Disclaimer: I don't own any of the following... Final Fantasy (only some of the games and my muses, who are happily rampaging in my mind...), Magic - The Gathering (again - all I own are my ideas for creative use)
Thanks to Daughter of Night this little piece of insanity is freed of (hopefully all) errors (except for OOCness - blame my muses for insisting on certain quirks ^^) and could be put up here... Only one thing left to say... Have fun reading!
SeeDs, Guardians and... Love
A nightmare and a new mission
I sat up in my bed, groaning when I realized that I was still panting due to the dream I just had. I hated waking up like that, since every time I get one of these nightmarish dreams, it takes me some time to realize just where I am and that the scenes I'd just seen had not happened just now, but were a mere dream. Even if it was a nightmare, based on my memories, it was still somewhat frightening.
Shit! Again that dream… I hate it! I really, really hate it! It's always the same… all over again – as if my memories aren't enough…
I glanced at the alarm clock, which stood on a small table next to some plants, and groaned once more. It's still this early?! Holy… And what the hell am I supposed to do now? I knew that, now being almost fully awake, I couldn't fall asleep again. Yet it was still very early in the morning and there wasn't much I could do.
I sleepily tossed aside my sheets and fell out of my bed. The reason for this being that in my sleep I had come very close to the edge and moving – even if it was only a tiny bit – simply wasn't possible anymore. Ouch! … That was my elbow! I cursed. Damn! That really hurt!
Normally I don't have that problem, since my bed is quite large. Seeing as I tend to toss and turn in my sleep I need that… or more specifically when I've got one of my nightmares.
My little stunt was successful in waking me up some more. Lucky me… I picked myself up from the place on the relatively cold floor and made my way over to the kitchenette, where I grabbed something for breakfast and started eating, but it didn't cost me a lot of time – it never does. After having finished, I snatched myself some fruits and walked back into my bedroom again, where I looked out of the large window. Not even the sun was shining yet… I could see the last stars on the morning sky, but it was already dawning – soon I would be able to watch the sun rising.
I think that's worth waiting for… Not like I've got something to do right now…
I opened the large window to let the clear, fresh morning air in and not much later sunrise came, along with breathtaking colours. That's something you only get to see when you're up that early in the morning… I was almost glad that I had woken up…almost.
But it was still awfully early in the morning. So….What am I gonna do now? I slowly uncurled myself and stood up from my place on the windowsill.
I had an idea. Granted, it was not a new one, since I did that on a regular basis, but what else could I do? Running around in my nightclothes wouldn't do, so… I exchanged my loose black pants and a comfortable top in flaming colours for black leather pants, several belts – three green ones with small ornaments were slung around my hips (one to hold my pants and the other two were hanging a bit more loose and crossed 'round my hips) and another three, more narrow and dark, around my right thigh – dark boots with buckles (they pretty much resemble motorcycle boots…) and a sea-coloured (variations of blue, green and turquoise) shirt. This shirt is not really tight, since I need to be able to move freely when I fight… with mid-length sleeves and above the sleeve on my right shoulder I quickly fixed some sort of shoulder plate – it's exchangeable – some people might also call it a shoulder armour. I'm not always wearing it, but sometimes it's quite handy. Last but not least I put on my leather gloves, which are also black… I may not wear them all the time, but definitely often. After having finished this, I tied up my hair. Now I was almost ready for the day… Almost… there was still something missing…
A few steps brought me over to the place where my sword rested and I picked it up to examine it. Yep, that's what's been missing… I fixed it on my back and was finally ready to go and face a new day. Sounds like it's some kind of challenge…
The only place I could go now and do something productive with all the energy I had thanks to my nightmare, was the Training Center, which is open 24 hours a day. I sincerely doubt that there are going to be many people, since they're probably all sleeping – like I should, but cannot.
I closed the door to my dorm room, walking out of the area and finally through the corridor to bring me closer to my destiny, the Training Center. A few minutes later I silently passed one of the instructors, who were keeping watch that the students of Balamb Garden follow the rules and are not out in the middle of the night to do some kind of… whatever. They're standing in front of the entrances of the different areas like for example: the front gate, the infirmary, the cafeteria, the library, etc. to guard them…
Instructors are easy to make out, due to their distinctive robes. I'm not exactly fond of the instructors, seeing as they somehow give me the creeps – don't really know why, though… Must be some kind of special ability that all instructors possess to scare the students into behaving…
Finally I reached my goal, the Training Center, after passing another instructor. Another corridor, this one had a broad green line in the middle of it (everything here has an assigned colour – the Training Center has green, whereas the dorms have white as their distinctive colour…) and on one of the walls B-16 is written in large green letters. Even though it was still considered night time, everything in here was well lit. I ended up in the space between the two huge metal doors separating this area from the actual training area, where all of the monsters resided…
The doors were always closed to keep them from escaping into Garden and creating mayhem and destruction.
