By: Sarah

"Please take this child, Matron. I traveled a long way so that this baby could have a nice home to live in. I’m too old and feeble to take care of a child anymore."

Matron looked at the old woman in sincerity, nodding. In the old woman’s arms was a bundle of blankets wrapped around a small boy. Matron couldn’t help but marvel over the baby’s fine looks already; she could immediately tell that this baby would turn into a handsome, strong man. "What happened to his parents?" She asked curiously.

The old woman hesitated to answer, then shook her head. "I do not know. I found this baby on my doorstep one morning, with an anonymous note. I felt sorry for the child, so I took it in as my own for about a year or so. But, my health cannot keep up for the responsibility," The old woman replied, shutting her eyes. She gently handed the boy over to Matron. "Please… for the baby and my sake."

Matron held the baby close to her chest, and nodded agreeably. She looked back through the door to see other kids and toddlers, and she turned back to the woman. "I’m sure he’ll fit right in with the rest of the kids," Matron responded with a smile.

The old woman bowed her head gratefully. "Thank you Matron, but we can’t just call this child ‘boy’. Give this ‘boy’ a good, strong name."

Matron thought about it for awhile, until the baby stirred awake and started bawling. "Shh… there now… calm down, little man," She whispered gently, stroking the baby’s face. "This baby… well, not really a baby anymore… poor thing didn’t have a name for a year…"

"I was just too busy to even think of one, Matron."

Matron dismissed the comment with a wave and turned back to the baby, his wails turning into little chokes of cries. She shut her eyes, and thought again about a name, but to no avail. "My mind is full of things right now also," She apologetically said.

"Didn’t you name some other children in the orphanage? I know you can create the most unique names, Matron. I knew you for years," The old woman declared. She pointed to one little blond toddler, walking to a bed inside the house. "What’s her name?"

"Oh… I named her Quistis, one of the names of the ancient sorceresses of the Great Hyne’s time," Matron replied.

The old woman smiled in satisfaction and pointed to another toddler walking in the same room, only it was a blond young boy. "And what did you name him?"

"I named that little young boy, Seifer, after sorceress Frera’s knight. I gave that young boy such an honorable name, because when he first came to the orphanage, I could tell he was strong and has a lot of pride."

"There… it wasn’t so hard to name them, wasn’t it? If you can name those two youngsters, you can name this boy with ease."

Matron paused again and thought, recalling her teachings about the ancient sorceresses’ of the Great Hyne’s time. She was supposed to know this kind of knowledge, since she is a sorceress herself. "How about… Squall? Squall, he was a brave, strong sorceress knight to the Great Hyne herself," She finally said.

The old woman smiled in delight then started coughing. After she finished her fit of coughs, she took a deep breath and patted Matron’s shoulder. "You’re a fine woman, Matron… a fine woman indeed."

Squall Leonhart awoke with a sudden start, his heart pounding at unbelievable rate. He found himself staring at the ceiling, the moonlight from the window above his bed shining on his face. Uncomfortably, he turned to his side, then rolled to his other side, before assuming the position he was in when he woke up. Squall brought his hand to his right temple and rubbed it where it had ached. He had to admit: he never had a dream so real before…

But then again, it was real. It has happened before in the past. Squall saw how he got his name; he never knew that his name was named after the Great Hyne’s "knight" nor did he know that Quistis and Seifer was also named after things pertaining to sorceresses at all. Did Matron have some kind of obsession with sorceresses?

Well yeah… she was a sorceress herself, as she mentioned in his dream.

But where did that old woman come from? Squall couldn’t help it but be curious about his parents. Every orphan should be curious about his or her biological parents. Where did they go? What happened to them? Why did they leave their child to an orphanage? Questions raged inside Squall’s head, but he knew it couldn’t be answered.

Also, Squall knew that Quistis, Zell, Selphie, Irvine, and Seifer were burning to know who his or her real parents were also. Rinoa is probably the lucky one of the group; she still has one parent living.

Squall turned his head away from the moonlight, and lazily peered at the clock atop his dresser. The dull glow of the digital clock read 1:05. Squall sighed and sat up in his bed. He had to take a few moments to focus, then he shook his head, pivoting to the side and letting his feet swing to the floor.

He pulled on his favorite jacket and his boots. Squall had no idea what he was doing; it seems as if he was controlled of some sort, but nonetheless, he found himself reaching for his Gunblade that sat on his dresser, before pulling his hand back.

