Disclaimer: I don't own Square, Final Fantasy VIII, etc. I do own Phoenix Aring. Please do not take her without written permission.
Author's Notes: I'm back from the dead! Yay! ^_^ Since I've had an overabundance of creative juice, I've decided to put them to work and finally start popping out some fanfiction. R&R is what keeps me going, so don't forget to click that little button at the bottom!
~*~
Irvine Kinneas was convinced he was going to scream if he had to stay in the Army hospital for another minute. He needed air. Air that didn't smell of blood, sliced open bowels and death.
"Son of a bitch." He hissed, standing. He was sent to the 9661 M*A*S*H just outside of Dollet. Mortar shells had taken out most of his unit, leaving only he and a few comrades alive. He was thrown through the air about 35 feet, and thankfully a tree had stopped him from going any further. He had been told he was lucky, given about a dozen painkillers, and was directed to the waiting room in which he was told to sit until a doctor could further inspect his injuries when he first arrived. He had been in the waiting room for nearly six hours.
He began to walk toward the door when a shrill voice sent a chill up his spine and made him stop in his tracks.
"Lieutenant Kinneas, just WHERE do you think you are going?" It screamed. He shuddered, turning around to face the nurse calling him. He was expecting to see some old withered hag of a nurse hobbling over to him. Instead he was shocked by seeing a small girl, no taller than 5 foot 4, tapping her foot and holding a chart. The front of her green uniform was covered with blood, and there was the smallest speckles covering her sweat-covered face. Her black hair was pulled behind her, and her brown eyes were filled with exhaustion.
"I need some fresh air. This place smells like The Island Closest to Hell." He answered. Irvine did not like being yelled at. Especially by small, cute nurses that had blood on the front of themselves.
"We can look at your injuries now." She said simply.
"Thanks." He mumbled, following her to a small makeshift exam room. It looked and smelled like it had been a janitor's closet. He sat on a small bench, and watched while she stripped off he green uniform and tossed it in a small basket. She was fully dressed underneath, which explained the sheen of sweat on her forehead. She slipped on a new uniform and gloves, and attached a small nametag to her chest, which read: Rinoa Caraway, Head Nurse.
"Are you General Caraway's daughter?" He asked while they peeled his shirt off. He hadn't noticed that the back was sticky with blood until the sound of ripping paper filled the air. The blood had dried and acted like a type of glue against his skin.
"Yes." She answered stiffly, tossing his ponytail over one broad shoulder.
"I thought the good General didn't want any of his family involved in the war." He said sarcastically, watching her retrieve rubbing alcohol and a clean white cloth from a cabinet.
"It's kind of hard to ignore the war when people are dying left and right." She answered smartly, not yet looking into his eyes. She stuck her head out the door, looking for someone. "Zone, tell Dr. Kramer that there's a patient in room 43E waiting for him. From the looks of it he's going to need stitches."
"I need stitches?" Irvine asked, quirking his eyebrow up as she looked back to him.
"You have a large piece of wood stuck in your back. Once we remove it, we're going to need to stitch it up. You should thank me that I stopped you before you left. Moving around too much could have pushed in further and required surgery to get it out." She said, circling him and cleaning off the dried blood from his back with the rubbing alcohol and cloth.
"Can I thank you by taking you out to dinner?" He countered slightly.
"I don't date patients, Lieutenant." Rinoa replied, seeming rather annoyed.
"I never said the word date, Miss Caraway."
"It's Major Caraway, and you meant date." She answered, replacing the rubbing alcohol in the cupboard. This time she removed a pair of mean looking tweezers. Once again she stuck her head out the door. "Damnit, Zone! Go get Dr. Kramer! I have to do rounds in 10 minutes, and head back into surgery! Don't make me pull rank on you, Corporal." She yelled, emphasizing the word Corporal.
"Yes, ma'am! Right away, ma'am." Irvine heard the man reply. He tried not to laugh, considering that would most likely get him hurt even more instead of getting him healthy.
"You seem to have a lot of power around here."
"I'm Head Nurse, Lieutenant." She said briskly. Irvine tried not to smirk at the thought that her daddy's power most likely got her the position. She seemed to be a good nurse, but she didn't seem like Head Nurse material. A few moments past, and neither said a word. Just as she was about to scream at Zone again, a man in a white coat came through the door.
"What's the story with this patient, Major Caraway?"
