Final Fantasy VIII [2nd Instalment]
Grace Barton
Chapter Fourteen
More than a week passed following the events in Balamb Garden. Squall returned to his dorms after finishing a brief session in the Training Centre. He closed the door behind him, unhooked his gunblade and placed it back in its case. He removed his jacket and his gloves and placed them on top. His ring he placed on his bedside cabinet. The swordsman then sighed and lay back on his bed, resting his head on his hands. He gazed up at the ceiling and let his thoughts wander.
How long has it been since we started moving? he wondered. He rolled onto his right side, staring at the wall. There's not much to do now, he told himself. We've taken care of all the monsters in the Garden.
Squall paused, frowned, and rolled onto his left. His eyes drifted around his room.
Oh yeah… I still have to report to the headmaster. There's a lot of things I want to ask about, too. The swordsman rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling again. He's probably still busy trying to re-establish order in the Garden.
The swordsman tried to relax, but even despite his training his muscles wouldn't obey. Restless, Squall got onto his feet and went over to the window. He looked out. It was strange. He could see the outer gardens outside, but on the other side of the walls he could hear the ocean waves as they crashed against the Garden. Squall listened to the waves and then placed his hand on the window.
…We're in the middle of nowhere, he thought. Man, I'm bored… I hate having nothing to do. It gets me thinking too much.
He drummed his fingers against the glass. Squall then turned from the window, picked up his ring from the cabinet, and sat back down at the bed. Using his finger, he traced the outline of the ring's lion motif.
I hope Selphie and the others are all right. Was it wrong for me to let them go? I wonder how Zell and Irvine felt about it.
Squall shook his head. He was trying not to think about the others. With the Garden cut off from the land, there was no way to find out what had become of them. Worrying about them would not solve anything. Squall clenched his fist, and felt the edges of the ring dig into his palm. With that pain now in mind, he lay back on his bed again. He closed his eyes.
The moment his eyes closed, an image of Sorceress Edea flashed into his mind. He could see her clearly, with her beautiful, cold face gazing into the distance with an almost blank expression. Seifer was standing beside her, his gunblade on his shoulder and with a taunting smile on his face.
That sorceress… he wondered. Who is she? Why fire missiles at Garden? Is Seifer ever coming back? I'll get even with him next time.
In his mind's eye, the sorceress turned and looked at him. Even in his mind, those golden eyes of hers were piercing. Squall opened his own eyes and clutched at the spot where her ice spear had pierced his flesh. The wound was gone without a trace, healed by the sorceress' magic. He could still feel it, though; that cold, deathly touch. Squall released his shirt and rolled onto his side again. He closed his eyes, trying to push the image out of his mind and just sleep…
Sometime later, Squall awoke to find Rinoa in his room. The woman smiled as she leaned over him, looking into his face. When Squall saw her, he bolted up and swung his legs over the bed, staring at the floor.
"Hey," said Rinoa with a wave. She giggled. "You looked so adorable, sleeping like a baby."
Squall did not reply, but he felt his cheeks grow hot. Why was she teasing him like that? He had a right to sleep, same as everyone else. And who told her where his room was, anyway? He sighed.
Rinoa heard the sigh, but she chose to ignore it. "Come on, get up," she told him. "Let's go."
Squall looked up at her. "Go where?" he asked.
"Give me a tour of the Garden," replied Rinoa, speaking as though it was obvious why she was here
"…Is this another one of your orders?" Squall asked.
At first Rinoa hesitated. Then she put her hands behind her back and shuffled her feet along the floor. Now she blushed, her cheeks turning pink. "No," she replied. "I just want you to show me around. You know, to get acquainted with the place." She met his gaze again, her eyes hopeful. "Please?"
Squall sighed again. He was not in the mood to give her a grand tour of the Garden. After all, she had been here for a week already. Still, it wasn't like there had been much time to 'get acquainted with the place', as she put it. And he supposed it was better than sitting around in his room doing nothing.
