CHAPTER 8 – The Truth about Squall

The next morning, Irvine woke Squall up with an ice cold can of Thirsty Burst and wrapped in a towel. She giggled at his attempts to try and get her interested in him. Yeah, she thought, Selphie'll like him.

It was five hours later when they departed Galbadia Garden in a small plane. It took another two hours to reach Balamb Garden.

Squall had never been so happy to see her old Garden again. She nearly fell to her knees and kissed the ground. Far too much had happened to her in the past day that she'd felt like a week had passed since she saw the Garden. Irvine looked as though he had somehow entered a much larger world. He nearly gasped as he saw the main square of the Garden, even though his was much larger.

A Garden Faculty walked up to them as they came closer to the elevator. "Squall Leonhart. Irvine Kinneas. Report to Headmaster Cid's office immediately."

As soon as the Faculty got out of range, Irvine asked, "They always that friendly?"

Squall giggled. "Believe me, sometimes they can be real assholes."

Headmaster Cid was nearly literally buried in paperwork when they arrived. He had one pen stuck behind his ear and was using one to sign the paperwork. As they entered the room, he looked up and smiled. "Ah, Squall. How are you?"

"Headmaster, I know I'm supposed to check in for a medical test, but I'd like to know a few things, first."

"Yes, what is it?"

"Did you know anything about my family when I got here?"

He set both his pens down on the desk and stood from his chair. He walked around to the front of the desk. "I had a feeling this day would come and soon." He took a deep breath. "Your mother you already knew. Raine Leonhart. She was my wife's friend. And your father, I'm certain you have a clue about him, otherwise you wouldn't be asking. Your father is Laguna Loire. He was a Galbadian soldier who had quickly risen up in the military ranks and became a colonel."

"And Ellone, my sister?"

"Oh, Ell's around here somewhere. Well, not here as in the Garden, but around."

"What about my dad? Is he still alive?"

"Yes. He is. I don't know where, though. I haven't seen your father in years."

"Why didn't anybody tell me?"

"Because of what you are, Squall."

"What I am? Whaddya mean?"

"Two reasons. Few people are so native Galbadian as you. Your parents, their parents and their parents before them, dating back to the earliest sightings of humans on the Galbadian continent. As you know, Galbadians themselves are rarely liked in any nation on the planet. Such a pure-blooded Galbadian as yourself, equally so."

"And what's the other reason?"

"You're also one of three natural-born Sorceresses in history."

"What?"

"Your natural abilites had been kept dormant. Squall, I hate to say this to you, but if anyone were to find out what you are, you'd be public enemy number one."

Irvine piped up. "Except in Galbadian territory."

Cid nodded. "That's true. Especially after President Deling's announcement yesterday."

Squall asked, "What announcement? Did Quistis and Selphie's mission fail?"

"Unfortunately. And as far as the announcement. Galbadia is now under control of Sorceress Edea."

Squall sat in the infirmary as Dr. Kadowaki went through the motions of giving her a test to see if she had any Sorceress abilities. "Why do I have to do this if I'm one of the only natural Sorceresses in history?"

The doctor smiled. "Because Headmaster Cid wants everyone else to be at ease. If the majority of the students finds out that you're a Sorceress, do you realize the effects? SeeDs are even trained to fight Sorceresses."

"But I'm not a bad Sorceress."

"Of course not, kiddo, but few people put the claims of the accused over their own personal prejudice."

"I know. Did you know all about me?"

"Yes, and I'm sorry about it all."

"It's okay. Anything else I need to know? Am I healthy? Can I have kids?"

"Of course. In fact, I'll even tell you why they disguised you as a boy."

"I kinda figured out a reason. Is it because I'm so dangerous? That because I'm a natural-born Sorceress, that makes me all the worse?"

"You hit it right on the head, girl. Y'see, natural-born Sorceresses, the other two we know of, anyway, gain their power from anything and everything."

"So, no matter what, I'm gonna get more powerful?"

"No matter what. This is what makes natural-born Sorceresses more prone to the corruption that every Sorceress goes through at some point. You gain power from using magic attacks, using GFs, even just sitting there. The kinetic energy of the bed you're sitting on right now is empowering you as you sit there."

"I'm like a walking Energizer?"

"A walking recharging Energizer. That has absolutely no limit to how much charge it can hold."

"That's too much power. Especially for one seventeen year-old girl who's just finding out who her parents are and that she's... I'm just not the right person to be born a Sorceress."

"Nobody is. The last two were Adel and Seloma. Seloma nearly destroyed the planet with her power, and Adel took over the Esthar continent and enslaved it for two hundred years."

Squall raised her head. "Two hundred years?"

"Sorceresses live very long lives, dear. Seloma was almost a thousand when she was finally killed, and Adel's supposedly still alive, frozen in some meat locker in Esthar."

