Another "Where was Martin for Six Months" fic. Enjoy. I might just insert Mr. Angst into a bunch of my favorite settings and see what comes out of my nutty lil brain.
I don't own anyone here. Got it? Good. If I owned them, I'd be rich and famous and probably not wasting my life on a fanfic.
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The one-eyed man blinked.
Squall blinked.
The two of them had run into each other (quite literally) outside Balamb. Squall hadn't expected anyone to be here, and this newcomer was watching Squall's gunblade with utmost paranoia.
The two of them continued to stare at each other, but neither would concede the first word; as though it were an unspoken sign of weakness.
"I think the angst is getting me down," Zell muttered, watching the two of them from one of Balamb's balconies. Irvine snorted, watching the proceedings with both humor and curiosity. "I swear, new kid ripped off my duster!" he brushed his trench coat out of injured dignity.
Indeed, the man was wearing a long blue overcoat atop a white dress shirt and black slacks. His black hair, and Squall's, for that matter, was blowing in the light breeze that was crossing Balamb's fields. The sun beat down on both of them, although it was unlikely that either of them were feeling it.
"Damn," Zell whistled, "I thought nobody could give Squall a staredown," he punched his fist against the banister, knocking some of the gold paint loose in the process.
"He ain't won yet," Irvine pointed out, yawning from boredom. "Tell ya what – if nothing happens in five minutes, I'm outta here. Selph's probably lonely…"
Zell nodded, "And I'm hungry," he grinned, the motion twisting his tattoo.
***
Four minutes and thirty seconds later, the spectators got their wish. The man had been speaking with Squall for only a minute before his feet lit up as if they were made from pure white light. Zell and Irvine saw the figure smirk at Martin before his whole body was engulfed in the glow and faded from existence. Not even footprints remained to mark his passing.
It was later, when Squall reunited with the group, that they discovered how strange the experience truly was.
"He said his name was Martin, and that he wasn't from 'around here'," Squall told them as he polished his gunblade. "He told me he wasn't here to hurt me, and that he was probably going to be gone in a few minutes. When I asked him what he meant, he lit up like a light bulb and said 'that'."
Zell gaped at him, "That's it? Twenty minutes of staring got you that?"
"Unless you want to try to decipher the phrases "Alinteans" and "Mahnyou Ji'it Tanasmas" as a SeeD assignment for me," Squall told him bluntly.
The rest of the group got a chuckle at Zell's outraged expression.