Live Fire Exercise
By Skandranon
Warning : Language, adult themes, juvenile delinquency
Early morning was the best part of the day. Not having to get up yet. Blissful feeling. Sometimes he'd wake early just so he could linger in his warm fuzzy bed.
Squall, however, went from asleep to awake in 3.4 breaths, and his shoulders were tensing in the manner that meant he was thinking about sitting up. Irvine nuzzled his neck, hoping to put him out of that mindset.
"Morning."
"Mrnn," Irvine mumbled against a mouthful of skin. "Wrchuptatady?"
"Quistis has me on bookwork until evening." A hand drifted across his back, fingers tickling his spine. "You?"
Mornings they laid out their plans for the day, evenings they filled each other in on the goings on of the day. This ritual had to be performed in bed, with arms wrapped around each other, in snug contented bliss. But that meant Irvine had to wake up enough to form a coherent sentence.
Well, that would be alright. He still didn't have to get out of bed.
"Takin' ma gunnry class to tha hills f'r some pra'tice." He yawned a mighty yawn, and stuck out his tongue for effect. Squall pretended to be annoyed, but he was really amused.
"You know that's against the Codes of Conduct." Or maybe he was actually annoyed. "Cadets are only supposed to face Training Center monsters."
"Mnhn." He rolled onto his back, dragging Squall up against his side. "Because it's safer, controlled circumstances, with a medic bay conveniently close. Bugger that. You expect them to be good SeeD without real training?"
"Until they're SeeD, we're not supposed to put them in any undue danger." Squall was giving him the Sullen Officer pout. Squall insisted it was a glare, but it was a pout. Irvine merrily ignored it by closing his eyes.
"I've drilled gun safety into them from day one. They're good kids. Kids, but good 'uns."
"I hate when you flaunt Garden rules."
Irvine flicked his nose. He was the only person who could flick Squall's nose with impunity, and he gloried in it. "Rules are for a purpose. If the purpose is covered, no need for the rule. I'll make double sure the kids stay careful. Won't take any chances, no risks. I've got a head full of cure spells for emergencies, and a very fast jeep. The kids need this. Trust me."
The solid body against him thumped a fist on his chest, a gesture of annoyance. But a head crooked into his shoulder, a gesture of understanding. And a leg was rubbing against his in a gesture that was entirely too eager for so early.
"One of these days you're going to run my infamous libido dry," he groaned.
"And the world will be saved from your ravages. Where'd you put the handcuffs?"
"We don't have any handcuffs. We haven't had any handcuffs since you threw them off the balcony because you said they hurt your wrists."
"Ah, right." The body shifted, sliding away, then wriggled under the covers. A few limber twists, and a pair of feet were on the pillow next to Irvine's head.
"And just what do you think you're do… oh."
And he didn't have to get up for another hour. Bliss.
Balamb Garden had an excessive amount of basement. People were finally beginning to notice that, and the upper levels had been revamped into storage, archives, and Irvine's territory.
He strutted across the metal floor of the gunnery range, back straight, attempting for a day to look like a serious instructor. The students, who knew him as a friendly if somewhat cynical mentor, were attempting to take him seriously, and partially succeeding.
"Today's exam will act as a large portion of your final grade. You will be encountering dangerous, wild monsters in their natural habitat." He was barking the words, tone deep and demanding they better listen, or else. "You will follow all gun safety rules. When we reach the area, I will give instructions. You will obey them to the letter. Failing to do so, or violating any gun safety rules will result in an immediate failing grade. Do you get me?"
He got a chorus of 'yes sir's.
"If due to your negligence or insubordination you cause injury to a fellow student, I will flunk you outright and make sure you never become SeeD. Do you get me?"
A chorus of 'yes sir's, louder this time.
"Class will reconvene in the Garage loading area in fifteen minutes. Dismissed."
The sun was high and wind whipped up over the rocks in a brisk breeze. This high in the Balamb mountains, the temperature was cool even in summer, and the only flora were scraggly conifers and stunted shrubs. The ground was chalky slate and cracked under their feet.
His class lined up, spread out at arm's length, as ordered. There were only six of them. Most gunners went to Galbadia.
"Rules. I will go find monsters and draw them back here. You are not to fire until given order to do so. You fire prematurely, you fail. Once I bring the monsters in, I will get clear of them and yell either 'Volley' or 'Fire at Will'. If I yell volley, you will shoot once and only once. If I yell fire at will, you will shoot and continue shooting until the monster stops moving or I yell 'Cease Fire'. Understood?"
They nodded. A few shifted on their feet.
"If, for whatever reason I yell 'Retreat', you are to run for the jeep like your tails are on fire. You will stay together and keep track of your partner. You don't run, you fail."
Hellick winced. Irvine was looking right at her when he said this. She'd had problems with it before.
