Final Fantasy VIII [2nd Instalment]

Grace Barton

Part Six: Forgotten Memories

Chapter Seventeen

The next morning Squall woke up to find Rinoa in his room again. She had just closed the door, and it was this sound that had roused Squall from his sleep. On seeing her, Squall got up off the bed. Rinoa headed over to him.

"Hey again," she said with a wave. She had Angelo with her this time, and the dog was sniffing around Squall's room with interest.

"I wasn't asleep," Squall replied, sounding terse.

Rinoa leaned over and looked up at him, smiling. "Oh really? I think I heard you talking in your sleep. But I'm not telling you what you said," she said with a sly look in her eyes. She peered into Squall's face, but the swordsman did not smile back and just stared at her. Rinoa relaxed. She giggled and straightened up, and then turned towards the door. "Hey, let's go for a walk," she said.

Squall blinked. "Again?" he asked her. Didn't they go for a walk just yesterday?

"That was a guided tour!" Rinoa protested, turning back. "This time it's a walk."

Squall stared at her, wondering if she was being serious. "Just go by yourself," he told her. He sat back down on the bed and looked down. "It's safe here."

At this Rinoa flushed and scratched her cheek. "It's not that I want a guard with me," she said.

Bored of sniffing around, Angelo went back over to Rinoa and sat by her side. He looked at Rinoa and then at Squall. Then the dog got up and padded over to sit in front of the swordsman. He nudged Squall's hand with his nose. The swordsman did not respond, and continued to stare at the floor.

Rinoa watched Squall as he sat down on his bed, his eyes fixed on the floor. Rinoa knew nothing of what happened yesterday between him and the woman known as Ellone. She had asked Quistis, who had not known anything either, except that it was Squall who had eventually found her. Whatever had gone on between them, it had placed an even greater burden on his shoulders. She could almost feel it pressing down on him, trying to crush him beneath its weight.

"You know…" said Rinoa after a moment. "You're always too deep in thought. Why don't you lighten up a little? It's not good to think too much."

Squall did not reply. He was too busy thinking… or at least trying not to.

Rinoa tried again. "What I'm trying to say is… It would be my honour…" She bowed down low. "…to have your company, your highness, in hope that I may get your mind off things." Rinoa raised her head and grinned at Squall. "How about it, your highness?" she asked.

She winked. Squall gazed at her. Was she trying to make fun of him? Well, whether she was or not, it was obvious that she was not going to leave until she got her own way. Realising this, Squall sighed and pushed himself to his feet.

"Fine," he said, relenting.

Rinoa bowed her head again. "Thank you, your highness!" she said. Then she dropped the royal tone and grinned. "Alright," she said, "let's get goin'!"

She waited while Squall put on his jacket and his gloves. Like before, she said nothing as Squall took his gunblade from its case and strapped it to his side. After their surprise fight with the Garden Master, she now understood the importance of always having a weapon at her side. She had vowed not to go anywhere without her Pinwheel again, and to keep Angelo by her side at all times.

Once Squall was ready, they left the dorms. There were a few students gathered in the hallway, talking amongst themselves. A few of them turned and stared at Squall and Rinoa as they walked together down the hall. When they passed, the students turned and whispered to one another. Squall did not notice them. His thoughts were on what happened yesterday with the Garden Master and Ellone. Was the headmaster going to keep what happened to Garden Master NORG a secret? Would he ever see Ellone again? What had she meant by him being her only hope? Thinking about it made his head hurt.

Angelo padded at Rinoa's heels as they walked. Every so often the dog bounded away and scampered down the hall, his tail wagging in excitement. He was thrilled to be out walking. More than anything Angelo longed to go out into the gardens and run about the fields, playing with the students.

They headed out into the central area. Rinoa paused for a moment, thinking about where they should go first. She wanted to take a leisurely walk around the gardens but she knew Squall would only be bored with that, so perhaps the Training Centre? Squall waited while she made up her mind, and then followed her as she began walking again. Rinoa headed left, towards the Training Centre.

Before they could reach the end of the corridor leading to the dorms the PA system pinged and the headmaster's voice echoed across the Garden.

"Hello everyone. This is the headmaster speaking. The lines have been fixed, and I'm glad to be back on the air. Hurrah!" There was a pause. Then the headmaster's voice spoke again, filed with panic. "UM! WHOAA!"

Up on the bridge, Headmaster Cid left the microphone and hurried over to the window. He looked out, and when he saw what as ahead, he jumped in alarm.

"Boy, it's a slow day."

Drawing back his line, the fisherman flung it and cast it into the water again. There was a splash as the hook landed.

"Come on," the fisherman said to the water. "Give me a big one."

The line sank up to the bobber, which 'bobbed' about on the surface of the water. After the initial ripple made when it landed, there was no further movement from the water. Nothing was taking the bait.

