Final Fantasy VIII – In Honor of our Children

A Fan Fiction Sequel to Final Fantasy VIII and Forgotten Memories, by Tarlia.

Most names and characters are copyright Square, except a few original characters which are copyright Tarlia.

Chapter 1:

(So… That's it, then?)

Finally.

Finally, he was alone. Finally, he could have open space to breathe, and a quiet moment to think. People said thinking too much is bad for you, but surely too much social life can be bad for a guy too. Especially for one who was so used to solitude.

People. Who need them, anyway? All they do is get in your way, ask you stupid questions, annoy you, wanting to know how you feel… Stand up for you when you need it, be by your side in battle… He guessed they were what was called friends.

Friends. Who had helped him through this, no matter how much he hated to admit it. He still couldn't believe it - all that had happened in less than a month. In a flash he had went from a simple Garden student to a hero – from a boy with serious lack of social skills to savior of the world. Of the universe, even. When he decided to become a SeeD, he couldn't even begin to imagine where it would take him. Without doubt, it was far more than he ever could have expected.

At the time, he hadn't had time to think. It all went so fast. Stop Galbadia. Fight Seifer. Kill the Sorceress. Stop Galbadia. Fight Seifer. Kill the Sorceress. And all the little events in-between… What were they? He had never tried to be a hero, never thought of himself of a hero, even as he jumped out into space to save a girl whose chances of survival were close to nothing. Only fought to keep himself alive, to ensure the safety of the one he… loved?

Now when he was alone, the thoughts came back to him.

He could barely accept the fact he had friends now. He cared about them, he had never denied that to himself, but it was more difficult to believe that they cared about him. The shell he had wrapped around himself – to prevent anyone from getting close to him – had cracked at some places, enough to let them in. No, he wouldn't talk with them, he wouldn't tell them how he felt. A part of him – a big part of him still feared they would leave him injured like Sis had done 13 years ago, and it still feared that if they saw what he was really like, they wouldn't want to be his friends anymore. It was childish and foolish, he knew that, yet he couldn't let go. Maybe he didn't want to try. He was scared, and he wouldn't admit it.

But he wasn't so cold anymore. He acknowledged their presence, he didn't shrug them off. Slowly, slowly, the cracks were getting wider and perhaps in time, his shell would fall apart.

It wasn't so much his childhood friends, though, who had caused it to brake, as much as it was one particular friend… The one who was so different from all of them, his exact opposite, the one that annoyed him the most and yet had him enchanted with her. The one he had solely risked his life for on several occasions. The one whose smile could make his harsh frown melt and his eyes soften.

He had smiled last night. For the first time in… he didn't even remember how long. A true smile, and it came from the heart. So much relief, happiness… It was over, all over, and those he cared about were safe.

He had kissed her last night. And it was the first time he had felt a girl's lips touch him since the day Ellone had left and kissed his cheek goodbye.

So pathetic… So foolish. He had surrendered everything to one girl, and he knew he had already fallen in love with her. It would still take a while before the words could form on his lips, but he knew it, and he hoped she knew it too. Pathetic, perhaps, but it made him feel better than he had in a long, long time.

She would make him open his heart, and he would willingly walk into her trap, let her seduce him, let her capture him with her spell. If she walked away now, it would be worse than any pain he had ever felt before, even worse than the throbbing fear of her leaving that plagued him every minute. What if she went back to Timber? What if she went back to her father? Quistis had called him a fool for not disagreeing with her choice to stay in Esthar, and maybe he was… Yet he still felt it was none of his business to interfere with her decisions. Was that love? Respect? Both?

Either way, he prayed she would stay. He couldn't bear losing her.

But he had kissed her, last night, and she had kissed him back. She had looked into his eyes with her own, warm brown ones and smiled tenderly, caressing his cheek with a single hand. They had danced, last night, and this time he had managed every step perfectly, while focusing on her face the entire time. The world was a spinning mass of dimmed lights and music, the dull sound of people quietly whispering – needless to say, chatting about them – heard in the background.

And in the middle was Rinoa, like a fairy tale princess dancing with her prince.

Or a Sorceress dancing with her faithful knight.

It gave him hope.