"What am I doing?" He asked himself in the darkness of the room. Sighing, he rubbed the center of his forehead, trying to get focus before his fingers felt the "scar."

Squall never really marveled over his "scar" nor did he ever have a certain belligerence to it. The gash was quite deep, and it ran from the right of the center of his forehead, slanted left across his nose. The "scar" was a deep color of brown now, and when he touched it, a tingle went through his body, with a bit of pain.

He didn’t have a certain belligerence over the scar, but the person who gave it to him. Squall hated thinking about that day when Seifer and he were training in the Training Center, and it turned into a fight to the finish. Each came out with a bloodied face, leaving a trail of blood from the Training Center to the Infirmary. And now when Squall sees Seifer with the "scar," he thinks of that fight, and from the looks of Seifer, he does too…

Squall shook his head again. All the bitterness that he pushed toward Seifer was dissipating now. Even though they don’t talk to each other anymore, they both kept out of each other’s way. Good way not to get in trouble, Squall thought as he sat down on the bed again.

Maybe it was Ellone’s doing. Did she want to change the past, like she wanted to with Laguna? Maybe she wanted to see his past, his life in the orphanage. What good would that do? Squall knew she would never play around with her special powers. They’re too delicate and precious to lose. But still… what is it?

Squall stood up again, and snatched his Gunblade from off his dresser. He knew exactly what he was doing, where he was going, his mind set on one thing.

I don’t care if it’s one in the morning.

Squall walked out of his dormitory, stepping into bliss darkness. Several beams of moonlight passed through the roofed hallway, and the luminescent azure color of the hallway lights reflected off Squall’s own eyes. He realized that he was quite amazed at the serene silence of Balamb Gardens, a total opposite of what it is in the daytime. In fact, he never got out of his dormitory after curfew; never believed in breaking the rules before he became a SeeD at all. He only did that once, and that was when Quistis Trepe ordered him to go to the "secret area" with her.

Squall walked through the quiet halls of Balamb Gardens; peacefully listening to the quiet snores of the Garden Masters scattered at the entrances of the sections. He was surprised, once again, that even Garden Masters would sleep on their job. They were always prim examples to the SeeD cadets and the junior underclassmen and by their behavior right now, they were complete opposites of what they are in the daytime, just like Balamb Gardens itself.

It’s like some kind of mask they shed when night falls…

Squall shook his head. He wondered where that thought came up in his head. He quickened his pace. He shouldn’t be worrying about this kind of thing right now, but only the place of which he was heading too. He knew one place that would be open, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week…

Selphie Tilmitt leaned against the stone railing. Her back started to ache as she pressed against the rather rough surface, but she didn’t care. It was her first night at the "secret area" behind the Training Center that nearly every SeeD hung it in every night. Selphie only knew about a few weeks earlier, and was excited when she first knew about it. She never showed her eagerness though; she thought that the people there would portray her as some kind of overexcited babyish kid.

But she was leaning against the wall for nearly an hour now. No one came to talk to her. Most people were in his or her conversation, quietly whispering to each other. Selphie felt a slight twinge of jealously. How come none of her friends would come along in here? Anyone, whether it was Quistis, Zell, Irvine, heck, even Squall. Selphie was just desperate to talk to someone at the least.

Selphie looked around, the tight groups of two or three huddles at various corners. A few times, a boy her age would look her way, and Selphie would smile like she usually did, primping her chestnut colored hair that was precisely curled at the tips. It disappointed her though, when they would turn away. In response to those actions, she just kicked the concrete ground and lean back on the stone railing.

I didn’t expect this much boredom in a place that sounded so secretive and exciting…

"You lost or something?"

Selphie jumped at the voice and whirled around to find a young girl, maybe younger than herself, looking at Selphie with curious eyes. She was no taller than Selphie, but her petite beauty stood out, despite the shortness. Her short cut brown hair curled around her oval shaped face, which made her clear blue eyes stand out. Wearing only a simple white shirt and jeans, Selphie could tell that she was very poor, but she was careful not to show her knowledge.

Selphie giggled in response then cleared her throat. "I’m not lost or anything. But it is kind of my first time in here, and I’m just… well, bored," Selphie replied.

