Final Fantasy VIII [2nd Instalment]

Grace Barton

Chapter Twenty

"Squall!" cried Selphie.

The girl came to attention and saluted Squall, her face beaming. Squall returned the gesture, and even he had a smile on his face. On either side of Selphie, Zell and Irvine did the same, as did Quistis and even Rinoa. Angelo also seemed pleased to see the group, for he left Rinoa's side and ran over to them, barking and wagging his tail so hard it seemed it would fly off.

Yes! They're alright! Squall thought. He felt so relieved to see that they had managed to survive. He lowered his arm and looked around at them, taking them in. "Hey Selphie, Zell, Irvine. It's great to see you guys."

Selphie and the others also lowered their arms. "Say, what happened to the Garden?" Irvine asked Squall.

A lot has happened, thought Squall. "The Garden is safe," he assured them.

"Really!" said Selphie, and her face lit up even more. She jumped on the spot and clapped her hands, crying in delight. "Whoo-hoo!"

Zell and Irvine were also glad to hear the news. Squall looked around at them again. With everything that had happened since they parted ways at the Desert Prison, he had begun to wonder if he would ever see them again. They looked well enough, despite a few cuts and bruises. But they were okay.

"What happened to you guys?" he started to ask.

"Squall," said Quistis, standing behind him. "Let's save that for later."

Squall turned to her. The whipmaster crossed her arms and nodded her head behind her. Following her gaze, Squall saw Mayor Dobe was sitting nearby. He was sat amongst the wreckage left behind by the battle, refusing to look at them.

…I guess, he admitted. There would be time to catch up on events later. Right now there were other matters to deal with. "Quistis, Rinoa," he said, turning to the two women behind him, "why don't you guys take them back to Garden? I'll see you guys later, after I take a look around."

The women nodded. Quistis gestured to Selphie and the others, and they followed her out of the station. Angelo ran after them, his tail still wagging. Squall watched them go. They would be in for a shock when they learnt that Balamb Garden was here at Fisherman's Horizon. It was certainly a long story, but Squall knew that Quistis would deal with that one.

Squall started to turn away, but then stopped and turned to Rinoa, who had stayed behind. She had her back to Squall and was rubbing at her arm, lost in thought. Squall approached her.

Hearing him walk up, Rinoa raised her head. "You know, you just surprised me," she said, without turning. "You looked and sounded so happy to see them."

Squall tilted his head. Huh?

Rinoa stopped rubbing her arm and turned to face him. "It was the first time I've seen you so honest," she said, smiling. "It was… really sweet."

Squall scratched his head, and his cheeks flushed a little. Well… umm… He didn't know what to say. Did he really sound that happy to see them? He frowned, trying to come up with a reason. "They're my responsibility," he answered at last. "I was worried about them. That's all."

"Is that all?" Rinoa asked. She leaned over and peered up into his face.

Squall met her gaze. What more does she want?

Rinoa held his eyes for a few seconds longer before she finally relented. "Ok," she said, standing straight again. "Well, it's great that everyone is all right. It must be a big relief for you, Squall." She walked over to the ramp. She turned back again and waved, grinning. "Catch you later, Squall!" she said, and then ran off to catch up with the others.

As she headed along the road, Angelo came running up to meet her. The dog bounded around her, barking and wagging his tail. At Rinoa's command the dog sat down next to her, his tail still hitting the floor. Rinoa knelt beside him and clipped on his leash. The two then walked off, disappearing into the town.

The swordsman watched her go. Rinoa… A long time had passed since they first met in Timber. How long would she continue travelling with them, he wondered. Although she was not a SeeD or resident of Garden everyone, including the headmaster, treated her as though she was. Just what was she looking for when she looked into his face like that?

He tried to think about what he would have felt if it had been Rinoa he had sent to the Galbadian Missile Base. Would he have reacted in the same way? Squall did not know. His hand strayed to his cheek, though the temporary flush was gone. He then turned away from the road and looked around at the station. Debris from the battle was littered throughout the area, but there was no major damage. He looked around and then turned to Mayor Dobe.

The mayor had not moved one inch since the battle ended. When he heard Squall walk up, he hunched his shoulders and glanced back to look at him. He met Squall's eyes, held them for a moment and then looked back at the floor.

"I guess you saved my life," he said in a gruff, bitter voice.

"Sorry for butting in," Squall replied, sincere.

