(Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or these characters. This is just for fun.)

What I Did on My Summer Vacation

Bright sunshine, heat, and humidity signaled the beginning of summer. Fluffy white clouds floated through the sky giving an air of breezy freedom. Rock music blared from an AM radio as a wood paneled station wagon passed by with several laughing teenagers in it. It was a happy day.

"That Classic Literature final was brutal," Kiros said as he paused in the shade of a large leafy tree while holding the straps of his backpack. "How do you think you did? We read so many Thomas Hardy novels this year, and it felt like they all blurred together."

Laguna carefully stepped over a ladybug that was crawling across the hot suburban sidewalk and didn't hear his friend's question. Kiros was used to this. His friend got distracted easily.

"I said, how did you think your final went for Classic Literature? All those Thomas Hardy novels and..." Kiros trailed off as Laguna finally noticed that he'd been asked a question.

"Oh yeah, those Thomas Hardy books. Those are great. I love those boys and their mysteries. Nancy Drew was pretty good too," Laguna said while scratching the back of his head with a lopsided smile.

"What?" Kiros asked with his eyebrows raised. "I'm guessing your final didn't go so well then."

"I'm joking. It was fine, and I'm sure I pretty sure I passed. It's not like I'm NOT gonna graduate. Don't worry so much about everything Kiros. It isn't like a literature final is a life or death kinda thing. Just chill out man, I thought you were a cool cat," Laguna said.

"Pfft," Kiros responded. "I am a cool cat. I'm the coolest cat you've ever seen," he said while crossing his arms and looking down at Laguna.

"You should be more chill today man. It's the last day of senior year. We're done! You should be happy and carefree. Our lives are open to us now. We can do whatever we want. Go wherever we want, whenever we want," he said while hopping over a crack in the sidewalk as he continued walking home.

"Well, right now I want to go home, so I'm going to branch off and head to my house. Can't wait to see what goodies my mom baked for me as a 'surprise' for my last day. Catch you on the flip side my man," Kiros said while turning down his street with a smile.

Once Kiros left, Laguna started to run and jump down the sidewalk. Happiness filled him that high school was now over. He'd had a good enough time there, but it was exciting to have a change in his life. Life was filled with an abundance of possibilities, and the unknown sounded exciting to him.

He quickly made his way to his house and let himself in through the front door. The old screen door slammed behind him with a metallic crash. The heat and humidity that was pleasant outside seemed cramped and containing once he was inside, but that was typical for a Galbadian summer. Not exactly pleasant, but familiar at least.

"I'm home!" he called out happily as he walked into the small kitchen. He went to the refrigerator for a snack. "Hey mom, we're out of milk," he yelled as he grabbed the cold carton and drank it down in a few short gulps before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He went into the pantry to search for some cookies.

His mom entered the kitchen wearing a long flowing patterned dress. He quickly swung around to give his mother a big smile, not realizing his upper lip now wore a milk mustache.

"Oh sweetie, we were waiting for you to come home," she said to him while fumbling with the ends of her long, straight, and silky hair. Her fair skin starkly contrasted with her dark brown tresses.

"We?" Laguna asked. "Is dad home early today?"

"Yes, he did come early today. Could you join us in the other room?" she asked him while turning to go back into the family room.

Laguna grabbed a few store bought cookies to snack on before following his mother into the family room. Shuttered blinds made the room stuffy, dark, and hot. He wished somebody would let in some light and air. He quickly finished the small cookies and brushed off the crumbs on his legs. It took a moment to adjust to the darkness.

Laguna saw that his father was sitting on the couch waiting for his arrival. He was still in his work clothes and was holding a glass of whiskey. He hadn't even loosened his tie or opened the buttons on his white dress shirt despite the summer heat. A strand of black hair had escaped his slicked back style and stuck sweatily to his forehead. He downed the rest of his whiskey in one swift gulp before he turned his eyes towards Laguna. He appraised his son. Laguna shied away from his father's unflinchingly hard glare. If his father was already drinking this early on in the day, he knew this wouldn't go well. He wished he'd gone over to Kiros' house to eat some homemade sweets instead of coming home to this.

"Uh, did you come home early so we can celebrate my last day of high school?" Laguna asked with his voice going high at the end. "It's a mountainous day today, isn't it."

His father's forehead wrinkled as his eyes narrowed.

"Yes, it is a momentous day son. That's why I came home early. I thought we should all get together and talk about your future."

