Laguna was familiar with the vagaries of time, with months that passed in moments, and moments that stretched into years. Since settling into his position here in Esthar, however, he'd felt confident that those irregularities were behind him.
Until Ellone found him again, that is. The girl had jumped from a ship and subjected herself to strenuous space travel just to reunite with him. Between the two of them, they managed to close a gap of seventeen years in a matter of weeks, laughing, crying, and reminiscing beneath a changeless sky that seemed to exist outside of time.
She told him of the years she spent in an orphanage, then on a ship, staying always on the move to avoid anyone who might seek to use her for her powers. She told him of the night Raine died, how Raine had called out for him, over and over, weak and delirious from the struggle of delivering her son – Laguna's son.
This revelation floored Laguna, literally. When he came to in the med lab, he felt hollow, as if someone had scooped out his heart. As he recalled what Ellone said, that Raine had called for him on her deathbed, the memory of his wife's voice echoed in his mind, and he sobbed loudly into his hands, unconcerned with the medical staff standing beside the bed.
He asked to see Ellone. When she arrived, he sat up and grasped her thin hands. "The boy," he said, his voice thick with tears, "m-myboy. Do you know where he is? Have you seen him lately?"
Ellone smiled. "Yes. And oh, Uncle Laguna, he looks so much like Raine!"
* * *
Back in his office, Laguna felt time crawl by. In a terrible instant, he'd lost track of Ellone again, and she'd fallen into enemy hands. He was not the man he used to be; he couldn't go dashing off to fight an entire army to save her, couldn't face the nemesis he'd been unable to destroy all those years ago. Instead, on suggestions from Kiros, Ward, and even Dr. Odine, he'd entrust Ellone's life and the future of the world to a bunch of teenage mercenaries, and a young sorceress caught up in the mess.
Kiros released the talk button on the radio and turned to him. "Well, that's done. Now we wait, and hope they trust us enough to show."
"Did you give 'em your name?" Laguna asked.
"Of course. When he heard it, the loud boy I was talking to got even more excited. A girl then came on the radio and said they'd need discuss it with their commander before making a decision."
"So, you think it's them?"
"Quite likely. If so, you know who their commander is, right?"
Laguna looked away. "Yeah. Elle said he was always the one in my head back then, too."
"Are you going to be all right?"
"Of course!" Laguna nodded vigorously. "The past is the past, done with, can't be changed. I'm sure he'll understand once I talk to him."
Kiros was silent for a moment. "You realize this boy's been through hell already?" he said. "And we'll be asking him to dive even deeper into it. Surely, you're not thinking of springing this information on him right away. Let these kids finish the mission, and then, if we all survive, you two can sort out your little family drama."
Laguna scratched the back of his head. "Well, yeah, that's what I was gonna do anyway. Wait till this is all over. No need to distract him. But ... you think he knows?"
"Hard to say. Those Garden kids are usually pretty sharp. We can only hope, for his sake, and the sake of the world, that he doesn't have all the pieces to this puzzle yet. Don't give him those pieces right now."
"No worries, man." Laguna rose from his chair. "Say, I need to stretch my legs. Call me if you hear from them."
Laguna stared out the window behind his desk at the city in chaos below. Since returning from the space station, he had been confined to the presidential palace, and it was killing him. He hoped those kids would accept the mission, as much for the sake of saving the world as for an excuse for him to leave the palace.
Kiros had received a report that the Ragnarok had landed at the Airstation, and now the three of them stood in silence, awaiting the SeeDs' arrival. Laguna faced away from the door, pretending to be absorbed in practicing a speech. He heard the doors slide open behind him, heard several pairs of footsteps cross the floor. Ward ran over to alert him to his visitors.
"Oh, sure," Laguna replied, and turned around.
Time stopped.
Ellone was right. Beneath strands of unruly brown hair, Raine's face looked back at him. It was a little younger, a little more angular along the jaw, more masculine, but the eyes were the same. Right now, they looked on him in disbelief, and maybe a bit of fear. Laguna felt his throat tighten, but he quickly blinked away his tears and forced a smile. "Hey there!" he called.
As he jogged around his desk, Laguna's eyes drifted from the boy to the girl standing at the boy's side, and he tensed. There was something about her, a resemblance. Memories flooded his mind unbidden, of sleek black hair and a smoky bar, of a melody played on a piano, and the scent of roses and wine.
Julia's girl would be about this age, Laguna thought, but pushed the notion aside and kept grinning. There would be time to think this over later, if these children succeeded. Time for confessions and explanations and reunions. Time for them to grow into a brighter future. And time for him to face each of his ghosts in turn.
He smiled wider. "Been wanting to meet you guys!" he said, and time began to move again.