"Lieutenant Irvine Kinneas is with the 43rd Firearms unit." She answered, looking down at his chart quickly.
"Yikes. I heard about the mortar shells." He said. "I'm Dr. Kramer, what seems to be the trouble here, son?"
"According to the good nurse here, I have a rather large piece of wood stuck in my back."
"Are you in pain?"
"I was given painkillers when I first checked in about six hours ago."
"Are those wearing away?" The doctor asked, walking behind Irvine, and inspecting his back.
"A little." Irvine answered, trying not to flinch when Dr. Kramer ran his fingers over the injury.
"Once we get this bad boy out, you're not going to need stitches. Which it a good thing, considering that we're almost out of the thread to do it with. We can cast a few Curagas on you, but after that you're still going to be sent to 28th small injury hospital for a few days." Dr. Kramer stood, and took the tweezers Rinoa handed him.
"May I ask why, Doc?" Irvine questioned. He just wanted to get back in the routine of things and take out a few SeeDs.
"The wound area will still be tender, and if you move around to much you could very well rip the skin back open. It'll hurt a hell of a lot more than this does now."
Before Irvine could reply to that, he felt the doctor digging at the piece of wood. He bit his lip to keep from screaming as he could feel the sliver being pulled out his back. Two Curagas were cast on him soon after, and he could almost hear the skin re-knitting itself back together. He looked down behind him and saw the piece of wood, about 4 inches long and 1.5 inches wide, in the grasp of the large tweezers.
"That thing came out of my back?" Irvine asked, rather amazed.
"Yes, it did. You had some major bruising, a few cuts, and a few other smaller slivers, but the Curagas took care of them." Rinoa explained, taking off her gloves. "Doctor, I need to do my rounds, then Dr. Smith wants me to assist him in surgery."
"You're dismissed." The doctor said, waving his hand at her. "Alright, Lieutenant. I want you to say at the small injuries hospital for 3 days. No funny business either. I find out that you tried to escape; I'll throw you into another tree." The doctor joked.
"Believe me, that won't be a problem." Irvine answered, looking for his shirt. "But, my shirt is ruined."
"Oh, alright. Next to the entrance, there's a small room. Go inside, tell the nurse your situation, and she'll set you up. After that, there should be a bus out front that will take you to the small injuries hospital. If you miss it, don't worry about. Another shows up every hour, on the hour."
"Thank you very much, doc."
~*~
"The SeeDs have taken Trabia, and are now forming at the Northern District of Esthar. We believe after they take Esthar, they'll take Timber, followed by Dollet and Deling." General Xu Holfmeen explained, sighing. She eyed the large glass room, and then looked to the 12 representatives that made up the Council for United Efforts. They came from all over the world, mostly western Galbadia Generals, and their mission were to stop the SeeDs before they continued on their rampage through the world. So far, they were unsuccessful. "I am here to ask the council to send assistance to Northern Esthar. If we can stop them there, we can put an end to the Balamb SeeDs. By stopping them from taking our last strongest ally, we can save thousands of people's lives."
"That is all very good, General, but what if we fail?" General Fury Caraway asked, sitting back in his chair.
"I was not finished, General. While our troops are pushing the SeeDs back, we send a group of our most qualified soldiers to Balamb and sneak them in. The leader of the SeeDs will be so upset that we have sent soldiers to fight his forces back, they won't even notice a slight security breech." Xu answered, walking toward the large glass table in which the members of council sat around. "Off the record, and from General to General, you all know that this is the only way we are going to win this war. You can protest and refuse this all you want, but this many be our final chance, ladies and gentlemen." She took a step back, and sighed. "If we don't win this battle, we're all as good as dead. We're as dead as we would be if we choose not to. In all honestly, our chances of winning are very very slim. I don't know about you all, but I would like to think that we all went out with a bang if we have to die."
"I agree with you General Holfmeen." General Phoenix Aring cut in. She was the representative from the area formally known as Winhill, and possibly the only General in the room that still went out and fought. "If we must die, I want to be remembered as a solider, not someone who sat back and allowed thousands to be slaughtered."
"Despite the fact that this is incredibly insane and will lead us all to our deaths," Another General from Timber said, rubbing his chin. "I do support what General Holfmeen has proposed."
"Is there any who disagree?" Phoenix asked, raising her head and tossing his waist length red hair over her shoulder. No one spoke, but few nodded their heads, showing they agree.