"So, if somebody doesn't off me because I'm an evil witch, I'm gonna grow into a shrivelled up thousand year-old prune?"

Dr. Kadowaki laughed. "No, no, Squall. Once a Sorceress ages a certain amount, she stops physically aging."

"A certain amount as in... say, seventeen?"

The doctor laughed again. "Like your looks?"

"Well, my boyfriend does." Squall frowned upon saying that. She hadn't seen or spoken to Shibiru since she got back to the Garden. Not to mention he probably didn't know that she was a Sorceress or a Galbadian. He might hate her now.

Dr. Kadowaki must have seen her concern in the look on her face. "Hey, Shibiru still loves you. I don't think I've ever seen any boy in love a girl as he is. It's crazy, really."

Squall sat on her bed, just staring att he ceiling. Her life had been turned upside down in less than twenty-four hours, and all she could do was let it happen. She sighed and laid down. All she could really think about, however, was her dad. Laguna Loire. Headmaster Cid said that he was still alive. So where was he? Did he know she was still alive? Did he know where she was? If she could track him or Ellone down, she'd do it.

Anything to be with her family.

There was a knock on the door. "C'mon in," she said. The door opened and Selphie walked in. She sat down on the bed beside Squall. "What?"

"So, what's it feel like?"

"What's what feel like?"

"You're a Sorceress, right? A natural-born Sorceress? What's it feel like."

"Nothing. I don't feel powerful. I don't even feel semi-powerful."

"Wow."

"Who told you?"

"Headmaster Cid explained it when Quistis and I got back yesterday. "

"Did anybody tell Shibi?"

"I did. He's worried about you. Honestly, almost everybody is worried about you."

"What do you mean 'almost everybody'?"

"Well, news does travel fast in this school."

"Great, so everybody knows?"

"Yeah. Sorry. Nobody's really treating it like a bad thing, y'know."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"I guess that explains why nobody's been treating me like shit since I've been back." She sat up. "Do you know where Shibi is? I'm gonna go talk to him."

"I think he said something about the Training Center."

"Okay. I'm gonna go see him. Bye."

Squall was absolutely right about where Shibiru was. The small 'couples' room in the back of the Training Center. He was staring out at the panorama of the Garden. Just as the night Quistis had shown her, it was a beautiful sight to behold, even in daytime.

Shibiru was leaning against the railing, just staring out at the expanse. Squall wasn't even sure he'd heard her come in. She walked up to him and leaned against the railing herself. He reached out and touched her face, brushed her hair away from her eyes. For some reason, she just felt like she'd betrayed him.

"You know what it feels like to hear from some... dumbass Trepie that your girlfriend is a Sorceress? I wanted to punch him. I wanted to... It didn't bother me. What bothered me is how he said it. How he treated it. Like it was some kind of 'you're a douche' thing, or something. He pissed me off so much. Xu had to hold me back. I didn't like doing that to her. My own damn sister had to hold me back." He laughed. Squall was happy to see him crack a smile, even if it was in response to something that had angered him. "How are you taking it?"

"I'm taking it the only way I can: with fear. There's never been a benevolent Sorceress. I feel so scared because I don't want to hurt Quistis, or Selphie, or Zell. Especially you. Jesus, I don't even want to hurt Seifer. It all scares me, Shibi. I feel like my whole life has been stripped away from me. Like nothing about me makes sense anymore." She turned away. "I wish I knew what was going on with me."

Shibiru gently turned her face back toward him. "I'm gonna help you. I'm gonna make sure you know who you are. What you are."

Squall smiled. "Thank you."

"If there's anything you need, I'll make damn sure you get it. I'll be like... I dunno, your guardian, or something. Like your knight."

Squall laughed. "Knights carry swords. You don't, I do."

"Yeah, but you can't be your own knight."

"A knight. Hmph... Like in those old fairy tales about good Sorceresses my dad used to..." she trailed off. Where had that come from?

"What is it?"

"I just... I kinda had a memory of my dad..."

"Yeah, so? Everybody has 'em."

"Not me. I didn't even know who my dad was until yesterday."

"And yet you have memories of him?"

"This is the first."

"I'm sure it's nothing. Shouldn't you have happy memories of your parents?"

Except I'm still trying to understand why my dad ditched me and Ellone. If he even ditched Ellone. Maybe he ditched me because of what I am.

Squall couldn't concentrate on her classes. She kept wandering off to the dream she'd had at Galbadia Garden. Something about it seemed odd—besides the obviousness of her not being able to remember something that happened before she was born (and probably led to her birth). Quistis, next to her, socked her in the arm. "What's going on with you?" she whispered.

"I'm just... I had a weird dream yesterday. It was about my dad."

"So?"

