Title: Enemy of My Enemy
Summary: Squall never thought being a knight was going to be easy, just easier. But protecting Rinoa is becoming progressively more complicated. And to protect Rinoa, he must also protect himself. But with threats menacing over Garden that too will be difficult.
Timeline: Post Final Fantasy VIII game by probably a few months, couldn't be logically longer than a year.
Genre: Angst/Romance –Squall and Rinoa, no slash. My viewpoint is that Seifer and Squall are in a giant pissing contest, and Seifer just happens to be the child of the two. Don't burn me for not writing slash, and I won't get on your case for writing it. Truce people, truce!
By: L. Psuedonym
Here is my first Final Fantasy VIII fanfiction. I'm not much of a fluff writer or of a fan-girl-istic writer. My goal is keeping the characters in, well, character, while telling stories that could potentially take place before, after, and during the original Final Fantasy VIII. I hope that everyone enjoys the following tale! It takes place POST game. Clearly.
Final Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Final Fantasy –that's all Square Enix. I merely embellished it for amusement's sake alone.
Chapter 1:
"Rinoa... Even if you end up as the world's enemy, I'll...I'll be your knight..."
—Squall
An abrasively loud KA-BOOM shattered the peaceful silence of the surrounding foliage, followed by a curt yelp. Birds collided with each other in an attempt to escape the adjacent trees.
Squall grimaced, and pinched the bridge of his nose exasperatedly, despondently taking in the scene in front of him.
Rinoa was sitting on her butt, where she had been promptly thrown after attempting to control Thundaga. Grass and leaves stuck out of her hair. Her bottom lip stuck out as she made a stubborn pout.
"Well?" She asked, glaring up at her knight. Her pout intensified.
"I told you; you need to focus much harder if you want to be able to control magic with…accuracy." Squall knew he was in trouble before the words even came out of his mouth. Teaching women, he imagined, was much like living with them: it was always your fault. It was definitely easier to be alone…but no longer preferable.
Rinoa stood up, decisively brushing off her clothing. "I AM focusing….Maybe I'm not cut out for this sorceress business…" [She could very well be right about that.]
Missing his cue to be encouraging, Squall sighed. "Let's try again-"
"Can't I take ONE break?"
"…." The knight hesitated. "Okay…I suppose it couldn't hurt. We've been out here for a few hours now."
Rinoa plopped to the ground before he was even done speaking and sprawled herself in the grass. Her eyes closed and she sighed.
Squall studied her with thoughtful eyes. How could someone who loved naps this much be so threatening that most of the world wanted to kill her? She could barely wield Thundaga safely, let alone use serious magic.
Apparently, being a sorceress with mystical powers was not innate. He wouldn't go so far as to say that defeating Ultimecia was purely luck, but luck may have had something to do with it.
However, Rinoa had to learn how to control the more powerful magic spells, almost instinctively. She needed to be able to defend herself…and well. If something happened to him….
[Bad thoughts].
He knew that she had finally gotten herself into the type of trouble that being cute wouldn't spare her from. Being a sorceress was no laughing matter. And although the dark-haired girl acted like it was just another game, he knew she was trapped and frightened. She didn't dare give up her powers to someone who could potentially abuse them. But she didn't dare trust herself too much either.
Every now and then, when she got really stressed or angry, she would react more aggressively than usual. Or accidentally damage property with an unintentional spell gone awry. It was a matter of time until she accidentally killed someone or hurt herself.
She needed this training. [This is nothing compared to what it will be like to teach her the truth about Guardian Forces and their abilities…Although does a sorceress really need a Guardian Force?]
Leaning against a tree, Squall set his head back against the trunk and soaked up the warm sun through the filter of the leaves. It was a beautiful day outside, at least that helped. Last thing he wanted to do was hear her whine about the rain too… [Women].
Restless, the young SeeD commander didn't lean against the tree long. His anxiety over Rinoa kept him motivated.
"Let's continue," he pressed, pushing away from the tree.
Rinoa let out an audible groan of disapproval.
"We'll quit soon, just one more hour," Squall finally encouraged.
Standing up, Rinoa took her stance, glaring determinedly at the straw mannequin propped up on a stick.
Squall cast shell and braced himself for the tragedy….
-0-
"Sooooooooooo you've been so quiet! How did I do?" Rinoa asked bouncily, practically jogging to keep up with Squall's lengthy legs as they were walking back to his apartment.
"You still need more focus," he admonished rather briskly. [on the bright side, I only used Shell about 20 times, conservatively. That's better than last week- ]
Rinoa stopped walking and ducked her head. Her firsts clenched at her side. "That's all you have to say?" She asked, disheartened.
Squall paused and turned around. Cocking his head slightly to the side to observe her disposition, he sighed reluctantly. "You're doing alright other than that. Magic isn't easy to master….but I think you're almost ready for the training center." He was surprised at how much easier it was to be encouraging to her than to others.