The girl laughed. "What a coincidence! Me too. But I’m not a SeeD or anything. I’m visiting someone inside the Garden, and she told me about this cool place behind the Training Center, so I took a risk and headed over here. I have no idea what to do though."

"Visiting someone?" Selphie asked, puzzled over her comment. She knew in the Garden, that outsiders weren’t allowed on the grounds at anytime, even visitors. Maybe she’s some kind of spy from the Galbadian government, or a threat to—

"Yeah. I’m Dr. Kadowaki’s daughter. I rarely see my mother, especially since my job in Dollet keeps me from coming over here, and now that this Garden flies, I can’t keep track of it," The girl answered, nodding. She turned her head away, as in shame, before Selphie could say anything. "She’s my adoptive mother. I always seem to receive questions about it, and it’s true; I look nothing like my mom."

Selphie nodded also. She was glad she was finally talking to someone. Her throat was itching to talk, maybe even non-stop, and questions to this girl was burning through her head. Happily, Selphie stuck out her hand, and smiled. "My name’s Selphie Tilmitt! Nice to meet you!"

The girl smiled and shook Selphie’s hand gratefully. "I was wondering when we were gonna introduce ourselves, Selphie. My name’s Aira Kadowaki."

"Ooh! What a pretty name!" Selphie exclaimed.

"Oh come on… its not that creative. I like the name ‘Selphie’ anyway," Aira commented defensively. She smiled again and leaned against the stone railing next to Selphie, watching the other SeeDs along with Selphie. Without turning her head, Aira sighed and hung her head. "Well, I’m kinda glad I’m talking to you, Selphie. I feel like an outcast around here."

"Really… It’s like, the total opposite of me. In fact, everyone here is the total opposite from what they are regularly," Selphie said. She nudged Aira in the arm and pointed to a blond girl talking quietly to a broad boy, in a secluded corner. "That girl… I always see her around the library, indulged in a really, really thick book. She has a reputation for being shy and quiet, plus she’s an excellent Triple Triad card player. But now look at her, she looks bubbly and happy to be around that boy."

Aira widened her eyes. "How interesting. It’s like a mask they shed when night falls," She replied, her eyes locked on the pair. Aira turned back to Selphie and shrugged. "I just got here this morning. How about giving me a grand tour tomorrow? You’re like, the first friend I made in a long time, since my job prevents me from meeting new people…"

"Oh… you mentioned your job earlier. What do you do?"

"I’m a monster researcher. I just go around, and observe new monsters and stuff. Basically, I would research a phenomenon like the Lunar Cry. I feel so bad, missing it six months before…" Aira said in disappointment. "It’s like a dream to actually be there when the Lunar Cry occurred."

Selphie fell silent when Aira rambled on about her disappointment. Selphie didn’t know whether to tell Aira that she saw the Lunar Cry… personally. Hordes and crowds of monsters plunged into Esthar, weakening the soldiers and scaring every citizen to their houses. It was terrible in Selphie’s eyes. When she was a kid, she always admired the moon and its glow, but when she learned that it was a monster haven, Selphie had different views of the moon, than most regular people would know.

"Selphie?"

Selphie snapped back to reality and turned back to Aira, shaking her head. "S-sorry," She stammered quickly. "Just… something that came up in my mind right now. So, you missed the Lunar Cry, huh?"

Aira hesitated and shuffled her feet against the ground. "I guess you weren’t listening. I understand. It sounded boring as hell to you anyway," She finally said, her voice tone dropping to a slight whisper.

"No! I was listening! See… I saw the Lunar Cry! It was… terrible!" Selphie exclaimed loudly. "All these monsters! Just… it was just… part of the plan."

"Part of the plan?" Aira asked curiously. "What do you mean?"

Selphie opened her mouth, but shut it. It was peculiar that Aira didn’t question about Selphie’s sightings of the Lunar Cry, but more interested in something else. Selphie felt a little hostile, because she only met the girl a few minutes ago. She dismissed Aira’s comment with a wave. "It’s a long story," Selphie reluctantly said. "And… I guess you wanna know how the Lunar Cry was… But I didn’t get the best view of it. You can say that Balamb Garden’s ‘leader’ would have something to say about it."

"Leader? Hmm… where can I find him? I really, REALLY want the details of THIS!" Aira suddenly got excited, jumping up and down. "As long as I get SOMETHING, well, you know, it’ll help me a whole bunch!"

