Youth Wasted on the Aged
By: Angelus Erreare
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Gale, Argilla and the rest of the members of Embryon all belong to ATLUS USA. I do own Azazel and Brunhild.
A/N: This was supposed to be a relief fic that turned complicated.
WARNING: SEMI-AU, OOC, MODERATE LANGUAGE, ADULT THEMES.
Note:
Based on post apocalyptic scenario.
No Cyber-Shaman.
Not based on game.
Chapter 1: Misplaced Maturity?
"What the hell are you talking about!?" bellowed the redhead angrily, his face resembling his red fiery hair.
Gale looked at his teammate with an impassive face, totally unfazed with his teammate's apparent and loud outburst.
He cleared his throat, "It means that because of your indiscretion, you are sentenced to community service. For a week. Seven days and seven nights." he spoke stoically.
All the color now drained from Heat's face.
"What the fu-"
Argilla bit her lip and intervened before things got out of hand. Heat could be a bit…overdramatic at times. Now was no exception.
She sweat-dropped and cut him off, "What he means is that, Gale, isn't it possible to reduce the sentence? I mean, it's a bit much don't you think?" she asked, her pink pools hopeful.
Gale opened his mouth to speak, but it was he this time that had been cut off.
"Damn straight! It's out of place damn it!" yelled the ever livid redhead.
Gale rolled his eyes, "It was an offense Heat. It's not something that could be overlooked; most especially if it was the MP who would handle this case and would sentence you."
Here, Heat laughed bitterly, "It's a wrapper for Christ's sake! A w-r-a-p-p-e-r!" he drawled angrily, still not believing the seemingly ludicrous sentence that he was facing.
"Heat's right Gale. This isn't serious." Argilla interjected, her pink eyes boring into his emerald orbs firmly, "Such an offense doesn't warrant that he do that much community service! That's just…that's just…"
"That's just fucked up!" Heat bellowed, crossing his arms.
Cielo, who had been thus far quiet since the whole meeting, had now stood up, feeling for his redheaded buffoon of a comrade. He may not like Heat very much, but he felt for him. After all, no one was perfect.
Everyone tended to make a mistake every once in while.
No matter how good he or she might be.
"Brudda! Isn't it a bit much? I mean, dis kind of punishment for littering?"
At the sound of another voice siding with the defendant, Gale turned his face towards the youngest member of their group and gave him a cold and impassive face with his eyes conveying quite the opposite.
While his face betrayed nothing, his eyes divulged what he really felt about the issue. Pure and utter displeasure. Who did these people think they were fooling? Were they out of their minds?!
Heat had been caught red-handed by the MP and now they wanted him to…reduce the sentence!?
How hard was it for him to perform community service for a week!? Did they think that it was too much!?
'Good heavens…These people are losing sight of what it means to be in the army…' he thought regretfully, shaking his head as he touched his forehead.
He opened his eyes and looked at each of them before settling his eyes on Heat, "It's out of my hands Heat. You had had a violation; hence you must face its consequences."
Here, Heat threw his hands upwards and laughed bitterly, "For god's sake Gale! You sound like you haven't ever done anything like that before!" he told him with a glare.
"Yeah Gale!" joined Argilla, "You gotta cut Heat some slack! It's not as if you have never done anything like that!"
"Argilla's right brudda!" joined Cielo.
Gale narrowed his eyes at the three. They were ganging up on him were they? Why? Just because that Serph wasn't there? Did they think that just because the head honcho wasn't there that they could loaf about?
Did they think that just because Serph wasn't there that they could just easily overpower him and perhaps, even manipulate him so that his decisions may be influenced by them?
'If they think that…then they are seriously mistaken.' he thought with disdain.
"It matters not what you all say. The decision had been made and it's final." was what he stated.
Without waiting for their responses, he spoke once more, "That's all soldiers. You are all dismissed."
Nothing but groans of disappointment filled the room. He shrugged his shoulders. Well it wasn't his concern.
'They should grow up. They aren't children who would just receive a slap on the wrist or a reprimand. They should be more responsible.' he told himself, mentally justifying his decision.
There wasn't anything wrong in it; unless Heat was afraid of getting his uniform soiled and his pretty-boy face dirtied. He wanted to laugh at his own joke. But he wouldn't. It would be…too out of character for him if he did.
xxxxx
He crossed his arms as he watched them from afar. He was after all, knowledgeable of how their little minds worked. He wanted to scoff at that.
They all thought that the sentence was misplaced and was overwhelming. He shook his head; they were severely misguided in his opinion.
He turned his steely gaze on the three of them.
That was right.
He was covertly keeping an eye on them. Them? No. Not them. Just on Heat. He had had a feeling that he would try and elude his duties…
And he wasn't that far from the truth either.