"Then it is decided." General Caraway spoke softly. "I'm placing General Aring in charge of the invasion mission. You will lead our finest soldiers into the SeeD's Garden. General Holfmeen is at your disposal for now, though we will need her before we begin the counterattack. We will remain here and contact the President of Esthar to discuss battle plans. Once you have rallied your team, General Aring, report back to us to receive further instructions. You have forty-eight hours to locate your team." He paused and sighed a moment. "Everyone is dismissed, but I must speak to General Aring alone."
The two generals watched as their colleagues file out, including Xu. Phoenix sighed, rubbing her forehead. She was a rather beautiful woman, and her face reflected that of her age. She was barely 25, but had served more than 13 years for the Republic of Galbadia Army. She stood 5'10", and had as many muscles as any other general. Phoenix was born in the middle of a battlefield, and she pledged to herself she would die on one. Her voice was rich with a Winhill accent, and had a tendency to pick incorrect words due to the fact that Galbadian was not her first language. She stood, and faced General Caraway. He shook his head, let out possibly the heaviest sigh he ever had.
"What have I done, putting you in the middle of this?" He asked softly.
"Nothing. You know that if you did not put me in charge, I would have killed you." She answered simply, walking toward him and leaning back on the glass table. She looked to her left, staring out the window. A small sparrow was sitting on a branch of a bush, watching the two people with great interest.
"I wanted to protect my daughter from this war, and she joins up with the army. I want to keep you safe, yet I put you in charge of a death mission." He mumbled.
"You can't hide the world from us, Fury, especially your daughter. She is as strong as you." She answered, taking one of his hands.
"I want to keep her safe. I don't want her to die in my lifetime. And she hates me because of it."
"She does not hate you, Fury! She loves you, but she does not understand why you won't let her explore herself!" Phoenix sighed, rubbing her cheek against his hand. "This is the final battle, you do realize this, correct? Afterward Rinoa and I will both be safe."
"No, we're all going to die in the process."
"No. Our troops may fall, and we may loose the field war, but I promise on my father's grave that I will not allow the SeeD's leader to continue with his life. I have not failed a mission yet, and I will not fail this one. I refuse to allow the Galbadian people to face more torment." She proclaimed, kissing the back of his hand. If the situation had been different, the General would have laughed at her passion and word choice.
"You're possibly the most optimistic General I have ever met." He stood and pulled her into an embrace. She buried her head under his chin, enjoying the scent of his freshly pressed uniform. "Promise me you'll come back." He whispered softly, kissing the top of her head.
"I will do my best." She answered, looking up at him and kissing the corner of his mouth.
~*~
Irvine groaned, pulling himself out of the hospital bed. He couldn't stay in bed for the next three days and do nothing. It would drive him nuts. The nurse that showed him his temporary room told him about a patient lobby where most of the patients gathered. He walked down the hall, finding the lobby rather easily. The small injuries hospital was not very large, with only about 25 total rooms.
The lobby was small, decorated with two couches, a chair, and a mixed array of paintings and plants. There were only two patients scattered on the furniture, and were chatting happily.
"Hey, mind if I sit?" Irvine asked, coming up behind one of the couches. The man sitting on it turned and looked at him. His forehead, left eye, and lower cheek was wrapped in a clean white bandage. Small tuffs of bright blonde hair stuck out from under the bandage. His eyes were a brilliant green and he had an arrogant smile.
"No, you can't." He answered, a smirk blessing his lips. "Go away."
"Ignore him. He's a pompous ass." Another man said. He was shirtless with a black back brace encasing his body. "Go ahead a sit." Irvine smiled, sitting down next to the blonde.
"I'm Major Seifer Almasy, 71st infantry." He said, ignoring the man in the back brace.
"Lieutenant Irvine Kinneas, 43rd Firearms unit."
"Shit. I heard about the mortars." Back-brace boy said.
"Yeah, I was thrown through a tree."
"Wow." Seifer said, pointing his thumb to Back-brace boy. "That's almost as stupid as what klutz did here."
"I'm Captain Nida Sandes, 101st airborne division." He stopped and smiled stupidly. "I fell down a cliff."
"How did you fall down a cliff if you're a pilot?" Irvine asked.
"I'm talented." Nida answered.
A high giggle behind the three men made Irvine jump. He turned, and eyed a small girl. She stood about 5'1", and her hair was a light chestnut.
