Final Fantasy VIII [2nd Instalment]
Grace Barton
Chapter Twenty-Four
Squall and the others hurried out of the train station and chased after Raijin, who was running ahead of them. They lost sight of him as he made his way through the residential areas, but as they heard the excited barking of the dog coming from the direction of the hotel, they went in the same direction.
They reached the Balamb Hotel and it was here they stopped. The hotel doors were wide open, and the sounds of an argument could be heard from inside. The two soldiers who stood guard there were gathered in the doorway, watching what was going on inside. One of the soldiers turned to the group as they drew near. He looked nervous, and thrust out his hand to keep them back.
"Hey, you! Stand back! This could be dangerous. The commander's just about to…"
A loud yelp came from inside the hotel. The soldier turned back. A second later Raijin flew out of the door. He hit the ground and skidded out on his behind. He stopped in the middle of the street between the two soldiers.
"Ouuuch…" Raijin moaned. He stood up and rubbed his sore behind, and turned back to the hotel. "F-Fujin… Control your temper, ya know? I was patrollin' just like ya told me. I even woke up that search dog, sleepin' on the job, ya know?"
His answer was not sufficient, for inside the hotel there came an angry yell, followed by a crash. Squall folded his arms. Somehow he did not think that the commander believed Raijin's story.
Raijin seemed to sense this as well, for his face went pale. He turned to the two soldiers watching the scene. "You guys help me out here!" he told them. "We've gotta calm Fujin down, ya know!"
The two soldiers looked at each other. They nodded and stepped up beside him.
Zell ran forward. "RAIJIN!" he shouted.
Raijin turned. When he saw Zell and the others his eyes widened and he grinned.
"Wooooow!" he said, spreading his arms. "What are you guys doin' here!"
"We're here to liberate Balamb, ya know!" replied Zell. Realising what he had said, he scratched his head. "…I mean… uhh… We're here to liberate Balamb!"
The smile on Raijin's face vanished, and he scowled at the group. "Seifer told us to give you a whoopin' if we saw you, ya know!" he said. He reached behind him and drew a pole he had strapped to his back. The pole was wide and heavy and widened at both ends for what Raijin called an added 'oomph' when fighting. Raijin hoisted the pole up and then held it behind him, taking up a battle stance. "You soldiers help me out, too!" he ordered.
At his command the two soldiers drew their weapons. Squall turned to them. He had to wonder what kind of army the Galbadians really were if they were taking orders from someone like Raijin. No doubt it was Seifer who had given the order, though Squall was willing to bet anything that it was not the soldiers' fear of Seifer that compelled them to obey. It was their fear of the sorceress.
Seeing Raijin and his soldiers preparing for battle, Zell raised his fists and smacked them together. "You'll pay for this, Raijin!" he shouted.
He ran in and punched with his left fist. Raijin dodged the blow and retaliated by thrusting one end of his pole forward, driving it into Zell's gut. The fighter coughed as the air was forced out of him, and he keeled over. Raijin drew back the pole and kicked Zell in the chest, shoving him to the floor. Zell rolled onto his side and groaned, clutching his stomach.
Raijin stood over him. There was a smug grin on his face as he raised his pole over his head, ready to bring it down and finish Zell off.
He brought the weapon down, but instead of striking Zell it struck the flat side of a sword. Raijin's smile vanished as he looked at Squall, kneeling beside Zell with his sword thrust out over his fallen companion. Raijin withdrew his pole and took a few steps back, bringing some distance between him and Squall. He gestured for Squall to charge at him.
Squall obliged. He swung his gunblade and ice rained from the blade to strike the floor at Raijin's feet. Like a wave the ice shifted direction and rose up towards Raijin. He responded quickly, sidestepping out of the way of the ice. With a swing of his pole he broke the ice and then ran at Squall. The swordsman blocked an incoming swing with the side of his gunblade, forcing it off-course. He looked at Raijin, who grinned and then grabbed hold of Squall's collar. He pulled the swordsman forward, past him, and threw him onto the floor.
"Squall!" cried Rinoa, running forward.
