"You're insane."

"What happened to being open-minded?"

Squall ceased his pacing and threw his hands up into the air. "I was expecting conspiracy theories, murder plots and druggings. Now you're telling me a pair of Gods picked me out my world and threw me into another to fight for them?"

Zidane's tail was drooping as he muttered, "It was just Cosmos picking you."

"I don't care who did," Squall's frown was severe. "Separate worlds? Really, this is what you came up with?"

Zidane bit the inside of his cheek, unsure of how to proceed. He had hoped the explanation would trigger Squall's memory just a bit, just enough, to be believed. Of course, this is assuming his memory was suppressed… not entirely erased. By the glare, Zidane would have to assume the entire ordeal—including them—had been obliterated from Squall's memory. Such a revelation hurt like hell, but maybe it was for the best, anyway.

The blond rubbed the back of his head. "Look, I told it like it is—"

Squall's eyes narrowed as he cut off Zidane, "If it's true, why are you here? Why do you remember?"

This was just going to make Squall angrier, but Zidane couldn't lie about this. "Cosmos—I think Cosmos, anyway—prevented me from going home. She said something was wrong, and that 'because of all I achieved' and our bond, I was chosen to come fix it. I retained the memories because she said I'd need them."

"… our bond?"

Oops. Zidane pulled at his own hair, angry to let that slip. "Uh, you and me were war partners." That's the total truth depending which way you look at it! "You, me, and one other, we were a team. Well, all ten of us were a team, but during our search for the crystals, we three stuck together."

Squall's eyes were like daggers as they bore into Zidane's, making him want to squirm from their scrutiny. "And where is this third?"

"I guess he didn't get picked."

"Why you, then?"

"I dunno," Zidane finally bold-faced lied. No way would the truth be appropriate or appreciated at this point. "But I'm supposed to either stop something, or reverse it. I dunno what yet, though, but it involves you."

Squall sat down heavily onto the couch, elbows on his knees and hands cradling his forehead. Why me? The entire Garden shit, now this.

Zidane hated to see Squall so distressed, but he kept his urges to embrace the other down. The Squall he knew was not one for frequent touching, sometimes only barely tolerating Zidane's clingy ways. The fact they weren't together and Squall didn't view Zidane in such a light now, the thief safely assumed touching would be a very bad idea. So he stayed where he was, looking at Squall, suffering silently with him and waiting for his verdict.

Squall suddenly stood up, Zidane's eyes following him. "I don't have time for this," Squall muttered. "We'll be reaching Balamb soon."

"Is that your hometown?" Zidane asked, getting Squall's attention.

"Sort of," Squall shrugged. "But it is the hometown of most of the students here, so we're going back to check on it."

"Check on it? Is it in danger?"

Brat was sharp, Squall gave him that. "It could be."

Zidane rose to his feet as well, giving Squall his most imploring look. "Let me help," Zidane pleaded, quickly going on when Squall looked ready to protest, "I want you, and your friends, to trust me. I gotta do what Cosmos wants if I wanna go home, and it involves you, so I have to be with you. Let me show you I can fight and be useful. This is a military sort of place, right? I'll fit right in!"

Squall's eyes went to Zidane's tail, and the blond flicked it in an impatient, agitated manner. "I'll hide it," Zidane said. "I think I deserve to prove myself, right?"

"Unless you're a Galbadian spy."

"A who-what-where now?"

Squall suppressed the urge to hit his palm to his forehead—he had been doing that far too much lately. "From what the doctor tells me, you're incapable of junctioning a GF or drawing magic."

Zidane's look was all Squall needed to know what he just said went over his head, but the blond tried to answer nonetheless, "Yeah, I… ain't no magic-man."

"So what can you do in a fight?"

Squall was sizing him up, and Zidane was okay with that. Back on the war-world, most of his comrades did the same, even Bartz to an extent. It made the blond wonder… did they all come from war-torn worlds, just to participate in another war on a grander scale? Possibly, but Zidane didn't have time to linger on that rather depressive line. So Zidane held his hands out toward Squall, making the older man tense, and the thief fought a smile.