"You are not to leave this spot while I'm gone. Unless a monster turns up. Then you run for the jeep." He tossed a radio to Jonsie, his team leader. "You radio me if there's trouble, but you do not engage without my orders. Understood?"
Jonsie nodded, and stared down the others until they mimicked.
"Stay." He turned and trudged off into the shrubbery.
It took all of a minute to walk onto a glacial eye. He took a potshot at the thing to get its attention, and backtracked to his students.
"Gaylas are ice oriented," he said as he walked towards them, backwards. He didn't have to hurry; the ghostly white creature floated slow as a cloud. "Use fire ammo if you have it. On my mark." He turned and broke into a trot, moving to the side to give his students clear range of fire. "Volley!"
A spread of bullets hit the monster. It writhed in the air, then plopped groundwards with a deflated whine.
They whooped with exhilaration. Irvine grinned. This was what he was talking about. The kids needed some real practice, without a safety net. They needed the thrill, and the fear.
"Alright, alright, gather round." He crouched over the corpse and eyed it, then pointed towards the central eye. "Whose bullet?"
"Mine, sir," said Jonsie.
He'd thought so. "Nice one. I won't ask whose this is," he indicated a graze along the right wing, "but you missed. Try for the head next time. Bigger target." Near the back of the huddle, Drery ducked down to hide behind the others.
"Okay, everyone stay here and reload. I'll go fetch another."
This time he walked onto a thrustaevis. He ran back to the kids muttering under his breath. It wasn't a hard monster, really. But it was fast, and unpredictable, and indigenous to Galbadia. What was one doing in Balamb? Should he really throw it onto his unwary students?
Yeah. He could always heal them if this screwed up. "Heads up!" he hollered, bolting for them as he fired a Slow over his shoulder. He dove into a roll out of the firing range. "Fire at will!"
They'd let off the first round before he could turn to aim. The thrustaevis was pissed and dove for them. Another round tore into it. It was too close. Irvine sent a pulse ammo into its brain. It slammed down with a scream, right at the students' feet.
A few of them whooped. The others looked queasy.
"Nice one!" He grinned, hoping to relax them. "Quick break, take a breather. Adans, can I talk to you."
Adans walked over in a daze. Irvine put an arm around his shoulder and turned their backs to the others.
"Noticed you didn't shoot," he murmured. "Everyone gets the jitters, no damage done," he added as the kid tensed. "This test isn't about accuracy or nerve anyhow. I'm testing safety conduct, and you've always done well at that. If you want to maybe spend the rest of the time in the jeep, I could give you a written version later. You'd get the same marks."
Adans hesitated, tempted, but then shook his head. "I… think I can do it. Sir."
"Fair enough." Irvine squeezed his shoulder. "But if you freeze up again, you back out of the lineup, let the others take the monster down, hein? Don't want anyone getting hurt today. Trepe would have my balls for paperweights."
She'd have them anyway if she knew he spoke like that to trainees, but it made Adans almost smile. "Alright, alright, back to the others."
He strode back, and nudged the monster with a foot, lifting a wing to get a better look at its chest. "Hellick, your shot on the ribcage?"
"Yes sir!" Hellick smirked.
"You missed the heart."
"I was… aiming for the lungs." Her smirk sank.
"Not the fastest way to put down an enemy. You got your target, though." The bullet had indeed punctured a lung. "Birdies are fast buggers, you want to kill them fast. Next time, aim for the heart. Jonsie."
"Yes sir."
"What's with the leg shot?"
"Hoped to impair it, sir. They fight with their legs."
"A lethal shot would've impaired it just as well."
"Everyone else was aiming for lethal. If they missed, at least it can't use its leg."
Showoff, Irvine grumbled mentally. Damn good gunner, but a little too smart for her own good. "Or everyone could miss and you get in the only lethal shot. We're not here for fancy. Not today. Still… crowd around everyone. Want you to see this."
They huddled, and he crouched to lift a flap of skin, exposing the bullet imbedded into bone. "You all remember hamstring shots, from the book? This is a hamstring shot. Notice how the bullet sliced right through the main tendon, and the ligaments, before fracturing the bone. This shot is difficult to pull off, but effective, especially when you want to escape an attack. Jonsie. Next time you want to pull one of these, aim a little lower on the bone. You could have crippled the entire limb if you hit about… here."
He was pleased to note that none of them looked disgusted. Fight enough grats and you build up some tolerance to guts and gore, he supposed.
"Alright. Let's move a quarter mile east. We'll see if there's anything else to hunt around here."
They'd gotten lucky. Just as they reached the edge of the plateau shelf, with its stepstone terraces, he spotted a small herd of glacial eyes below. Three of them. Within firing range, but not yet noticing the group of SeeDs above them.
"Multiple target practice," he announced. "Aim for the one on the left. Volley."
