A/N: This takes place in the Teammates universe. I know I let the Final Fantasy fans wait forever for an update of that fic and I can't apologize enough. This is just a little something to let you know I've not given up on that crossover. I still love Final Fantasy.
And yes, I've totally merged Final Fantasy VIII and X.
Santana could only shake her head at herself.
"But they're so cute." Brittany had said.
"I don't want to." Santana had objected.
"You'll love it." Brittany had told her.
"I'll hate it!" Santana had replied.
And now despite the fact that she really wanted to be anywhere else in this world right now, Santana found herself sitting on a giant yellow bird at the starting point of Balamb's annual Chocobo race.
"Kweh!"
It wasn't like Santana generally didn't like chocobos. Sure they were a little too chirpy. "Kweh!" And they smelled weird – an effect caused by Gysahl Greens, every chocobo's main nutrition. But Santana could definitely appreciate their use in battle.
Those feathery companions were not only extremely fast; their sharp claws and pointy beaks also made extremely good weapons. And they were actually quite comfortable, too.
"Don't look too excited, Lopez."
As Puck led his chocobo to stand right next to Santana and winked his "let's be friends" wink and smirked his "let's be friends smirk" all she wanted was to get her blade and cut his precious mohawk off his scalp. Santana hated playing games. Raised in an orphanage, she had never had toys. The only thing she had ever been allowed to own were her future plans. These plans consisted of battles against enemies, missions as a SeeD and living it up from the cash she'd earn as a soldier. Life was meant to be war.
Of course that plan had always included Brittany, at least unofficially, because what was Santana supposed to spend her money on if not on keeping her best friend safe and giving her a good life?
Looking over her right shoulder she saw Brittany beam at her and a little sigh escaped her throat. Brittany bent down to pat her chocobo's neck, just to lean over to cuddle with the bird. She was immediately rewarded with a happy "Kweh!". In situations like this Santana wished her future could be now; she'd provide an income big enough to keep Brittany out of any battles. She could join Sam and Mercedes on their chocobo farm instead or become the performer she always wanted to be. Sure, Brittany was an amazing fighter, but the fear that war would eventually ruin her, take away her jollity, her liveliness, was constantly pulling Santana down.
"Ogling your friend again? Make sure your eyeballs don't fall out."
Quinn sat up straight in her saddle when she trotted up to Santana's right and the expression of superiority on her face bugged her even more than Puck's smug grin. Who did they think they were and how could they dare to assume they knew anything about Santana at all?
"Seriously, if you could just quit being such a fun sponge maybe you would really have a shot."
Puck's snickering at Quinn's comment was barely audible over the blood pounding in Santana's temples.
"A shot at what?" she tried. "That's the lamest trash talk I've ever had to experience and that included Finn simply calling me 'lame' earlier."
Quinn only rolled her eyes and Puck shook his head in amusement.
"But now that you've tackled the topic of unrequited love, where's Rachel?" That did the trick. Quinn's hazel eyes flamed up in rage and for a second Santana thought she saw her light brown leather uniform burn as well. It only lasted a short moment, though before Quinn managed to regain her calm, mature self. "Are you sure you don't want to give up now before I kick your butt into next weekend?"
"Hot!"
"Shut it, Puck!" Quinn and Santana yelled simultaneously.
Unbelievable.
"Hey Santana, why don't you just come out of the... what the hell?" Santana turned her head just in time to see Finn's chocobo's legs give in. The bird trembled, stood up straight again for a few seconds and finally stumbled forward before shaking off its extra weight, throwing the boy sitting on top off before taking a run. "Kweh!" Santana stared in amazement as what seemed to be every single cadet of Balamb burst out in hysterical laughter.
"Best thing I've ever seen in my entire life." she stated, awestruck.
Finn's attempt to duck and hide his crimson head were useless. Sucks to be tall sometimes. Santana couldn't just let him get away like that.
"Hey Ariel, maybe next time the chocobo should be riding you instead. You're not agravic on land, remember?" she yelled after the retreating giant.
"That doesn't make sense." Brittany had caught up to Santana now, eyebrows furrowed, obviously lost in thought. "Sure, Finn's strong enough to carry a chocobo, but he's so slow. Also, it's supposed to be a chocobo race so you can't just walk yourself; that's cheating."
Behind Brittany's back Quinn was biting her lip, trying not to laugh, but Santana just smiled at her friend. "Don't worry, he's not going to cheat."
"Attention cadets!"
All chit-chat subsided, all giggling stopped and all eyes were fixed on principal Cid on his stage to the side of the track now. His microphone crackled from a breeze and he pulled at his coat to tighten it around him. The sky had been clear all day, sunny even, but the hills surrounding the Calm Lands formed a tunnel which let the wind blow sharp into the cadets' faces. Fortunately Santana had brought her goggles (plus an extra pair for Brittany).
"Welcome to Balamb Garden's annual chocobo race."