He had expected him to be alone, serving his sentence diligently as any disciplined soldier would. Although Heat acted childish at times, but as a soldier, he was topnotch.
He just had a gut feeling that maybe Heat would be…shirking off.
And like he said, he wasn't that far from the truth. And he wasn't alone in the act either. He narrowed his eyes slightly, as he gained more incriminating evidence against the three of his teammates.
He shook his head.
Boy wouldn't they be surprised when they reported back the next day only to find their sentences waiting for them.
He scowled; he knew their schedules. They were supposed to be on guard duty; not frolicking around with one another.
He narrowed his eyes again as he focused on what the three were doing. Cielo and Argilla were supposed to be on guard duty at the weapons storage over the next building. But there they were, frolicking around with Heat, who he might add, was supposed to be cleaning the sewers inside and out.
He wanted to wrinkle his nose at that notion but did no such thing.
There they were, loitering around…and then…he narrowed his eyes into slits as he leaned over from where he was monitoring them and then widened them in surprise.
What the hell did they think they were doing?!
Was…was that the fire hydrant?!
He froze as he heard the loud gushing of water and the guffaws of convivial laughter.
Gale was livid. What the hell were they thinking!? They were playing with water as if they were homeless ragged children!
'That's the city's water supply!' Gale mentally screamed as he saw with intense and overwhelming incredulity what his teammates were doing.
He shook his head.
'They think that this is punishment? They are mistaken…' he thought darkly.
xxxxx
"Aw, you poor baby!" a female voice whipped through the cool air. Heat stopped what he was doing and turned around.
He raised an eyebrow, "What the heck are you two doing here?" he asked in curiosity, "Aren't you supposed to be on duty?"
Argilla and Cielo looked at one another and there chuckled, and said in unison, "Nah."
"No one is gonna steal from dat warehouse mon. Dere aint nothing in it. It's empty ja?"
Here, Heat frowned, "An empty warehouse? Why the hell would Gale send you two to guard that?"
Argilla sighed as she shook her head, "I don't know." she then shrugged her shoulders, "Who knows? Sometimes he's just too weird."
Cielo nodded, "You got dat right sista! Seriously, doesn't Gale ever lighten up? How old is he anyway!?"
"That's mean Cielo! Don't say that about Gale!" replied Argilla, laughing a bit. Well, it really wasn't her fault! She couldn't help it! Although it was a bit bad to think of Gale the way Cielo did, nonetheless there was truth to what it was he was implying.
There were just too many instances wherein Gale acted older. His views in life were matured and at times, she thought that it was a bit…too matured. He…well, acted too old.
"Why not?"
That was Heat. The two turned to his scowling face, "I mean, just look at what he had been making me do!"
Argilla wrinkled her nose and waved her hand in front of her face to and fro with a look of disgust evident in her face, "Look…? More like smell…" she said, drawling, "You reek."
Here, Cielo chuckled, "Ya, you do mon!"
Heat glared at them both before smelling himself. He leaned down and inspected his soiled and filthy uniform. He then proceeded to take a sniff or two underneath his underarms.
He blinked and made a disgusted face; they were right. He did smell; terribly. But that was beside the point damn it!
He growled at the two, "It's not my fault damn it! These sewers won't clean themselves!"
Argilla nodded and walked over to the fire hydrant and leaned on it, "That's why you need a bath." she said mischievously.
Cielo made a disgusting face, "Ey! Don't forget dat I'm still here ja?"
Heat and Argilla turned to him with curious countenances and Cielo scowled, "I don't want hanky-panky stuff in my face ja? Do dat in your own rooms!"
Heat grinned while Argilla shook her head and groaned.
Argilla cleared her throat, "I would just love to do that with Heat Cielo…" she drawled, making the Cielo cringe, and continued, "But I won't. As long as he reeks like that, there's just no hanky-panky stuff. That's why you're going to help me get him clean!" she finished, beaming.
Cielo grinned, knowing what she was getting at but then cringed, "But wat about his duty?"
"Who cares!?" Argilla yelled, "Besides, it'll be quick! We'll just wash Heat and then when he's clean we'd put everything back to the way it was. No fuss, no muss. No one would know."
Heat's eye twitched, "I'm still here you know…"
The two sweat-dropped, "Oh yea…"
xxxxx
Gale's eye twitched uncontrollably as he looked at the terribly ludicrous event that unfolded before his very eyes…
There they were, the three of them, laughing and playing about as if they had forgotten their lives and designations as soldiers…
There they were, the three of them, splashing one another with water while dodging the other's attacks…
There they were, the three of them, frolicking around without a care in the world…
At that moment, time froze for Gale. He had noticed something else…Foregoing the initial shock and disturbance that he had experienced at seeing the disarray and unbecoming behavior of his teammates, he instead focused on each of their faces…
He blinked as he realized it.