The thought would have disgusted him before. The whole idea of being so desperately dependent on this spunky girl who had gracefully forced her way into his life. Truth be told, he did have mixed feelings. He knew he loved her and he knew he was entering a world he had denied himself for too long, but he also feared what he would see on the path, and he feared she would disappear before he could even get used to having her around. The frightened part of him wanted to flee before it was too late. Then again, maybe it was too late already.

There was so much fear. What would the world think of that? All the students of Garden who admired him and looked up to him as a leader, all the journalists who greedily waited outside the mobile military academy to ask him questions on how it felt like to be a hero and what he had been thinking about in the moment when he gave Ultimecia the final blow. What would they say if their 'fearless' savior was afraid of his own emotions? Would they laugh? Be disappointed? Just stare at him?

The boy snorted and blinked his eyes open, staring at the white painted ceiling of his dorm room. Leader. Hero. Hah.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. His steel blue eyes moved and focused on the plate of wood which separated him and the spot where Rinoa had kissed him goodnight less than 8 hours ago.

"Squall?" Came the sweet and familiar voice from outside. It was her.

"Squall? Are you awake?"

(I could get used to this… Waking up to her voice.)

"Headmaster Cid wants to see us. All of us. He says it's important."

(So much for a peaceful morning.)

"Squall?" The voice bore a faint hint of concern now, and the handle on the door started to move.

Quickly, Squall sat up and replied, "I'm coming."

Still feeling a bit stiff from the final battle with Ultimecia, he rose from the bed and staggered over to the mirror. After being found by Rinoa, he had been bound to the infirmary for a week and so they had to delay the party until he was back on his feet. It was the least they could do, Cid had said. He shook his head at the memory. It didn't exactly pay for the despair he had felt when he was left in the middle of nowhere, but it had been worth it, just to share that kiss.

Pulling on his usual jacket and combing his fingers through his hair a few times, he felt ready to go. Sighing as he opened the door, he wondered what Cid wanted this time. He was met by a smiling Rinoa who grabbed his arm and started walking down the corridor almost before he could shut the door behind him.

"Come on, sleepyhead. The others are waiting."

Chapter 2:

The Headmaster's office wasn't much of a office anymore after the mobile Garden's control room had shot its way right through it. Still, the familiar gang had gathered there rather than on the bridge this time – there wasn't much space up there. At some point, someone had put up a new desk and chair for the headmaster near the lift leading to the bridge, and Cid was currently enjoying actually being able to sit in his own office again. Next to him, his wife was standing, a mild and calm expression on her face. Matron, not Sorceress Edea. Quistis was located close to Edea, Selphie was sitting on the floor, Zell was standing nearby punching the air in boredom, and Irvine was leaning against the wall.

As the door opened, six pair of eyes turned their attention to the arriving couple. Squall was embarrassed when he noticed even Zell had arrived before him.

"You're late, Squall. Didn't you hear my announcement an hour ago?" Cid questioned, trying to look and sound stern even if he didn't take the delay very seriously.

"I… was still asleep, sir. I'm sorry," Squall shrugged a little as he stepped up to the desk, while Rinoa walked over to Selphie, whispering something to her. Both girls giggled, and Squall shot them a look. He wasn't entirely sure about what was so funny, but he could swear he had heard the words 'cute' and 'sleep' included.

"It's no big deal," Cid smiled warmly, "You deserve to be late for once."

Edea titled her head, "You look tired, Squall," she pointed out. The boy sighed.

(Please, just get on with it.)

"So, what's up, headmaster?" Irvine asked, and the gazes that had been locked on Squall changed their view to Cid.

"Ah, yes," Cid rose from his chair, and everybody straightened from their more or less relaxed positions, getting into regular SeeD mode. Except Squall, of course, he didn't have to change position. His friends wondered if he even knew how to relax at all.

"Again, I would like to congratulate you on defeating Ultimecia. I know I have said this before, but…"

"…about ten times…," Zell muttered, and was rewarded with a giggle from Selphie, and reprimanding glances from both Quistis and Cid.

"…But," the headmaster continued, annoyed, "I'd like to congratulate you privately too. All members of Garden did an excellent job during these troubled times, but the six of you did the rough work. Without you, life as we know it would no longer exist. Thank you."

Squall kept a straight face. He had heard it all before, and it was starting to bore him. The others were smiling, and he noticed Rinoa was looking a bit uncomfortable.