"…Fine," he relented.
Rinoa beamed and jumped, delighted. She ran over to the door and waited for Squall while he picked up his jacket and put it on. He then took his gunblade out of its case and hooked it onto his belt. Rinoa gave him a questioning look, but she said nothing. After all, she had her Pinwheel with her. It was just a force of habit, she supposed, to carry a weapon at all times. Once he finished putting on his gloves and his ring, Squall joined her and they headed out of the dorms.
"This place is huge," Rinoa was saying as they walked down to the central area. "Do you think it's bigger than Galbadia Garden?"
"Who knows?" Squall replied with a shrug. Did it matter which one was bigger?
They headed right. Squall figured he would take Rinoa down the same route they had made before, when they were searching for the headmaster during the chaos. He started to head towards the Infirmary, but when they passed the corridor leading to the cafeteria Rinoa stopped and peered down it.
"What's over here?" she asked.
Squall turned to her. "The cafeteria."
Rinoa nodded. She then turned and looked across the floor to the other side of the Garden. "What about over there?" she asked.
"The parking lot."
Rinoa paused and turned to him. "Squall… I appreciate you showing me around. But can you try to make it a little more fun? You know, like a normal tour?"
What does she want from me? Squall wondered, looking at her. He looked down. Rinoa just smiled at him and then walked past him towards the Infirmary.
Inside the Infirmary Dr Kadowaki was sitting at her desk, as she had been since the chaos began. Piled on her desk were numerous accident and injury reports, all of them from the SeeDs and students she had treated during the chaos. The doctor had been very busy, but now that all the students were healed and discharged, she finally had a moment to catch up on her paperwork.
When the door opened and Squall came in, Dr Kadowaki got to her feet.
"Hi there, Squall," she said. Then Rinoa came into the Infirmary behind him, and the doctor looked at her in surprise. "Oh my…" she remarked. "It's not everyday I see you walk around with a girl. Is she your girlfriend?"
"No," he replied at once, shaking his head. "I'm just showing her around."
"Squall…" said Rinoa. "Gosh, can't you just say 'yes' for fun?"
Squall turned to her. "All right, then, 'yes'," he said.
Rinoa groaned. "Oh…" She put her hand to her head and shook it. "Say it like you mean it." Squall looked away from her, thoughtful.
Dr Kadowaki laughed. "You guys are cute," she said. Squall turned and stared at the doctor, while behind him Rinoa blushed and scratched her cheek. The doctor laughed again. Then her face grew serious. "Oh, do you guys know where Headmaster Cid is?" she asked them. Squall and Rinoa looked at each other and then shook their heads. Dr Kadowaki put her hands on her hips, shaking her head. "That guy works too hard. Tell him to come see me when you see him."
They left Dr Kadowaki to her paperwork. Squall led Rinoa across the Garden and back towards the cafeteria. They had to bypass the quad, which was undergoing significant work following the aftermath of the battle.
Squall had heard that the fighting in the quad had been intense, and once the Garden started moving the stage had collapsed and all the equipment was destroyed. The headmaster had ordered that no one was to enter the area until it was declared safe by the SeeDs supervising the clean-up. The destruction of the stage also meant that there would be no Garden Festival that year, but everyone was too busy to think about that.
They entered the cafeteria. Now that the fighting was over the place was full of students again. The catering staff were much relieved that it was all over and they were now able to resume business as normal. Right now it was the end of the lunchtime menu, but there was still a long line of students at the till.
Squall stopped next to the line and waved his hand at the cafeteria.
"This is the cafeteria," he explained. "Obviously, this is where we take our meals, but keep in mind there's always competition for the good stuff. Especially the hotdogs. Some of the hotdogs are so popular, you'll be lucky just to see someone eat it. That's why you see this long line, every day."
Rinoa crossed her arms. "I see…" she said. She laughed.
Hearing her, Squall turned and stared. "…? What's so funny?" he asked her.
