June 1

"To be honest, when I visited this Garden a year ago, I had doubts that it could ever be rebuilt."

Squall listened to Xu's speech with half an ear, a technique he had managed to perfect during hundreds of meetings with long-winded diplomats or contract negotiators. Normally, he had several methods to prevent himself from scowling during such events, but today he was too preoccupied to care.

"What I see today is a testament to the loyalty and determination of the Trabia student body," Xu continued. "You all deserve to be very proud of what you have accomplished here.

"Now, I know there have been some rumors flying around for the last few weeks, and one of the reasons I came up here was to answer what I think is everybody's question. I have had a long discussion with Headmaster Davis, and we've decided that, effective this year, Trabia Garden will be expanded to accommodate the training and housing of SeeD members. Trabia graduates will no longer have to transfer to B-Garden to become SeeDs; you may complete your training and stay right here!"

As expected, the announcement brought a roaring cheer from the crowd. Despite the fact that T-Garden had an enrollment of less than two hundred, they certainly knew how to make their voices heard. And allowing Trabia its own SeeDs was like a dream come true for them. Only Squall and the women at the podium really knew how easily it could turn into a nightmare.

Xu had moved on, speaking of the new level of responsibility that would be required from both students and faculty in the coming months. Squall tried to pay attention, but couldn't manage to focus his thoughts. His gaze constantly slipped down to the ring that rested on his left hand. It was a simple silver wedding band, and so small that it would only fit on his little finger, but somehow it seemed perfectly natural. The polished surface seemed to sparkle in the outdoor lights of the Trabian night.

I just hope it isn't the last thing I ever see of her.

"...So do your best, and always uphold the honor and dignity of Garden!" Xu finished, stepping from the podium amidst the applause of the assembled crowd. Glad that the affair was over, Squall turned and disappeared into the mass of people with practiced ease. His SeeD uniform still rustled slightly as he moved, but he had long since become so accustomed to the sensation to even notice. After all, he probably spent more time in the uniform than anything else nowadays.

The gleaming spectacle of the reconstructed Garden could not help but catch his eye. Illuminated by floodlights, the sparkling gold ring cast a pattern of light on the grey-green walls of the building itself. The lower level seemed completely different, as the old walls had been removed and the main hall now rested in the open air, with only the supports running around the edge to mark where the wall would be. Despite this Garden's inability to fly, it looked more than anything like some strange airship ready to leap into the sky.

"Sir? Commander Leonhart?"

Squall blinked to see a boy of about fifteen, wearing a Trabia student's uniform. He looked about to hyperventilate.

"Sir, I was wondering, are you going to command the SeeDs here, too? Or do we get our own Commander? Who's it going to be? Do you know? Have you decided yet? You are going to pick someone, aren't you? Is—"

"You should really talk to one of the headmasters," Squall said. "They're really the ones making these decisions." Even that simple response was born from months of diplomacy, and he did not want to test the rest of his training. He turned to walk away.

"Wait!" The boy now looked positively desperate. "Can I have your autograph, sir?"

Squall sighed. "Do you have anything to write with?"

The boy froze. "Um...no..." he gulped. "I...I'm sorry." And he turned and ran off into the crowd.

The cut across the bridge of his nose had healed nearly a year ago, but nonetheless Squall's forehead was throbbing. Shaking his head, he walked over toward the outdoor fountain.

"This is so boring! Aren't we supposed to be having a party?"

Squall instinctively squinted at the sound of Selphie's voice. He saw his comrades standing on the opposite side of the fountain, apparently not seeing him. Selphie was perched on the rim of the fountain, with Irvine, Quistis, and Nida standing opposite her. Zell and Paige, who was chatting with a few other members of the Library Committee, seemed to be leaning on each other nearby.

"I've been to plenty of assemblies, Sefie," Irvine was saying. "This is the most exciting one yet."

"Irvine!" Quistis chided, punching his arm good-naturedly.

"No, he's got a point," Nida defended. "There were times when Instructor Aki would put half the class to sleep."

"Hey, just because all the other assemblies on the planet are boring, doesn't mean this one has to be," Paige suggested, leaning into the conversation. "Right, Zell?"

"Huh? –right," Zell said automatically, drawing a giggle from Quistis.

The scene wasn't particularly unique; the lot of them seemed to be drawn together at nearly every Garden function since Ultimecia's defeat. Everyone looked different now, though. There were the superficial changes — Quistis wore her hear in a ponytail, Irvine had cut his, Selphie had let hers grow out in the back but trimmed it a bit on the sides for a style that defied logic in a new and different way — but mostly, everyone was simply more relaxed now. And happier.