Obviously, Cid did too, and continued, "Rinoa, you are not a SeeD student, but you were a important part in our mission. I respect you and we all owe you a lot. You are free to stay at Garden whenever you want, as long as you want. Our arms are always open for you."

This made the girl feel a little better, and she smiled wider.

"Still, despite everything you've done, I'm afraid it's not over yet. We may have gotten rid of the major threat, but the world is still in shambles after everything that has happened. And as you know, SeeD needs to survive until Ultimecia's time. We are short of funding. Galbadia Garden is still missing, and Trabia Garden hasn't gotten very far in their rebuilding yet. We need money, and the world needs us to carry out their missions. Esthar is taking care of themselves, but Galbadia doesn't even have a new President after the previous incidents, and they are in complete chaos. We need to…"

Cid kept on talking, and Squall felt an incoming headache pound in his forehead.

(It's not over yet… This is just the beginning. And as always, I'm caught in the middle of it.)

(But at least, there'll be no more hell like what we've just been through. Fighting rebellious Galbadians will be piece of cake compared to Ultimecia…)

"…And, of course, Commander Leonhart will be in charge of the group."

Blinking, Squall focused on Cid again, "…What?"

Was he still a Commander? He had thought it was only temporarily, that he was only in charge of the military when it was on its worst. He didn't want to remain in this position. He didn't want to be a leader. A leader was supposed to encourage and guide… something he would never be able to do. Even as a team leader he had made everyone feel insecure.

"You'll be in charge of the group that will be sent to help settle the final disagreements in Timber, Squall," the headmaster repeated, "Well, your friends here will help you, of course. It'll be a team of fifteen other SeeDs, so I expect you to make good use of them. Remember, technically, Timber still isn't entirely liberated yet and you still have a contract with Miss Heartilly here," he winked.

Rinoa smiled and leapt forward, hugging Squall happily, "I can go see Zone and Watts again, and take you with me!" she cheered.

Irvine whistled, Selphie giggled, Quistis just smiled quietly, and Zell patted him on the back.

"You da man, Squall! All right, comeback!"

(What are you all so happy about? Do you like to get into conflicts such as this? Am I the only one who thinks we've done enough?)

(That's selfish… But I'm tired. I don't want this responsibility. I never did. Now it's the same all over again. What do they expect from me?)

(Do they think if they try hard enough, I'll become another Headmaster Cid? Well, dream on, I say.)

Squall felt his headache pound harder.

Chapter 3:

Ten days had passed since the defeat of Ultimecia. On the very edge of the pier in the city of Balamb, a lonely, young man was sitting, his gray, ragged coat wrapping around his dangling legs. A deep frown was set on his face as he stared at the still water, two strands of blonde hair hanging down his forehead and barely touching his scar.

Seifer Almasy straightened his back and took in a deep breath of the fresh sea air, hoping it would help him clear his mind, but the troubled thoughts remained. For a moment, he felt like whipping out his gunblade and destroy something – maybe an unsuspecting tree, or he could slash this wooden pier in two. But he knew better. The citizens of Balamb were only letting them stay as long as they didn't cause any trouble. At all. And he had nowhere else to go. Esthar hated him, Galbadia hated him, everybody in Garden hated him.

In so little time, he had gone from a failed Garden student to leader of Galbadia, the Sorceress' mighty knight. And what was he now? Nothing.

Quietly, he had actually thanked Squall for putting an end to all of it. Ultimecia had used him, manipulated him, used his dreams against him. He could see that now when she no longer controlled him. But on the way, she had given him so much power. Everybody had looked up to him and feared him, yet now he was more despised than President Deling had been. Seifer wasn't sure if he should thank or hate Squall for what he did anymore. Sure, his rival had saved the world. How nice. And while saving the world, and freeing Seifer of Ultimecia's spell, he had also crushed every hope and dream left in Seifer.

His name would forever be known, but not the way he had expected it to be. It wouldn't be Seifer, powerful leader. It would be Seifer, mind manipulated scum. Maybe it had been better if Squall had killed him. Put an end to all of it.

It could be so easy… Just inch forward, and fall into the dark depths of the water… No struggle… Just float, and then sink… sink, sink, sink…

"Hey, Seifer!" called a familiar voice from behind. Seifer winced, and turned around to glare at the two standing there.

