It was a warm summer night, and there wasn't much need for a campfire except to cook dinner; but once they had gone to the trouble of finding a spot that would be concealed from the rest of the woods, no one could quite bear to douse it. Selphie had essentially taken charge of tending it, and continued to toss dry leaves and twigs on as the others faded off, to sleep or just be elsewhere.

Irvine and Nida were eventually the only two left with her; both were staring at the flames as they consumed whatever scraps of fuel they could find. Irvine wondered at how some logs managed to keep seemingly unscathed by the flames all around them, even as others were turned to unrecognizable ash. He wasn't sure why, but the thought seemed to make his mood even gloomier.

It was a dark, moonless night, and with the fire concealed, they couldn't see anything beyond the little triangle they formed. So on top of everything else, it felt lonely.

"...It's not fair," said Selphie. "We're camping out in the woods, it's a nice summer night. This should be fun." She hugged her own legs, resting her chin on her knees. "Back in Trabia, a bunch of us used to go up into the mountains and make a huge fire. Then we'd all gather around it and tell adventure stories."

"We'd always have a bonfire down by the beach," said Nida. "On the last day of the Garden Festival. There'd be fireworks over the ocean."

"Never had anything like that at G-Garden," said Irvine. "I mean, people went camping in the woods all the time, but..." He trailed off. "I was more for the bluffs, you know?

There was a pause. "...Squall was like that," Nida said. "He'd usually be hanging around the Festival while it was going on, but at the end, for the fireworks, he was always one of the ones went up in the mountains, to watch them from there."

The fire gave off a popping noise, and a small cluster of embers floated upwards. The three lapsed into silence again for a while.

"What do you think'll happen if we find Squall?" asked Selphie. "I mean, I wanna help, but...I'm kinda scared, too."

"About Rinoa?" Irvine asked.

"...Kinda," Selphie admitted. "But if Galbadia's really gonna attack, shouldn't we do something about that? I mean, Sir Laguna and all those people in Esthar...they probably don't even know yet."

Irvine hesitated. "Well...I guess I'm scared about Rinoa. I mean, I know something else has to be going on here, but I can't get that hospital out of my head." Selphie nodded sadly. "Still, I mean...they're our friends. How do we just walk away from that?"

"We might have to think about Garden, too," said Nida. "I mean, the Galbadians are going to find out what we did, sooner or later. When they do, they'll probably take it out on Xu and everyone else. If we could help Esthar win this war, it might help Garden as well." He shook his head. "I don't know how we'd do that either, though."

Irvine laughed halfheartedly. "Great choice we've got. Either way, we have no clue what to do."

The fire crackled again. "...It's not like it is in the stories," Selphie said. "People always make the adventure sound really fun, you know? Like, all glamorous and exciting. I wonder why they do that."

No one offered an answer.

–

Seifer was sitting with his back against a tree; he looked at once comfortable, restless and tired. Quistis wasn't quite sure how he managed it.

It had been a year since she had seen him, and the time hadn't been particularly kind. His hair was shaggier, like he'd last cut it himself, and it looked as if he hadn't shaved in a while either. His coat was battered and stained almost beyond recognition, and the gunblade he was sharpening was covered in nicks and scratches. The Seifer she had known would never tolerate such an appearance; but that Seifer hadn't survived the Sorceress War.

"How long have you been out here?" she asked him. "Was it ever since the Lunatic Pandora?"

"Pretty much," Seifer said, without looking at her.

"All the time Rinoa's been fighting Galbadia?" she asked. Seifer didn't answer, flipping his gunblade over and starting to sharpen the other side. "Did she know you were out here?" Still no answer. "...Did Squall?"

At that, he looked up at her. She could only see the edges of his face in the minimal light coming from the distant campfire, but she got what she needed to.

"He never talked about Rinoa," she said. "We never knew what was going on. I'm only a little surprised he trusted you, though."

Now Seifer was glaring. "It wasn't his idea."

Quistis smiled. "I never said I thought it was."

Seifer returned his attention to his gunblade.

"...Seifer," Quistis began. "I just want..." She hesitated. "...No, I think I know why you did everything." He glared at her again. "I guess I just want to know what it felt like."