Selphie again was a little taken back from Aira’s comment. Now it seems like Aira was more anxious to see Squall than talk to Selphie. Nonetheless, Selphie took Aira’s hand and pulled it toward the entrance. "Come on then! Let’s go talk to him!"

Aira withdrew and took her hand back. "Uh… isn’t it kinda late? It’s about one o’ clock now, and he could be asleep and—" She said with a face of concern.

"Don’t worry bout it! I know Squall like that!" Selphie snapped her fingers and took Aira’s arm again. "I just hope he’s thinking like he usually is…" She mumbled under her breath before walking through the door, taking Aira with her.

Rinoa Heartilly walked around absent-mindedly, not caring whether it was the depth of the night, or the streets filled with hoodlums and robbers. Her appearance and her slight high reputation in the rebel-filled town on Timber scared away those trying to take over her, so she was quite glad for that. But a sinking gut feeling made her miss Balamb Gardens, but namely, Squall.

Balamb Gardens was her second home now, well technically third because Deling City was her first; Timber was her second; and with open arms, Balamb Gardens. She grew to love the place, the people, and nearly everything about it. She absolutely adored the library, something Deling City and Timber never had. Books full of knowledge and information, magazines with intriguing articles and pictures, and the nicest staff to go along with it. She loved the other places in Balamb Gardens, but the Library had to be the absolute best.

Of course, nothing was exciting without Squall, and Rinoa indubitably missed him the most. She missed his comforting embraces, his sweet words, and he was the most amazing kisser, despite his quick withdrawal afterwards, followed by a flush of red. Rinoa missed her other friends too. Selphie’s outgoing personality, Irvine’s ways with the "women", Zell’s craziness, and Quistis’ far from seriousness… she missed them all.

But Rinoa knew she had to find someone in Timber, hoping her two friends she hung out with, talked with, and fought with most of her life. Namely, Zone and Watts. They made a lifelong promise to liberate Timber from Galbadia together as the Timber Owls… but that was already taken care of when they defeated Galbadia a long time ago. Rinoa felt more than guilty; she really wanted to free Timber with Zone and Watts along her side.

Rinoa haven’t seen them ever since she left Timber with Squall and his friends. Zone gave up his ticket to Quistis. Even then, they had made a promise, when she left on that train. Zone and Watts have helped them a whole bunch, even when they were not needed. Squall told her that they seen those two on the White SeeD ship, but that was the time when she was unconscious.

Now Rinoa was worried. Did they die? Are they alive? Where could they be? Her mind was full of questions. Most citizens in Timber haven’t seen them lately either, which made Rinoa worry even more.

And she hated being worried.

Now walking through the streets of Timber absent-mindedly, Rinoa didn’t care what’s going to happen to her. Her main goal to find Zone and Watts were the only thing that was really sure in her mind right now; everything else was undecided.

It was a long time before Rinoa finally looked up at the sky. Before, when she was seventeen and only a mere rebel, the sky was a dank, deep grayish color, and the air smelled of only oil and machines. Now, nearly a year later, Rinoa could actually breath without hacking and coughing up the bad air that used to occupy the air. The sky was so clear; she could see the stars glowing radiantly.

"There are so many stars in the sky, only some radiant enough to be noticed," Zone said, pointing up to the sky. It was the first time they ever been outside the town without a struggle from the Galbadian guards. He smiled at Rinoa and Watts sitting on the grass beside him and turned back to the night sky. "Among those you choose to ignore is the one which is willing to shine for you forever even if your glance remains elsewhere."

Rinoa smiled at that memory. She would never ignore her friends like that, whether it was Zone or Watts, or Squall or Selphie. All of her friends, a tight circulating friendship. That day, in the outskirts of Timber was very special to her. They were only fifteen when they did this, only a mere two years after she arrived in Timber, and Rinoa had to admit that she was purely surprised by their words of wisdom about friendship.

Zone was still looking at the stars then turned back to face Rinoa. "Friends are just like stars. You can’t always see them, but you always know they’re there."

Watts nodded at Zone’s wise comment and nudged Rinoa, looking up at the sky. "You know, if we were ever seperated, just remember this," His face changed into more broader, more serious expression. "As long as we have memories, yesterday remains; as long as we have hope, tomorrow awaits. As long as we have friendship, each day is never a waste."

"Nice saying, Watts," Rinoa said admirably. "I never knew you were so knowledgeable on those kinds of things."