"What? Can't you see I'm busy?"

"Don't look busy to me, ya know. But I've got news. Garden's at it again, ya know?" Raijin started to explain. Seifer blinked and glanced at the silver haired girl next to him.

"AFFIRMATIVE," Fujin stated, "TIMBER. REBELS."

"Garden's sending a big team over there, ya know? And Squall's leading them. Rinoa's with them too, ya know?"

Seifer watched them for a few seconds, then turned away to look back at the water, frowning. Of course Squall was the leader. A sudden pang of jealousy struck through him. Squall this, Squall that. He and his friends were the headlines of every newspaper around here. They were known by the entire world. Now they were going to save Galbadia from self-destruction. And Seifer… People were happy knowing he was as far away from them as possible.

(Damn you, Squall.)

"Seifer, you're awfully quiet, ya know?" Raijin said.

Shaking his head, Seifer waved a hand at them without even looking back, "I don't care what Garden's up to, Raijin. Just… leave me alone."

Shrugging, the male member of Seifer's posse nodded and turned to leave, "All right. I'm goin' back to prepare that fish, ya know."

"SICK," Fujin commented. The water surrounding Balamb was quite polluted, mainly because waste from Galbadia had been driven there by the current. Raijin, however, ignored this fact. Seifer wasn't sure whether he was uncaring or just stupid.

As Raijin stalked away, Fujin remained behind. Seifer waited for a couple of minutes, then he turned to her again, "I thought I said I wanted to be alone?"

"SEIFER," she said softly, and instead of leaving, she slid down into a sitting position next to her friend, "SAD."

"Oh, give me a break, Fujin," Seifer rolled his eyes and stared at the water yet again, "I'm fine."

But Fujin had known Seifer for 4 years, and she could easily tell when he was upset. Then again, who could go through all the disappointment he had and still be unscratched by it? Raijin may have been a bit dense, but contrary to common belief, Fujin was a rather intelligent girl. The injury to her voice just made it difficult for her to speak normally, and the black patch over her left eye did little to improve her already odd appearance. She shook her head, and, hesitantly, put a hand on his shoulder.

"DREAMS. DESTROYED."

Seifer felt something tighten in his throat. He wasn't prepared for this. Having his own thoughts haunting him every minute was one thing, but actually hearing the words from another person…, "To hell with it, Fujin," he growled, getting to his feet, "Don't act like you know what it feels like!"

She only gave him a hurt look, but then she stood up as well and continued, "We followed you, Seifer, because we are a posse…," Fujin whispered, "But what you did was wrong. Your dreams had already been destroyed by the time we left. Destroyed and abused. You wanted to be the Sorceress' knight, not the dreaded enemy of the world."

Shaking his head, Seifer looked away, "It's over, Fujin. There's nothing more to talk about."

Fujin was quiet for a minute after the effort of speaking so many words, but then she rested a hand on Seifer's shoulder again, "HOPE. STILL," she hissed, her single, reddish eye staring into his sea blue eyes.

"Hope?" Seifer snorted, "We're trapped here in this little town where everybody hates us almost as much as the Galbadians. I can't return to Garden and become a SeeD, I can't go anywhere else. There's no damned hope left. All I have left is you two."

Trying badly not to take offense from Seifer's comment, Fujin took in a breath and tightened her grip on his shoulder. Old feelings welled up in her, and she recalled the time Seifer had spent with Rinoa in Timber a year ago. Only to betray the girl one year later. All the time, Fujin had been there, watching, and Seifer had been too blind to notice. Would he always be that way? See her, yet see right through her as if she wasn't there? Despite his arrogance, his mistakes and flaws, his rude personality, despite everything he had done… she and Raijin had stayed with him, and now they were back. Raijin because he needed to follow someone… And Fujin… why was she there?

"Are we really that bad, Seifer…?"

Chapter 4:

Again, he was alone. For a brief moment.

Squall sunk down into one of the chairs in the Timber Hotel room, sighing heavily. They had fought for three days now. Well, not exactly fought, but trying to step in-between the Galbadians and the citizens of Timber. He had been caught off guard by how hostile both parts actually were. None of them trusted anyone, and both were furious by having Garden SeeDs trying to stop them.