Seifer didn't answer for long enough that she thought he wouldn't. "Like the biggest high you can imagine," he said finally. "Then like coming down from it." He set the gunblade down and leaned forward, resting his crossed arms on his knee. You think there's nothing you want more in the universe, and you'll do anything to get it back, or to stop it getting taken away. And yeah, that's how Squall feels about Rinoa."

Quistis nodded. "And how do you feel?"

After a moment, Seifer leaned back against the tree, lowering his eyes and looking even wearier than ever. That gave Quistis all the answer she needed.

"...You're going to disappear again, aren't you?" she asked. "Like on the Lunatic Pandora, after you gave Rinoa to Adel. Find someplace new to hide, some new obsession to fall back on? What sort of life is that going to be?"

Seifer snorted weakly. "Still trying to save me, Instructor? I could've figured you wouldn't be able to handle being just a regular SeeD."

Quistis sighed. "Seifer..."

"And now you're chasing Squall halfway across the planet after he beat the hell out of you to get away. That's self-respect for you. Seriously, though, it's getting a little pathetic."

There was a moment's silence as his words sank in. Then, surprising herself as much as Seifer, Quistis broke down laughing.

"...What the hell?" Seifer demanded.

It took another few seconds for Quistis to get herself under control. "I missed you, Seifer," she said. "I really have." Recovering, she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her crossed legs and resting her chin on her hands. "...Seifer, you were right. I was just a mediocre instructor. I tried to be someone I wasn't for the better part of my life, until I didn't even remember who or why. But that's over now. I'm not Sis, and I'm not going to try to hold your hand. But I know something about obsessing over goals we can't attain." She shrugged. "And I know you. Just try to tell me you're ever going to be happy like this."

Seifer looked away again. "I'm kind of Public Enemy No. 1 in...you know, everywhere. You gonna show me a better way?"

"Do you want me to?" Quistis asked. Seifer frowned at her, and she raised her eyebrows. "Tell you what. I'll give you some advice, for old times' sake. I won't deny it's risky, and you can ignore it if you want. But I think you just might find it worth your time."

Silence held for a time, as Seifer stared at Quistis with one of his more unreadable expressions — a mild chocobo-in-the-headlights look, she thought — and she looked back at him, patiently waiting.

"...You're gonna keep chasing Squall though, right?" he asked.

She blinked at the change of subject. "We've come this far."

"Oh, that sounds familiar." Seifer rested his arms on the ground on either side of him, and took a deep breath. "Tell you what. I'll take whatever your advice is if you do this." Quistis frowned at him. "Forget about Squall."

Quistis blinked. "...What?"

"You can't help him," Seifer said. "Not if he doesn't want you to. And where he's going, you don't want to follow him."

"What about Rinoa?" Quistis asked.

A shadow passed over Seifer's face. "Nothing you can do."

The campfire was finally doused, and more literal shadows completely enveloped them. Quistis sighed, glancing up at the stars winking in and out behind invisible clouds.

"If it was really over," Seifer said, "if you really were done being Sis and trying to hold the orphanage gang all together...you'd know all this already. You just don't want to think about it."

Slowly, Quistis nodded, not speaking and wondering if he saw. The hiss of the dying fire faded away, leaving a still and quiet dark.

"So?" he asked. "What's your advice?"

- - - — — - - -

Thick curtains covered the windows of Naraka's office, and the dozen lamps filled the room with a brilliant glare, as if to compensate for the blackness outside. Naraka was going over one of the reports before him for the fourth or fifth time; there wasn't any file on the desk that he hadn't read at least twice.

The files themselves weren't really the point. Sometimes he'd pick up a detail he'd missed before, but mostly it helped him understand how every element of the operations came together; the most frustrating aspect of the plan was that its scale precluded his direct involvement in it, meaning he had to rely on his subordinates to oversee many aspects of its execution. And since the most capable of his generals had already shown herself to be unreliable, this was a particularly difficult situation for him to tolerate.

The door to his reception room slid open, and Janis stepped halfway into the room. "Mr. President?" he asked. "General Sarden to see you."

"Finally," Naraka said, without looking up. "Do we have anything more concerning the president's address in Esthar?"

"Ah, yes, sir. It's been all over the news there."

"I want his precise words," said Naraka.

"We have excerpts. Apparently the relevant portions were all in a small section at the end of the speech. There's talk it was a last-minute modification."

Naraka looked up at that. "And he did name Garden specifically?"

"Yes, Mr. President."