"Where do you think you're going!"
A pair of strong arms closed around her shoulders. The soldier squeezed her close, forcing the breath out of her, and then tried to drag her back towards the hotel. Rinoa started to struggle, kicking and wriggling, but the soldier's grip was strong and she could not break free. Rinoa put her fingers to her lips and whistled, but nothing happened. Then Rinoa remembered: they had left Angelo behind in Balamb Garden.
The soldier dragged her to the door. As Rinoa struggled she could see that Quistis was struggling with the other soldier, and that Squall and Zell were busy fending off Raijin's powerful attacks. She was on her own.
A gunshot fired. The soldier cried out and released his hold on Rinoa, who dropped to the floor with her hands over her head. A shadow fell over her and as she dared to look up she saw Irvine standing over her. The gunman clicked his gun-barrel shut and then fired again, making another hole in the soldier's armour. The Galbadian spat out a curse and then slumped to the floor.
Irvine sheathed his gun and looked down at Rinoa. He gave her a charming smile and extended his hand to her with a small bow. Rinoa's face went red as she blushed. She ignored his hand and pushed herself to her feet. She put her hands on her hips and was about to give Irvine a stern telling off when her eyes widened, looking over Irvine's shoulder.
"Irvine, behind you!" she called.
Irvine turned. The other Galbadian soldier had broken away from his conflict with Quistis and was running towards him. The gunman started to draw his gun, but before he could pull it from the holster there came the crack of a whip. The soldier yelped and dropped to the floor, with the tail of Quistis's whip wrapped around his ankle.
Quistis tugged on her whip, pulling the scrabbling soldier back towards her. He started to get up but Quistis kicked him in the back, shoving him back onto the floor. She stood over him and then knelt down. Placing her hand upon his back, she channelled Blizzara magic into her hand. Ice formed and spread along the soldier's armour, trapping him in a thick layer of ice.
Meanwhile, Squall and Zell were forced onto the defensive as they tried to keep Raijin at bay. Raijin's face was red and sweating as he delivered blow after blow, shifting his pole from hand to hand as he forced his two opponents back. There was a spark of fire in his eyes, and he was grinning in exhilaration, enjoying the thrill of the battle more than the objective.
Squall's back touched the hotel wall. Raijin saw this and turned on him, shifting his pole back to his left hand and thrusting it out. Squall only just managed to manoeuvre his body out of the way and threw himself against Raijin, pushing him back.
The two struggled with one another. Squall tried to wrench the pole from Raijin's hand, but Raijin was the stronger of the two and was able to keep this from happening. Raijin's overwhelming physical strength eventually won out, and shoved Squall back against the hotel.
Zell roared in rage and ran at Raijin. He rammed into him and would have bowled him over if Raijin had not been strong enough to withstand it. The collision did, however, startle Raijin, giving Zell his chance to strike.
He punched Raijin in the jaw, knocking his head back. While his guard was open Zell struck again, punching him right in the stomach. This blow caused Raijin to groan and keel over, and in doing so he dropped his pole.
Now Zell unleashed a powerful flurry of attacks, delivering punches and kicks to every quarter of Raijin's body. His face, his chest, his stomach, his legs; there was no place that Zell left untouched. When the blows ended Raijin staggered back, wobbling and disorientated.
Zell grabbed hold of Raijin by his collar and yanked him forward. At the same time he thrust out his fist, sending one final blow crashing into Raijin's jaw. There was a crunch, and Raijin yelled in pain. He went careening backwards, tripping over the ice-trapped soldier and falling to the floor. Zell lowered his fist but stood ready, poised to attack again.
Raijin rolled onto his front. He spat blood, where Zell's last punch had busted his lip. He tried to stand, but his leg buckled and he dropped to the floor, using his hand to keep him from falling flat.
"Ughhh," he groaned. He spat again. "You got me, ya know…" Raijin then slumped to the floor, groaning and rubbing his jaw.
Zell threw his fists into the air.
"OHHHH YEAHHHH!" he shouted. "The commander's gonna get a whoopin', too!"