There, on each of their faces, were genuine and heartfelt smiles…Their voices, their soft voices seemed to fade within the blur that was their world as he continued to appraise their behavior from afar.
To his own ears, they had suddenly sounded…different. He blinked in surprise. For but a moment there, they didn't sound like adults…They didn't look like adults…
They…
'They are like children…'
The smiles that they wore and the cheer and joy that pervaded their merry laughs were…in a word, comforting, to him.
He shook his head and narrowed his eyes once more, 'This is all nonsense. They should be paying attention to their duties. Have they all gone mad?' he thought with disgust and disdain.
Yes, they appeared as children to him but one fact remained unchanged. One fact would always remain the same. One fact that contained nothing but the irrefutable truth.
They were not children.
They were adults.
'I believe it's time to remind them of that.'
xxxxx
"You have got to be fucking joking!" Heat bitterly laughed as he then glared at the green-eyed man.
"W-why!?" groaned Cielo.
Argilla said nothing but just crossed her arms in concentration.
Gale was satisfied with her response, or in this case, the lack thereof. He nodded, 'Good. At least one of them is matured enough to understand the turn of events.'
Gale shook his head, "And don't even think that you could talk yourselves out of this. I won't change my mind."
Cielo fell on his knees by this time and wailed, "Come on mon…! You can't be serious! All Argilla and me did was-"
"All you two did was disobey a direct order. You two had stealthily left your posts and had enticed a fellow soldier on duty to do the same thereby shirking on your duties, squandering the city's water supply thus endangering the entire tribe!" he finished in one breath with a tone of pure conviction, his eyes glowing with unyielding spirit.
The three fell silent, shocked at their temporary leader's calm yet explosive outburst.
Heat's eye twitched at that. Gale had the talent to blow things completely out of proportion. Endanger the whole tribe!? Was he crazy!?
But then again, if Gale thought that way, he probably was.
Argilla shook her head again and there stared at his emerald eyes, holding no objections to his previous sentence, but just…plain pity.
She sighed, "Alright Gale. We'll do this your way." she said gently, her saddened eyes never letting his cold emerald ones go.
The redhead and the azure-haired young man glued their shocked and widened eyes at their female comrade, "Have you gone gaga too Argilla?!"
"Are you fucking nuts?!" was the simultaneous uproar of her fiery teammate and crazy boyfriend.
Gale merely looked at him with unfazed eyes, "Why can't you two be like Argilla? At least she knows the severity of the situation." He then proceeded to give the two males a disappointed look with a shaking head.
"I don't fucking believe this!" laughed Heat bitterly as he proceeded to leave the Strategy Room.
Cielo slumped his shoulders and followed suit, "Oh mon…I didn't tink dat it was dat bad…ja?" he finished sadly.
Gale watched the two leave with the same stoic face and cold emerald eyes. He cared not what they thought. Someday they would understand that discipline was pertinent to tribal survival. They simply cannot afford to become complacent!
He wasn't trying to be the bad guy here! He wasn't attempting to be the antagonist of this play! He wasn't! And he could say that with outmost sincerity and honesty.
He merely wanted to stir his teammates with a firm guiding hand. Why? 'Because they obviously need it.' he thought with disappointment.
Yes he was disappointed. He had expected them to be strong and disciplined soldiers who followed orders to the letter; the way they were supposed to!
He had expected his command of Muladhara in Serph's temporary absence to be anything but what it was right now; dysfunctional and lax.
His subordinates were running amuck…
Well, it was time that he reminded them of their positions as Muladhara's best soldiers and their responsibilities to their positions, themselves, and most of all, their responsibilities to the people.
And listening to himself make the justification, he felt empowered and his chest lightened. He wasn't mistaken. His cause was just. Heat, Argilla and Cielo had transgressed and hence, they should be punished accordingly, deservingly.
He blinked as he remembered that he wasn't alone in the room. His emerald eyes then found that of his other teammate's; the only female in their team.
"Argilla. What can I do for you?" he asked solemnly.
She smiled warily at him, "I hope that you don't take offense at what the guys had done Gale. They didn't mean any harm."
He blinked.
What was she talking about?
Didn't mean any harm…?
He sighed; it would seem that he had overestimated Argilla's insight. Again, he felt nothing but disappointment.
"…" But knowing himself, he said nothing. They would understand in time. They weren't children that had to be told. They needed not be told or explained. They did not need to be taught rudimentary military conduct.
He didn't expect much from her, but he did expect her to know that behavior such as that wasn't accepted.
Well, that was that.
Argilla nodded and understood. She then proceeded to walk away when she stopped right by the door of the room.
"Oh and Gale," she began, as she turned around to meet his still cold emerald eyes, "loosen up a bit. You're not a retired general with a dozen grandchildren."
And with that, Gale found himself alone. He looked on at the shut doors with mild interest. Not…old…?