Cid paused to let the crowd cheer. It was quite an event at Balamb. Almost all cadets participated and every class was allowed to join. Students weren't allowed vacation and the only other way to entertain yourself at the Garden was a dull little game called Triple Triad, another big thing at Balamb's SeeD academy. Santana wasn't into card games, though and as she sat there watching everyone cheer, she reasoned that riding a chocobo could at least be considered sports and count as battle training. It was enough to lighten her mood a little. And it was enough to make her dedicated. If she was to join, there'd be no way in hell she let Puck or Quinn win. Santana Lopez didn't enter a race to come in second.
"The race consists of three stages. The first stage is what you see in front of you: two miles of open fields; it's just you, your competition and grass. The last fifty to finish will be eliminated from the race. You enter stage two according to the order in which you finish stage one. Next up is a little maze through narrow paths through the hills. It's recommended that you try to get a lead position as fast as possible; overtaking each other will be hard to impossible during these two miles. Oh, and beware of the traps and dead-ends. Again the last fifty plus casualties will be eliminated."
"Casualties? What's he talking about?" Puck raised an eyebrow, but Quinn only shrugged.
They were both quite new at the Garden so they didn't know about the traps throughout the race. Santana just shook her head and looked over to Brittany. She had to find a way to get them both through the race safely.
"The final stage you'll see when you get there. Surprise."
"Yay, a surprise." Brittany cheered with a radiant smile and Santana couldn't help but smile along. Wherever Brittany got her enthusiasm from was a complete mystery to her. They had been raised at the same orphanage under the same miserable circumstances and yet, for Brittany nothing was ever quite miserable. Sometimes Santana envied her a little for that.
"Also, don't forget to use what you've learned in battle."
Santana hadn't brought her Gunblade; that would have been a little too much. She knew she couldn't slash her fellow students, even though she despised most of them. Not only would that get her expelled, but especially Quinn and Puck would surely one day make good teammates. Instead Brittany had provided her with a few of her self-made grenades. "With special effects." the girl had added with a wink. Santana's fingers itched to try them. Brittany had insisted to enter the race unarmed. "I just want to ride a chocobo and have fun." she had stated. How typical of her, how...Brittany.
"Hey Lopez, look what I brought." Puck smirked at her and showed off a set of silver knuckles. "Come close to me and you'll get the best fist bump of your lifetime." When Santana raised an eyebrow he added: "Don't worry, my aim is perfect. You'll just get a little punch to the shoulder."
"Oh, I'm not worried. After all I've kicked more ass than you've sat on."
Puck just shot her an I-don't-give-a-fuck-half smile as response. Yea, this would totally be fun.
"Ready."
Santana looked over to Brittany one last time and earned herself a playful wink before strapping her goggles over her eyes.
"Set."
She gripped the reins tight and focused on the track before her.
"Go!"
Approximately three hundred chocobos sprinted forward at a magnificent speed. Santana was glad she had been able to hog a spot within the front rows when she heard several students screaming behind her as they toppled over after being rammed. Puck and Quinn sat firm in their saddles to both her sides; they were as focused, as determined to win as she was.
There wouldn't be much fighting in the first stage of this race. This was just about getting through. Santana knew she'd need to save her energy for later.
"Kweh!" She ducked her head and pressed her heels into the chocobo's sides, urging it on. The bird responded immediately, accelerating just enough to get away from her dangerous spot between her rivals. She wouldn't let them manoeuvre her out that easily. Her two classmates might have been new to the Garden, but they were definitely not to be underestimated.
Also, she figured that she had to gain distance to the large crowd. Stuffed between cadets was not the way to win. Her ears were filled with chocobo squeals and students' voices shouting and cheering. Wind was pulling at her pony-tail and blowing cold into her face, but her bird's gallop remained steady. Being so close to so many other cadets at once as she was squeezed between them, being pushed into all directions, unable to move freely, had two effects on Santana: First of all, it made her feel claustrophobic. But it also triggered the warrior within her as her chest filled up with rage. The only solution would be to make some room and blowing off some steam while she was at it.
Soon she spotted her first victim and greeted him adequately.
"Bye bye!" she yelled at the faceless freshman who had dared to come too close to her. One punch to his rib cage was enough to let him stumble and fall.
"Loser."
With a satisfied smirk on her face Santana sped forward. Three kicks and four pushes later she found herself at her destination: the front row. She wasn't surprised to find Quinn and Puck next to her again.
"Been waiting for you to catch up." Puck grinned. But Quinn was all focus. When the blonde saw Santana she furrowed her eyebrows and leaned forward, ducking her head behind her chocobo's neck to avoid head wind.
"So it comes down to us, huh?"
Puck and his annoying attempts to befriend her again; what was the deal with this kid? Couldn't he see that Santana didn't need any buddies? She shot him a vicious glare and stated: "No. It all comes down to me."