"I'm quick with my hands," Squall swore Zidane just leered at him while saying that, "Also…" Zidane caught Squall's eyes and leaned closer. Squall instinctively held his breath.

"I'm a master thief."

"Wha..."

Zidane pulled away, holding up Squall's wallet, chain detached for good measure. Immediately Squall's hand went to his back pocket, and sure enough, the chain had no wallet at the end of it. Zidane handed it back to him, Squall snatching it and attaching the chain.

"So you're quick-fingered," Squall muttered. So is Selphie.

"You'll just have to take me to see what I really can do," Zidane replied, now letting himself smile. When Squall didn't respond for a moment, he hedged, "After this… Balamb place… are you going to ask me about what happened, again?"

"I'm actually going to ask you now." Squall crossed his arms, giving Zidane his best glare. When the blond slightly squirmed, he counted it as a triumph. "What proof do you have for your story?"

Zidane wanted to scream—how the hell could he prove something like an epic war between two Gods, with them playing the pawns? He already said he didn't know magic, and his own memories were tampered with, so what the hell did Squall want from…

Now wait a second!

Zidane jumped to his feet, making Squall do the same in surprise. "The crystal!" Zidane exclaimed. "Our saving grace when Cosmos was defeated, we all claimed our crystals!"

And he's lost it. Squall thought.

The blond held out one hand, closing his eyes and searching within himself. If he retained the memories, the experiences, of the war-world and what they went through, and he didn't go home, then surely… yes, there it was, safely within the space between his heart and soul—the will, resolve, the light that defined everything Zidane ever went through. He tried to coax it out, to materialize.

A light shimmered just beyond Zidane's fingertips, slowly coalescing in the air. Squall's eyes widened slightly, and Zidane opened his just a bit.

His crystal outlined in a soft, sunset-orange glow. And then it shattered, manifestation failed.

"What the…" Zidane looked dismayed, shocked, and worried. He tried again, finding that light, drawing it out. Again it outlined in the air, even emitted a soft chime like a music box, but it broke. "My… my crystal won't…"

But it had appeared, and Squall couldn't discount that something was going on. "All right," the mercenary said. "I'm sure there are a million theories to explain this, but I'm going to give it a rest now. I'll let you accompany us to Balamb." Might as well find a use for him.

Despair over his crystal gone, Zidane gave Squall a brilliant, creepily-familiar smile. Squall found himself rather liking the look on the blond, for whatever reason.

Zidane spent the two days on the way to Balamb getting to know the others of Squall's group. Try as he might, though, Zidane couldn't quite bring himself to actually liking Zell—something about him just made Zidane want to throw something at him. And if he weren't so besotted with Squall, the blond would have flirted a lot more with the girls, especially Selphie, she was just cute. But he couldn't for too long before Irvine started giving him the evil eye, and because Zidane actually liked Irvine (and his hat. Zidane resolved to steal it eventually) he respectfully kept the flirting light. Rinoa and Quistis were free game, though, and flirting with them made Zidane feel better over his own emotional dilemma.

Well, Rinoa was an option, until after a particular comment Zidane said made her blush; Zell had the gall to take him aside after she looked away giggling girlishly.

"Look, man," Zell said, a bit awkwardly. "I'm sure you're only being friendly and all but… Rinoa's kinda taken."

Zidane stared at him for several seconds, trying to see how the hell such a match existed. When he looked at Rinoa, Zell sputtered, "No, no, no, man! N-not me. She's… y'know, Squall's."

And Zidane felt as if Zell just punched him in the face. He looked at the group, gathered at a large cafeteria table, especially at how Rinoa sat next to Squall. Squall was leaning slightly away from everyone, body language telling all he wasn't interested in being with the group, but the fact he looked at them indicated he was part of it. But now that Zidane watched, he saw Rinoa give him glances, smile at him a lot, often reaching over and touching him for some fake reason or another.