The mayor shook his head. "No…" he said. He sighed. "But I'm not thanking you."

"You don't have to," said Squall. "It's just that…" He paused. Just what? What am I trying to say? He closed his eyes and thought about it for a moment. Then he reopened them and looked down at Mayor Dobe. "I wish you could be a little more understanding about us," he said. "We're not just a bunch of warmongers."

Dobe raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" he asked.

I don't know what more to say… Squall folded his arms, trying to figure out the words that would convince the mayor.

"It's hard for me to explain…" he began. "I wish… everything could be settled without resorting to violence… …and there would be no need for battles. Like you've been preaching, it would be wonderful if things could be settled by discussion.

"The only problem with that is it often takes too much time. Especially if the others are not willing to listen. So I believe that fighting is inevitable at times. It's really sad. That's all I have to say. I hope you understand someday. I think the world needs people like you and people like us." Squall paused and came to attention. He saluted the mayor. "Thank you for all your help. Goodbye."

He turned and walked away, leaving the mayor to think over what he had said. Squall already knew that the mayor would never change his stance on fighting and would likely never accept what the Garden did. Dobe was a man bred to peace, and he would never accept those who chose to take arms.

All Squall hoped for was that this experience would teach him to understand that words were not always enough, and that sometimes to fight would be the only option. For Squall, who had chosen early on to take up arms and fight, imagining a life where he did not fight seemed very boring. But he could appreciate the mayor's ideals for a peaceful world where fighting was not necessary, even if he could not picture himself living in it.

He left the station and returned to the main stretch of road running through the east part of town. As expected the Galbadian army had withdrawn and the town had returned to its usual, peaceful state. Already the townspeople seemed to have forgotten the chaos that had almost overrun them, though Squall noticed that one or two people still gave him dark looks. He could not blame them, for he had broken the town's number one rule. Squall felt just a little bit guilty about that, but he knew he had made the right decision. If he had not intervened and fought them off, the city would be burning right now.

On his way past the combined pub and item store known as Drunkman Alley, Squall encountered the young woman he who had given them directions to the station. She seemed to recognise him as well, for she smiled and waved at him.

"Gosh," she remarked, and Squall could not tell if it was anger or praise he heard in her voice. "There's a fierce fighter behind that cute face of yours." And then she went on her way.

After leaving her Squall considered heading back to the Garden. But then he remembered the headmaster's other order: the one instructing him to take a look around the town. Squall still did not see why he had to look around, but as he had nothing better to do right now, he tried to do as instructed.

As Fisherman's Horizon was a town built on the water, there was little of interest here. The founders were among those who were dissatisfied with the way their homeland's were progressing and left, building this place. Now the founders were old, and most of the pastimes in the town were tailored towards them.

Engineering seemed to be the most popular pastime, as Squall noted when he looked around at the strange and wonderful constructions that lined the streets. Fishing came a close second, and indeed he saw a good number of people—old and young—sitting on the docks with fishing rods in their hands, enjoying the warmth of the sun. As Squall passed he heard one fisherman talking an old man who was on the docks when Balamb Garden approached, and had stayed there until the last moment. Squall paid the story little mind and then headed on.

Despite everything that had happened, the shopkeepers of Fisherman's Horizon did not refuse him trade. Of course there were no weapons to buy here, but Squall did find some items that he could make use of. In Drunkman Alley he found a selection of Potions and Antidotes, Eye Drops and Softs. To his surprise the shop also sold ammo—a small selection of bullets for handguns and shotguns—just behind the counter. The shopkeeper saw him notice these and flashed Squall a guilty smile. The swordsman said nothing as he handed over the Gil for the items he purchased, and left without a word.

After exploring the town for around twenty minutes Squall decided to head back to Balamb Garden. After a brief talk with the young man at the lift, Squall got on and headed back to the upper walkways.

Irvine was waiting for him at the top of the lift. The gunman leaned against the rails overlooking the docks, his hat pulled down low over his face. When Squall walked over Irvine raised his head and pushed up his hat, grinning.

"The headmaster gave the ok to let the technicians in the Garden," he told Squall. "They're in there right now."

Squall nodded. "Ok," he said, and he carried on walking. He passed by Irvine, who made no move to follow him.

"Say…"

Squall stopped and turned back. "Yeah?" he asked.