"Well, I don't remember my dad at all. Not only that, I was seeing it through his eyes. I saw my mom and my older sister. I can't get it out of my head now."

Instructor Jaden turned around. "Ms. Leonhart, Ms. Trepe, do you have something you'd like to share with the class?"

Squall and Quistis both said, "No, sir."

He nodded. "Good. Being members of SeeD does not give you special privilege to whisper in the middle of class." He looked at Quistis in particular. "Neither does being a former Instructor give you this privilege."

Squall and Quistis both nodded. An hour later when they left class, Quistis said, "Wow, I was never that stuck up when I was the teacher."

"No, but you still didn't allow whispering."

"Yeah, I know. I'm starting to regret that. I forgot how hard it is not to talk during class." She giggled. "Man, I sound like a teenager."

"You are a teenager."

"I know, but I've been an Instructor for a year. I kinda forgot how to just be a regular girl."

"Like, say, blowing off class and heading out to Balamb for the rest of the day?"

"You serious?"

"Blame it on Selphie, but I think some shopping'll fix my head for a little while. Hey, speaking Selphie, we could bring her along, too."

Quistis looked like she was thinking about it, and then said, "Yeah. Let's go. I could go for some shopping right now."

They waited for Selphie to leave the classroom, then explained what their plan. She took to it like a fish to water, then the three of them were off for Balamb.

Shibiru shook his head. He and Zell were hanging around the classroom door, watching as Squall, Selphie and Quistis walked off. He'd overheard them talk about going shopping, and just sighed. Girls would be girls—even if one was a former Instructor who should have been a little more mature and another was a Sorceress with so much power inside her that she could destroy the world.

Zell blew a bubble, then popped it right next to Shibiru's ear. "Goddamn, man! What the hell? You have to pop that thing right in my ear?"

"Sorry. You just a little uptight 'cause your girlfriend's a Sorceress?"

"I'm worried about her, that's all."

"Dude, everybody's worried about her. Worried if she's okay, worried if she's gonna blow the whole planet up—she's all everybody's talking about right now. Of course, she is the hottest chick in the school, so a good deal of the dudes around are just talking about her tits and her ass."

Shibiru shot Zell a glare. "I should punch you for that."

"Whoa, goin' jealous, there, my friend?"

He sighed. "Look, like I said, I'm worried about her. I shouldn't be, but I am, so... just ease through it, I guess."

"Hey, if I had a girlfriend like Squall, I'd be doing the same. Plus, she's, like, the only nice Galbadian in existance."

Another voice came from behind them. "I'd like to think I'm a nice Galbadian." Shibiru and Zell both turned around. There stood a guy wearing cowboy get-up, including the hat. "Of course, I ain't never met somebody who's pissed me off enough to get me mad, so I guess I've only ever been nice."

"And you are?" Shibiru asked.

"Irvine Kinneas. I'm the guy who escorted your girlfriend back home from Galbadia Garden."

"And you stayed?"

"Why not? Balamb's got hotter chicks than Galbadia. Well, that, and Headmaster Martine suggested it."

"Why?"

"I dunno. Maybe he knows something nobody else does. Maybe he's just a crazy motherfucker—who knows?"

Zell popped another bubble. "You got fifty bucks?"

"Yeah."

"C'mon, I've got something to show you."

Zell led Irvine away to somewhere. Shibiru didn't care. He just thought back to Squall. He hoped nothing happened in Balamb that would cause her freaky Sorceress powers to shoot out and kill somebody. If the world ever found out about her, she'd be hunted down and killed.

Squall was starting to understand why Selphie liked clothes shopping. Trying on six dozen outfits was more fun than fighting bite bugs and caterchipillars or even glacial eyes out in plains.

They had bought very few items, but together they had close to twenty different sets of outfits. And Squall had to admit, it was exciting thinking about what effect the outfits would have on the guys. Shibi in particular, she thought.

After about two hours of clothes shopping, the three girls collapsed on a bench set up by a fountain in the middle of the Shopping District. "Oh! I've never bought so much stuff in my life!" Selphie shouted. She stretched her arms out, nearly hitting both Quistis and Squall with her bags. "How about we go get dinner or something?"

"That sounds good," Quistis said. "I know a fast-food place a couple blocks away from here."

"Mmmmm... Good and greasy!" Squall said. "I haven't had fries in days."

"You mean you haven't had fries since you were a boy?" Selphie asked.

Squall had to think about that for a second. Selphie was right—it had only been four days since her training fight with Seifer that had changed her back into a girl. "Yeah... Actually, you're right about that. It's weird..."

Quistis asked, "What is?"

"Well, ever since it happened, I've felt a lot more normal than I did before. Maybe it has something to do with me being born a girl, or something."

"You were born a girl?" Selphie asked.

