The tall blond SeeD, Quistis, stumbled over to Squall with a sigh of relief, "Thank the GFs your awake! Zell is loosing alot of blood, he's lost alot already, magic won't work on him. We need to get back to the garden anyway."

Shaking his head and standing up, Squall began to walk over to Zell. Quistis followed closely behind him. 'Is this what is going to happen? Zell is going to die and we're all going to sit around moping. Then we'll go on and more missions will come. God knows we'll never find Rinoa again... I don't think so.' He shook his head, small specks of dust flying from his hair, and lifted Zell. He threw the boy over his shoulder and grimaced at the weight. He could feel the dampness of the fellow SeeD's blood, staining the white fur lining his jacket.

Quistis quickly pointed to the way out and followed Squall as he headed through a large door. 'Funny, I don't remember that door being there last time we where here.' Squall thought as he looked at the third door he, Quistis, and Zell had just emerged from. The third door had appeared in the middle of the two doors that had previously been behind the counter. Though as soon as Quistis walked through it, the door was gone.

They caught a train to Balamb, it wasn't long they had to watch the streaks of green, blue, and other colors fly past. They were quickly on the road from the small seaside town to the Garden. They stopped as soon as they walked in close range of the garden. The garden inhabitants ran wild. Small duels took place everywhere, except there was something different.

Squall watched silently as a tall girl with double blades was forced into a wall, her dueling partner, with blood running down his back, winced and stabbed the girl through her stomach. The man, bloody from his fight looked up and saw Squall. "We're being attacked!" He panted trying to regain his breath.

Squall looked around cautiously, he didn't see anything out of place amidst the fighting students, who were out of place themselves. Squall stood inches from walking through the garden gates, watching what was going on inside.

Quistis hurried to the man, frantically, "What do you mean we are being attacked? Why is everyone out training today?" Quistis looked at him concerned, "You just KILLED that girl!"

The man shook his head, "No, we are being attacked by each other! Everyone's fighting each other... No one knows whats happened to the headmaster! We can't get up to his office, and the last thing I heard, some girl.... uh... Xu! Yeah, Xu had something to do with it." the man stood up straight, a large cut over his right eye and shrugged. "I don't know her, but everyone thinks that maybe she has the headmaster."

Quistis leaned forward, "Everyone?"

"Well, everyone on our side. Half the garden started-just- attcking us suddenly! We can't seem to find out much about what's going on. All I know is that they had simply just decided to destroy garden."

Quistis cocked an eyebrow, and glanced at Squall nodded to Zell. "Oh... We need to get to the informary, it's an emergancy."

The man looked at Zell, and wrinkled his brow in confusion, "Is he dead?"

"No but he will be, soon." Squall slid into the conversation quietly.

Quistis frowned and shot the man a hopeful expression.

The man nodded, "Us people, still garden faithful- We've kept the Infirmary safe. Come with me and you'll get in ok." the man ran off, while Quistis followed closely behind (Squall, struggling with Zell's weight, took his time and slowly trudged into the garden-not terribly far behind.)

Quistis frowned as Squall approached the entrance, "I didn't think it would be this hard to tow him around for a while." Zell unconsiously made a sound, Squall rolled his eyes, 'Did he just growl?'

As they entered the tall complex, Quistis was hit in the side by and older SeeD. He began to attack her with his out-dated gun. The man they had been followed motioned for Squall to follow him. Sighing, he followed.

They miraculously reached the infirmary without battle. The man seemed to be well-known, for they got in without disturbance.

Dr. Kadowaki swiveled to face them as they entered the facility, "Squall, why I am I not surprised?"

Squall's, already perminant, frown deepened as he gestured to Zell.

The man who had helped Squall to the infirmary, hurried over to Squall, as Dr. Kadowaki tended to Zell in one of the smaller rooms from the office. The broad smile on his face said he was friendly, he nodded and extended his hand, "My name is Nida."

"..." Squall eyed the man named 'Nida' cautiously. He was fair in height, he looked like an all around average guy.

"I pilot, heh, I'm good with all kinds of things! If you need any help, call me!" he tapped his foot and frowned slightly, "Eh... You aren't much for talking, are ya?" he shook his head, "Nah."