Rinoa looked up with a huge grin. "Okay!"
Squall gave her a poor excuse for a smile –reminisce of someone constipated, and started walking.
That was enough for Rinoa, She was more less immune to Squall's chill, which seemed to follow him everywhere he went. It was enough to send subordinates running, but Rinoa found it funny, much to the young man's chagrin.
Lately he had gotten worse, too. Having been promoted to a commander at such a young age, he seemed determined to prove his competency. Apparently this meant, he couldn't be too friendly with anyone.
But while Rinoa was immune to Squall's chilly personality, he was hardly immune to her sunshine. It didn't quite seem fair.
"Oi Squall!" A loud voice from down the sidewalk made him cringe. A blonde man with a black, intricate tattoo on his cheek bone bounded up, punching the air.
"Zell." Squall's tone made a graveyard seem animated.
"Yeah, hey man. They sent me to come and get you right away!" He saluted energetically.
"Whose "they"?" Squall asked with an inner sigh. Rinoa just started humming behind him, rocking back on her feet.
"Xu. And some others. They said it was important."
"Whatever."
"Uh…" Zell added worriedly, "Aren't you going to go see what they want?"
"Momentarily." Squall winced, thankfully unnoticeably. He could feel a headache starting at his temples, pressing unstoppably towards his forehead. "Do you know anything about what they want?"
Zell thought for a moment. "Not…really. No wait maybe I doooooooooooooo –no, no I don't. Sorry." The blonde shrugged.
Before he could stop himself, Squall found his forehead smacking into his palm.
-0-
Esthar was a small country, at least when compared to Galbadia. This had not always been the case. At a point in time, in an unforgotten (but unspoken of) history, Esthar had been powerful and strong, ruled under the iron first of Sorceress Adel. In a war later to be recalled as the Sorceress War, Esthar attacked Galbadia…but Galbadia had fought back. In an unfortunate series of mishaps, Galbadia became impressively strong and Sorceress Adel found herself bound and helpless, her powers frozen, encased in a tomb of sorts. And Galbadia became a dominant power.
With Adel frozen, peace began to creep back between the two countries.
However, in all of the celebrating, one thing had not been accounted for: a man had devoted himself to Adel, to be her knight. The attraction was not so much physical as it was an attraction to raw power. Love had never had a place in their relationship.
She had been dominating, physically and mentally.
He had been accepting, humbled in her presence by force.
But although weak against Adel, he was still a considerable force against any other man.
And he was still alive.
The powerful man's green eyes narrowed angrily, a flash igniting within them. A fury.
Laguna. This was his entire fault –his and that brat, Ellone's.
Laguna, in a desperate attempt to spare Ellone from becoming Adel's beneficiary, had stopped at nothing to find her and rescue the girl. Pulling out all of the stops, Adel's imprisonment had ultimately been his doing, as he had come to the realization that he could not kill her.
But she had been killed. Squall had killed her. Laguna's scrawny, misbegotten son, who only recently had realized who he was, and only recently found himself thrown into a position of authority.
When Adel had junctioned Rinoa, stealing her strength and life, Squall had been pissed –and that had been a severe understatement. Finishing off Adel with a blasting zone, the young SeeD thought that he had killed both Rinoa and Adel, but Rinoa had lived leaving a fatally wounded Adel no choice but to pass on her powers to the black-haired girl.
What followed these events was history. The commander of Balamb Garden was also Rinoa's knight, her protector.
Many wanted to kill the girl out right, or at the least contain her. Memories of Adel's cruel, merciless rule over Esthar had not been forgotten. Adel had been ruthless, and many feared that little Rinoa may become something sinister. No one knew the ultimate effects of sorceress magic on the sorceress, how it changed them over their prolonged life.
The man from Esthar sneered. Rinoa's knight had taken her to Balamb Garden, enclosing her in it to keep her safe from harm. Balamb was one of the strongest Gardens, nearly impenetrable now.
He had contemplated breeching it's security many times…
He could kill Laguna, but that was no longer a priority accomplishment. Laguna's time was coming to an end. And regardless, klling Laguna would not be a very good method of revenge. The man was completely altruistic, nearly to the point of having a hero complex. He would rather die than live in the knowledge that someone else had to die.
Although…
…. it had been Squall who had killed Adel.
But there was no breeching Balamb Garden. Security was at its max, and even so much as threatening Squall Lionhart in those facilities would result in his death, even if he managed to kill the commander as well. And Rinoa, cornered and angry in those facilities, could prove much more volatile than even she probably realized, seeing her knight in distress. Adel's powers were crushing, brutal. If she could harness and manage a tenth of Adel's power, she would be absolutely formidable.
A sane person probably would have given up….Attempting to kill a legendary SeeD –and a knight at that, in the presence of his pissed off and inexperienced sorceress was bound to end in failure, almost suicidal.