Before anyone could stop in, Zell ran into the hotel. The others ran in after him.
Inside the hotel, standing in the main foyer, was Fujin. She turned as Zell ran up to her. The fighter skidded to a stop and raised his fists, his face red with rage.
"So I guess you're the commander!" he said to her. "Pack your bags and get the hell outta Balamb!"
Fujin glanced at him and then at the hotel door, where Squall and the others had just entered. She looked beyond, where she could see Raijin and the two soldiers lying slumped on the floor.
"…RAIJIN, DEFEATED…?" she asked, and she sounded surprised.
"That's right, BABY!" replied Zell. He smacked a fist into his palm. "Now, where's Seifer and the sorceress! You're all goin' DOWN!"
Squall stepped forward and put his hand on Zell's shoulder. "Zell, calm down," he said. Zell looked at him and then reluctantly took a step back. Squall turned back to Fujin. "Fujin, looks like you're on your own. Are you still willing to fight?"
A dark scowl passed over Fujin's face. "RAGE!" she spat.
"BWAHA HA HA HA!" a deep voice boomed. "She's not alone!"
Zell turned and looked around in alarm. "W-Who's there!" he demanded.
Everyone turned to the door. Raijin was back on his feet and running into the hotel, his weapon in his hands. He ran up to Fujin and stopped beside her, and slammed the butt of his pole against the floor. His injuries seemed to be healing even as they watched, and his eyes had a faint green glow to them. In his hand Squall noted he held a small blue bottle containing a Hi-Potion.
"Major comeback, ya know!" Raijin said with a laugh. His busted lip healed, and the blood shimmered and vanished. "Actually, I feel a lot betta, ya know! I feel invincible, ya know!" To prove his point, he threw the Hi-Potion bottle onto the floor. It smashed. Putting his hands on his hips, Raijin laughed.
"How the…!" Zell shook his head in disbelief. "I thought we defeated you!"
Fujin raised her hand, and Raijin's laughter ceased. Fujin then lowered her hand and reached behind her, drawing her own weapon from her belt. Like Rinoa, Fujin was also a wielder of the Pinwheel, though hers differed to Rinoa's in that it was meant to be used by hand and not shot through the air like Rinoa's was. Designed and built in Balamb, Fujin's Pinwheel was painted with colours of blue and white, yet designed with the appearance of flames. There was a rumour within Garden that only Fujin could wield this particular Pinwheel, and that anyone else who had tried only succeeded in cutting themselves to ribbons.
Fujin raised her Pinwheel. She held it by her wrist for a moment then held it out, ready for battle. Beside her, Raijin also raised his pole.
"Time to get serious, ya know!" he said.
On Fujin's signal, Raijin charged. Fujin held back, watching the direction in which Raijin was moving. Once she had assessed his tactics, she drew back her arm and flung the Pinwheel away from her.
The projectile skimmed over the ground. Sparks rose from where its sharpened blades cut across the floor. It moved towards Raijin and then swerved, cutting around him and then heading towards Squall, who was moving in to strike. When he saw the weapon coming Squall jumped back and swung his gunblade. He knocked the Pinwheel off-course, sending it sliding off in a different direction.
A shadow fell over Squall as Raijin leapt and brought down his pole. With no time to move out of the way, Squall raised his gunblade and caught the weapon just inches before it would have struck him in the head. The impact jarred Squall's arms and shoulders, almost forcing them out of their sockets. Squall was forced back onto his knees, pushing against the pole. The force behind Raijin's attack was stronger now; he was no longer playing around.
Raijin grinned and pressed down on the pole. Squall gritted his teeth as he pushed back, trying to keep the weapon at bay. Try as he might, the pole started to descend and Squall knew he could not hold it back much longer.
"Over here, ya big lug!" yelled Zell, and he ran up to Raijin and punched him right in the jaw. The punch sent Raijin flying across the room. He slipped on the broken shards of his Hi-Potion bottle and crashed onto the floor.
While Zell and Squall were dealing with Raijin, Quistis, Rinoa and Irvine hurried over to Fujin. The woman had not moved from her spot near the desk, watching them with a cold look in her eyes.