"You're not talented, Nida. Your graceless." She said, smiling. She walked forward, and sat down in chair.
"You're such a bitch, Selphie." He retaliated.
"Now, now, let's not scare away our new friend." Seifer said, smiling.
"Yeah. Be nice, Nida." Selphie replied. "I'm Major Selphie Tilmit, First Division of Computer and Technological Science."
"Whoa, DCTS1? What are you doing in a SI hospital?" Irvine asked. DCTS1 was the military intelligence division of the Galbadian Information and Research Center. GIRC only accepted people who were near geniuses. Just the entrance exam was enough to make the normal soldier's head spin.
"I was on a hacking mission when the base we were at was bombed by the SeeDs." She explained, folding her legs under her. "I got a pretty bad concussion, but they're releasing me tomorrow. By the way, you never told me your name."
"Oh!" Irvine said, smiling at her. "I'm Lieutenant Irvine Kinneas."
"Irvine was with the 43rd firearms unit." Seifer mocked slightly.
"Hey." Selphie suddenly grew serious. "Don't make fun of the Firearms Unit, Seifer."
"Oh…I forgot, Selphie. Sorry." He answered, hanging his head.
"Why are you so defensive of the Firearms unit?" Nida asked, stretching out on the couch.
"My dad was in the Firearms unit eight years ago. Before I was recruited into GIRC and DCTS1, I used to go out with my dad on simple missions."
"What happened?" Irvine asked.
"He was the first person those damned SeeDs publicly killed on the streets of Balamb. Before that, the SeeDs worked quietly."
"We only suspected them beforehand that they were killing people. He was the first real proof they were doing it." Seifer continued for her.
"Fucking bastards." Selphie hissed, looking down at the rug-covered floor. "That's why I signed up for GIRC and DCTS1, so I can take down the SeeDs. I'm not that strong, but I know computers like the back of my hand."
"Damn straight. I've seen you whiz through firewalls even computer nerds get migraines from." Nida replied, smirking.
"Ooh, Nida. I'm so proud. You used computer lingo. Do you even know what a firewall is?" Seifer asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"No, but it sounded cool!" He proclaimed, laughing.
"You're such a dweeb, Nida!" Selphie giggled, turning her eyes to Irvine and giving him a sunny smile.
Author's Notes: I'm back from the dead! Yay! ^_^ Since I've had an overabundance of creative juice, I've decided to put them to work and finally start popping out some fanfiction. R&R is what keeps me going, so don't forget to click that little button at the bottom!
~*~
Irvine Kinneas was convinced he was going to scream if he had to stay in the Army hospital for another minute. He needed air. Air that didn't smell of blood, sliced open bowels and death.
"Son of a bitch." He hissed, standing. He was sent to the 9661 M*A*S*H just outside of Dollet. Mortar shells had taken out most of his unit, leaving only he and a few comrades alive. He was thrown through the air about 35 feet, and thankfully a tree had stopped him from going any further. He had been told he was lucky, given about a dozen painkillers, and was directed to the waiting room in which he was told to sit until a doctor could further inspect his injuries when he first arrived. He had been in the waiting room for nearly six hours.
He began to walk toward the door when a shrill voice sent a chill up his spine and made him stop in his tracks.
"Lieutenant Kinneas, just WHERE do you think you are going?" It screamed. He shuddered, turning around to face the nurse calling him. He was expecting to see some old withered hag of a nurse hobbling over to him. Instead he was shocked by seeing a small girl, no taller than 5 foot 4, tapping her foot and holding a chart. The front of her green uniform was covered with blood, and there was the smallest speckles covering her sweat-covered face. Her black hair was pulled behind her, and her brown eyes were filled with exhaustion.
"I need some fresh air. This place smells like The Island Closest to Hell." He answered. Irvine did not like being yelled at. Especially by small, cute nurses that had blood on the front of themselves.
"We can look at your injuries now." She said simply.
"Thanks." He mumbled, following her to a small makeshift exam room. It looked and smelled like it had been a janitor's closet. He sat on a small bench, and watched while she stripped off he green uniform and tossed it in a small basket. She was fully dressed underneath, which explained the sheen of sweat on her forehead. She slipped on a new uniform and gloves, and attached a small nametag to her chest, which read: Rinoa Caraway, Head Nurse.