Everyone else was, anyway.

"Heey, I just had an idea!" Selphie exclaimed, jumping from her perch on the rim of the fountain. "Come on, Irvine!"

"Your wish is my command," Irvine smiled and, with a sideways glance at Quistis and Nida, went off right on Selphie's heels.

"Yeah, well, I'm going to check out the food bar," Zell said, jumping up himself.

"And I'd better make sure he leaves some for everyone else," Paige added, smiling.

Squall took only passing note of his friends' conversations, remaining on the opposite side of the fountain. His mind seemed capable of focusing on only one thing at the moment; and that was the one member of their group who was not there.

Squall's hand unconsciously moved to his pocket, where the letter rested. He could practically recite it from memory; she seemed to keep sending him the same one over and over, the only difference being the modifier for 'sorry.' Squall had come to expect it.

But this time was different. They had planned this months ahead of time, and she had promised that she would keep the date, no matter what. But just this morning, a letter had came saying that there was an opportunity that she simply couldn't pass up. Of course, she had promised to make it up in any way she could, but those promises had long since lost their meaning to him.

Even so, he was far more worried than angry. Whenever she was away, he felt obligated to do something, anything to help her, but he never could. SeeD could not afford any involvement with a faction like the Forest Owls; if the Galbadians had any idea what he and his friends knew, then they would probably not hesitate to shut down Garden, or worse. And that inability never ceased to frustrate him.

Too many emotions were running through his mind.

"Hey, isn't that Squall over there?" Nida asked.

"Hm?" Quistis pretended to squint at him, examining him from head to toe. "SeeD uniform...permanent scowl...sulking alone...you're right, it is Squall!" Smiling triumphantly, she rounded the fountain towards him. "Weren't you going to join us?" she asked accusingly. "Or did you just plan to brood all through the celebration?"

I don't need this. "What—"

"Ever!" Quistis and Nida echoed.

The sea of voices was pierced by the lively pace of what sounded like a Timber country jig, and the people around them began to pair off, staking out a makeshift dance floor not far away. Squall saw Selphie and Irvine off on the other side, playing a violin and guitar, respectively. Paige was struggling with a flute. He sighed. As barely tolerable as the music was, Squall recognized the piece as the one Selphie and the others had memorized for the concert at Fishermans Horizon. Is there any way I can get away from these damned reminders? he thought angrily. It's not like I have trouble thinking about her!

"Perfect!" Quistis exclaimed. "Come on, Squall, let's dance."

"...What?"

"I know you can dance," she pressed. "And shouldn't the Commander set an example for his troops?"

"Whatever."

After a moment, Quistis sighed, and her expression sobered. "Squall, I know you're worried, but there's nothing you can do to help her now. She's always been all right before, hasn't she?"

Squall didn't reply.

"Well, then, so long as you're here, you might as well enjoy yourself a little." Her smile returned, and she offered her hand. "Now come on! I promise I won't tap."

Oh, what the hell, Squall thought. She's right. Besides, Rinoa would hate me brooding like this. "Fine," he said, nodding.

"Wonderful!" Without further preamble, Quistis took his hand and led him onto the dance floor. Though grudgingly, Squall did make a good-faith effort to forget his concerns. After a while, he found it was actually starting to work, and he almost managed a smile.

- - - — — - - -

When she had first seen the Timber forests, she had been entranced by their serene beauty and peacefulness, the abundance of life.

Now the explosions came from all directions, echoing across the forest, eruptions of magic occasionally punctuated with the sharp reports of minor explosives; the Galbadians were in such a frenzy, they must be tripping over their own mines.

Rinoa did her best not to think about any of that. She ignored the protests of the tiny band behind her, sprinting forward along the ill-marked trail. She had committed Watts' map to memory; so long as they stayed on the trail, they'd avoid the mines. They could get in, place the charge, and get out before the Galbadians knew what was happening. They shouldn't have been spotted already, but there's no time to worry about that now.

Just up ahead was the double tree that marked the crossroads in the path. Rinoa spun around to face the four people following her, all with slightly dazed expressions. Even after all their missions, they still seemed unprepared for this sort of activity.

"Kane, Soren, go right and make the Galbadians think we're headed for the main entrance, okay?" Without waiting for an answer, she turned to the others. "Come on, let's go to the power plant." With that, she turned around and headed down the left path.