(Why do they fight, anyway? Sure, the Timberians just want to be liberated, but who are the Galbadians fighting for? According to our information, they don't have a President… Is there someone… we don't know about? Who? And why keep up with this battle? World domination is getting old…)

The headache returned.

Just this morning, one of the SeeDs in their team had been killed by a Galbadian soldier. Quistis and Irvine had been there, but were unable to reach them in time. The SeeD had been trying to stop the soldier from attacking a middle-aged, female Timber citizen. He hadn't been too happy about it, obviously.

Squall didn't know that particular SeeD very well, but even if the death of one of the students was inevitable and not surprising, he felt responsible. He was responsible, it was his duty as Commander to protect the team the best he could. Taking care of five other comrades was hard enough for a person who didn't know how to comfort or encourage, but twenty? What had the Headmaster been thinking?

Now he had to write a report on what had happened to the SeeD that had fallen. Pulling out a piece of paper and a pen, he decided it was best to get it over with. For a long while, he simply stared at the white surface of the paper, then began to write.

'The Garden student Helen Johnson was attempting to prevent a Galbadian Soldier from harming a Timber citizen, but failed to do so as the soldier…'

(No, that sounds lame.)

He crumpled the paper and threw it in the trash can.

'SeeD Quistis Trepe and SeeD cadet Irvine Kinneas failed to assist Garden student Helen Johnson as the Galbadian soldier…'

(Damn!)

Slamming his fists down at the desk, Squall gritted his teeth at the headache. He had received a blow to the head during battle today, and wasn't sure if the pain was a result of that, or the pressure of his current situation. He buried his face in his arms and closed his eyes, trying to rest for a moment… Maybe it would go away…

Someone opened the door and moved inside the room, but he didn't bother to look up to see who it was.

"Squall?" a soft voice whispered.

Wanting to be left alone, Squall turned and snapped, "What?!"

He found himself staring into the face of a rather surprised and slightly hurt Rinoa.

Realizing just who he had been snapping at, Squall quickly stood up, "Oh, sorry… I didn't know… I was just…"

The black haired girl smiled and shook her head, "It's okay, Squall. I was just wondering if you'd like some company."

"Uh… I can't. I have to finish this report…"

"Aw, come on," the young Sorceress stepped forward and took his hand, pulling him towards the bed. He tried to resist, but only for a minute, letting her push him down to a sitting position and settle down next to him.

"Edea was right. You do look tired."

"Whatever."

Rinoa sighed, "Just four days ago, you were smiling, Squall. I want to see that smile again. For the first time since I met you, you actually looked happy."

Squall didn't reply, he just sat hunched over in his usual manner, watching the wooden floor of the hotel.

Seeing this wasn't getting anywhere, the girl changed the subject, "I just bumped into Zone and Watts at the Forest Fox Chief's house. They told me the Galbadians are starting to pull out."

"They'll be back," Squall mumbled, "I know them. They don't give up that easily."

Rinoa didn't like the tone in Squall's voice. It was too similar to the uncaring tone he had used when she first met him. Frowning, she quietly asked, "Is it about that girl? Helen?"

"What?" Squall blinked, looking at her with mild surprise.

"You feel guilty, don't you? You feel it's your fault and you're locking it up. But you couldn't have done anything to prevent it," she shook her head, "I know you're tired, Squall, so why can't you just admit it?"

A bit dumbfounded by Rinoa's insight in his personality, Squall paused, then shook his head in return, "This is my duty as a SeeD. There's nothing to do about that."

"Squall," Rinoa rose from her seat, placing her hands on her hips, "You are a human being, not a machine. If you can't do this, just tell the Headmaster. He'll understand. There's others who can take this job."

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not. Stop lying to me, and yourself."

"You know, you're almost getting as annoying as you were when I was first assigned to help the Timber Owls."

Rinoa's eyes widened, and she was taken aback by his words.

(Look what you're doing, you idiot. Keep it up, and you WILL lose her.)

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

She slowly let out a trembling breath and sat back down next to him, "I know you didn't… Just… don't be so hostile, Squall. I know you've been through a lot, but you're not alone anymore. I'm here, and so are Quistis, Zell, Irvine and Selphie. You were starting to improve. If you really need to rest, then I'll speak with the Headmaster. The two of us can go back to Garden. Quistis will do fine leading the rest of the battle on her own."