"Are you General Caraway's daughter?" He asked while they peeled his shirt off. He hadn't noticed that the back was sticky with blood until the sound of ripping paper filled the air. The blood had dried and acted like a type of glue against his skin.
"Yes." She answered stiffly, tossing his ponytail over one broad shoulder.
"I thought the good General didn't want any of his family involved in the war." He said sarcastically, watching her retrieve rubbing alcohol and a clean white cloth from a cabinet.
"It's kind of hard to ignore the war when people are dying left and right." She answered smartly, not yet looking into his eyes. She stuck her head out the door, looking for someone. "Zone, tell Dr. Kramer that there's a patient in room 43E waiting for him. From the looks of it he's going to need stitches."
"I need stitches?" Irvine asked, quirking his eyebrow up as she looked back to him.
"You have a large piece of wood stuck in your back. Once we remove it, we're going to need to stitch it up. You should thank me that I stopped you before you left. Moving around too much could have pushed in further and required surgery to get it out." She said, circling him and cleaning off the dried blood from his back with the rubbing alcohol and cloth.
"Can I thank you by taking you out to dinner?" He countered slightly.
"I don't date patients, Lieutenant." Rinoa replied, seeming rather annoyed.
"I never said the word date, Miss Caraway."
"It's Major Caraway, and you meant date." She answered, replacing the rubbing alcohol in the cupboard. This time she removed a pair of mean looking tweezers. Once again she stuck her head out the door. "Damnit, Zone! Go get Dr. Kramer! I have to do rounds in 10 minutes, and head back into surgery! Don't make me pull rank on you, Corporal." She yelled, emphasizing the word Corporal.
"Yes, ma'am! Right away, ma'am." Irvine heard the man reply. He tried not to laugh, considering that would most likely get him hurt even more instead of getting him healthy.
"You seem to have a lot of power around here."
"I'm Head Nurse, Lieutenant." She said briskly. Irvine tried not to smirk at the thought that her daddy's power most likely got her the position. She seemed to be a good nurse, but she didn't seem like Head Nurse material. A few moments past, and neither said a word. Just as she was about to scream at Zone again, a man in a white coat came through the door.
"What's the story with this patient, Major Caraway?"
"Lieutenant Irvine Kinneas is with the 43rd Firearms unit." She answered, looking down at his chart quickly.
"Yikes. I heard about the mortar shells." He said. "I'm Dr. Kramer, what seems to be the trouble here, son?"
"According to the good nurse here, I have a rather large piece of wood stuck in my back."
"Are you in pain?"
"I was given painkillers when I first checked in about six hours ago."
"Are those wearing away?" The doctor asked, walking behind Irvine, and inspecting his back.
"A little." Irvine answered, trying not to flinch when Dr. Kramer ran his fingers over the injury.
"Once we get this bad boy out, you're not going to need stitches. Which it a good thing, considering that we're almost out of the thread to do it with. We can cast a few Curagas on you, but after that you're still going to be sent to 28th small injury hospital for a few days." Dr. Kramer stood, and took the tweezers Rinoa handed him.
"May I ask why, Doc?" Irvine questioned. He just wanted to get back in the routine of things and take out a few SeeDs.
"The wound area will still be tender, and if you move around to much you could very well rip the skin back open. It'll hurt a hell of a lot more than this does now."
Before Irvine could reply to that, he felt the doctor digging at the piece of wood. He bit his lip to keep from screaming as he could feel the sliver being pulled out his back. Two Curagas were cast on him soon after, and he could almost hear the skin re-knitting itself back together. He looked down behind him and saw the piece of wood, about 4 inches long and 1.5 inches wide, in the grasp of the large tweezers.
"That thing came out of my back?" Irvine asked, rather amazed.
"Yes, it did. You had some major bruising, a few cuts, and a few other smaller slivers, but the Curagas took care of them." Rinoa explained, taking off her gloves. "Doctor, I need to do my rounds, then Dr. Smith wants me to assist him in surgery."
"You're dismissed." The doctor said, waving his hand at her. "Alright, Lieutenant. I want you to say at the small injuries hospital for 3 days. No funny business either. I find out that you tried to escape; I'll throw you into another tree." The doctor joked.
"Believe me, that won't be a problem." Irvine answered, looking for his shirt. "But, my shirt is ruined."
"Oh, alright. Next to the entrance, there's a small room. Go inside, tell the nurse your situation, and she'll set you up. After that, there should be a bus out front that will take you to the small injuries hospital. If you miss it, don't worry about. Another shows up every hour, on the hour."