This is a 'duh' moment, I think. Zidane felt crestfallen, but as he and Zell went back to the group, he tried to get himself out of it. It's obvious. He was supposed to come back to his world and carry on; of course he'll get a girlfriend.

Although Squall was quite put-off with the way she interacted with him, Zidane noted. He also remembered the obvious tension two days prior, and Zidane was man enough to admit he foolishly hoped they either were on the rocks, or they weren't together, just everyone wanted them to be. But hadn't Zidane made up his mind to get his job done and go home?

"So," the sudden silence and single voice jolted Zidane's attention, and he realized they were all looking at him. Irvine continued, "Zidane, since you'll be with us for a while, we're thinking of bringing you up to the Headmaster."

Sounded like he was being offered like a sacrifice, and Zidane fidgeted. He had to fight himself to keep his tail around his waist, since they were in a public area. "So what does that mean?"

Quistis rested her elbows on the table, her chin in her hands. "He knows about you, of course. The Headmaster's the leader of the Garden, well, politically speaking. We figured since you have nowhere to go, in case you never get your memory back, we can make you a student."

Zidane gaped at her as he comprehended what she was really saying. You're homeless, so here's a home. He felt a stirring in his heart, remembering even during the war-world happenings, he didn't know where he belonged… he didn't belong here, but to have a home, a place near Squall and—

—watch him drift further away, get married and have kids, was a very sad life Zidane was pretty sure he'd pass on. Besides, he wasn't sticking around… he couldn't. Wouldn't.

Wasn't tempted. Well, maybe a little…

Before Zidane could speak, Squall cut in, "We have to make sure he's Garden material, first."

What a way to feel shot down, and Zidane went back to pretending to watch Zell and Selphie's Triple Triad game. It was actually an interesting game, although Selphie was whooping Zell in it, and Zidane wondered if he could get Squall to teach him.

"We should be approaching Balamb soon," Quistis said offhandedly as she, too, watched. "It'll be nice to have a change of scenery."

"I hear you," Irvine muttered around a cupcake, his eyes trailing to Selphie. "Although I'm sure we'll be on the move shortly afterwards. What say you, Commander?"

Squall glared, as if willing Irvine to choke on his snack. "I don't know yet."

Those words made Selphie look up from the game she just won, Zell's head thumping the table in shame. "Hey, if you're not sure, maybe we could…"

The chime of the intercom interrupted her, the sound still making Zidane jump to his feet in alarm. Thankfully he sat with his back to the wall, for his tail wrenched free from around his waist and straightened in an agitated manner for several seconds until Nida's voice filled the Garden, making Zidane slump back into his seat, tail back around his waist.

"Commander Squall," Nida called, and Squall frowned severely, "We need you on the bridge, stat!"

Squall heaved a heavy sigh, and Rinoa reached out to touch his arm in sympathy. Before she could, she snatched her hand back as suddenly, Zidane was next to Squall, blocking her.

"I never been to the bridge!" Zidane said excitedly. "Can I come with you, just this once? Pleeeease?"

Irvine had the humor to laugh as Zidane proceeded to use his best pleading face, Quistis fighting the urge to 'aww' and Selphie openly cooing. Rinoa had a rather comical expression on her face, and Zell was giving Squall the 'don't do it, man' look. Naturally, Squall ignored him and everyone else, because the look Zidane gave him reminded him of someone.

What the hell. "Fine. Just this once." Probably couldn't stop him anyway. Squall grabbed his jacket off the back of the chair, swinging it on as Zidane merrily followed him.

Why the blond did that he wasn't sure—just the idea of seeing Rinoa touch Squall again made him want to vomit the cafeteria food he ate. Zidane knew he was jealous, couldn't help it, but he thought he was the bigger man in not acting upon it. Yet here he was, just barely unable to keep his tail from twitching happily in the air as he walked beside Squall. Him, not her, at Squall's side.