Rinoa stopped laughing and wiped the tears from her eyes. "You're so serious when you're explaining," she told him. "It just seems… kinda odd…"
Squall closed his eyes and turned his head away from her. "You're the one who asked me to show you around," he said bluntly.
"Oh, I'm sorry…" said Rinoa. "You don't have to get mad like that…"
Squall sighed. Whatever…
"Ok, next," Rinoa said, and she walked out of the cafeteria.
Squall started to follow her. He got as far as the door before he stopped and looked back. His eyes scanned the display counter. As he expected, all of the hotdogs were nearly gone. If Zell were here he would probably be in that line, trying his best to get his hands on one. Squall shook his head. No, he couldn't afford to think about them right now. Even if he did think about them, what could he do? Squall just hoped that, wherever they were, they knew the Garden was safe. He left the cafeteria and caught up to Rinoa outside.
The next stop was the car park. "Just a parking lot," Squall said, standing at the entrance. "Nothing special."
Rinoa looked around the empty car park and then turned to him. "…That's it?"
Squall nodded. "Yeah."
Rinoa put her hand on her forehead. She knew there wouldn't be much to say about a parking lot, but she had hoped that maybe there would be something he could tell her. He could even have lied if he'd wanted to and made up something exciting, like it was a haunted car park or something. But then, this was Squall…
"…Never mind," she said, giving her head a shake. "Let's go."
They left the car park and headed over to the Training Centre. Remembering the T-Rexaur that was here before, Rinoa looked nervously at the two doors. The doors to each section were closed and locked, and everything was quiet. She let out a sigh of relief and caught up to Squall, who waited for her at the centre.
"This is the training centre," Squall explained to her, "or as we call it, the monster's lair. The monsters are left to run loose so the students can get a feel for actual combat. Wanna try?"
There was a spark in Squall's eyes as he described the Training Centre. Rinoa saw this and smiled. She imagined that Squall spent a lot of time in here, sharpening his skills. How very like him. "You know," she said, "I can imagine you doing this on a first date. You're so romantic…" Rinoa folded her arms behind her. "But… I don't feel like fighting right now. Shall we just continue the tour…?"
Squall nodded, and he led Rinoa to the last destination on the tour: the library.
The moment she walked through the doors Rinoa knew that the library was her favourite place. Every shelf was filled with books. It reminded Rinoa of her father's library, in his mansion in Deling City, although this library looked much more interesting. At first she thought that the books here would be study guides or books on military tactics, like her father's, but she soon saw that she was wrong. There was a wide variety of books here, to cater for almost every taste.
"Wow!" Rinoa gasped. She stood in the doorway, gazing around her. "This is so cool!" She clenched her fists in excitement and ran to Squall, who had stopped ahead of her. "Mind if I look around?" she asked. Squall nodded. "Thanks!"
Rinoa headed off to look at one of the bookcases. Squall watched her for a while and then turned away. He had a feeling she would take her time here. It was strange; he never would have pegged her as the reading type. But then, there was still a lot he didn't know about Rinoa.
He looked around the library. There were a few students in the library today, but not many. The headmaster had cancelled all lessons until he had firmly re-established order in the Garden. The students used this to their advantage, hanging out in the outer gardens, or helping the SeeDs with the repairs. Only a few hard-working students took to their books, enjoying the library's peaceful, quiet atmosphere.
Squall looked over at the quiet study area, and there he saw a familiar face. It was the woman he had seen in the Infirmary; the same one he helped rescue from the Granaldo in the Training Centre. She had her back to him, but he recognised the green shawl she wore around her arms. She was sitting at one of the desks, an old book laid out in front of her.
Squall approached her. Until now, he had never had the chance to speak to this woman properly. Something had always gotten in the way. Now, though, it seemed he finally had a chance to speak with her uninterrupted, and find the answers to a few questions.