Irvine hesitated, and his fingers played absently with the brim of his hat. "Uhh… I was wondering. Those technicians seem very handy. So like… would it be all right if I asked them to fix some other stuff?"

…? Squall tilted his head. Other stuff? What 'stuff' did he have in mind? The swordsman folded his arms. "As long as it doesn't slow down the work on the Garden, go ahead," he answered. "Try not to ask for too much."

The gunman nodded. "Yeah, of course," he assured Squall.

The swordsman began walking again, and he was aware that Irvine was walking behind him. He glanced over his shoulder and caught a glimpse of Irvine's face. The gunman looked troubled. His eyes were darting about, and he bit his lip, but said nothing. Squall turned his head away and kept on walking.

They were just walking up the slope leading to the stairs when Irvine came to a stop. Squall took a few more steps before he noticed and stopped as well.

…? "…What?" he asked, turning around.

Again Irvine hesitated. His fingers played with the brim of his hat.

"…Selphie's feeling down right now," he said after a moment. "I thought I should let you know, since you're… kind of like everybody's leader." The gunman paused, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "I think you should go talk to her. I know you're a klutz when it comes to these things, so I'll back you."

Thanks so much for the vote of confidence, Squall told himself. He sighed, placing his hand on his hip. "…Where is she?" he asked.

"She's hanging out at the stage by the quad."

Squall nodded, and he carried on walking again. Why did Selphie choose to hang out at the quad of all places, he wondered. The quad was still decimated from the chaos caused by the Garden Master's revolt and Galbadia's missile strike.

As they neared the Garden Irvine stopped yet again. He put his hand to his hat and stared up at the Garden.

Since the battle, the many technicians who resided in Fisherman's Horizon had started their repairs to the Garden and the docks. Heavy machinery was brought in and set up alongside the wall of the Garden, and the technicians were already hard at work. Irvine watched them work, and he let out a slow whistle.

"Wow," he said. "I didn't expect all this heavy machinery."

Squall looked up at the machinery and then turned to Irvine. "How else are they gonna repair it?" he asked. "With hammers and nails?"

"Hey, hey, hey," Irvine said, "this isn't my department."

Squall paused, frowned, and looked at him again. "Then what is?"

A smile spread on Irvine's face as he said: "...Guns and women, of course."

Of course, Squall thought to himself. He should have known better than to ask.

Selphie was still in the quad when Squall and Irvine arrived. She stood alone amongst the wreckage of the stage and lights, her shoulders slumped and her head low in sombre resignation. When the two men walked up Selphie took a deep breath and then sighed, slumping lower.

"Whew… this is so bad," she mumbled.

Squall looked around at the quad. It was the first time he'd seen it since the Garden started moving. Some of the wreckage was cleared up, but there was still a lot of it lying around. "Yeah," he said. "It's been crazy, with the Garden moving and crashing into FH. A lot's happened."

The girl nodded. She touched a piece of broken machinery with her boot and then kicked it away. She watched it as it rolled across the floor until it reached the stage, where it stopped and fell flat. Selphie's eyes lifted and she looked at the stage, which was smashed beyond repair.

"Y'know," she began, "I really wanted to see a band perform on this stage. I even had my eyes set on a few people, too. Oh well…"

Letting out another sigh, Selphie sank to her knees. She wrapped one arm around her legs and with her other hand she poked at the floor. Her mouth was turned down and her eyes were filled with tears. Her face was a picture of complete misery, something that Squall had never seen before. This was not the cheerful girl he knew as Selphie.

Man, she's really down, he thought. What was making Selphie so down?

"Y'know, I really wanted to see a band perform on this stage."

Of course, Squall realised. He had forgotten. Selphie was the chair of the Garden Festival committee and was in charge of organising the festival, which was held in the quad. Even on the day they had met Selphie had tried to get him into joining the committee, though he had tactfully declined (by saying nothing at all). Selphie had worked hard and with enthusiasm, and now her dream of making her mark in Balamb Garden with a successful Garden Festival lay in ruins around her. No wonder she looked so down.

Squall watched her for a moment before taking a step towards her. "Come on," he said. "I'm sure you can still do something."

There was silence. Then Selphie raised her head and looked up at Squall. "…Squall… being sensitive?" She wiped her eyes. "That's weird. You're the last person I expected to cheer me up. I must really look depressed."

Squall stared, and then blinked. He turned away from Selphie. What's so weird, he asked himself. I care just like everybody else. It's just that there are too many things that can't be helped. So why bother talking about everything?