He really, really, needed to go home.

Squall didn't talk to him on the way to this so-called bridge, and Zidane had gotten used to the cold shoulder. The silence wasn't nearly as uncomfortable, and now that he'd been walking around the past two days, other students included the blond in their passing greetings. Zidane wouldn't admit it, boarding the elevator with Squall, but he was starting to get used to this place. Course, that was nothing to say for the rest of the world.

When they got off the elevator and rode up a second, shorter lift, Zidane couldn't help but marvel at the view of the ocean around them. Land was still a ways away, but the guy in front of the fin-thing looked really agitated by it. When he realized Zidane was here, he looked moreso.

But he didn't comment, merely handing Squall this weird device that Squall immediately put to his eyes. Zidane gauged Squall's mood, not liking how he frowned.

"So they struck Balamb," Squall muttered, handing the device to the other guy—Zidane hazard he was Nida—and put his hands on his hips as he looked at the ground in thought. "Galbadia Garden is also mobile, so they have all of their SeeDs, possibly even half the army, with them."

A woman Zidane didn't notice stepped into his field of vision. "Maybe even the sorceress herself."

The way she said 'sorceress,' and the word itself for that matter, triggered a sudden thought to Zidane. Wasn't Squall's enemy in the war-world a sorceress? A witch who could control the element of time?

"Sorceress Ultimecia?" Zidane blurted. When all three pairs of eyes turned to him, alarmed, he nearly felt like panicking. "The sorceress is Ultimecia?"

"No…" the woman said, very slowly, as she seemed to glare. "Sorceress Edea, of the Galbadian nation."

Zidane still didn't know who these 'Galbadians' were, but he definitely didn't recognize a 'Sorceress Edea' from his memories of the war-world. "Oh…" he glanced away, frowning.

"There's another sorceress?" Nida asked, sounding as alarmed as he looked.

Zidane realized he may have caused a panic, and waved his hands in the air. Before he could make up some excuse, the woman suddenly shrieked, pointing at him.

"Hyne's left asscheek!" the woman exclaimed, and her hand snatched out.

Zidane yowled as she gave his tail a tug. He slapped her hand off of it and jumped down the lift, Squall yelling after him as he made a dash for the elevator.

Why do people have to YANK ON IT? Zidane thought as he jumped into the elevator.

Watching the blond vanish, Squall whirled around with a glare. "Dammit, Xu…!"

She blinked. "I heard he had a tail, but I didn't believe it! Wow, its real…" she rubbed her palm. "Soft, too. Kinda cute."

Squall had half the mind to tell her off, but he calmed himself and took a deep breath. Zidane's hurt pride would have to wait—right now, Balamb needed help getting out of Galbadia's clutches.

"Get us to shore, try to keep out of their range of scanning or vision," Squall ordered Nida. "Two others and I will disembark and travel to Balamb—get back out to sea and dock somewhere safe. We'll call when we need help or all is clear. For now, we're going to assess the situation and deal with it as we can."

Nida nodded his affirmative and began to pilot the Garden again. Before Squall could leave, he asked over his shoulder, "Do you think there is another sorceress, or is that guy talking out of his ass? Er, tail?"

Squall shrugged slightly and left without an answer. Hell if I know.

Back in Squall's dorm, Zidane was angrily pacing the living room; his current lodging as there were no free rooms left. He had yet to actually see Squall's bedroom area—he had been kicked to the couch for sleeping—and, wanting to take his mind off the unpleasant thoughts of wringing a certain woman's neck for hurting his poor tail, Zidane looked at the bedroom door.

He walked up to it, not very surprised when it didn't open. He fiddled with the black box, looking at it, and wondered if a metal pin could slip in that slit and activate whatever it was that…

Zidane immediately pretended to be looking through the cupboards as the main door beeped, and Squall strode in. The blond closed the cupboards, walking around the breakfast bar and frowned upon seeing the look on Squall's face.