If only she knew.
xxxxx
Heat crossed his arms as he stomped back to his room. He had just finished his community service that afternoon in the sewers and was now en route to his room to prepare for the serving of his sentence at the mess hall…on kitchen duty.
He stopped and blinked at that and there as he imagined himself with a white shirt and a pair of black pants with an apron filled with stains, his skin crawled, making him shiver, "Gale has got to be…nuts." he said to himself.
He shook his head.
Well, he had better get to it. If he shirked on this job, he'd land in even more trouble.
xxxxx
He almost puked as he arrived in his room. Needless to say that it had been the most humiliating experience in his life.
There he was, in kitchen duty, wearing the dreaded white shirt and black pants with the abysmal stained apron…and the detestable hairnet.
He blanched at that.
Hairnet. Yes. He was wearing the cook's infamous hairnet. He wanted to die at that moment as he served his fellow tribe members their meals. He looked away and dared not look into their eyes. Why?
Because they'd know.
They'd recognize him.
Needless to say that it would embarrass and humiliate him beyond repair, sending his reputation to plummet the way a damaged aircraft would crash on the earth's hard and cold surface.
He had thought then that he had succeeded in concealing his identity. And why wouldn't it succeed? There was just no way that Embryon's elite albeit hot and seductive redhead was serving goo at the kitchen!
No way at all!
But then again, there he was, giving them their share of Sloppy Joe's food. And there he was, recognized by his subordinates in his most compromising position yet.
He gritted his teeth then as he quelled the overwhelming feeling of murderous intent right there. Oh yes. He was very much in the mood for a killing spree at that moment in time. And his prime target?
'That lousy fucktard Gale!'
At that point in the kitchen, he had picked up the soldiers' chatter. And to his dismal disgust, they were speaking of him…and his partner, Argilla. She and he were serving at the mess hall that night while Cielo had the lucky break from the three of them and he was assigned at washing the dishes in the kitchen.
'That idiot!' Heat thought spitefully as he envied his blue-haired comrade. At least, Cielo's idiotic reputation had been salvaged while his and Argilla's were tarnished beyond repair!
He scowled at that.
Argilla didn't even flinch as she served the meals. He blinked; now that he recalled it…He almost choked on his own saliva as he delved deeper within his own memory banks for his moments at the mess hall with his pink-haired idiot of a comrade and girlfriend.
'She didn't even try to hide her face! That…that bimbo!' he thought bitterly as he recalled with a grimace as Argilla gleefully and happily served the soldiers their meals.
Flashback
He cast his face down and dared not look into the soldiers' faces. There they were, one after another, queuing in front of him, asking for a share of the disgusting goo that he scooped for them.
He could hear them talking…
Oh how he wished that he had his grenade launcher…
That way he could…
"No man…It's got to be a mistake…"
"No mistake…"
"Did you see that…"
"…redhead…"
"Hot chick…Damn…"
He gritted his teeth but dared not say anything.
His contemplation was cut short as he heard a small soft giggle beside him. He quirked an eyebrow and gazed at his girlfriend from the corner of his eyes.
There she was…
"Here you go…Next please!" she beamed enthusiastically, basking in the leers that she got from her supposed subordinates.
"Hahah…One for you…And one for you!"
He wanted to puke right there. How…could she stand any of this!? Wasn't she humiliated!? Wasn't she outraged!? Appalled!?
He wanted to rip everything in sight…She was blowing his cover damn it!
Scratch that.
It was probably already blown…
'And who said it stayed in tact? She's not hiding it anyway…She's flaunting it! She's practically flirting with these maggots…! Damn bitch…'
He waited for just one false move from those younger maggots…If they made just one wrong move…and touched her…he'd rip their insides out. He didn't care if it was an "accidental" touch on the finger or on the hand…Just one touch…
'One for you and one for you!' he mentally repeated, 'Damn…She sounds like she's giving away free blowjobs…'
He glared at her from the corner of his eyes, 'She's giving them blowjobs…What about me!? Where's my BJ!? Damn bitch…'
End Flashback
He groaned; that was probably the reason why his attempt to be incognito failed he mused…He sighed; well, there was no point in crying over spilled milk. What had happened in that mess hall had already happened.
And now…?
He gritted his teeth. What else!?
There was one path to take.
"To get even with that fucker." he promised dangerously.
He grinned. Oh yes.
Perhaps it was time for Gale to get a dose of his own medicine. He let out a chuckle that faintly resembled a cackle when he thought of his plan. Oh no. He wouldn't do this alone. He wasn't that selfish.
He wanted the three of them to relish in their victory when they finally got even with Gale. He wanted to share his feeling of joy and mirth with his teammates. After all, it would only be fitting. They had suffered just as he had.
He chuckled again.
Oh yes. Revenge would be sweet.
xxxxx