The old fisherman let out a heavy sigh and let his chin sink into his hand. His fingers, weathered and dry from years of hard work and long days spent sitting at this very spot, rubbed at the stubble on his chin. Fishing was a task that required utmost patience, but even he expected to have caught something by now.

At the far end of the docks, several tall windmills stood turning. Their enormous sails, or blades, turned slowly in the wind, which brought cool air from the north.

As the blades turned, a dark shadow fell over one of them. The shadow belonged to Balamb Garden. With its engines switched off, there was nothing that could stop the Garden's approach. It ploughed into the windmill. The windmill did not stand a chance, and was crushed beneath the Garden. As for the Garden, its collision with the windmill did nothing to slow it down and it continued to make its way forward to the rest of the windmills.

Hearing the crunch of breaking stone and the splash of the water, the fisherman looked up. He saw the great walls of the Garden as it smashed through another of the windmills, sending chunks of debris falling into the ocean. The fisherman jumped onto his feet, knocking over his bucket of bait, which fell into the water.

As the Garden approached, a swell of water began to rise around its base and move towards the docks. The old fisherman backed away from the edge. He turned to make a run for it, but as luck would have it his line got a bite at that very moment. His line tugged and the bobber suddenly dipped beneath the water. With every instinct in his old body telling him not to give up his only catch, the fisherman grabbed the pole and pulled it towards him.

Whatever he had caught, it was large and very strong. The fisherman's eyes darted to the Garden and the water, both of which were drawing closer and fast. Spray fell around him, drenching his clothes. Yet the old man held on, refusing to give up his catch. Unfortunately, whether due to the spray or the sweat making his hands clammy, he could not get a firm grip. The pole kept slipping out of his hands. Gritting his teeth, the fisherman yanked with all his strength.

The Garden smashed through more of the windmills. The constant impacts were beginning to slow it down, though not by much. When it crashed through the last of them the fisherman, unable to risk staying any longer, threw down his pole and ran back across the dock.

As the fisherman left, the water hit the dock. The swell blasted through the dock, blowing away the fisherman's umbrella. The umbrella was ripped to shreds in the water, and then vanished beneath its surface.

Just seconds after that, the Garden hit the dock.

"Squall! This is the headmaster speaking! Please come to my office! Repeat! Please come to my office right away!"

By the time Squall heard the announcement, he and Rinoa were already in the lift heading up to the headmaster's office. He left Rinoa with Angelo below while he got on the lift and headed up to the bridge.

Headmaster Cid was still at the controls when Squall reached the bridge. He had his back to Squall and was speaking into the microphone, making another announcement to the Garden. Squall remained silent, waiting for him to finish.

"Everybody, please remain calm," the headmaster was saying. "Also, please do not leave the Garden under any circumstances until you are permitted. We will try to get things back in order A.S.A.P. Thank you for your cooperation."

The headmaster shut off the speaker. Once he was done, Cid turned to Squall.

"Ah Squall, thank you for coming," he said. "Here are your orders." Squall came to attention. "We've landed on Fisherman's Horizon. Please go ashore with Quistis and Rinoa. Find the local mayor and apologise for this accident. Tell them that we come in peace. Take a look around the city while you're there, too."

"…Yes, sir," Squall answered after a moment. WhydoIhavetogo? he thought.

Cid gazed at him. "Do you have something you want to tell me?" he asked.

"No… Squall lied.

Reading Squall's thoughts, the headmaster smiled. "SeeD is not just a special force for combat," he reminded Squall. "I want you to see the world… To broaden your horizons. I have high expectations of you, Squall." Cid smiled again and pushed up his glasses. Then he waved his hand. "Now go."

The swordsman nodded, and he turned to go. Headmaster Cid watched him, and his face grew very serious.

"Squall, our fate lies in your hands."

Squall stopped. He looked back at the headmaster. Whatdoeshemeanbythat?

The serious look on Cid's face vanished, and he began to chuckle. "Heh heh heh. Scared you there, huh?" He laughed again and folded his hands behind him. "I was just trying to say be careful. Don't offend anybody in Fisherman's Horizon."

Squall hesitated, and then nodded. Headmaster Cid smiled, nodding back.

Squall headed back down to the office. Rinoa was still waiting for him there, and he was not surprised to find that Quistis was there as well.

"A new mission?" asked Quistis, as Squall stepped off the lift.

"We're here!" said Rinoa, raising her hand. Angelo barked in agreement.

Squall walked past them. "We'll land at Fisherman's Horizon," he told them. "We'll make an official apology, then observe the town."

Quistis nodded, understanding. "You can go out the 2nd floor deck to get to Fisherman's," she told Squall. "You can use it as an exit now."

Squall said nothing. He went over to the door and stood in the doorway. He put his hand on his hip, looking down in thought. He did not understand why the headmaster felt the need to send him to go apologise for this mess. Surely the headmaster would make a better representative. Still, orders were orders, so he supposed he had to do it.

'Don't offend anybody in Fisherman's Horizon', the headmaster had warned him. What did he mean by that?