(Well, if you remember back a bit, I posted a trilogy dealing with Laguna and his newfound fatherhood. I originally wasn't going to write another story, but some of you asked me too and I had a change of heart. So it's not the most original idea, but I like my spin on the idea. Feel free to review, good or bad, but I'd prefer constructive criticism to flames. Enjoy what is now the final story in my series; this one taking place after the game.)
No More Regrets
by §pirit Lovelorn
*flashback*
"Uncle Laguna, there's something you really need to know-"
"You have a son-"
"I sent people's consciousnesses into your past-"
"I sent your son, Squall, into you-"
"He looks just like Raine-"
"He has her eyes."
*end of flashback*
With a sudden jolt, Laguna sat up in his bed, sweat beading on his forehead. It was another dream. Memories of the past months plagued his thoughts. He had just found out that he was the father of a seventeen-year-old boy. Ellone, his surrogate daughter who he had not seen for the last seventeen years, had revealed this to him during their reunion. Shortly after, Laguna met his son. This encounter did not turn out well.
*flashback*
"You can't be my father." Squall looked away from him. "You just can't."
"Squall-"
"No, Laguna Loire!" Squall's voice had raised considerably. "How dare you expect me to believe that you are my father when you have never bothered with me my entire life?"
*end of flashback*
The following morning, Kiros Seagill, Laguna's longtime friend and trusted advisor, walked into the Presidential office to lay the day's itinerary on the desk before the President arrived for work. To his surprise, Laguna was already there.
"Ah, Laguna, aren't you here a little earlier than usual?" he asked
"Couldn't sleep, so I decided to pass a few new laws instead," the green-eyed man replied. "Coffee?"
"You've been stressing over your son, haven't you?"
"You know, we really oughtta give more funding to the space program so they can rebuild the Lunar Base-"
"Laguna!"
"You saw how he reacted!" Laguna cried. "He was so angry and unforgiving. It'd be better to just leave him alone."
"You know that's not true," Kiros said. "The boy might be stubborn, but I'm sure if you explain things to him, he'll understand."
"Do you really think so?"
"Ask yourself," Kiros looked straight into Laguna's eyes, "do you really want to miss any more of your son's life? Do you want to lose your last tie to Raine?"
Then it hit Laguna. Squall was Raine *and* Laguna's child. *Their* child. He already regretted losing his wife, but he didn't want to look back someday and regret missing the chance to know his son.
"Kiros, can I trust you to look after the country for a few days?" he asked his friend.
"Of course," Kiros answered. "Shall I have an airship ready for you when you're done collecting your things?"
"Can you? Thanks." Laguna got out of his chair and ran to the door. "Can you notify Headmaster Cid and tell him that I'm coming for a visit, but not to tell Squall."
Kiros nodded and Laguna stumbled out the door.
*****
Laguna paced around the office of the Garden headmaster, trying to keep his leg from cramping. Squall was due any minute now; Headmaster Cid had said they could talk privately there. Laguna heard the ping of the elevator bell and a wave of nausea swept over him. The door swung open a few seconds later and Squall walked in.
"Laguna?" He seemed mildly surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"...I...c-came here t-to talk to you..."
"Oh," Squall frowned.
"I know you hate me for not being there-"
"-I don't necessarily hate you-"
"But you're angry," Laguna pointed out. "I owe you an explanation."
"Who made you come here?" Squall didn't really seem to want to talk.
"...Kiros," Laguna admitted, "but he said some things that made me realize I had to make peace with you."
"You said you didn't know until recently?" Squall asked.
"True," Laguna nodded. "When your mother died, all the information I received was a letter saying she died and that Ellone was in safe hands. They never told me she had a baby or where they sent Elle. Damn it, I wish I had paid attention when they chose me as leader of Esthar!"
Laguna leaned against the wall and ran a hand through his hair. "I'll be honest, kid. I regret a lot of things. I had a few gains, but they never make up for everything I missed out on."
"Well...if you weren't the President of Esthar, you wouldn't have come up with the plan to stop Ultimecia..."
"I also would have been there when your mother died," Laguna said. "She must have been so scared, sick and alone-"
"Do you really have to regret anything?" Squall interrupted. "I've been told that my destiny was to lead SeeD against the sorceress. I'm not really sure if I can believe in fate, but... Don't have any regrets, Lag- Dad. I'm sure Mom wouldn't want it that way."
"Dad? So this means you're not angry any more?"
"I don't think I ever was, really," Squall said. "Just frustrated. It's kind of a shock to find out your father is still alive."
"How about being told you've been a father for seventeen years?" Laguna chuckled a little and hugged his son. "I won't be missing anymore of your life."
"I know, Dad, I know..."
Laguna straightened up and sniffed. "I'm not really good with the sentimental stuff."
"Neither am I," Squall said. "Like father, like son, I guess."
"Actually, you act a lot more like your mother," Laguna told him.
"I do?"
"Yeah." Laguna grinned a bit. "Ward was right; it's a good thing you don't look like me. You do look a lot like her."
"Can I hear a bit about your adventures and Mom?" Squall asked. "I've seen some of it, thanks to Sis, but I'd like to know more about where I came from."
"Sure thing. I'll tell you 'bout your mom first, because she was unlike any other..."
For the next few hours, Laguna gave Squall a detailed account of his time with Raine, from the day he was carried into Winhill, to his proposal under the moonlight, to the day he left to find Ellone, neither Raine nor Laguna knowing yet that they were expectant parents. He felt sense of peace telling his son his cherished memories. There would be no more regrets from now on.