"Yeah. That last couple of days, I've learned a lot about me and my family. I know who my parents are, my sister, I even know what town I was born in. I know my mom made my dad pancakes on the day I was concieved."

"How do you know that?"

"I've been having some weird dreams. Dreams about a guy named Laguna, my dad. He was a Galbadian soldier almost twenty years ago, but, anyway, one of the dreams I had was about the day I was concieved, and it started with my older sister handing my dad pancakes that my mom made for him."

"God..." Selphie said, "no wonder you're what you are—your mom must make some funky pancakes!"

All three girls broke out into giggles. Squall was starting to feel a lot better after everything that had happened recently. She was happy she had such good friends.

"So, are we gonna go get food now? I'm starting to get really hungry after all this giggling," Squall said.

Shibiru was in his dorm when Headmaster Cid walked in. "Squall Leonhart, Quistis Trepe and Selphie Tilmit never showed up for any classes after noon. You know where they are?"

"No," he somewhat lied. He knew they were in Balamb, but not where in Balamb they were.

"All right. Thank you, Shibiru."

"Headmaster, wait!"

Cid stopped in the doorway. "Yes?"

"Squall told me that you knew her parents."

"Yes?"

"I was just wondering, how come you never told her before?"

He didn't answer for a few minutes, then he finally said, "I made a promise to her father."

"You mean that Laguna Loire?"

"Yes." Cid looked down the hallway, then walked inside the room and closed the door. "He was my commanding officer during the Galbadia-Esthar Wars."

"You were a Galbadian soldier?"

He nodded. "Not by birth. I was born right here in Balamb, before the Wars. My parents and I moved to Galbadia because of job opportunites. Back when Galbadia wasn't a closet dictatorship like it is now. President Deling—the current President's father—was a benevolent man. Deling City was named in his honor because of his contributions to their society. I joined the army when I was seventeen. Twenty years later, the Wars started, and this... I mean, he was a strange man, Laguna Loire. You'll never meet another man who can somehow goof off in the middle of battle, yet take the battle completely seriously.

"He rose up quickly in the ranks because of how his men trusted him, myself included. This was a man twenty years younger than me and I felt as if he knew more about what he was doing than I did about myself. As the Wars started quieting down, several commanders were retiring. Laguna was no exception. He moved to Winhill, where he'd already met a beautiful young woman that my wife was friends with. Raine Leonhart. Four years before, he'd had one daughter with her, and after retiring and moving, he had another—Squall."

"So, your wife was Galbadian?"

"Heaven's no. My wife was born on a small continent south of Galbadia. She moved to Galbadia because she needed to—there were no opportunities of any kind on her homeland. Anyway, five years later, I'd retired. I'd come up with the initial concept for Garden during the war, and my good friend Martine used it for Galbadia Garden. My wife and I were living on her family's plot of land in her homeland. We ran an orphanage. Laguna, holding Ellone's hand and carrying little Squall in his arms, came to me and asked me to watch after his daughters.

"Squall, he figured, would forget. The strain on her young body due to her powers had affected her memory. He told my wife and I and Ellone never to tell Squall that her father had to leave her to go help his friends. We all agreed."

"So, Squall's got a sister out there somewhere?"

"Ellone, yes. Both girls are as beautiful as their mother. They also have their father's temper and quick wit. Ellone, however, decided not to come to Balamb Garden after we'd set it up."

"How come Squall was... I dunno, disguised, I guess, as a guy?"

"Because of her power. She's the most powerful Sorceress in history, and if it hadn't become dormant for a period of time, it would have killed her. I'm still not sure seven years was enough, but I can only hope."

Shibiru sat down on his bed. "Do you know where her dad is now? Where her sister is now?"

Cid shook his head. "No. That day had been the last I'd seen Laguna, and Ellone disappeared shortly after Squall had been masked. She's still around, though, she still sends me messages every now and then. She knows what's happened with Squall and that I've told Squall about everything."

"So, maybe she'll show up again?"

"Maybe."

"This is all so... weird, I guess is all I can say. The other day, when Squall had woken up as a girl, I'd fallen instantly in love with her. I figured that what I was seeing was all she was: a guy who'd somehow grabbed the short end of the stick and ended up a girl. I didn't even think I'd have a chance with her. Now, she's my girlfriend and I find out she's a Sorceress, she's a Galbadian and that she's been this way her whole life."

"Does any of the last few things matter? Have those changed your look of her?"

"No. I still love her like I did when I first saw her in the infirmary that day."

"So, what? Is her being a Galbadian Sorceress by birth going to change your look of her?"

"No."

"Then don't dwell on them. I'm sure all she's dwelling on at the moment is her shopping and helping Selphie and Quistis pick out their own outfits." Shibiru looked up and saw Cid was smiling. "What? I know my students."