Seeing his face begin to frown, Selphie got to her feet. "Uh-oh!" she said, turning to him. "There you go again into your own little world. And you're not gonna share anything, huh?"

"…Yeah, whatever…" Squall replied, without turning. Why is she teasing me, he thought. I was just trying to help.

Selphie sniffed, and she wiped her eyes again. "Well, I think I'm feeling better," she said, managing a smile. "Don't worry about me, Squall."

The swordsman did not reply. His frown deepened and he turned to Irvine, who had remained silent the whole time despite his promise to back Squall up if it became awkward. To his annoyance he saw that the gunman was smirking behind his hand, highly amused by Selphie's gentle teasing.

"Irvine…" Squall said to him, ignoring the smirk. "You help her. I'm out of here."

"…Alright," said Irvine, still smiling.

Squall passed him and headed for the exit. He did not even reach the stairs when another interruption caused him to stop. The overhead speakers crackled and the headmaster's voice could be heard echoing through the quad.

"Squall, this is the headmaster speaking. Please come to my office."

What now? Squall thought with a groan. He shook his head and walked out.

Selphie and Irvine watched as Squall headed out of the quad. Once he was gone, Selphie turned away and looked around at the quad again.

"I guess there's no point in feeling blue," she said.

"That's right," said Irvine behind her. "Let's get the fun started."

Selphie frowned, confused, and turned to him. "Fun? What fun?"

Another smirk played on Irvine's face and he rubbed his hands together. Using Squall to 'cheer Selphie up' was just a ploy on his part. Now the real part of his plan came into play. He had been worried, at one point, when Squall genuinely seemed to make an effort to cheer the girl up, but he had been saved by Squall's inherent aloof nature, as well as a well-timed interruption by the headmaster.

"So like…" he said. "First, we'll ask the FH technicians if they can fix the stage. If they can fix the Garden, this should be a piece of cake for them."

Selphie looked thoughtful. "Hmm… Do you think they'll do it?" she asked him.

"Don't worry," Irvine replied. He came behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I'll back you. I'm sure they'll do it."

Selphie frowned, thinking hard. Then her eyes widened. "Hey, that means…!"

"Yup," said Irvine, "you can have 'your band' perform on the stage."

Her eyes lit up. "Whoo-hoo!" she cheered. She jumped and clapped her hands, her sadness gone. "Alright! Let's get this show on the road!"

Irvine watched her as she danced around the quad, overcome with excitement. His smile widened, and he tipped his hand in honour of himself.

Score, baby! I'm all set to make my move.

"…That about covers my report, sir."

Squall lowered his hand as at long last he concluded his report. He had covered everything: from the mission in Timber to the recent events in Fisherman's Horizon. The headmaster had listened to his every word. He had asked questions, which Squall had answered as best as he could. The headmaster did not seem surprised when Squall told him about Seifer's defection to the sorceress' side, and only nodded. When Squall was done the headmaster bowed his head.

"I see…" he said. "I also heard a report from Selphie just a moment ago. She said the diary is open for everyone to see. Maybe you should have a look."

"Oh, and one more thing…" Squall added. "It appeared that the Galbadians were searching for Ellone. That seemed to be their main objective in FH. I believe," he added after a moment's hesitation, "that Sorceress Edea is behind all this."

The swordsman paused and looked down. Ellone has the ability to allow people to experience the past, he thought. Maybe the sorceress is after her for this ability. What other reason could there be? He kept these thoughts to himself, however.

Headmaster Cid seemed to have thought of the same thing, for his frown deepened and he rubbed at his chin. He turned away and looked down at the console. "So now the Galbadians are working for the sorceress," he summarised, "and were searching for Ellone in FH…"

Squall nodded. "And regardless of whether they found her or not… They had orders to burn the city down."

"That would help reduce the number of potential places where she could hide," mused Cid.

…That's right, Squall thought. He had thought it odd that Sorceress Edea would issue such an order. At the time it did not make sense, but on hearing it put like that it suddenly became obvious.

The headmaster continued to rub his chin. He turned back to Squall. "Most likely, the sorceress will not stop this onslaught until Ellone is found. She will continue to hunt her, and burn everything in her path." He closed his eyes, thinking this over. Squall waited, silent. The headmaster then opened his eyes again, and his gaze was firm. "We can't wait any longer," he said at last.