Quistis wondered into the Infirmary, "It currently looks like were in war with ourselves." she rolled her eyes and looked to Nida, "I still don't understand, how could Xu have possibly had anything to do with this?" she shook her head.

Nida nodded, "Well, ya see... For a while there was a garden exchange student here, her name was Waruitenshi, she was a bit popular with the guys." a few drops of sweat ran down Nida's brow. "She hung around Xu alot, and she hung around with...you! Yeah, we saw her following you around a few times." the man glanced up at Squall. "She was a pretty one, well... When she disappeared- You know Xu's high status effects lot of the students- Xu just began to turn SeeDs against the garden." He shrugged "I don't understand it myself."

The man leaned against the wall, sighing. "It seems she's been collecting followers... for something, for quite a while now... I always did wonder why she was so popular." A thoughtful expression crossed Nida's face.

"How long have I been out?" A familiar voice slipped into the conversation.

Everyone turned to see a blond boy standing in a doorway, his black scare, looking like a vine, covered part of his face, Dr. Kadowaki stood close behind him. He smiled as everyone turned to him, he walked twords them, stumbling slightly.

"Zell! You're up! Are you ok?" Quistis rushed forward.

Zell nodded slightly and took a seat, "So what's going on?"

They explained what they new to Zell, without detail and hurried on to other issues.

"What about Selphie and Irvine?" his voice slightly changed from it's original tone, everyone turned to look at Squall.

Nida's face grew grim, and he shrugged. "I don't really know them."

Quistis went into deep thought, "They are probably alive... They're around here somewhere. Someone should go look." she turned to Squall, obviously she intended on interrogating for further information.

The sounds of battle were dying down, slightly. Selphie tryed to hold her head up, to see where she was going. Her usually wildly-curled hair was limp and tangeled. She had lost her nunchaku previously in her battle with some much stronger SeeDs. She stumbled forward and fell face-flat on the floor of the library. Books were scattered all over the floors. torn and ripped pages litered the floor as well as blood and other various items.

The lights were not working and her vision was blurred. She could just barely make out what she was looking at. She realized she was staring at a thick black object. A few inches from it, was another just like it. The 'thing's' awkward shape gave Selphie no clue what it was, in her jumbled thoughts. It moved. The right object tapped, and Selphie looked up. "Squall... Is that you?" her tear-streaked face amde her look like a sad, limp, puppet.

Squall offered a hand to help her up, to his suprise she just shuttered and began crying. "Irvy... He needs help! Quick... He's ok, he just needs some help!" the brown-haired girl shook her head. "He needs help!... Help him Squall..."

Squall stepped backwards awkwardly, feeling much more than uncomfortable, "Where is Irvine?"

The small SeeD looked up at him, "I will show you.." She drifted off, and lifted herself from the floor. She stumbled along the hallways as Squall followed closely behind. She lead him to the Quad, a large platform down twords the front was half caved in. There were more dead people here, then there had been in previous rooms. This had been a large fight.

Selphie choked on the word she was about to say and just pointed at the platform. She managed herself to the platform where she fell to the ground. Squall looked at her, exhaustion. She had collapsed of exhaustion.

The dark-haired SeeD lifted pieces of the platform and shifted others, he finally lifted one of the closest to the bottom. 'If he's below here, there's a chance he didn't make it...' He lifted the board with a great deal of force and couldn't help but gawk at what lay below it.

His body didn't look right. Perhaps it was too out of place in the stillness. It wasn't like him to be so quiet. So... still. His hat was gone, exposing his long hair, out of it's tie in the back. His long coat was torn and singed in places. A large red puddle of blood surrounded him. There was no way Irvine could have survived losing that much blood. No way.

"Did you find him!?"

Squall turned around quickly to see Quistis and Nida come running his way.

"How'd you know where I was?" Squall glanced suspiciously.

Nida shrugged, "It's not a big deal." He looked at Irvine's body and jumped, " Damn! I haven't seen that much of anything red, sense I poured a bucket of red paint on instructor Trepe last year..." He stared at the blood.