"Thank you very much, doc."
~*~
"The SeeDs have taken Trabia, and are now forming at the Northern District of Esthar. We believe after they take Esthar, they'll take Timber, followed by Dollet and Deling." General Xu Holfmeen explained, sighing. She eyed the large glass room, and then looked to the 12 representatives that made up the Council for United Efforts. They came from all over the world, mostly western Galbadia Generals, and their mission were to stop the SeeDs before they continued on their rampage through the world. So far, they were unsuccessful. "I am here to ask the council to send assistance to Northern Esthar. If we can stop them there, we can put an end to the Balamb SeeDs. By stopping them from taking our last strongest ally, we can save thousands of people's lives."
"That is all very good, General, but what if we fail?" General Fury Caraway asked, sitting back in his chair.
"I was not finished, General. While our troops are pushing the SeeDs back, we send a group of our most qualified soldiers to Balamb and sneak them in. The leader of the SeeDs will be so upset that we have sent soldiers to fight his forces back, they won't even notice a slight security breech." Xu answered, walking toward the large glass table in which the members of council sat around. "Off the record, and from General to General, you all know that this is the only way we are going to win this war. You can protest and refuse this all you want, but this many be our final chance, ladies and gentlemen." She took a step back, and sighed. "If we don't win this battle, we're all as good as dead. We're as dead as we would be if we choose not to. In all honestly, our chances of winning are very very slim. I don't know about you all, but I would like to think that we all went out with a bang if we have to die."
"I agree with you General Holfmeen." General Phoenix Aring cut in. She was the representative from the area formally known as Winhill, and possibly the only General in the room that still went out and fought. "If we must die, I want to be remembered as a solider, not someone who sat back and allowed thousands to be slaughtered."
"Despite the fact that this is incredibly insane and will lead us all to our deaths," Another General from Timber said, rubbing his chin. "I do support what General Holfmeen has proposed."
"Is there any who disagree?" Phoenix asked, raising her head and tossing his waist length red hair over her shoulder. No one spoke, but few nodded their heads, showing they agree.
"Then it is decided." General Caraway spoke softly. "I'm placing General Aring in charge of the invasion mission. You will lead our finest soldiers into the SeeD's Garden. General Holfmeen is at your disposal for now, though we will need her before we begin the counterattack. We will remain here and contact the President of Esthar to discuss battle plans. Once you have rallied your team, General Aring, report back to us to receive further instructions. You have forty-eight hours to locate your team." He paused and sighed a moment. "Everyone is dismissed, but I must speak to General Aring alone."
The two generals watched as their colleagues file out, including Xu. Phoenix sighed, rubbing her forehead. She was a rather beautiful woman, and her face reflected that of her age. She was barely 25, but had served more than 13 years for the Republic of Galbadia Army. She stood 5'10", and had as many muscles as any other general. Phoenix was born in the middle of a battlefield, and she pledged to herself she would die on one. Her voice was rich with a Winhill accent, and had a tendency to pick incorrect words due to the fact that Galbadian was not her first language. She stood, and faced General Caraway. He shook his head, let out possibly the heaviest sigh he ever had.
"What have I done, putting you in the middle of this?" He asked softly.
"Nothing. You know that if you did not put me in charge, I would have killed you." She answered simply, walking toward him and leaning back on the glass table. She looked to her left, staring out the window. A small sparrow was sitting on a branch of a bush, watching the two people with great interest.
"I wanted to protect my daughter from this war, and she joins up with the army. I want to keep you safe, yet I put you in charge of a death mission." He mumbled.
"You can't hide the world from us, Fury, especially your daughter. She is as strong as you." She answered, taking one of his hands.
"I want to keep her safe. I don't want her to die in my lifetime. And she hates me because of it."
"She does not hate you, Fury! She loves you, but she does not understand why you won't let her explore herself!" Phoenix sighed, rubbing her cheek against his hand. "This is the final battle, you do realize this, correct? Afterward Rinoa and I will both be safe."
"No, we're all going to die in the process."
"No. Our troops may fall, and we may loose the field war, but I promise on my father's grave that I will not allow the SeeD's leader to continue with his life. I have not failed a mission yet, and I will not fail this one. I refuse to allow the Galbadian people to face more torment." She proclaimed, kissing the back of his hand. If the situation had been different, the General would have laughed at her passion and word choice.