Laguna's mother hovered in between her husband and her son, unsure of what to do or say. She hated conflicts, and she would love to run away from them if she could.

"My future?" Laguna asked.

"Yes, what are you plans?" his father asked him.

"Well, I thought I'd enjoy this summer while thinking about what I wanted to do next year. Maybe I could get a summer job driving an ice cream truck. I could get out and see everybody in the nearby towns while listening to cheerful music all day. Seeing all the little kids' happy faces when I drive down the street sounds like a lot of fun. Being an ice cream man sounds pretty good."

Laguna's father grabbed at his forehead and tried to slick some of his stray hairs back. Sometimes he wondered how he could be related to his son. He wished his younger daughter had survived her childhood illness. He had seen a lot more of himself in her. He understood that one. His son sometimes was a mystery to him.

"Summer ice cream man? I meant farther in the future than that. What do you want to do with the rest of your life? What do you see yourself doing? You can't be an ice cream man your whole life. What about a career?"

Laguna took a deep breath and looked down at the thick carpet that was worn heavily in sections. He didn't like being put on the spot by his father. Even though he often saw disappointment in his father's eyes, he still wanted desperately to be liked by him, respected even. He just never knew how to do that exactly. His personality seemed to rub his father the wrong way, but it wasn't something he could change.

Too much time had gone by, he had to say something.

" I love stories and writing. Maybe I could do something with that," Laguna said while his leg shook unsteadily in the deep shag carpet of the family room. "Maybe there's a career in that."

His father let out a gruff rumble. He shook his empty glass and the large ice cubes clinked noisily in the nearly silent family room.

"Writing?! You misuse words all the time! What are you thinking about?" his father said with exasperation and more than a small bit of anger.

Laguna's mother held up her hands softly towards her husband. "Honey please, young people have dreams, and he's still a boy."

"He's not a boy anymore. He's a man now, and I want to know what he plans to do with his life."

Laguna felt that he had to keep speaking to placate his father. He hated seeing his kindhearted mother have to defend him. He'd always be a little boy in her eyes, but he was also growing up and becoming an adult. At least he was becoming a young adult. That was like a regular adult, but with training wheels.

"Well, I'd really like to get out and see more stuff. See the world even," Laguna replied. He thought that sounded adult and vague enough that maybe his father would back off for the day.

"Yes, that's a good attitude. See the world. That sounds like it would be a good solid plan for you," his father stated. "Actually that's just what I was going to suggest." His father pulled out a brochure from his pants pocket and tossed it to Laguna."

Laguna caught the brochure and looked it over while trying to hide the surprise on his face. The words ENLIST TODAY stood out to him the most.

"Galbadian Military. It would do you good. It would give you a set schedule, a steady paycheck, and most importantly it would make a man out of you," his father said with emphasis.

"Oh honey no! Not the military. He's too sensitive for that! The country is always getting involved in so many violent conflicts around the world," his wife said. "I can't stand to lose another child," she whispered under her breath while clasping her hands together.

"Yes he's sensitive, and that's what the military will cure him of. You can't coddle him his whole life. He's not a crying baby any more, even if he sometimes acts like it."

Laguna's face flushed red at his father's somewhat accurate assessment. He couldn't help it that he had so many emotions that he had trouble containing them sometimes. It was hard to express himself in the way that he wanted. Maybe it would be best if he just figured out how to keep his mouth shut more often. He gripped the pamphlet firmly in his fist and nodded his head at his father.

"Yea, I guess you're right. I would be able to see the world and experience new places. I've barely been outside of the Deling City area. It might be good for me. I'll think about it. Thanks dad," he said while turning and leaving the room. He couldn't stand to see the heartbroken look on his mother's face any longer.

Laguna marched down the hallway to his little bedroom while listening to his parents begin a heated argument. He walked into his room and shut the door behind himself before plopping down on his sagging bed with a sigh. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he forced them back. He couldn't let his family see him cry now. After catching his breath, he reached out for his avocado green phone. He took the heavy plastic handset off of the cradle and held it up to his ear. The dial tone rang out. His hand shook slightly as he dialed on the rotary phone. He wished he could make the dial turn faster so he could talk to his friend, but he had to wait and watch it spin back and forth. It swirled through his welled up tears. Finally the call went through and somebody picked up.

"Hello, Mrs. Seagill. Can Kiros come to the phone please?" Laguna said. He waited a few moments before he heard fumbling on the other end as Kiros was handed the phone. "Hey Kiros, can we meet up tomorrow? I got some stuff I want to talk about to you in person," Laguna said. "Yea, everything is fine. Yea, Ward can come too. Thanks. Bye."