Squall turned his gaze to her, blinking.

(Does she really care more about me than the liberation of Timber? Is that possible?)

She lifted her hand, stroking it against his cheek. He didn't pull away.

"You're going to say no, aren't you?"

"Probably."

"I thought so."

Another few minutes of silence passed by. Rinoa leaned her head against Squall's shoulder, and he slowly let one arm slip around her back. Inwardly, he was thanking whatever higher powers existed for sending this angel to him. With her by his side, knowing she wouldn't leave, he could handle it. Maybe the Galbadians really were pulling out. Why? Well, they'd find out soon enough. For the moment, he just wanted to relax and not think about anything. Just feel Rinoa next to him. Hear her breathe and smell the sweet fragrance of her dark hair.

Hear her voice: "By the way, it's the FOREST Owls."

"Whatever," He said. "Whatever," Rinoa said in unison.

She put a hand over her mouth, giggling. Squall frowned. Sometimes, she was too much like Quistis. Or maybe he was just too predictable. Leaning his head lightly against hers, Squall didn't try to force back the small smile that made its way to his lips.

Chapter 5:

Most of the fighting had died down as evening faded into night in Timber. The Galbadians had indeed started to retreat, but there were still a few, stubborn ones lingering. It was strange how they would give up on a battle they might very well win, but that was the least of Irvine Kinneas' worries at the moment.

In the grass just outside Timber, the beauty in a short, yellow dress was sitting, her legs curled up in front of her with her arms wrapped around them. The sky was clear and starlit, but the air was chilly and she felt cold. The wind ruffled her brown hair, making it bounce around her shoulders.

Clearing his voice, Irvine straightened his cowboy hat and walked over to her, promptly sitting down in the grass next to her, "Howdy, beauty. How you feelin'?"

"Confused," the usually cheery female replied, huddling up more tightly. Irvine tried to put his arm around her, but she pushed him away, "I saw you looking at those other girls. At the party, in the Garden halls, even here in Timber. Don't you 'howdy, beauty' me."

"Baby, I was only… Sefie, you're the only one I care about," Irvine said awkwardly. Even if it was a cold night, he was sweating.

"We're better off like this," Selphie frowned and looked away, "At least it's a good thing I got to know now, or I might have ended up falling completely for you," she paused, breathing.

For the first time, Irvine couldn't quite come up with anything to say. Despite all the girls he had seduced, he had a hard time coming up with something proper to tell Selphie. And for the first time, he actually cared that a girl was upset with him. He didn't want to just turn around and find another chick.

"Why can't you… why can't we be like Squall and Rinoa? Did you see them at the party?" she looked at him, her dark green eyes filled with tears, "I can't believe it! He kissed her, and all YOU do is run around looking at other girls – and you still say you care about me!"

"Selphie, I didn't even know you cared about me that way!" Irvine protested, "You're a pretty girl. You know me, I make moves on all pretty girls. But you're the only one that I could … That I… Look, I've known you since we were little kids. And unlike the others, we haven't forgotten the majority of our childhood yet, because we haven't used GFs so much. You're so cheerful, so spunky… Any guy would love to be your boyfriend. You didn't seem to notice me, though, so I just guessed you weren't interested," he shrugged.

Selphie wiped away her tears and watched him with new curiosity.

"I didn't know… before you shouted at me when I looked at that Timber girl. Hey, it's been a rough day… We've lost that SeeD member, and everything. Don't judge me too hard… please?" he met her gaze, his blue eyes sad. It was rare to see this side of Irvine – Selphie had no idea that the handsome, charming ladies' man was so sincere and sensitive deep inside.

"I didn't know either… about you," Selphie said quietly, sniffing. She was still shuddering, and allowed Irvine to take off his coat and wrap it around her shoulders.

"I might look at other girls, but it's only you I care about, Sefie… You're very pretty, but it's your wonderful personality that makes me want to be with you. I don't care about the others. They're just eye candy. You're the one that makes me happy," he pulled her close, smiling with satisfaction as she didn't resist. His sweet-talking was obviously working, but the sincerity hadn't left his voice.