*****
(And that ends my Laguna and Squall stories. Right now, I'm in the middle of a long term story, Scars of Revenge and there are a bunch of other stories I have in the works. If you like this kind of stuff, I would seriously reccommend anything from Kayte.)
No More Regrets
by §pirit Lovelorn
*flashback*
"Uncle Laguna, there's something you really need to know-"
"You have a son-"
"I sent people's consciousnesses into your past-"
"I sent your son, Squall, into you-"
"He looks just like Raine-"
"He has her eyes."
*end of flashback*
With a sudden jolt, Laguna sat up in his bed, sweat beading on his forehead. It was another dream. Memories of the past months plagued his thoughts. He had just found out that he was the father of a seventeen-year-old boy. Ellone, his surrogate daughter who he had not seen for the last seventeen years, had revealed this to him during their reunion. Shortly after, Laguna met his son. This encounter did not turn out well.
*flashback*
"You can't be my father." Squall looked away from him. "You just can't."
"Squall-"
"No, Laguna Loire!" Squall's voice had raised considerably. "How dare you expect me to believe that you are my father when you have never bothered with me my entire life?"
*end of flashback*
The following morning, Kiros Seagill, Laguna's longtime friend and trusted advisor, walked into the Presidential office to lay the day's itinerary on the desk before the President arrived for work. To his surprise, Laguna was already there.
"Ah, Laguna, aren't you here a little earlier than usual?" he asked
"Couldn't sleep, so I decided to pass a few new laws instead," the green-eyed man replied. "Coffee?"
"You've been stressing over your son, haven't you?"
"You know, we really oughtta give more funding to the space program so they can rebuild the Lunar Base-"
"Laguna!"
"You saw how he reacted!" Laguna cried. "He was so angry and unforgiving. It'd be better to just leave him alone."
"You know that's not true," Kiros said. "The boy might be stubborn, but I'm sure if you explain things to him, he'll understand."
"Do you really think so?"
"Ask yourself," Kiros looked straight into Laguna's eyes, "do you really want to miss any more of your son's life? Do you want to lose your last tie to Raine?"
Then it hit Laguna. Squall was Raine *and* Laguna's child. *Their* child. He already regretted losing his wife, but he didn't want to look back someday and regret missing the chance to know his son.
"Kiros, can I trust you to look after the country for a few days?" he asked his friend.
"Of course," Kiros answered. "Shall I have an airship ready for you when you're done collecting your things?"
"Can you? Thanks." Laguna got out of his chair and ran to the door. "Can you notify Headmaster Cid and tell him that I'm coming for a visit, but not to tell Squall."
Kiros nodded and Laguna stumbled out the door.
*****
Laguna paced around the office of the Garden headmaster, trying to keep his leg from cramping. Squall was due any minute now; Headmaster Cid had said they could talk privately there. Laguna heard the ping of the elevator bell and a wave of nausea swept over him. The door swung open a few seconds later and Squall walked in.
"Laguna?" He seemed mildly surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"...I...c-came here t-to talk to you..."
"Oh," Squall frowned.
"I know you hate me for not being there-"
"-I don't necessarily hate you-"
"But you're angry," Laguna pointed out. "I owe you an explanation."
"Who made you come here?" Squall didn't really seem to want to talk.
"...Kiros," Laguna admitted, "but he said some things that made me realize I had to make peace with you."
"You said you didn't know until recently?" Squall asked.
"True," Laguna nodded. "When your mother died, all the information I received was a letter saying she died and that Ellone was in safe hands. They never told me she had a baby or where they sent Elle. Damn it, I wish I had paid attention when they chose me as leader of Esthar!"
Laguna leaned against the wall and ran a hand through his hair. "I'll be honest, kid. I regret a lot of things. I had a few gains, but they never make up for everything I missed out on."
"Well...if you weren't the President of Esthar, you wouldn't have come up with the plan to stop Ultimecia..."
"I also would have been there when your mother died," Laguna said. "She must have been so scared, sick and alone-"
"Do you really have to regret anything?" Squall interrupted. "I've been told that my destiny was to lead SeeD against the sorceress. I'm not really sure if I can believe in fate, but... Don't have any regrets, Lag- Dad. I'm sure Mom wouldn't want it that way."
"Dad? So this means you're not angry any more?"
"I don't think I ever was, really," Squall said. "Just frustrated. It's kind of a shock to find out your father is still alive."
"How about being told you've been a father for seventeen years?" Laguna chuckled a little and hugged his son. "I won't be missing anymore of your life."
"I know, Dad, I know..."
Laguna straightened up and sniffed. "I'm not really good with the sentimental stuff."
"Neither am I," Squall said. "Like father, like son, I guess."
"Actually, you act a lot more like your mother," Laguna told him.
"I do?"
"Yeah." Laguna grinned a bit. "Ward was right; it's a good thing you don't look like me. You do look a lot like her."
"Can I hear a bit about your adventures and Mom?" Squall asked. "I've seen some of it, thanks to Sis, but I'd like to know more about where I came from."
"Sure thing. I'll tell you 'bout your mom first, because she was unlike any other..."
For the next few hours, Laguna gave Squall a detailed account of his time with Raine, from the day he was carried into Winhill, to his proposal under the moonlight, to the day he left to find Ellone, neither Raine nor Laguna knowing yet that they were expectant parents. He felt sense of peace telling his son his cherished memories. There would be no more regrets from now on.
*****
(And that ends my Laguna and Squall stories. Right now, I'm in the middle of a long term story, Scars of Revenge and there are a bunch of other stories I have in the works. If you like this kind of stuff, I would seriously reccommend anything from Kayte.)