Laguna hung up the phone with a sigh and turned to put on some music. He turned the music up as loud as he dared when his parents were home and he closed his eyes. Music expressed emotions in ways that he couldn't verbally, no matter how hard he tried. He envied the power and emotions behind it. If only his words could be as eloquent as a guitar or a piano. He shook the thought from his head and tried to relax. Music had always been a refuge for him, and he was just grateful for the time when it helped him escape reality.

Maybe a quick nap would reset himself before he had to show his face at dinner. He would have time to sort his thoughts out the next day with his friends.

"Uh, so what are you guys planning to do now that we've finished high school?" Laguna asked while sitting cross-legged underneath a large tree in the nearby park. Shade and sunlight alternated across his friends faces each time the wind blew.

Ward looked up at him in surprise. He didn't think Laguna would be the first of them to start talking about practical plans. Enjoying the day was more his style, and their last final had just ended yesterday afternoon. They hadn't even gone to their graduation ceremony yet.

Ward bit down on the shiny red apple in his right fist while raising his eyebrows. After chewing for a few seconds he bit down on the shiny green apple in his left fist. His mouth was quite full, but he attempted to speak anyways. His mumbles were unintelligible.

"What?" Laguna asked while leaning forward and pushing his long dark hair behind his pale ears.

"What Ward is trying to say, is that he's surprised at your question," Kiros translated. Ward nodded while chewing.

"I'm just trying to plan for my future," Laguna said seriously. Kiros eyed him suspiciously. "I mean, plan for my summer. What are you guys doing with your summer?"

"Hmmm, I was planning on getting a summer job and just keep up my running. I don't want to get out of shape now that I'm not in track and field anymore. I was also thinking of taking some classes at the local community college until I figured something out," Kiros said while twirling a blade of grass in his hands. "Maybe then I could decide on a career path. I'm not sure what I'd be best at."

"You're naturally good at so many things. It must be hard to decide," Laguna laughed.

"Hey man, it's not natural. I work at it," Kiros said while lightly kicking Laguna in the shin with a rusty orange running shoe. "You could get better at things too if you applied yourself to something other than goofing off and staring at girls you're too scared to talk to."

"Wha? I didn't... I don't," Laguna stuttered while shaking his leg nervously, face flushed with blood.

"Yea man, everybody sees you with the girls. At first it was funny, but it's kinda sad too."

Laguna's eyes scrunched up with discomfort, but he forced a smile anyways. His friends were just teasing him, he tried not to take it personally, even if it was true.

"And what's with your leg cramps? Go see a doctor if it keeps bothering you." Kiros said.

"Or eat least eat a banana," Ward said while finishing his apples. "Nutrition, potassium or something. Staying hydrated would help too."

Laguna rubbed his leg until the cramping subsided. It was only a small cramp. He only got really bad ones when he was especially nervous, and his friends didn't usually make him upset.

Ward threw him a cold soda. Laguna caught it in one hand. He looked down at the can before cracking it open and taking a sip. The bubbles tickled his throat.

"Anyways, about applying myself... well..." Laguna trailed off before taking a pamphlet out of his pocket and throwing it to Kiros and Ward as an explanation. He continued drinking his soda like everything was fine.

Kiros took the pamphlet and unfolded it. It was a slick enlistment brochure.

"Galbadian Military? You?" Kiros asked. "Where'd this come from?" Ward also looked at him with concern.

"I just thought that maybe it would be a good choice for me. Steady paycheck, I could see the world and... I could become a man or something," Laguna explained.

"That doesn't sound like you," Kiros said. "Did your dad put you up to this? Is he trying to get you out of the house already? Is he trying to force you into being a soldier?"

"No, he's not forcing me. I mean, although, it WAS his idea," Laguna said. "I don't really have any other plans for my immediate future, and it would just be a two year contract. Maybe by then I would have a better outlook on life. I could choose a college and a career then. It's not like I was planning on doing it forever. It would look pretty good on a resume or a college application. Strength, discipline, ability to follow directions," Laguna counted off on his long fingers.

"Yea, pretty much NOT you," Kiros responded. "And anyways, I thought you mentioned being an ice cream man. That's way more your style. You're the only person alive you could sing along with 'Pop Goes the Weasel' all day without losing your mind."