The monster whistled in pain as it was torn apart. Its companions noticed.
"On the right. Volley."
A hesitation as they reloaded, then a smattering of bullets ripped down another enemy.
"Last one. Volley."
Another hesitation, then a thunder of gunfire. It was wounded, but still coming.
Satisfied, Irvine plugged it with an exploding round, and it burst into a fountain of white and blue glop.
The students cheered. Even Adans was grinning.
"Exam over! Good work people. Let's go survey the damage."
He slid his way down the crumbly cliffside, using tree roots for handholds. Soon the students were following him down. Hellick jumped the distance, and landed on his rump.
He was halfway to the closest monster when a hand tugged his sleeve. Jonsie pointed back to the cliff.
Nalsin was still at the top, staring down and shivering.
"Go on ahead." Irvine walked back towards his student, stopping maybe fifteen feet away. "Nalsin! The roots will hold you; come on down."
"He's afraid of heights," Drery called.
Irvine held out a hand and beckoned. "Come on, it's alright. It's not too far."
Nalsin glanced up at him.
"Just sit on the edge and slide down. Hold onto the roots. See them, there? They're good and strong. Like a railing."
The boy trembled, but slowly knelt to a sitting position. Clutching his gun in one hand, he reached with the other for a root, and used his feet to slide of the edge.
The ground powdered beneath him and he slid down into the grey dirt. He landed on the very bottom terrace, with only a two foot drop left.
"There ya go. See?" Irvine winked fondly. "Come on, we're getting left behind."
Nalsin managed a smile, pulled himself to his feet, and tripped.
The last thing Irvine heard was the gunshot.
He woke up fast, with blue rainbows in his head and an ice ocean roaring in his ears.
Jonsie had the radio on the Garden frequency and was relaying an injury report.
Irvine snagged it from here. "Kinneas here, we're good."
"She said you got hit in the head," Quistis snapped back, voice crackling.
Jonsie stole the radio back and walked away to finish her report. Adans dumped a hipotion onto his head. It sizzled against the skin and sopped his hair.
"Stopit! Dammit!" He wriggled to a sitting position. "I'm fine, I'm fine! What hit me!"
He pointed at Nalsin, curled up in a ball some ten feet away, weeping.
"Aw bugger. Gimme that med pack."
He found the mirror and checked his head. The bullet had gone in through his forehead, on the left, and had exited near the top of his head, also on the left. All that remained now, after half a dozen potions, were puckered scars and a graze mark across his cheek. The bullet had missed his brain, only skimming its surface, and even that damage was long gone.
Thank Hyne for modern medicine.
"Everybody back to the jeep." He felt woozy, but he got to his feet without too much wobbling. The blurred vision cleared up after a moment. When nobody moved, he chose a person and glared at them until they meekly headed south.
Then it registered that the person was Nalsin. And he was still crying.
His right arm was lifted and put around Hallick's shoulders. "Come on, captain. Let's get you home."
Kadowaki gave him a quick scan and sent him on his way. He was fine. He'd have the dizzies for a few days from the potion overload, and he'd need to eat a lot to regain his energy, but otherwise, peak of health.
He went straight to Squall's office. Squall scowled as soon as soon as he answered the door.
"Sorry to bother, but-"
"What the hell happened."
Irvine paused, and remembered that he'd still have a scar for a week or so. Squall was staring right at it.
"Student."
"Shit," Squall hissed.
"Tell me about it."
"On the…"
"Yeah."
"Shit."
"Yeah."
Squall leaned into him and buried his head in Irvine's chest. Irvine wrapped an arm around his waist.
"You could lose your teaching license for this," buzzed against his skin.
"I know."
"You're alright? You saw Kadowaki?"
"I'm good. No lasting damage."
A fist thumped against his hip angrily.
"Wanted you to know I was okay, but I need to go talk to the student what did it. Don't think he's reacting well."
"Which one?"
"Nalsin."
"Don't know him." Squall reluctantly backed up to stand in the doorway, but didn't meet Irvine's gaze. "He'll get kicked out of Garden."
"Maybe. It was a stupid accident, Squall. He's a good kid. If I can help him, I'm gonna try."
"So long as you come back again."
Squall said it with pain in his voice, and flinched from his own words. He turned and shut the door before he had to confront anything else.
It took some doing to find Nalsin's dorm. None of the students he stopped were his friends or knew where to find him. In the end he filched Squall's password and looked up the kid's data sheet. Room 183.
Seemed Nalsin hadn't been doing so well in classes lately. No offense record except skipping on curfew, which wasn't an offense so much as a 'whoops, got caught this time'.
The boy's roommate let him in, just as he was leaving. "He's in his bedroom, think he's crying," were his parting words. The door was locked. It didn't open when Irvine knocked.
"Nalsin. It's Kinneas. Er, Instructor Kinneas. I thought we could talk."