Quistis fumed, "So it was YOU who did that!?" the blond SeeD narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Do you even KNOW how much moeny it was to get that stuff OFF of my uniform!? That was not funny!"

The man frowned, "Ehhh... Those Trepie Groupies are pretty evil when you get to know them!"

"You should know." Quistis put on a haugty face and stuck her nose in the air.

Squall hardened his stare at the two and they got the picture. Nida quickly rushed over to the doll-like girl SeeD, he lifted Selphie and left.

Quistis checked Irvine's pulse. "Nothing." Quistis choked, "You grab his hands I'll take his feet." She lifted his to feet and nodded twords his head.

The dark-haired SeeD grabbed both hands and pulled up. Irvine, now hung like a hammock between Squall and Quistis, dripped blood slowly onto the floor as the two SeeDs carried him to the Infirmary. They took around fifteen minutes to get to the Infirmary, with Irvine's weight, they had to dimiss all the odd looks they recieved carrying him like this.

[ flashback ]

The large feild in front of the orphanage was filled with the laughter of children. All of the children where very young. A girl with shiny blond hair chased a small boy with dark brown hair, "If I tag you, you're it!" the girl yelled as she continued her chase.

The small boy stumbled and collided with another boy, a bit taller than himself. The other boy fell and hit his leg on a rock. "Ouch!"

The small dark-haired boy who had run into him stood up and offered a hand to help him get up as well. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it! It was an accident!"

"It's ok." the taller boy started to lift himself but fell back down quickly, sighing. "It hurts to bad to stand on, I'll wait a minute."

The blond girl ran up to them, "You need to go see the matron!"

"I can't get up," the boy looked up at her and made an attempt to sheild his eyes from the sun's bright rays.

The girl smiled and nodded to the dark-haired boy, reponsible for the collision, "If you can't walk, by yourself," she began, "we'll just have to carry you!"

The Girl grabbed the tall boys feet while the short dark-haired boy grabbed his hands. Hanging uncomfortably, the tall boy began to laugh hysterically as the other two carried him back to the matron.

[ end flashback ]

Squall stared at Irvine's limp body in silence 'What was that about? I thought I knew those kids...' He looked at Quistis who was lead the way into the infirmary, backwards, with Irvine's feet.

I thought this was the really sappy Irvine+Selphie chpater, but to my great surprised, as I was scanning through and removing codes I was graced to something of the equivilent of: "What was that? is everyone alright? YOU JUST KILLED THAT GIRL!" ... o_o

That's hilarious.

They layed him on a bed assigned by the Doctor and walked into the room beside it, to see Selphie asleep in bed. The blond SeeD shook her head as Zell walked in behind them, "When will this all make sense?"

"..." Squall stared at Selphie. What would happen to her if Irvine was dead, and unable to be revived? Squall shook the thoughts from his head and walked into the office and took a seat, waiting for the doctor to return. The other two SeeDs soon joined him, all three forgot about Nida's help, Xu's betrayal to garden, and anything else. They sat in silence.

Dr. Kadowaki entered the office with a sorrowful expression. She took a seat at her desk and faced the three of them. "I'm sorry... There's nothing that can be done about your friend..." she looked down at her clipboard, "Kinneas was dead-maybe two hours before you all found him." She looked up at them, "I'm sorry to say that he is beyond treatment... pheonix down... all of that magic... none of it works. He is dead." She wiped her right eye quickly. "He died valiant."

Quistis gripped the handels of her seat tightly, trying to release the anger without a scene. She could feel herself begin to cry, though. Even if he was a bit girl crazy.. Even id he was a bit dense.. He was still Irvine. 'Now he is dead.'

The blond girl left the room to check on Selphie again. She saw Selphie sitting up in her bed, the moon offering little light into her room. Selphie looked up as she saw Quistis approach. "Is..Is..Is-he-Is he ok?" She stuttered.

"He died valiantly." Quistis's frown deepened as she saw Selphie break into tears. Not knowing what to do, the blond SeeD re-entered the office, quietly and took her seat.

Zell was the first to speak, "Is she awake?" he looked at Quistis with concern.

Quistis frowned even deeper, "Yes.. Selphie's crying..."