"She started it," Zidane said immediately. "I—"

"She'll apologize to you later," Squall cut in. "I want to know who the hell this 'Ultimecia' is."

Zidane bit his tongue, thinking over the choice of truth or lie. Lying kept Squall safe, away from harm and let Zidane do the work, but if Squall found out… but even if he wasn't his, Zidane knew Squall. Knew if he believed him, and if Zidane told the truth, he'd try to do it all on his own. Possibly get hurt. But Zidane could use the help…

No. He had to keep Squall safe. "It was a woman from the war-world. I thought she might have followed you here, but I guess not, my bad."

Squall stared, and Zidane felt his resolve slowly peeling away, stripped by those gray eyes. He fervently hoped his face didn't betray him, that he wasn't melting under that scrutiny like he always did. Zidane half-wished Cosmos had erased that part of their relationship—it'd make this job so much easier! Squall stared for what felt like hours, until finally he broke eye contact and turned around.

"We're reaching land," he said, not even looking over his shoulder at Zidane. "One other along with us will investigate what's going on in Balamb. Since you're considered to being included in the student body and you have prior training, this will be your SeeD exam. Failure will result in you banned from the Garden—success will ensure your place. Your fighting equipment will be given to you before we disembark."

Zidane frowned. "Is this your way of testing my usefulness?"

"Absolutely."

Squall never turned around, but Zidane was fairly sure the prick was smiling, at least a little.

It was early morning when they left Balamb Garden, the sun barely peeking over the horizon. Squall's world wasn't a crammed wasteland like Zidane strangely thought it would be. While the Garden showed weird machines that he never saw before, the outside still had that fresh, natural feel to it. When his feet hit the wet stand of the beach the Garden had pulled up to, Zidane suddenly felt revitalized, as if nature was a power he could draw from.

Zell stretched his legs as Squall gave firm commands to those they left behind. Because he was a registered resident of the town, and had family there, Zell was chosen to be the third to accompany Squall and Zidane into Balamb. The thief couldn't say he was happy, but he figured he might as well learn to deal with Zell, as he was a part of Squall's diverse group of friends.

It was sort of interesting to see the type of people Squall hung around, Zidane had to admit. It wasn't that unlike the war-world…

A rush of wind caught Zidane's attention and he barely managed to catch the burlap covered package flying toward him. A clatter from within told Zidane what it was, and he eagerly opened it to reveal his daggers, well taken care of. He pushed the ends of the handles together, delighted to see the fastening mechanism still worked—a few practice swings of the combined weapons brought a low whistle from Zell.

"Ya know, separated those don't look that big," the boxer commented. "But stick them together and it's bigger than you are!"

Zidane separated the daggers, proudly twirling one as he grinned. "Just wait til I actually use 'em."

"Put them away for the time being," Squall's voice made Zidane freeze for a second before he sheathed the weapons on his hips, hanging from his many belts.

The trio waved at the Garden as it drifted away, and Squall looked to the distance. Balamb was barely a speck, with Galbadia Garden only slightly bigger. It was risky getting this close, but he could only hope Galbadia hadn't seen them. Zell began running ahead, eager to find out what happened to his beloved town; Zidane also began to run, wanting to feel free—the Garden, as impressive as it was, still was confined space.

Zidane skidded to a halt as he felt a hand grab his tail, but thankfully didn't pull and he managed to stop before it went taunt. He glared over his shoulder more on instinct, the expression dropping when he realized it was Squall, and the tail had happily curled around his wrist as if it missed him… which, it probably did, as much as Zidane did.

"You'll want to hide this," Squall said. "We may run into patrols."

The thief was able to hide a shudder as Squall released the tail and pulled his hand away, the tail almost lovingly caressing his hand as it passed. The mercenary didn't seem to notice and began to run after Zell, and Zidane had to take a moment to compose himself. Squall had the same firm, but careful grip, and that leather was definitely the same.