She could already make out the finish line in the distance. She had to get rid of her competition now.
Quinn was obviously thinking the same.
"Need a light?"
Santana barely dodged two fireballs.
"Damn you!" she heard Puck shout. When she turned her head she saw him pat his mohawk vigorously, just putting out the last spark. Santana couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. As Puck fell back two rows she almost let her satisfaction distract her. The next fireball came so close she could feel the heat on her face.
"If you put my weave on fire you'll be dead meat, Fabray!"
But Quinn only smirked.
"Brittany will never allow you to hurt me."
Santana huffed; before she could come up with a proper insult, her rival continued: "Where's she anyway?"
Santana whipped her head around to see her blonde a couple of rows back in the crowd. She was cheering and laughing and being all kinds of adorable and in no way engaged in a vicious competition. Watching Brittany made it easy to forget that they were at war, that there were enemies to kill, that once they graduated their lives would be at stake on a daily basis. Brittany made it look as if being a soldier was just another game.
"Don't move!"
The delay spell hit right in front of Santana's chocobo's feet. Quinn was trying to slow her bird.
"That's enough!" Santana yelled, fumbling in the bag to her side. She had five grenades with her and one of them had silencing powder attached. "Thanks, Britt." she whispered as she kept searching.
"You put too much trust in magic." she heard a voice from behind. When Santana looked up she saw Rachel racing towards them. The tiny siren had the huge advantage of being as light as a feather and her chocobo didn't show the slightest hint of exhaustion.
Clever, Santana thought. Whilst she had been fighting with Quinn and Puck, trying to get to the front as fast as possible, Rachel had been saving all energy for the last few hundred metres.
"Be quiet!"
Quinn hadn't even realized what hit her until she opened her mouth to start a new attack and failed. Her voice was gone together with her magic powers. That wouldn't stop one Quinn Fabray, though. She shot Rachel a stone cold expression and refocused on the finish line.
Puck and Rachel were both catching up now and Santana didn't appreciate the new competition one bit. It was time to do something about this. Reaching into her bag once more this time she found what she was searching for right away.
"Armor of light, halt physical might." When had Rachel become this fast? It had been too late for Santana to stop her attack so as she let go off her grenade she fully expected it to be a wasted effort; she expected her grenade to bounce off Rachel. To her huge surprise, though, she hit. Dark dust clouded Rachel's head, blinding her and making her unable to keep up her speed.
"One down, two to go." Santana smiled to herself.
To her right Puck and Quinn had their own battle going on. The girl hadn't regained her skills, yet, and Puck did his best to land a punch. Despite her high agility it would just be a matter of time until Quinn couldn't dodge anymore and Santana decided this was a good opportunity to outrace the two. The finish line was almost within reach now. Just a little sprint and she'd win.
"What the fuck?"
In the corner of her eyes she saw Puck punching Quinn just to have his fist blocked by an invisible shield. Apparently Rachel's protection spell hadn't failed after all. "That's cheating!" the guy yelled. "You're not supposed to team up against me!"
Santana was sure that if Quinn would have been able to speak, she would have sent a thunderbolt into Puck's direction for referring to her and Rachel as a team. But she wasn't able to speak so all that was left to do was to punch him back. It was more a smack to the back of his head, though. Quinn wasn't exactly known to be a physical attacker.
"Just a few metres left." Santana gasped. She was almost there. She'd win. Quinn, Puck and Rachel were all far enough behind her now. There was no one who could possibly impose a threat. No one.
She'd win.
No challenge.
She bit her lower lip in anticipation. Victory felt great.
One chocobo's length left. Santana raised her arms, ready to celebrate, when...
"WOOHOOO!"
...Brittany came seemingly out of nowhere, overtook Santana effortlessly and with a loud cheer crossed the finish line first.
Santana was raging... and stunned.
Jumping off her saddle she ignored how Puck high-fived Quinn. She ignored how Quinn approached Rachel. She only briefly acknowledged how she swung her arms around the shorter girl. She definitely did not see how Rachel sneaked a peck from Quinn's lips before storming off. And she was NOT going to talk to Quinn about how pathetic it was to bite her lip and follow Rachel with big hazel puppy eyes.
No, she was too mad for any of that.
Not only had she just lost the race (ok, only the first stage and starting as second in stage two was pretty damn good, but still); she had also been robbed off her victory by no other than her best friend. Brittany should know better. This was so unfair.
Unacceptable.
"San! You were so amazing!"
When the chirpy blonde came running towards her, Santana meant to yell, to frown, to give her a speech.
But with sugary lips on hers and warm arms wrapped tightly around her shoulders there wasn't any room for protest.
I'm going to be honest and say that I have no idea when exactly I'll be able to post the next part. I can say, however, that there's only going to be one, maybe two more parts. Right now I'm working on a Gantz crossover for the Glee at the movies big bang. It comes with a deadline and therefore has first priority.