"You're possibly the most optimistic General I have ever met." He stood and pulled her into an embrace. She buried her head under his chin, enjoying the scent of his freshly pressed uniform. "Promise me you'll come back." He whispered softly, kissing the top of her head.
"I will do my best." She answered, looking up at him and kissing the corner of his mouth.
~*~
Irvine groaned, pulling himself out of the hospital bed. He couldn't stay in bed for the next three days and do nothing. It would drive him nuts. The nurse that showed him his temporary room told him about a patient lobby where most of the patients gathered. He walked down the hall, finding the lobby rather easily. The small injuries hospital was not very large, with only about 25 total rooms.
The lobby was small, decorated with two couches, a chair, and a mixed array of paintings and plants. There were only two patients scattered on the furniture, and were chatting happily.
"Hey, mind if I sit?" Irvine asked, coming up behind one of the couches. The man sitting on it turned and looked at him. His forehead, left eye, and lower cheek was wrapped in a clean white bandage. Small tuffs of bright blonde hair stuck out from under the bandage. His eyes were a brilliant green and he had an arrogant smile.
"No, you can't." He answered, a smirk blessing his lips. "Go away."
"Ignore him. He's a pompous ass." Another man said. He was shirtless with a black back brace encasing his body. "Go ahead a sit." Irvine smiled, sitting down next to the blonde.
"I'm Major Seifer Almasy, 71st infantry." He said, ignoring the man in the back brace.
"Lieutenant Irvine Kinneas, 43rd Firearms unit."
"Shit. I heard about the mortars." Back-brace boy said.
"Yeah, I was thrown through a tree."
"Wow." Seifer said, pointing his thumb to Back-brace boy. "That's almost as stupid as what klutz did here."
"I'm Captain Nida Sandes, 101st airborne division." He stopped and smiled stupidly. "I fell down a cliff."
"How did you fall down a cliff if you're a pilot?" Irvine asked.
"I'm talented." Nida answered.
A high giggle behind the three men made Irvine jump. He turned, and eyed a small girl. She stood about 5'1", and her hair was a light chestnut.
"You're not talented, Nida. Your graceless." She said, smiling. She walked forward, and sat down in chair.
"You're such a bitch, Selphie." He retaliated.
"Now, now, let's not scare away our new friend." Seifer said, smiling.
"Yeah. Be nice, Nida." Selphie replied. "I'm Major Selphie Tilmit, First Division of Computer and Technological Science."
"Whoa, DCTS1? What are you doing in a SI hospital?" Irvine asked. DCTS1 was the military intelligence division of the Galbadian Information and Research Center. GIRC only accepted people who were near geniuses. Just the entrance exam was enough to make the normal soldier's head spin.
"I was on a hacking mission when the base we were at was bombed by the SeeDs." She explained, folding her legs under her. "I got a pretty bad concussion, but they're releasing me tomorrow. By the way, you never told me your name."
"Oh!" Irvine said, smiling at her. "I'm Lieutenant Irvine Kinneas."
"Irvine was with the 43rd firearms unit." Seifer mocked slightly.
"Hey." Selphie suddenly grew serious. "Don't make fun of the Firearms Unit, Seifer."
"Oh…I forgot, Selphie. Sorry." He answered, hanging his head.
"Why are you so defensive of the Firearms unit?" Nida asked, stretching out on the couch.
"My dad was in the Firearms unit eight years ago. Before I was recruited into GIRC and DCTS1, I used to go out with my dad on simple missions."
"What happened?" Irvine asked.
"He was the first person those damned SeeDs publicly killed on the streets of Balamb. Before that, the SeeDs worked quietly."
"We only suspected them beforehand that they were killing people. He was the first real proof they were doing it." Seifer continued for her.
"Fucking bastards." Selphie hissed, looking down at the rug-covered floor. "That's why I signed up for GIRC and DCTS1, so I can take down the SeeDs. I'm not that strong, but I know computers like the back of my hand."
"Damn straight. I've seen you whiz through firewalls even computer nerds get migraines from." Nida replied, smirking.
"Ooh, Nida. I'm so proud. You used computer lingo. Do you even know what a firewall is?" Seifer asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"No, but it sounded cool!" He proclaimed, laughing.
"You're such a dweeb, Nida!" Selphie giggled, turning her eyes to Irvine and giving him a sunny smile.