The trek to the town was mildly eventful, with a few monsters Zidane had never seen before. He had a delightful time proving to his fellow party members his skills—he knew Zell was particularly amazed by his speed once he knocked an enemy into the air, and even Squall muttered a few compliments. But Zidane knew some flashy acrobatics weren't going to impress them enough to keep him around, and he could only hope an actual challenge waited where he could really shine.

It was scorching midday by the time they reached the walls of Balamb, and despite running the entire way, Zidane was amazed to see Squall and Zell not in the least bit winded. Zidane knew he wasn't human by normal standards and long runs did not faze him, but he could only imagine the rigorous type of training these two had to go through to make such a trip and still in top fighting condition.

Sure his tail was secure around his waist, Zidane followed the men into the main gates of the town. Thick, blue stone walls made Zidane feel both amazed and claustrophobic, and the strong smell of the sea and fish, along with what he assumed was some noxious fume of technology, made him temporarily gag. A fishing town typically smelled of the sea and fish, but there was something wrong here.

A man and woman were the first people to be encountered, both frantically arguing with a man dressed in blue and silver armor. The soldier pointed them toward the gate, and the woman burst into tears, screaming about her daughter.

Zidane scowled severely—what sort of man made a woman cry? Before he could rectify this situation by teaching the asshole some manners, Squall approached him first.

The soldier's glare was obvious even with a mask. "This town is under the control of Sorceress Edea!" he barked. "The town is off-limits while we conduct our investigation! It will last for several days! None are to enter or leave!"

Squall crossed his arms, turning his head a bit in the usual posture he adopted when he was thinking—Zidane always thought he just looked coy when he did that—and when he refused to move, the solider fidgeted.

Finally the man in blue spoke again, "You guys look suspicious. What are you doing here?"

Squall only turned his eyes to look at the soldier. "… What's Galbadia doing in a town like this?"

"What do you want?" The soldier asked, an obvious edge to his voice. He glanced at Zell, then Zidane. "Are you residents here?"

"We sure are, man!" Zell butt in, and Zidane heard Squall's irritated grunt. "Residents should be allowed in!"

Zell's brash, loud declaration brought confidence back to the soldier, who turned to him and barked, "It's off-limits! You cannot enter or leave. Do you understand?"

The boxer's fists shook and he assumed a threatening stance. "Hah! Do you think you're talkin—"

Zidane grabbed the back of Zell's shirt—he couldn't quite reach his shoulder—and hissed, "Man, shut up, you'll bring them all on us!"

The soldier turned back to Squall, who still looked rather bored. This apparently messed with the man's psyche, and he ventured, "What? What is it now?"

Squall finally turned his head to face the soldier. "You said this town was off-limits…" by the monotone of Squall's voice, Zidane could tell he had a plan. Zell must have noticed also, because he calmed. "… Does that mean we can't deliver a message, either?"

The soldier crossed his arms, and Squall uncrossed his, shaking his head in disappointment. "… That's too bad," the mercenary continued. "We have some info on Ellone…"

"W-what?" The soldier took a small step back in shock. "Elle… wait a minute!"

As the soldier began to mumble to himself, even Zidane was thinking. Who the hell is Ellone? I haven't seen or heard of her so far…

The soldier glanced around for a moment, then flipped open the visor of his helmet, brown eyes glaring at Squall. "Tell me everything you know about her! Do you actually know who she is?"

Squall tilted his head slightly. "Kind off… But we need to get inside to confirm something."

By the way the man's eyes were, Zidane could tell Squall got him fooled. "If you find out any information at all, go talk to the commander. She's staying at the hotel!"

He stepped aside for them to pass, snapping his visor back over his eyes. Squall glanced over his shoulder, and rather pointedly looked at Zidane before moving on. The thief had to fight a smile, recognizing that slight twinkle in Squall's eyes.

That's my mercenary. Zidane couldn't help but affectionately think.