…So he's finally going official, Squall thought. About time.

Turning back to the console, Cid began playing with the controls. He turned on the PA system, and its familiar ring sounded throughout the Garden. Headmaster Cid cleared his throat and then spoke, loud and clear, into the microphone.

"This is Headmaster Cid. I have an announcement to make."

At that moment, Quistis was in the Infirmary. Dr Kadowaki was with her, and the two were talking and having a laugh together. When they heard the headmaster's announcement they stopped what they were doing and looked up at the speaker.

"I have important news that I must share with all of you," said Cid's voice. "The Garden is being repaired right now. We'll leave FH immediately after it's finished. We're going on a journey."

At the same time, in the cafeteria, Zell was standing in the queue for the hotdog stand. Although he had arrived early there was already a long queue. The fighter hopped from foot to foot, trying to peer over the shoulder of the girl in front to see if there were any hotdogs left. But when the PA system pinged and the headmaster's voice rang out, Zell stopped hopping and looked up.

"This is a journey to defeat the sorceress," said Cid. "Garden will now be used as a mobile base. The administration of Garden will be run by myself and the staff, as usual."

On hearing this, Zell jumped and turned around. He bumped into the girl in front of him, almost knocking her out of the queue. The girl turned and placed her hands on her hips, glaring at him, but Zell did not notice. The fighter ran out of the queue and clenched his fists, his muscles tensing in anticipation. He then hurried out of the cafeteria, leaving the cross-looking girl behind.

Rinoa picked up another book from the shelf, flicked through it and then put it back. It wasn't this one, either. She had spotted a wonderful book in the library the other day when Squall had shown her around the Garden, but it was not here anymore. Rinoa sighed, disappointed. She had really wanted to read that book. Had somebody checked it out?

All around her, the other students and SeeDs in the library stopped what they were doing and looked up at the speaker, listening intently to the headmaster's announcement. Rinoa glanced at them before she stepped away from the shelf and looked up, also listening.

"This journey will involve many battles. A well-qualified leader is needed for this." The headmaster then paused and said: "Therefore, I am appointing Squall as your new leader."

Rinoa gasped and jumped, almost knocking down a potted plant by the wall. She ran out of the library and down the corridor, much to the astonishment of the students and SeeDs who watched her go.

Meanwhile, back on the deck, Squall could only stare in wide-eyed astonishment at the headmaster, who was rounding off his announcement.

"From now on, Squall will be the leader," said Cid. "He will decide our destination and battle plan."

Are you serious, Squall asked.

"Everyone, please follow his orders."

I can't believe this…

"If there are any objections, please come see me in person."

I don't even have a choice?

The swordsman shook his head, which was beginning to pound. What about him? What about if he had an objection? Did that not even matter? His thoughts started to race but then stopped as the headmaster shut off the speaker and turned back to him.

"Squall, we're under your command from now on," he said. As Squall groaned and held his head, the headmaster added: "This is your fate. It is your destiny to lead the way in defeating the sorceress."

Squall lowered his hand. His head lifted and he looked Headmaster Cid in the face. They looked at each other for a few moments, silent.

Anger started to well up inside of Squall; an anger which he had never felt before. He had had enough of all of this. He had had enough of questions he could not answer, of being flung into things he did not understand and not knowing why. All he wanted to do at that moment was shout—shout and shout until he could not shout anymore.

And so he did.

"Don't talk about this like it's been decided since my birth!" he shouted at the headmaster, and so he went on.

But his words fell only on deaf ears, or at least that was how it seemed to Squall. The headmaster said nothing in response and just looked at Squall as he shouted, listening to each word with sympathy in his aging eyes.

And then, when Squall was done shouting, the headmaster came forward. He put his hands gently on Squall's shoulders. Though it was meant as a sign of comfort, to Squall they felt like the weight of the world was being pressed onto him, and he could feel himself being crushed beneath it. All he could do was sigh and hold his head in his hands, wonder what on earth he was meant to do now.

I don't mind fighting the sorceress… It's unavoidable as long as I'm a SeeD member.

As long as I'm a SeeD member? What if I quit?

Quit… Then what? What do I have left? Don't even want to think about it. Just stop thinking…

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHORESS

Okay, people, this is it! The Garden Festival is coming up next, so this is your last chance to vote if you want to have a say in which scene gets put up. Thanks to everyone who has voted, and I hope you get the scene you wanted!