No answer.
Irvine pressed his ear against the door. He didn't hear anything. "Nalsin? Want you to know I don't blame you for what happened. Just want to talk about it. Wanted to check on you, make sure you're okay."
No answer.
Chiding himself that he was overreacting, he slid down to lay on the floor and peeked through the seam under the door.
There was blood on the carpet.
He kicked the door in, paused to take in the scene, then pulled out his pocketknife and cut Nalsin down from the fan. Kid was still warm, not blue yet, no hemorrhaging on the neck yet. Not breathing. He tore off the rope and pumped a Phoenix Down into the still chest.
Once the kid wasn't coughing so much, he warmed him up with a Cure. He peered up with dazed cloudy eyes. "Captain?"
"Hyne loving sons of birthdead imp brats if you ever do that again I will take a switch to you until your backside is so red it'll give off radiation you hear me? Do ya boy?"
"Y-yes sir." He peered around. "You're in my… room?"
"Never died before, huh kid? The blur will cool down in a bit. Don't move or you'll see stars. You're a bloody cockeyed mixup, you know that? Don't know a one SeeD who'd throw their life away before the other team gets a chance to do it for them. You really think you've got it so bad that there's no way but out?"
Nalsin blinked, and then the tears came. "Doesn't matter. I just… I don't belong here. I never do anything right. Everybody would be better off if I weren't around."
"Boy, shut your yammering before I do it for you." Irvine slapped him.
Apparently this wasn't what he had been expecting. "Wh-what?"
"I've seen animals chew off their own legs to escape a trap. I've seen a child kill a grown man with nothing but a pencil, to save his little sister from rape. I've seen too many people, good people, go through blood and pain and screaming chaos just for the right to live and you're going to throw it away like it ain't worth chewing gum?" Irvine smacked him again, harder. "What the fuck's wrong with you? I took a bullet to the head for you and you're gonna act like it don't mean shit? You owe me a life kid! You better fucking deliver!"
Nalsin sobbed. "What do you want me to do?! I can't do anything right!"
"You call this trying?!"
"Just get the fuck away from me! Just leave me alone!"
Irvine picked him up by his arm and dragged him to the window. "Look!" He grabbed Nalsin's head and shoved it at the view. "Fucking look!"
It was a beautiful day, blue skies and fair winds. The quad had a yellow and pink flower theme this season. A couple of younger students played kickball.
"Powers that be moved eden and earth and all the great cosmos to bring forth beauty upon this earth, and bless you with the gift to witness it, and you're fucking giving them the finger. You've been granted a ticket on the greatest roller coaster ride in creation, and you want to get off because the first hill was a little too bumpy. Ungrateful little bitch."
Nalsin whimpered. "I… I'm not hurting anyone," he whispered.
"You're hurting me, kid."
Nalsin didn't say anything.
"You're probably right. If you died, life would go on. The world wouldn't care. You're just one person. There's too many of us for one death to matter. But… if you lived…"
"…If I lived?"
"Who knows what will happen. That's the point. Now, if you're quite through being melodramatic, maybe we can figure this situation into a reasonable shape."
"I'll get kicked out of Garden."
"Maybe." Irvine pulled out a cigarette and lit it, taking a breath. "Want one?"
"What?!"
"They're menthol."
"You're joking."
"I've already violated six Garden rules today, some of which might get my teaching license revoked. Figured I might as well add 'encouraging juvenile delinquency' to the list. You look like you could use one."
Nalsin watched him for a long moment, then took a stick from the pack. Irvine lit it for him.
"You know, smoking kills."
"A lot of things do. We're very fragile creatures."
The kid took a long drag, then breathed out slowly. "So, now what?"
"I know a place in town that sells fantastic triple chocolate brownies."
"Leave Garden without permission? Isn't that against the rules?"
Irvine cocked an eyebrow at him.
"Sure. I… think I could use a brownie."
Squall was curled up in the blankets when he got back. Irvine slipped off his coat, hat, boots, and dropped into bed. He got wrapped in warm arms.
"How was your day?"
Squall snorted. "Paperwork, Galbadia's on the brink of war again, Laguna wants me to visit. You?"
"Broke the law, saved a life, ate chocolate."
"You bring me any back?"
"Got a carryout box of the leftovers."
He tucked his chin into the firm shoulder and rubbed the steady arms around him.
"Talked to Quistis. She says we could have you 'reprimanded severely', but it wouldn't involve any loss of title. And since you weren't supposed to take the students out in the field, she's writing off the accident as your fault. So, no expulsion."
"Mmm."
"Irvine?"
"Mmm?"
"Where's our ball gag?"
"Closet, bottom right drawers I think."
"Stay, I'll be right back."
Author's Summary : Wrote this after I had a dream about teaching a class as Irvine. Didn't expect it to get so philosophical, but I like how it turned out.