"Fujin!" said Quistis, pointing her whip at her. "Please, enough of this! You and Raijin are both from Garden! Put an end to this!"
Fujin scowled. She extended her arm, and Quistis saw that underneath her shirt sleeve she had a wrist strap. Quistis also saw, in the light coming in from the windows, a faint glimmer coming from a wire that was attached to the strap. When Fujin flicked her wrist this wire straightened and the Pinwheel, which had rolled to a stop on the floor some distance away, moved and whizzed back towards her. Fujin caught it, closing her fingers around its intricate blades. Fujin lowered her weapon and pointed at Quistis.
"ELLONE, WHERE?" she demanded.
Quistis lowered her eyes, looking pained. It seemed there would be no way to get through to Fujin or Raijin. Then Quistis's face hardened and she raised her whip, holding it over her head. "You know we can't tell you," she replied.
She cracked her whip. Fujin dodged it and then ran forward. She broke through Quistis's guard and moved in close. She swung her Pinwheel and Quistis pulled back, narrowly missing a blow that would have sliced through her neck. Fujin was not messing around either—they were fully prepared to kill if they had to.
Fujin twisted her hand and pulled the Pinwheel into a backward strike, which also missed. A third strike completed her manoeuvre and Quistis staggered back. She clutched at her cheek, where blood streamed from a jagged cut. Irvine and Rinoa ran past her, running in to take Fujin head on.
Meanwhile, Raijin was still busy trying to fend of Squall and Zell. The two men had surrounded him, but Raijin was able to keep them at bay with thrusts and parries from his pole. A lucky strike to the head sent Zell reeling onto the floor, and while Raijin's back was turned Squall rushed in to strike. Raijin swung with the back-end of his weapon but missed as Squall, who had latched onto Raijin's tactics at this point, swerved and ran around to Raijin's other side.
Squall thrust out his hand, and Fira flames shot from his palm. They engulfed Raijin, who dropped his pole and began to pat himself down in a panic. He fell to the floor and rolled about. Zell tried to move in for an attack, but Raijin's frantic flailing meant that he could not draw near enough.
Once all the flames were out, Raijin got back on his feet. His clothing was singed and there were burns to his face and arms where the flames had burnt him.
"Ouuuch!" groaned Raijin, with a glare at Squall. "Not bad, ya know…"
He reached into his pocket and pulled out another Hi-Potion. He bit off the lid and spat it onto the floor before throwing the contents of the bottle over himself. The greenish liquid seeped into his skin and his clothing, giving his body a green aura. The burns on his skin shimmered and began to heal over. Raijin bent down to pick up his pole, and left the bottle in its place. With a roar, he charged anew.
A gunshot fired and Raijin skidded to a stop. He teetered, caught off-balance, and before he could recover Zell ran up and kicked him in the chest. Raijin went flying backwards, his arms flailing. A second gunshot, fired by Irvine, made him lose his balance completely and he fell to the floor.
Squall ran over and brought down his sword. Raijin responded by lifting his pole, blocking the blow by catching it with the bar. The gunblade's sharp edge almost sliced the pole in two, and it was only luck that kept it from breaking. Raijin shoved Squall back with his foot and stood. He swung his pole, striking Squall against his shoulder. This blow was too much for the already damaged weapon, and it snapped in two. Raijin looked at the half of his weapon he still held. With a snarl he ran at Squall, wielding his broken weapon like a club.
Across the room, Fujin leapt back and released her Pinwheel. It went sliding across the ground, guided by the wire that Fujin manoeuvred with her hand.
Quistis and Rinoa dived out of the way of the Pinwheel, avoiding its spinning attack. The Pinwheel swerved and chased after Rinoa. Rinoa turned and fired her own Pinwheel. The two weapons collided and bright sparks of static energy flickered as they hit one another. The collision forced the two weapons apart, sending Rinoa's flying one way and Fujin's another. Rinoa's Pinwheel steadied itself and turned in the air, returning to Rinoa's arm. With a flick of her wrist, Fujin's did the same.