Laguna shook his hair over his face to hide his disappointment. His eyes stared downwards at a patch of flowering weeds in the grass. He wondered what made a flower a weed. Why was one liked and the other hated? Perspective? Expectations? Was it just a flower that happened to be in the wrong setting, making it unwanted?

He sighed.

"I just thought that maybe you guys would be more supportive..." Laguna said in a flat tone. "I thought maybe I could change my life for the better."

Kiros and Ward gave each other a mutual look of concern. Their friend looked tired and worn out compared to the way they left him yesterday after school. Something had obviously happened with his parents.

"Okay yea, why don't you just look into. Don't sign anything right away," Kiros said in a softer tone. "It won't hurt to look into it."

Laguna looked up through his dark hair at his friends. His green eyes looked brighter than they had a minute before. His mouth tugged to one side in an almost smile.

"We'll even come with you to the enlistment office so you can ask questions and be your moral support. We'll even pretend that we're interested in enlisting too. We don't want to leave you all by yourself. You can't do anything without your buddies," Kiros said.

Laguna nodded his head with a big lopsided smile. That was the truth.

"And that's how we ended up joining the Galbadian Military that summer," Laguna said while he sipped his sparkling juice. "Those Galbadian recruitment guys just wouldn't take no for an answer. They were kinda scary... I mean, they were kinda persuasive. Anyways, it changed the course my life forever. Thanks for asking."

Music played loudly in the Balamb Garden Ballroom as the Homecoming party raged on. Selphie and a few other Garden girls had been listening to Laguna's stories intently. It wasn't everyday that the President of Esthar/B-list movie actor showed up to a Garden party. Although it was becoming a more and more common occurrence. Laguna tried to drop in and visit his son's home as much as possible without being completely pushy. Squall could see him if he wanted to, Laguna wasn't going to camp out in his office even if that's what he wanted to do.

"What?" Selphie looked at him with an upturned face. Her head tilted to the side while her glass of fruity pink punch nearly sloshed over the rim. "Squall has grandparents?!"

The bass boomed out a loud beat as one pop dance song morphed into another.

Laguna's shoulders hunched up suddenly and he sputtered on his juice. He thought she'd ask him more about his encounter at the recruitment office. Now that was a pretty good story. Being questioned about his family wasn't the direction he'd been intending the conversation to go. "Of course he has grandparents. Everybody has grandparents."

Selphie's eyes went blank and stared back with her mouth downturned sadly. He'd momentarily forgotten how many of the Garden students had been orphaned at a young age. Maybe they didn't know anything about their families at all. It was a strange concept to him considering his relatively uneventful suburban upbringing.

"I mean. Everybody has grandparents. Just like everybody has parents," Laguna clarified. "We all came from somewhere didn't we?"

"Oh, I get it," Selphie said. "Squall has grandparents, but they've passed on."

"Passed on? Oh no. They're still living," Laguna said.

"What!? Does Squall know?!" Selphie asked.

"You think he wants to know about them? I just figured he wouldn't care," Laguna said while rubbing his chin. "He still hasn't warmed up to me yet. I don't want to shock him with too much new information. And actually I don't have the best relationship with them either. I didn't really stay in contact very well when I was in the military, besides the occasional letter to my mom. Then I basically vanished off the face of the planet for 18 years," Laguna sighed. "Hoo boy, that's gonna be a really awkward scene if they ever meet."

He rubbed the back of his head and started to get lost in thought. Laguna's life never went as he planned, not that he had the most definite plans. But he'd learned that change was inevitable, and he could learn to either go with the flow or run from it.

"Hey Squall's over there," Selphie spoke up suddenly while pointing with her free hand. She started waving towards Squall. "Why don't you tell him about your family right now?" When she turned to look at Laguna she saw that he'd already started backing away and was currently jogging towards the nearest exit.

"Sir Laguna! Wait up!" Selphie called after him. "Don't be scared! I'll help you! I just wanna help," she yelled as she started to sprint after him.

The End

Author's Notes: When I was trying to come up with an idea for The Successor Challenge 2016, this popped into my head. The theme was 'change' and I thought that joining the military seemed like it would have been a pretty big change for a person like Laguna. How'd he wind up in the military anyways? He doesn't seem like the soldier type. I guess an alternate idea would be that there was a draft going on at the time. Although maybe he just wanted to get out there and see the world and he didn't have a lot to keep him at home. Also, I have this silly idea in my head that Laguna still has living relatives and he doesn't mention them to Squall because that would be additionally awkward.