried his parents were. Frowning for a moment, it clicked in Naruto's head a mere moment later.

"You're the son of the chefs in the Garden, right? They miss you. They've been really worried about you. You should at least go say hi now that Garden is here." Naruto said.

The man blinked a few times before gaining a big smile. "Thank you. I'll go do just that."

"Of course. Go have fun." Naruto said with a chuckle. Afterwards, they walked up the slope made of debris and entered the local grease monkey's house. Looking at the little Moomba doll, he reached out to poke it before a man's voice stopped him.

"Easy there. You can look, but don't touch. I got all these oddities from some folks in the Shumi Tribe." The grease monkey said.

Approaching the man, Squall asked, "How are you holding up?"

"Me? I'm fantastic! You really took those guys to school, man! Man, that felt good! I'm gonna collect that junk later."

Squall and Naruto chuckled in response. Wishing the man a fond farewell, they exited the house and made their way back into the previous area where the small pier was. As they went to walk past a rather beautiful woman, she smirked and said, "There's quite the fierce fighter beneath that cute face of yours. Careful, lest you ensnare some poor woman's heart."

When Squall blushed, Naruto chuckled and lightly punched Squall in the arm. "Well, well. Someone's turning into quite the ladies man." He teased.

"Oh, shut it, Naruto. You really don't have any room to talk." Squall responded somewhat grumpily.

The whiskered teen chuckled and said, "I'm not trying to get on your nerves. I'll stop, though."

Together, they walked onto the small wooden pier and listened as a boatman asked them something. "Say, the master of Balamb Garden is NORG, right? Did he evolve already?"

Squall blinked in confusion and asked, "What the heck are you talking about?"

"You know, NORG. He's a Shumi, so he should evolve soon."

Squall frowned and shook his head. "Shumi again. I'd really like to learn more about them, even if it's just to understand them a little more. I honestly don't know much about them."

"Better than me. This is the first I'm hearing of it. You DEFINITELY need to tell me what the heck you guys have been up to in my absence." Naruto said.

Squall nodded and thanked the man for the tiny bit of info he gave them on the Shumi Tribe and NORG. So, leading Naruto down the pier a bit more, he smiled as he got to work on upgrading some more of their weapons. Irvine got the Bismarck, a much better gun than what he previously had. Meanwhile, Naruto upgraded his sword and his pistols to the best he could make them. The new sword was called the Morning Sun while the pistols were called Light & Dark. Simple names, but they definitely looked a lot cooler than what he had before.

After taking some time to just stroll around and see the sights, Naruto looked at Squall and said, "Well, looks like we've seen just about everything. Let's head back to Garden and chill for a while." Then, it dawned on him. Facepalming, he groaned out, "I need to give my report to the headmaster. Not even sure where I should start."

Squall shrugged and said, "Start from the beginning. I need to give a more thorough report to him soon, myself. I kind of half-assed my report. I'm not entirely sure if we should talk to him about the dream world we've been seeing. He might think we're crazy or something."

Naruto frowned for a time in thought. Scratching at his chin, he said, "Well, whatever we do, we should stick with it and see it through to the end. I'm just hoping we can get some real answers soon."

Squall frowned and found it really hard to look Naruto in the face. Seeing this, the blonde frowned and said, "There's something you're not telling me. What is it?"

Squall nodded slowly and said, "Let's return to Garden, first. I'll explain everything I've learned once we've got some privacy. You deserve to know what we learned."

Naruto nodded and said, "I'll be holding you to that promise, Squall. Now come on, we've wasted enough time. Time to go home and rest."

As Naruto began to walk off towards Balamb Garden, Squall frowned to himself and thought, Naruto…I'm not sure how you'll react when I tell you the news. God I hope he takes it well…

A/N - And that's the chapter. A really, really long chapter. lol

Again, I sincerely hope you enjoyed this chapter. I worked really hard on it and tried to make the character interactions and battles and whatnot flow smoother. I wanted to mix things up a bit and give you guys something fun to read.

Anywho, as I said before, I'm having health problems yet again. I've been coughing constantly for these past 4 days and it's been insanely hard to breathe. Every time I try to take a breath, it hurts. I talked with my doctor yesterday and she's really concerned that it could be Covid. I had to get tested immediately, and I'm currently waiting on the results. I honestly reaaaaally hope it's not Covid. x.x She said that, if it's not Covid, it's quite likely I have influenza, which also sucks. What can ya do though, right?

Alrighty, I'm dead tired. I'm struggling just to keep my eyes open. Sooo, hope you enjoyed the chapter! I have no idea what I'll work on next.