Rinoa extended her hand. "Fira!" she called. A sheet of flame leapt from her hand and flew towards Fujin.
Fujin smiled and extended her own hand. "AERO!" she said, and she moved her hand in a sweeping gesture.
A gust of wind blew around her. It grew stronger, surrounding her like a barrier. The flames hit the wall of wind and were fanned, blown back towards Rinoa. The woman acted quickly, channelling Blizzara into her palms and slapping them against the ground. A wall of ice rose in front of her—a barrier to protect against the flames. The flames hit and the ice cracked, but did not break.
Through the heated ice, Rinoa caught a glimpse of Fujin's scowling face. Rinoa clicked her fingers and the ice wall shattered, falling like rain to the floor. Rinoa rose to her feet and faced Fujin. The silver-haired young woman glared back at her, her eye narrowed. Fujin started to raise her Pinwheel when from her left there was the sound of a yell. Fujin turned to see Raijin come flying past her.
Raijin hit the ground. He rolled over and over, until at last he hit the stairs. The man gave a grunt as he hit them, coming to a stop. His broken pole slipped from his hands, clattering to the ground. Raijin's body twitched and then he stood. Blood dripped from his mouth, where his lip was busted anew. Raijin's vision swam and he buckled, falling to his knees.
"Sorry Fujin…" the man grunted, his words sounding slurred. "They got me, ya…" He could not finish. Raijin's head dropped, sinking to his chest. He was done.
Fujin stared at him. Then she turned as Zell walked forward, cracking his knuckles. Zell grinned. "Ready to give up, ya—Ready to give up!" he asked her.
Fujin glanced at Raijin, and then at Zell. Squall came to stand beside Zell, and Irvine and Quistis stood beside Rinoa. The gunman had just reloaded his shotgun and was clicking the barrel shut. He raised it, pointing the barrel at her. Fujin's eye turned to each one of them. Then she sighed and lowered her Pinwheel, hooking it onto her belt.
Zell smirked. Thinking that Fujin had surrendered, he walked towards her.
A smile spread on Fujin's face. She raised her hands over her head.
"SUMMON!"
"Zell!" shouted Squall. "Get down!" As he spoke, Irvine ran forward. He threw himself upon Zell, pushing him to the floor.
Fujin spread her hands. A tornado began to swirl around her, descending from the ceiling above until it touched the ground. It caused the walls to quake and the ground to tremble, and the windows rattled in their wooden frames.
Fujin's silver hair whipped around her face, being blown about by the wind. Her single eye flashed as she shouted: "PANDEMONA!"
At her call, a dark shadow began to appear inside the tornado. It was shapeless at first but then took form, taking on the shape of the GF she had summoned. As it formed the winds grew stronger, causing the papers and other objects on the hotel's main desk to fly off.
Seeing the GF form and knowing the destruction its appearance would cause, Squall raised his sword and charged. His body fought against the wind, which tried to blow him back, until at last he reached Fujin. The tornado around her acted like a barrier, forcing his sword to slide off-course.
Throwing his sword aside, Squall thrust his hand into the wind. It pulled on him, but Squall held firm until he touched Fujin. He clutched her shirt in his hands and held on tight. He closed his eyes.
Draw, he shouted in his mind, and he focused all the energy he could muster into drawing the summoned GF away from her.
The wind began to strengthen. Squall held on tight as the wind tried to blow him away. The wind fluctuated and in his mind's eye Squall saw the GF Pandemona begin to form. The GF's silhouette vanished from inside the tornado, and with it the strength of the wind waned. Squall felt the GF settle in his mind, taking its place alongside all the others with whom he had formed bonds with.
The tornado waned and dissipated. Fujin lowered her arms and stared at her hands. She tried to call on her Aero magic, but nothing happened. Without the GF's aid, she could no longer channel the magic that she depended on. Squall released her shirt and stepped back. He picked up his sword.
Fujin met his gaze. Her expression turned dark as she scowled, and with an angry yell she snatched her Pinwheel from her side. She threw it.