As soon as you leave the corridor and enter the actual dangerous area it feels and looks like you have just entered a jungle with damp air and lots of greenery with only some metal parts of the floor reminding you that this is a closed area and not the real thing. Every now and then there are some posts with red lights to mark the edges, but otherwise it's really as if you had entered another world. A very dangerous world – one that can even cost your life… Because of this you have to prepare yourself and check your equipment carefully before even entering. First thing we learn and best thing to never forget!
It doesn't matter which one of the doors you choose. You can enter through one and leave through the other one, since the whole area is connected through a basic path. I chose the left door and started moving carefully towards the middle…
Roughly half a minute later I got a rush of adrenaline when I first heard a T-Rexaur roaring and a second later I saw a huge specimen of said species running into my direction. Hyne, what a start for a day! Reaching for my sword and drawing it, I prepared myself for the oncoming battle.
Nearly two hours – or what I believed to be two hours – one T-Rexaur, several Grats (damned beasts always try to put me to sleep…) and two Raldos later, I almost stumbled out on my way back to my room. I wasn't tired, more like kind of exhausted, not to mention that my earlier energetic outburst was long over by now… Too much adrenaline? Now I could use some sleep to make up for the lost energy, but that wasn't possible anymore. Damn… I had other things to do, places to be…
However, I still had some time left. I definitely need a shower – preferably a long one… You can shower at the Training Center, but I rarely use this option – preferring the privacy of the shower in my own room. My muscles ached slightly and I had to do something about it, if I didn't want (them) to be sore tomorrow… And after that I'd probably better check my stuff… Even though I doubt that I've forgotten something… These and other thoughts kept me company on my way back.
Approximately one hour later I had showered, done some stretching to prevent even more sore muscles and cleaned my sword. Still had to check my bag… Which was exactly what I did, since I was about to get a new mission today and I wanted to be ready for it.
Some time later I was walking out of my dorm room for the second time that morning, but this time to get the orders for this assignment. A new day had started for Balamb Garden and the instructors were gone from their nightly places. Students, youngsters and even a few SeeDs could be seen doing their morning routines, being on their way to classes or to the cafeteria, to get some breakfast. It was like every other morning.
I already had my bag with me in order to be able to depart immediately after our orders were given. We would leave Balamb Garden then and travel to wherever this assignment was going to take us. The only hint I had about our location was the headmaster's hint that we were going north and had better pack some warm clothes… Fantastic hint! Even more fantastic location, seeing as I hate the cold…
We… that's one Seifer Almasy and me…Talk about the existence of an evil deity! Or at least 'bout sadistic godly jokes… The headmaster had informed us yesterday about certain arrangements for this assignment, but as usual the more specific orders were not given until just before leaving.
When I heard yesterday evening whom I'd been paired up with, I wasn't exactly happy with the headmaster's choice of my partner. But who am I to tell him this? Therefore all I had done was lift an eyebrow, but wisely had said nothing. There were seemingly two SeeDs required – and very specifically a male and a female one… The reasons were not told… yet… – and I seemingly happened to be the only female SeeD that hadn't had a mission during the last month or wasn't already gone on some assignment…The joy… Seems that this is going to be some undercover action or something in that direction… I desperately hoped that I was wrong.
SeeD… that's what I am, or better said: It's my job. SeeDs are fighting specialists, or… if you want, mercenaries. Got a problem with our choice of job? Well, that's not my problem… We mostly work in small groups and it's relatively expensive to hire us… but we're worth our money! Ok… enough self-advertisement for now…
It could've been every other SeeD, but noo… it had to be him. Seifer Almasy… It's not like I hate him or something… but, it's a real strange sort of friendship we share… he seems to tease me constantly. Though sometimes – on these oh so very rare occasions – he's really great to talk to – that is… if he's not trying to annoy me on purpose. Otherwise you could say that we get along quite well…
I briefly thought about going to the cafeteria, but dropped the idea as soon as I saw how packed the whole room was… Too many people… I turned around without even entering and started moving again in the general direction of the front gate. The surface of Balamb Garden has lots of plants and water and was, at least in my eyes, beautiful to look at.
The interior was built like a circle, in the middle of which there was a lift to move up to either the classrooms (on the second floor) or the headmaster's office (third floor). The circular walkway, broad enough for at least four or five people to walk next to each other, was 'floating' over the water that was underneath it. I don't know why it was built that way, but it definitely looks calming to the eye.
I know the Garden almost inside out, due to my long stay here and when I was younger I especially loved the various decorative and complicated patters on the floor.
As soon as I reached the front gate, which is exactly opposite to the dorms, I was greeted with the sight of a broadly grinning Seifer. Oh sweet Hyne!… He's in one of his playful moods… That grin says everything… and his teasing is telling the rest… But before he could grate too much on my nerves, I was saved by headmaster Cid and one instructor. Anymore of Seifer's teasing and we would've gotten into a full-blown fight to release some stress… As things stood, all I did was glare daggers at him. The day's getting better and better…
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