The woman heard him approach, and she looked up, brushing back a lock of her brown hair. When she saw him, a warm smile spread on her face. She set down her book and turned to him.
"Hi," she said.
Squall hesitated. Now he had the chance to speak to her, he didn't know what to say. "…I saw you in the infirmary," he said. It was the first thing that came to mind.
The woman nodded. "You saved me from the monster," she replied.
So they both remembered those incidents, Squall realised. Now that was out of the way, he moved onto his first question. "Who are you?" he asked her.
At this, the smile on the woman's face faded. Her eyes saddened, and she looked away from him. "Try to remember," she said, her voice low.
"Remember?"
The woman nodded her head again. "It'd be heartbreaking for me to know I was forgotten," she said. She turned away from him, her eyes on the floor.
Squall stared at her. …Remember? …So I know this girl?
"It'd be nice to talk about old times again," the woman said, without raising her head.
Squall thought hard, trying to recall if he had ever seen this woman before. She seemed to think they had met before, but try as he might, he could not remember her. Was it possible that she had confused him with someone else?
No… When she saw him in the infirmary and the Training Centre, she had called him by name. Not only him, but she had called Quistis by name as well. Yet Quistis had not shown any signs of remembering her, and appeared as confused as he was. So if he really knew her, then why couldn't he remember her?
The woman returned to her reading, a sad look in her eyes. Squall left her to it and returned to the main part of the library. He felt himself growing frustrated. He had hoped that speaking with her would answer questions, but instead it only seemed to add to them. There was something about her that was familiar, but he did not know what it was. Perhaps he had met her before, but when…?
He headed for the exit. Rinoa, seeing that he was leaving, put back the book she was reading and ran after him. She tried to ask him what was wrong, but he did not answer her. He walked quickly, lost in his thoughts. Rinoa fell silent, walking close behind him, her face full of concern.
Instead of heading back to the dorms, Squall headed towards the lobby. As he approached he spotted a member of the Garden Faculty running towards him. Squall frowned. Ever since the incident a week ago, the Faculty staff had kept a very low profile. In fact he had not seen any of them around. So why were they here now, and why was he running to Squall so purposefully?
The Faculty stopped in front of him. "Student ID No. 41269, Squall?"
Squall nodded. "Yes."
"The Garden Master wishes to see you," the Faculty told him. "Report to the Master's Room, right away."
The Master's Room…? Squall thought. He started to have a bad feeling, and he shivered. "Where is the Master's Room?" he asked.
The Faculty turned and pointed to the lift. "Take the elevator to level B1. You have permission," he said, and then stood aside. He gave Squall a fixed stare, expecting Squall to go there at once.
Squall headed towards the lift. Rinoa went after him. She glanced back at the Faculty, expecting him to stop her from going with him. But the Faculty said nothing and let her pass.
They got into the lift, and Squall pushed the button for the B1 level. The doors closed and the lift headed down. He had never been to this floor before, and knew only that it was off-limits to everyone except for those who were given permission. He had always assumed that it was the Faculty floor, since they did not reside in the dorms with the rest of the students. It seemed he was right, and that it wasn't just the Faculty floor but the Garden Master's floor, as well.
The Garden Master… In truth, Squall had almost forgotten about that. The whole thing had started when the Garden Master had tried to wrest control of the Garden from the headmaster, and had caused a divide between the SeeDs and the students. The mysterious Garden Master, whom no one had ever seen and some had never even heard of.
As the lift descended, that nagging feeling in the back of Squall's mind got stronger and he grasped the hilt of his gunblade. The Garden Master, this 'NORG', wanted to see him. Why did he want to see Squall, and why now? Squall sighed. Yet more questions…
The lift reached the B1 level, and the doors slid open. Squall and Rinoa stepped out, finding themselves in a large and empty waiting room. There was nothing but an open door at the far end, leading into another chamber. They headed down the steps to the bottom. They then stopped as a familiar voice called out from inside the chamber.
"Please! Listen to me!