Squall didn't give any other soldiers milling in the streets a second glance, and they didn't even try to stop them as he led them down the walkway. Zidane caught a woman in yellow pacing in front of what seemed to be a store, and further down to the right revealed a… did this world have trams?

They didn't go toward the 'tram station' and instead went straight down a winding, downward road. A large building caught Zidane's eyes, mostly for the fact it had two soldiers standing guard than anything else. It must have been the hotel (Zidane pretended the sign saying 'Hotel' didn't exist), and Squall went right up to the guards.

"What do you want?" one of them snapped. "If it's the commander you're looking for, I have strict orders not to let anyone through."

Squall put a hand on his hip, tired of repeating himself already. "We have information about Ellone."

"… What?" both guards looked to each other, then turned away. "More rumors?"

The other guard glanced at them before muttering back, "You know what we'll get a salary cut if we let'em through without confirmation."

The first guard sighed heavily. "Yeah, I know… in this army your salary gets cut based on just how the boss is feeling…"

Zell was starting to fidget again as the soldiers continued to banter back and forth, complaining of their jobs. Before Zidane could intercept (why the hell was this kid so damn hyper and jumpy? Zidane wanted to know how he became some spying-under-cover-mercenary-elite-group-student-person) the boxer stomped a foot against the pavement, both soldiers whirling around.

"Yo, listen!" Zell snapped. "We have top secret info! Bring the commander out here!"

Several seconds of silence and stillness (Zidane was surprised Squall didn't facepalm) passed before both soldiers turned away again. They muttered to each other again, and as they did, Squall turned to toss a glare over his shoulder. He turned back just as the soldiers were turning around, and both stood at attention.

"Have some respect for the captain!" the first soldier said. "The captain is currently on patrol!"

The thief mentally groaned. If there was one thing he hated, it was goose chases that weren't going to result in some form of treasure.

The sun was starting to set by the time the trio chased a tall, burly tan man from the tram—sorry, train—station and back toward the hotel. Zidane didn't quite catch the guy's name, as Zell was screaming at the top of his lungs, all he knew was Squall went running for him and he needed to follow Squall.

As they ran for the hotel, Zidane didn't feel like he was doing too well at this job—Squall seemed to do most of the work, and Zidane basically played keeper for Zell, making sure he didn't explode or beat up someone because they looked at him wrong. He hoped a fight with this captain person would raise his 'grade' to passing.

At the hotel, the doors were open, and the guards were standing in the streets in horror. The trio skidded to a stop, and the guards looked at them.

"Stand back!" one called to them. "This could be dangerous—the commander's just about to…"

He was cut off by a rather shrill cry of pain, and the man from the station came flying out of the hotel, narrowly missing impacting the second guard. The man scrambled to his feet, and Zidane had to keep from laughing.

"F-Fujin…" the man practically whined. "C-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?" he turned to the guards, eyes wide. "You guys help me out here, we gotta calm Fujin down, ya know?"

Zell had had enough. He stepped forward, slammed his fist to his palm and screamed, "RAIJIN!"

Raijin turned and jumped in shock upon seeing his ex-classmates behind him. "Woooow! What are you guys doin' here?"

"We're here to liberate Balamb, ya know?" Zell paused for a second, an odd look on his face. "… I mean, uhh… We're here to liberate Balamb!"

Raijin sighed deeply, and Squall frowned at his next words, "Seifer told us to give you a whoppin' if we saw you, ya know!" he reached right into the hotel doorway, pulling out a thick battle-stick. "You two are goin' down!"

You two? Squall drew his gunblade, chancing a look to his left side.

Sure enough, Zidane wasn't there.

Author's Note: Yeeeah, the searching-for-Raijin part of the Liberation of Balamb was the most annoying shit in FF8, ever. I didn't want to even try to make it somewhat fun/interesting in fiction format, because I hate it that much.

The coming chapters are the fun ones, oh yes. So sorry for this boring one, but I promise the next will be better.