Then again, if he had been sane, he would have never approached Adel in the first place. She had not chosen him; he had chosen her. Her acceptance had revolved more around tolerance and control, manipulation –amusement. Adel had been amused by his worship of her…most people worshipped out of fear, or ran out of fear, groveled out of fear.
He had worshipped in admiration.
She had known he had been insane, but she appreciated it.
Although he was not entirely sure of how he would get his revenge for Adel's death, the man knew that he must draw Squall out of Balamb, catch him at a disadvantage. Being a commander, there was very little that would draw the man out of Balamb, unless….
-0-
"Esthar wants to negotiate a contract?" Squall asked, incredulous, his eyebrows knitting, crinkling with his scar. His lips tightened into a pressed frown. He stared at the paper in front of him, stormy eyes full of questions.
"Apparently, they want to make a contract concerning the sorc- errrr, I mean, Rinoa," Xu fumbled, barely saving her sentence. Rinoa was a delicate topic around the Garden.
Squall put his face in one of his hands. "And…this was brought on by?" […] He had thought that most of the negotiations concerning Rinoa and her untamed powers had been completed. Initially, some countries had been willing to go to war with Garden over the containment of the sorceress.
"Apparently there is some concern in Esthar (still) about the source of her abilities…"
Squall remained motionless, looking at no one.
Xu continued, cautiously. "Her powers came from Adel, who was apparently a very-"
"I know." Squall muttered dryly. It was something that he worried about from time to time, as well. "We have already negotiated with them, in depth." [But it figures that Esthar is still unsatisfied…]
"Apparently they are not satisfied."
"What more would they ask of us? She is at a Garden –confined to a Garden. SeeD has a constant presence. She can't even use magic.. "[….yet.]
"They request an audience with you, commander."
Silence. Squall kneaded his forehead. "When?"
"As soon as can be arranged."
[….] Squall sighed, his shoulders slumping ever so slightly. He really did not need this right now. "I suppose that they expect me to go there?"
For whatever reason, political leaders did not particularly enjoy the idea of venturing into Balamb Garden. He guessed it had something to do with Rinoa, or the fact that it would be entirely too easy to isolate them and take them prisoner or something drastic.
"Yes." Xu frowned uneasily, worried about what type of stress this would evoke for Squall. Squall, while possessing a brilliant strategic mind and imperiled bravery, despised negotiations and small talk. And he really despised traveling for them. He hated leaving Rinoa in Balamb Garden. Whether he admitted it openly or not, she was a comfort to him.
Squall stood up, relatively emotionless. "It's 8pm, I'll handle it tomorrow. Right now I've got an evening planned with Rinoa."
That was Squall for you, removing the distressful topic from the table.
"Dismissed." The commander added, nearly forgetting the formalities that came with his position. Xu saluted hastily before exiting the room.
Squall waited a few minutes after Xu left, before quietly shutting his door and returning to his seat. He buried his head in his hands.
His life felt like one large conflict.
His position as commander dictated that he protect Balamb Garden and those in it; making choices in the interest of Garden.
His loyalty as a knight to Rinoa held him responsible for her safety and her interests. And aside from being her knight he loved her. He adored her.
But it seemed like he was always going to be doomed this; trying to satisfy both of his interests and responsibilities. He knew Esthar still wanted her encased, frozen. He knew that Balamb Garden was in more danger with her inside. But he also knew that he couldn't negotiate against her.
However, he didn't dare to surrender as commander, however much he wanted to. Firstly, Seifer would give him hell over it, repeatedly. Secondly, there was no way to know who would assume commander after him and how they would manage with Rinoa and her sorceress powers. He didn't want to have to fight all of Garden –face certain death and hurt many people, if he didn't have to.
And he knew Rinoa wouldn't have any of it. She didn't want him to hurt anyone for her, ever. She also would be angry if he ever did anything to compromise his own safety and prospects.
Rinoa was attempting to be the most altruistic sorceresses to date, baring anyone from stepping out of their way on her account. But in that regard, she was also making things more difficult on Squall.
[Whatever, sitting around feeling sorry myself won't help anyone, not even me. ….besides Rinoa is waiting outside the office.]
Standing up, the young commander neatly pushed his chair under the desk, restacked all of his paperwork into their designated piles, and closed up his office for the night.
Squall winced. A pain burrowed into his stomach, like a stinging nausea. He felt slightly sick. Bad cafeteria food? He frowned uneasily. He had only ever gotten food poisoning once in his life and he had not enjoyed its effects one bit…
But this was different he decided, as his abdomen cramped, giving him a prickly, cold sensation. He had not consciously felt anxious, but something about the upcoming events didn't bode well.
They were too strange, too bold. Grimacing, Squall swallowed down a lump in his throat before waving down Rinoa, where she lay sprawled out on a bench nearby, staring at the evening stars, as always looking for the shooting stars.
[I can't let you get hurt.].
Please review! ^_^ I want to know what people think!
Chapter two will hopefully be up next week!