"Let’s make a pact, okay? We’re going to liberate Timber from Galbadia together, right!?" Zone said more excitedly. "And if we can’t do that, at least one of us should, whether it’ll take us till death!"

Watts stood up and thumped his chest in pride. "I agree mostly! We, the Timber Owls, are going to liberate Timber from Galbadia’s control! If not, one or two of us is going to, and will tell the others, right!?"

Rinoa knew it was her turn to stand up. She didn’t know what to say, and had no clue what to do. Here she was, standing in the open fields next to the craziest two people, and the kindest two people in her life, and she didn’t know what to do. Hesitantly, she stood up and cleared her throat. "I with all of you all the way."

"That’s the spirit, Rinoa!" Zone cheered on.

"Yeah! Since you’re the only female in the group, let’s call you Princess, because you’re the type bursting with ideas," Watts suggested.

Rinoa blushed, and she avoided their stares. "Princess? Aww… you know, I’m not like—"

"C’mon Rinoa. You’re cool, and we never had a cool girl like you in the Timber Owls before. Besides, it was your idea that we should rejuvenate this group after you saw what happened two years ago. Without you, we wouldn’t be making this much progress," Zone pointed out. He took Rinoa’s hand and squeezed it. "If my dad and Watts’ dad was here, he would definitely put you in the group."

Rinoa looked up again, and looked back and forth from Zone to Watts. They had a face full of compassion, and it seemed as if they really wanted to be in the Timber Owls. She blinked at them for awhile. If she were to join the Timber Owls, it would be like going against her father…

"Well, then, I guess I am a princess after all," Rinoa finally said, smiling. Before she knew it, she felt both boys hug her, and she just hugged them back. She never had any real friends before, and she never wanted to let go again…

Rinoa still remembered that day, the pact that she made with both Zone and Watts. She really never appreciated their friendship lately, but she treasured it more than ever…

"Is that Rinoa Heartilly, the dark haired princess with the light blue dress?"

Rinoa whirled around at the voice and widened her eyes. Then, she smiled widely and hugged that person tightly. "Zone! I’ve been looking for you everywhere!" She said happily, still hugging him tightly. She then stepped back and looked behind him. "Where’s Watts?"

Zone looked at Rinoa, then stared down at his own feet. By looking at his eyes, Rinoa could tell what had happened, and didn’t need an explanation. The fear that struck in Zone’s eyes, the pain that shadowed his face, even in the darkness… everything explained everything for Rinoa.

Rinoa bit her lip, and patted Zone’s back. "I… Watts, he can’t be dead, he can’t be! I know so, because he’s—" She declared, but Zone placed a finger to her mouth and she fell silent.

"Galbadian soldiers infiltrated the White SeeD ship after Squall and the others left. They were again, trying to get this girl on the ship, but the leader already explained that she was on an Esthar ship. One Galbadian soldier was about to kill an orphan before Watts jumped in the line of fire," Zone said, his eyes still locked on his own feet. "We’ve been stranded, so I had to find work to get back here."

Rinoa was in the state of shock, her mouth gaping open. Her lips started to tremble, and the warmth of liquid fell down her face. Shutting her eyes closed, she took Zone’s hands and squeezed it. "This… you two… were the best friends I ever had, even more so than Squall and the others back in Balamb Gardens. Remember? ‘As long as friendship remains, each day is never a waste.’ Watts never wasted a day, right?" She asked curiously, wondering if Zone remembered that night.

Zone seemed to avoid the question as he walked away, shuffling his feet. Rinoa ran to catch up and shoved him. "Hey! C’mon Zone…"

Zone paused and turned to Rinoa, who was looking up to him with curiosity and awe. He turned his head away and leaned against a brick wall of a building. "So, is Squall taking care of you?" He asked after a long period of silence.

"Zone!" Rinoa complained loudly. "Why are you trying to avoid the subject? Is it the fact that Watts is dead? Or… or… that Squall loves me or something? I don’t understand! What happened to you the past year?" She furiously interrogated, planting her foot into the concrete ground. "I don’t care if it’s one in the morning or whatever, or that you need sleep, I just want one simple answer!"

Zone stared back at Rinoa for a moment, before locking his eyes on his shoes again. He dismissed her enraged questions with a wave and walked into the alley. Before he turned away, however, he whispered one thing to her.

"You don’t understand."