"It's… all coming to an end, Irvine. When this is over with, we won't have to risk out lives every day anymore like we did before… I… I want to… settle down…," Selphie whispered, looking up at him carefully, "I know we're only 17, but I need to feel secure… I only have my friends… My old home as I knew it is gone, and I haven't got time to settle down properly in Balamb yet… Could you do that for me? Could you help me feel secure?"

He didn't reply. Instead, he watched her thoughtfully and quietly for a long while, before asking, "You were afraid too, weren't you?"

"Huh?"

"During the fight… All the Sorceresses, the Galbadians… You always smiled, you always were optimistic, you were cheering even when all the others felt there was no hope left. But you were scared too, no?"

Selphie hesitated for a few seconds, then she nodded, "Yeah, I was… I was so scared we'd all die and that Ultimecia would destroy the world. But I couldn't let it get to me, you know? If you think too much, you'll only end up sad. So I kept trying to see things on the bright side and cheer you guys up," she smiled softly, "And look, it turned out all right, didn't it?"

Irvine grinned, "Yeah, it seems like it. Even the Galbadians are leaving Timber now. Guess you'll have plenty of time to add a 'Sir Irvine' page to the Garden system now," he winked.

The girl giggled and slapped his chest, "Silly you! You're no 'Sir'!"

"I'm more of a Sir than Laguna is."

"Are not!"

"Am too."

"Are not!"

Suddenly, Irvine interrupted Selphie's protests by quickly lowering his head and pressing his lips to hers. Selphie's eyes widened, but then closed as she returned the kiss, folding her arms around Irvine's neck. And even if she was still cold, she felt a new and unexpected warmth spread inside her body.

As the two of them pulled apart, Irvine looked down tenderly at the girl in his arms. Selphie couldn't stop staring at his handsome face framed by reddish locks of hair; and the way his dark blue eyes sparkled in the dim light of the moon.

"I'll make you feel secure, Selphie. Just trust me. I will."

Quistis and Zell were taking a final walk through the town to ensure everything was in order. They had managed to calm down the worst fight during the day, and as most of the soldiers had left by now, they didn't really expect to find anything.

Finally, as they reached the edge of the town, Quistis stopped and leaned against the wall of a house. Zell looked around, then shook his head.

"Man, I didn't think it'd be that easy! One second, we're all surrounded by Galbadian scum, and the next – POOF, they're all gone!"

"It could be a trick," Quistis reminded him.

Zell shrugged, "Yeah, I know… But still. Guess them Galbadians are still confused after Ultimecia's defeat. Heh."

Quistis sighed lightly and smiled, shaking her head, "If we're lucky, maybe this is the end of this mission. We didn't even get paid for this. …But knowing Galbadia, this isn't the last fight they'll go through with."

"Hell, they should give us a break. It's not like we haven't fought for world peace plenty already. And this is boring," Zell stepped backwards and leaned his back against the wall next to Quistis, "Never thought I'd say it, but I miss Garden."

The blonde woman gave a short laugh, crossing her arms beneath her chest, "Me too."

"I wonder how Bella is doing," the boy mused, glancing up at the sky.

Quistis shot him a curious look, "…Bella?"

"Uh… Did I say Bella? I meant… oh… uh… nothing," Zell felt himself start to blush furiously, much to Quistis' amusement.

"Who's Bella?"

"No one! I mean… no one… important…"

"Oh, come on, Zell, you can tell me," she giggled, "It's me, remember!"

"Well… all right," Zell looked at the ground, "You remember that girl… in the Garden library? You know, the one who's always got her hair in a pigtail… Well, I talked a lot with her during the party, and… we kinda…"

Quistis' giggling rapidly turned into laughter, "Oh my! Are you telling me that you, Zell Dincht, are in love?!"

"Yeah, just shout louder, will ya! I don't think President Laguna heard you over in Esthar!" Zell threw his arms up and pushed away from the wall, grunting.

"Sorry," Quistis giggled, "…It's just so hard… to imagine you in that situation."

The boy made a motion to say something nasty in return, but he didn't get the chance. A high pitched scream was heard from deeper within the town. The two SeeDs looked at each other, then both of them turned and ran in the direction of the sound.

The exact same thought went through their minds:

(Rinoa!)