Note: AU. This is my first ever fanfic. I do hope it would be worthwhile.
Summary: Squall left for Esthar where he and Selphie found out something about Seifer's disloyalty towards his fiance. Blackmailing the blond had been a fun work and falling in love was totally unexpected. Seifer found himself losing his and his father's deal in order to be with Squall.His sister's death was put to peace when he found himself a father willing to compensate for all his wrongs.
Chapter One
Torrents of water pour from the sky, ironically hiding tears of mourners muttering words of condolences. The bereaved figures of the two apparent mother and son
stood close to each other miserably drowning under the black umbrella.
Slowly, the crowd that was gathered just about scant moments ago found themselves trying to reach home simultaneously evading the drops of rain.
The quiet dispersal insinuates the start of the vanishing of the figments of memories of the respected departed.
The vast area of the now soaked cemetery resembles a swamp of tombstones and dead hopes. The trees surrounding the place seem to grow much
larger as every minute seem to be darker. Swayed by the strong wind, the branches seem to be giving out news that the abode of death has once again accommodated another tenant. Statues of angels and other images guarded the forgotten caskets andputrid bodies slowly being eaten by maggots and what like.
Soon,his sister would be eaten up, too.
Squall looked longingly at the damp loose earth in front of him secretly waiting for her sister's arm to pop out and drag him to
her new home beneath the ground.
At the age of ten, the only friend he has was his sister, Ellone. He's always been the loner not wanting to playwith anyone but himself and occasionally with his sister. Eight years of gap made Ellone the perfect image of a sister. Although Squall wasof the strange liking and interest, it only made Ellone feel rather satisfied to have his little brother close to her. Now that the loving sister is gone, the harsh reality of true loneliness threatens his now sorrowful state.
"Mom?" he asked his mother while tugging the woman's coat.
"Yes, dear?" she replied, hastily brushing the tears that stained her cheeksby the back of his gloved hand. Trying hard to decipher the meaning of his mother's forced smile, he sighed and gave out a pout.
It's in his nature to think over about even the tiniest of matters and it helped develop his IQ.
"Ell's never gonna come back, is she?" Raine sobbed loudly upon hearing the silly statement. Innocence can be quite harsh when dealing with emotions. Her daughter was one f the most cherished treasures she has and having lost her felt like losing half of her life.
It aches just to think about not hearing the lady's soothing voice anymore. Besides, she's been the only one to console her about his husband. Keeping it a secret from Squall would still be for a while and she can still manage to keep it having Squall not interested in the matter. Calming herself a little, she knelt down in front of his son and stroked the damp chocolate locks of Squall hair.
"No, dear..." she trailed off breaking into sobs again.
"Never..." she managed, and pulled Squall into a tight embrace.
"Squall dear, the phone's ringing." Raine called out from the kitchen.
The sweet aroma of pancakes waffling in the air made him feel more at home than ever. It was his 18th birthday and probably his last day in Deling City. He'll be heading to Esthar this afternoon together with his friend, Selphie.
He luckily passed the scholarship exam in the Esthar University and will be taking up Culinary Arts as his course. Although a bit vocational, he's doing this to carry on his mother's frustration of becoming a chef cook. His aunt Quistis owns a lot of hotels and restaurants and has been crazy dreaming of having him as one of his cook.
The woman loves him enough to let him and Selphie stay for the rest of their college years with her and give them the assured jobs after graduating.
It took a long time to convince him to stay with her. He hates privileges especially when he hadn't even done any worthy doings to receive such offer. He never indulge to any luxury unless it's from his own blood and sweat. Although after a bit of coaxing and requesting to work as waiters on one of her establishments instead, the deal was on.
"Squall, phone please." her mother called out again. He's been packing his thing for his departure and although happy to have to experience more than this suburban town, he never cease to worry about his mother. His aunt Edea will be coming over to take his place together with his son, Aldrich. Her mother can't leave because of their business and she never really liked Esthar saying men out there are pure evil. He never took seriously, though. It was just his mother's excuse to help Squall learn to be independent.
He zipped his luggage close and head towards the living room. He'll miss the house, the bright rooms and the furniture, the wooden floor and the family pictures; it was just his perfect haven.
He gave out a sigh and greeted the caller, "Morning, Squall here." Squeals of excitement made him distance the phone from his ear. Frowning, he again put the receiver back to his ear only to distance it again as the shrill voice rocked his head out,
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SQUALLY!!" Scoffing yet again, he gently tugged the phone close to his now violated ear, "Hell, Selph keep that up and I'll hang up on you forever." A soft chuckle tickled his ear proceeded by an apology.
"Sorry, Squally I'm just excited." She giggled.
'You always are'he thought to himself. The ball of energy must have had chocolates for breakfast. Not wanting to discuss anything, he waited for her to state whatever she has in mind. He was never fit to the role of an interviewer nor the interviewee. He always found the pleasure of just listening or maybe not caring at all. "I can't wait to have your mom's pancakes! And oh and oh!" she once again gave out a never ending giggle. Squall rolled his eye as if to expect another long nonsense blabber. "I'm all packed! See you in a while and I love you, grumpy butt!" she said as if sensing some bad vibration about Squall's mood.
'Thank, God that was just that.' He never expected it to be quite short of a talk. He then went to the kitchen to help his mom. It was his last day and he'll be gone for a long while before visiting. He woke up with his mom's embrace and pecks on his cheek. He never expected his last day to be quite sweet like that. He entered the small room of their kitchen with heavy lids. The brightness of the room was blinding and the big window across the room was widely open to accommodate more light. The view outside captured the image of the sea gently having the variation of colours as the waves reflect the rays of the sun, the sea gulls were up above the vast expanse of water settling for their early lunch.
Looking away from the serene scenery, he found his mom setting the last piece of pancake on a plate.
"Squall, I told you to wait for me in the table, didn't I?" the gentle woman said. Her face never ceases to smile even in the most stressing days they have encountered. The whole mother role embraces her perfectly.
He felt bad about leaving, but to leave is to save them both from the threats of poverty. They share the gene of refusing any help from anyone unless they both worked for it. Having their own bakery and working as clerk on their mayor's office won't let them live the way he wanted to.
He heard his mom crying just last night and it took him less than a minute to find himself sleeping in his mom's room. The only way to show how much he loved the woman was to care. He nodded his agreement to his mom but before he could walk away, her mom called him back. Walking towards Squall, she held out her arms to welcome Squall into an embrace. Squall did so. Blinking back her tears, she remembered the time when she last hugged her boy. That was the burial of Ellone, but instead of saying 'Never..' she smiled.
Suppressing all the agony of being left, she muttered, "Happy Birthday."
To be Continued..
Note:I would like to know how I did for my first fanfic chapter. I do hope you liked it. Seifer isn't in the story yet, but the next chapter would be stating his condition. Anyways, I would really appreciate reviews.