"As I thought, then. Show in General Sarden." Janis did so, and stepped out himself. "Esthar's president is sending us a warning, General. If we don't adopt a more conciliatory tone, he means to support Garden against us."

"I take it you don't accept Intelligence's view of a split between Parliament and the president over this?" asked Sarden.

"Deception meant to confuse our response," said Naraka dismissively. "Of course, they don't know that the entire exercise is pointless, and our response is already underway." He closed the file he had been reading and fixed Sarden with his full attention for the first time. "And speaking of Garden, have you managed to revise your deployment plan yet?"

"Yes," said Sarden. "Though it's undergoing revision. The unit commanders are concerned, as Frostwater wasn't originally planned to accommodate three additional offensives on short notice. But it's nothing I can't handle."

"And your timetable?" asked Naraka.

"...That's still being determined," said Sarden slowly. "Trabia is a difficulty, as we don't have any ground units in the area, and we're still collecting units for Galbadia Garden to fill the gap left by the 3rd and 26th, which will take —"

"What?" Naraka snapped. "You removed the units enforcing the lockdown on Galbadia Garden?"

"Their use was called for in the Frostwater plan," said Sarden. "I assumed your approval of that deployment superseded the Garden directive."

"You assumed that I intended to grant Garden more autonomy on the eve of this operation?" demanded Naraka. Sarden's confused expression said that this was precisely so. "General, I place a high premium on loyalty, but I have no small respect for competence as well. I suggest you bear that in mind."

"...Of course," said Sarden. "In any event, we should be in good shape if we move on the others tomorrow afternoon. I'll have a more definite report for you in the morning."

"Make it happen, General," said Naraka. "I don't want SeeD finding a way to interfere with our plans."

"Of course," said Sarden. "...Lord-General, before I forget..." He hesitated. "I should preface this by saying my judgment was not to trouble you with this matter, but General Tolmar insisted it was of importance."

"Tolmar?" asked Naraka. Janis had informed him that she had been attempting to reach him throughout the day, but he'd been occupied with matters of more immediate importance.

"Yes, Lord-General. She attempted to contact me repeatedly. Apparently there was an incident where a team of Galbadian soldiers was discovered murdered in the Lanker area. But no units were reported missing there."

"It's an oddity," said Naraka. "But I don't see the relevance."

"Nor do I," said Sarden. "However, General Tolmar made mention of a search contingent dispatched from the DSRC —"

The possibility had dawned on Naraka while Sarden was speaking; he rose from his desk, hands shaking. "JANIS!"

His aide quickly appeared at the door. "Mr. P—"

"Contact Administrator Derrick at the DSRC immediately, and inform him that if his search teams are not entirely accounted for, there will be hell to pay! Especially if he failed to report the SeeDs' loss in a timely manner!" Janis nodded, and disappeared. "General, you are to place all units in the Lanker area on alert that there are now nine rogue SeeDs in the area, who are to be interdicted at all costs."

Sarden frowned. "Lord-General, I'm not sure I —"

"You don't need to understand; simply do it," snapped Naraka. "And I want to have Garden dealt with now, not tomorrow afternoon or at any other leisurely pace! Is that clear?"

"I'll need to speak with the commanders," said Sarden. "The plans will need to be revised again for —"

"You are dismissed, General," said Naraka. "If SeeD is still functioning by tomorrow morning, I will view your performance very unfavorably."

Though he looked as if he still didn't quite understand, Sarden saluted and left. Naraka turned back to his desk, all the meticulously detailed files and plans that would need to be revised again.

He struck out at the files, sending several of them flying across the room. Garden and Esthar – he'd been sure he could contain them, and then that he was a step ahead of them, but how deep did their plot really go? All the SeeDs on the continent, ostensibly working for Galbadia, stationed at strategic points, could form a perfect fifth column at a simple, unknown order. And an entire Garden on Galbadian soil – how could he have been so foolish as to allow it for so long?

It would all end the next day. Garden would fall; then Esthar would fall, and none would dare challenge Galbadia afterward. His plan was intricately arranged, and it could still succeed.

Naraka ripped open the curtains to look out the window. All the light from within the room washed out all the detail, but he could still catch the brightest nighttime lights of Galbadia's capital, the city and the country to which he had dedicated his life and all his energy.

The plan would succeed.

It had to.