There was a loud snap, and the Pinwheel swerved off-course. It flew across the foyer, skimmed past a plant pot, and crashed into the far wall. The pot tipped and smashed, spilling its contents over the floor.
In the air above her, another Pinwheel turned in midair. It returned to Rinoa, and clicked back upon her wrist.
Fujin stood frozen. Her arm hung suspended in the air, with the broken wire dangling from her wrist. Squall stood in front of her, the point of his sword at her throat. Fujin's face was turned into an expression of shock. Her Guardian Force was gone. Her weapon was stuck in the wall and out of her reach. Fujin looked at her empty hand and then down at Squall, disbelief upon her face.
"I… DEFEATED…" she said, and even as she said it she could not believe it.
She lowered her arm and stepped back, still in shock. Over by the stairs Raijin also stood up. He looked down at his own weapon, which lay in two broken halves at his feet. He picked them up and shoved them into his back pocket. He trudged over to Fujin. The two shared a glance and then both looked away.
Seeing that the two had lost their will to fight further, Squall sheathed his sword. "Are the two of you taking orders from the sorceress?" he asked them.
Fujin turned and shook her head. "NEGATIVE!" she replied.
"The sorceress has nothin' to do with us, ya know!" said Raijin, also turning back. "We're acting on our own!"
"Own plan…?" asked Squall, shaking his head. Somehow he doubted that these two had come up with all of this on their own.
"We're on Seifer's side, ya know!" Raijin reminded him.
The swordsman sighed and put his hand on his hip. Seifer… he should have known. Yet even so—"…That's up to you," he told them. "But… Enough is enough. This isn't an internal Garden conflict."
Fujin and Raijin shared a glance. "We can't back out, ya know…" said Raijin.
"…NEGATIVE," agreed Fujin.
Raijin tried to explain. "Seifer has a lot of followers, but we're his only friends… We're a posse, ya know…? The Galbadian soldiers are only listening to Seifer 'cause they fear the sorceress. Without us, Seifer wouldn't have a posse, ya know…?"
"If you guys stand behind him that much…" said Zell, "Tell frickin' Seifer to stop this nonsense!"
Again Fujin and Raijin shared a glance, exchanging thoughts with a look. Raijin gave a little nod, which Fujin returned. She then turned back to Zell. "AFFIRMATIVE," she agreed.
"We ain't no sell-outs!" Raijin pointed out, waving a thick finger. "We're behind Seifer all the way, ya know!"
Squall folded his arms and closed his eyes. His head lowered, deep in thought. "Ok…" he said. "Understood." He opened his eyes and looked at them both. "So you want nothing to do with Garden now?"
After a moment's hesitation, Fujin and Raijin both nodded their heads.
Squall sighed. "…From now on, we're not gonna hold back," he warned them.
The two nodded again, showing that they understood.
Squall turned away from them and walked to the door. So Fujin and Raijin were aware that the Galbadians were only following Seifer's orders because of the sorceress. Was Seifer doing the same, he wondered. It was impossible to know, and Squall doubted that even Seifer knew the answer. What he did know was that Fujin and Raijin did not care who was giving the orders. The only person who mattered to them—the only one who ever did—was Seifer. They would follow Seifer wherever he went, and do anything he asked of them. Even to the point of leaving Garden and joining the enemy.
…I guess that's how it goes, Squall thought. That's what comrades are all about…
Seeing the look on Squall's face, Rinoa ran over and grabbed his arm. "You're just gonna let them go?" she asked, surprised. "Squall?"
Squall glanced back at her, and his eyes told Rinoa that he understood what she meant, and she in turn understood why he had to let them go. Rinoa's own words about comradeship, and being together for as long as possible, echoed back at her. Rinoa's eyes filled and her hand slipped from his arm.
Behind them Raijin groaned. "Don't wanna… talk anymore, ya know…" He leaned over, holding his waist. "…Kinda painful… ya know…"
Fujin turned and scowled. "WIMP!" she scolded, and she kicked him hard in the shin. Raijin did groan then, hopping and holding his ankle. Fujin ignored him and pointed towards the door. "RUN!" she commanded.
