Disclaimer: Blah Blah Blah, yeah yeah I don't own it or it would be written to include this part too. heh.

Note: it has come to my attension that my POV deviders did not Transfer onto FF, I apologize here and will not let it continue, so help me. &8& :will now be used to indicate POV change. I apologize.

He sighed deeply as he walked back to the cold hard structure of garden with his normal proper outside but inside he was dreading it. He disliked his job… it was so, well, boring. The commander however could not simply go out on missions leaving the garden without a leader so he has to sit behind his stuff desk in his stuffy office glaring a hole in flawlessly finished wood. If it were not for these checkups he would never get out anymore, it was ridiculous. Well it had to be done, duty is duty. Not that the rational answer helped his boredom any he was already the best card player in the garden if not the world at this point, so scratch that as a time passer, the training grounds swarmed with Zell's trainees battling all but "Big T" as Zell called the massive beasts, throwbacks to the late Jurassic. God, anything would be welcome at this point. Even another Sorceress, hyne forbid, but still. Anything to break the monotony.

&8&

They had finally started moving…. Two days she had hid in the toasty storage area, she was jarred awake by the abrupt motion as a box containing mostly plastic utensils tumbled on her head, she had to bit her tongue to keep from yelping, the last thing she wanted was too be caught now, after all that. She crept from her hiding spot, cautiously using a small piece of metal to check for anyone, more wary than ever of errant sounds, only once had someone come in so far and that was a couple… She was covering her ears, it didn't get dirty but damn kids were loud. She slowly made her way to the door and checked it…. Good, curfew was already in effect, seems they wanted to start out ASAP, good enough for her. She crept out of the door and inched along the wall, ahead of her she could see one of the infamous garden faculty, formidable maybe, but she knew she was better. Her movements were slow, Deliberate. She took each step like a cat, even with the bulky weapons ion her back she slipped right up behind him nice and careful. He never knew what hit him. She pounced drawing her arm across his throat and tugging hard as she stifled his airway, she held on for all she was worth as he slowly, agonizingly sunk to the floor and into unconsciousness. He was a big boy, he was. She dragged him backward into the garage and field stripped him, he was a few sizes larger than her but she knew enough to compensate, cinching everything a little higher and a tab bit baggier before hiding him and slipping back out to stand in his place, right in the center of the hall, hidden in plain sight. She grinned to herself, she could not have asked for a better disguise, and with the real guy bound, gagged and stuffed into what had been her hiding place, it would take them some time to find him. All she had to do now was find the commander, who she was certain was her man.

&8&

he was seated behind his desk in his "new office" and poured over the paperwork for another assignment, and damned if it weren't a good one, they had not even had ragnorak return with the Winhill team yet and now they were receiving a request calling for a great number of SeeD to assist in quenching a rebellion in Galbania…. It NEVER ENDS.

He sighed deeply again and pushed it all to the side and turned in his chair to look out the window, just staring out into the Blue. The first thing to go was the Work at hand, letting that drift out and vanish. Next, went the Winhill mission, and all it's quagmires. Finally vanished all the money and protocol and everything that ever reminded him of Work. That left him with something he had almost forgot completely about, and found himself wishing he had. Riona….. Why did you do that, why did you just leave….. he sighed looking out but seeing nothing, his mind consumed with the smile that had taken him, what felt like centuries ago. He missed her. Dammit, he missed her, her laugh, her smile, her damned sunny disposition. The way her hair flung around her when she walked away… he just couldn't escape the images, he leaned onto his hands and closed his eyes in silent mourning, dry cold and quiet, like everything he did…

Somewhere behind him, he head the door open, and he rose in his seat andf turned slowly, seeing a garden Faculty member, he inwardly sighed, more trouble…

"yes what is it?" he waved the faculty in and found himself only half focused on their approach, he was so damned distracted, he missed a number of important details….

&8&

There…. She had to slow her breating and force herself calm, she was so close, but now things became complicated, how was she going to do anything without immediately revealing herself… Trouble. She marveled he missed the missing inches and the strange protuberance of the weapons she carried on her back even as she approached to within arms reach of the desk. He looked up, his face expectant, she began to tense, it was do or die. Dammit move! She forced herself forward in a blur of motion she pulled away the cap, revealing herself even as she dropped to the ground in front of his desk, it was all she could think of to do, all she could do to keep from crying at the memories his face evoked. She dropped even as the robes firmly outlined the Bo and Blade on her back, her pinwheel at her hip, she just stayed there, silent, eyes shut tight as she blurted one word, one that echoed not only in her mind, but his as well.

"FORGIVENESS!"

&8&

his mind was milling as the person stood there, he was slowly growing annoyed, then, the blur of motion, and his eyes laid upon a face…. A dead face…. She was dead, they had died with Pandora, hadn't they? As she came down he leapt to his feet as she dropped to the ground, her single word burning and echoing in his mind. Forgiveness? For who? Herself? Were the others alive as well? Somewhere out there? What was her reason for coming here, how did she get aboard undetected? All these questions and so many more swirled violently in his mind as he stood paralyzed, even as she was.

For many moments neither moved, both wondering and pondering, even as two more Garden Faculty members burst in ready for battle

"Commander!?" They both paused as she rose and looked back, dumbstruck, unlike the commander however, they did not hesitate. She was grabbed roughly by both shoulders and wrists and her arms bent forcibly behind her back as she was forced into the floor, her weapons stripped from her, the two stating in unison as they produced a set of cuffs from under their robes and applied them fiercely.

"Fugitive Fujin Laskota, You are under arrest for Treason, you will be jailed and detained until your date of trial, come peacefully and you will not be harmed." The Commander could do nothing, could say nothing so struck was he, so completely mentally assaulted by the events unfolding before him. Finally, as she was raised struggling to her feet he found his strength.

"Wait! Belay that!" Both members turned still holding her in a vice grip they turned and he came forward. "I will take personal responsibility for her, dismissed." He said with his regained finality, both could do nothing but step back and walk outside the door closing it behind them securely as he stood facing her down, she was still cuffed as he walked behind his desk and sat down nodding to the chair in front of it. She hesitated, then took the seat and he paused to think, to collect before opening his eyes he didn't remember closing and considering the disheveled young woman before him, his former classmate, his former enemy.

"…..Why did you come here?" his eyes locked to her Red orb as she sat in silence for a number of moments.

"PROMISE."

A/N: well, there, they finally come face to face, I wrote this in a fury, I hope it came out as well as I think it did. So much to do, so little time...

This time I would like to acknowledge the poeple that drive me to Write, the Fans. Varientskies, griever-gurl, Mare-Mare and you to Camille. Thank you for your support in my endeavor, I hope you continue to enjoy it. now, as for me, I am fighting with insomnia and I feel as though I may actally be able to go to sleep tonight, I hope it is the case... I need it, good night.