She ran in a sort of daze; over time, she had learned that she made a better fighter when she didn't think about what she was doing, forcing her mind to focus only on the task at hand. It hadn't been easy, but now, with the sounds of battle all around her, threatening to consume her, she didn't want to think.

Just carry out the plan, she told herself. That's all that matters.

So she didn't know how long they had been running – though they must have been getting close – when she heard the thump from behind. She spun, prepared for an intruding Galbadian soldier or mobile armament. Instead, Zone had collapsed against a tree trunk, clutching his stomach in agony.

"What's wrong?" she hissed, rushing over to him and crouching down on the side of the path.

"Ow...ow...ouch," Zone complained.

"Come on!" Rinoa exclaimed, having determined that he wasn't actually injured. "We don't have time for this!"

"Can't...move..." Zone curled himself tightly into a ball. "My...stomach..."

"He looks pretty bad, ma'am!" Watts interjected.

There was the sound of a Fire blast not far behind them. Gritting her teeth, Rinoa stood and glanced down the path. "Stay here, then," she ordered, kneeling back down to remove the bomb from Zone's pack. "But somebody has to finish this mission." And she took off running again.

A year earlier, when she had found herself in the middle of her first battle at Balamb Garden, she had learned early that what she had to do was keep her eyes straight ahead, and not look at what was going on around her. She'd soon reaffirmed the importance of not paying attention to anything that wasn't a direct threat to her; and there were usually more than enough of those to occupy her focus.

But then, she had been able to see her enemies. Now, the sounds of battle seemed to be coming from all around her, and she had no idea which she could ignore and which she had to pay attention to. And so, the sounds threatened to overwhelm her consciousness, force her to think about what she was doing. And she knew that could paralyze her into uselessness.

Just ahead, she saw a glint of metal — it had to be the generator. She was almost there. A couple hundred more meters, and she would be able to place the charge and get out. She was almost there.

It was almost surreal. She, with this one little bomb, was just moments away from destroying the entire power grid for the Galbadian barracks. The Forest Owls would finally have succeeded in crippling the forces occupying Timber. All her work, all her sacrifices, would have paid off. Maybe, she thought, she could finally allow herself to return to Garden, if just for a visit. Her hand crept unconsciously to the silver ring that hung around her neck, with a stylized lion's head and the word GRIEVER engraved along its band; and for an instant, she paused as a pang of guilt and loss ran through her.

But just for an instant.

As she approached the structure, her steps became more cautious; she began to dart from tree to tree, watching carefully for any sign of Galbadian activity. There was none. Not particularly interested in the reason why, Rinoa hurried up to the machine, slipping into the small maintenance shack, ready to face any defenders who might be there. Still, there were none. Quickly slipping between the rows of turbines, she set the charge under what she guessed to be the router nexus, keying the timer with a flick of her thumb as she wedged it into place. It offered a confirming beep, and she jumped to her feet and ran back to the door.

She had barely made it ten meters when she caught a flash of motion to her left. As her eyes darted to examine it, another apparition appeared to her right. Before she knew it, she was surrounded by red-uniformed Galbadian elite soldiers, guns at the ready.

"Freeze!" ordered one.

Rinoa threw out her hands, and a wave of lightning shot out, engulfing the soldiers and throwing many to the ground with an electric crackle. A second later, she heard a click behind her, and barely had time to protect herself from a hail of bullets unleashed by an angry Galbadian officer. Then, a flick of her hands engulfed him in a Tornado spell, which threw him spinning into the trees.

A roar behind her alerted her to another Galbadian, who was charging with the probable intent of using his arm-gun as a club. Though she saw him, she was too late to do anything but twist her body so the brunt of the blow was taken on her shoulder. The force of the impact was enough to knock her to the ground despite the magic shield she threw up by reflex. However, the Galbadian's inertia kept him going for long enough that she managed to get back on her feet before he could follow through. A blast of blue-white lightning made sure he kept going until he hit the ground, and then that he didn't get up.

As she was turning back to the path to make a hasty exit, when a deafening roar erupted behind her, followed by a cacophony of sounds associated with tortured machinery as the charge went off, ripping apart the generator and creating a massive fireball. The blast's shock wave knocked her to the ground, and she felt the searing heat roll over her. As she tried to get up, she was aware that the Galbadians were closing in all around her.

"Squall!" she screamed, dazed, as she tried to get up and fight. "Help —" Before she could finish, a blow from behind sent her reeling into unconsciousness.