Obeying her at once, Raijin bolted for the door. Fujin followed him, yanking her Pinwheel from the wall as she passed by. Nobody made any move to stop them, and let them go. They left the hotel and ran down the street.
Squall stood in the doorway and watched them go. Neither of them looked back as they ran down Balamb's cobbled streets. Squall watched them and then listened, for in the distance he could hear the whir of heavy machinery, as the Galbadians also began to make their quick escape from the town. Squall turned from the door and laid his hand on his hip. It seemed they had succeeded in liberating Balamb after all, but at the cost of losing another two members of Garden… Squall closed his eyes.
He heard footsteps, and Squall opened his eyes to see Rinoa standing beside him. She peered out the door and watched as Fujin and Raijin disappeared around the corner. "…I feel sad," she confessed, lowering her head.
Squall walked away from her. "Friend or foe… It all comes down to circumstance," he said. "That's how we were raised. It's… nothing special."
He paused in the middle of the floor.
Nothing special… he repeated. Squall looked down at his hand. His fingers were burning, and an old, familiar ache was beginning to throb in his heart. Is that true? Then… What is this I'm feeling?
The swordsman stared at his hand a moment longer, before he forced his hand to clench. He turned back to the others, who were watching him. "Let's go," he said, and he walked out of the hotel.
The companions left Balamb and went straight to the pick-up point. Nida had followed Squall's instructions exactly, and they found the Garden 'parked' just a few miles along the shore. Xu was at the foot of Garden, waiting with an anxious look on her face. When she saw them coming she waved and ran to meet them. She informed them that she had seen a large number of Galbadian vehicles heading away from the town and heading east. Squall asked if she had seen Fujin and Raijin; Xu looked confused and said that she had not. Squall sighed and would say nothing further on the matter.
He and Quistis, along with Xu, returned to the bridge, leaving the others to tend to themselves. On their arrival at the bridge, Squall paced the deck and frowned, wondering where they should head to next. They had liberated Balamb, but they had found no information regarding Ellone or the sorceress. In fact, all they had confirmed was that the Galbadians had no idea who or what Ellone was, or why they were searching for her.
On Squall's instruction, Nida powered up the Garden and headed out to sea. There was a rumble as the Garden settled on the surface of the water.
"Where are we going next?" Quistis asked Squall once the Garden was still.
Squall stopped pacing and laid his hand on his hip. He was about to suggest that they should check out Dollet next, when the lift activated and descended. It came up a moment letter, with Selphie now standing on it. The girl grinned at them and raised her hand, like she was in class.
"Hello," she said in her usual, cheery voice. "S'cuse me!"
Squall turned. "What is it?" he asked her.
Selphie lowered her hand. "Have you decided on a destination?"
"Still thinking," replied Squall with a shake of his head.
Selphie nodded, and she bit her lip. "Can we maybe go to Trabia Garden?" she enquired. "It's like… in the mountains, so maybe the sorceress will leave it alone… But maybe… You know?" She gazed at Squall hopefully.
Quistis and Xu both exchanged glances and then gazed at Selphie in sympathy.
Squall, on the other hand, frowned, his face creasing in puzzlement. But I thought it was destroyed by missiles, he thought. Even as he thought the words, he realised. Oh, I see… That's why. Of course she'd want to go. Selphie wanted to know whether or not Trabia Garden had managed to survive the missile strike.
"I'll keep that in mind," he told her.
Selphie smiled, but Squall could see worry behind her smiling face. "Thanks," she said.
She left on the lift. When she was gone Squall sighed and turned to look out at the ocean. He did not have the heart to tell Selphie that her hopes would be in vain. The chance of Trabia Garden still being intact was minimal, if unlikely. It was also well out of their way. They should be looking for the sorceress. Still, Trabia was a fellow Garden. If there was even the smallest chance that it had survived, then they had a duty to go and help. The Garden was also Selphie's former home. Squall did not feel he had right to refuse her.
"Ready to go?" asked Nida.
Squall nodded. "Yes."